Gauthier Labbé is responsible for economic affairs at the Community of Communes of the Grande Vallée de la Marne

Can you introduce yourself in a few words?

I am Gauthier Labbé, born almost 49 years ago in Reims. I have been working in the Montagne de Reims region since 2022 as an economic affairs officer for the Communauté de communes de la Grande Vallée de la Marne.

Tell us a little about your background!

I grew up in Beaumont-sur-Vesle, in the shadow of the Verzenay lighthouse. After completing my higher education in geography at the University of Reims, I went to Brittany to do a master's degree in urban planning and development. My first professional experiences took me to the Vosges, Eure-et-Loir and then Meuse, first as a territorial development agent and then as a land manager. I returned to my native land in 2017, working for the Ministry of the Environment in the fields of regional planning and renewable energy, before joining the CCGVM.

This whole journey leads me to understand, today, my functions as economic developer through the more general prism of territorial development (environment, local trade and crafts, Social and Solidarity Economy)

On a personal level, sensitive to civic and cultural action, I am part of the Territorial Council of my neighborhood and am involved in events such as the Party in Luton (which I founded), and in various associations in Reims, the city where I live.

What are your links with the Park?

My first experience with the Montagne de Reims Regional Natural Park dates back to 1997.

Tired of my very theoretical university studies in Geography, I decided to do a voluntary internship at the Park. I was then entrusted with the mission of opening mountain bike trails, an experience that reinforced my desire to continue my studies and allowed me to discover many little-known villages.

And it was more recently, when I took up my duties within the CCGVM, that I was able to work again with the Park, mainly with Amélie Radureau from the Urban Planning and Landscape department as well as Emmanuelle Déon from the Tourism Development/Mobility department. I can thus cite a few urban development projects (public spaces in Aÿ-Champagne) as well as the project around the "Ligne des Bulles", in particular on the stations of Germaine, Avenay-Val-d'Or and Aÿ.

Thus, I very regularly make use of the Park's skills in terms of urban planning and landscaping in collaboration with the Mission Coteaux, Maisons et Caves de Champagne (UNESCO) so that this structure can provide me with its expertise for any development project, whether municipal or inter-municipal.

 Finally, I collaborate very regularly with Nolwenn Peron within the framework of projects supported by the PAT (Territorial Food Plan of the Marne Triangle).

What is your favorite place in Montagne de Reims?

Having spent my childhood at the foot of the northern slopes of the Montagne de Reims (Verzenay, Verzy, Villers-Marmery), I logically have a deep attachment to the emblematic sites of these areas: the mill and the lighthouse of Verzenay, as well as the Faux de Verzy.

My professional activity has also allowed me to (re)discover towns, particularly those in the Marne Valley, which I knew but whose wealth, particularly in terms of heritage, I did not suspect: Germaine, for example, is a pretty cocoon in the heart of the forest.

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