People

People & Flashes 03.30.11

Wednesday, March 30, 2011

Awards
Townsquare Media radio stations took home five Louisiana Association of Broadcasters Awards from the 2011 Prestige Awards Luncheon & Presentation. Townsquare Media’s Lafayette operations won three awards: KHXT Hot 107.9 – LAB Radio Station of the Year Award/large market; Camey Doucet/KROF 960 The Gator - LAB Lifetime Achievement Award (41 years); and Ray Sutley/production director - Distinguished Service Award (38 years).

People 11.24.10

Wednesday, November 24, 2010 

New Hire

Effective Dec. 1, Lafayette native Alison Neustrom assumes the post of research director of the nonprofit Public Affairs Research Council of Louisiana, a Baton Rouge-based private, non-partisan public policy research organization focused on Louisiana government. A 1989 graduate of STM, Neustrom is the daughter of Lafayette Sheriff Mike Neustrom. She most recently served as vice-president for public policy at the Louisiana Association of Nonprofit Organizations and previously served as assistant secretary of the Office of Family Support at the Louisiana Department of Social Service. She earned a bachelor’s degree in sociology from UL Lafayette, a master’s in social work and Ph.D. in sociology from LSU and completed a post-doctoral fellowship at the University of California, Berkeley School of Social Welfare.

Awards

Sides & Associates won two platinum and three gold awards, as well as an honorable mention, from the 2010 MarCom Awards, one of the largest international competitions for marketing and communication professionals. The Lafayette-based communications firm’s brochures for both the Lemoine Company and the Louisiana Association of Nonprofit Organizations received platinum awards. An educational workbook titled “Funding Hazard Mitigation” created for the Governor’s Office of Homeland Security and Emergency Preparedness, and the Lafayette Regional Airport’s website design and newspaper advertising campaign all took home gold awards. The awards are administered and judged by the Association of Marketing and Communication Professionals.

Program Expansion

The Moody College of Business Administration at UL is now offering an International Business Curriculum, an initiative designed to increase global business knowledge among students at the university. The curriculum has three study tracks related to a minor or concentration, depending on a student’s linguistic or regional interests.

The study tracks offered through the program are an international language and culture minor with French and Spanish options; international regional business minor focusing on Europe, Latin America, Asia and the Middle East; and an international concentration track, which offers study-abroad and internship options.

People & Flashes Aug/Sept 2010

Top of the Class

Larry K. Burleigh Sr. of Lafayette has been selected by his peers for inclusion in the 2011 edition of The Best Lawyers in America, joining a distinguished group of attorneys who have now made the prestigious list for 20 years or more.

Originally from Jeanerette, Burleigh began his law practice in Morgan City, where he still has a client base, and relocated his firm to Lafayette in the early 1990s. His specialty is maritime personal injury, automobile and products liability litigation. Burleigh frequently appears as a guest lecturer at seminars and has taught trial tactics at Duke University, Harvard Law School and other universities.

Burleigh is one of only a handful of local attorneys to be consistently named in The Best Lawyers in America in maritime law and personal injury litigation since the esteemed listing was first published 25 years ago. Among other local attorneys named to the 2011 list was Robert J. David Jr., who practices in the areas of labor/employment law and general litigation. David also serves as director of accommodations for the Louisiana Supreme Court’s committee on bar admissions.

The annual publication is widely regarded — by both the legal profession and the public — as the definitive guide to legal excellence in the U.S. It compiles lists of outstanding attorneys by conducting exhaustive peer-review surveys in which thousands of leading lawyers confidentially evaluate their peers. Best Lawyers is based on more than 3.1 million detailed evaluations of lawyers. The guide partnered this year with U.S. News & World Report, the leading rankings publication in the U.S. As a result, the Best Lawyers search engine now also appears on USNews.com, which has 7 million unique visitors each month.

No fee or purchase is required to be listed, and the annual, advertisement-free publication has been described by The American Lawyer as “the most respected referral list of attorneys in practice.”

Moving Up

The Lafayette office of Business First Bank promoted Eric Marter to senior vice president, commercial lending. A UL Lafayette graduate, Marter has almost two decades of experience in commercial lending and relationship banking. He is a member of the Greater Lafayette Chamber of Commerce’s Finance Committee, a board member of Festival International de Louisiane since 2007 and a graduate of Leadership Lafayette XVIII.

Event

The 2010 LAGCOE Open Golf Tournament is Monday, Oct. 25, at Oakbourne Country Club. The industry will celebrate the LAGCOE off-year by playing one of two tee times in the 4th annual tournament, a four-man scramble. There will be a player reception following each flight, along with food and drinks on the course. Register at http://register.loga.la. For more info or to secure a sponsorship, contact Ben Broussard at This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it or (337) 278-6240.

Submit press releases and photos for inclusion in “People and Flashes” to Leslie Turk at
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People July/August 2010

April Kleinpeter has been promoted to general sales manager of Courtesy Lincoln Mercury at 6885 Johnston St. Kleinpeter has more than 16 years of experience in the automotive industry and has been with Courtesy Automotive Group for seven years, most recently working as finance manager at Courtesy’s GMC location. Kleinpeter is being assisted in her new role as GSM by sales managers Steve Roy, who handles new vehicles, and Carlton Francis, who is in charge of pre-owned vehicles.

A distinguished coastal scientist, Dr. Robert Twilley has been named to the top research post at UL Lafayette. As vice president of research he will oversee the office of research, and many of UL’s research centers and economic development enterprises. Twilley most recently served as associate vice chancellor of research and economic development at LSU, commuting to Baton Rouge from Lafayette. His area of expertise is wetland ecology and rehabilitating damaged wetlands. He has also studied climate change extensively and its effect on states along the Gulf of Mexico. Twilley returns to UL, where he began his career in 1986 as an assistant professor in the biology department. He served as a professor in the department beginning in 1995 and was director and founder of UL Lafayette’s Center for Ecology and Environmental Technology from 1999 through 2004. In 2000, he was recognized with the UL Foundation’s Distinguished Professor Award. In a letter from UL President Joseph Savoie announcing the hire, Savoie writes that Twilley “is a respected scholar and scientist who also has extensive administrative experience. I’m confident that Dr. Twilley will be a strong leader who will help UL Lafayette continue its development as one of the Top 100 public research universities in the nation.” Twilley’s first day at UL will be Aug. 15; he takes over research at a university ranked second among research expenditures in the state with $58.6 million, according to an analysis of National Science Foundation research and development expenditures by public universities in Louisiana. His departure from LSU continues a recent trend of administrators and scientists leaving the state’s flagship university in the midst of budget cuts that have made finding suitable replacements extremely difficult, reports The Advocate. The paper notes that LSU has lost its provost, vice chancellor of research and economic development, multiple deans and other administrators and faculty.

Mary Ellen Henry, CEO of Crowley-based JohnPac Inc., was elected president of the Flexible Intermediate Bulk Container Association at the recent spring meeting held in Naples, Fla. FIBCA is the North American association for the voice of the polypropylene bulk bag industry for dry, flowable packaging materials. Henry also served as president in 2004 and 2005.  

Allstate Insurance Co. has named Chris Mahoney of Lafayette its Agent of the Year for the state of Louisiana. Mahoney was chosen for superior standards in customer loyalty and dedication to community relationships, as well as business growth during the fiscal year. Mahoney was also named to Allstate’s Chairman’s Inner Circle Conference.

Home Bank has promoted Commercial Banking Manager Gary Broussard to senior vice president. Broussard has 33 years of banking experience, eight with Home Bank. He is a graduate of UL Lafayette, the Graduate School of Banking at LSU, and has a continuing education degree in trust banking from the Cannon Financial Institute at the University of Notre Dame. Broussard is a past president of the Louisiana Young Banker’s Association, serves as the Southwest Louisiana regional representative on the Louisiana Bankers Political Action Committee and is a member of the budget and finance committee at Oakbourne Country Club. Home Bank also promoted Special Assets Officer Steve Caillier to vice president. Caillier, a Louisiana state-certified residential appraiser, began his banking career in 1970 and has more than 20 years of experience in residential appraisals. He has been with Home Bank for nine years, conducting inspections, appraisals and overseeing collections. In his new position, Caillier will focus on special assets management. Additionally at Home Bank, Celeste Lafleur Rushing, vice president and credit department manager, was among the 194 bankers receiving diplomas in June from the Graduate School of Banking at LSU. This three-year program provides courses covering all aspects of banking, economics and related subjects.

Janet C. Leleux has joined IberiaBank as senior vice president and commercial relationship banker. Leleux has more than 25 years of banking experience, most recently serving as senior vice president and senior relationship manager for JP Morgan Chase in Lafayette. Leleux earned a BS in finance from LSU. She works out of the IberiaBank Tower downtown.

Driver Lee Matte of Dupré Logistics’ Duson Energy Group won first place in the 5-Axle Flatbed division at the Louisiana Motor Transport Association’s annual Truck Driving Championships in Baton Rouge. The event is held in cooperation with the American Trucking Association. Matte’s win qualifies him to participate in the American Trucking Association National Trucking Driving Competition in Columbus, Ohio. Other Dupré Logistics drivers were Joseph Soileau, who competed in the 5-Axle Tank division, and Phil Strickland, in the 5-Axle Van division. Member company truck drivers with outstanding driving records go head-to-head in the event’s nine divisions of competition, which consist of a written test from the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Regulations, a personal interview, a pre-trip inspection of a commercial motor vehicle of the vehicle class in which they are driving and an obstacle course with six problems they must maneuver the vehicle around. This year’s competition hosted 99 Louisiana drivers from several different companies.

Angelle Theriot has joined the Greater Lafayette Chamber of Commerce as events director, responsible for the planning, supervision and execution of all chamber events. She creates and manages the budgets, coordinates logistics, secures sponsorships, manages ticket sales and registrations and carries out any additional aspects to ensure a successful event. The Breaux Bridge native moved back to Lafayette after 12 years in Minnesota. She graduated from Minnesota State University, Mankato, in 2009 with a bachelor’s degree in recreation, parks and leisure services. She completed her internship at the Houston Zoo as the special events intern and previously worked for Downtown Lafayette Unlimited as events and parcs coordinator.

The Grand Ballroom of the Marriott World Center in Orlando was the stage for the Manufacturing Extension Partnership of Louisiana to receive recognition at the MEP National Conference. MEP centers provide manufacturers with an array of services that focus on growth, productivity and efficiency. MEPOL is one of 65 MEP centers in the nation, and is in partnership with UL Lafayette. Diana Simek was named Champion of the Year, which recognizes outstanding advocates of the manufacturing extension mission and is awarded to an individual who has demonstrated an overwhelming commitment to the business growth and transformation of U.S.-based small- and mid-sized enterprises through continued support of the MEP system. Simek is a member of MEPOL’s Industrial Advisory Board. Dave Thomas was named Group Practitioner of the Year, an award that recognizes a group of MEP members whose specialized contributions have made a significant impact in the MEP system. These groups may have come up with a new product or service, improved an important process, or developed and expanded knowledge management and sharing within an organization or across the enterprise.

Renee Hernandez has joined Prescriptive Marketing as media specialist. She most recently worked in the local newspaper business and has more than four years of media sales and marketing experience in the Lafayette area. Additionally, she has worked with Squire’s Formal Wear in Louisiana, Mississippi and Tennessee in a media buying capacity. Hernandez is handling all aspects of local and national media including traditional print media, electronic media and Internet media.