Upper Lafayette on the Move WWW.UPPERLAFAYETTE.COM
March 2017 Volume 99
CARENCRO SPORTS COMPLEX OPENS Lafayette General Health to Expand Telemedicine Offerings City of Scott Recognized as 6th Safest City Louisiana Workforce Commission Identifies Top Career Choices in Region
and more..... Printed by Lafayette Economic Development Authority
Published by
Upper Lafayette Economic Development Foundation
Printed by
Lafayette Economic Development Authority
Board of Directors
Chad Cole, President Todd Citron, Vice-President Zachary Barker, Sec/Treasurer Monty Warren, Past President Adrian Baudoin Brenda Foulcard Kirk LaCour Donna Landry Pastor Ken Lazard Herbert Schilling Bryan Tabor Jerry Vascocu David Welch
Honorary Advisory Board Don Dupuis Dwight “Bo” Ramsay
Staff
Jan Swift, Executive Director Emily Carline, Graphic Designer
Mailing Address
Upper Lafayette Economic Development Foundation is an association of proactive individuals and business leaders joined together to be a catalyst for change. The Foundation’s mission is to enhance and direct the positive, planned growth of Upper Lafayette, focusing on quality of life, while participating in the overall development of the Greater Lafayette Metropolitan Area.
P.O. Box 53107 Lafayette, LA 70505
On the Web
On the Cover: La Bon Vie Lake, photo by Philip Gould.
www.upperlafayette.com
Interested in advertising in Our 2017 newsletters? Please contact Jan Swift for more details and to discuss opportunities. jan@upperlafayette.com | (337) 769-7649
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Volume 99 • March 2017 • www.upperlafayette.com
A Letter from the Executive Director We hope you and your family had a safe and fun Mardi Gras. With the remnants of beads hanging precariously from the trees, and trash being picked up along the parade routes, there is no doubt that Mardi Gras 2017 was a huge success! As we reported in our February issue, festivals such as Mardi Gras generate big bucks for our region and we are grateful for the thoughtful planning and safe atmosphere which allows us all to celebrate and enjoy our wonderful culture. Coming up on the horizon, Wednesday March 17, is our luncheon where we will focus on “Influencing the Influencers.” Marketing your business or service can be a challenge, yet in today’s world, there are so many options which allow you to get the word out in cost-effective and rewarding ways. We hope you will join us to glean the latest ways successful businesses market their companies, and have a little fun while you learn! Registration details are set forth below. For our members, we are looking for opportunities to highlight you and market your business. Don’t wait for us to call you; please contact me at jan@upperlafayette.com with your news, announcements, employee accomplishments, or anything you would like to share with our network. It is our pleasure to “influence the influencers” and get out the word about the many good things going with our loyal members! With warmest regards,
Register Now for Our March 15th Luncheon: Influencing the Influencers! Please join us at the Petroleum Club Wednesday, March 15, 11:30 a.m. to 1:00 p.m., to learn about the latest insights on marketing your business and services effectively. We are proud to welcome Jady Regard, Chief Nut Officer of Cane River Pecan Company; Patrick LaBauve, Regional Client Strategy Manager of USA Today Network; and Judi LeJeune, Public Relations Director of IBERIABANK, as they share their experience and thoughts on choosing the right tools to get the word out about your product. Special thanks to our sponsor, the B. I. Moody III College of Business Administration for making this event happen! Tickets are $35 each or a reserved table for eight is $300.00. Registration may be made online at www.upperlafayette.com/events. Please email jan@upperlafayette.com or call (337)769-7649 with any questions.
SPECIAL THANKS TO OUR SPONSORS:
Patrick LaBauve Client Strategy Manager USA Today Network
Judi LeJeune Senior VP / Public Relations Director IBERIABANK
Jady Regard Chief Nut Officer Cane River Pecan Company
Volume 99 • March 2017 • www.upperlafayette.com
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Carencro Sports Complex Opens
Officials celebrate ribbon cutting of new Carencro Sports Complex
The newly remodeled Carencro Sports Complex was officially unveiled on Saturday, February 11, 2017. Mayor Glenn Brasseaux, Parks and Recreation Commission Chair Tom Meyers, Carencro Business Association President Charlie Brunt, and other officials cut the ceremonial ribbon while children gleefully played Knockerball in the background. Located at 3607 NW Evangeline Thruway, the complex is designed to host sports such as football, soccer, lacrosse and Knockerball. The facility’s main feature is a large 70 yard Duraspine artificial turfed playing field in the center of the facility, which is designed to provide cushioning and protection upon falls. Plexiglass walls with nets connected to the ceiling protect guests from stray balls. The atmosphere is inviting with plenty of seating in the bleachers and picnic tables, a concession stand featuring Rotolo’s pizza, and arcade games. Future plans for expansion include batting cages and more bleachers for spectators.
Knockerball participants having a good time
Charlie Brunt, president of the Carencro Business Association, pointed out that the facility may be used for band and football practice. The opportunities to use the facility for entertainment, sports events and other paid uses is expected to be a driver of new visitors to the city of Carencro and generate sales taxes for the city. It provides a much-needed family-friendly, indoor covered facility for the local region, and may be rented for 2 hours at $250 for private parties, or be reserved for team practices and tournaments.
The complex cost approximately $3.5 million to transform the former ice arena into to the sports venue, according to Meyers, which funding was generated through a one-third of a penny sales tax in Carencro allocated to Parks and Recreation. If you’re not familiar with Knockerball, you should check it out! It is a growing craze in the U. S., already being a popular sport (known as “bubble soccer”) in Europe, Australia and Japan. Players don large inflatable balls and can knock each other down without experiencing any stress on the body. Mayor Brasseaux said that Knockerball has been a very popular game for birthday parties. It is hilarious to watch the kids running into each other and bobbing upside down! Safe and silly. For more information see carencrosportscomplex.com or call 337-896-5000.
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Volume 99 • March 2017 • www.upperlafayette.com
Upper Lafayette Sponsors Northside High Student for Louisiana Youth Seminar The Louisiana Youth Seminar was established in 1971 as a summer leadership camp for high school juniors and seniors. Every year the Seminar is held at Louisiana State University for one week in July. During this week, students participate in many activities which focus on effective communication skills, setting and achieving goals, team building, understanding and accepting others, developing selfconfidence, conducting effective meetings, and problem solving skills. Upper Lafayette has offered scholarship assistance to deserving students for the past several years to attend the summer session, who have joined approximately 200 other students from around our state. This year we are sponsoring Xaviera McCray, a Junior at Northside High School. School Counselor, Chance Romero assisted Upper Lafayette in making the selection. LYS was founded on the belief that if businesses, communities and government are to have effective leaders in the future, we must help our students develop their core leadership skills such as effective communication, setting and achieving goals, team building, understanding and accepting others, developing self-confidence, conducting effective meetings, and problem solving skills. The goal of LYS is to develop students' raw leadership potential into skills that will help them to succeed as leaders, whether in business, government or the nonprofit arena. LYS delegates meet interesting people from across the state, learn how to achieve life goals, and compete in good-natured, yet challenging projects. Upper Lafayette would not have known about this worthy program if not for Adrian Baudoin of Acadiana Computer Systems, an Upper Lafayette board member and alum of LYS. We are so proud to partner with LYS and are especially proud to have Adrian as one of our leaders working to improve educational outcomes in Upper Lafayette parish! For more information on LYS, please visit louisianayouthseminar.org or call (866) 463-6597.
Xavier McCray and Counselor Chance Romero of Northside High
Jan Swift and Xaviera McCray
Volume 99 • March 2017 • www.upperlafayette.com
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Check Out the Latest Episodes of Upper Lafayette On the Move!
Cpl. Bridgette Dugas
Bishop Carlos Harvin
Lafayette Crimestoppers
Senior Pastoral Alliance of Southwest LA
Photo: Corporal Bridgette Dugas and Jan Swift
Photo: Bishop Carlos Harvin and Jan Swift
On a recent episode of Upper Lafayette On the Move, Jan Swift interviewed Corporal Bridgette Dugas of Lafayette Crime Stoppers and Lafayette City Police Department, Precinct Four, about her role in keeping Lafayette safe. We are grateful to Cpl. Dugas and the entire police department for their dedication and work on behalf of our community. The Crime Stoppers Program began in 1983 as a result of efforts by our City Commission and City Police Department. Crime Stoppers now operates as an independent organization. The concept has developed into a combination of efforts by local media, businesses, civic and social clubs, law enforcement agencies, and the public. Donations of airtime, newspaper space, and reward monies have established Crime Stoppers as an effective tool to fight crime in the area. To date, over 3,127 arrests have been made, and over $22 million in property and seized narcotics have been recovered.
Jan Swift recently had the pleasure of interviewing Bishop Carlos Harvin, Pastor of New Beginnings Church and Executive Director of the Senior Pastoral Alliance in Lafayette. Bishop Harvin is well known for his commitment to the Evangeline Area Council of the Boy Scouts of America and for his commitment to making our community a better place to live. Thank you Bishop Harvin for serving as a guest on our show! The vision of the Senior Pastoral Alliance, as set forth on their website, is “to unify in leadership and represent God’s Kingdom in the earth by mobilizing the Body of Christ to complete The Great Commission. We will lead the charge to encourage, change, and elevate our community while partnering with community leaders and organizations.” For more information on the Senior Pastoral Alliance of Southwest LA, please visit their Facebook page.
Upper Lafayette On the Move! is presented on AOC 2 (COX 16/LUS 4) on the second and fourth Thursdays of each month at 8:30 pm. Episodes are also available online at www.upperlafayette.com/video.
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Volume 99 • March 2017 • www.upperlafayette.com
Carencro High AOIT Students Awarded Tablets On February 10, 2017 the Academy of Information Technology (AOIT) at Carencro High School, an LPSS Schools of Choice program, was awarded 114 Samsung Galaxy Tablets through a grant from National Academy Foundation (NAF) corporate partner JP Morgan Chase Foundation. NAF academies all over the United States competed for the grant award, with a total of 750 tablets awarded. AOIT demonstrated how students would use the technology to complete a project that will improve their College and Career Readiness (CCR) skills, during the 2016–2017 school year. The NAF College & Career Readiness Skills are embedded in the NAF curriculum and work-based learning resources. Additionally, students will complete a brief project report by June 2, 2017. Select academies will receive a discount on their NAF Next 2017 registration and will present their projects with the technology at the education nonprofit’s annual conference, hosted this July in Dallas. Claire Trouard, Academy Director for AOIT, is very thrilled about the recognition: “It’s exciting for our students to have the opportunity to use these devices outside of the classroom through collaboration activities with our local business partners, and to bring to life the core concepts they learn in class.” Co-Director Joel Hilbun says, “These tablets give our students the mobility to leave the classroom and apply technology in real world applications.” NAF works with high need communities to transform the high school experience through an educational design that includes industry-specific curricula, work-based learning experiences, and building relationships with business professionals, culminating in a paid internship. NAF academies fit within and enhance school systems, allowing NAF to become an integral part of a plan for higher achievement at a low cost. NAF academies focus on one of five career themes: finance, hospitality & tourism, information technology, engineering, and health sciences. During the 2016–2017 school year, more than 96,000 students attended 675 NAF academies across 36 states, including D.C. and the U.S. Virgin Islands. In 2016, NAF academies reported 96% of seniors graduated with 92% of graduates with post-secondary intentions. Congratulations to Carencro High’s Academy of Information Technology!
Carencro AOIT students receiving tablets
Volume 99 • March 2017 • www.upperlafayette.com
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Lafayette General Health to Expand its Telemedicine Offerings Lafayette General Health (LGH) has partnered with American Well in order to expand the health system’s telemedicine services. LGH currently provides telemedicine clinics at Stuller, Inc., the Lafayette Consolidated Government, the Lafayette Parish School System and the St. Martin Parish School System. The American Well technology platform will assist LGH in removing healthcare barriers like time, travel, and distance to reach patients when— and where— they need care. This platform will allow LGH to provide healthcare services through home technology, such as a smartphone, computer, or tablet. “Lafayette General Health is very excited about our partnership with American Well,” said LGH President David L. Callecod, FACHE. “American Well will help us expand the way we deliver healthcare, providing services that are more convenient for our patients.” LGH will roll out the expanded telemedicine technology in waves. The plan is to enhance the technology at existing LGH telemedicine clinics, secure telemedicine services with a local prison system, partner with additional schools and large employers, and make the technology available to individuals. By enhancing existing clinics, specifically at schools, LGH will soon be able to conduct multi-way video visits to include the parents with their child. Local healthcare to prisoners can be costly due to limited access to care and high transportation costs. With telemedicine, prisoners will receive high-quality, cost-effective care that eliminates officers escorting a patient to and from the hospital ER— translating to a lower cost for taxpayers.
Lafayette General Urgent Care Center in Carencro
Large employers benefit from telemedicine in the workplace as it deceases absenteeism, increases productivity, and translates into lower healthcare costs for both the employer and employee. Finally, telemedicine direct to the consumer is a convenient service that brings healthcare to where the patient prefers to be— in their home. This service will be available in the future through an LGH smartphone app. Initially, telemedicine visits will cover non-emergency needs such as sinus infections, cold & flu symptoms, cough, rash, etc., as well as ongoing chronic condition management, such as diabetes. LGH hopes to expand the coverage to include specialists and post-surgical home follow-up care. American Well works with more than 70 health systems nationwide to bring telehealth to their patients and communities. “Lafayette General Health has always been committed to reaching more patients. Together, we have the opportunity to further this mission by utilizing telemedicine to extend care,” said American Well President of Customer Solutions Danielle Russella. “We are proud to work alongside LGH to make high-quality care, from such a trusted network of providers, more accessible to the patients and communities they serve.”
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Volume 99 • March 2017 • www.upperlafayette.com
Spotlight on Kevin Guillory,
Admissions Counselor at UL – Lafayette and MBA student It is our pleasure to introduce you to Kevin Guillory, an Admissions Counselor for Online Programs at UL Lafayette who is working on his MBA. Kevin has spearheaded a business book drive to benefit the Northside High School library. Responding to a dire lack of reading materials to inspire the students to consider business as a college major, Kevin took it upon himself to rectify the situation. Perhaps you may best understand Kevin’s kind heart and leadership initiative if we share his correspondence to Upper Lafayette: “I am writing you because I am partnering with the B.I. Moody III College of Business to spearhead a community outreach program to Northside High School. “I want to start by giving you some background. I visited Northside High School in October 2016 to help their seniors fill out college applications. While I was in the library for this event, I noticed that there were no business books in the entire library. I felt like I needed to do something to see that change. I graduated from Washington-Marion in Lake Charles, a school with a similar socioeconomic status as Northside. I believe that it’s important for these young people to have access to basic business knowledge. It was in high school that I fell in love with business, which led me to get my undergrad in Marketing and now to pursue my MBA.
Kevin Guillory, Admissions Counselor for Online Programs, UL Lafayette
“I am asking the Moody College of Business faculty and staff to donate books from their field to this project. I began to think of people in the community who may be interested in this cause. You and the Upper Lafayette Economic Development Foundation came to mind. Do you think that your colleagues and/or members would be interested in donating business books? I know the students would also benefit greatly from books on leadership and career development. Tentatively, I want to present our gift to the school librarians in early March.” Books collected by UL - Lafayette
Kevin has been successful in his book drive, but there is still plenty of room for all of us to get involved in helping our local schools by volunteering or donating needed supplies and funding. For more information on the book drive, contact Kevin Guillory at (337) 482-1025 or kevin@louisiana.edu. Thank you!
Volume 99 • March 2017 • www.upperlafayette.com
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City of Scott Recognized as 6th Safest City in Louisiana At a recent city council meeting, Scott City Police Chief Chad Leger provided an update on crime statistics. Leger was proud to report that the City of Scott is listed as the 6th safest city to work, visit and live in the state of Louisiana according to FBI statistics. In towns with a population between 5,000 to 9,000, Scott has been listed as the 3rd safest small city. The statistics were provided by ValuePenguin, which analyzed the FBI statistics. Each year the FBI collects data from police departments across the nation. “Every crime, every report, every offense that is committed goes into a database that the FBI tracks,” said Chief Chad Leger. Police Chief Chad Leger said the statistics show a decrease in many crime categories, with a 12% decrease in dispatched calls, which is Scott City Police Chief Chad Leger approximately 2,000 fewer calls. Leger stated, “The decrease goes hand in hand with proactive law enforcement and additional manpower, less crime and it all falls hand in hand.” Offenses relating to traffic, drugs, domestic disputes, juvenile offenses and OWI arrests are all on the decrease from the 2015–2016 reporting cycle. Leger said decreasing crime is a community effort. “We bring the whole package so it’s not just what I do, or what Chief Sonnier our fire chief does, or what Mayor Morrison does, it’s what we do that makes our city this great with great people.” The biggest police-related problem in Scott relates to traffic issues, with residents from Jeff Davis and Acadia Parishes cutting through Scott. The increased traffic has resulted in more crashes. An increase in theft cases was reportedly due to vehicles being left unsecured. Chief Leger stated that he is grateful for having the resources needed. 35% to 45% of their cases are solved, which is a success. Scott made the list for top ten safest cities for the past four years.
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Volume 99 • March 2017 • www.upperlafayette.com
LED’s CEO Roundtables Accepting Applications for 2017 Louisiana Economic Development’s CEO Roundtables bring together groups of 15 to 18 key decision makers from Louisianabased small businesses 10 times over the course of a year for collaborative, growth-oriented roundtable sessions that support a trusting environment in which CEOs can safely explore business and personal issues with the guidance of experienced facilitators. Participation in the roundtables provides access to numerous benefits, including: • Peer-to-peer learning through discussion, interaction and the sharing of experiences that allow participants to learn from each other’s achievements and mistakes. • Support through highly qualified facilitators, expert guest speakers and connection to various small business resources.
ELIGIBILITY: In order to be considered for participation in the CEO Roundtables, a business should meet the criteria described below. • Principal Place of Business – The company must have maintained its principal place of business in Louisiana. • Annual Revenue – The company should have annual revenue between $600,000 and $50,000,000. • Employees – The company should employ at least five but not more than 100 employees. • External Markets – The company should deliver products or services to customers outside the company›s local market area or demonstrate the capacity to do so. • Target Industries – The company should ideally be in a target industry as identified by Louisiana Economic Development including: manufacturing, finance and insurance services, administrative services and emerging industries (retail stores and restaurants are specifically excluded.
Secretary of LED, Don Pierson
• Lawful Function – The company must be organized for profit to perform a lawful, commercially useful function. • Growth – Additional consideration will be given to companies that can demonstrate high growth potential. • Participant Profile – Participants must be a CEO, business owner or key decision maker in the company. Applications will be accepted through March 31, 2017 and the program begins in July of 2017. To apply, visit LED’s website here. For more information, contact Christopher Cassagne, Business Development Officer, Small Business Services at christopher.cassagne@la.gov or 225.342.5882
Volume 99 • March 2017 • www.upperlafayette.com
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Thank you for your generosity... Platinum Members Acadian Companies Acadiana Computer Systems, Inc. ASH/Badger Oil Company
Silver Members Oakbourne Country Club Prejean Creative Rader Solutions
Couret Farms
Refinery Downtown
Cox Communications
Arla Slaughter, Van Eaton & Romero
Delta Media
SLEMCO
Home Furniture
SMILE
Hub City Ford IBERIABANK
Therapy Center of Carencro
Lafayette General Medical Center
Universal Sign & Manufacturing Company
McDonald’s of Acadiana
Walters Funeral Home
Our Lady of Lourdes Republic National Distributing Company Schilling Distributing Company Stone Energy
Bronze Members
Whitney National Bank
Acadiana C.A.R.E.S.
Gold Members
Advancial Federal Credit Union Anytime Fitness Upper Lafayette Jean C. Breaux, Jr. & Associates
Acadiana Rubber & Gasket
Crawdaddy’s On-Site Catering
Aries Marine Corporation
Lynn Guidry, Architect
Atmos Energy
Jay Castille Construction
Beau Box Commercial Real Estate
John Paul The Great Academy
Dupré Logistics, LLC
Lafayette Animal Aid
Farm D’Allie
Lafayette Convention and Visitors
Gibson Energy Services
Commission
Gulf Coast Bank
Lafayette Youth Soccer Association
Home Bank
Lee Verret/State Farm Insurance Agency
Van Eaton & Romero
Lowry’s Printing and Copying Mailing Systems Inc.
Sponsors PLATINUM Cox Communications IBERIABANK Keller Williams Realty Acadiana Lafayette Airport Commission LEDA GOLD AT&T Beau Box Commercial Real Estate Billeaud Companies Broussard & David Dwight Andrus Insurance Honda of Lafayette Insurance Resource Group Island Operating Company Jones Walker Lafayette Surgical Specialty Hospital LUS NeunerPate SMILE Community Action Agency UL Lafayette B.I. Moody III, College of Business Administration Van Eaton & Romero The Veterinary Clinic at Gloria Switch SILVER Acadian Companies Advancial Federal Credit Union Picard Group Schilling Distributing Company BRONZE City of Carencro City of Scott A special thanks to the Lafayette Economic Development Authority (LEDA) for being our Program of Work partner for 2017.
Melancon I-49 Storage Center
Silver Members
Iqbal Merchant, CPA Phyllis Coleman Mouton One Acadiana Petroleum Club
Ace Plumbing, Inc.
Proree, LLC
BBR Creative
Ron J. Gaubert Realtors
Coburn’s Supply Company Edward Jones/Bob Crist
Schools of the Sacred Heart
Entergy
Summit Physical Therapy
Hilton’s Restaurant Supply
John Swift
Master Builders & Specialists, Inc.
Teche Electric Supply, LLC
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Volume 99 • March 2017 • www.upperlafayette.com