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KUDOS Sweet Success

Robert Nelson, chairman and CEO of ELMER CANDY CORPORATION, received Candy Industry’s 75th Kettle Award last fall, the highest recognition a person working within the U.S. confectionary industry can attain. The 167-year-old company, located in Ponchatoula, is now in its 60th year of ownership by the Nelson family. Elmer Candy has become one of the leading manufacturers of Valentine’s Day and seasonal boxed chocolates in the United States. “I’m grateful to have the team of people that I have here and that we’ve been able to do what we do,” Nelson told Candy Industry Magazine. “It’s really a recognition of what we’ve achieved as a team. It’s very special to be able to share it with them.”

FOLLOW UP Project for a Purpose

In January, EXXONMOBIL launched its Baton Rouge Polyproplylene Growth Project, a new production unit that broke ground in 2019. The PPG Project created 65 new full-time jobs, generated $20 million in local sales tax revenue during construction, and produced $349 million in spending with local contractors and $210 million with local businesses. Polypropylene is used in everyday products including lightweight automotive parts that improve fuel efficiency and reduce emissions. “The new polypropylene production unit demonstrates ExxonMobil’s long-standing commitment to Louisiana and, more specifically, the Capital Region,” says Jonathan Morgan, ExxonMobil Baton Rouge Polyolefins plant manager. “This project allowed us to train and hire more local residents while increasing our capacity to meet the growing global demand for lightweight, durable plastics.”

BACK TO BUSINESS In the Trenches

GREENUP INDUSTRIES successfully completed the Stockpile 2 project for the West Shore Lake Pontchartrain Project, clearing the way for the Army Corps of Engineers to fortify Louisiana’s levees. Stockpile 1 is scheduled for completion in the summer of 2023. Greenup’s primary operations on the site have been excavating, processing and stockpiling clay from the Bonnet Carre Spillway. The clay will be used to construct 17.5 miles of a levee system that offers a 100-year risk level reduction to the area between the spillway and Garyville. Greenup will have removed 1.5 million cubic yards of clay from the spillway by the end of the two projects. “We are honored to be part of the project that provides much needed flood protection for the River Region,” says Rodney Greenup, CEO of Greenup Industries. “With these two projects and a recently awarded third project for Plaquemines Parish, the Corps can actually start building levees that will protect LaPlace from future hurricanes like Ida.”

Big Impact

A productive partnership

A continued partnership between the CYBER INNOVATION CENTER in Bossier City and the Air Force Global Strike Command Office of the Chief Scientist at Barksdale Air Force Base exceeds a $248 million impact. The CIC and STRIKEWERX Innovation hub, through a Partnership Intermediary Agreement (PIA) with AFGSC, connects business, industry, higher education and military stakeholders to bridge the command’s most critical technology gaps. “Entering our sixth year of PIA operations, the CIC has matured to a level that most Department of Defense entities would only begin to think possible,” says Craig Spohn, executive director and president of CIC. “AFGSC has realized a five-fold return on its investment with impacts of $248 million to date. This growth and maturity, while still increasing, is now very apparent through the results being achieved. Working together with our partners in the chief scientist’s office to accomplish these results is worthy of pause and reflection.”

JOINING FORCES Better Together

Xavier University of Louisiana and OCHSNER HEALTH are establishing a joint College of Medicine. “The Xavier medical students will get outstanding clinical training in our integrated health care system,” says Pete November, CEO of Ochsner Health, “and this significant expansion of our partnership with Xavier demonstrates our commitment to training the next generation of health care providers to solve the critical shortage of physicians in the United States and meet the needs of the diverse communities we serve.”

SET FOR GROWTH Investing in What Matters

ROYOMARTIN is investing $9.5 million to install technologically advanced production equipment at its Natchitoches Parish lumber mill. The plywood manufacturing facility in Chopin is one of the parish’s largest employers, and the expansion will allow the company to retain approximately 684 existing jobs through 2035. “The plywood mill has been in continuous operation since 1996 and has survived the Great Recession, COVID pandemic and other harsh obstacles without downtime,” says Roy O. Martin III, chairman, CEO and CFO of RoyOMartin. “The team leaders and team members at this facility deserve the job sustainability and security that this project and previous modernization projects provide.”

ON BRAND Core Workout

NASA’s Space Launch System rocket, powered by the BOEING-built core stage, lifted off from the Kennedy Space Center in November. Eight and a half minutes into flight, the core stage completed its mission and separated from the upper stage of the rocket, sending NASA’s Orion spacecraft on its first journey around the Moon. “This country now has a superheavy lift launch capability for the first time in 50 years,” says Jim Chilton, senior vice president of Boeing’s Space and Launch division. “This test flight was a demonstration of engineering innovation, and we are ready to support NASA and their international partners in returning humans to deep space exploration.”

BELL RINGER Moment to Remember

While they remain a privately held company, ARGENT TRUST recently assumed trustee responsibilities for numerous publicly traded royalty trusts, including Sabine Royalty Trust (SBR), Permian Basin Royalty Trust (PBT), Cross Timbers Royalty Trust (CRT) and PermRock Royalty Trust (PRT). Argent Trust CEO Kyle McDonald rang the New York Stock Exchange Opening Bell on January 31 to celebrate their new Royalty Trust division. “Ringing the bell was a humbling experience that resulted from the opportunity we have to work with exceptional professionals who serve our valued clients well,” says McDonald. “It was an honor to be there representing the entire Argent team. When we started Argent in Ruston 33 years ago, this experience was not something we would have ever envisioned.”

JOINT VENTURE Wedding Belles

The premium silk flower rental company, SOMETHING BORROWED BLOOMS based in Lafayette, is partnering with David’s Bridal, the country’s largest specialty bridal retailer. “Partnering with David’s Bridal, a legacy brand within the wedding and events industry, is a pivotal moment in our journey,” says Lauren Bercier, cofounder and CEO of Something Borrowed Blooms. “It will allow us to reach and empower more couples with budget and eco-friendly options throughout the wedding planning process.”