Louisiana Economic Development recently honored 10 companies as Louisiana Growth Leaders at its 2024 Spotlight Louisiana event.

The 10 companies honored were:

brandRUSSO, of Lafayette; Jaci Russo, co-founder.

Core Boiler & Mechanical Services, of Prairieville; Paola Alvarado, president.

Envoc, of Baton Rouge; Calvin Fabre, president and founder.

Finding Solace, of West Monroe; Lyla Corkern, owner and CEO.

Foret Contracting Group, of Thibodaux; Benton Foret, co-founder.

Gulf Wind Technology, of Avondale; James Martin, CEO.

M S Benbow and Associates Professional Engineering Corp., of Metairie; Leo Holzenthal Jr., president and CEO.

Martin Specialty Coatings, of Shreveport; Tim Keeley, CEO.

Restech Information Services, of Metairie; Vince Gremillion, founder and president.

Urban South Brewery, of New Orleans; Jacob Landry, founder and CEO.

The Growth Leader Legend award was presented to Tides Medical, a Lafayette-based biotechnology company that uses donated human placentas to manufacture advanced regenerative skin substitutes.

Louisiana Growth Leaders are selected by a statewide panel of economic development professionals who evaluate businesses in the LED Growth Network for community involvement and business success. The criteria include growth, strategy, innovation, philanthropy and leadership.

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Lauren Lee and Allison Ryan, of First Guaranty Bank, have completed the American Bankers Association’s Bank Marketing School.

The two-week program prepares bank marketing professionals to become marketing leaders.

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Eric Lane, owner of Gerry Lane Enterprises in Baton Rouge, has been named the 2024 Louisiana Dealer of the Year by the Louisiana Automobile Dealers Association.

The award recognizes one standout Louisiana automobile dealer for their business success and impact in the community.

Lane’s dealerships have received numerous awards over the years including the top Chevrolet dealer for retail sales in Louisiana in 2022 and 2023, the top retail dealer for General Motors in Baton Rouge for 37 years and the General Motors Mark of Excellence Award from 2020 to 2024.

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Fallon Gerald Tullier, of Visit Baton Rouge, and Ian Wallis, of Louisiana’s Cajun Bayou Tourism, have made Destinations International’s 2024 30 Under 30 list. 

The program recognizes talented young people in the tourism organization industry. 

Tullier is the research and technology manager for the Baton Rouge convention and visitor’s bureau. She started working for the agency as a marketing intern in 2018, then became a full-time research specialist in 2020. She earned a bachelor’s in marketing from LSU.

Wallis is sales and marketing manager for the Lafourche Parish tourism organization. He has been with the organization since 2021. He earned a bachelor’s in tourism and travel management and a master’s in business administration, with a hospitality concentration, both from Johnson & Wales University. 

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Baton Rouge Community College, Louisiana Department of Education, LSU Health New Orleans and Xavier University of Louisiana all won honors at the 2023 Educational Advertising Awards. 

BRCC and its partner agency, Feigley Communications, earned a gold award for television advertising-single for their fall 2023 TV commercial. The school won a silver award in the special video category for its 25th anniversary video.

The state department of education along with its partner, MESH, nabbed a silver in the integrated marketing campaign for “Work Worth Doing” campaign.

LSU Health and Crucial Content took home a gold award in the special event campaign for its 90th anniversary table book and digital publication.

Xavier and Ruffalo Noel Levitz earned a silver in the total recruitment package category for their student search and enrollment campaign.

More than 1,000 colleges, universities and educational agencies submitted entries in the annual awards program.

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Sarah Barlow, provost and vice chancellor for workforce and student development at Baton Rouge Community College, was selected for the 2024-25 Aspen Rising Presidents Fellowship.

Barlow was one of 40 people selected for a fellowship, which aims to prepare the next generation of presidents to lead community colleges.

The fellows, selected through a competitive process, will work closely with highly accomplished community college presidents and thought leaders over 10 months.

Barlow joined the faculty of BRCC in August 2010 as an assistant English professor. She became chair of the English and Humanities Department in 2013, then joined the student services team in 2018.

She earned bachelor’s and master’s degrees in English from the University of Toledo and a doctorate in English from the University of Louisiana at Lafayette.