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LEADERS OF THE
TOP 100
COMPANIES In this special advertising section, we introduce the executives behind some of this year’s Top 100 Companies. We asked them about their leadership style, their professional development and what their companies do to engage employees. You’ll find the resulting profiles both educational and insightful. Business Report is proud to present this inside look at local leaders and the ideas that landed their companies on the 2018 Top 100 list.
CSRS, INC. SPECIALTY WELDING AND TURNAROUNDS, LLC BROWN & ROOT BLUE CROSS AND BLUE SHIELD OF LOUISIANA ROOFING SOLUTIONS, LLC COMPLIANCE ENVIROSYSTEMS, LLC SHOPPERSCHOICE.COM TURNER INDUSTRIES
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LEADERS
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OF THE
TOP 100
COMPANIES
Tim Barfield President
Michael Songy CEO
CSRS, Inc. 6767 Perkins Road, Ste. 200 Baton Rouge, LA 70808 225.769.0546 csrsinc.com FOUNDED AS a traditional architectural design and civil engineering with local clients, CSRS has evolved into a regional firm that focuses on building stronger, smarter communities with solid infrastructure, efficient facilities and purposeful development. They help clients plan, design, fund and implement sustainable projects and recover from disasters with more resilience. “I have a passion for putting people in a position to succeed and thrive, and their personal and professional development is very important to our continued success,” says president Tim Barfield. “My role is to ensure that we have the right people, in the right places, and that they have the necessary resources and support to perform well. I strive to be a trusted advisor, both externally to our clients and internally to our employees, so that our programs and projects proceed as intended.” The firm’s top priority is education, and it supports the LCTCS Foundation, the Foundation for East Baton Rouge School System, the Baton Rouge Youth Coalition, Volunteers in Public Schools, City Year, Manners of the Heart, New Schools for Baton Rouge, Cristo Rey and the Youth Entrepreneurs Academy, among others. “Our shareholders and employees are supporters of numerous charitable, educational, civic and professional organizations,” Songy notes. “CSRS encourages our employees to engage in the community organizations, activities and causes for which they have interest and passion, and we support their efforts by providing paid time off and matching contribution benefits.”
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BUSINESS REPORT, July 31, 2018 | BusinessReport.com
LEADERS
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OF THE
TOP 100
COMPANIES
Johnny Holifield President
Jimmy Quick Vice President
Troy Rembert HSE Manager
Specialty Welding and Turnarounds, LLC 40492 Cannon Road Gonzales, LA 70737 225.644.1200 swatservice.com SPECIALTY WELDING and Turnarounds was founded in 2014 by two longtime turnaround managers, Johnny Holifield and Jimmy Quick. Bringing its core management, field and administrative team together, its grown from a 10-person team to a multimillion-dollar-revenue elite turnaround business, offering specialty welding and mechanical services to the chemical and refining industry all over the world. Core values from Day 1 have always been Safety, Integrity, Commitment, Quality—and Holifield says their mission is to execute company business in only that way: focusing on employees and their safety and well-being; commitment to always doing the right thing to the best of their abilities. “Our practice of keeping our promises when we look someone in the eye, shake their hand, and assure them we really are the best there is led us to where we are today and where we are going in the decades to come.” “Our employees really are like family to us,” Holifield adds. “When you spend weeks at a time away from your loved ones, your work team becomes your family. It’s a bond that can’t be broken. We support one another at all levels. We’ve always got each other’s backs. It’s also important for our executive, management, and office team to be present in the field. So we can see first-hand the challenges presented and apply business knowledge to solve problems. Our business was built on relationships, and we intend to keep it that way.
Daily-Report.com | BUSINESS REPORT, July 31, 2018
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LEADERS OF THE
TOP 100
COMPANIES
Andy Dupuy President & CEO
Fred A. McManus Chief Operating Officer
Jonathan Batarseh Chief Financial Officer
William Clouatre Executive Vice President
Wayne Killion General Counsel
Brown & Root 2600 Citiplace Drive, Ste. 500 Baton Rouge, LA 70808 225.778.7655 brownandroot.com
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ANDY DUPUY (left) has served as president and CEO of Brown & Root Industrial Services since its formation in 2015. He has more than 40 years’ experience in leadership and management in the construction, engineering, maintenance, and EPC business. Both Andy and Fred McManus, Brown & Root’s COO, have been instrumental in the growth of Brown & Root over the past three years. The two have worked to assemble the best and the brightest in the industry while building a comprehensive, multidiscipline industrial services company employing 8,000 people in locations throughout North America. Brown & Root provides engineering; construction; maintenance; turnaround services; soft crafts (insulation, scaffolding, painting); as well as specialty welding and cooling tower technology services. Andy previously served as president of Shaw Power, executive vice president of the Shaw Infrastructure/E&I Division, and in numerous other positions prior to the sale of The Shaw Group to Chicago Bridge & Iron in 2013. At CB&I, Andy was senior VP of construction for the Plant Services Division and president of fossil power for the Power Division. He is a past president of the ABC Pelican Chapter and currently serves on the Board of Trustees for the NCCER. “We have one clear mission. We are creating the most complete, responsive, and value-added industrial services organization, and we’re progressing at an impressive pace—more than doubling our revenues in three years,” Dupuy says. “We couldn’t do this without the talent, passion and expertise of our team members. We work hard and we have fun too. I think that shows in the number and quality of long-term employees we have as well as in the level of new talent we’ve been able to attract to our team.”
Daily-Report.com | BUSINESS REPORT, July 31, 2018
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LEADERS OF THE
TOP 100
COMPANIES
Dr. I. Steven Udvarhelyi President & CEO
Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Louisiana 5525 Reitz Ave. Baton Rouge, LA 70809 225.295.3305 bcbsla.com “ONE OF the fundamentals of good leadership is the ability to inspire others to follow your lead,” according to Dr. I. Steven Udvarhelyi, president and CEO of Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Louisiana. “It’s important to lead by example and be willing to do what you ask others to do,” he says. Udvarhelyi has been at the helm of Louisiana’s oldest health insurer for nearly two and a half years, steering the company through the murky waters of a changing health care industry. “You need to create a vision and strategy for people to follow, and allow them to play a part in creating them so you have buy-in and commitment,” says Udvarhelyi. “Finally, you need to empower your team and hold people accountable for executing as a team.” Udvarhelyi works to create transparency to keep employees both engaged and informed. “Everyone has the information they need to do their jobs and feels free to ask questions respectfully and challenge each other,” he says. Employee engagement is also spurred by great benefits, flexible work schedules and a nice clean campus, but the key is encouraging employees to connect with the community through volunteerism and service. “When employees feel valued not only in their roles at work, but for their ability to serve the community, they connect more fully with our mission—and with our organization,” says Udvarhelyi. Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Louisiana and its subsidiaries provide group and individual health insurance plans, life and disability insurance and group voluntary products and administrative services. Blue Cross also provides Medicare supplement and Medicare Advantage plans and is a partner in offering the Healthy Blue Medicaid managed care plan. It’s a Louisiana-based company with more than 2,500 employees and eight regional offices serving more than 1.8 million members.
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BUSINESS REPORT, July 31, 2018 | BusinessReport.com
LEADERS
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OF THE
TOP 100
COMPANIES
Tupac de la Cruz
Founder/Operations Manager
Roofing Solutions, LLC 37302 Commerce Lane Prairieville, LA 70769 225.744.3912 roofingsolutionsla.com TUPAC de la CRUZ founded Roofing Solutions in 2004 when a general contractor had an urgent need for a roofing subcontractor on a Baton Rouge area project. Today, after 14 years of determination, discipline and passion, Roofing Solutions has become the state’s commercial roofing leader. Its customerfocused culture is a testament to the company’s commitment to building longterm relationships. The company currently has offices in Prairieville; New Orleans; Jackson, Mississippi; and San Jose, Costa Rica. It is still in growth mode, expanding into other territories such as Alabama, Florida, Texas and Colorado. The company is perhaps most proud of its current efforts to translate the National Roofing Contractors Association’s technical and educational content into Spanish. This will open doors to the Spanish-speaking community, which comprises about 80% of the roofing workforce in the U.S., approximately 140,000 people. Tupac recently completed a three-year term as a member of the NRCA’s board of directors, a task that gave him the ability to perform other notable work for the U.S. roofing industry. Roofing Solutions is a big supporter of continuing education. In addition to a tuition program available to employees who choose to pursue advanced degrees, 90% of its employees have been program certified on Steven Covey’s Seven Habits of Highly Effective People. Tupac also plays a leading role on the NRCA’s Committee for Diversity and Inclusion. His commitment to these ideals is reflected in the staff at Roofing Solutions—the company has one of the highest percentages of women in supervisory positions of any roofer in the United States.
Daily-Report.com | BUSINESS REPORT, July 31, 2018
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LEADERS OF THE
TOP 100
COMPANIES
Brad L. Dutruch
President
Compliance EnviroSystems, LLC 1401 Seabord Drive Baton Rouge, LA 70810 SINCE 1995 Compliance EnviroSystems, LLC (CES) has exceeded industry standards, setting the bar for sanitary sewer and storm drain evaluations. As a full-service professional sanitary sewer and storm drain evaluation provider, CES assists engineering firms, wastewater utility contractors and municipalities in maintaining sewer systems across the United States. Headquartered in Baton Rouge, CES employs more than 160 dedicated and family-oriented employees. President Brad Dutruch served four years on the National Association of Sewer Service Companies board of directors and one year as national president of the organization. He also owns BLD Services, LLC, based in Jefferson Parish, Better Pumps and Solutions, LLC and is partowner of several other construction-related businesses throughout the Southeast. He currently serves on the board of trustees at The Dunham School in Baton Rouge. Dutruch calls himself a “visionary leader.” “It’s important to have the right people on your team to turn vision into reality,” he explains. “Delegation is the key to building a strong team. I hire strong people and provide opportunities for them to reach their personal goals while bringing CES’s vision to reality. This sometimes comes at a cost, but I support my employees win or lose.” He understands that the employees make the company. “Our reputation is at stake on every job. We drive home the ideology that you can only make a first impression once. We have many long-term clients for this reason, and the employees understand that to keep it that way we have to do it right, every time.”
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LEADERS
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OF THE
TOP 100
COMPANIES
Michael Hackley CEO/Owner
Ladina Hackley Owner
ShoppersChoice.com 8151 Airline Highway Baton Rouge, LA 70815 1.877.743.2269 shopperschoice.com IN 1998 Mike and Ladina Hackley opened The Grill Store & More; they began online sales in 2000 by creating their first website, BBQGuys.com. As BBQGuys.com expanded beyond grills and cooking products, their focus turned to becoming an e-commerce destination for outdoor living products. This led to the 2004 launch of their parent website, ShoppersChoice.com and other specialty sites. The company began with five employees and is now over 200. Its storefront on Coursey Boulevard is relocating to a new Airline facility to allow ShoppersChoice.com to better service its business and retail customers. “I am always available to meet with my employees to discuss new ideas, but to also empower them to make decisions and be a part of building our company,” says Mike Hackley. The workplace culture is defined by “CAPLC”: Communication, Accountability, Passion, Learning, and Change. “By emphasizing these principles, we believe we have found the formula for delivering obtainable results and an amazing experience for each one of our valued customers, while maintaining a fun, supportive and enriching work environment.” In addition to four consecutive placements in the top 40 of Baton Rouge Best Places to Work, ShoppersChoice.com has been on the list of Inc. 5000 Fastest Growing Companies for 10 years in a row. The company gives back to the community by hosting Bark n’ BBQ benefiting the Friends of the Animals of Baton Rouge, hosting blood drives, donating kitchen and grill equipment to the Youth Oasis Children’s Shelter, and donating bicycles to the Toys for Tots program.
Daily-Report.com | BUSINESS REPORT, July 31, 2018
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LEADERS OF THE
TOP 100
COMPANIES
Roland M. Toups Chairman/CEO
Turner Industries 8687 United Plaza Blvd. Baton Rouge, LA 70809 225.922.5050 turner-industries.com IN 1961 a young engineer named Bert Turner bought Nichols Construction Co. out of bankruptcy. The company specialized in industrial construction, heavy equipment, hauling, rigging and equipment rental. It didn’t take Turner long to realize the industrial construction industry was a series of peaks and valleys. He began to take steps to ensure a steady stream of revenue, embarking on industrial contract maintenance and other services. Roland Toups was hired in 1968 by the founder to run a new division. Over the next five decades Nichols expanded to become the multibillion-dollar company which today is Turner Industries. In 2000, Bert Turner designated Toups to be the chairman of the board. A key to Toups’ leadership style is to insist on and encourage “hands-on” management by everyone, emphasizing integrity and safety above all. “Together, we’ve all built a great company by practicing excellent teamwork, solid communications and consensus decisionmaking,” he says. “It is important that all Turner employees are aware of our key priorities—God, Family, and Turner—in that order.” Toups’ steadfast leadership has helped to guide and ensure the success of Turner Industries and its ability to serve hundreds of clients nationwide and provide thousands of employees with meaningful careers. “I’m very optimistic the well-earned Turner legacy will be passed on for years to come. Business conditions will always be volatile in this industry, but the stable business model created by our founder, Bert Turner, will allow us to take advantage of the evolving marketplace. The Turner family has been the best owner we could ever hope for, and they all want to see the company grow and prosper. We’ve just got to keep ‘hustling’ and make it happen!”
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