Business Scene - January 2010

McDonald’s unveils its new Kaliste Saloom location	Niven Brown, Brett Mellington and Joey Durel
Ed Krampe and Gerald Breaux	Ed Krampe mingles with guests and chamber representatives
Cajun swamp fiddler Hadley Castille entertains guests at McDonald’s	Coldwell Banker employees dance the night away at their annual Christmas party
Steven Hebert leads Karen Cobb, Teri Desormeaux, Kim King, Elise Hebert, Hope Kidder and Mary Margaret Lavin in karaoke, singing “Love Shack”	Ceresa Walker, Marilyn Mosley-Haggerty and Sharron Prejean
Cindy Hebert and Minnie Hickman	Ed Dugas

Dozens of elected officials, media representatives and Greater Lafayette Chamber of Commerce ambassadors packed the new McDonald’s on Kaliste Saloom Road for a ribbon cutting this fall. Rather than update the existing building, which was built in 1993, owner/operator E.J. Krampe opted to raze it and replace it with a modern store, featuring all the latest amenities. Aesthetically, the interior features lots of glass, a palette of soft colors and activity centers for customers of all ages, including a Kid Zone with seven video games (plus some for adults), a high-definition flat screen television and WiFi. Outside, a dual drive-thru adds to customer convenience, and a thoughtful new monument sign completes the contemporary image, an example for future development and re-development on this busy thoroughfare. Enjoying that great McDonald’s coffee and complimentary Egg McMuffins: City-Parish President Joey Durel, tax assessor Conrad Comeaux, state legislators Page Cortez, Mike Michot and Joel Robideaux, chamber officials Rob Guidry and Bruce Conque, media veterans Chuck Wood and Mike Mitchell, and scores of other well-wishers.

Lafayette’s newest event venue, Abacus was the scene for Coldwell Banker/Pelican Real Estate’s annual Christmas bash. There was great food (the wild mushroom and gouda dip was a killer!) and good cheer all round as the crowd of real estate pros, media types, community leaders, vendors and others warmed a recent cold December night with lively conversation and even livelier karaoke. In addition to celebrating the holiday season, the company had another reason to come together as a team, says COO Steven Hebert. “While the first half of the year started off very slow, we have seen some recovery later in the year and particularly the last quarter,” Hebert says. “Our sales should come very close to equaling 2008, which is pretty amazing considering where we were at mid-year. We are confident that historically low interest rates combined with the expanded and extended home buyer tax credits will give 2010 sales a major boost and put us on a solid path to recovery.”

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