UPPER LAFAYETTE ON THE MOVE.. Letter from Executive Director: Jan Swift With 2012 reaching the mid-year mark, we have much to look back on this year and give thanks. In particular, it is with much gratitude that we thank The Independent Weekly for focusing on Upper Lafayette Parish in its Community Profile Series published on June 27, 2012.
Upcoming Events July Membership Meeting Oakbourne Country Club July 18, 11:30 am - 1:00 pm Run Upper Lafayette Pelican Park - Carencro Sept. 15, 8:00 a.m. September Membership Meeting Outlook on Banking 2013 Sept. 19, 11:30 am - 1:00 pm
Our supportive mayors, Joey Durel, Glenn Brasseaux, Purvis Morrison, and Johnny Thibodeaux, each took the time to write a personal message and meet with Robin May to pose for photos on an extremely hot day in late May! Of special interest in the piece was an historic timeline detailing important moments in the area’s history, as well as profiles on several of our members including Cecile Walters Hebert and her family, Gene, Phyllis and Ross Walters, Lynn Guidry and Steve Santillo. We are particularly grateful to our members and mentors who supported this profile by placing advertisements: IberiaBank, Schilling Distributing Co., Prejean’s Restaurant, Cox, SLEMCO, Our Lady of Lourdes/ Lourdes Primary Care Physicians, MidSouth Bank, Fenstermaker & Associates, Walters Funeral Home, City of Carencro, City of Scott, Coldwell Banker Pelican Real Estate, and LEDA. Our foundation’s work over the past few years to be a catalyst for positive growth and development has been so rewarding, and would not be possible without a wonderful board of directors and our dedicated members. The Independent’s community profile helped us educate a large audience as to why people choose to live, work and invest in Upper Lafayette Parish. Thank you for knowing that too, and spreading the good word!
Purvis Morrison, Joey Durel, Jan Swift, Johnny Thibodeaux, and Glenn Brasseaux
Upper Lafayette Board Welcomes Julie Simon-Dronet! ULEDF is pleased to welcome Julie SimonDronet to our Board of Directors. Julie joined Cox Louisiana in January 2010 as Director of Operations for Acadiana. She is responsible for providing leadership and focus for Cox Louisiana’s Lafayette and Acadiana operations. Julie is also responsible for maintaining and enhancing our company’s positive image and reputation, while being the “face” of Cox in Acadiana.
ULEDF Board of Directors & Staff Adrian Baudoin, President Cherie Hebert, V. President Amos Batiste, Secretary
Prior to joining Cox, Julie spent 17 years at the University of Louisiana at Lafayette, as the Director of Communications and Marketing where she served in a key strategic role. Prior to that, she served as Marketing Director of Cypress Hospital and as a Copywriter for Kaplan & Associates.
Todd Citron, Treasurer Julie Simon-Dronet Don Dupuis Ed Krampe Donna Landry Beau Phares Dwight “Bo” Ramsay Herbert Schilling Jerry Vascocu Monty Warren David Welch Jan Swift, Director
Julie has also been very active in the community organizations/programs where she has functioned in a variety of Leadership roles: Greater Lafayette Chamber of Commerce, United Way of Acadiana, Leadership Lafayette, Our Lady of Lourdes Foundation, St. Thomas More Catholic High School Board, Lafayette Education Foundation and the Krewe of Bonaparte. Julie Simon-Dronet
She currently represents Cox as Vice President of Public Policy for Greater Lafayette Chamber of Commerce and is on the Executive Committee of Our Lady of Lourdes Hospital’s Foundation. She is a graduate of the 2011 Class of Leadership Louisiana and a 1990 graduate of Leadership Lafayette. Julie is a life-long resident of Acadiana and holds a B.A. in English/Journalism with a Public Relations Minor. She and her husband, Keith, reside in Lafayette. They have two adult daughters, Sara and Natalie, who both attend University of Louisiana at Lafayette.
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UPPER LAFAYETTE ON THE MOVE... Upper Lafayette Welcomes New Member: OMNI Energy Services Upper Lafayette is proud to welcome OMNI Energy Services, headquartered in Carencro at 4500 NE Evangeline Thruway, as one of our newest members! Focusing on the domestic oil and gas industry, OMNI is an integrated oilfield services company with operations throughout the U.S.’s prolific onshore and offshore oil and gas regions. This includes the offshore waters of the Gulf of Mexico and onshore oil and gas plays in the Gulf States, Mid-Continent, Rocky Mountains and Northeast. OMNI offers a full suite of oilfield services, beginning with exploration and continuing through drilling and production. Principal operating segments include: environmental services and fluid handling, well site maintenance services, exploration support services, and accommodations. Brian Recatto has served as OMNI President and Chief Executive Officer since July 2008. He previously served as OMNI’s Chief Operating Officer. Prior to joining OMNI, Brian was the President and an owner/principal of Charles Holston, Inc. (2004 to 2007), an oil and gas services company specializing in environmental services, equipment leasing, and dockside and offshore maintenance. Brian has directed growth and development at emerging and established organizations throughout his career. He holds a Bachelor of Science degree in Finance from Louisiana State University. Working alongside Recatto is OMNI’s leadership team consisting of Geoff A. Jones (Senior V.P. and CFO); Gregory B. Milton (V.P. and CAO); Charles Y. Latiolais (V.P. Health Safety and Environmental); Joey Shaw (V.P. of Sales); Mark E. Stipe (V.P. and General Counsel); Nolan C. Vice (V.P. Business Development); Andy J. Dufrene (V. P. Oilfield Services); and John A. Harris (V.P. Exploration Support Services). “OMNI is committed to being a good neighbor and contributing positively in the communities in which our employees live and work,” said OMNI President and CEO Brian Recatto. “We are pleased to be a part of the Upper Lafayette Economic Development Foundation.” Brian Recatto
For more information on OMNI, please see http://www.omnienergy.com or call (337)896-6664. And thanks to OMNI for supporting the mission of Upper Lafayette Economic Development Foundation!
“We are pleased to be a part of the Upper Lafayette Economic Development Foundation.” -Brian Recatto, OMNI President
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Upper Lafayette Hosts Fourth Annual Crawfish Boil
UPPER LAFAYETTE ON THE MOVE... July Membership Meeting: “Focus on Urban Core Revitalization” This is your chance to hear three distinguished community leaders who work to improve living conditions in the inner heart of our parish. Speaking on the work of LCG’s Office of Community Development, the legal red tape of adjudicated properties in our parish, and Habitat for Humanity, we are most proud to welcome our friends Patricia Leyendecker, Gary McGoffin, and Melinda Taylor. Patricia Leyendecker
Wednesday, July 18, 2012 11:30 a.m. to 1:00 p.m. Oakbourne Country Club
Gary McGoffin
Melinda Taylor
Special Thanks to Presenting Sponsor:
$25 for members and $35 for non members, Reserved tables for eight/$200 rsvp to jan@upperlafayette.com To pay online go to Events at www.upperlafayette.com or mail payment to ULEDF, P.O. Box 53107 Lafayette, LA 70505
A Conversation with Tyler Woerner : Desktop Publishing for Dummies In today’s business environment business owners and managers often find themselves behind the computer creating flyers, newsletters, web pages, and various other marketing collateral. For those that can color inside the lines these opportunities are an exciting way to show off your artistic and creative side. For others they can be frustrating moments staring at a blank computer screen. Either way the following design principles can help add some life to your next project. Emphasis: Highlighting one item on the page will invite the readers to read the rest. Pick an image or title that will stand out from the rest of the page elements. Making all the type bold weakens the emphasis that bold type should have. Resist the temptation. White Space: Often people feel like their job isn’t done if there is empty space on the page. However, white space can be the result of a well balanced and easy to read layout. Much like a room filled with furniture still has open space to walk and move around, your layout should have white space for your eye to roam from one element to the next. Tyler Woerner Pixelbrush Studios
Repetition: Each sentence or bullet point should not be treated as a unique piece. Make your layout more cohesive by repeating the same font choice, color, and size where appropriate. If you are using clipart and images, repeat the same style and size there as well. The consistency will make it more pleasant to read.
Contrast: Choosing contrasting color values is a great way to add emphasis to a layout as well as make it more pleasant to read. For longer text areas try to use dark text on a light background and use colors that complement one another when adding them to a page. A good way to tell if you are using an appropriate amount of contrast is to print your layout in black and white. Tyler Woerner is the Creative Director and Founder of Pixelbrush Studios. Tyler and his talented team designed Upper Lafayette’s current website. Upper Lafayette is proud to host Tyler as a contributing editor. For more information please visit pixelbrushstudios.com
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UPPER LAFAYETTE ON THE MOVE... Run Upper Lafayette at Pelican Park September 15, 2012
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Upper Lafayette Economic Development Foundation and Bridge Ministry of Acadiana are co-sponsoring our second annual Run Upper Lafayette, a 5K Walk-Run/One Mile Fun Run at Pelican Park in Carencro, 8:00 a.m. on Saturday, September 15, 2012. This unique joint venture is a great opportunity to promote the wonderful attractions in Upper Lafayette. We are also thrilled to assist Bridge Ministry raise money for the neighborhood Christian outreach work that it loving extends to deserving, underresourced families. All net proceeds of the run will go directly to Bridge Ministry. Special thanks to Presenting Sponsor, Jim Lambert Law Firm, Major Sponsor, Remembering Trish, and Supporter, IberiaBank, for generously underwriting the event. We are also grateful to Delta Media’s 107.1 on air talent, “T.J.” — Tyler Robicheaux, for providing fun tunes for our crowd.
Participants may register by going online at http://www.bridgeacadiana.com/run-upperlafayette.aspx or email jan@upperlafayette.com for more information. The registration fee is $25.00 for early registration; $30.00 for day of race entries. All early registrants will receive a dri-fit Run Upper Lafayette t-shirt commemorating this fun event. Please join us and come enjoy a wonderful, family friendly event!
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UPPER LAFAYETTE ON THE MOVE... Upper Lafayette Economic Development Foundation Mission Statement
“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.” Special Thanks to Upper Lafayette Economic Development Foundation Members SILVER
PLATINUM
Acadian Ambulance Service, Inc. Acadiana Computer Systems, Inc. Aries Marine Corporation ASH/Badger Oil Company Cox Home Furniture Hub City Ford IberiaBank Lafayette General Medical Center McDonald’s of Acadiana MidSouth Bank Our Lady of Lourdes Republic National Distributing Company Schilling Distributing Company Whitney National Bank GOLD Acadiana Rubber & Gasket Atmos Energy Beau Box Commercial Real Estate Home Bank Honda of Lafayette Omni Energy Services Opelousas General Health System Prejean’s Restaurant Stone Energy Corporation
BRONZE CONT’D
Ace Plumbing, Inc. Allstates Building Systems BBR Creative Edward Jones/Bob Crist Guidry’s Uniforms Master Builders & Specialists, Inc. Oakbourne Country Club Shelf Energy, LLC The Southwest Group Stirling Properties Walters Funeral Home BRONZE Acadiana Symphony Orchestra Advancial Federal Credit Union Aspen Clinic Associated Travel Jean C. Breaux, Jr. & Associates Crawdaddy’s On-Site Catering Derek Development Corp., LLC Don’s Country Mart/Don Menard Joey Durel ECGC Women’s Business Center John Paul The Great Academy Jolie’s Louisiana Bistro Lafayette Convention & Visitors Commission Lafayette Community Health Care Clinic LeBlanc’s Auto Wholesale/Richard Leblanc Lee Verret/State Farm Insurance Agency Lowry’s Printing and Copying Flo Meadows, Coldwell Banker Melancon I-49 Storage Center
Petroleum Club Rayne State Bank/Buddy Webb Ron J. Gaubert Realtors W. W. Rucks, III Second Harvest Ken Simeral, Coldwell Banker SLEMCO Sylvan Learning Center Terry J. Rogers SPONSORS Charley G’s City of Carencro City of Scott IberiaBank Lafayette Airport Commission Schilling Distributing Company Scott Police Department Tobacco Free Living
For membership information or sponsorship opportunities, please contact Jan Swift at jan@upperlafayette.com or 337-278-0408
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