Business First Bank by Baton Rouge Business Report

10TH ANNIVERSARY

BRINGING MOMENTUM TO THE HEART OF BATON ROUGE

BUQUET & LEBLANC INC. Congratulates Business First Bank on their 10th anniversary !

225.753.4150 | www.buquet-leblanc.com DNA Workshop celebrates the 10th anniversary of Business First Bank and their new move into the historic 500 Laurel Building!

225.224.3363

www.dna-workshop.com

CELEBRATING 10 YEARS

his year we celebrate the 10th anniversary of an idea: that businesses and the entrepreneurs and staff leading them deserve more and better support from their countryâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s financial industry. Due to regulatory and resource constraints, many smaller institutions are not able to offer the full range of services growing companies need. Most large institutions are not only too large to fail, but too large to treat small businesses as much more than a number. They deserve better. Ten years on, Business First Bank serves over 10,000 clients across seven markets. We are an employer of choice, attracting talented employees from across the region. Profitable for 37 straight (and eventful!) quarters, we are blessed with a stable and growing capital base. In keeping with our mission of service, we are both high tech and high touch. But the pages that follow are not dedicated to the past. While we are proud to celebrate our success thus far, we are even more excited about the future.

This is reflected in our decision to move our headquarters in Baton Rouge to the revitalizing downtown area. We believe we have a significant and unique contribution to make to our state and our region, and we hope the building serves as a tangible signal of our commitment to other hard-workers, risk-takers and go-getters. On behalf of our team of employees, our board and our investors, we thank you so much for your support of our venture these first 10 years and look excitedly forward to working together toward an even brighter future.

JUDE MELVILLE President and CEO

WHAT KIND OF BANK ARE WE?

here are just 10 candles on Business First Bank’s birthday cake, but the glowing success of this innovative community bank is lighting up every corner of Louisiana. A small flame that was kindled a mere decade ago with a few investors in a single Baton Rouge location spread rapidly. Business First Bank is now a thriving, statewide business bank with 17 offices and more than $1 billion in assets.

much of the state as we can.” Having a statewide network of community banks “is one of the most unique things we have going for us,” agrees board chairman Bob Greer. “A lot of our customers do business across the state, so we are able to meet their needs wherever they are doing business.” Placing seasoned, local bankers at the wheel in these markets has been a vital part of the plan.

“We are proud to be one of the only community banks in Louisiana with coverage from east to west and north to south—from Shreveport down to Houma and from Lake Charles over to New Orleans and the Northshore,” says Jude Melville, president and CEO of Business First Bank. “We want to be Louisiana’s business bank, so it is important to be on the ground and available in as

“Our local bank executives have a lot of authority, and we really depend on them for credit and relationship judgments,” Melville adds. “We have worked hard to attract and retain the right employees and haven’t shied away from investing in highly experienced, locally oriented people, because banking, particularly business banking, is ultimately still about relationships.”

Greer notes, “We can do anything a bigger bank can do, and most of the time we can do it quicker and better because our decision-makers are sitting in Louisiana—not New York.” That certainly made a difference when Frank Auer, CEO and general manager of the Shreveport information technology firm, Praeses, needed financing for a corporate buyout. “On the surface, that is inherently a risky loan for a bank, and another bank had turned us down,” Auer says. Business First went to great lengths to research, understand and consider Auer’s proposal. Ultimately, the loan was approved, and Praeses flourished. The company remains a loyal customer nearly a decade later. “They give us really good service. They give us prompt service. And everything we have asked for, they have found a way to provide,” Auer says. To complement its organic growth, Business First also made a bold statement with a significant acquisition in Baton Rouge last year giving it access to 10 additional metro locations. Business First is the only community bank in Louisiana that is both statewide and heavily invested in the Capital City. What’s propelling the momentum? While Melville points to the talented team of employees the bank has been

“Our business is not high volume. It’s ‘high touch.’ ” —President & CEO Jude Melville

able to partner with over the years, he also emphasizes the bank’s unique focus. “Our founding group thought we could fill an underserved space,” says Melville. “Our niche is businesses that are a little larger and more complicated than those typically served by community banks, yet too small to be anything but a number to the bigger banks.” This niche includes energy sector service companies, small hospitals, larger nonprofits and real estate developers, for example. Business First is proud to offer Commercial and Industrial (C&I) loans in addition to the standard real estate products traditionally offered by community banks. The bank’s reach has expanded to offer private banking and wealth solutions for business executives and owners, too. Reflecting its youthful energy and forward-thinking attitude, Business First is on board with the latest technology to make banking simpler for its clients. “At the same time, our clients know who to call when

they need somebody,” Melville notes. “We wanted to take a more specialized approach,” Melville adds. “Our business is not high volume. We are both high tech and high touch.” The formula is working. Business First has been named the state’s top bank (among banks of its size) for commercial and industrial lending and has been recognized by American Banker magazine as one of the best places to work in the industry. Melville is quick to credit the bank’s founding CEO and current chairman emeritus—former Louisiana governor

Charles E. “Buddy” Roemer III—for his vision and groundwork. “Buddy raised a lot of capital from a lot of people. When you get your capital from Louisiana business people instead of institutional investors, they tend to be open to doing business with you. That network was a unique spark from our earliest days.” As it has for its first 10 years, Business First remains focused on the next opportunities. “Our plan is to continue serving as Louisiana’s go-to, businessfocused bank, but we may consider expanding our footprint regionally assuming we can find the right bankers to partner with,” Melville says. “We have a relatively young team of senior management in our 40s and 50s. We are experienced enough to understand the needs of our clients but young enough to keep adapting to the ever-evolving landscape of banking. We believe we have a pretty good runway ahead of us, and plan to keep building on the momentum.”

OUR NEW HOME

he new downtown corporate office of Business First Bank is bright, lively and eyecatching with an interesting backstory. In other words, it mirrors the company inside. Just as Business First has brought fresh energy to the business banking scene over the last 10 years, it’s obvious something new and exciting is going on at 500 Laurel Street. You can’t help but look up at the gleaming white brick and glass tower emblazoned with a revamped Business First logo: a blue lowercase “b” with a bright orange center.

Congratulations on 10 years of Momentum. PYRO agency is proud to be your partner in creating an exciting new brand identity and ongoing communications.

Instigators. Storytellers. Alchemists. PYROagency.com

are received by the close of business today. • Additional revisions must be requested and may be subject to production fees. Carefully check this ad for: CORRECT ADDRESS • CORRECT PHONE NUMBER • ANY TYPOS This ad design © Louisiana Business, Inc. 2016. All rights reserved. Phone 225-928-1700 • Fax 225-926-1329

LONG L AW FIRM L .L .P. congratulates

BUSINESS FIRST BANK on its continued growth as it embarks on this exciting new step. Long Law Firm is proud and honored to continue its collaboration with Business First as it continues to serve the banking needs of the Greater Baton Rouge community.

Business First is the first community bank to join the downtown Baton Rouge renaissance. The bank’s leadership saw the upand-coming city center as a natural fit for their young, forward-looking organization, and they wanted to do their part to bring the area back to life, says president and CEO Jude Melville. They chose a building once referred to as the Merrill Lynch building at Fifth and Laurel even though it was a far cry from what they ultimately envisioned. Built in the 1950s, the sixstory building had seen better days. Only a few offices were currently occupied. The interior was staid and heavy with dark finishes, low ceilings and lots of cubicles. But the building did have a few major pluses going for it. Because it had once housed a bank, it was the only building downtown that already had a drive-through teller window. Moreover, it had been designed by

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WHAT DO

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Congratulations on your new headquarters and 10 year anniversary! We look forward to continuing to grow with Business First Bank.

HTB

C PA s + B u s i n e s s A d v i s o r s

BATON ROUGE | DENHAM SPRINGS | NEW ORLEANS 225-928-4770 | www.htbcpa.com

the late A. Hays Town, a Louisiana architect nationally renowned for his midcentury modernist designs. It had excellent bones. “It was really kind of sad that such a unique skeleton was being ignored,” says architect Dyke Nelson of the DNA Workshop. Nelson and a group of investors bought the building and leased it to Business First with an agreement to remodel it to reflect the bank’s personality. The building was gutted down to the cement. Heavily tinted exterior windows were replaced with energyefficient, floor-to-ceiling windows that allowed in more sunlight. Many interior walls were removed or replaced with glass walls, creating an open, sunny space with panoramic views of downtown. Nelson opened up the lobby and turned an enclosed rooftop patio into an open terrace overlooking a courtyard—a nice spot for employees to take a break or eat lunch. He was even able to preserve some of the building’s original details, such as a tall stone wall in the formerly dark and enclosed lobby. “Everyone was surprised how much better the stone looked in the natural light,” Nelson says. Interior designer Leslie Herpin Marx was tapped to create a young, modern look with clean lines and chic colors throughout. “The biggest challenge was just being true to the original character and respectful of what was there,

RRM

historically,” Nelson says. They succeeded. The National Park Service has since listed the building on the national historic register and recognized A. Hays Town as a master architect. But even more important, Nelson

says, “The building makes the occupants of the building feel excited about coming to work. Happier and healthier employees are the mark of a successful design.” The employees agree. “We wanted the feeling to be professional

but also modern and looking toward the future, just like our bank,” says President & CEO Jude Melville. “We think this building does a good job of capturing that ethos. “ And, personally,” he adds with a smile, “I like the sunshine.”

RRM and Companies Congratulates Business First on their Ten-Year Commitment to Growing Louisiana.

THE BUSINESS FIRST BANK BOARD OF DIRECTORS

2016

BENNY ALFORD

Owner, Bennyâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Car Wash JOHN GRAVES President, Evans-Graves Engineers, Inc. ROBERT GREER Chairman, Business First Bank DAVID L. LAXTON, III ROLFE H. MCCOLLISTER, JR. CEO, Louisiana Business, Inc.

ANDREW D. MCLINDON President and CEO, Mainspring Companies, LLC

CHARLES E. ROEMER III Chairman Emeritus, Business First Bank

ARTHUR PRICE VP/CFO, Badger Oil Corporation

FAYEZ K. SHAMIEH, M.D. President, Fayes K. Shamieh Medical Corporation

PATRICK E. MOCKLER President, Mockler Beverage Co.

STEWART SLACK Partner, Slack Alost Development

DAVID MONTGOMERY Vice President, Montgomery Agency, Inc.

KENNETH SMITH President and CEO, T. Baker Smith, LLC THOMAS EVERETT STEWART STEVE WHITE Business Manager, William A. Robinson Trust ROBERT YARBOROUGH CEO, Manda Packing Co., LLC

WELCOMES

BUSINESS FIRST BANK

LOCATIONS

TO DOWNTOWN BATON ROUGE

b1bank.com | 1.877.614.7600 BATON ROUGE Corporate

500 Laurel St. 225.248.7600 4944 Florida Blvd. 225.924.4700 11307 Coursey Blvd. 225.368.2500 7880 Jefferson Hwy. 225.368.2590 10725 Perkins Road 225.761.7812 BRUSLY 729 South Vaughan 225.749.3117 COVINGTON 675 N. Highway 190 985.624.4501 DENHAM SPRINGS 31635 La. Highway 16 225.791.5850 ERWINVILLE 4610 Poydras Bayou Road 225.627.4271 GONZALES 1821 West Highway 30 225.647.4921 HOUMA 435 Corporate Drive, Ste. 102 985.879.7151 LAFAYETTE 900 E. St. Mary Blvd., Ste. 100 337.261.9697 LAKE CHARLES 728 Ryan St. 337.721.2700 NEW ORLEANS (Loan Production Office) 3838 N. Causeway Blvd., Ste. 2950 Metairie 504.451.4931 PORT ALLEN 320 North Alexander 225.387.0011

K A N T R O W S PA H T W E A V E R & B L I T Z E R

Issue Date: Business A Pr oFirst f e s sBank i o n a lAd L aproof w C o#1 r p o r a t i o nLOUISIANA

BUSINESS • Please respond by e-mail or fax with your approval or minor revisions. • AD WILL RUN NORTH AS IS unless BLVD., approval orSUITE final revisions 445 300 | BATON ROUGE, LA INC. 70802-2997 are received by the close of business today. PHONE: 225.383.4703 WWW.KSWB.COM • Additional revisions must be requested and may be subject to|production fees.

Congratulations to

BUSINESS FIRST BANK

on their 10 YEAR ANNIVERSARY and NEW headquarters. AIRTROL, INC. IS PROUD TO BE YOUR PARTNER AIRTROL, INC. is a licensed mechanical contractor specializing in complex commercial construction and renovation projects requiring exceptional mechanical expertise. Our team is regionally recognized and has a proven track record of completing complex projects in the government, education, healthcare, and private sectors. While we provide services for clients in a wide range of industries, we are recognized for our extensive experience, knowledge, and focus in specialized areas. From scheduling and estimating to installing controls and underground piping, we provide services in the pre-construction and construction phases.

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FENIMORE, KAY, HARRISON & FORD CONGRATULATES BUSINESS FIRST BANK ON ITS 10 YEAR ANNIVERSARY. We wish you many more years of continued success.