A top official at Acadian Ambulance since 1998, 45-year-old Tyron Picard announced he will leave the Lafayette-based company in January, though he was not specific about his future plans, saying only he will “pursue other business and governmental relations opportunities.”
Picard, Acadian Companies’ executive vice president for legal and governmental affairs, is the son of the late Cecil Picard, who served as Louisiana state superintendent of education from 1996 until his death in February 2007. In a letter addressed to “Friends,” Tyron Picard writes:
After 12 wonderful years at The Acadian Companies, I have decided to leave the organization on January 14, 2011, to pursue other business and governmental relations opportunities. Due to the fondness I have for Acadian, its mission, and the people who make it such a great company, this decision was a very difficult one for me and my family. The decision comes only after months of thoughtful discussion and prayer among my family and close friends.Picard, who is listed third among Acadian's management on the company's website, behind Chairman/CEO Zuschlag and President/COO David Pierce, did not immediately return a phone call seeking comment on his plans.
When I joined Acadian in 1998, over 90% of the Company was our Louisiana ambulance operation, our annual sales were $75 million, and we had 1,000 employees. I never dreamed that in 12 years, our ambulance operation would stretch from San Antonio to Pascagoula, our company would exceed $300 million in annual sales, have diversified into the monitoring and safety businesses, and that we would be nearing the 4,000 employee mark. I believe that the company’s present talent and financial position makes us internally stronger than we have ever been. Externally, in the eyes of governmental and civic leaders, our company has never been more respected.
During my time here, one thing has become crystal clear—the main ingredient in Acadian’s recipe for success is the people of the organization. I want to thank all of you for the genuine kindness and friendship you have expressed to me and my family since day one. I want to thank Richard Zuschlag, my fellow members of the Executive Committee and the Board of Directors, as well as each of our employees. All of you have taught me that a determined group of hardworking minds can truly achieve the unachievable. I have witnessed those remarkable achievements not only in our company’s financial growth, but in our company’s response to America’s greatest natural disaster—Hurricane Katrina.
When I was 18 years old, my father wrote me a letter at graduation, which said “Life is like a book with a series of chapters—don’t stay in one chapter too long, or you will never finish the book.” Although this chapter at Acadian will end in January, Acadian will have a place in my heart forever. My time here has been one of the most fulfilling chapters in my life.
In the future, every time I see a unit responding with lights and sirens, AIR MED flying overhead, or visit an elderly friend with an AOC pendant around his or her neck, I will recall fond memories of Acadian and thank God that my caring and compassionate friends at Acadian are once again making a difference in the lives of the people they serve.
Happy Holidays to you and your family, and know that you can call on me if I can ever be of assistance to you or your family.
MAY 20 This post by blogger CB Forgotston draws parallels between Gov. Bobby Jindal and two individuals he probably doesn't want to be aligned with: President Obama and former governor Edwin Edwards. CB says Jindal's trying to jack up the debt ceiling (an Obama play, according to CB) and buy votes from GOP leges who normally wouldn't go for that (an Edwards play, CB says).
MAY 20 Here's a post in the Baptist Message from an alumnus of Louisiana College. The author, Larry Burgess, calls on the leadership of the private school to take care of some pressing problems. Physical plant issues are critical and unaddressed, some faculty make so little they need government health care, and there is an atmosphere that does not encourage honest discussion, he writes. It's time to get things back in order, he says.
MAY 20 This post in Gambit tells of a benefit concert scheduled to raise money for the 19 people shot during a Mother's Day second line on Frenchmen Street in NOLA. Among them was Gambit blogger Deb Cotton, who spoke frequently about violence in the city and reported on the city's second line culture. Gambit's foundation, along with other NOLA non-profits, also is selling t-shirts to raise money for the victims.
MAY 20 Blogger Robert Mann is critical of the personal interest some legislators take in their work here, sharing the comments one NOLA solon made in explaining his decision to vote against a bill that would require people to stop discriminating against female workers. His wife might lose some salary, so he was going to have to vote against the equal pay bill, Conrad Appel said. Appel and everyone who heard him should have been ashamed, but they weren't, and that's what is wrong in that building, Mann argues.
MAY 20 American Press columnist Jim Beam writes about the budget again here, urging kudos for the House and its efforts to try to fix the budget as opposed to passing on a flawed and messy rubber-stamped document as it usually does. The Senate already is poo-pooing the effort, but instead Senators should be trying to find a way to improve it as well, Beam argues. He also has some predictions in here from LABI and CABL.
MAY 20 Here's a link to the photo gallery from Tulane's graduation this past weekend. Dr. John and Allen Toussaint played together and received honorary degrees. The Dalai Lama was so entranced by their performance he got up from his seat and walked across the stage to stand next to them. He even participated in a second line with his own personal, saffron-colored umbrella. To the graduates, he urged them to think about creating a peaceful, hopeful life and society.
MAY 20 This Picayune story questions the rhetoric of NOLA officials who say the city, aside from having a "murder problem," is safe. The talking points generally are that the criminals are killing each other, but everything else is OK. The police chief there says that even Lafayette is more dangerous than NOLA. But crime experts interviewed here say that NOLA's numbers indicate one of two things: either people are so used to violence they don't report it, or somebody's "fudging the numbers."
MAY 20 The Advocate's Mark Ballard writes about some of the background maneuvering that took place during the development of budget alternatives in the Legislature. From Rep. Joel Robideaux being called a "tax and spend liberal" to robo-call influence, Ballard lets us in on some of the work that happens behind the scenes but usually doesn't make it into the Advocate's daily coverage of the session.
Most Read
in case you missed it
Subscribe to this comment's feed