Louisiana
LED honors top growth companies, Xavier recognized for educational avertising
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.
Louisiana ranks among the top 10 most affordable states to retire, according to a new study from Retirement Living, a national journal of retirement research.
Researchers analyzed each state’s housing costs, living expenses and tax friendliness to compile the ranking. Louisiana, they say, is the eighth most affordable state for retirees.
In Louisiana, the median monthly rent for a one-bedroom apartment is $932, the median home sale price is $255,000, monthly grocery spend per capita is $272, the average price per gallon of regular gas is $4, the average Medicare Advantage monthly premium is $13.35 and the average effective property tax rate is 0.55%.
West Virginia is the most affordable state to retire, followed by Mississippi, Alabama, Oklahoma, Arkansas, Kentucky, Missouri, Louisiana, Indiana and Kansas. Researchers describe the South as “the sweet spot for an affordable retirement.”
The most expensive state to retire, meanwhile, is California, followed by Hawaii, Washington, Oregon, Colorado, New Jersey, Massachusetts, Utah, New York and Minnesota.
Read Retirement Living’s full report here.
BATON ROUGE, La. (WAFB) – With hurricane season approaching, the Louisiana Coastal Protection and Restoration Authority is bringing the community together to prepare before a storm forms.
“We can’t stop disasters from happening. We can’t stop hurricanes from happening. But what we can do is equip our communities with the resources that they need to prepare for these storms ahead of time,” said Jayda Morris, CPRA outreach manager.
The agency hosted an event featuring interactive storm simulations and a full model of the Mississippi River.
“If you do it now, like on a sunny day like today, you’re ready to go for the rest of the season,” Jay Grymes said.
El Niño may reduce storms, but Louisiana still at risk
State Climatologist Jay Grymes said an El Niño pattern may reduce the number of storms in the Atlantic but warned against a false sense of security.
“In those 25 years, Louisiana, some part of the state has been impacted by 29 storms. That’s one a year, regardless of El Niño. So that should tell you something,” Grymes said.
He said the bigger concern is storms that can form in the Gulf with little warning.
“If we’re going to get a storm, it very possibly could be one that bubbles up in the Gulf and doesn’t give us five or seven days to track it coming our way. It gives us 40 hours to get ready for a landfall. So it’s imperative that you go ahead and do it now,” Grymes said.
Preparation goes beyond stocking water
Preparing now includes walking through yards, checking trees, and knowing whether everyone in the family can survive two weeks without power.
PhD students with the LSU College of the Coast and Environment gave the community a virtual reality experience that puts users inside a storm.
“If they wear the goggles or play with the Apple Vision Pro, they can understand how high will the flood be, and they can know how dangerous is the hurricane scenario,” said Yixuan Wang.
The VR simulation uses real historical data to show users what compound flooding looks like in New Orleans and surrounding areas. The goal is to make the science real for people who can’t picture what a flood map means.
“It’s just to let you understand the environment. We will add the audios, the different sound of the wind and the storm. And you can see how tense of the rainfall around you,” Wang said.
Organizers said the event is about making sure that when a storm threatens the area, families already know their plan.
Information from the event is available on CPRA’s website. Hurricane season runs through Nov. 30.
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BATON ROUGE, La. (WAFB) – Louisiana homeowners can get financial help to upgrade their roofs and ensure they can better stand up to strong storms.
According to the Louisiana Department of Insurance, registration for next Louisiana Fortify Homes Program lottery opens at 8 a.m. on Monday, June 1. The registration period will stay open through 5 p.m. on Friday, June 19.
Under the latest round of the program, 3,000 grants of up to $10,000 will go out. After applying, homeowners will get placed into a lottery and will be randomly selected.
There are many specific benefits of having a roof upgraded through the Louisiana Fortify Homes Program. Officials said the roofs have stronger shingles that can protect against hail up to two inches wide, sealed roof decks to help prevent water damage, and stronger edges to keep wind from getting underneath.
Homeowners with a fortified roof can also get a certificate to receive a discount on insurance premiums.
“At the end of the day, this program is about more than just roofs,” said Louisiana Insurance Commissioner Tim Temple. “It is about protecting families, it is about strengthening communities, and it is about putting Louisiana in a stronger position—both physically and economically—to face the challenges ahead.”
Only people living in Ascension Parish, Livingston Parish, Assumption Parish, Tangipahoa Parish, Acadia Parish, Calcasieu Parish, Cameron Parish, Iberia Parish, Jefferson Parish, Jefferson Davis Parish, Lafayette Parish, Lafourche Parish, Orleans Parish, Plaquemines Parish, St. Bernard Parish, St. Charles Parish, St. James Parish, St. John the Baptist Parish, St. Martin Parish, St. Mary Parish, St. Tammany Parish, Terrebonne Parish, and Vermilion Parish are eligible to apply for the latest round of the program.
People living in a newly built home, mobile home, or condominium are not qualified.
For a detailed list of eligibility requirements, click here.
If a person registered for the program previously, he or she must do so again. The person will also need to provide the following information:
- A homestead exemption on the primary residence.
- A policy of insurance that provides wind coverage for the primary residence.
- A flood insurance policy on the primary residence if it is in a special flood hazard area.
For more information about applying, click here.
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Click here to subscribe to our WAFB 9 News daily digest and breaking news alerts delivered straight to your email inbox.
Watch the latest WAFB news and weather now.
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