LOUISIANA ASSOCIATION OF BUSINESS AND INDUSTRY
LABI looks at Louisiana’s energy, workforce, infrastructure and more
SPRING 2022
WE BELIEVE IN LOUISIANA.
As Louisiana continues to recover from the pandemic, New Orleans & Company, the state hospitality industry’s largest private destination marketing and sales organization, remains dedicated to rebuilding our state tourism economy to benefit every citizen from every parish, on every street, in every neighborhood. Supporting tens of thousands of employees from ten parishes, and bringing billions of dollars in visitor spending state wide, New Orleans’ tourism plays an integral role in Louisiana’s economy. As the state’s largest and most successful economic development corporation, we have one of the industry’s most experienced teams ever assembled, working on behalf of our members and our industry. We represent the passion and the originality of this centuries young state. We will forever remain focused on results. Learn more at NewOrleans.com.
CONTENTS
57 Tim Mueller
FEATURES 32 NEED TO KNOW
73 THE FORECAST
35 CULTURE
76 REBIRTH
40 INNOVATOR
79 MAIN STREET
47 COVER STORY
106 FIELD NOTES
LABI highlights Free Enterprise Award winners
Louisiana’s new Civil Rights Trail
What you need to know about the redistricting process
The restoration of West Grand Terre
Chefs in our state worth the drive
Bossier develops East Bank District
How Mardi Gras house floats saved an industry in New Orleans
Taking a look at Louisiana’s future
48 Energy 53 Agriculture 57 Infrastructure 63 Healthcare 67 Workforce Development
IN EVERY ISSUE 6 11 22 25 4
President’s View The Debrief The Hot Seat From the Board
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103 112 118 126
Women Owned Office Space The Network
LOUISIANA MADE BUSINESS PROFILES
The Takeaway
Louisiana Association of Business and Industry
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OUR LADY OF THE ANGELS • OUR LADY OF THE LAKE • OUR LADY OF LOURDES • ST. DOMINIC’S • ST. FRANCIS
Jeannie Frey Rhodes
PRESIDENT’S VIEW
Stephen Waguespack
ON CANDY BARS, LUCK AND THE LOOKING GLASS
O
ne night in 1997, a guy named Reed Hastings walked into his local Blockbuster video store to return a copy of the movie Apollo 13. He was late returning it and was assessed a $40 late fee. Only two years later, he ended up founding a company called Netflix. Blockbuster had the opportunity to buy this upstart competitor for $50 million in 2000 but laughed them out of the room and declined. By 2014, Blockbuster was out of business entirely. Netflix is now worth $228 billion. Blockbuster survived 29 years. Kodak was founded in 1892 by George Eastman. Throughout the 20th century, it was the undisputable dominant company in film photography. In the late 1970s, they developed the first handheld digital camera, but decided to dump the project, questioning whether it would be accepted and fearing it would take away from their profitable film market. Over the next few decades, other companies beat Kodak to the digital market and swallowed up their market share. Kodak was out of business by 2014. Kodak lasted 120 years. In January, Blackberry halted produc-
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tion on all products and decommissioned the use of its software. This same company, back in 1999, took the working world by storm, introducing an iconic hand held device that could answer emails, organize calendars and, soon thereafter, make phone calls. Every professional worth their salt in the early 2000s had one of these bad boys attached to their belt clip and the era of 24/7 access was born. Before long, consumers wanted more toys on these gadgets, Apple became the king of cool, Blackberry was slow to evolve, and the handheld device market was changed forever. Blackberry’s run was a brief 22 years. There are countless stories like this. Businesses that died and those that lived. Some that stayed constant throughout and others that frequently change. A few takeaways seem clear... Companies and ideas must evolve to stay relevant and fresh. Theories must be tested and retested. Consumer demand will change, often at a moment’s notice. Some successful ideas are astutely researched, battle-tested, expertly developed and strategically implemented. Others are a product of blind luck or good fortune. Take the case of Dr. Percy Spencer, who invented the microwave in 1946 when he noticed his candy bar would melt when he placed it too close to his radar project. No company is too big to fail, and no entrepreneur is too small to succeed. Each day, these options are a reality for us all. The same holds true for a state like Louisiana. So, I guess the question is, what does the future have in store for us? This is the question we try to tackle in the second edition of 5th & Main, the biannual magazine by the Louisiana Association of Business and Industry that aims to introduce you to interesting leaders from the public and private sector across the state, discuss ideas to stimulate your creativity, expand your understanding of Louisiana’s potential and inspire you to get involved in a big way to make a positive difference. Louisiana Association of Business and Industry
Garth Brooks once said, “The future is not unpredictable, the future is simply the result of choices we have made.” Well, that may be true, but with apologies to Garth, I think we all have some friends who have benefited from some unanswered prayers and others that have hit some pretty low places—despite making good decisions along the way. Luck is a bigger piece of all this than we may realize. For instance, three years ago COVID was not in our vocabulary. It sure is now. In early 2019, a company that had been around for a decade or so named Zoom had just gone public. It was a nice initial IPO, and many investors thought the company had an interesting future growth curve ahead of it. That growth curve would soon become a rocket firing into space. Within a year, it gained 2 million users. A month later, it gained another 2 million users in one day. Over a four-month span in early 2020, it gained 290 million users. Now, it is hard to imagine working without it and the long-term ripple effect on hotels, airlines, restaurants, convention centers and other travel-related industries is still being analyzed. That type of growth for Zoom was much more than a product of good decisions. It was also good fortune and opportune timing. Sometimes it takes some pretty good luck and just being in the right place at the right time, like good ole’ Dr. Spencer and his melting candy bar. Louisiana’s future has come to an interesting crossroads. The energy industry that continues to dominate our economy and play such a critical role to the nation’s prosperity is constantly evolving. Horizontal drilling, fracking and LNG were groundbreaking industrial evolutions in the last decade or two that were tremendously helpful to American security and holistically changed the way we produce, consume and transport energy. Going forward, what is next? The industry is leading the charge to develop labi.org
Everything we do is based on our performance. By raising the bar and driving the standard of our industry forward, we’re changing what it means to be an industrial contractor in the Gulf South. With a focus on safety and quality, we execute jobs at the highest level to keep on driving results and bettering our performance for our clients, our employees and our communities.
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PRESIDENT’S VIEW new environmentally efficient processes, adopt additional energy sources to diversify our portfolios and transition our current workforce to meet future needs as this all evolves. Louisiana’s agricultural economy remains a critical component of what we do and the growing incorporation of technology, research and development into all aspects of production is keeping America competitive with the world. How does the family farm succeed in the years to come? How do we capitalize on the growing food production economic opportunities and what infrastructure will be needed to move these goods across the world? Did someone say infrastructure? Infrastructure, transportation and logistics are rapidly evolving, while being tested daily to overcome the myriad of supply chain related obstacles throwing sand in the world’s economic gears. The flow of our roadways and the protection systems for our communities are becoming more highly designed and automated, as are a growing percentage of cars, trucks and ships on which we depend on daily. Gridlock is crippling our urban centers, maintenance needs are becoming more apparent in rural areas and our enormous shipping and pipeline potential must be better maximized in the years to come. Healthcare needs, consumption habits and modes of delivery will be forever changed as we all go through this pandemic. Healthcare industries are embracing this transition through wellness programs, proactive treatment, virtual medicine and diversified delivery models. All the while, workforce challenges mount and the need for key partnerships from education and training programs become more critical than ever. Consumer demand for everything at the touch of their fingertips is no longer limited to movie tickets and videos, real-time healthcare consumer expectations are creating new challenges AND opportunities along the way. Artificial intelligence is becoming more of a factor in all aspects of our lives, a reality some may detest but one we all must face. Alexa may be a cute way to find a recipe or a song, but predicting the future workforce needs of our state and gauging the effectiveness of current training models for a world that will soon be dominated by AI instrumentation is daunting, perplexing and, yes, a little bit exciting. “History unfolds itself by strange and unpredictable paths. We have little control 8 5th & Main Spring 2022
over the future; and none at all over the past.” – Winston Churchill Churchill was correct in saying we have no control on the past, but the future is at least partially in our hands. The best way to positively influence it is to go in with eyes wide open and make a concerted effort to proactively embrace it as an opportunity for growth and prosperity. Louisiana hasn’t always done that well. Sure, we have always been proud of who we are and where we come from, but perhaps it is time to also develop a new reputation as reinventive entrepreneurs and curious innovators for the future world we will all soon inherit. Silicon Valley in California was a nerdy, academic haven until the late 70’s, then the development of computing and the rise of venture capital took root. Las Vegas was a desert area known more for nuclear testing than entertainment, until the development focus of the 50’s and 60’s took off. Louisiana is the energy capital of America and is located on the nation’s most active delta. We should be the epicenter of energy and sustainability research for years to come. Our history of agriculture and access to the greatest river on earth makes us ideal to be a strong leader on agribusiness, just as our strong knowledge of manufacturing, construction and maritime makes us the ideal location to develop the workforce techniques of the future. Our potential is exciting and limitless, unless self-limited by unrestrained commitment to the status quo in the years to come. This is our moment, let’s not waste it. I hope you enjoy this edition of 5th & Main and, more importantly, use it as a motivator to dream and innovate. The future begins today and there is every reason under the sun for Louisiana to set a bold new path to elevate our game in the economy of tomorrow. Churchill was right about the past; it pretty much is what it is... but thankfully we have more control over the future than he ever anticipated. Let’s not waste this opportunity. We have nothing to fear but fear itself.
A Publication by Louisiana Association of Business and Industry
PUBLISHER Stephen Waguespack EDITOR Ashley Gordon PRODUCTION/DESIGN Natalie Rabb CONTRIBUTING WRITERS Marie DesOrmeaux Centanni, Holly Duchmann, Emily Kern Hebert, Mariah Manuel Hernandez, Mary Beth Hughes, Jeffery Roedel, Kate Stevens, Bo Staples CONTRIBUTING PHOTOGRAPHERS Tim Mueller, Jeannie Frey Rhodes, Collin Richie, Judd Smith
President & CEO
Stephen Waguespack
Communications
VP of Marketing & Strategic Communications: Ashley Gordon Director of LABI’s Free Enterprise Institute & Public Affairs: Marie DesOrmeaux Centanni Political Operations Manager: Mariah Manuel Hernandez Graphic Designer: Natalie Rabb Communications Manager: Mary Beth Hughes
Membership
Director of Membership: Elena Lacour
Policy
VP of Government Relations, Director of Taxation & Finance, Employee Relations and Transportation & Tourism: Jim Patterson Director of Development: Courtney Baker Director of Health Care, Education and Workforce Development: Lauren Gleason Director of Political Action Committees, Governmental Reform, Technology and Small Business: Bo Staples
Administration
Chief Financial Officer: Wanda Allphin IT Director: Andre Forbes Director of Financial Operations, Office Manager: Tabitha Guidry Sennior Projects Manager: Claire Shirley Receptionist: Sheila Saniford
5th & Main is produced by Louisiana Association of Business and Industry and will be published biannually. Printing by Baton Rouge Printing. All rights reserved by LABI.
Stephen Waguespack President & CEO, LABI
Louisiana Association of Business and Industry
labi.org
RESPONSIBLE ENERGY DEVELOPMENT At Southwestern Energy, responsible energy development means we operate in a manner that minimizes the impact of our business on the environment, protects the health and safety of our employees and contractors, and respects the personal value and uniqueness of every employee while being a good neighbor in the communities in which we are privileged to work and live. As the largest producer in the Haynesville, we are proud to responsibly develop Louisiana’s natural resources with these core values as we deliver lower carbon energy to the country.
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Louisiana Association of Business and Industry @SWN_R2 southwestern-energy
5th & Main Spring 2022 9 @SouthwesternEnergy
Tim Mueller
THE DEBRIEF
L IV ING W I T H WAT E R
A
s 5th & Main waded into our cover story spotlighting energy, transportation, agriculture and even workforce development it all came back to water. It’s our past, our present and our future. And if Louisiana is going to continue to thrive labi.org
amid the shifting waters upon which we were founded, we must learn to live with water. The Water Institute of the Gulf was established to do just that and is rapidly becoming the soughtafter center for study for communities around the country wrestling with
water and wetlands challenges. Read more about the Water Institute’s work to establish a carbon capture credit that could incentivize coastal restoration funding on pg. 48.
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LAUNCH WE LOVE
Pasture to Plate
SEVEN HUNDRED THOUSAND HEADS of cattle roam the pastures and drink from the creeks all over the state of Louisiana. But fewer than 3% are actually harvested for beef within our borders. Cattlemen, combat veterans and entrepreneurs David Billings and Chip Perrin are on a mission to change that. This duo from south Louisiana launched Coastal Plains Meat Company in 2021 to revolutionize the Louisiana beef industry and create opportunities for other local cattlemen to keep it local. “Our goal is to alleviate the supply chain issues we are seeing across the country and keep livestock from being shipped out of state to be processed,” says Billings, co-founder and CEO. “We are passionate about Louisiana, and we are passionate about keeping talent in the state. We’ve been telling our story all over Louisiana, and others are becoming passionate too.” Billings and Perrin started with purchasing a 20,000-square-foot protein manufacturing facility in Eunice and modernizing
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Courtesy Coastal Plains Meat Co.
THE DEBRIEF
David Billings (left) and Chip Perrin, owners of Coastal Plains Meat Co.
it with state-of-the-art technology and a new workflow system. From a harvesting perspective, this is the largest beef packing and processing facility in Louisiana. They’ve developed the ‘Louisiana Beef’ brand, sourcing high-quality cattle in the state while launching two new product lines in the program: Gold Standard (choice beef equivalent) and Black Label Premium (prime beef equivalent). They are working through distributors, and opening all opportunities to provide local, sustainable and high-quality beef to Louisiana consumers across the state. And they are just getting started. “This is only our first facility,” says Billings. “Our goal is to have four harvesting facilities across the state at the end of five years. There is a great excitement about what we are doing because we are taking action. Our mission is to continue to build this industry from the inside out, with the assistance of veterans in the workforce and partner universities to further those agriculture educational opportunities.” Louisiana Association of Business and Industry
In the meantime, Coastal Plains is in negotiations with one of the foremost restauranteurs in the state to supply Louisiana Beef to all his restaurants. Although the deal is still hush-hush, it’s safe to say that this announcement will ignite the Louisiana Beef movement even further. And while more quiet negotiations are underway to supply true Louisiana Beef to other entities, it is Louisiana’s community of consumers who have rallied loudly behind the movement and are supporting the efforts of Billings and Perrin. “We have great ambition, but we are getting huge support that’s fueling the fire,” says Billings. “It’s really exciting because people are understanding our mission and supporting us, and we continue to stand behind our core values of quality, boldness, safety, accountability and integrity. Because after all, integrity is the only thing we have at the end of the day.”
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THE DEBRIEF MOVING FORWARD
Tightening Its Grip MARUCCI SPORTS—based in Baton Rouge— recently purchased Lizard Skins, a designer and seller of branded grip products, protective equipment, bags and apparel for use in baseball, cycling, hockey and lacrosse. The deal helps Marucci—a manufacturer of baseball and softball equipment—to build its current brand while expanding into new sports. “Adding Lizard Skins’ outstanding products to the Marucci family is a terrific opportunity to enhance our offerings,” says Kurt Ainsworth, CEO, Marucci. “With its exciting brand, innovative designs and leading technology, Lizard Skins has earned the trust of top athletes, and its strong presence both inside and outside the diamond sports market makes this an exciting partnership.”
FUTURE FOCUSED
Great Growth
INTRALOX, A DIVISION OF LAITRAM, recently announced a $60 million investment to expand its Hammond manufacturing facility that will more than double the size of its current space. It plans to retain 187 jobs and create almost 1,000 new ones. Intralox produces modular plastic conveyor belts which are used in food, industrial and e-commerce industries. “This expansion represents the massive growth we’ve experienced during the last
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few years and enables us to rapidly increase our production and assembly capacity,” says Intralox President Edel Blanks. “We look forward to expanding our local workforce with the added benefit of meeting the increased demand of our customers around the world.” From humble beginnings as a small company 50 years ago, to now an international manufacturing enterprise, Intralox has never stopped investing in its local community.
Louisiana Association of Business and Industry
“Intralox has been a fantastic addition to Tangipahoa over the years and continues to grow their operations here,” says Tangipahoa Parish President Robby Miller. “The exceptional people and products at Intralox are recognized worldwide as leaders in their industry. Their commitment to being exceptional corporate citizens and employee-centric proves being good people makes for good business. Tangipahoa Parish is grateful Intralox is one of us.”
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THE DEBRIEF SMART WORKS
Breaking Barriers
BRIGHT IDEA
Fueling the Future
CHEVRON IS POISED to be a leader in efficient and lower carbon energy production while growing lower carbon businesses for a sustainable energy future. The company aims to achieve net zero emissions by 2050 for upstream emissions—aiming to deliver higher returns and lower carbon by lowering carbon intensity for their operations with a focus on energy and methane management. Chevron is investing in low-carbon technologies and renewables like wind and solar in their products to help advance a lower carbon future for all.
DELOITTE HAS CREATED a $250,000 scholarship program to help fund tuition for Grambling State University students who want a Master of Accountancy degree from Louisiana Tech University’s College of Business. “The scholarships from Deloitte will be a game changer on multiple levels and we are thrilled to team with Louisiana Tech and Grambling State through this program,” says Stephen Metoyer, chief diversity, equity and inclusion officer, Deloitte Tax LLP and graduate of Louisiana Tech University. “By eliminating the financial barrier many students face when seeking access to higher education, not only do we anticipate helping to diversify and grow the regional accounting workforce, it is our earnest hope that many graduates of this program will go on to become tomorrow’s leaders of the accounting profession, fueling the long-term change we are seeking.”
REAL WORLD
Hands On RIVER PARISHES Community College broke ground on a new state-of-the-art Process Equipment Trainer (PET) plant in Gonzales in November. In coordination with industry partners ISC and BASF, RPCC will house a full-sized working production plant where students can gain safe, real-world experience in plant operations and maintenance to prepare them for good-paying careers in the energy sector. The community college is contributing $3.5 million for construction with industry partners investing $1.5 million in equipment, donations and services. Once completed, the PET plant is intended to drive careers in process technology, instrumentation and electrical technology, industrial maintenance, craft trades, and renewable resources. The PET plant construction is set for completion by Fall 2022. 14
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THE DEBRIEF FAST FACTS
Military Impact
Military-related spending in three categories (military facility and command activity, defense contracting and military retiree spending) accounted for $9.6 billion in economic output in Louisiana for FY 2020.
Economic Impact of Military-Related Spending
That translates to more than 77,000 military employees in Louisiana, which equates to about 4% of total state payroll employment. The state and local tax impact of military-related spending is more than $348 million, or 2.4% of GDP.
Source: Military Economic Impact Analysis for the State of Louisiana, Oct. 2021, LED
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SET FOR GROWTH
Big Deal
THE PARENT COMPANY of Baton Rouge-based b1BANK (Business First) is acquiring Texas Citizens Bank in a $52.9 million stock deal. Following the transaction this quarter, b1BANK will grow to $4.9 billion in total assets, up from $4.4 billion. “We have experienced success diversifying our geographic exposure over the past few years,” says Jude Melville, president and CEO of Business First. “This partnership with Texas Citizens Bank, by moving us a little farther down I-10 into the Houston market, is an opportunity for us to accelerate our transition into a regional institution.” Texas Citizens Bank has six full-service locations in the Houston, Texas area.
Hector Manuel Sanchez
THE DEBRIEF
CITY SPOTLIGHT
A Minden Moment IF YOU ARE FAMILIAR at all with HGTV, you’ve seen the home renovation show, Home Town, featuring charming Mississippi couple Erin and Ben Napier. The show follows the Napiers on their mission to revamp small town living by restoring historic homes in their town of Laurel, Miss. Home Town is in its sixth season and has inspired spinoffs Home Town Takeover and upcoming Home Town Kickstart. Community activists and lifelong Minden residents Sara McDaniel and Rachel Miller are on a similar mission: to bring a tiny Louisiana town back to life. “We are a town of 13,000 people who are giving and kind,” says Miller. “Minden has so much potential. We have a gorgeous historic district, and we’re home to the friendliest people in the South.” Two years ago, HGTV put out an “all call” looking for small towns in need of a some sprucing up. Home Town Takeover would labi.org
follow Erin and Ben as they renovated the homes of local heroes and businesses. With the dream of putting Minden on the national map, McDaniel and Miller put together a “sizzle reel” of testimonials, pictures and videos of Minden to apply for the show. Unfortunately, they were beat out by Wetumpka, Ala. for the top spot. Fast forward to the summer of 2021 when HGTV again welcomed applicants to apply for its new show Home Town Kickstart. With the same principle as Takeover, the show would feature six towns in need of a revitalization boost. Sara and Rachel decided to apply one more time, and it paid off. Minden was selected along with Buffalo, Wyo., Cornwall, N.Y., La Grange, Ky., Thomaston, Ga., and Winslow, Ariz., to appear on the show. “Our legacy will be altered by this from a tourism perspective,” says McDaniel. “We’ve seen what happened with Laurel and Wetumpka: tourism dramatically increased. All of our businesses are hustling to get ready Louisiana Association of Business and Industry
for when it airs and when the people come in.” Excitement is building in the area and giving a new boost to the people of the town. “The power of national exposure is a great opportunity for Minden,” says Greater Minden Chamber President Jana Morgan. “Minden has always been a special place. Now the world will get to see how special it truly is.” Sara and Rachel have dreamed about an opportunity like this for their town for a long time. Home Town Kickstart is a huge step in making that dream a reality. “My goal is to make Minden a place my kids want to come back to after college,” Miller says. “This is going to kickstart our community and it’s going to change our town.” Home Town Kickstart is slated to premiere on HGTV this spring.
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CUlture community careers
setting the standard for generations
THE DEBRIEF Courtesy Something Borrowed Blooms
ON BRAND
Flower Power LAUREN BERCIER AND LAKEN SWAN weren’t florists with a dream. They were dreamers and doers in need of a brand. During a season of their lives where these cousins spent many weekends at the weddings of family and friends, they noticed expensive florals were ditched in the dumpster at the end of the night. And they had an idea. “We wanted to start a company. We were set on entrepreneurship,” says Bercier, co-founder and CEO of Something Borrowed Blooms in Lafayette. “Couples are always trying to save when planning their wedding, so we saw an opportunity to create rent-and-return wedding flowers. No one else was doing it.” Inspired by Rent the Runway—the successful e-commerce platform that allows users to rent high-quality attire at a fraction of the cost—Bercier and Swan delved into the world of premium silk florals to ensure that the bouquets and boutonnieres they dreamed about didn’t have a “craft store look.” Determined they wanted to sell nationally from the very beginning, the cousins built a website, staged a photo shoot, and launched Something Borrowed Blooms in 2015. Their first wedding, scheduled through the website, took place that December. The next two years saw good growth and plenty of learning opportunities. Bercier and Swan developed floral collections so brides could keep styles consistent or mix and match as they choose. In 2018, they started an angel round of investment with 60 weddings scheduled a month, which led to substantial resources aimed at custom software and technology that continued to scale the business. But it has been the last three years that has put Something Borrowed Blooms on the national florists’ map. “We are close to capturing 1% of the U.S. wedding market, which is 2.1 to 2.5 million weddings a year,” says Bercier, who notes that they are the only silk floral supplier at wedding shows throughout the nation. “Our goal is to own 10% of the U.S. market in five years.” And Something Borrowed Blooms is well on its way. During peak times in 2021, Something Borrowed Blooms supplied florals for 900 weddings a month—growing almost labi.org
Something Borrowed Blooms ships up to 900 wedding florals per month nationwide from Lafayette.
90% from the year before. They raised $1.2 million in venture capital funding and have added on an additional 10,000 square feet to their Lafayette facility to make it three times as big. With the new space, Something Borrowed Blooms can handle close to 3,000 shipments a month nationwide and to Canada. “We are now considered a trendsetter and trend spotter by others around the nation, because the live floral industry is so localized,” says Bercier. “We are the ones going to shows and shipping all over the country.” Bercier maintains that she is a ‘big-picture dreamer’ and she envisioned being nationwide from the very beginning. Launching
Louisiana Association of Business and Industry
Laken Swan and Lauren Bercier
a sustainable, reusable product during a time when young newlyweds are concerned about waste and are more interested in spending money on memories helped launch the dream into a bright reality. Plans are now underway to create home products to keep their happy brides as lifelong clients. “There is such an amazing energy at our office right now, it gives me goosebumps,” says Bercier. “We are really trailblazers. We are disrupting the floral industry. And we are doing it all from Louisiana, which makes me proud.”
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THE DEBRIEF DIGGING DEEP
GOOD WORKS
GO BIG OR GO HOME. In S&W’s case, it’s doing both. Earlier this year S&W Wholesale announced it was investing $12 million to develop a new distribution center in Hammond, where the company was first started 40 years ago.
FOLLOWING THE DESTRUCTION of Hurricane Ida along the Louisiana Gulf Coast, the National Automobile Dealers Association (NADA) leapt into action with the help of their local counterpart, the Louisiana Automobile Dealers Association (LADA) to give out more than $1 million to their employees across the state who were affected by the storm.
Fresh Take
“We are very excited to grow our distribution headquarters in Tangipahoa Parish,” says S&W President and Owner Paul Spalitta. “Hammond is my hometown and we’re excited to continue serving our local restaurants and continuing to invest in the Tangipahoa community and the great state of Louisiana.” S&W is a family-owned Louisiana distributor of meats, seafood, produce, canned goods and much more, currently located in Baton Rouge. In the move to Hammond, the company will retain its 76 employees while adding 30 new jobs, plus 150 construction jobs will be created once the project gets started.
Needed Relief
“Everybody knows our greatest resource is our employees, so when they hurt everybody hurts,” says LADA President Will Green. “One of things we’re so proud of here in Louisiana is that we are a family and a community, and our dealership employees are the life of the dealership.”
BREAKING GROUND
Greater Capacity
RENEWABLE ENERGY GROUP (REG) launched an improvement and expansion project at REG Geismar that will take total site production capacity from 90 million gallons per year to 340 million gallons per year. This will bring more than 60 perma-
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nent jobs and up to 500 construction jobs to the area. “The push from investors and regulatory leaders for lower-carbon solutions is being met with greater pull from sustainability-minded consumers who want to reduce their carbon profiles now,” says
CJ Warner, REG president and CEO. “REG is helping lead the transition to cleaner, greener energy and this project is an exceptional example of that.”
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UP MID DOWN BEYOND At Bradley Murchison, we do it all. BRADLEYFIRM.COM The attorney responsible for this advertisement is Michael Brassett, who can be reached at 301 Main St., Suite 2100, Baton Rouge, LA 70825, (225) 490-5000.
THE HOT SEAT
NEXT UP
Christel Slaughter takes the reins
Jeannie Frey Rhodes
C
hristel Slaughter considers herself a “frustrated actor.” She grew up loving theater and live performances, and she is now a nationally recognized public speaker—and highly successful CEO of SSA Consultants. But her newest role might be her greatest yet. Slaughter is at the helm as LABI’s new chairwoman of the Board for 2022. “I’m very excited,” says Slaughter. “Now especially, there are lots of opportunities to gain business in our state and retain industry here. And businesspeople coming together to create jobs and solve problems? I can’t wait to get started. It’s going to be a fun time.” Dedication to the state of Louisiana is nothing new for Slaughter. She grew up in New Orleans, went to LSU, taught at LSU (where she met her husband, Bill), and settled down in Baton Rouge to raise a family. The Slaughters have three sons and three grandchildren. “I feel like we’re woven into the fabric of Louisiana,” says Slaughter. “We live in the
same house my husband’s father bought in the ’40s which was originally a dairy farm. Louisiana is home.” In addition to the role of “mom” and “grandmother,” Slaughter is a tough businesswoman who has been a leading voice in the management field for more than 30 years. Growing up, she felt she was always pulled toward business. “My father always talked a lot about the free enterprise system,” she says. “I learned as I went, and I naturally gravitated toward the field. I’ve learned that management is everything in an organization.” In 1983 Slaughter joined SSA Consultants, a management consulting and organizational development firm and became CEO of SSA three years ago. She’s been involved with LABI since 2013. “LABI is a catalyst for change in the business world,” says Slaughter. “We had a very successful legislative session last year because LABI has the ability to bring people together.” – MARY BETH HUGHES
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FROM THE BOARD
Focusing Future ON THE
LABI board members share how their companies are preparing for tomorrow BY MARY BETH HUGHES
We prepare for the future in healthcare at WK Cardiology by building on the foundation of our past — ‘patients first.’ Though it is easy to get caught up in technology, we will retain our focus of connecting patients to the right people. In doing so, we work with our health system to build on attracting the talent that will put patients first — even in a time of nationwide shortages of healthcare workers.
Dr. Phillip Rozeman
President, Willis-Knighton Cardiology
Taylor Porter is focusing on continued growth and valued client service. We recently added four new attorneys to our team and plan to add more attorneys in 2022. This ongoing growth allows us to bring diverse perspectives and talents that benefit our clients across many different areas of practice. It also allows us to maintain the high-level mindset of client expectations regarding not only legal work, but technology, responsiveness and overall team strategy.
Bob Barton
Managing Partner, Taylor Porter
Verizon is not only preparing but building the future through the massive investment of our 5G network. The applications and technologies that will come to life on our 5G network are unprecedented and will position Louisiana to enjoy the full promise of a digital world. We will continue to use our resources to advance critical social causes such as digital equity and inclusion to minimize disparities so that every member of society has the opportunity to thrive today and in the future.
April Brumfield
Regional Director, State & Local Government Affairs, Verizon
Over many decades, AT&T has invested billions of dollars building and enhancing our wired and wireless networks in Louisiana so we can meet our customers’ connectivity needs today and be better prepared for the future. And with the federal government’s historic investment in infrastructure at the state and local levels, AT&T stands ready to work directly with communities across the state to explore new and innovative ways to expand our fiber-optic footprint and to continue closing the digital divide in Louisiana.
Sonia Pérez
President, AT&T Louisiana labi.org
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FROM THE BOARD My career for 39 years has been forecasting the future for investment. Understanding correctly the landscape and the future trends in a business environment is imperative to success. One must be efficient in adapting to change or accept being a follower rather than a leader.
Michael Eason
Vice President, Merrill Lynch
We are currently focusing on a service transformation model that enhances our customer’s experience. Just a few areas of focus within the model are technology enhancements that simplify invoicing and reporting, routing efficiency, and talent management. Additionally, we have recently published our goal to be at net zero greenhouse gas emissions as a company by the year 2050.
Richard Guillory
South Central Group Vice President, Cintas
One of Red River Bank’s core principles is innovation. We believe in embracing change, viewing it as a welcome opportunity to grow and creating a work environment where ideas are openly exchanged with the spirit of continuous improvement. Listening to our customers and seeking feedback from our employees are some of the best ways we can identify and proactively respond to the needs of the future.
Blake Chatelain
President & CEO, Red River Bank
We always look for ways to differentiate ourselves. If we make our clients successful, then we will be also. We listen to our clients and prepare for changes that they are faced with. We always want to stay relevant.
Bill Fenstermaker
Chairman & CEO, Fenstermaker & Associates
With our unique chemistry, Sasol is answering the sustainability call in the way we run our business and in the sustainable and circular solutions we provide to our customers.
Kim Cusimano
Director, Corporate Affairs, Sasol North America
At Ballard Brands, we are working diligently to deliver our passion of eating and drinking to the world by providing exceptional coffee and beverages, flavorful wings and food, as well as premium services that will continue to leave a lasting impression in future years and generations to come.
Scott Ballard
Owner, Ballard Brands
With LABI, we will continue to work with other like-minded firms and associations to develop meaningful and substantive changes for the betterment of the great state of Louisiana.
J. H. Campbell, Jr.
Founder & Owner, Client Consulting Services
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FROM THE BOARD Franciscan Missionaries of Our Lady Health System is fully integrating hospitals and physicians with an extensive, growing footprint of outpatient services. This is all designed to improve patient experience, improve health outcomes, and lower the total cost of care. We are excited about the opportunity to optimize our services into a seamless continuum throughout Louisiana, building better health for our communities.
Dr. Richard Vath
President & CEO, Franciscan Missionaries of Our Lady Health System
In the transportation sector, where I live, shortage of qualified drivers is at the top of everyone’s list. Accordingly, we have implemented across the board pay increases. Our direction forward is to reward productivity, maintain reasonable margins and continue to give excellent customer service.
Tom O’Neal
President, O’Nealgas
We have developed a strategic plan focusing on repairing and rebuilding our infrastructure which will include people, processes, technology, and growth. We’ve recently begun planning a new 100,000-square-foot showroom, garden center and drive-through lumber yard on 10+ acres to replace our existing DeRidder store as well as evaluating acquisitions and new market growth. All of this and more at Stine to accomplish our mission which is to be a family-owned business committed to being the most customer-focused home improvement retailer and building material supplier serving homeowners and residential/commercial contractors.
Tim Stine
CFO, Stine Lumber Company
We continue to focus on our mission of improving the health and lives of Louisianans, while also adapting to significant changes in health care and in how we work. The pandemic has taught us that a lot of interactions can now be done virtually. As we prepare for the future we realize we need to allow our employees more flexibility in how and where they work, and we need to work with physicians, hospitals and other health care providers to implement new models for care delivery that integrate virtual care with in person care.
Dr. Steven Udvarhelyi
President & CEO, Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Louisiana
Crest Industries is actively preparing the next generation of leaders to improve the way we support our teams, clients, and communities across the country because we know the work we do today lays the foundation for a sustainable society tomorrow. Taking advantage of market research and a continuous improvement mindset enables us to reimagine our business processes, employee composition, and sustainability efforts to prepare for opportunities on the horizon and lead transformative change within the industries we serve.
John Doggett
CAO, Crest Industries
Central Crude is preparing for the future by continuing to service the energy needs of our customers today, while identifying opportunities to apply our legacy skill set in fresh ways to support the energy transition and needs of tomorrow.
Steve Jordan
Chairman & CEO, Central Crude, Inc.
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FROM THE BOARD Short-term, our top priority is retaining and recruiting clinical staff. Baton Rouge General is seeing a lot of growth and has great opportunity for people who want to work in healthcare. Long-term, we will continue to make our brand more accessible and convenient for our patients. Whether it’s men avoiding the doctor until it’s too late or emergency situations when you need an ER fast, we are working to create new access points and tools to make getting care as easy as possible.
Edgardo Tenreiro
CEO, Baton Rouge General
Lumen looks beyond what is to what can be. Our company is guided by our belief that humanity is at its best when technology advances the way we live and work. We integrate network assets, cloud connectivity, security solutions, and voice and collaboration tools into one platform that enables organizations to leverage their data and adopt next-generation technologies, like machine learning and artificial intelligence.
Melissa Mann
West Region Vice President, Lumen
With the expansion of our business lines and the relocation of our headquarters to downtown Baton Rouge, Advantous Consulting is looking forward to the continued growth of our multistate practice and assisting our valued clients navigate their state and local tax needs.
Jason DeCuir
Partner, Advantous Consulting
The banking and finance industry is quickly becoming more commoditized. In order to best prepare for the future, we heavily invest in technology and tools for our clients to access us and their information from anywhere at any time – while simultaneously investing in our team and our culture as a hands-on, available, relationship-driven provider of these technological tools and services.
Kim Carver
Vice President of Governmental Relations, Gulf Coast Bank & Trust
DonahueFavret is leading exciting large-scale projects including the new 80,000 square foot Thibodaux Regional Medical Center Cancer Institute, Northwestern State University’s Kyser Hall, and a 63,000 square foot Wellness Center for Franklin Foundation Hospital. As we consider the future of our industry and the growth of our region, we are actively reinvesting in our people and our campus by adding onto our existing facility. Our goal is strengthening our already strong corporate culture so that we can continue to focus on building stronger, more resilient communities.
John Donahue
President & CEO, DonahueFavret Contractors
As always, Roedel Parsons will concentrate on delivering quality legal services to our existing and future clients. We will continue to provide representation, counsel, and training in the multiple specialty areas in which we practice. Our firm has developed the technological capability, should the need arise, to work remotely and to offer our services and expertise seamlessly and without interruption.
Wayne Fontana
Shareholder, Roedel Parsons Blache Fontana Piontek & Pisano
We are preparing for the future with purposeful and focused leadership development. Our goal is to build and grow a broad base of competences that enable innovation and welcome changing conditions. Keeping with this strategy will sustain our business in all environments.
Scott Poole
President & COO, RoyOMartin
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WE STARED DISASTER IN THE EYE AND SAID,
NOT TODAY.
THE LAST FEW YEARS HAVE BEEN TOUGH.
OUR REPUTATION WAS STRONGER. How do you weather the storm? By building on a strong foundation. Ours is a reputation for responsiveness, accuracy, and professionalism — the kind that sets land services industry standards. It’s no wonder that we’ve continued to put experienced, professional crews to work within days, or that we’re still negotiating fair and reasonable terms that move active plays to closure in the most expeditious way possible. Dedicated to precision and accuracy, we will never stop delivering industry leading expertise that solves problems before they arise. There is a reason they say only the strong survive. It’s the truth.
LET’S START THE CONVERSATION. Betalandservices.com | 337.371.3601
FROM THE BOARD Turn Key Solutions will always invest heavily in formal technology and security training for our team, but our vision for the future includes better leveraging of our culture of mentorship. We’re improving our processes to better facilitate and reward mentorship, where senior team members not only train coworkers on how to do the job, but more importantly on why it is important to each client’s business goals.
John Overton
Owner & CFO, Turn Key Solutions
We operate in primarily construction-related sectors. We have historically made use of the technologies available to us, but a deep integration of technology in construction sectors has unfortunately lagged substantially compared to other industries. Providers are now in catch-up mode, and we are working to adopt and incorporate the applicable solutions.
Terrry Baugh
CFO, D&J Construction
At BASF, we create chemistry for a sustainable future. That future begins with investing in long-term projects right here in Louisiana addressing global challenges using our technology and innovation.
Nicole Daigle
Senior State Government Affairs Manager, Gulf Coast & Southeast Region, BASF
Years of depressed budgets and the pandemic forced us to focus on becoming more lean. As we hopefully stabilize and solidify, we are evaluating all processes to make them efficient and effective. Utilizing technology to leverage those processes will place us in a strong position to realize intentional growth and profitability.
Reldon Owens
Director of External Relations, Diamond B Construction Co.
Banking is undergoing an exciting evolution—more technology, more inclusion, more expectation of impact. We at b1BANK are tackling these challenges by seeking out, developing and retaining good people. The questions we confront in the future may change but the answer won’t: strong people working together to solve problems for clients and each other. If we can remain focused on providing meaningful engagement for our people and our partners, I am confident we can not only handle anything the future may hold but thrive in it.
Jude Melville
CEO, b1BANK
Success throughout our history and into the future comes from innovation fueled by the capability of our people. Our workforce is one of the most skilled in the nation, and our integrated facilities offer unique flexibility and efficiency. Innovation and collaboration will ensure that our Louisiana facilities prosper to meet the world’s future energy needs.
Angela Zeringue
Manager, Baton Rouge Plastics Plant, ExxonMobil
Throughout our history, HGA has leveraged emerging markets to diversify and expand our business while helping our clients create their future. We have made great strides in the disaster recovery field, growing our chemical and renewable energy markets, and expanding into advisory services and the semi-conductor market. Through all these efforts, HGA has strengthened its position to grow market share in the current low-carbon and sustainability transition with existing and new clients.
Jay Guillot
Senior Vice President, Hunt, Guillot & Associates
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NEED TO KNOW
WINNERS MEET THE
LABI’s Free Enterprise Awards are a time to spotlight the innovators, game-changers and differencemakers in the Louisiana business community
The Ed Steimel Lifetime Achievement Award: JAMES M. LAPEYRE, JR. Year after year, Jay has fought to improve Louisiana and its local communities. In the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina, Jay was actively engaged in recovery and reform efforts in the New Orleans area, advocating for flood safety, charter school expansion and more. He donated generously to the Louisiana Small Business Rebirth Fund following the flood of 2016 and was a critical partner in the passing of the criminal justice reforms of 2017. Jay brings a spirit of innovation not only to his company, Laitram, but to improving the state of Louisiana.
Free Enterprise Champion-Businessperson: FORMER GOVERNOR BUDDY ROEMER (POSTHUMOUSLY AWARDED) After winning the governorship in 1988, Governor Roemer balanced the state budget, increased teacher pay, fought bravely for tax reform, demanded better educational options for Louisiana students and strengthened the department of environmental quality. Throughout his entire career, he was an unwavering and passionate voice for reform while challenging Louisiana to reach its potential.
Free Enterprise Champion-Young Businessperson: TYLER GRAY The youngest president in the Louisiana Mid-Continent Oil and Gas Association’s history, Tyler navigated a critical industry through challenging times — from natural disasters to a global pandemic. His tireless advocacy efforts helped pass legislation for the oil and gas industry. Throughout his tenure at LMOGA, Tyler has been a valued partner to LABI and other associations working to bring positive change to the state of Louisiana.
Company of the Year with More than 100 Employees: ABNAR INC. MCDONALD’S FRANCHISES Two days following Hurricane Laura, Abnar Inc. brought the “McRig” (a mobile McDonald’s kitchen) to Lake Charles and fed a community without power, water or shelter. The company provided more than 15,000 free meals to the Lake Charles community providing relief to thousands of families in the wake of one of the most powerful storms to strike the Louisiana coast. O’NEALGAS AND ENLINK MIDSTREAM When Hurricane Ida devastated southeast Louisiana leaving millions without power and fuel, O’Nealgas and EnLink Midstream went above and beyond to ensure residents had the fuel they needed to run generators, cook food and power response operations. These companies worked with suppliers and employees to combat a critical fuel shortage to provide relief to those who needed it the most.
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Company of the Year with fewer than 100 Employees: ADVANTOUS CONSULTING The Advantous Consulting team was instrumental in the grassroots campaign to reform Louisiana’s tax code. In doing so, the firm’s leadership became trusted advisors to a host of reform advocates, legislators and business community stakeholders. As a premier tax consulting firm, Advantous is laser-focused on helping companies navigate unique and complex tax environments. Their talented and experienced team of professionals puts their extensive knowledge to work to handle all sales and use tax issues. PRESCRIPTIONS TO GEAUX Prescriptions to Geaux stepped up to deliver COVID-19 vaccines across the state. They executed huge distribution efforts as a small company while never sacrificing their commitment to customer service.
Manufacturer of the Year with More than 100 Employees: DRAX BIOMASS Ouachita-based company Drax Biomass is a manufacturer of compressed wood pellets produced from sustainably managed working forests. Based in Monroe, they’re committed to supporting the communities in which all of us operate by promoting sustainable forestry and investing in local economic development. JOHN DEERE THIBODAUX Almost immediately after Hurricane Ida devastated the lives of the more than 300 Deere and Company employees and their families near Thibodaux, the company sent relief in the form of food, water, cleaning supplies, construction materials and COVID-19 tests. Several planes were dispatched filled with first aid kits, oil for generators, bleach and building supplies. Company executives demonstrated commendable community and employee support despite significant damage to their own facilities and homes.
Manufacturer of the Year with Fewer than 100 Employees: ATLAS FEED MILLS Since 1949, Atlas Feed Mills has served the people of St. Martin Parish and surrounding areas. This woman-owned business now services south Louisiana and Mississippi, armed with a staff boasting more than 100 years of combined experience in sales, feed formulating and feed mixing. Originally a custom grinding operation, the mill evolved into a feed manufacturing facility with over 100 formulas for all major animals. LAISSEZ VERSEZ Laissez Versez is a local distillery in Baton Rouge that switched from producing liquor to hand sanitizer during the height of COVID-19, helping to keep our communities safe.
Economic Development Partner of the Year: THE LOUISIANA LOGGERS ASSOCIATION The Louisiana Loggers Association stood with LABI to help pass historic tort reform measures in 2020 and have been strong advocates for policies to make Louisiana a better place to live and work. They are a model to any other group or association of how to turn dedication, heart, integrity, honesty and hustle into positive change.
Workforce Innovator of the Year: BLUE CROSS AND BLUE SHIELD OF LOUISIANA FOUNDATION The BCBS of Louisiana Foundation committed $15 million in response to the COVID-19 pandemic and Hurricanes Ida and Laura, in addition to other grants, for a total of almost $20 million in the last two years. TO NOMINATE FOR THE 2022 AWARDS, GO TO LABI.ORG/NOMINATE-A-BUSINESS/ TO SEE PHOTOS FROM THE FREE ENTERPRISE AWARDS EVENT ON NOV. 11, 2021 GO TO PAGE 118. labi.org
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BOOK YOUR MEETINGS AND EVENTS TODAY!
MIXING
BUSINESS with Pleasure
The LABI Center for Free Enterprise is the prime downtown executive spot for your company, featuring conference rooms big and small, a recording studio, catering kitchen and more! Contact Claire Shirley at clairek@labi.org.
Cheryl Gerber
CULTURE
Louisiana Civil PERMANENT The Rights Trail connects
MARKERS
A
sites and stories to an important legacy
BY JEFFREY ROEDEL
sk any grandma, and she’ll tell you the secret to a gumbo that stirs souls and spoons alike lies in the heart of the roux. Sunday supper was delicious because grandma was elbows deep in getting things ready Saturday night, and for Louisiana’s favorite bowl of comfort food, the roux is the fundamental essence, reflecting the determination and details of preparation. So when Leah Chase, chef and co-owner of Dooky Chase’s Restaurant famously said, “I like to think we changed the course of America in this restaurant over a bowl of gumbo,” she was being neither flippant nor hyperbolic. labi.org
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CULTURE
Courtesy Louisiana Office of Tourism
It took the nation’s first bus boycott in Baton Rouge, the Canal Street sit-ins in New Orleans and a 105-mile march from Bogalusa to the State Capitol to put Louisiana at the forefront of the Modern Civil Rights Movement.
By the late 1950s, the Treme-area eatery she opened with her husband Dooky in 1941 had become more than a restaurant. Civil rights activists and revolutionary thought leaders like A.P. Tureaud, Thurgood Marshall and Martin Luther King Jr. found the upper room of the restaurant to be a safe space for gathering to encourage, to strategize, and yes, to dream. Determination. Details. Preparation. For decades, the Chases welcomed diners from all walks of life—including presidents George W. Bush and Barack Obama—and provided food for progressive community meetings and fed those arrested at demonstrations. Last spring, Dooky Chase’s legacy as a long-time ally for social justice was commemorated with the first official marker of the Louisiana Civil Rights Trail. The new program launched by the state’s tourism office connects various sites and stories across the state to the grander narrative of Louisiana’s role in the march toward “liberty and justice for all”—a movement that continues today. With the tagline “Making Rights Real,” the concept for the Louisiana Civil Rights Trail was born in 2018 when Lt. Governor Billy Nungesser attended a national tourism conference to learn first-hand about the then-newly-minted U.S. Civil Rights Trail. By then, 14 states had their own trails tied into the national program of 120 sites, and Nungesser was adamant that Louisiana, too, partake in discovering and displaying the 36 5th & Main Spring 2022
meaningful stories we can call our own. He says the unveiling of the first marker at Dooky Chase’s was “historic and long overdue.” The news was posted by media outlets in 46 states and 22 countries. “It’s already made a huge impact,” says Sharon Calcote with the Department of Culture, Recreation & Tourism. In 2018, as Nungesser’s team began researching and connecting with partners,
historians and descendants and family of those directly involved in the social justice movement of the ’50s and ’60s, he realized more than ever the importance of the work the Louisiana Civil Rights Trail could do. “I was so moved to learn about the compelling stories of brave individuals who dedicated themselves to the civil rights movement in Louisiana,” Nungesser says. “When visitors come to our great state, they can now learn about Louisiana’s prominent role during the civil rights era.” And that role was nothing short of fundamental. The 40,000 African Americans
who boycotted the public bus system in Montgomery, Ala. fought for and won integration and equality in public transportation nationwide in 1956. But that protests’ leader, a 26-year-old pastor named Martin Luther King Jr., was inspired and emboldened by a 14,000-strong Baton Rouge bus boycott that took place three years prior, establishing a template the young leader could study. King was soon elected president of the Southern Christian Leadership Conference, headquartered in New Orleans, where a string of anti-discrimination sit-ins and workplace equality demonstrations were taking place all over the city. And A.Z. Young’s 1967 march from Bogalusa to Baton Rouge, 105 miles in all, remains the largest social justice march on record. That protest has been commemorated on the Louisiana Civil Rights Trail now, too, at A.Z. Young Park in Baton Rouge, with dozens more sites in the planning stages. Little Union Baptist Church in Shreveport, a safe haven for activists and protest-planners and site of horrific police brutality at a memorial service for victims of the Birmingham church bombing in 1963, has also been honored with an historical marker on the Trail. The modern, six-foot-tall monuments utilize the talent of local artists like muralist and apparel designer Ernest M. English, and include digest versions of these important stories and QR codes link to
Louisiana Association of Business and Industry
labi.org
When visitors come to our great state, they can now learn about Louisiana’s prominent role during the civil rights era. Lt. Governor Billy Nungesser
CULTURE
Courtesy Louisiana Office of Tourism
In 1956, Black parents sued the East Baton Rouge School Board, setting in motion one of the longestrunning desegregation cases in American history. Leona Tate, Tessie Prevost and Gail Etienne were the first three African American students to integrate an all-white school in New Orleans in 1960.
more information, photos, films and audio recordings online. LouisianaCivilRightsTrail.com offers a large batch of quick reads and historymaking imagery and sound divided into sections that invite visitors to intentionally dive deeper based on their particular interests or location. Story segments include Culture & Commerce, Desegregation, Meeting Places and Protests & Confrontations. To galvanize support and research stories for the Trail, Nungesser conducted an extensive statewide public outreach effort, including 22 public meetings held across the state. More than 400 people participated in meetings and interviews for the project. One early stakeholder was Maxine labi.org
Crump, founder of the nonprofit Dialog on Race Louisiana. The activist was the first African American woman to live on LSU’s campus and the first to be a broadcast news reporter in the Baton Rouge market. In early meetings about the Trail, Crump stressed to the Lt. Governor the importance of honesty and integrity with these civil rights markers. If they were not used as part of an honest conversation admitting there was a widespread attempt at separation, and a denial of access and rights in the past, the entire project would be a missed opportunity to discuss the raciallymotivated injustices today. “That honesty won’t hurt us, it’ll help us,” Louisiana Association of Business and Industry
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Mary Beth Hughes
CULTURE
On August 10, 1967, Bogalusa civil rights activist A.Z. Young led the march from Bogalusa to Baton Rouge to voice complaints about employment discrimination. This Civil Rights Trail marker is exhibited in downtown Baton Rouge in a park bearing Young’s name.
Crump says. “If Louisiana admits the mistakes of the past, we can show everyone now that we are open, honest and welcoming to all in 2022, and that we are committed to ending the remnants of racial prejudice.” With support from an African American Civil Rights grant from the Historic Preservation Fund administered by the National Park Service, public discussions for the Trail continued throughout 2019 and 2020, and site nomination forms were distributed and an online version designed to make submissions easy. A site review committee was created and included scholars and experts from colleges and universities across the state to vet the nominations. After two years of research, meetings and design, the Louisiana Civil Rights Trail website was complete and the official Trail markers began to roll out. “I think because of the uniqueness of the marker, it has a powerful impact on individuals looking at it,” Calcote says. “People are often seen taking selfies in front of them. As we continue to install
markers around the state and build the Trail, I think it will be a dramatic draw to Louisiana.” As a cultural tourism project, the Trail invites new visitors to engage with a history that is as crucial to the story of Louisiana as the development of jazz or the migration of the Acadians. As a bastion of stories relaying bravery in the face of unspeakable hatred, the Trail can educate Louisianans themselves, speaking directly to those who may drive past Little Union Baptist believing it is just an old church, or walk past Dooky Chase’s and only think about the gumbo. “I want this trail to be important, not just to tourists visiting Louisiana, but to the next generation of natives, especially young people of color here who may not know the history of the movement,” Crump says. “The Civil Rights Trail can be part of a continual march toward progress and equality for all.” For more information, visit LouisianaCivilRightsTrail.com.
A CLEAN, SAFE BUSINESS IS ESSENTIAL. WE’RE READY™ TO HELP.
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38 5th & Main Spring 2022
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Powering Progress Louisiana is at the forefront of Shell’s energy transition “ The U.S. Gulf Coast has for decades been a key hub for Shell and the U.S. energy supply. Shell’s investment in transforming our assets is the latest example of bold plans to decarbonize our operations. We are committed to transitioning to a netzero emissions energy company by 2050.” RH OM A N H A RDY
| Shell Senior Vice President U.S. Gulf Coast
RANDY Instrument Inspector Shell Geismar
With over 100 years of history in Louisiana, Shell remains committed to powering progress by transforming our business. OUR PROMISE is to deliver lower carbon fuels and products. Shell’s energy transition features significant investments at Shell Geismar, Convent and Norco. Upgrades will allow for production of circular plastics, biofuels and lower carbon specialty chemicals. Enhanced integration among our diverse Louisiana facilities will increase overall efficiency. Our region is well positioned for an exciting future. SHELL IS LEADING THE TRANSITION INTO THE NEXT 100 YEARS. The creative thinking of more than 3,000 Shell employees will make the future for the Rhythm of Louisiana.
shell.us/louisiana | #MakeTheFuture 40 5th & Main Spring 2022
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INNOVATOR INNOVATOR Aaron Hanning and Beau Hays, business partners in BeauJax Crafthouse and other East Bank District ventures.
MAKING How the East Bank District, Bossier City’s redesigned downtown, is transforming the region
BANK Judd Smith Photo
BY JEFFREY ROEDEL
S
tepping out onto the rooftop for a walk and a quick smoke, the sky blue and November air crisp enough to wake a black bear, Beau Hays surveys the Red River curving its way past the Louisiana Boardwalk and Horseshoe casino, hugged by the Arthur Ray Teague Parkway stretching toward the runways of Barksdale Airforce Base, then glances directly down to the streets below, his eyes lit by the trucks and laborers roving across the clutch of city blocks that were called Old Bossier not that long ago. “I must be looking at $50 million in projects going on,” says Hays, co-owner of labi.org
Cajun restaurant and live music hot spot BeauJax Crafthouse, its namesake painted in all caps on the oatmeal brick building anchoring one end of downtown Bossier with Flying Heart Brewery on the other. “There’s construction everywhere right now. I would say we’re finally at that point that it’s caught fire and everyone is trying to get down here and be a part of it. It certainly didn’t start that way.” Through an extensive vision-casting and redevelopment plan carried out by a colorful patchwork of local officials and stakeholders, and a complete rebrand by the chamber of commerce, Old Bossier has been Louisiana Association of Business and Industry
transformed into the East Bank District. It’s an extreme makeover for the revitalized downtown that was conceived and created as a lure for attracting and retaining talented young professionals in tech, and it has delivered. As the burgeoning cultural compliment to Bossier’s National Cyber Research Park—anchored now by U.S. government contractor General Dynamics Information Technology inside the Cyber Innovation Center at Bossier Parish Community College—the East Bank District has been a huge player in the NCRP’s 2,104 new jobs within Bossier Parish and $127.9 million in
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INNOVATOR
The establishment of the Cyber Innovation Center produced an opportunity to reassess Bossier’s quality of life at every level and envision Old Bossier as a real asset designed for the new influx of IT professionals, most of them millennials.
added annual household earnings, just a tick below the take-home pay for all the hospital workers across the parish. Regionally, the impacts of bringing in that many salaries stacking 26% above the area average, and the boosted educational, recreational and cultural assets engineered to meet that demand, have been even greater. In a 2020 report, economist Loren Scott called the NCRP and its regional impact a “very viable economic gem” for Louisiana. The seeds of this not-so-sudden growth were planted in 2013. Lisa Johnson attended Bossier High School just a few blocks from where BeauxJax sits now, and after 20 years in the tourism industry, became Executive Director of the Bossier Chamber of Commerce. Johnson has seen the casinos come to town, seen oil and gas rise and fall, and remembers when Old Bossier was a tooquiet, unused mish-mash of antique shops, abandoned storefronts and forgotten city property. The establishment of the Cyber Innovation Center produced an opportunity to reassess Bossier’s quality of life at every level and envision Old Bossier as a real asset designed for the new influx of IT professionals, most of them millennials. Rethinking Bossier’s quality of life at 42 5th & Main Spring 2022
every level saw a groundswell of interest, says Johnson, and the chamber and others pinpointed the vibrant, walkable Haymarket District in Lincoln, Nebraska as a model. Soon the goal for Old Bossier became three-fold: Beautify the streetscape, enact an open container regulation and rebrand the area as the East Bank District. And to get
These kinds of tech professionals bring with them economic diversity that is desperately needed, but they also demand better opportunities for education, recreation and entertainment. Craig Spohn
taxpayer dollars and a hefty match of state funding to pay for it all. Out with the old. In with the East. “This all came about as a function of wanting a high concentration of knowledgebased workers here,” says Craig Spohn, Executive Director of the Cyber Innovation Center. “And just as important, a reversal of the brain drain mechanism. When I was coming up in the area, there just weren’t many employment options in state for Louisiana Association of Business and Industry
Craig Spohn, CIC’s Executive Director
people with math and science degrees and all of us left.” After a stint as a roustabout and roughneck in oil, Spohn left Louisiana in 1988 for higher-paying roles in government accounting and U.S. defense work that took him to Washington, D.C., Tennessee and Saudi Arabia. By the time he moved his family back home, Old Bossier was a shell of what it had been decades before. Like many cities across the country, downtown Bossier took a backseat to suburban sprawl. Then in 2007 came the work of the Cyber Innovation Center, and in 2013 the CIC’s physical site at the NCRP opened to grow its world-class private sector support for Barksdale’s high-value nuclear operations called the Air Force Global Strike Command. When Spohn was tapped to run it, he knew the city needed to respond. First, new curriculums for middle school and high school students were implemented with IT principles to help create the next generation of tech employees. Next, city and parish officials were brought to the table about revitalizing downtown. labi.org
INNOVATOR “These kinds of tech professionals bring with them economic diversity that is desperately needed, but they also demand better opportunities for education, recreation and entertainment,” Spohn says. Local sales tax dollars were used to secure $18 million in bonds for the East Bank District project as well as another $5 million from gaming revenue, including $2.8 million for land acquisition. No state or federal funding was used. In 2014, architect Mike McSwain was hired by the city to oversee the master plan, create a community plaza and complete a comprehensive streetscape design. Five lanes were narrowed to two, with parallel parking, a dedicated bike path and additional trees and landscaping features. “It was an empty ghost town in this little pocket off I-20, lots of empty land, a clean slate in a way, which helped, and now it’s a place a whole family can come and enjoy an entire day,” McSwain says. “It’s the closest I’ve had to immediate gratification, to see it all start to pop so fast.” While not an overnight success, the collective efforts of the Bossier community and the CIC transformed the East Bank
District greatly the past few years, and helped attain and maintain a completely new workforce for north Louisiana, Spohn says. The National Cyber Research Park, home to the Cyber Innovation Center, accounted for $154.5 million in new business sales in
2020, according to Loren Scott’s report. “This is 2,000-plus quality jobs that weren’t here before, in a sector that wasn’t even here before,” Spohn says. “It was a lot of hard work, but that’s remarkable.” Laying down fiber for connectivity and pushing the open container regulation
Architect Mike McSwain led the redesign, beginning in 2014, helping turn sleepy Old Bossier into the walkable, storefront-lined East Bank District with nightlife, events and an urban park.
Courtesy Mike McSwain Architect
labi.org
Louisiana Association of Business and Industry
5th & Main Spring 2022 43
Judd Smith Photo
INNOVATOR
Bossier spent $15 million on streetscape improvements along the mile of Barksdale Boulevard now known as the East Bank District. The road was slimmed from five lanes down to two, with a dedicated bike lane and parallel parking spaces, improved lighting, additional trees and the creation of a festival plaza for small events, street fairs and public gatherings.
through were huge keys to success for the entertainment district that sits a half mile from nearly 2,000 hotel rooms. “We’re a conservative community, and there was some initial resistance to that— we don’t want to be Bourbon Street—but what East Bank has become is vibrant yet still small and quaint,” Johnson says. “It’s exciting and has nightlife, but it’s welcoming and still very much Bossier and who we are.” McSwain says residential development will be a big focus for the East Bank District in the next five years, a definite need as the work at CIC and GDIT could spawn local startups that draw even more tech graduates and investments to the area. “Tech-based work begets more techbased work,” Spohn says. “What you often see is a collision of minds that produces new outcomes, little tech babies in a way, and here in Bossier, we will start seeing more of that.” As a restauranteur, Hays could have 44
5th & Main Spring 2022
more offshoots of his own. He has fielded calls about franchising BeauxJax, but for now, his focus is all local. He co-owns other East Bank District businesses: Frozen Pirogue, a daiquiri and oyster bar, Bayou Axe Throwing Co., and a large event space called Chef’s Table, venues that open through glass garage doors onto Hurricane Alley. The alley is a former city street now closed to traffic with diner seating, umbrellas and firepits, and immediate proximity to the BeauxJax live music stage. Another big planning and zoning win for Bossier. Hays gigged for years with his food truck, so now he wants to promote talented musicians who do the same. He and his collaborators—many of whom live on the same street and have frequent pool parties together—call themselves East Bank Mafia, a carefree nod to north Louisiana’s bootlegger and gambling roots, a core spirit of the area that’s even older than Old Bossier. Louisiana Association of Business and Industry
“How big can we make this thing? Everything just keeps working,” Hays says. “But if we hold onto it too tight, it could stop, so we have to let it grow, and do what it’s going to do.” For the entrepreneur who’s not yet 40, BeauxJax is his chance to “make our home your home.” A married father of two, Hays wants to welcome outsiders and regulars alike. From the familial atmosphere at Hays’ restaurant, to the newly created alley space and plaza, and the city’s plans for better tethering the East Bank District to the casinos and parkway, this entire evolution is about connectivity. As he did from his food truck, Hays chops it up with his BeauxJax patrons, making the rounds table to table and making sure hot plates and hearty laughs are equally enjoyed. “I talk to a lot of folks, and 40% of our guests on weekends are from out of town,” Hays says. labi.org
INNOVATOR The vision for the East Bank District, like the nearby casinos, is to become a regional destination and a greater draw for travelers from east Texas and the southern stretches of Oklahoma and Arkansas. More sales tax revenue for the parish, and a lot more fun. Not just for tech professionals, but for families, too. With Hays’ music and event venues, and a handful of neighbors coming in with new construction for restaurants and retail shops, that once-lofty aim looks well underway. “We’re getting to the point where the government is getting out of the way and letting local businesses and creative entrepreneurs fulfill their dreams,” Johnson says. “And that’s the exciting part about public-private partnerships. The thing is, they don’t let a big vision slow them down.”
For more information, visit BossierCity.org and EastBankMafia.com.
A plaza anchors the district serving as a gathering spot and event space with food trucks often parked nearby.
get real. The Certified logos
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promote authentic Louisiana products. Supporting Louisiana businesses and families is our mission, while keeping more dollars in state. O
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Louisiana
shining Through. New online portal to support travel and tourism industry
Latest social media storytelling technology
Digital kiosks at Welcome Centers providing timely, local information to visitors
Focus on in-state and near-state advertising
Record visitation in Louisiana State Parks
Over $4 million in grants to support statewide marketing efforts in 2020
We are excited to celebrate a bright future for the Louisiana travel and tourism industry. With our Sunshine Plan for recovery and the hard work of the resilient people of Louisiana, the power of travel will always shine through.
Lieutenant Governor Billy Nungesser
COVER STORY
THE
FUTURE OF
EVERYTHING
L
ouisiana is a mighty state to live in, with amazing people, an innovative business and industry environment, a unique culture and the mighty Mississippi River connecting us with the rest of the country. At 5th & Main, we labi.org
are taking a deep dive into Louisiana’s future in terms of energy, workforce development, agriculture, infrastructure and healthcare. Where are we headed and where do we need to be? We found out for you. Turn the page to learn more.
Louisiana Association of Business and Industry
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Collin Richie
COVER STORY
ENERGY The future of...
BY MARIE CENTANNI
This could be our saving grace. Quay McKnight, Chairman and President, M&M International
48 5th & Main Spring 2022
Louisiana Association of Business and Industry
labi.org
COVER STORY
What could not only extend the life of Louisiana’s oil and gas industry, but amplify it altogether
labi.org
dealing with the issue of decarbonization. The good news is in Louisiana, we’re leveraging things we’ve developed in the energy industry to get it done.” Dismukes says there are three factors that make CCUS a historic and very realistic opportunity for Louisiana to not only preserve its oil and gas industry, but to grow it. First, our expertise—home grown companies like M&M, with decades of know-how on everything from geology to process technology to pipelines and even legal and regulatory framework. Second, our natural geologic storage capacity. And third, a growing demand for emission reduction particular to Louisiana that’s not going to be solved by wind or solar. “If you look at all the greenhouse gas emissions in Louisiana,” says Dismukes, “Eighteen percent comes from power generation, but 60% comes from industry. So we’ve got to think out of the box. If you look at the U.S. overall, those numbers are flipped. The rest of the nation focuses on wind and solar, but we’ve got bigger fish to fry than that.”
What’s more, when it comes to the major manufacturing investments in Louisiana, there’s a timeline looming. Especially for LNG–Liquefied Natural Gas. “Those individual plants are $9-12 billion each. They’re not doing it for the U.S. market, they’re exporting it to Asia and to a lesser extent, Eastern Europe. And those Paris Accord countries on the receiving end demand a green angle on developing LNG. Half the capital investment through 2029, maybe 60% even, is LNG. If you don’t address decarbonization, you put at risk 60% of investment announced through 2029.” In other words, there’s a giant financial incentive for Louisiana to develop its CCUS market. And with regards to storage—it turns out the bayou state may be the best spot in the nation. In 2013, The U.S. Geological Survey assessed and quantified the nation’s geologic capacity for carbon dioxide storage, mapping out “technically accessible” geologic formations at least 3,000 feet below the ground surface onshore and in state waters. What did the study find? The “Coastal
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hey’re up to 55 employees at the headquarters of M&M International on Highway 90 in Broussard. That number has edged up a tad in recent months as movement gradually increases in the oil and gas industry, with production making up for lost time after nearly two years of COVID-related dormancy. “Activity has put a little wind in our sails over the past six months,” says M&M Chairman and President Quay McKnight. “At one time we had more than 100 employees, but it’s never really been the same since the bust.” Since 1980, M&M has manufactured well control valves used in drilling and production of oil and gas, and like all their colleagues along Louisiana’s “energy corridor,” McKnight’s family has lived through all the ups and downs. He’s cautiously hopeful of a mini-boom in the near future, as supply plays catch up with the slowly ticking-up demand of economic recovery. But he says it will be nothing like the past. And due to factors like coastal lawsuits chasing the industry out of state, the boom could bypass Louisiana. “I don’t know what’s going to happen with offshore. It has never come back since 2015 really, and that was a big part of our business. Inland drilling is not coming back here.” But there’s something giving the M&M team a reason to hope: Carbon Capture Utilization and Storage, CCUS. And they stand at the ready to leverage the opportunity. “For Louisiana, carbon capture could be huge, because we may not be able to take part in the next drilling boom like we have in the past. This could be our saving grace. We’re hoping that as the carbon capture market grows and matures, they’re going to need equipment exactly like or similar to what we already make. If it’s not exactly the same, we hope to work with the companies doing this injection to manufacture whatever equipment we need to be successful.” And he has good reason to be hopeful. “When we talk about the future of energy in Louisiana, the main theme is decarbonization,” says David Dismukes, executive director of LSU’s Center for Energy Studies. “What you see right now is everybody— whether you’re upstream at the wellhead level or down at the refinery—everybody is
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5th & Main Spring 2022 49
COVER STORY Tim Mueller
It really transforms an existing industry and creates another one at the same time. Some would prefer either/or, but we don’t have to be there. There’s a loud minority out there that just wants to see these folks pack up and leave, that’s just not economically realistic. David Dismukes, Executive Director of LSU’s Center for Energy Studies Plains” region, a swath of Gulf States from southern Texas to Florida, holds most of the capacity, with Louisiana front and center. “At 59% of the nation’s capacity for storing carbon dioxide, the Gulf Coast region has by far the greatest potential for storage, and Louisiana is at the epicenter of that region,” says Peter Warwick, USGS project chief for the study. That could be a mix of salt domes, which Dismukes says are best for blue ammonia or hydrogen, that needs to be accessed readily, almost like a distribution warehouse. But for long-term storage, Louisiana’s years of oil and gas activity actually produced one of the preferred options in the form of empty oil and gas reservoirs, where extraction occurred. There are tax credits for underground storage that incentivize such activity–but Louisiana has another untapped potential storage market that could solve a growing challenge if the benefit can be quantified: our coastal wetlands. “Coastal wetlands have always captured 50 5th & Main Spring 2022
massive amounts of carbon, this is nothing new,” says Justin Ehrenwerth, President & CEO of the Water Institute of the Gulf. “Our wetlands have always been extraordinarily powerful in their ability to capture and sequester carbon.” But he says the marketplace – the credits and quantification of value, was created with trees in mind, not swamps. And trees, well, they stay where they’re planted. “These standards were originally created with forests in the middle of the country in mind,” he says. “Of course, forests capture carbon, but the most current science shows that our wetlands capture far more carbon per acre than forests, sea grasses, mangroves – we outpace all of them. The challenge is if you look at a forest in the middle of the country versus a wetland along the coast, our coast is more dynamic. So, it becomes a question of permanence. How long do you expect that wetland to be in place, and what happens to the stored carbon if the wetland is hit by a hurricane or otherLouisiana Association of Business and Industry
wise degrades? Well, when the standards were first imagined, we looked at a continuum of 100 years. There’s no wetland in the world where you can say what will happen in 100 years.” Ehrenwerth and his team are going through the process of quantifying the amount and length of time carbon can be stored in coastal wetlands—science that could serve as a baseline for future crediting mechanisms and markets. If these market challenges are solved, it could open up a world of incentivized private sector investment in wetland creation and protection. “For many, this is the holy grail. Louisiana has a 50-year, $50 billion coastal master plan, and the state has identified a good chunk of the needed funding, but this could be a remarkable opportunity to incentivize private investment. There’s a real opportunity to connect a growing and unmet demand in the marketplace for high-quality, natural, carbon removal offsets. The state has wetlabi.org
COVER STORY ExxonMobil
In December, ExxonMobil announced it was boosting spending on greenhouse gas emission reduction projects by $12 billion, for a total of $15 billion.
land restoration projects ready to go now that we know provide so many economic, environmental, and social benefits and we believe could yield significant carbon removal benefits too. All of that would likely mean an ROI in a functional carbon market.” This Holy Trinity of expertise, incentive and storage is already driving new investment, like the $11 billion, 1,200-acre G2 Net-Zero complex in Cameron Parish, an LNG production facility that will use natural gas, capturing all emissions and using them to generate electricity. Chairman Chas Roemer says the project will ultimately be a $20 billion investment, ensuring the continuity of Louisiana’s industry-related workforce. “The thing I’m pleased with,” says Roemer, “is that first of all, we can show we can use Louisiana resources–our natural gas. And we can use a lot of infrastructure that’s already in place and expand on that even further. We also can use our natural advantages for storage and be a leader in the world for how you generate a lot of power and keep American energy independence.” And it’s not just newcomers, either. Louisiana’s leading industry employers are labi.org
investing heavily in emission reductions, including CCUS. In December, ExxonMobil announced it was boosting spending on greenhouse gas emission reduction projects by $12 billion, for a total of $15 billion, and expects to meet its 2025 reduction plans by the end of this year. The investments range from projects to reduce emissions from existing operations to a greater investment in the Low Carbon Solutions business. “ExxonMobil will continue to play an important role in bringing carbon capture and sequestration technology to scale, because of our depth and breadth of experience,” says Stephanie Cargile, ExxonMobil Baton Rouge Public and Government Affairs manager. “We understand the subsurface. We know how to build large projects, and we know how to operate them safely and efficiently. The same capabilities, technical strengths and market experience that support base energy and chemical businesses will help drive commercial growth opportunities for carbon capture and storage, biofuels and hydrogen where supportive policies currently exist and provide for strong returns.” What CCUS is revealing for Louisiana, Dismukes says, is that decarbonization doesn’t have to be an either/or scenario, Louisiana Association of Business and Industry
where the oil and gas industry risks abandonment. Quite the contrary. “Think of all those jobs drilling, the geologists to evaluate, the engineering to monitor, the consultants and the lawyers, the marketing people–just the direct jobs and it’s a whole new industry,” he says. “It really transforms an existing industry and creates another one at the same time. Some would prefer either/or, but we don’t have to be there. There’s a loud minority out there that just wants to see these folks pack up and leave. That’s just not economically realistic.” Roemer agrees. “We’ve got to remember the renewables movement really started with the idea of lowering emissions. It’s become more political in its goals, but the real point was to eliminate emissions. Well, if I can produce 50 times the power at a 20th of the footprint and have no emissions, why would there be any need to phase out the use of natural gas? “I’m very bullish on our future,” says Roemer. “We’ve got to continue to be innovative and bold, but there’s no reason Louisiana shouldn’t be the leader in the world and provide energy to the world and byproducts to the world while eliminating emissions.”
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COVER STORY
AGRICULT The future of...
52 5th & Main Spring 2022
Collin Richie
COVER STORY
LTURE
A state-of-the-art John Deere cane harvester separates leaf trash from the harvest.
As global consumption outpaces supply, Louisiana’s years of investment in science and technology could pay off
N
BY MARIE CENTANNI
ear the banks of the Bayou Teche, a giant green John Deere cane harvester methodically combs up and down rows of sugarcane, chopping the sugary stalks down to eight-inch segments, or “billets,” as it goes. In the rear of the mammoth machine, a sophisticated fan whirs at varying speeds, modulating its intensity based on a series of five different input measurements to accurately separate what Mike Duplantis calls “leaf trash” from the harvest. “In the past we didn’t have technology to monitor the amount of trash being extracted,” says Duplantis, factory manager at John Deere Thibodaux, where the cane harvester is manufactured. “Smart Clean has come in and we can now, through technology, optimize the harvest. The stalks go into a chamber as it’s cut, the billets fall down, the leaf trash is lighter and gets sucked up through the fan. Everybody wants to remove as much leaf trash as possible.” Less leaf trash means a cleaner harvest, and that means a whole lot to growers sending their cane to the mill. “Once it gets to the mill and you grind up the billets with any leaf trash,” he says, “the trash has zero sugar content, so it acts like a sponge. If you’re crushing the cane stalk and trying to get that juice, any additional trash is soaking up the sugar.” Duplantis says leaf trash also adds extra weight—and cost—to the wagons transporting the cut cane. “One of the big costs to a farm is the freight of getting sugarcane to the mill, so if I’m shipping a load with a fair amount of leaf trash, the density is lower, there’s less weight per cubic foot. If it’s just cane, my density goes up. So, I can ship a denser load and also maximize the amount of product I can put in the trailer without going overweight.” That’s something else the high-tech harvester does, by the way. It measures the billets going into the wagon to get as close as possible to the weight limit without going over. In other words, very little waste, very little error, very much maximizing the sugarcane farmer’s investment. And that’s not the only tech toy Duplantis has in his toybox. How about a variable rate fertilizer, only applying fertilizer where it’s needed? How about herbicides, with yet another machine that identifies and only sprays weeds in the field? Technology like this continues to advance, saving farmers input costs on a finite piece of land, including the newest advancement revealed in January at the Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas—the world’s first fully autonomous tractor, which could solve the challenge of a labor shortage. And it doesn’t need a lunch break. Louisiana Agriculture Commissioner Mike Strain says that maximum yield for minimum investment is just one reason our state is poised to profit in the world’s evolving food supply chain. “The height of innovation is now upon us,” says Strain. “If you look at the continuing growing demand to produce
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COVER STORY
Collin Richie
At the South Louisiana Rail Facility in Lacassine, 200 rice farmers invested in their own rail export operation.
more for a growing population, we have limited land. It’s pushing the evolution of science and technology to the forefront, how to produce more with fewer inputs. A huge key is the fact that the world demand is outpacing supply, and that’s going to continue driving prices and innovation, and the value will continue to grow in a rapid fashion.” Strain says as the nation looks to increase its supply to meet that growing demand, Louisiana is at a unique advantage given our generations of deep-rooted farming knowledge coupled with the technology that’s been developed, especially via the LSU AgCenter system at places like the Rice Research Station in Crowley, where farmers pool their money to invest in research. He says there’s very little lapse between what’s developed in the laboratory and what’s applied in the field, to our advantage. But he says our impending success will also come because of our capacity to export easily, and investments made in our port infrastructure and dredging major waterways like the Mississippi River. “Companies are investing in export facilities up and down the river,” says Strain. “We’re poised now to go from 60% to over 70% of exported grain from the U.S. exported from Louisiana ports. That’s huge because they see what’s coming.” Farmers are also pooling their resources in the export facilities sector, like at the South Louisiana Rail Facility, the work of 200 rice farmers who invested in their own labi.org
rail export operation in Lacassine, transporting to ocean-going vessels via the Port of Lake Charles. Over the past three years, they’ve exported 175,000 tons of rice from Louisiana and east Texas, and now they’re Tim Mueller
Louisiana Agriculture Commissioner Mike Strain
adding a processing facility with technology that’s not been seen in the Western hemisphere—“Farm to Fork” traceability. “Our business model was to load some rail cars,” says Mark Pousson, who does sales and marketing for SLRF. “Fast forward 10 years, we’re moving rice along with the largest traders in the world.” Pousson says the new sustainability/ traceability technology will ensure their product is a world leader in meeting the new demands of a new breed of consumer. “The new generations require that in consumption,” he says. “The younger generation consumer is trending, and they just want to know more about where their food comes from.” “You’re going to know where that farmer Louisiana Association of Business and Industry
grew that rice, when it got shipped, how it was treated all the way through the process to the one-pound bag on the shelf. The consumer is going to be able to pick up that bag of rice at the store, take out their cell phone and pull up a video clip of where that rice came from, how it was treated and taken care of.” The growing export operation, delving into new technology, will add ten new jobs to the site, but more importantly will continue to sustain the investing farmers, their families and employees. “Louisiana is uniquely positioned to take full advantage of the growing demand as we are the major export hub of agriculture commodities for the United States,” says Strain. “The vast majority of our production is exported from Louisiana. In addition, we have ample water, and the most fertile land in America. It doesn’t get any better than that alluvial soil and access to ports. We just need to work on our local roads and bridges.” And that, says Strain, is the missing link, as the majority of roads and bridges are in rural Louisiana, traversed by farmers and their products headed to the mill or market. He says it’s a challenge Louisiana must solve to truly realize the economic potential of our agriculture advantage. “Infrastructure is the key to economic prosperity,” he says, “because it is imperative you move the natural resource from where it is harvested or severed to its point of manufacturing or export. That’s a fundamental.”
5th & Main Spring 2022 55
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The future of...
INFRASTRUCTURE With two new sources of funding, will Louisiana finally bring transportation up to speed?
Running across the entire state, I-10 creates traffic bottlenecks in Baton Rouge and Lake Charles due to outdated infrastructure.
BY MARIE CENTANNI
I
n Calcasieu Parish, thousands of workers drive to and from a cluster of major industrial facilities on their daily commutes, largely relying on the I-10 Calcasieu River Bridge or the I-210 loop to get them where they need to go—preferably, on time. But that’s a daily gamble, with big potential impact. Traffic delays caused by accidents on the steep, narrow and obsolete bridge are all to frequent, and almost predictable— especially when it rains. “The unpredictability of the bridge shutdowns and traffic backups impacts the entire organization,” says Megan Hartman, public relations director at Phillips 66’s Lake Charles complex, home to 775 fulltime workers and around 350 contract workers. “Overtime incurred on shift changes when the relief isn’t able to get to work on time, parents being unable to pick up children from school on time, and overall labi.org
loss of productivity can be impactful.” From an economic development standpoint, the industrial investment in the area is historic. Tens of billions of dollars have been invested in these facilities, and the region is benefitting from a workforce boom and growth in economic opportunity. But local infrastructure struggles to keep up with that growth, including the interstate— which, local manufacturing plants aside—is a major national artery for moving goods and people. As Louisiana’s transportation chief says, Calcasieu’s bottlenecks are the nation’s bottlenecks. “Replacing the Calcasieu River Bridge is going to provide certainty for decades and for generations,” says Shawn Wilson, secretary of the Louisiana Department of Transportation and Development (DOTD), “recognizing that I-10 is the freight corridor for the country.” Louisiana Association of Business and Industry
It’s a weighty distinction that comes with a certain responsibility for continued investment, amplified further by the series of hurricanes that have hit coastal Louisiana at both ends; Louisiana has always been one of the most logistically advantageous states in the nation, starting not with roads, but with water. “Thomas Jefferson recognized the importance of the Mississippi River, which is why he pushed the Louisiana Purchase,” says U.S. Rep. Garret Graves (R-Baton Rouge). “Thirty-one states are connected to the river. It’s an economic goldmine, and it’s right here.” And that trade foundation has, over the state’s history, spurred a network of multimodal methods of transporting goods and people, from water to rail to roads and air. It’s what landed the investment in places like southwest Louisiana, creating the
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COVER STORY
U.S. Rep. Garret Graves (R-Baton Rouge)
current boom. Graves is quick to point out the multimodal stats that make Louisiana stand out: the state is home to five of the top 15 ports in terms of tonnage, has more water-based commerce than any other state and is one of only two places in the country with six Class 1 railroads. But he says we have major infrastructure challenges to solve in order to protect investment and lure even more. “We can’t possibly sit here and tell major corporations to build here or relocate here if we don’t address our flooding, our traffic problems and our resiliency issues,” says Graves. “We won’t be competitive.” But two new pools of funding for Louisiana’s infrastructure could fuel increased investment in tackling our to-do list of projects and allow us to truly modernize our assets: around $150 million per year from the state vehicle sales tax retool passed by the legislature in 2021, and roughly $1 billion from the federal Infrastructure Investments and Jobs Act (IIJA), signed into law in November. Together, they represent the first significant funding source for infrastructure in decades, investment that could increase based on economic triggers in the state bill and potential for more funding on the federal side. That has Louisiana’s transportation secretary more than excited. “What I’m most excited about is the $350 million new dollars per year that we’re going to see over the next five years,” says Wilson. “I say that because it will allow us to do two things: to take better care of what’s already built and to start moving forward on projects that we’ve talked about and wanted for years.” 58 5th & Main Spring 2022
Secretary Shawn Wilson, DOTD
Dedicating a new funding stream at the Louisiana Legislature without raising taxes to achieve it was no small feat, and is the result of tenacity, collaboration and creativity from a group of legislators and stakeholders. Bill author Speaker Pro Temp. Tanner Magee (R-Houma) is quick to point out HB 514 didn’t even start out as a road funding bill, it was a proposed tax on marijuana. “One of the biggest challenges any time
We can’t possibly sit here and tell major corporations to build here or relocate here if we don’t address our flooding, our traffic problems and our resiliency issues. We won’t be competitive. U.S. Rep. Garret Graves you’re passing legislation dealing with taxes and revenue is getting it out of the House. Seventy votes is really difficult,” says Magee. “I had already moved my marijuana tax bill off the floor—it was a marijuana tax bill really just in title. It truly was a general sales tax bill. I ran it early to see what happened, and I got it across to the Senate. There were other infrastructure funding measures out there, but the thought was those may never come over to the House, so let’s hold your bill in the Senate and we can try to play with it if nothing else gets to us in the House. And that’s what happened.” And it happened, says LABI Chairman Louisiana Association of Business and Industry
Rep. Tanner Magee (R-Houma)
Terry Baugh, because so many legislators had been working for months together on a number of infrastructure funding solutions. And those legislators—some with competing approaches—joined together in support of this compromise when the opportunity arose. “What the final few days were,” says Baugh, “was just the culmination of legislators working hard trying to go down this trail, then that trail and another trail, and they finally found the trail to the finish line.” Baugh, who serves as CFO of D & J Construction Company in northeast Louisiana, which primarily builds rural road projects with a workforce of 150, says the final bill language represented the most bipartisan and broadly supported option, as evidenced by the 37-0 vote in the Senate and 88-13 tally in the House. “Solid, veto-proof margins,” he points out. The idea was to shift a portion of state tax proceeds from motor vehicle sales and leases to the Construction Subfund of the Transportation Trust Fund. Starting with FY 2023-24, 30% of the tax revenue will be deposited in the subfund, and each fiscal year thereafter, 60% of the revenue will be deposited. Eventually, $300 million will go into the subfund every year, 75% of which must be used for specified major road and bridge construction projects, with the remainder going to highway and bridge preservation projects. “Through this process, there’s a momentum that builds,” says Magee. “But the governor didn’t immediately express an intention to sign it. In fact, he expressed an intention to not sign it. The governor’s concern was that it was going to cause a fiscal labi.org
Collin Richie
COVER STORY
The I-49 Lafayette Connector will ultimately extend 1-49 from 1-10 (seen here) to the Lafayette Regional Airport.
cliff this next year, but now we’re sitting on $700 million worth of surplus, so those fears weren’t warranted.” In fact, Magee says, the new dedicated state revenue is well-timed, providing a steady stream of state matching funds to secure federal dollars. And he says it removes the red tape that has come with the piecemeal patchwork of federal funds we’ve secured over the years in single doses–red tape that slows down even small projects. “It slows everything down because you have to use federal guidelines,” explains Magee, “and when you’re not, you can just build the stuff. So, if you want to do a smaller bridge project, and you have state dollars, we can just do it and not have to go through the exhausting federal process. This could really speed up projects and inspire confidence in the public that has become very cynical in how long it takes to build a bridge.” And now Louisiana can finally look to taking on projects like replacing the Calcasieu River Bridge, building a new Mississippi River Bridge in Baton Rouge, building the I-49 Connector through Lafayette, addresslabi.org
ing the Jimmie Davis Bridge, passenger rail along I-10 and I-20 and more. But Wilson cautions that the influx of funding won’t mean an instant, statewide construction zone. It all has to be carefully implemented. “The projects all have varying timelines and starting points,” he says. “It’s not physically possible to start them all simultaneously. We don’t have the workforce and materials to deliver it, and even when you do have that, you run into inflation and the cost greatly increases. Those are things we know are going to be an issue. The most important thing, though, is that these will be phased, so you have to offer a phase that offers utility and value to citizens as it stands before you move on to the next.” Wilson points to the I-49 Connector as an example, a five-mile corridor running through the urban center of Lafayette, the Hub City. “I can’t do that all at once, so we’ve got to work in sections while we acquire property and relocate utilities.” But once underway, he says, the statewide construction activity will have a major impact not just on our mobility, but on our economy Louisiana Association of Business and Industry
“When we listen to the needs of our state, we can deliver results that benefit all without raising taxes on American families. The bipartisan infrastructure bill will rebuild our roads and bridges, increase access to high-speed internet, strengthen our electric grid, add levee protection, and improve flood resiliency. We have already seen significant funding come to our state due to this legislation, and there is more on its way.” —U.S. Sen. Bill Cassidy (R-Baton Rouge)
Stay tuned for an upcoming LABI podcast on the infrastructure bill with Sen. Bill Cassidy and others.
5th & Main Spring 2022 59
Tim Mueller
The Mississippi River is one of Louisiana’s greatest economic highways, and rails, roads and bridges require continued investment to take advantage of this economy for decades to come.
as well, with 13,000 direct and indirect jobs created for every $1 billion spent on road construction. Employers in the road building business can’t wait. “It’s an absolute game changer that Louisiana was able to get the first dedicated transportation revenue increase since 1989,” says Bryan Jones, vice president and Gulf Coast office leader for HNTB, a Kansas Citybased infrastructure solutions firm with a 70-year presence in Louisiana that began with designing the I-10 Atchafalaya Basin Bridge. More recently, they’ve done design work on the elevated LA-1 highway to Port Fourchon, and environmental work on the I-49 Connector and Calcasieu Bridge. They even designed the LSU Football operations center and locker room. “It’s monumental for Louisiana,” says Jones, “and will provide a sizeable increase in funding for the next several years. But we’re only going to be successful if we can do our part and demonstrate our ability to match local dollars to available federal funds. There’s a significant increase in formula funds, but the real sweetener of the federal infrastructure bill is the tens 60 5th & Main Spring 2022
of billions in discretionary grant opportunities for infrastructure that Louisiana and communities statewide will be able to compete for across a variety of infrastructure programs.” But Graves is cautious about the federal funds and the political strings attached and says Louisiana simply won’t demonstrate the policy priorities the Biden administration will require to qualify for the discretionary portion, which as this magazine goes to print have been hinted at, but not formalized. “Louisiana is not going to get its fair share,” he says, of predicted funding requirements like climate change, environmental justice and enhancing union opportunities. “All money is not good money, and I get that,” concedes Wilson. But he says there’s reason to be hopeful regardless of the Biden Administration’s policy push. “I think there is something to be said for formula programs and discretionary programs. Historically every administration has focused on their policy priorities using discretionary funding. They incentivize you with the carrot as opposed to the stick. On the formula side, they’ve given states the flexibility to inLouisiana Association of Business and Industry
vest those dollars because states should get their fair share. We can do better by formula versus discretionary because discretionary is not necessarily equitable.” Wilson says the bill sets aside only $150 billion in the discretionary pot, but $350 billion in the more predictable formula funding. “At the end of the day, we’re getting $1 billion more than we have before, whether we invest in rail or anything like that. So, we aren’t having to demonstrate union jobs. That’s $1 billion more over five years, in formula funds alone.” Meanwhile, Graves is holding out for newer, innovative funding mechanisms for long-term investment, particularly to address our coastal and flooding issues as well as synchronizing various modes of transportation. “Ultimately, to get where we need to be, we need a comingling of sources,” says the congressman. “We must address the sins of the past with significant financial investments. Some of the things we’ve avoided in the past because they were expensive have to be hit head-on. They must be our top priorities. We can’t afford not to.”
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FORT GORDON
MAXWELL AFB ENGLAND AIR PARK
Worth
Dallas
en
CAMP BEAUREGARD
Shreveport
59
35
Lufkin
45 Leesville Jasper Temple Huntsville Woodville
Belton Cameron
tin Seguin
Livingston
Bryan/ College Station
an Antonio U.S.
181
Port of Corpus Christi
U.S.
96
U.S.
69
10 Port of Beaumont Houston Port of Port Arthur 69 Lumberton
20
Natchez
Brookhaven
Laurel Hattiesburg
U.S.
84
Alexandria Pineville
49 Baton Rouge
FORT POLK
City
U.S.
80
Montgomery
New Orleans
49
59
CAMP SHELBY
95 16
GEORGIA FORT BENNING
10
Port of Gulfport
Augusta
Port of Savannah
75
65
U.S.
55
Wrens
Macon Columbus Phenix
Selma
Demopolis
20
Atlanta
85
Meridian
Jackson
20
LOUISIANA
U.S.
OOD
14
Birmingham
30
OW
ALABAMA
MISSISSIPPI
ROBINS AFB
FORT STEWART
FORT RUCKER KEESLER AFB
Coastal Refining, LNG, Petrochemical, Metal Processing Hubs
CORPUS CHRISTI ARMY DEPOT
F
I-14: Another Interstate Five-State Congressionally Designated on the Horizon?
Interstate 14 Corridor
or two decades, a coalition from Texas to Georgia has been building support for a “Forts-to-Ports” strategic corridor that would run right through central Louisiana. On November 15, 2021, they inched a bit further down the road to reality, when the president signed the $1.2 trillion Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act (IIJA), authorizing congressional designation of I-14, creating four new High Priority Corridors and expanding the existing I-14 www.GulfCoastStrategicHighway.org Corridor in Texas. For Info Contact: Don Rodman, Communications/Administration - 361-877-0409 - don@therodmanco.com In Louisiana,Larry theMeyers, congressionally-designated route runs Washington Representative - 202-484-2773 - LMeyers@hslawmail.com from LA Highway 8 at the Sabine River Bridge at Burrs Crossing, heads east near Alexandria and Pineville, and follows US 84 to the Mississippi River at Vidalia. The I-14 idea began as a way to better connect Fort Polk, Fort Hood and Fort Bliss to the designated Strategic Military Deployment Ports on the Texas Coast, providing invaluable capability to move military assets and cement the viability of those bases. While no funding for the interstate is included in the IIJA, this designation opens the door for future investment in a critical corridor that could not only serve our military but bring economic development to Louisiana’s midland.
Texas to Georgia Forts-to-Ports Connectivity Corridor
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COVER STORY
The Ochsner O Bar provides technical help for healthcare.
The future of...
HEALTHCARE Mobile medicine, workplace wellness and concierge care quickly becoming the norm
A
gentleman walks up to the counter with his phone in his hand. His app isn’t working, or he isn’t working his app right. He chuckles, shaking his head, and hands his phone over to the technology expert who quickly identifies and clears up the problem, showing the man a few tips and tricks that ultimately opens his access to his own medical storyline. This scenario is not taking place at an Apple Genius Bar, although it could be. The expertise is just as technical. Instead, it is a scene at one of the Ochsner O Bars located throughout Louisiana to empower patients to use digital tools so they can focus on their health while living life on the go. “We wanted to create a Genius Bar for healthcare,” says Aimee Quirk, CEO of Ochsner Ventures. “We were the first in the nation to launch this concept in 2014. Now we have 10 locations all over the state plus labi.org
BY MARIAH HERNANDEZ a mobile O Bar unit. We make it easy, and open to the community.” Easy and accessible is the goal for the healthcare industry throughout Louisiana. With a healthcare system that has experienced a massive disruption in the wake
Kiosks are available for simple appointment check-ins.
of COVID-19, removing barriers to quality care, increasing access and reimagining healthcare delivery for the future have never been more important. “The rapid adoption of telehealth, virtual care and remote monitoring has catalyzed investment and innovation dedicated to improving these tools while expanding digital strategies into other areas of healthcare delivery and operations,” says Quirk. “In these past couple years, we have all had to innovate and rely on digital tools to access the health and wellness resources we need, and this is likely to continue. In addition, we will see more and more care delivered in the home enabled by digital tools—further use of artificial intelligence and predictive analytics to personalize care—and more tools to empower and engage patients in their own health.” Ochsner Health has long been focused
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A patient enters a mobile Mary Bird Perkins cancer screening unit.
on digital health innovation, launching its first telehealth programs in 2009 and its innovation company, innovationOchsner (iO), in 2015. Quirk says Ochsner has been working to transition from a system that delivers healthcare to one that delivers health. “I would like to see dramatic improvements in health outcomes as a result of more predictive, proactive, personalized and participatory health and wellness.” While the proliferation of digital health has been a positive outcome, the pandemic also exposed longstanding inequities in the country and in our state. These inequalities, like economic stability, mobility, access to quality education or even grocery stores with healthy foods, contribute to the risk of chronic health diseases and affect a wide range of health and quality of life outcomes. This uneven access is one reason Mary Bird Perkins Cancer Center (MBPCC) launched its Prevention on the Go Program in 2002. At the time, more than 60% of patients had never been screened before. Today, that number sits at about 30-35%, says Todd Stevens, president and CEO of 64 5th & Main Spring 2022
MBPCC, but he believes we still have a long way to go. “The most often cited reasons for not participating in annual wellness exams and
cancer screenings is time and cost,” Stevens says. That’s why MBPCC started bringing curbside cancer screenings and prevention education to communities least likely to participate in annual cancer screenings. “Hospital systems have made significant strides in primary care programs, driving information to patients about wellness, keeping up with their annual screenings,
the harmful effects of smoking and the importance of living a healthy lifestyle,” Stevens says. But he believes the future of wellness and prevention will be driven by the employer. That’s why MBPCC further developed Prevention on the Go to bring mobile medical care to the workplace. “Employers have embraced the culture of wellness in the company—it’s good business to have a healthy workforce.” The Prevention on the Go Workplace Program is designed to eliminate time and financial barriers to preventative and early detection measures to keep workers healthy and reduce employer and employee healthcare costs in the long run. “As workforce challenges continue, employers are going to have to make great workplaces—it’s not just about paying higher wages,” says Stevens. “I think we will continue to see employers get creative in offering a healthy, motivating, supportive workplace environment. It’s good for their mental and physical health and their job development which is ultimately good for the employer.”
Louisiana Association of Business and Industry
labi.org
I think we will continue to see employers get creative in offering a healthy, motivating, supportive workplace environment. Todd Stevens, CEO of Mary Bird Perkins Cancer Center
Curtis Chastain, physician and director of Lake Men’s Health System at Our Lady of the Lake Regional Medical Center.
And the employers themselves must take good care of their health as well. When Mike Hollingsworth, owner of Hollingsworth Richards Automotive Group in Baton Rouge, went in for his yearly physical, he seemed at the peak of health. At 58 years old, he worked out six times a week, maintained a healthy weight and led an active lifestyle. And Hollingsworth is also a member of the Lake Men’s Health Center’s Executive Wellness Program at Our Lady of the Lake (OLOL), a program tailored to busy professionals to receive comprehensive care in a single, convenient appointment. Curtis Chastain MD, internal medicine doctor and director of the Lake Men’s Health System at OLOL had been seeing him annually. “When Mike came in, I found severe blockages in all three of his coronary arteries. I perform this heart test as part of most routine annual physical exams to look for the possibility of ‘hidden’ heart blockage,” says Dr. Chastain, who appreciates that he can spend more time listening to and evaluating the patients with this model of care. “He wasn’t having any symptoms at all. But this particular year he was needing to make labi.org
some significant financial decisions about the future of his business, and he wanted to know the exact status of his heart.” Concierge medicine or subscription-based medical care—patient-centered, personalized care rooted in accessibility
It’s all about relationships. It’s about getting the care you need today and giving people peace of mind that their chronic headache isn’t a tumor. Curtis Chastain, physician and director of Men’s Health System at Our Lady of the Lake Regional Medical Center and convenience—such as the Executive Wellness Program is paramount for many. This model of healthcare delivery allows for same-day or next day appointments, no waiting rooms, no administrative delays, unlimited office visits and unlimited time with your doctor. Dr. Chastain refers to this Louisiana Association of Business and Industry
model as the “Uber of medicine”—you pay an annual fee for a slate of services and get on-demand, around-the-clock access to your doctor through calls, texts, emails and video visits, talking to your doctor about anything from a concerning mole to a lingering cold to anxiety and depression. In the years since he started his practice, Dr. Chastain found his patients want two things: access and someone who will listen. “It’s all about relationships,” he says. “It’s about getting the care you need today and giving people peace of mind that their chronic headache isn’t a tumor.” Peace of mind across all healthcare entities is about providing for the health of the patient today, before dealing with a health crisis tomorrow. Through accessibility, mobility and technology, health care providers are giving patients the tools needed to stay on top of their own wellness. “The future of healthcare will be driven by consumer choice,” he says. “The public is going to demand access, quality care and cost transparency, and the industry has to adapt, or it will fail.”
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Courtesy FranU
COVER STORY
Students in a simulated environment teaching room at FranU in Baton Rouge.
The future of...
WORKFORCE DEVELOPMENT Real-world skills and collaboration have never been more important in gaining and retaining top talent
A
pregnant woman lies in a Louisiana delivery room, crying out in Spanish. With every contraction, her eyes roll back and her volume increases. The baby is breech, and while pushing through one of her contractions, the Hispanic woman codes. She has a chronic respiratory disease that has created a life-or-death situation in this delivery room: specifically, one patient will live and one will die. Will it be the baby or the mother? The woman is surrounded by a team of healthcare professionals who work frantically to keep them both alive. Meanwhile, a team of ethics specialists are brought in. Pause the video. labi.org
BY MARIAH HERNANDEZ The instructor stands with a group of students from multiple disciplines in a debriefing room adjacent to the simulated operating room and goes over each of their roles in the scene on the video screen. She points out where one could have reacted differently and where another should have called for consultation. Beyond a large glass window overlooking the operating room beyond, the woman in labor—actually just a high-fidelity mannequin—is quiet at last. This is a teaching moment to the utmost degree. This is workforce development using real-world techniques. “Our research shows that simulated Louisiana Association of Business and Industry
environment teaching is a crucial augmentation to traditional clinical experiences in hospitals,” says Tina Holland, president and CEO of Franciscan Missionaries of Our Lady University (FranU) in Baton Rouge. “We also use real people, volunteers, who go through training to learn to exhibit certain symptoms, so our students can learn to diagnose properly.” This real-world training was no more vital than in the spring of 2020, when COVID-19 cases spiked, hospitals were overflowing with patients and healthcare workers were in high demand. Holland and her team accelerated the curriculum so that respiratory therapists and undergraduate
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Courtesy FTCC
COVER STORY
This oil extracting simulator at Fletcher Technical Community College offers students a chance to simulate working on an oil rig.
nurses could graduate six weeks early and enter the workforce. “We couldn’t train in the hospital, so we relied heavily on simulators, says Holland. “And students still did tremendous on their licensing exams.” Because real-world teaching is so vital to the healthcare industry, FranU is building a $28 million, 75,000-square-foot building on the Our Lady of the Lake campus in Baton Rouge that will offer two stories of simulated inpatient and outpatient rooms as well as a mockup of an apartment for home health care. Named The St. Francis Hall, the project should be complete in December 2022. It will further help train practitioners for situations they will encounter in the field. “When they enter the workforce, it won’t be the first time they’re introduced to a traumatic event. It helps students get a taste for what it might be like to lose a patient or have them code, or for a patient to get aggressive with them,” says Holland, who notes that the mannequins can be programmed to speak a variety of languages. “The simulations are so real that we’ve had students have emotional reactions to losing a patient in a simulated environment. That all helps to retain them when they’re actually in practice.” Training and retention were also key factors in building the $1.8 million oil 68 5th & Main Spring 2022
Schematic of the simulator pictured above.
extraction training simulator at Fletcher Technical Community College in 2021. Its state-of-the-art equipment provides students the opportunity to simulate the platform work environment before ever getting on a helicopter and flying across the Gulf. The Louisiana Community and Technical College System (LCTCS) along with Danos, Eaton and BP all contributed to this project. “The simulator enhances the technical training the students already receive, putting them in a real-world scenario on an oil rig,” says Chandler Leboeuf, Vice Chancellor for Institutional Advancement at Fletcher. “It’s also an experience that employers are looking for.”
Educational institutions throughout the state are recognizing the need to provide hands-on opportunities for students so their work skills will be more appealing to local employers. SOWELA’s Jennings campus began offering virtual reality components to its healthcare simulation training systems during the pandemic. And River Parishes Community College broke ground in November on a new Process Equipment Trainer plant in Gonzales. (See pg. 14) “We are seeing significant curriculum shifts that emphasize skills and competencies relevant to specific sectors of the economy,” says Don Pierson, Secretary of Louisiana Economic Development (LED),
Louisiana Association of Business and Industry
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Courtesy SUSLA
COVER STORY
Southern University’s Shreveport campus offers programs which qualifies graduates to perform aircraft maintenance and repairs.
which is home to LED FastStart, the number one workforce training and development program in the U.S. for 12 consecutive years. Pierson notes the Nunez Community College Aerospace Manufacturing Technology Program that prepares graduates for jobs at NASA’s Michoud facility as well as the Airframe and Powerplant Maintenance certification program at Southern University’s Shreveport campus, which qualifies graduates to perform aircraft maintenance and repairs. “LED’s perspective has always been that education and workforce development should work hand-in-hand,” Pierson adds. “These kinds of highly-integrated interdisciplinary programs and work-based learning models are on their way to becoming the norm rather than the exception.” While the hands-on learning models and real-life scenarios are preparing an actively engaged sector to become the workforce of tomorrow, there is untapped potential for many in Louisiana who have the capabilities and the desire to succeed, but who have personal situations keeping them from enrolling in training. “Of the 2.3 million people qualified as working age adults in our state, over 1.1 million have a high school diploma or less,” says Chris Broadwater, vice president for Workforce Policy and general counsel for labi.org
LCTCS. “One-fourth of our total population has not received the education they need to move through that prosperity pipeline to fully participate in our economy.” And Broadwater maintains that proper funding is not the greatest barrier. LABI supported and the Louisiana Legislature unanimously passed the M.J. Foster Promise Program in 2021, creating a $10.5 million annual state fund aimed at providing workforce training opportunities for Louisiana’s
If education is the pathway out of poverty, we offer false hope if we only provide a few onramps. Chris Broadwater, vice president for Workforce Policy and general counsel for LCTCS adults. This program—for those aged 21 and older—offers funding for adults interested in training for construction, transportation and logistics, healthcare, information technology and manufacturing. Along with TOPS scholarships, GeauxGrants, Pell Grants, and more—Louisiana residents in need now have opportunities to access educational funding whether they just got out of high school or Louisiana Association of Business and Industry
they’ve been working for years. “Access is the issue,” says Broadwater. “If we make training affordable, but we don’t address the ‘how’ and the ‘when’ they get training, then we are leaving off part of the equation.” Broadwater notes that it’s important for the state to address ancillary needs such as early childhood education and transportation issues. But he also believes educational institutions need to consider offering more points of entry in education than just three—the traditional spring, summer or fall enrollments—so that students have more options to begin training. Plus, he suggests offering credentials for each class so even if the student never gets a diploma, he or she will have credentials for the skills mastered. “If education is the pathway out of poverty,” says Broadwater, “we offer false hope if we only provide a few onramps.” Work-based learning programs are one solution for individuals needing to gain new skills while still earning an income. Broadwater cites Dow’s apprenticeship program as an excellent example of this—providing real-world experiences to potential employees while the employer has time to evaluate before hiring. But that’s not the only way companies can get involved. By being actively engaged in the education systems, organizations can communicate their skills
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COVER STORY
needs so that educators are sure to be teaching and training the right techniques. Better yet, Broadwater believes that companies “sharing their most talented” employees as occasional instructors would enhance the education experience even more. This need for collaboration between employers and the education sector is not a new idea, but it is one that those in the workforce development realm are emphasizing in new, and more progressive, ways. Preparing the workforce of tomorrow demands partnerships today. “By working together, we can build an enduring pipeline of Louisiana workers with in-demand skills,” says Pierson. “Those partnerships are the key to building resilience and dynamism into the workforce we will need to sustain our increasingly diversified economy.” In addition, the collaboration between agencies with a similar mission is imperative, according to Broadwater, although atypical. Traditionally, information gleaned is not universally shared, and collaborations are rare. “As a state, we are data rich and intelligence poor. We are making decisions with only pieces of the puzzle,” says Broadwater. “Sharing of data is key to make more informed decisions and identify the trends and pivot points earlier. It will require boldness from the private and public sector. It will require us to think of things in new ways. We won’t succeed if everyone protects their own turf.” And “turf” these days has a new meaning for many. During a pandemic that shuttered some businesses and sent workers home in others, companies and agencies were forced to adapt practices and integrate technology quickly. The hard-and-fast lines of old-school business protocols were blurred. Although difficult to go through, this disruption resulted in many quick and innovative solutions—giving hope to many that collaboration can and will take place. It’s something that economists like Stephen Barnes—founding director of the Kathleen Babineaux Blanco Public Policy Center and independent economist on the state’s Revenue Estimating Conference—are keeping track of.
Louisiana Association of Business and Industry
labi.org
M
e M t e e at The Gregory
inside the historic
WATERMARK HOTEL
Chris Broadwater
“This period of upheaval has put pressure on businesses and forced them to be creative in finding ways to get their work done with less staff on hand or a different mix of staff,” says Barnes. “It’s more important now more than ever that we are engaging in collaborative work with employers and the education and training system in Louisiana to make sure we are updating programs and move quicker than these programs have been historically set up to do.” The disruption of the last two years has also broadened the definition of “work” for today’s employees. Pierson notes that many of today’s workers care about compensation beyond take-home pay: flexible leave policies, remote work options, employer-funded professional development, a clear path for career advancement and a meaningful commitment to work-life balance. What was once considered an added bonus, these ‘want lists’ are now top priorities for employees, which means Louisiana businesses have to consider them in order to retain and attract top talent. “I think the pandemic, more so than most recessions, caused businesses to rethink how they operate in a big way and accelerate implementation of new technology and processes that help them work in today’s environment, including greater reliance on remote and hybrid work,” says Barnes. “As we think about developing our workforce, we can’t take our eyes off of the work we need to do at the state and local level, to make sure we are cultivating that wonderful quality of life and making investments in infrastructure, broadband and our public spaces to make sure we can make Louisiana the most attractive place for the workplace.” Accessibility, innovation and collaboration. A healthy workforce of tomorrow relies on all three issues being addressed today. And a vibrant and resilient Louisiana of the future depends on it. “Because of where the state and the nation are, and where the economy is,” says Broadwater, “there has never been a more important time for thought leaders in this space to reimagine and support how we produce the workforce for the economy we are capable of having if we get this right.”
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LOUISIANA PURCHASE
Wine Room
CONVERTED BANK VAULT
Event Space
A Downtown Landmark Since 1925
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THE FORECAST
2
1
3
1. Northwest
-2.93%
2. Northeast
-2.636%
3. Southwest
5.13%
4. Acadiana
0.06%
5. River
2.87%
6. Orleans
6.79%
7. Florida
6.95%
5
Shifter BY BO STAPLES
I
Population Growth
7
4
SHAPE
Region
t’s that time again. That’s right, the Louisiana Legislature is once more tasked with redrawing the maps for the U.S. House, State Senate, State House, Board of Elementary and Secondary Education (BESE) and Public Service Commission (PSC) to account for shifts in population and evenly distribute the population among political districts. The good news is Louisiana will not be losing a seat in Congress—something which has happened in two of the last three redistricting cycles labi.org
6
Taking a peek at the redistricting process; who to watch, what to know
which take place every 10 years. The bad news is that there have been significant population shifts which will almost certainly require regions of the state to lose seats in the legislature. This redistricting process, where tremendous flexibility is afforded to the legislature to create or modify districts based on the current census data, can make for colorful and intriguing political theater. We’ll see some regions doing everything they can to protect their existing Louisiana Association of Business and Industry
borders and districts while other highgrowth areas will be looking to see more representation in that region. Adding to an already complex dynamic, Louisiana has a divided government with a Republicancontrolled legislature and a Democrat in the Governor’s Mansion. There’s no telling exactly how things will shake out, but there will be a few common themes we’ll see throughout the process.
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THE FORECAST
The Redistricting Process
Key Players
Communities of interest—Geographical areas, such as neighborhoods of a city, where the residents have common demographic and/or political interests that do not necessarily coincide with the boundaries of a political subdivision. Compactness—Having the minimum distance between all parts of a constituency (a circle, square or hexagon are examples of compact districts).
Key Terms
Cracking—Diluting the voting power of the opposing Party’s supporters across districts. Gerrymander—A term of art to describe a plan or a district intentionally drawn to advantage one group or party over another, sometimes identified by bizarre shapes.
THE FORECAST
Majority-minority districts—Term used by courts for seats where a group or a single racial or language minority constitutes a majority of the population. Packing—A term used when one group is consolidated in a smaller number of districts, thus reducing its electoral influence in nearby districts.
THE MATH
POPULATION SHIFTS
CONGRESSIONAL MAP
VETO OVERRIDE
In order to figure out just how many people belong in a district, we take the total number of people in the state—4,657,757 according to the Census Bureau—and divide it by how many of those districts we have. This math tells us all six Congressional districts will need to be as close as possible to 776,293 people. The 39 state senate districts will need to be within 5% of 119,430, and the 105 House seats within 5% of 44,360. Ten years ago, those target numbers were similar in that a Congressional district needed to be a population of 755,581, a difference of 200,712. A senate district needed to be within 5% of 116,243, a difference of 3,187. A house district needed to be within 5% of 43,176, a difference of 1,184. A modest increase for each of the districts—seems simple enough, except when you look at how the population has shifted.
While the state as a whole grew by about 125,000 people (2.7%), not all parts of the state saw growth. The largest growth occurred in the Florida parishes with an addition of almost 70,000 people (7%), closely followed by the Orleans region with 57,000 people (6.8%). Rounding out the top three was the Southwest region adding almost 18,000 people (5.1%). The River region kept pace with state growth rate, adding almost 18,000 people (2.9%). The Acadiana region was virtually flat with a gain of only 500 people. The only regions to lose population were the Northwest and Northeast regions, combining for a loss of almost 31,000 people (-2.8%). This loss of population will be emphasized as legislators address every set of maps but will be most pronounced in the drawing of the Congressional districts.
Louisiana’s current Congressional delegation is comprised of five Republicans and one Democrat— with two members from north Louisiana and four from south Louisiana. Most in north Louisiana favor the current map and only wish to make small adjustments to account for the population loss in north Louisiana. Some Democrats in the state are pushing for more pronounced changes to the map with an additional majorityBlack district, which would almost certainly guarantee an additional Democratic seat in Congress. The governor has publicly stated support for the creation of a new majority-Black district and has the power to veto any map. Adding to the urgency of passing a Congressional map is the July qualifying deadline for the elections this fall.
If such a veto should happen, the map would return to the legislature where Republicans would likely attempt to override the governor’s veto. Republicans enjoy the necessary two-thirds majority in the Senate and are only two votes shy of a two-thirds majority in the House, which could bring about some unusual alliances should a veto override effort be taken up. Will some Democrats from north Louisiana break from the governor to ensure north Louisiana maintains two congressional seats? Will Democrats in south Louisiana hold strong in their support of the governor if it means their district vanishes? There will certainly be many decisions members of the legislature will be faced with— and putting party above other priorities is something members on both sides of the political spectrum will wrestle with.
The Louisiana Legislature kicked off its special redistricting session Feb. 1, and will adjourn Feb. 20. The Regular Session begins March 14. labi.org
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REBIRTH
Close to 50,000 tons of armor stone are being used to create a wall for the rock breakwaters part of the West Grand Terre Beach Nourishment and Stabilization Project.
First Line of
DEFENSE A barrier island that once housed smugglers off the coast of Louisiana gets a restorative boost BY EMILY KERN HEBERT
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ean Lafitte and the smugglers of Barataria once used West Grand Terre Island as their headquarters for pirated goods. Later, the U.S. military established Fort Livingston on the island for coastal protection. Today, this barrier island is being restored through a $102 million project with the goal of protecting Louisiana’s coast and its people from the effects of hurricane storm surge while growing the wildlife and fisheries habitat. West Grand Terre island is located just 76 5th & Main Spring 2022
east of Grand Isle and is part of a string of barrier islands that serve as the state’s first line of defense for storms. Combined with Louisiana’s marshes, the wetland areas help reduce storm surge from hurricanes and protect more than 1 million residents in Jefferson, Orleans, Plaquemines, St. Bernard and St. Charles parishes. For every two miles of wetlands that exist, storm surge can be knocked down by one foot, says Chip Kline, executive director of the Coastal Protection and Restoration Authority, which is overseeing the project. Louisiana Association of Business and Industry
The West Grand Terre Beach Nourishment and Stabilization Project will create marsh containment dikes and rock breakwaters and raise the beach’s elevation and width. West Grand Terre is receiving 2.9 million cubic yards of material, funded primarily from settlement money received from the Deepwater Horizon oil spill. This is so much material that it’s difficult to put into context, Kline says. As a result of the dredging, about 370 acres of beach and dunes and 160 acres of back barrier marsh will be restored. The project involves taking sediment from an area located about five miles off Louisiana’s coast and pumping it onto the island. The sediment taken from that
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REBIRTH
West Grand Terre island includes Fort Livingston, built in the early 19th century as a coastal defense fort. The fort was briefly taken by Confederate forces during the Civil War but never saw combat, and the structure was listed on the National Register of Historical Places in 1974.
distance offshore is coarser and more resilient, leading to increased project sustainability. “That material stands up a lot better to hurricanes and weather events than if you were just pumping mud,” Kline says. All the economic assets and infrastructure that exists across south Louisiana—Port Fourchon, LOOP, the major refineries and ports—“all of those things have to be protected by something. It’s not just levees and pump stations and surge barriers. It is the natural land that has existed for generations and is now disappearing before our eyes.” The initial project completion goal was November 2021, and West Grand Terre was in active construction when Hurricane Ida hit Louisiana’s coastline in the fall of 2021. CPRA has an active construction contract with Weeks Marine, which has been onsite following Ida to do a post-hurricane project assessment. Jonathan Crockett, a Weeks project manager, says the hurricane caused them to rethink their plans and forced them labi.org
to reassess the damage. “Those little tweaks will determine how much more sand or less sand will have to be placed on the beach, and that determines how much longer we’ll have to be there,” Crockett says. “At the end of the day, there will be some costs, and I’m sure there’s some budget offset, but I think until we’re done and putting the final seal on this, it’s real hard to tell what that’s going to be.” Following the deployment of the sand to increase protection from wave impacts and storm surge, close to 50,000 tons of armor stone are being used to create a wall for the rock breakwaters part of the project. All the rock that was placed prior to Hurricane Ida remained intact except for one area—a section of about 75 feet, says Brian Champagne, project manager with Deep South Construction & Salvage, which is overseeing that portion of the project. Deep South will take advantage of some areas that were affected by scouring from Ida to create fish dips, which allow water at high Louisiana Association of Business and Industry
tide to flow in past the structure and onto the land. To stay true to the overall intent of the project, it’s also become necessary to rehabilitate a section of rock that predates the current project and is meant to protect Fort Livingston, Champagne says. Kline describes a successful project as one that effectively rebuilds the natural habitat for Louisiana’s migratory birds and abundant fish species, and one that leads to a more robust coast that can withstand the environmental challenges it faces. A successful project is also one that is sustainable, he says. “It’s projects like this that make Louisiana the special place it is and allows people to continue to enjoy south Louisiana and the Sportsman’s Paradise,” Kline says. “But it also protects populated communities where people live and work and sustains the national economic assets that feed and fuel huge portions of the nation.”
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DESTINATION
DINING Chefs with the sizzle factor make road trips to restaurants around the state well worth the drive
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good chef is like the conductor of an orchestra. Under his or her guiding hand, every instrument is in tune, all coming together to create a mellifluous meal. But in today’s world, a chef must be so much more: A detective, sourcing ingredients made increasingly difficult to find thanks to supply chain issues. An inventor, constantly coming up with new ideas to dazzle diners with evolving expectations. A cheerleader and comforter, supporting communities with much-needed nourishment of the body and soul after hurricanes, floods and other disasters. From Monroe down to New Orleans, Louisiana has an abundance of remarkable chefs who wear all of these hats, and more. Some are celebrities, sharing their unique visions with national TV audiences. Others are explorers, traveling many miles over deserts and oceans to gather fresh ideas. On the following pages, meet six such chefs from all around the state. Their stories—and their menus— might just inspire you to hit the road and do a little exploring of your own.
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Courtesy Cory Bahr
Cory Bahr Parish Restaurant, Monroe
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he taste of ice cream made from Venezuelan chocolate and fresh milk still lingers in the memory of Logan Boudreaux. He was 6 years old and being exposed to an explosion of new flavors during a year in the South American country with his family. “When it comes to food, I didn’t know how valuable that time was until years and years later,” he recalls. “The experience opened my eyes to unique flavors and forced my palate to expand at an early age.” Though Boudreaux has spent most of his life on the banks of Bayou Lafourche, that formative year below the equator helped shape his passion for cooking. He broadened his horizons again when, as a graduating senior at the Chef John Folse Culinary Institute, he earned the opportunity to travel to France for a three-month externship at the famed Institut Paul Bocuse. “That showed me just how far quality ingredients can go in a dish,” Boudreaux says. “I don’t think I made a recipe more than 10 ingredients long during my visit. When highquality, fresh ingredients are first, it becomes very easy to create a good product.” As chef at Cinclare Southern Bistro—a Thibodaux hotspot owned by Baton Rouge native Michael Dalmau—Boudreaux marries those international influences with the south Louisiana cuisine that was his first love. Seasonal menus are highlighted by dishes like Louisiana Aglio e Olio—lump crabmeat over pasta with white truffle oil—and Bronzed Salmon Vadouvan with toasted almond basmati rice. “The food that you are served may be a bit different than what one’s used to seeing on Bayou Lafourche, and that’s a beautiful thing,” Boudreaux says. “We are here for you—to feed the gut, the heart and the mind. This is a small community, and we want everyone that comes in to feel welcomed and comfortable.”
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eating Bobby Flay is so tough there’s a whole show devoted to those who dare to try. But Cory Bahr did just that during his run to the finals of 2017’s Food Network Star, besting the high-profile chef with his pan-roasted duck and red-eye gravy. Looking back, Bahr counts it among the highlights of a career that has been studded with accolades. “I always say I could never get there without being here,” Bahr says. “I love nothing more than to represent my community and make the people here proud of where we’re from.” That community he calls home is Monroe, the city where Bahr’s grandparents raised him with an appreciation for the land and its bounty born from them having lived through in the Great Depression. “My grandfather hunted, fished and raised cattle, and he planted a wonderful garden each year,” Bahr says. “My grandmother is always in the kitchen experimenting with something new. They both took pride in creating a delicious meal.” Hot on the heels of his strong showing on Food Network Star—and packing other prizes including titles as Louisiana Seafood Cookoff “King of Seafood” and Food & Wine “People’s Best New Chef”—Bahr opened Parish Restaurant in 2018 with a simple mission: “Blow the guest away.” He and his team aim to achieve that goal by focusing on the basics of hospitality and graciousness. The menu is equally ambitious, with an emphasis on conservation and sustainability and dishes ranging from wood-grilled tripletail with crabmeat courtbouillon to Berkshire pork shank with “incredibly dirty rice.” “The food is locally sourced and thoughtfully prepared with only one thing in mind,” Bahr says, “and that is deliciousness.”
Courtesy Logan Boudreaux
Logan Boudreaux Cinclare Southern Bistro, Thibodaux
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ust call him the king. For his decadent dish of red snapper with crawfish sofrito, Robert Vasquez took home the crown—literally— from the 2020 Louisiana Seafood Cook-off. Even though he had lived in the Bayou State for 20 years, the Arizona native says the award made him feel like he was “finally and officially a Louisianan.” “Louisiana is one of the world’s food meccas,” Vasquez says. “Cooking here is serious business, so it was a great honor to be recognized.” That’s high praise coming from a chef who has worked in culinary environments ranging from Spain to Bermuda to Singapore. Those exposures all come together to shape his unique vision in the kitchen. “Any time an opportunity came for me to travel and learn, I snapped it up immediately,” he says. “It’s about being curious and building your toolkit.” As corporate chef for the Pardo’s Restaurant Group, which includes the modern American bistro Pardo’s in Mandeville and the “progressive Southern cuisine” hotspot Forks & Corks in Covington’s TerraBella Village, Vasquez puts his well-stocked toolkit to good use every day. The two eateries are distinct—Pardo’s is all about providing an experience, not just a meal, with popular dishes including seared scallops over English pea risotto, while Forks & Corks is a fun neighborhood restaurant with “something new and delicious constantly coming from the kitchen,” says Vasquez. “It’s an exciting role,” he adds. “I get to mentor and lead both kitchens. Owner Osman Rodas is always pushing for perfection. The food culture I work with him to create is well worth the trip.”
Courtesy Robert Vasquez
Robert Vasquez
Pardo’s Restaurant Group, Northshore
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n an industry where chefs frequently hop from restaurant to restaurant, Holly Goetting has laid down deep roots over the past 20 years at Charley G’s in her hometown of Lafayette. As executive chef, she says it’s the ability to be creative and to work with fresh local ingredients that keep her inspired every day. That inspired cuisine has propelled Goetting to the top ranks of her field, with a resume that includes cooking at the James Beard House in New York City, being named to the Louisiana Seafood Promotion & Marketing Board’s Chef’s Council, and being selected as a “Best Chefs Legend” at the American Culinary Federation’s Best Chefs of Louisiana Culinary Experience. “I love Lafayette because I always find a reason to celebrate,” Goetting says. “You can find a festival, incredible live music, or a farmers market with the freshest meat, produce and seafood every weekend here.” Goetting says being close to family is also important to her, even as her profile as a chef continues to rise. “My parents, brother, sister-in-law and nephews all live in Lafayette and visit me at the restaurant often,” she says. Generations of Lafayette residents and visitors know they can also always find a satisfying meal and a good time at Charley G’s, which opened in 1985 and is still considered a city favorite, thanks to its hardwood-grilled aged beef and seafood. The “casual yet upscale” atmosphere comes complete with live piano music each night, and the seasonal menu includes items like signature bechamel crab cakes and crispy duck over Manchego corn grits. A feast fit for a king, or in the case of Goetting’s favorite football team, a Saint.
Holly Goetting Charley G’s, Lafayette
Wesley Cun Chee Fore
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n the height of the steamboat era, paddle-wheelers made frequent stops in the town of Washington en route from New Orleans to St. Louis. Cuban cigars, whiskey, grains and cotton all got offloaded at a warehouse built between 1819 and 1825, and one of the steamboat captains was a man named Antoine Pierrel Jr. More than a century and a half later, Pierrel’s descendant Jason Huguet is now the owner of the historic building on the bayou bank, and the chef of an onsite restaurant called—what else?—Steamboat Warehouse. “It is amazing to think that in six generations our family has come full circle and I now own a building full of such family history,” Huguet says. The restaurant, which opened in 1977, was owned by Frankie Elder when Huguet became a busboy there after high school. “He gave me all the opportunities I could ever ask for, and taught me so much before I started culinary school in 1997,” Huguet says. Huguet’s time at the Chef John Folse Culinary Institute at Nicholls State included a sought-after internship at K-Paul’s, the New Orleans restaurant launched by Huguet’s childhood culinary idol, Paul Prudhomme. “I learned a lot about cooking, but also a lot about life,” Huguet says of the experience. “Most importantly, I learned the reasons behind the techniques Chef Paul used many years earlier on his cooking show.” In 2006, Huguet became the third owner of the restaurant, seizing the chance to celebrate Cajun cuisine with a new generation of diners. Popular dishes include the stuffed-and-Florentinecream-sauce-topped Steak Lafitte and the award-winning Softshell Cypremort crab over angel-hair pasta. “We have so much to offer,” Huguet says, “all in the unique ambiance that an all-original 200-plus-year-old building can offer.”
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Collin Richie
Jason Huguet Steamboat Warehouse, Washington
Louisiana Association of Business and Industry
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dash of this, a handful of that. That’s how the best gumbos are prepared, with flavors from a range of seemingly disparate ingredients coming together to create something altogether new. That’s just how the menu at Nina Compton’s Compère Lapin came together too, and it’s part of why the St. Lucia-born chef earned the James Beard Award for Best Chef: South in 2018. “The menu has a little bit of everything I grew up with, but also incorporates my French and Italian training, and Louisiana ingredients,” Compton says, citing dishes such as curried goat with plantain gnocchi and conch croquettes with pickled pineapple tartar sauce. “My menu is a little bit of a melting pot, quite similar to St. Lucia and New Orleans.” Compton says she was head over heels for the Crescent City from the moment she started filming as a contestant on Top Chef: New Orleans in 2013; two years later, she was opening her own restaurant here in the Old No. 77 Hotel & Chandlery. Compère Lapin’s success later led to the launch of Bywater American Bistro, a casual “neighborhood restaurant” with locally inspired dishes. “It’s such a beautiful city rich with culture and history—how can anyone not fall in love?” she says. She finished her time on Top Chef as runner-up and “fan favorite,” but Compton says she took away something even more valuable than a trophy. “Top Chef taught me the importance of cooking from the heart,” she says. “During filming, I found I started to express myself in ways I couldn’t imagine. It was a great opportunity to push myself and step out of my comfort zone, and it’s a lesson I apply in my work life as well as my personal life.”
Nina Compton
Compère Lapin & Bywater American Bistro, New Orleans
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Denny Culbert
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WE ARE From the moment you walk into LABI, you are reminded of its unwavering commitment to free enterprise. I know those principles will enable Louisiana to be a better place, not just for our manufacturing business and growth, but for the attraction, retainment, and growth of all business and talent.
Nathalie Simon Special Counsel to CEO, Laitram, LLC
Lipsey’s is a proud and longtime partner with LABI. Our relationship ensures that we have a voice of leadership in the business and industry sector. LABI’s strong membership encourages economic development for all Louisiana businesses locally, nationally, and worldwide.
Mark Emonet Senior VP, CFO, Lipsey’s LLC
LABI has been a great ambassador for our industry and fights to make Louisiana better for business. Without LABI, we would not have gotten tax reform done. Having LABI fight every day levels the playing field for all businesses in Louisiana!
Scott Ballard
Owner, Ballard Brands Founder, Ballard Hospitality
Edgardo Tenreiro
CEO, Baton Rouge General Baton Rouge General is committed to providing care to our communities, but our success relies on the success of the people we serve. LABI’s free enterprise advocacy and member collaboration creates an environment for economic growth in both our community and our state, allowing us to continue to grow the services we provide for the people of Louisiana.
Jude Melville CEO, b1 Bank
I most appreciate LABI’s proactiveness. Many industry groups spend their time and energy focused on the negative, fighting mostly rearguard actions. LABI gets involved early, when there is still a chance to treat conversations and policy making as opportunities, not just problems to defend against.
INTERESTED IN JOINING THE LABI TEAM? Get in the game by contacting Elena Lacour at elenal@labi.org for more information.
LABI is truly the glue between business and government. For a small business like ours, it is comforting to know that the team at LABI is not only looking after our needs, but the needs of all Louisiana-based businesses. We are truly blessed as a business community to have this organization in our state.
Eric Dexter
Meryl Kennedy Farr
Dir.of Business Development, Civil Solutions Consulting Group, Inc.
President/Managing Partner, Kennedy Rice Mill LLC
We believe LABI is a valuable strategic partner because they give us space and opportunity to have our voices heard regarding critical issues affecting small businesses like ours.
LABI plays a crucial role for Louisiana businesses, both large and small. Its influence in the legislative process is powerful and essential to helping ensure sound public policy and strong economic growth for our state and entire business community.
Marty Mayer President & CEO, Stirling Properties
It is important that businesspeople engage at all levels of government to promote good policy and oppose bad policy. LABI is the ‘one stop shop’ for all of the above. As a business owner, I cannot go to every meeting and attend every committee hearing. But I can through LABI, and still have a seat at the table. LABI has an established track record in areas such as tort reform, tax reform, education policy, workforce development, election results, judicial reform, the list goes on… It all supports the fact that LABI is not only the largest business lobby group in the State, but also the most effective lobby group in Louisiana.
Tom O’Neal
President, O’NealGas
Angela Zeringue ExxonMobil Manager, Baton Rouge Plastics Plant
LABI is a great partner to our dynamic energy industry, helping us bring value to Louisiana’s citizens. LABI’s team of experts consistently advocates for probusiness policies to support a stronger workforce, to attract investment to Louisiana and to ensure a prosperous future for industry and communities across the state.
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very product has a story. From the generations of family members who worked tirelessly to produce it to the men and women of today who are creating a brand for the future. Louisiana is a significant launching pad for innovation, creative inspiration and visionary solutions. We have companies here that are making a difference worldwide while others are dedicated to serving the people in their local
communities. These products and services are Louisiana Made. But it is the people behind the brands who are leaving their stamp on our state. The ones who continue to inspire and build and grow. The ones who are dedicated to staying a Louisiana brand. It’s these people who have cultivated our past and are creating our future. Learn more about these Louisiana companies that we are proud to call our own.
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LOUISIANA MADE
Roy O. Martin III
ROYOMARTIN
STRONG ROOTS, STEADY GROWTH When Roy O. Martin purchased a dilapidated Alexandria lumber mill in 1923, he bought the plant, the office and all the equipment. At the time, he paid $32,000 and no timberlands were included. In fact, the lumber located at the mill wasn’t even part of the purchase. The Roy O. Martin Lumber Co. began without a single acre of land to its name. Today the company is the 19th largest landowner in the United States according to The Land Report publication, boasting 560,000 acres. It’s the largest private landowner in Louisiana. “RoyOMartin is constantly looking for opportunities to acquire and upgrade our land base,” says Roy O. Martin III, chairman, CEO and CFO of RoyOMartin. “Our forestry group is world-class in silviculture and maintaining
our Forest Stewardship Council certification since 2002. We are growing timber using genetically superior seedlings selected for the different soils four times faster than my grandfather, so the need for more acreage is reduced by this success for the current manufacturing facilities.” Still headquartered in Alexandria, RoyOMartin now has two wood-product manufacturing facilities in Louisiana within 40 miles of its corporate office and one in the east Texas city of Corrigan. Because of RoyOMartin’s FSC certification, its customers are assured that the company responsibly sources raw materials from regional forests to produce “Made in the U.S.A.” oriented strand board (OSB), plywood, timbers and boards in safety2189 Memorial Dr., Alexandria, LA 71301
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award-winning manufacturing environments. Its timberlands are available for a variety of purposes, including hunting leases and real estate purchases. And RoyOMartin’s commitment to excellence permeates everything the company undertakes. “RoyOMartin is 98 years young and is committed to staying a privately held, customer focused, ethically managed company for the next 100 years,” says Martin, noting that their commitment to the people and the state of Louisiana is unwavering. “We strive to be the company of choice for employees, vendors and customers.” Martin maintains that the company’s employees are its number-one asset, many working for decades with RoyOMartin. At the end of 2021, the Martin family |
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shared the success of the year with its 1,200 men and women on staff at all locations, giving each $1,000 for every year served. This loyalty bonus was one of many ways RoyOMartin honored its employees while providing for their safety and well-being. In addition, the Martin Foundation—the nonprofit arm of the company—exists to exhibit charity and philanthropy by supporting organizations whose missions are in line with those of the family business and its core values: respect, integrity, commitment, honesty and excellence (RICHES). “These are the riches we strive for,” says Martin. “It’s a wealth that will not rust or be destroyed.”
LOUISIANA MADE
Kurt Ainsworth (left) and Michael Uffman
MARUCCI SPORTS
BIG LEAGUE BRAND, LOCAL TALENT Marucci Sports, the sporting goods brand which produces the No. 1 bat in the big leagues, has deep ties to Louisiana with founders and key members of its team having grown up in Louisiana’s capital city. According to its management team, it would be impossible to have the culture and authenticity required to thrive in our market outside of Baton Rouge. “There’s not another place in the United States where baseball is as big and part of everyday life as it is in Baton Rouge,” says Marucci’s chief financial officer Michael Uffman. “You can see the following that LSU has. Being a part of that community is vital to us and the unique culture at our offices.” Marucci is the epitome of homegrown talent, from its humble beginnings in a backyard shed
in Baton Rouge to an industry leader in baseball and fastpitch equipment. Co-founded and led by Catholic High and LSU alumnus, Kurt Ainsworth, Marucci found success by staying true to the same standards as the athletes it supports - hard work, dedication, and excellence. Marucci has continued to grow, acquiring Victus Sports in 2017 and Lizard Skins just last fall. With the acquisition of Victus, Marucci now owns both the No. 1 and No. 2 wood bat used at the major league level. Lizard Skins is the Official Bat Grip Supplier of Major League Baseball and the new standard in this space. Their grips can be seen in other sports including cycling, hockey, lacrosse, and gaming. Additionally, Marucci developed an experiential retail training
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facility, Marucci Clubhouse. There are currently 12 locations offering the entire suite of products from each brand as well as the latest training technology. Along with the original Marucci Clubhouse location on Siegen Lane in Baton Rouge, locations include Lafayette and Covington, Louisiana; Houston, Austin and Cedar Park, Texas; Las Vegas, Nevada; Denver, Colorado; Los Angeles, California; Tulsa, Oklahoma; Springfield, Missouri and Orlando, Florida. This year, Marucci is looking to open four to six additional locations including in New Orleans and Phoenix, Arizona, and a Victus Clubhouse in Pennsylvania. “Over the last 12 months, the company brought in revenue of well over $100 million,” Uffman says. With its growth, Marucci |
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added nearly 50 employees in 2021, now employing over 200 employees locally. Going forward, Marucci is looking to expand its operations in Japan, where baseball is the No. 1 sport, as well as continuing to grow its product lines and expand its footprint in fastpitch softball. “We are always pushing to bring new and improved technology to our product line to give players a better chance at being successful,” Uffman says. “Relying on the feedback from our Marucci team and our players throughout the country, we have been expanding our reach in baseball and softball, specifically in fielding gloves, apparel, bags and sunglasses.”
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LOUISIANA MADE
Craig Stevens
GENESIS 360 MAINTENANCE, CONSTRUCTION, IT
A RESPONSIVE AND RESOURCEFUL ONE-STOP SHOP Genesis 360 has plans to be as ubiquitous as Amazon when it comes to construction, facility maintenance, ground maitenance and IT related services. “We want to position the company so that whatever maintenance, construction or IT project comes along, we’re one of the first to come to mind because of speed of service and reliability, which are two big factors in which Amazon is able to set themselves apart,” says Genesis 360 founder and president Craig Stevens. He has adopted this one-stop shop model to have all clients’ maintenance and construction needs met by utilizing just one company—the experts at Genesis 360. From commercial construction services including roofing, flood control, and heavy civil projects to landscaping, janitorial services and IT services, the Genesis 360 motto of “We can do that” rings true. They have the expertise on hand to make it happen. Headquartered in Baton
Rouge with offices in Houston, Genesis 360 has 50 employees and a network of pre-qualified contractors serving locations throughout the United States since 2011. Genesis 360 boasts local contracts with banks, schools and shopping centers as well as federal contracts with the U.S. Army Corp of Engineers, NASA Space Center-Houston, and a five-year, $16 million deal with the U.S. Naval Academy in Annapolis, Maryland just to name a few. The company builds its performance on its three core values of integrity first, service before self and excellence in all they do—which are the same core values Stevens learned while serving in the Air Force. Stevens was born and raised in a extremely poor environment in Opelousas, and decided to join the Air Force immediately after graduating from high school to remove himself from poverty. He served 25 years with six years active duty and the
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remaining 19 years in the Reserves, earning his bachelor’s degree in Information and Technology along the way. While serving in the Reserves, Stevens also worked in Corporate America for Circle K Convenience Stores, where he rose from a night shift cashier to Director of Operations with 105 stores under his management. “During this time, God was preparing me for this current chapter in my life, whereas with Circle K I learned how to run a company from a corporate level,” Stevens says. “In the military, I learned how to be a great follower as well as a great leader. Those attributes are so important in running a business.” Stevens later started his own business, striping parking lots in Baton Rouge. His company received a contract with Cortana Mall and then another shopping center. The property manager asked him to paint parts of the building, then remove signage and then repair the roof.
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Stevens realized his parking lot-striping business could turn into a lucrative one-stop shop for maintenance and construction. He earned his contractor’s licenses, continuously did cold calling and knocking on doors and eventually developed relationships with business owners locally and as far away as Colorado and Oklahoma. Genesis 360, a total service provider was born. “My vision is to turn our company from a multi-million-dollar company into a multi-billion-dollar company in 10 years,” Stevens says. “Speed of service and reliability, coupled with our core values will make our Louisiana home grown company into an international powerhouse.”
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LOUISIANA MADE
Tom O’Neal
O’NEALGAS & HERCULES TRANSPORT INC.
LOUISIANA FAMILY BUSINESSES, GENERATIONS STRONG The O’Neal family has created a legacy of two family-owned businesses based in north Louisiana – O’Nealgas, which provides propane service and delivery for families in northern Louisiana and southern Arkansas, and Hercules Transport Inc., which wholesales propane and transports liquified petroleum gas to retail dealers, refineries and the chemical industry. With a third generation learning the ins and outs of the industry, the future seems promising for a continuation of providing exceptional products and services as well as giving back to the community. In March 1952, John O’Neal founded O’Neal Butane in his small town of Choudrant. He came from a family of small business owners, with both his own father and his wife’s father owning general merchandise stores. John’s father died when John was only 18, and he finished high school and enrolled in Louisiana Tech, taking classes through the summers to graduate early.
John O’Neal started the business with one delivery truck and one employee providing “butane” gas service to residents of the community. The business has grown dramatically, and O’Nealgas Inc. now has a small fleet of delivery and service trucks and nearly 70 employees in nine office locations, 27 parishes in Louisiana and eight counties in Arkansas. The family added Hercules Transport Inc. in 1973, when John O’Neal and business partner R.W. Anderson purchased an underground storage facility. The acquisition included a few trucks, launching the transport part of the business. Today, the Hercules Transport family consists of nearly 60 employees, and the company mostly transports liquified petroleum gas, anhydrous ammonia and a host of other chemicals. John’s son, Tom, serves as president of O’Nealgas Inc. and is owner and president of Hercules Transport Inc. Tom O’Neal says he learned at the dinner table
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how to run a business, money management and other lessons that some people with MBAs don’t have the opportunity to learn. After graduating from Louisiana Tech, he was hired as a propane delivery man with a route in Minden. He says he learned to sell, collect money, perform safety checks and maintenance and provide customer service – “all the things you need to know to be a businessman.” After an off-hand comment to his father about wanting to learn the Hercules side of the business, Tom was encouraged to look for an opportunity to work with a larger company in Houston. He was hired by Wanda Petroleum Company, a division of Dow Chemical Company, and stayed there for a decade, before eventually coming back to work for the family business. “He might have been trying to get me out of his hair, but it was very good advice,” Tom says. “I think he saw the bigger picture. He had not had the experience of working for a bigger company, and |
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it broadened my perspective and our company base.” John O’Neal is now 90 but still visits the office almost every day. Tom O’Neal’s son-in-law is working for the business now, so “it’s looking like Hercules will have a third-generation working there,” Tom says. The O’Neal family believes in giving back to the community. It provides the transportation of Louisiana Tech athletic equipment to all away games, and each regional manager also has a budget for community projects. After the devestation caused by hurricanes in 2021, Tom collaborated with propane supplier EnLink Midstream to donate and deliver 50,000 gallons of propane to aid in relief efforts. A focus on family, employees and community has been the driving force behind everything the O’Neals do, and it all boils down to strong relationships. “We’ve been really fortunate to have great people,” Tom says. “It makes a difference.”
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LOUISIANA MADE
OCHSNER HEALTH
HEALTHCARE COMMITTED TO A HEALTHY STATE As Ochsner Health celebrates its 80th anniversary, the largest healthcare system in the Gulf South is moving forward with a bold initiative, bolstered by an initial $100 million investment, to raise Louisiana in national health rankings and improve health outcomes for communities within the decade. Healthy State by 2030 builds on Ochsner’s rich legacy by growing the local economy through workforce development, supporting new projects and technology to eliminate barriers to healthcare and establishing new partnerships to bring Ochsner’s nationally recognized care to areas across Louisiana. As part of this initiative,
Ochsner is investing $30 million to grow a pipeline for local healthcare and the economy through tailored workforce development programs for future doctors, nurses and other healthcare professionals who want to stay in Louisiana and pursue a career in healthcare. The Ochsner Scholars program, which partners with universities across the state and with Louisiana’s Community and Technical Colleges (LCTCS), is both a key part of Ochsner’s workforce development program as well as a way to help healthcare systems across the state address staff shortages. Of the $30 million, $15 million covers medical school tuition for medical students who choose
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to practice psychiatry or primary care and commit to working at Ochsner for at least five years, thereby ensuring talented doctors stay in Louisiana. The funding supports students receiving their medical education at LSU Health Shreveport and The University of Queensland Ochsner Clinical School. Ochsner is committing the other $15 million over the next 10 years to workforce development programs in partnership with LCTCS to increase the number of nursing and allied health professionals in Louisiana. The investment supports tuition and workforce programs, like MA to LPN, surgical tech, lab tech and LPN to RN training programs and will positively
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impact more than 3,000 students. Ochsner is also expanding the breadth of trained healthcare professionals through partnerships with higher education institutions like Loyola University New Orleans, Chamberlain University and Xavier University. “A healthy state means continued investment in our communities, our people and collaboration with our valued partners, which translates to a stronger and healthier economy,” according to Warner Thomas, President and CEO of Ochsner Health. To reach its goal, Ochsner plans to partner with other agencies and community organizations to transform care delivery, build digital solutions,
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COVID-19 training in the Ochsner Clinical Simulation and Patient Safety Center.
embrace a value-based care and payment model, scale and diversify its services, and advance its workforce, diversity, and community development. With 34,000 employees and 4,500 employed and affiliated physicians, Ochsner is also Louisiana’s largest employer, health system and educator of healthcare professionals. In 2021, Ochsner Health served more than 1 million patients and conducted more than 3 million clinic visits. The healthcare system is working to reinvent the future of health and wellness in the region – through preventive screenings, health and wellness resources and collaborations with innovative organizations that share Ochsner’s vision. Ochsner Medical Center, including Ochsner Medical Center – West Bank Campus and Ochsner Baptist, is ranked No. 1 in Louisiana and was in the top 50 in Neurology and Neurosurgery for the 10th
Dr. Alton Ochsner in the 1940s.
year in a row in rankings compiled by U.S. News & World Report. The global authority on hospital rankings and consumer advice also ranked Ochsner Hospital for Children the No. 1 children’s hospital in Louisiana and named the maternity teams at Ochsner Medical Center and Ochsner St. Anne “high performing” — its highest possible accolade — in
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its inaugural Best Hospitals for Maternity rankings. “To improve health rankings and outcomes for all patients, it’s critical that Ochsner finds new ways to focus on the whole patient. That means establishing valuable partners in public and private sectors to help our communities with food stability, job stability, housing and education, while
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treating more traditional healthcare topics like diabetes and heart disease,” says Robert Hart, MD, Executive Vice President and Chief Medical Officer, Ochsner Health. As Ochsner works with key partners to build healthier communities, the organization is also committed to supporting local businesses and their employees. Ochsner has a suite of healthcare solutions for businesses to keep costs down, boost employee wellness and workforce productivity, and integrate services to offer accessible, high-quality, convenient care. Employer solutions include Ochsner’s Accountable Care Network, corporate wellness programs, onsite clinics, digital medicine tools, telehealth, occupational health services and chronic disease management. To learn more about Healthy State by 2030, visit ochsner.org/ healthystate.
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PHELPS DUNBAR
Karleen Green, Kelsey Kornick Funes, Dennis Blunt, Susie Furr and Ragan Richard
A LONG HISTORY OF COMPETITIVE EXPERTISE The state’s oldest continuous law firm, Phelps may also be the most uniquely Louisiana, helping businesses since 1853. The fullservice law firm, founded in New Orleans, has since grown to 13 offices across the Southeast and even London, with 350 lawyers to help thousands of clients with legal matters. “We strive to address and handle client needs wherever they arise,” says Ragan Richard, managing partner of the firm’s Baton Rouge office. “We do not grow for growth’s sake. Rather, we grow with our clients, working with them as they expand. Throughout the firm’s history, we’ve always focused on strategic growth, targeting the markets that matter to our clients across the Southeast. It’s remarkable how many large, thriving businesses incubated in Louisiana. Many of our clients have been with us since they started their business and they know
that we will be there during the high and the low times, standing beside them every step of the way. We’ve become true friends with a lot of our clients, and that’s one of the most rewarding parts of our practice.” The firm’s presence in maritime and agriculture, a staple in Louisiana, has been deep and longstanding. “We’ve got a big maritime and agricultural presence both in Louisiana and outside of Louisiana,“ says Richard. “We take pride in the work we get to do for the companies in these industries. You touch so many lives when you’re involved in industries like agriculture because there are so many families involved in it and so many resources that surround the industry that we can help with, like transportation and employment. It’s amazing to see Louisiana companies leading these industries and the impact our market has on
the global economy.” Phelps also supports the construction industry, which early on recognized the economic possibilities of building along the Mississippi River. “Our corridor is highly sought after and supports growth for Louisiana companies as well as companies wanting to expand operations into Louisiana,” says Dennis Blunt, a partner in the firm’s Baton Rouge office. “Our longstanding partnership with this industry led to a different development and growth, in many aspects, than other Louisianabased firms, largely because of the age of the firm. We were here as this industry grew.” The firm focuses on six core areas: admiralty, business, insurance, health care, labor and employment and litigation. With top-notch lawyers in Louisiana, Texas, Florida, Alabama, North Carolina and Mississippi, Phelps lawyers match the talent of the
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top law offices in New York and Houston, Richard says. Knowing they are competing internationally, the firm is dedicated to staying abreast of the most current information using state-ofthe-art technology. Through the Phelps Analytics Lab, in partnership with Tulane University, the firm has piloted programs using data analytics to identify business trends, develop litigation strategies and improve efficiency. And the firm has always been forward thinking on issues of diversity, equity and inclusion. “We don’t just want to be good lawyers,” says Blunt. “We want to be good citizens, good family members and good community leaders.” Through measures like academic scholarships and pro bono legal services, the firm strives to make a positive contribution to the communities they serve.
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Todd Graves with Raising Cane III
RAISING CANE’S
CELEBRATING 25 YEARS WITH $25 MILLION This year, Louisiana’s own Raising Cane’s is committing $25 million in community support to celebrate its 25 years in business. With 40,000 Crewmembers around the world, Cane’s is the top restaurant company in Louisiana as well as the fastest growing in the country with annual sales over $2 billion. Founder and CEO Todd Graves attributes the company’s success to focusing on their one love, quality chicken finger meals, and taking care of their crew and customers. “When I opened Cane’s 1 ‘The Mothership’ in 1996, I wanted to create a great place to eat and a great place to work,” says Graves, of the original location on Highland Road near LSU in Baton Rouge. “My focus was building that one restaurant. I never could imagine where we would be 25 years later. In January, we opened our 600th restaurant and we now have restaurants in 32 U.S. states, the
Middle East and in Guam.” Since its inception, Cane’s has supported communities with $100 million—$22 million of that being distributed in Louisiana alone. These donations support education, feeding the hungry, pet welfare, promoting healthy lifestyles, business development, entrepreneurship and more. In Louisiana, Cane’s contributes to thousands of organizations such as Second Harvest Food Banks, has built Raising Cane’s Dog Parks throughout the state and has partnered with colleges including LSU, Louisiana Tech, Grambling, Loyola, McNeese, Nichols, SLU, Southern, Tulane, UL and UNO. In addition to the community support, Cane’s invests heavily in its Crew, recently announcing a partnership with LSU to expand education benefits to include LSU online degrees for Cane’s Crewmembers and families. Cane’s created a Crewmember 100 North St. Baton Rouge, LA 70802
assistance program in times of need -- most recently for Hurricane Ida relief. Throughout Covid, the company did not furlough a single Crewmember. And to show its appreciation for all employed, Cane’s distributed $5 million in “thank-you bonuses” to Crewmembers systemwide in 2021. “Looking back over the last 25 years, I’m most proud of the opportunities that we have created for our Crew and what we have been able to do for our communities,” says Graves. “Take care of your customers, your Crew and your communities and the rest will fall into place.” In addition to Cane’s community involvement, it is also investing in Louisiana business by contributing $5 million to the Benson Capital Fund in support of leadership, business and economic development in the Gulf South region. Plans are also underway to grow 100 new restaurants in |
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2022 including several flagship Cane’s that will begin to debut in 2022 including locations on the Las Vegas strip, Miami Beach, on Broadway in Nashville and at Times Square in New York. But Graves maintains that as he travels the world with the company, he takes Louisiana with him wherever he goes. And he always loves returning home. “Louisiana is my home. I’m a Louisiana boy raised in my mom’s kitchen. That’s where I got my love of cooking and serving people. I love so much about our state. So much of who I am today was because of the culture of Louisiana,” says Graves. “Louisianans are passionate about food, taking care of each other, spending quality time together and celebrating life. Cane’s culture, and quality of food and Cane’s Crew are all Louisiana based. The people here know and appreciate good food and good people.”
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Jonathan Jones, left, and Kevin Simoneaux demonstrate virtual reality training for ExxonMobil’s Polypropylene Growth Project, which will soon produce products for lightweight auto parts.
EXXONMOBIL BATON ROUGE
CREATING EVERYDAY PRODUCTS FOR MODERN LIFE From improving the quality of highway markings to reducing vehicle weight leading to increased fuel efficiency, products made by ExxonMobil are impacting the transportation industry and our daily lives in a positive way. The paint used to stripe our roadways is not paint at all, but rather a layer of polymer that is sprayed onto the road, and ExxonMobil’s Baton Rouge Finishing Plant has a large role in producing the main component. “It’s not quite paint, it’s plastic,” says Justin Williamson, the business team lead at the Finishing Plant. “There’s a reason it’s made the way it is. You wouldn’t want your road markings coming up when it’s really cold or hot outside.” Williamson says that is what happens when crews use traditional paint for road markings – the white and yellow stripes, arrows and crosswalks that guide us through highways, roads, bike lanes, parking areas or airports. Instead, the product produced by ExxonMobil provides stable performance in hot and cold
weather, abrasion resistance for longer wear and reflective values. The product also dries in about two minutes after application and is extremely hard to withstand automobile traffic. To create the product, the Finishing Plant receives a hydrocarbon liquid from ExxonMobil’s Baton Rouge Chemical Plant and finishes it into a solid glue pellet or pastille. The pastille, along with two other products made at ExxonMobil’s Baton Rouge Plastics Plant, are then sold to companies that produce the “paint” used for road markings. Those companies turn the materials into a powder, and thermoplastic striping trucks melt the powder and spray it onto roadways. While not every roadway is sprayed with this product, it is useful on major highways where the paint needs to last and needs to be reflective. Williamson estimates that the material sold by ExxonMobil to the road marking industry accounts for approximately 250,000 miles of striping per year.
“It’s mind blowing to me to think about all of the products we make – at the Finishing Plant and all throughout the Chemical Company – that are a key part of the conveniences of modern life,” Williamson says. Meanwhile, ExxonMobil is expanding its Baton Rouge operations with the addition of the Polypropylene Growth Project at the Baton Rouge Polyolefins Plant, which will produce products for lightweight automobile parts out of polypropylene. The plastic is being used increasingly in today’s cars – in components such as hoods, mirrors, headlights, fenders, front bumpers, etc. – because lighter cars lead to increased fuel economy and release fewer CO2 emissions in the process and maintain safety and performance. For example, blow-molded plastic fuel tanks aid fuel economy by reducing overall vehicle weight compared to metal. Additionally, components can be added to the inside of a tank during the blowmolding process; this eliminates the need for attachment holes,
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which can reduce and eliminate volatile organic compounds, or VOCs. The Polypropylene Growth Project is on track to start up by the end of 2022. The plant’s current polypropylene line mainly produces a polymer used for restaurant take-out containers, medical gowns including surgical masks, diapers and wipes and cups. The new polypropylene line will produce a copolymer for large parts for automobiles, as well as some of the plastic components of large appliances like washing machines, dishwashers and refrigerators. Currently, ExxonMobil also provides specialized resin for the fuel tanks used in both Ford F150 and Super Duty trucks, in addition to multiple converters used around the world. “ExxonMobil makes products to improve fuel economy,” says Keitt Wannamaker, Polypropylene Growth Project Manufacturing Manager. “These are only a few of the end products that are critical to society and made right here in Louisiana.”
LOUISIANA MADE
Bobby Yarborough
MANDA FINE MEATS
LOUISIANA STAPLE CELEBRATES 75 YEARS As the old adage goes, you never want to see laws or sausage made. But since the Manda Fine Meats corporate office is located behind the Louisiana State Capitol building in Baton Rouge, many might just catch a glimpse of both. Perhaps the peek is justified (and even coveted) for the flavorful sausage that makes jambalaya, gumbo, and red beans so delicious. “We make that sausage something to behold,” says Bobby Yarborough, CEO of Manda Fine Meats. Founded in 1947 by brothers Vincent, John and Bennie Manda as the Manda Brothers Provision Company, the company has remained a family-owned operation that is now well-known across the United States with 13 million pounds of sausage and
an additional 2 million pounds in assorted deli meats sold annually. The hard work and determination of the founding Manda men “really set in stone the culture of Manda,” Yarborough says. “We feel the presence of those three founders every day in this company.” On Oct. 3, Manda will recognize its 75th anniversary. “In terms of a life of a business, that’s extraordinary.” Much like the three brothers who founded Manda, Yarborough and his two brothers, Tommy and Steve, run the company with the same determination, heart and grit that their grandfather Vincent Manda and his family did. “Again, it’s three brothers and one ownership,” says Yarborough. “It’s really three combined into one.
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The hearts of all three together represent the ownership of Manda.” Manda has a presence in 18 states with the company’s core sausage market running from Houston, Texas through Panama City, Fla. The company’s bulk sausage and deli meat market for food service distribution is found in other states from Colorado to Tennessee. Manda Fine Meats products are also available online at mandafinemeats.com. National recognition is humbling, Yarborough says. “It’s wonderful to be able to carry the local and the state name throughout the country,” Yarborough says, while noting that they never forget their Louisiana roots. Today’s leadership has |
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preserved the company’s stellar reputation as one that gives back to the local community through the Greater Baton Rouge Food Bank, Kiwanis Club, Greater Baton Rouge Cancer Services, OLOL Children’s Hospital and Alzheimer’s Services of the Capital Area among others. “I think Manda has become part of a Louisiana tradition,” Yarborough says, mentioning the evening meals, football tailgates and cook outs featuring Manda products. “People think of Manda when they cook things like red beans and rice, gumbo and jambalaya. It brings people together.”
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Blake Chatelain
RED RIVER BANK
GREAT GROWTH, ONE CUSTOMER AT A TIME Red River Bank has steadily built a statewide franchise that puts Louisiana customers and communities first while providing for all their financial needs. This homegrown bank, established in Alexandria in 1999, is now the 3rd largest bank headquartered in Louisiana and boasts assets of over $3 billion. It has offices in Alexandria, Shreveport, Lafayette, the Northshore, Lake Charles, Baton Rouge and New Orleans. And it keeps growing — one customer at a time. “We are a relationship-focused bank,” says Blake Chatelain, president and CEO of Red River Bank. “We hire really good bankers who know the communities, live in the communities and invest in the communities. Our local communities and state are better off with local ownership to help communities grow and prosper.”
This philosophy helped launch Red River Bank more than two decades ago when the banking climate was one of mergers and acquisitions and the era of hometown banking seemed to be fading away. A small group of community leaders came together with a vision for a new kind of bank — one with a timeless sense of service and a commitment to its customers. The five core values in the Red River Way reflect every aspect of the organization: confidentiality, service excellence, innovation, community and integrity. “We didn’t want to grow just to grow,” says Chatelain, noting their organic expansion now includes 26 banking centers and two combined loan and deposit production offices in seven Louisiana markets. “We always want to provide an experience that is very customer 1412 Centre Ct. Alexandria, LA 71301
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centric.” And that experience is laden with all the technology offered at larger institutions — with convenience and accessibility customers have come to expect — while not sacrificing the personal relationships imperative to productive banking. Sometimes, many times, customers just need access to a banker. And it helps that the banker is one who is available, happy to help, and knows them by name. This understanding of the people of Louisiana and their needs informs all Red River Bank decisions. “We believe being from Louisiana allows us to customize our products and services to fit the needs of Louisiana,” says Chatelain, who says larger institutions based elsewhere often make financial decisions that don’t make sense for Louisiana. “We are conservative 318.561.4000
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and disciplined. We are there for our customers during the ups and downs of the economy.” Maybe this is why Red River Bank has garnered national recognition, included in Forbes magazine’s 2021 “Best in State Banks” in America. The bank also ranked 37th out of 123 public banks with $1-$5 billion in assets by Bank Director magazine’s 2021 Bank Performance Scorecard. It is a bank set apart nationally with a focus on local service. “Our roots are the locally owned businesses in Louisiana because we are such a commercially focused bank,” says Chatelain. “The closer we are to our customers, the closer we are to our markets, the better our customers are going to be served.”
LOUISIANA MADE
COCA-COLA BOTTLING COMPANY UNITED
LOUISIANA EXPANSIONS UNDERWAY FOR THIS WORLDWIDE PRODUCT Coca-Cola Bottling Company United attributes its continued success in Louisiana to its hard-working associates and local community ties. Its strong state-wide foothold has driven the company — which produces, bottles, distributes and markets Coca-Cola products — to embark on two major expansions at local facilities. “We’re looking at some of the strongest market shares in Louisiana compared to the United States, if not some of the world,” says Toby Guidry, Coca-Cola United Baton Rouge sales center manager. “We have some of the highest market share right here in Louisiana across the board. Our business has been strong even with the pandemic. We’ve been
dealing with product supply issues, labor shortages and we’ve still been able to maintain.” In December, Coca-Cola United broke ground on a $42 million expansion of its Baton Rouge campus. The project will expand its existing warehouse by 120,000 square feet and is expected to create up to 15 direct new jobs supplementing the current 558 jobs that will be retained at the Baton Rouge facility. “We’re so excited to kick off this project,” says Scott McCallister, Coca-Cola United Louisiana Division director. “Every square inch of space has been thoughtfully designed and utilized. The past few years we’ve experienced tremendous growth at United, and this expansion shows our optimism for this market
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and the state of Louisiana for the future.” The Baton Rouge facility expansion follows Coca-Cola United’s announcement in mid- 2021 to invest more than $15 million for renovations at its Lafayette distribution facility. Both investments are part of the company’s long-term investment strategy to meet the growing demand of customers in the Pelican State. Coca-Cola United has a diverse brand portfolio of more than 750 products, including Coca-Cola, Diet Coke, Smartwater, BODYARMOR, Dasani and Minute Maid. The company is the local marketing face of Coca-Cola at hometown events such as Louisiana fêtes, Mardi Gras celebrations and 225.293.2570
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crawfish boils. Company leaders say this growth would be impossible without the approximate 2,150 Coca-Cola United associates who live and work in Louisiana. “The men and women who work for us are just amazing,” Guidry says. “They come first in our company and that is a really big piece of why we are so successful and why we continue to be successful and able to invest in Louisiana.” Investing in local charities, nonprofit organizations and universities like LSU and Southern also drive Coca-Cola United’s success. “There’s big investments going on in each of these sales centers that tie us to the community,” says Guidry. “It is part of our core values as well.”
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Jay Parker
GUARANTY MEDIA
LONGTIME RADIO GROUP LAUNCHES PODCAST NETWORK Anywhere. Anytime. After 53 years commanding the airwaves of the Capital Region, Guaranty Media is evolving quickly into a cutting-edge digital media company, delivering an array of sports, news, lifestyle and commentary content on demand. From the longstanding company that operates Eagle 98.1, 100.7 The Tiger, 104.5 ESPN and Talk 107.3, the newly-minted Guaranty Podcast Network has launched a large slate of shows on the exploding format that is pulling in more than 62 million listeners each week and has streaming services like Spotify are gobbling up hit series and even entire networks. “I’m a big believer that you
have to be present where your audience is in the digital age,” says Matt Moscona, a popular voice on 104.5 ESPN, host of After Further Review, and co-host of the new Scone and T with former LSU football star T-Bob Hebert. “Some people want short audio, some want long form video. It’s about meeting those various listening habits, and whether it’s YouTube or live streaming on Facebook, I’ve always tried to do that.” Whether through acquiring new, musically-diverse formats for its stable of stations, or securing the rights to be the flagship broadcast outlet for LSU sports or maintaining the only all news-talk FM transmission in the Capital Region, Guaranty Media has always
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evolved and expanded its variety of offerings since its first ON AIR sign lit up in 1968 under founder George Foster. Today, his son Flynn Foster serves as President, and Guaranty veterans say the conglomerate’s second-generation owner takes the responsibility of continuing his father’s legacy to heart. “His dad made sure Guaranty succeeded for 50 years, and Flynn wants us to succeed for another 50, and more,” Moscona says. As the media landscape continually shifts, the next step for toward profit longevity and cultural clout in Baton Rouge was taken last summer. In June 2021, Guaranty launched more than a dozen podcasts. “This is absolutely the future 225.388.9898
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of radio, transitioning to digital content, some niche and some wider targeted audiences, but quality content across the spectrum,” says Charles Pierce, production director and host of the beer savvy ABV podcast, a show he began years ago independently and has now brought under the wings of Guaranty. The catalyst for this podcast boom? When Jay Parker, after years in music publishing, became the new Digital Content Director, he saw everything necessary to light the fuse on a new format. “When I arrived, I noticed right away that Guaranty had everything and everyone we needed to start taking our radio content into the podcast arena,” Parker says, sitting
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inside Guaranty’s historic building on Government Street at the southern edge of downtown. “Just walk down these halls, there’s so much talent here.” Podcasts from talents like former LSU and NFL running back Jacob Hester and long-time Morning Drive host Brian Haldane are attracting a lot of sponsorship attention, and the authentic voices and stories from local hosts is building upon Guaranty’s radio fanbase. “The response has been more than what I ever imagined in such a short time, and I believe that speaks to the wide demographic of people who are fascinated by the unique stories of Louisiana,” says Michelle Southern, DJ and Creative Services Dirctor for Eagle 98.1 who now hosts the historydigging Only In Louisiana podcast. “Through 12 episodes, I’ve covered
everything from politics, to crime, to hurricanes, and those topics are highly relatable.” Sponsors are noticing, too. Companies like buying placements in podcasts for two main reasons: Listeners are more responsive to sponsor messages read by podcast hosts than pre-produced ads, and podcast advertising yields leads with a conversion rate seven times higher than leads from average website traffic, according to a recent PricewaterhouseCoopers study. And that goes for more than 50% of adults under 50, and more than 40% of all adults in the U.S. who are listening to podcasts. The same YouGov study suggests the COVID-19 pandemic only accelerated those numbers. Walk-Ons is a major advertiser for the sports podcasts, and locallyfounded audio recording company
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PreSonus — recently purchased by global guitar powerhouse Fender — is the topline sponsor for the entire network. Guaranty’s podcasts are produced in-house using PreSonus’ latest audio gear. “When we first decided on the Dungeons & Dragons podcast we wanted to make sure the energy of the group was right,” says Lindsey Duga, an author and co-host of The Night Shift with celebrity chef Jay Ducote and others playing the classic role playing game. “That’s because our show isn’t just about the mechanics of the game, it’s a prolonged collaborative storytelling experience. We have so much fun.” Whether fantasies, football or political theater, podcasts give longtime followers of radio voices a unique peek behind the personality curtain. “These are deep dives into these subjects with a more relaxed
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atmosphere and without traditional time constraints and no censorship or FCC regulations,” Parker says. “So, it’s really exciting.” Anyone streaming T-Bob Hebert and Matt Moscona’s Whiskey and Wine post-game show during the LSU football season would agree. Some of these shows are less like a broadcast and more like an unfiltered hang session, and the listener is invited — comments, live chats and all. For the Guaranty Podcast Network, Parker promises things are just getting started. “Our job is to create content that is consumed in large numbers,” Moscona says. “Sponsors are loyal to results, to return on investment, not to a particular medium. Guaranty’s podcast slate is doing that.”
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Michael Oliver and Libbie Sonnier
THE LOUISIANA POLICY INSTITUTE FOR CHILDREN
ADVOCATES FOR EARLY CHILDHOOD EDUCATION The Louisiana Policy Institute for Children (LPIC) believes early childhood education is the top workforce issue facing the state. According to LPIC, if Louisiana is going to move beyond its high poverty rate, it must invest in children from birth to age 3 at a higher and more consistent level. LPIC develops policy proposals that are informed by data, research, best practices and the experiences of other states with the goal of improving outcomes for Louisiana’s young children. “Early childhood education is a workforce issue – not only of tomorrow, but of today,” says Libbie Sonnier, Ph.D., LPIC’s executive director. “It costs Louisiana $1.3 billion in revenue because we have people who don’t have access to
childcare, and we know that it costs employers around $780 million annually because they don’t have a workforce that can get to work.” The Covid-19 pandemic and the aftermath of several major hurricanes which struck Louisiana have taught us that childcare supports all other industries, Sonnier says. “We have parents who are trying to figure out childcare. They’re doing the best they can, but they’re having to find underground childcare or childcare that isn’t part of the state’s accountability system.” Sonnier says the success of the state’s LA-4 Early Childhood Program, which provides full-day pre-K programming in public schools to 4-year-olds from disadvantaged families, has proven New Orleans, LA
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that early childhood education works. The issue is that while the state serves more than 90 percent of 4-year-olds who are at risk in the state, but it only serves about 15 percent of at-risk children from birth to age 3. “We know that 90 percent of brain development happens by age 4,” she says. “This is the time. This really is the sweet spot to make that investment.” LPIC board member Michael Olivier says the institute is asking the governor and legislators to make early childhood education a priority, with an increase in funding that is dependable year after year. Olivier leads the Committee of 100, a statewide business roundtable that has chosen education as one of four pillars where it is hoping to influence changes in public policy.
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Research from LA-4 along with longitudinal studies nationally has shown that when young children have access to quality early care and education, they have reduced rates of needing special education, they have better outcomes in school and finish high school. They also tend to go to college, and if they go to college, they finish college and have better opportunities to find jobs. “We know that for every dollar we spend on early childcare and education, very conservatively we get a 13 percent return on investment,” Olivier says. “I can’t put my money anywhere and make that return on investment.”
WOMEN OWNED
Tim Mueller
GROWTH
POTENTIAL
Lauren Gibbs at a job site on Dauphine Street in New Orleans.
Lauren Gibbs leads the charge at a thriving family business
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rowing up, Lauren Gibbs didn’t imagine she’d follow in her father’s footsteps to work in construction, but she was ultimately drawn to the industry due to its combination of engineering, problem solving and mathematics. “Dad didn’t bring work home, other than to drive us by work sites to show off what he was building,” says Lauren, who took the reins of Gibbs Construction from her father Larry Gibbs as its owner and CEO in 2019. A south Louisiana native, Lauren started her construction career in Nashville after graduating from Vanderbilt University. It was there that she gained confidence and experience, along with the respect of her peers, outside of the family business. But it was Lauren’s desire to raise her children close to family which led her to return to
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BY HOLLY DUCHMANN Louisiana in 2011 as an estimator at Gibbs Construction. Once at the company, she inclined toward leadership opportunities and rose through the ranks serving over the years as a project coordinator, project engineer, project manager, executive in charge and eventually vice president. “When I joined Gibbs, I was pretty sure I wanted to run the company one day, but you never know if you’re going to make it to the top until you start climbing the ladder,” says Gibbs. “I always made it a point to understand the work and learn from the people with more experience than me.” In 2019, Lauren bought Gibbs Construction from her father, the sole owner of the company, and took over as CEO. The transition took years of planning to execute and included her tenure as vice president.
Louisiana Association of Business and Industry
And Lauren’s connection to her father isn’t the only family tie running through the company’s veins. Her sister Melissa worked for the company for two decades before recently retiring, though like her father, she still occasionally serves as a consultant. Lauren has also been able to collaborate on projects with two brothers who work in real estate development. “Valuing family has shaped our culture immensely,” says Lauren. “That culture attracts the kind of people you want to work with.” Today, she runs Gibbs Construction with her husband Matthew Moore by her side as company president. The company has come a long way since its inception in 1976, snagging big-ticket projects like the New Orleans Sports Area, now known
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Courtesy Gibbs Construction
The Kalorama Condominiums located at 700 Magazine Street
as the Smoothie King Center; the reskinning of the Superdome; the renovation of The Civic Theatre and the nearly $55 million 930 Poydras apartments. There’s a difference between the Gibbs Construction of 15 years ago— which operated in a hard bid market—and today, she says. The market currently has more opportunity and negotiating work, so the company has transitioned to having systems that better align for that type of work. There’s a deep stock of opportunities for historic renovations in New Orleans, she says, and the company recently completed three projects on Magazine Street, including a high-end multifamily development. “Really our history has been keeping up with the Greater New Orleans market,” says Lauren. “We’ve been working—and think there’s an opportunity to further expand—in the medical field, building things like ambulatory surgical centers. We also love building schools and have a deep portfolio of multifamily sector projects.” Currently on the firm’s plate is the renovation of a former furniture warehouse in the Bywater neighborhood of New Orleans into multifamily housing and a fire station in Gretna. Lauren estimates the company completes about $75 to $100 million of work each year, with most projects falling in between $3 million to $30 million. Looking forward, she says they’ll work to continue to keep up with the Greater New Orleans market, adopt new technologies while streamlining processes. “I want for Gibbs to be the builder of choice and employer of choice,” says Lauren. “We want to have a good reputation that attracts owners by doing the right thing and keeping our word. We think we’ll achieve that by having happy, engaged and educated employees.” 104 5th & Main Spring 2022
Courtesy Gibbs Construction
Louisiana Association of Business and Industry
Interior shot of Meril’s restaurant in downtown New Orleans
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THANK YOU TO OUR ANNUAL MEETING SPONSORS
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FIELD NOTES
Jennifer and Fred Heebe’s circus-themed house float was among the must-see destinations that slowed traffic along St. Charles Avenue.
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Floating an
FIELD NOTES
IDEA New Orleans businesses and homeowners brought Mardi Gras to their own front yards and helped save an industry
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arade goers during the Mardi Gras season enjoy the elaborate décor of stories-high floats rambling past on the streets of New Orleans and surrounding areas. When the parades were cancelled during the 2021 season, parade construction work took a big hit. Behind-the-scenes artists and craftsman who spent months creating elaborate floats were suddenly without a job. Until Megan Boudreaux, a 38-year-old insurance claims manager, produced the “Krewe of House Floats” Facebook page suggesting that her Algiers Point neighbors join her in decorating their porches as float substitutes. It was an idea that sparked a movement. Doug MacCash
Doug MacCash
Artist Maddie Stratton works on house float decorations at Stronghold Studios.
Chris Granger
FIELD NOTES
Sophia Germer
Kern Studios’ ‘Dino Gras’ design, at the homes of Frances and Calvin Fayard, was probably the most popular attraction of the St. Charles Avenue displays—so much so that the owners hired a police officer to control traffic. Doug MacCash
Felix Rucker, 4, checks out the Mardi Gras dinosaurs.
“In less than 24 hours, Boudreaux’s social media posting attracted more than 500 potential house float makers,” writes Doug MacCash, in the ‘Porches on Parade’ book created by The Advocate and NOLA.com. “Within 10 days the Krewe of House Floats had a stunning 5,000 followers. The appeal spread far past Boudreaux’s neck of the woods, with 39 neighborhood subkrewes popping up with themes befitting each locale.” In the wake of parade cancellations, Krewe of Red Beans founder Devin De Wulf agreed to manage a project conceived by artist Caroline Thomas—of Royal Artists float building company—to pay professional float builders to produce house floats. Through the “Hire a Mardi Gras Artist” program, Thomas led a team that produced 23 of the Crescent City’s most striking custom-designed house floats. And these professionally made floats weren’t cheap: many designs were commissioned by businesses and individuals at a cost of roughly $15,000 each. Commander’s Palace restaurant was adorned with a sculpture of the late clarinet maestro Pete Fountain, while the IberiaBank building on St. Charles Avenue was festooned with the sort of giant flowers that are a Carnival float tradition. Ultimately, the Krewe of Red Beans raised more than $300,000 in support of Thomas’ plan to provide float artists with economic parachutes. When Rene Pierre, owner of Crescent City Artists LLC posted his company services on the Krewe of House Floats 108 5th & Main Spring 2022
Giant butterflies, bees and other bugs added to the buzz along St. Charles Avenue.
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FIELD NOTES
Chris Granger
The ‘Louisiana Hayride’ house float was a tribute to Cajun and zydeco music.
Shawn Fin k
The Krewe of Red Beans parade includes a legume-coated car.
FIELD NOTES
Chris Granger
Max Becherer
The all-female Krewe of Muses celebrated with an enchanting house float conceived by artist Susan Gisleson.
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FIELD NOTES New Orleans musical legends, including Professor Longhair, Dr. John, The Meters and The Radiators popped up at a St. Charles Avenue palace.
Chris Granger
Facebook page, the response was immediate. He said he received 30 commissions for house floats in the first three days. In the weeks leading to Mardi Gras, he and five staff members produced 64 canvas and wood custom designs that sold for an average $1,500 each. “I think for the first time, the world was introduced to the workers of Mardi Gras who are often so behind the scenes that they don’t get the appreciation they deserve,” says Thomas, in ‘Porches on Parade’ of the 2021 Mardi Gras season. “They got to be rock stars this year, and that’s awesome.” The Krewe of House Floats is back in action for 2022 and plans to continue philanthropic efforts to support artists, float builders and more. It’s an amazing example of creative grass-roots solutions to economic challenges. It’s an idea worth celebrating.
Information procured from the book “Porches on Parade” by The Advocate and NOLA.com. To purchase a copy of the book, go to store.NOLA.com.
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OFFICE SPACE
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OFFICE SPACE
WOO D
WORKS Roy O. Martin headquarters in Alexandria reflects almost a century of sustained growth BY ASHLEY GORDON PHOTOS BY COLLIN RICHIE
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Authentic gang saw blades from the company’s plants adorn windows surrounding the headquarter’s center courtyard.
oy O. Martin, III gave away the company’s corporate headquarters while the executives were out of town. It was 1999, and Roy’s uncle Ellis Martin— chairman of Roy O. Martin Lumber at the time—learned on the evening news that their headquarters had been donated to the City of Alexandria. The city needed a new community center, and the lumber company needed a lot more space. It was a bold move, but it paid off. 5th & Main Spring 2022 113
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Pine floors and cypress ceilings and beams are used throughout the 40,000 square foot building.
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OFFICE SPACE “It’s a funny family story now,” admits Roy, present-day Chairman, CEO and CFO of the company. He had a vision and an opportunity and had to act fast. “I asked the city to give me 24 months to move into another location, and they could have the building. Two years later, we were here.” ‘Here’ is the 40,000-square-foot building designed by Askew Nixon Ferguson out of Memphis, Tenn., and built by Ratcliff Construction in Alexandria. Now, the headquarters houses everyone from the executive team to sales, engineering, human resources and more. Steeped in wood and brick and steel, the building honors the company’s industrial past while being outfitted for the information age and beyond. The two-story structure stands tall with vaulted ceilings throughout and a large center courtyard surrounded by oversized windows. Jeff Carbo designed the landscape while Kevin Neal drew the oversized fountain by hand and had it crafted out of copper, brick and stone. The outdoors are never far from sight. “Every piece of wood in this building came from one of our facilities,” says Roy, who points out the eight different species of hardwood used. “There’s also 3,000 linear feet of molding in this building. It was important to us that this structure reflect who we are.” All flooring is made of pine while the ceilings are constructed of cypress. Saw blades—authentic from their hardwood
sawmill—were used in the production of the light fixtures. Gang saw blades accent the windows to the courtyard while the soft hues of the wood keep the aesthetic welcoming. This is important because this large space accommodates visitors for corporate meetings and training as well as serving as a rental space for regional events. “We have someone on staff who is almost a part-time event planner,” says Roy, noting that they’ve opened their doors to host a variety of events while also offering a 40-person training room to regional groups. “We welcome people to use the space.” One of the most-used rooms on the premises is the executive board room on the first floor. Here, Roy commissioned Alexandria furniture craftsman Glen Armand to construct a split conference table fashioned from pecan wood. His goal was that everyone seated could see everyone else, without having to look around someone’s head. Beyond that room is a library with floor-to-ceiling shelves housing books and Roy O. Martin Lumber memorabilia documenting the past. Staff can borrow books to read while visitors can glean information on the company by studying old photos, documents and awards. It’s a tribute to the 99 years of business since the first Roy Otis Martin established the lumber company in November 1923. “So much of who we are is a reflection of our past—the family and people who have come before us, and the relationships
The executive board room features a split conference table made from pecan wood. Walls are made from hackberry.
we have developed,” says Roy. “Making a difference in the lives of others has always meant a lot to us, and it is reflected throughout our building.” In fact, this conviction is no more apparent than on a ledge in the boardroom itself, where an intricately carved wooden logging truck is on display surrounded by a shield of glass. For the company’s 90th anniversary, Roy commissioned a craftsman to make 2,000 fountain pens sheathed in wood and stamped with the company logo to give out to clients and friends. The order was so financially beneficial to the craftsman that he profusely thanked Roy, stating that he could finally take his wife on a much-needed vacation. When the craftsman returned, he created the logging truck out of spare wood pieces left over from the pen commission and delivered it A wood logging truck, prominently displayed in the conference room, is a gift from a craftsman.
OFFICE SPACE A slice of the state’s oldest loblolly pine showcases important company dates based on the age of the tree.
to Roy. It’s a reminder to all employees that everything they do matters to others. “The pens and the truck were made from scraps of our 232-year-old loblolly pine tree from LaSalle Parish,” says Roy, noting a tree that was struck by lightning in 2010 and ultimately had to be taken down. “It was 156 feet tall and was the largest loblolly pine in Louisiana.” From that one tree, the company commissioned flooring, furniture, fountain pens and more. It sliced a center round of the tree and marked important dates from the company’s history to correspond with the tree rings, indicating age, of the pine. This large round slice is displayed in the lobby. The company also created one for the state of Louisiana, now housed at the Louisiana State Museum, and marks significant dates in the history of Louisiana. The Roy O. Martin loblolly pine lived through it all, even the Louisiana Purchase. Outside of Roy’s office on the second floor is the company’s one-of-a-kind executive conference room. A customer of Roy O. Martin Lumber when the building was being constructed—a Japanese furniture maker—sent a gift of one chair and one end table made from Martin Lumber wood. The team liked the low furniture pieces so much that they ordered additional chairs Light fixtures throughout feature authentic saw blades from the company’s plants.
OFFICE SPACE
The Karimoku Room, the executive conference room, features Japanese chairs and tables from a client.
The center courtyard serves as a much-used gathering space and event space.
and tables to fill the room. Now dubbed the Karimoku Room, named after the clients, this area also houses additional art and gifts donated by friends and clients far and wide. Art, memorabilia and memories line the walls of the Roy O. Martin headquarters in Alexandria, and every piece of wood seems
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to tell a story. It is a story Roy O. Martin, III is happy to share. After all, the building he promised to build so the City of Alexandria could have a new community center is now 20 years old. And the company itself celebrates its 100th anniversary next year. “If you don’t know your past, how can
Louisiana Association of Business and Industry
you predict your future?” questions Roy, looking around at the many family faces lining the walls. “This building is a tribute to our past while setting us up for a vibrant tomorrow.”
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THE NETWORK
FREE ENTERPRISE AWARDS and BUSINESS & BOOTS
Our annual Free Enterprise Awards are always a cause for celebration as we honor the companies and individuals who work to make business better in Louisiana. This year we threw on our cowboy hats following the ceremony on November 11 to host the Business & street with music by Parish Association of County BusinessLine. and Industry 118 5thBoots & Main Fallparty 2021 at LABI’s headquartersLouisiana Photos by Colin Richie
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THE NETWORK
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INDUSTRY
MAKES QUALITY JOBS HIGHER WAGES FUTURES BRIGHTER EDUCATION ACCESSIBLE THRIVING COMMUNITIES OUR STATE PROUD
I N D U S T R Y M A K E S .O R G
THE NETWORK
ONEACADIANA & CENTRAL LA REGIONAL CHAMBER Lafayette and Alexandria were two stops on our “Untangle My Taxes” road trip on September 29. Thank you to OneAcadiana and the Central Louisiana Regional Chamber of Commerce for hosting us!
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THE NETWORK
UNION PARISH CHAMBER
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We always enjoy visiting with our friends in north Louisiana and were happy to stop by the Union Parish Chamber on our “Untangle My Taxes” tour a few weeks before Election Day.
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Whether it’s our Good Works, Deep Dive, or our Sounds of the Session podcasts, we've got something for you to listen to. Check out recent episodes on our YouTube channel, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts.
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THE NETWORK
THE IMPACT Louisiana Supreme Court Chief Justice John Weimer joined us earlier this fall for our CLE seminar, The IMPACT on October 14.
LACCE RECEPTION We welcomed the Louisiana Chamber of Commerce Executives labi.orgat 5th & Main on November 7. (LACCE)
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THE NETWORK
WORKERS’ COMP RECEPTION Following our annual Workers’ Comp Seminar, we hosted a cocktail reception at the Renaissance Hotel in Baton Rouge.
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THE NETWORK
MONROE GATHERINGS In September we were joined by our friends in Monroe for a fundraiser. In October we met up Doe’s Eat Place for happy hour.
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THE TAKEAWAY
Ethan Lee with his wife Brennan on location with Yellowstone in Montana. Brennan is an equine veterinarian at her company Double Diamon Veterinary Services in Amite City.
DUTTON RANCH
DIARIES BY ASHLEY GORDON
H
ow did a Louisiana rodeo rider, colt breaker, wild mustang trainer, leather saddle maker, and horseshoer end up as one of the cowboys in the bunkhouse on the popular series Yellowstone? Well, someone on the show needed to know how to ride a horse, and it sure wasn’t the actors pouring into Montana from Hollywood. While that answer is not completely accurate (Kevin Costner aka John Dutton is comfortable in the saddle), Walker native Ethan Lee brings years of much-needed experience to a cast with little to no riding skills. Lee’s role has been multi-faceted: He has a professional acting role as Ethan on the show while also being a stunt double for the characters of Ryan and Rip, all while 126 5th & Main Spring 2022
serving as one of the offscreen animal handlers and riding instructors. “I’ve unknowingly been training for stunt work all my life. If you rodeo long enough, you know how to hit the ground,” says Lee, who now lives with his wife and children in Amite. “During Season One, they put me in the bunkhouse scenes to make them more authentic. I officially became part of the cast in Season Two.” But Lee did not imagine a career on the big screen with a SAG card under his buckle in 2015 when he agreed to help the animal trainer on the Matthew McConaughey civil war movie Free State of Jones being shot in Covington. After six weeks handling horses, Lee was asked by the producer to drive a horse-drawn carriage down a precarious Louisiana Association of Business and Industry
dirt road next to a creek—an action the actor didn’t feel comfortable with—and say a line. Contract signed, Lee was on his way. Today, Lee is also the animal handler on 1883, the prequel series to Yellowstone (fun fact: neither Tim McGraw nor Faith Hill knew how to ride a horse) and that show “makes Yellowstone look like a picnic” when it comes to horse handling. Season Six of Yellowstone starts shooting in early April, eight weeks after 1883 wraps up. Lee is looking forward to spending that time at home. “My wife and kids come up to visit me in Montana, and that has been great,” says Lee, “but Louisiana will always be home. I’m a Louisiana boy, born and raised. Roots will always bring you home.” labi.org
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