THE DESIGN STUDIO

WHAT IS SPECIAL OR UNIQUE ABOUT YOUR COMPANY?

Our team makes a direct effort to provide first-class communication while individualizing conversations with customers. Providing a high-quality service experience while delivering effective communication are some of the many things our team does well.

HOW DID YOU GET STARTED IN THE INDUSTRY/BUSINESS?

Four years of education and playing football at the University of Michigan provided me with unique career opportunities. After moving home, I met with Brian Meaux, and he explained what it meant to be a State Farm agent. I was sold!

WHAT MAKES YOU PASSIONATE ABOUT YOUR WORK?

I am passionate about making a difference in people’s lives, whether it is our customers or our team. I love coaching, mentoring, and being able to provide a platform for my team to succeed in business and in life.

WHAT IS MOST CHALLENGING ABOUT YOUR WORK? WHAT IS MOST REWARDING?

We live in a fast-paced world. Being creative to get in front of customers can be challenging at times. We take pride in serving our customers, so in the end, being able to meet their insurance needs is extremely rewarding.

ARE THERE ANY UPCOMING PLANS YOU’D LIKE TO SHARE?

My wife is due in August with our first child. Over my career, I have discussed the needs and protected the risks of hundreds of families. I’m fired up to start our own family and continue to positively impact our community.

HOW DOES YOUR COMPANY STAND OUT FROM COMPETITORS?

POSH Exclusive Interiors is an awardwinning concierge firm that guides clients from concept to completion of interior and exterior designs no matter the size or scope of the project. The firm’s portfolio includes stately country homes, Manhattan high-rise condos and everything in between.

DO YOU HAVE A MISSION OR PHILOSOPHY?

Attention to detail and true personal interest in homeowners’ styles—these are hallmarks of the unique service clients have come to appreciate from the entire POSH Exclusive Interiors team.

WHAT MAKES YOU PASSIONATE ABOUT YOUR WORK?

I am not interested in status quo design. My talent should represent exceptional taste, but also embrace the individual style and habits of each of my clients. This desire to provide the best design possible is a passion that is endless.

WHAT ARE SOME CHALLENGES YOU’VE EXPERIENCED?

COVID, supply chain disruptions, ridiculous excuses! And DIY shows— everyone is a designer until the weekend is over and they realize they are in over their head. My go to comment is, “You don’t know what you DON’T KNOW.”

SHARE YOUR UPCOMING PLANS OR DREAM PROJECTS. Our outreach is broad and our clientele is global. We also manufacture a bespoke line of upholstery furniture to meet our clients’ specific needs and timelines in the USA. We are always pleasantly surprised by our amazing clients’ requests. No two projects are alike and no two locations are the same. Hard work, endless work hours and countless miles on a plane make every project special!

WHAT IS SPECIAL OR UNIQUE ABOUT YOUR COMPANY?

Aside from our customer service and commitment to the highest quality standards, we pride ourselves in educating our clients—not only in the construction process, but in the insurance claims process. We want our clients to be knowledgeable and present every step of the way.

WHAT MAKES YOU PASSIONATE ABOUT YOUR WORK?

Creating. Whether we’re helping clients turn a vision into reality or providing an environment for our employees to grow and find their passions in life. Recognizing this as my mission makes me excited every day and able to push through the difficult times.

WHAT IS MOST REWARDING ABOUT YOUR WORK?

When we are all working as a team to complete a project—ourselves, the client and the carrier. It’s so satisfying.

ARE THERE ANY UPCOMING PLANS YOU’D LIKE TO SHARE?

We are currently in the claims process of a historical home in Spanish Town. It’s an honor to be selected as the contractor for the project, especially working with the historical board to ensure the historical integrity. We also have a few commercial roofing projects on the books at LSU.

WHAT IS SPECIAL OR UNIQUE ABOUT YOUR COMPANY?

Our company was founded on courteous and professional customer service. We go out of our way to make our customers feel at home, not just as customers, but as friends. Our framing volume is higher than most other frame shops and we spend long hours at work, but we have a great team to help us achieve success.

HOW DID YOU GET STARTED IN THE INDUSTRY/BUSINESS?

We started the business in 1993 after our grandfather’s craft store closed. Framing was always the busiest part of the store and we learned the trade while we were in high school. Our dad asked us to go into business with him to open the frame shop.

WHAT MAKES YOU PASSIONATE ABOUT YOUR WORK?

We love to share in the memories and stories that our customers bring in. Most items are very personal with incredible stories attached. We get to create lasting and beautiful pieces of art from those items.

WHAT IS MOST CHALLENGING ABOUT YOUR WORK? WHAT IS MOST REWARDING?

The amount of work that we try to do in a short amount of time is our biggest challenge ... we all want things fast these days, so we try to deliver that to the customer.

As for rewards, nothing is better than the smiling faces and happy tears that we see from our customers when they see the final result.

ARE THERE ANY UPCOMING PLANS YOU’D LIKE TO SHARE?

We have already grown into another 2,000 square feet in our current building. The expansion has allowed us to improve our efficiency and provide a more relaxed environment for our customers. We are celebrating our 30th anniversary in June and we have plans to celebrate with our customers.

WHAT IS SPECIAL OR UNIQUE ABOUT YOUR COMPANY?

We started as an incredibly small family business in 1999 with only a handful of mixer trucks. Today, we are the leading concrete company in south Louisiana with more than 7 million cubic yards of concrete poured for residential, commercial, industrial, and municipal use.

WHAT MAKES YOU PASSIONATE ABOUT YOUR WORK?

Our passion comes from knowing we play a part in making improvements here in Baton Rouge and the surrounding parishes. From our involvement in improving roads, bridges and commercial properties to pouring foundations for our neighbor’s homes ... we take great pride in seeing our product used throughout south Louisiana.

WHAT IS MOST CHALLENGING … AND MOST REWARDING ABOUT YOUR WORK?

We find the unpredictable weather in Louisiana to be our greatest challenge.

The most rewarding part of our work is watching roads, bridges, homes, and infrastructure come to life.

ARE THERE ANY UPCOMING PLANS YOU’D LIKE TO SHARE?

Our plan has always been the same—to constantly update equipment and technology to deliver concrete safely and efficiently to our customers.

WHAT IS SPECIAL OR UNIQUE ABOUT YOUR COMPANY?

Commerce Title was founded 40 years ago and is the oldest locally-owned title company in Baton Rouge. We have 10 attorneys at three locations and are always reachable and ready to help. We pride ourselves on being accessible to our clients … we treasure our relationships and we want to help any way we can.

HOW DID YOU GET STARTED IN THE INDUSTRY/BUSINESS?

Calvert started abstracting at the courthouse during law school and eventually accepted a job at Commerce Title shortly after graduating. For Niki, it was a total accident of fate. “I was working in a small business litigation firm and Commerce Title was a client,” she says. “ When they had an attorney leave, they offered me the position. It’s been almost 22 years.”

WHAT MAKES YOU PASSIONATE ABOUT YOUR WORK?

We are super passionate about home ownership and as such we’re long-time supporters of Habitat for Humanity of Greater Baton Rouge. Niki has handled their title work for 20 years and Calvert serves on their board of directors. It’s a real inspiration to help make people’s home ownership dreams come true.

WHAT IS MOST CHALLENGING … AND WHAT IS MOST REWARDING ABOUT YOUR WORK?

Buying or selling a home can be very emotional, especially when someone must sell or buy a home and they don’t want to. Real life events happen—a job transfer, divorce or selling a family home after the loss of a parent. These are tough situations, but we try to make it as easy as possible. As for the rewards, it’s always great to help someone reach the American dream of owning a home. Handing over those keys is a great feeling!

ARE THERE ANY UPCOMING PLANS YOU’D LIKE TO SHARE?

We plan to continue to grow and offer the best service in the market. We are looking forward to the next 40 years!

WHAT IS SPECIAL OR UNIQUE ABOUT YOUR COMPANY?

We treat our clients as individuals and focus on building trust which strengthens our relationships. We are solution-oriented, so if we make a mistake, we openly communicate with our client to ensure them that everything will be taken care of. Our clients know they can trust us.

HOW DID YOU GET STARTED IN THE INDUSTRY/BUSINESS?

Before Lions Landscaping, we worked for a corporate landscaping group and saw firsthand the high demand for this work. We have always been hard-working individuals and wanted to have our own business so we could use our skills to help clients bring their visions to life.

WHAT MAKES YOU PASSIONATE ABOUT YOUR WORK?

Knowing we can constantly create beautiful landscapes for our clients to enjoy, and seeing the smile on their faces when the job is done. This career gives us the opportunity to remain creative and constantly come up with new ideas. We love that this work is ever changing.

WHAT IS MOST CHALLENGING ABOUT YOUR WORK?

Bringing ideas to life. We go through a specific process with our clients and team to ensure that our work is done correctly and tailored to our clients’ liking. This can be stressful at times, but the end result is always rewarding.

ARE THERE ANY UPCOMING PLANS YOU’D LIKE TO SHARE?

We plan to open a new location in Lafayette within the next year or so. This will give our team the opportunity to expand our expertise and create new client relationships. We are so excited for this new venture!

WHAT IS UNIQUE OR SPECIAL ABOUT YOUR COMPANY?

Our RE/MAX Professional office is amazing. We continuously rank as one of the top RE/MAX offices in the state in addition to ranking as one of the top offices across brokerages within the Greater Baton Rouge Association of REALTORS. More importantly, our office is a Miracle Office because of our donation commitment to Children’s Miracle Network.

HOW DID YOU START OUT IN THIS FIELD?

When I was in another profession, my father, Jim Rutledge (a REALTOR at the time), often said that I should be in real estate. I finally listened to him and got my real estate license, and am so glad that I did!

WHAT MAKES YOU PASSIONATE OR EXCITED ABOUT YOUR WORK?

I think God put me in this position to help people. My clients are typically going through a season of life change—becoming empty nesters, moving because of a job change, or selling the family home where they grew up. It can be very emotional and I love having the chance to make the transition a little easier.

WHAT IS MOST REWARDING ABOUT YOUR WORK?

There are so many rewards …. it’s hard to pick one. The chance to make a positive difference in the lives of clients, which in turn allows me to support Children’s Miracle Network … is a double win.

ARE THERE ANY UPCOMING PLANS OR PROJECTS YOU CAN SHARE?

I’d love to someday teach a college-level real estate class and/or first-time home buyer’s class. Many college classes offered today focus on finance topics related to the real estate industry, but that’s it. I’m not sure if I’d have time to fit that in my already crazy schedule ... but I would love to try one day!