People

People & Flashes April-May 2012

Cardiovascular Institute of the South has opened a new clinic at 803 Poinciana Avenue in Mamou. Dr. Fernando Arzola, a cardiologist with CIS for more than 17 years, having previously served as medical director at the CIS Raceland clinic, is seeing patients at the Mamou clinic. Arzola previously practiced as a cardiologist at the CIS Opelousas clinic and held the title of chief of the department of medicine at Teche Regional Medical Center in Morgan City. The CIS clinic in Mamou is a result of a partnership between CIS and Savoy Medical Center to provide comprehensive cardiovascular care to the Mamou area.

Lorin LeBlanc has joined MidSouth Bank as chief information officer. A Crowley native, LeBlanc has 27 years of technical and managerial experience at community and regional banks. For the past nine years, he worked as information systems manager for Fidelity Homestead Savings Bank in New Orleans. In his new role, LeBlanc is assessing the feasibility of integrated projects and ensuring that solutions comply with the bank’s strategic goals. LeBlanc has a BS from the University of Alabama. He completed the Precision Electronic Maintenance Program at Lowry Air Force Base in Denver and a one-year vocational-technical course in IT at EDI Institute in New Orleans.

Neal Manuel, a longtime RN and former surgery department director, is now associate chief nursing officer for the Regional Medical Center of Acadiana. Manuel assists nursing leadership in establishing and enforcing policies at the facility, the first in Acadiana to receive Cycle III Chest Pain Accreditation through the Society of Chest Pain Centers. Manuel earned an associate degree in nursing from LSU-E and a bachelor’s degree in nursing from Graceland University in 1991 before completing a master’s in administration from Central Michigan University. He received the Frist Humanitarian Award in 1998, was named one of the top 25 nurses in Acadiana in 2009, holds certifications in med-surg nursing and critical care nursing and is board-certified as an advanced nurse executive.

Paul A. Durand, president and CEO of St. Martin Bank and Trust, was appointed to serve as Louisiana representative on the American Bankers Association’s Government Relations Council Administrative Committee. Committee members are appointed by the ABA chairman for one year, and there is typically one representative from each state. The committee plays a critical role in ABA’s decision-making process by developing recommendations for its board on positions and priorities relating to legislative and regulatory issues. Committee members also provide a forum for discussion and debate on policy issues facing the banking industry. Committee members serve as essential advocates of ABA’s policy positions before members of the legislative and executive branches and related agencies, local media and fellow bankers.

Nicole DesOrmeaux, a senior accountant at Fenstermaker, passed her fourth and final exam to become a CPA. With more than 15 years of experience in the industry, DesOrmeaux specializes in financial accounting and reporting. Employed by Fenstermaker since December 2003, she has a BS in business administration from UL. In other Fenstermaker news, the company was honored with a MarCom Gold Award, print design category, for its Holiday Client Giving Card Campaign. Guided by the Community Foundation of Acadiana and the Greater Kansas City Community Foundation, Fenstermaker launched the program to promote sharing and charity during the holiday season.

Cicely Ozen has been promoted to credit analyst in the commercial lending department at FM Bank. She has been with the bank for five years, previously serving as operations assistant and loan administrative assistant. She has a BA in economics and finance from Dillard University. Ozen previously was a volleyball coach at St. Genevieve School. Also at the bank, Destiney Webb has been named manager/consumer loan officer for the banking center in the Breaux Bridge Walmart. She previously was teller and assistant manager at the Walmart branch. She is an alumna of Nicholls State University where she studied accounting. The Breaux Bridge native worked with the Walmart/Sam’s organization prior to joining the FM Bank. Also promoted was Andy Chautin. He is now Arnaudville branch manager/loan officer. Chautin, who has been with FM Bank since 2008, most recently was manager of the Walmart branch in Breaux Bridge. He is a 2005 UL Monroe graduate and also earned a master’s degree in English from UL Lafayette. He currently serves as Arnaudville Chamber of Commerce president. Chautin and Brittany Theriot, the bank’s information systems officer/director, recently completed the 2011 Leadership School offered by the Louisiana Bankers Association.

People & Flashes March-April 2012

LHC Group has promoted Kimberly Sturlese Seymour and Amy Stevens to vice presidents. Seymour, a CPA, was promoted to vice president of revenue systems management and analysis and is overseeing LHC Group’s transition from paper to electronic medical records. She previously served as LHC Group’s director of internal audit. Prior experience includes work as controller for Orbit Energy in Lafayette, as well as a senior auditor for Ernst & Young in New Orleans. She is a graduate of LSU, where she earned a bachelor’s degree in accounting and a master’s degree in business administration. Stevens, who was promoted to vice president of marketing and communications, most recently served as director of marketing and communications. Before joining the local company, she worked for Wellmont Health System in Tennessee. She has a bachelor’s degree in communication from East Tennessee State University, a master’s degree in business administration from King College and a master’s degree in organizational management from Tusculum College.

Our Lady of Lourdes recently named Dr. Robert Carroll chief medical information officer. Carroll is assisting in the development and deployment of the computerized physician order entry process. His responsibilities include integration of CPOE technology in the daily hospital environment, physician education and sharing best practice medicine within an advanced EMR system.  

Jake Duos joined FM Bank as assistant VP/commercial lending officer. Duos, a graduate of Southeastern University, has a bachelor’s degree in finance and in 2011 completed studies at the LSU Graduate School of Banking. Duos previously worked in the lending division of First Guaranty Bank of the South in Hammond. Ryan Lavergne, Alex Doucet and Chad Dartez, all of whom have a bachelor’s degree in finance from UL, are also recent hires. Lavergne is senior credit analyst, overseeing all commercial underwriting, appraisal requests and the management of analyst work in the lending department. Doucet joined the Commercial Credit Analyst Department, and Dartez, who has 16 years of banking experience, was named vice president, senior commercial lending officer. Also at the bank, Mark Sibley and Shawn Verret were promoted. Sibley was elevated to senior vice president/senior commercial lending officer. Sibley has been with the bank for five years, having originally worked as a senior credit analyst. He has 17 years of commercial lending experience and earned a finance degree and an MBA from UL. Verret was named assistant VP/commercial lending officer. Verret, who holds a bachelor of science in finance and insurance risk management from UL, completed the university’s MBA program in spring 2010. His experience in the finance industry includes five years with FM Bank as a consumer loan and commercial lending officer. FM Bank is constructing a new branch in Breaux Bridge. Projected to open in May 2012, the banking center is located at 2829 Grand Point Highway, adjacent to Crawfish Town USA.

Cecile Shenkan, realtor relations manager with House Dressings Professional Home Staging in Lafayette, has earned the Accredited Staging Professional designation. House Dressings provides full-service home staging, including evaluations, staging and rentals. Shenkan joins a network of more than 21,000 real estate agents and professional home stagers worldwide. ASP-staged homes spend 80 percent less time on the market and average a 10-20 percent higher sales price than non-staged homes.

The Lafayette Express Employment Professionals office has named Katherine Knight business development manager. Knight is responsible for identifying new markets and seeking clients who are in search of hiring solutions. Knight is also researching new business opportunities and creating a greater presence for the company throughout the area via networking, motivational speaking and community involvement.

ATC Associates has expanded its corporate marketing and communications department with the addition of Ellen Rogers as marketing communications coordinator and Sarah Armentor as communications coordinator. Rogers has worked in a variety of market sectors including corporate, retail and nonprofit and has a bachelor of science degree in communications from Loyola University. Prior to joining ATC, Armentor was marketing manager at System Forward American Inc., a franchise management firm, where she was a liaison for 148 franchisees across the U.S. as well as Canada and Australia. She was also the manager of sales and operations at Lipari Sporting Goods & Advertising Specialties. Armentor has a bachelor of science in marketing from UL Lafayette.

Julie Gauthier has taken over as director of public relations at BBR Creative. She is a Lafayette native who recently returned to the area after working for several years in Washington, D.C. She has a bachelor’s degree in English and a master’s degree in political science, both from LSU. She previously was press secretary for the Washington, D.C.-based nonprofit the American Independent News Network, responsible for press outreach and increasing coverage for the network’s stories and journalists.

Several Moss Motors employees were recognized by BMW of North America. Sales Profiles in Achievement, BMW’s annual recognition program, rewards top performers in sales and aftersales and technical professionals. Participants are measured on key performance indicators, BMW University training, as well as various other components relating to specific categories. Platinum winners, the highest award, earn a chance to receive an invitation to the sought after trip of the year. The top performers are also considered for an invitation to sit on the 2012 BMW Professional Council among their peers and BMW management. Chuck Broussard was awarded the Platinum Profiles in Achievement for pre-owned sales manager. Mike Robair and Richard Foard received a bronze award for client advisors, and Jody Ancelet was awarded a bronze for pre-owned sales.

Michael Doise has joined MidSouth Bank’s accounting department as asset liability manager. He is responsible for financial projections, asset/liability forecasts, and management reporting. A Lafayette native, Doise earned an MBA in finance from Tulane University and a bachelor’s degree in accounting from LSU. He worked at Morgan Keegan in Memphis as a fixed income trader for two years before returning to school to earn his MBA.

Cardiovascular Institute of the South has opened a new clinic at 803 Poinciana Avenue in Mamou. CIS cardiologist Dr. Fernando Arzola is seeing patients at the Mamou clinic. Arzola has been a cardiologist with CIS for more than 17 years, having previously served as medical director at the CIS Raceland clinic. He also practiced as a cardiologist at the CIS Opelousas clinic and held the title of chief of the department of medicine at Teche Regional Medical Center in Morgan City. The CIS clinic in Mamou is a result of a partnership between CIS and Savoy Medical Center to provide comprehensive cardiovascular care to the Mamou area.

Fenstermaker was honored with a MarCom Gold Award, print design category, for its 2010 Holiday Client Giving Card Campaign. Guided by the Community Foundation of Acadiana and the Greater Kansas City Community Foundation, Fenstermaker launched the program to promote sharing and charity during the holiday season. Fenstermaker sent key clients a holiday message with a Giving Card to be donated to the charity of the client’s choice. Judged by the Association of Marketing and Communication Professionals, the MarCom Awards is an international competition that recognizes exceptional creative achievement by marketing and communication professionals. More than 6,000 entries were submitted for the competition.

Neal Manuel, a longtime RN and former Surgery Department director, is now associate chief nursing officer for the Regional Medical Center of Acadiana. In his new role exclusive to the hospital campus, Manuel assists nursing leadership in establishing and enforcing policies at the facility, first in Acadiana to receive Cycle III Chest Pain Accreditation through the Society of Chest Pain Centers. Manuel earned an associate degree in nursing from LSU-E in 1986 and a bachelor’s degree in nursing from Graceland University in 1991 before completing a master’s degree in administration from Central Michigan University in 1995. He received the Frist Humanitarian Award in 1998, was named one of the top 25 nurses in Acadiana in 2009, holds certifications in med-surg nursing and critical care nursing and is board-certified as an advanced nurse executive.

People & Flashes January/February 2012

People / Flashes January-February 2012

Eunice resident Michael Sonnier, a local family nurse practitioner, has been named director of Arc of Acadiana’s newly acquired Southwest Developmental Center. The Iota center was acquired from the Louisiana Department of Health and Hospitals. Sonnier’s experience includes a previous position in Arc’s New Iberia offices as head nurse and work at Southwest Developmental Center. Most recently, he had a successful family practice in Eunice and worked for Savoy Medical Center. Arc of Acadiana’s Acadia Division serves those with developmental disabilities by offering residential, supported living and in-home services, as well as employment services. Future plans for the facility include a Family Practice Clinic that will provide a full range of health care to the public, as well as to those with developmental disabilities living in the community.

UL marketing majors Hannah Darby and Jordan Johnson ranked 10th overall at the 2011 Russ Berrie Institute National Sales Challenge, the second largest national collegiate student sales competition, held in New Jersey. The ranking was among a field of 30 universities with 60 student competitors from across the country. Darby’s performance earned her a 6th place overall individual ranking while Johnson ranked 20th overall. The two were trained by Dr. Duleep Delpechitre, assistant professor of marketing at UL.

In January, Lafayette architect Mark F. Stielper of MBSB Group assumed the presidency of the American Institute of Architects’ Louisiana board of directors. He took over the post after being selected president-elect last year during the annual membership meeting.
 
Julie Savoy, an associate at the Gachassin Law Firm, has been elected to serve as president of the Louisiana Society of Hospital Attorneys, the premier health lawyer group in the state. A Lafayette native, Savoy graduated from the UL College of Nursing in 1982 and is a 2002 graduate the Paul M. Hebert LSU Law School. She has 15 years of nursing experience in infection control and epidemiology and more than nine years of experience defending health care providers in medical malpractice matters and providing consultations in health care risk management.

Joan McCarthy has been named chief financial officer at RLC, the largest privately held helicopter operator in the Gulf of Mexico. She brings extensive expertise in management and accounting, including more than 15 years in the offshore oil and gas service industry. She has worked in financial leadership positions at Offshore Logistics Inc., a major provider of helicopter transportation for the oil and gas industry, and GulfMark Offshore Inc., a global provider of marine transportation. Most recently, McCarthy led financial operations for Moreno Group LLC, a global leader in fabrication and construction. Also at RLC, Travis Latiolais — who has 15 years of sales, marketing and operations experience in the offshore helicopter industry — was named vice president of business development. Latiolais comes to RLC after spending the past 11 years at global helicopter services operator Bristow Group (formerly Air Logistics), most recently as sales manager of the North American Business Unit. Earlier in his tenure with the company, he held leadership positions in maintenance and operations, having begun his career as a maintenance technician at PHI. Latiolais holds a BS in professional aeronautics management from Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University and is a licensed, private pilot of fixed wing aircraft. McCarthy and Latiolais joined RLC only two months after the company made a series of significant announcements, including a strategic investment, the appointment of Dru Milke to CEO, and the rollout of a fresh corporate brand identity.

Lafayette General Medical Center President and CEO David Callecod was named among the country’s most committed and influential leaders in the health care industry. At the 9th Annual What’s Right in Healthcare conference in Chicago, Callecod was one of seven leaders nationwide inducted in Studer Group’s Fire Starter Hall of Fame. Each year, Studer Group, a national firm helping to improve American health care quality, recognizes a select few hospital leaders for their commitment to excellence and their impact on the lives of employees, physicians, patients and families. Now in his fourth year leading Lafayette General, Callecod’s first experience as a top administrator was at the age of 30 as CEO of two of Tenet’s highest performing hospitals in patient satisfaction.

Lafayette Parish Tax Assessor Conrad Comeaux was a featured speaker at the 2011 FutureView Conference held in New Orleans. The conference, which showcases the latest advances in aerial imaging technology, was hosted by Pictometry. Comeaux’s presentation focused on the benefits that local governments gain by using various high-resolution imagery tools provided through aerial imaging companies like Pictometry and leveraging those technologies to lower costs. In order to minimize the amount of time spent gathering basic details of properties, Comeaux explained that the Lafayette Parish Assessor’s Office uses high-resolution ortho photography, which involves viewing the property from the top looking down, as well as oblique imaging, viewing all four sides of a property at an angle.

To honor people who have made an impact in their communities, Community Foundation of Acadiana held its inaugural 2011 Leaders in Philanthropy Awards Luncheon, presented by The Shaw Group, at the Cajundome Convention Center. CFA presented Leaders in Philanthropy Awards to the following individuals and couples in each of its eight-parish service areas: Acadia Parish – Ted and Judy Carmichael; Evangeline Parish – Tim Fontenot; Iberia Parish – Dr. Mike and Tommye Halphen; Lafayette Parish – James “Jim” H. Prince; St. Landry Parish – Bobby Dupre; St. Martin Parish – Dr. Kenneth L. Fournet; St. Mary Parish – Gregory J. Hamer Sr.; and Vermilion Parish – Eugene M. Sellers. The event also featured keynote speaker Bert Jacobs, co-founder of the “Life is good” brand, which has reached sales of more than $100 million a year. Jacobs inspired CFA’s audience of 675 community leaders, business leaders and nonprofits as he spoke of how to optimize business and philanthropy through the power of optimism. He also spoke of leadership and corporate social responsibility.

The Lafayette Chapter of the American Association of Drilling Engineers has selected its 2011-12 board. Each year, officers, steering committee members and chairmen from local oil and gas companies volunteer their time to guide the group’s mission of education and information sharing. The local chapter holds its general meetings the third Monday of each month at 11:30 a.m. at the Petroleum Club. AADE officers for the upcoming year are Nick Rezvani, president (Marlin Energy); Sharon Moore, treasurer (Halliburton); Matt Lane, second vice president (Smith Technologies); Derrick Daigle, second vice president (National Oilwell Varco); and Peggy Meynard, secretary/membership chairwoman (IntegriCert).

Triumph MeadowBrook Specialty Hospital has changed its name to Kindred Hospital Lafayette and named Sharon Black chief executive officer. The name change reflects Triumph Healthcare’s merger with Kindred Healthcare, the largest operator of long-term acute care hospitals in the country, with 120 LTAC Hospitals in 26 states. Kindred LTAC hospitals provide aggressive, specialized interdisciplinary care to medically complex patients who require extended recovery time. Black, a registered nurse who has a master’s degree in health administration, has extensive experience in health care, working in hospitals in Louisiana, Nevada and Georgia. A Crowley native and UL graduate, she previously served as administrator/CEO at the HealthSouth Rehab Hospital of South Louisiana in Baton Rouge and chief nursing officer at the Regional Medical Center of Acadiana. She began her career at Our Lady of Lourdes in Lafayette.

Michael Doise has joined MidSouth Bank’s Accounting Department as asset liability manager. He is responsible for financial projections, asset/liability forecasts, and management reporting. A Lafayette native, Doise earned an MBA in finance from Tulane University and a bachelor’s degree in accounting from LSU. He worked at Morgan Keegan in Memphis as a fixed income trader for two years before returning to school to earn his MBA.

Coldwell Banker Pelican Real Estate’s learning courses are now approved for elective credit by the Council of Residential Specialists. CRS was created to attract and retain real estate agents seeking the knowledge, tools and relationship-building opportunities needed to maximize their income and professionalism in residential real estate. In 2010, CRS designees earned nearly three times more than non-CRS residential agents. According to the Realtor Association of Acadiana, there are 56 Realtors in Lafayette who hold CRS designations and 458 in the state of Louisiana. Coldwell Banker’s University BOO$T and Previews International Properties Specialist courses account for one-half of the 32 elective credits required for the CRS designation and are offered exclusively to members of the Coldwell Banker network. BOO$T is a high-accountability program designed for experienced Coldwell Banker sales agents that promotes best-practice sharing, networking and the use of cutting-edge technology. Previews International Properties Specialist is an interactive certification program providing the core foundation for working with the affluent market.

People & Flashes 12.28.11

Veteran CPA Stephen Moore Jr. is merging his practice with the Lafayette-based CPA firm Kolder, Champagne, Slaven & Company.

People & Flashes November 23, 2011

November, 23, 2011

MidSouth Bank has promoted Marcia Angelle to assistant VP-collections and ombudsman manager. A Breaux Bridge native, she has been with the bank for 11 years. To assist customers who consistently overdraw their accounts, MidSouth Bank in March created an ombudsman program that helps customers properly maintain and monitor their accounts in order to avoid excessive overdraft fees. Angelle has 30 years of collections experience, including 15 years in legal collections.

Ryan Bonin, Candace Mann Miller and Lauren Ruggles have joined Keller Williams Realty Acadiana. Bonin is a 2007 graduate of Lafayette High School and is pursuing his finance degree at UL. He is a writer for ProHockeyNews.com and co-owner of Acadiana Specialty Services. Miller is a native of West Texas and has been a Realtor in Lafayette since 2000. She has experience in residential, commercial, and investment properties and specializes in first time home buyers and real estate investment properties. Originally from New Orleans, Ruggles is a licensed cosmetologist pursuing a new career as a Realtor.