Spinosa's company loses La. construction licenses

Tommy Spinosa’s construction company, Echelon Construction Services, is no longer licensed to work in Louisiana. The Louisiana State Licensing Board for Contractors revoked Echelon’s commercial and residential licenses earlier this fall, after the company voluntarily surrendered them following a hearing before the board giving it a month to settle two unpaid judgments. The 19th Judicial District Court had awarded those judgments in May to subcontractors that did work on Perkins Rowe.

According to documents provided by the licensing board, an administrative hearing was held Aug. 20 after Firestop International and Gypsum Subfloors filed complaints. The firms were awarded judgments for $71,396, and $129,535, respectively, for work done on Perkins Rowe. The board voted unanimously to give Echelon 30 days to settle the judgments or lose its licenses. On the 29th day, Echelon voluntarily surrendered the licenses, at which time they were officially revoked. That means the company can’t bid or enter into any contracts of $50,000 or more for commercial projects, and $75,000 or more for residential projects.

Spinosa’s attorney, Brian McCullough, says in a written statement that the board did not revoke the licenses for nonpayment of judgments, though a spokesperson for the board says that is not accurate. McCullough also says the judgments have since been settled, but that because of current economic conditions Spinosa has chosen to restructure his companies to focus on real-estate developments, such as Rouzan, and de-emphasize Echelon for the time being.—Stephanie Riegel

CenturyLink plans to add 350 jobs in Monroe

CenturyLink says it will keep its corporate headquarters in Monroe and add 350 jobs in Louisiana, following the telecommunication company's merger with Embarq. Gov. Bobby Jindal and CenturyLink officials made the announcement today. "CenturyLink has been one of our state’s top private-sector employers for many years, which is why we worked aggressively after the announcement of the merger to develop a comprehensive support plan to ensure that CenturyLink will stay and grow right here for many years to come," Jindal says. CenturyLink had been called CenturyTel before the merger this summer with Kansas-based Embarq. CenturyLink is the third-largest local exchange telephone company in the U.S., and the state's third Fortune 500 company. CenturyLink has committed to increase its Louisiana workforce by at least 100 jobs in 2010, an additional 150 in 2011, and 50 in 2012 and 2013, all with an average salary of at least $45,000 plus benefits. The jobs will stay on through at least 2019, the same period that CenturyLink has pledged to keep its headquarters in Monroe. The expansion is expected to lead to the creation of more than 520 new, permanent indirect jobs, Louisiana Economic Development officials say. Over the next decade, LED estimates that the expansion will generate $20.3 million in new state tax revenues and $13.5 million in new local tax revenues, excluding the value of any new property taxes. Louisiana Tech has also agreed to collaborate with the company on courses to serve the advanced education needs of its workforce.

State receives money to study green jobs

The U.S. Department of Labor has awarded nearly $2.3 million to a consortium that includes Louisiana Workforce Commission and LSU to identify green jobs in Louisiana and Mississippi. The goal of the project, which also includes the Mississippi Department of Employment Security and Mississippi State, is to produce labor market information focused on industries such as biofuels, renewable power, energy-efficient building and sustainable manufacturing. “With this grant, we can better understand the requirements of green occupations and ensure that we are training workers to meet these needs,” says Curt Eysink, executive director of the Workforce Commission. The grant will also be used to determine the availability of training for green jobs at universities and technical colleges and plan to educate students in those fields.

Stimulus money making Livingston green

Thanks to nearly $800,000 in federal stimulus money, Livingston Parish government is on the cusp of setting a new standard for local conservation. With the newly acquired cash, Livingston officials will hire a technical consultant and organize a volunteer-based “Energy Efficiency and Conservation Committee” to recommend best practices for going greener and to oversee how the money is spent. The grant dollars, awarded by the U.S. Department of Energy, will also be used to retrofit public buildings and vehicles with the latest technology to reduce consumption. The top target, also the area’s biggest energy user, is the 68-year-old Livingston Parish Courthouse. It’s first on deck for changes. Overall, Livingston Parish intends to reduce its energy consumption by 15%, saving taxpayers thousands of dollars annually, Livingston Parish President Mike Grimmer says. “We want to take the lead in creating a community focused on energy efficiency, conservation and sustainable development,” Grimmer says. “We hope to set a responsible, regional example of what can be done to preserve resources and save money.” The project will begin in early 2010 with an audit of energy usage in parish-owned buildings to identify priorities. The parish will then phase in energy-saving measures, as well as train its staff in better conservation practices, Grimmer says. To read the rest of 10/12 Corridor Weekly, click here.—Jeremy Alford

LSU ranked in top 50 of internationally known business schools

LSU's E. J. Ourso College of Business was ranked as one of the top 50 internationally known Top Business Schools. The LSU business school moved up a spot to No. 48 on Eduniversal's Palmes 2009 rankings of U.S. institutions. Eduniversal uses five criteria to rank institutions, including national educational expenditure per inhabitant, GDP of the school’s country of origin and the number of students in higher education among others. The top 1000 schools are then divided into five leagues by level of international importance and influence. The E.J. Ourso College received four palmes of five, the designation for the “Top Business Schools Internationally Known” category.—Emma James

LASERS sees return on investments pick up

After hitting a low point earlier this year, the Louisiana State Employees' Retirement System says the value of its investments is up 18.6% for the first months of the year. As of Sept. 30, LASERS says its assets were $7.6 billion, up by more than $1.7 billion since the end of February. “These numbers indicate that our stay the course strategy is working,” says Cindy Rougeou, LASERS executive director. The system has a seven year annualized return of 8.3%.

Picardy Green Light work complete

City-parish officials will mark the completion of the Picardy Avenue Extension at 10:45 a.m. Thursday, the eighth Green Light project to be finished. The Picardy project, which connected existing segments off Bluebonnet Boulevard and Essen Lane, was finished a month ahead of schedule. Work on the $2.4 million project started in February.

Nominations open for Business Awards and Hall of Fame

Nominations are being accepted for the 2010 Business Awards and Hall of Fame banquet. The event is presented annually by the Business Report and Junior Achievement. The categories include: Business Hall of Fame Laureate (for a lifetime of achievement), Company of the Year (under 100 employees), Company of the Year (100 or more employees), Young Business Person of the Year (40 or under) and Business Person of the Year. To nominate your company, yourself, a client, vendor or friend, click here or call 928-7008. The deadline for nominations is Dec. 31. The banquet, which will be held April 20 at the Crowne Plaza Hotel, is sponsored by Franklin Press Direct Mail & Printing and Capital One Bank.

News roundup: Mike falls short in mascot voting ... Companies not cutting back on holiday plans

He's still our favorite: LSU's Mike the Tiger fell short in his quest to be named Capitol One's National Mascot of the Year. Mike finished 9th out of 12 mascots in the first round of online balloting; the top eight advanced to the playoffs. Capital One says more than 3 million votes were cast in the first round; Texas Christian University’s Superfrog was the leading vote-getter. The winning mascot will be announced at halftime of the Capital One Bowl, which will be played on New Year's Day.

No Scrooges here: A survey says 66% of companies are keeping their holiday party budgets the same as last year or increasing them. GigMasters.com, an Internet-based entertainment booking service, says companies are cutting back on decorations and the cost of renting out space, preferring to use items from previous years and hold parties at the office or in private homes. Food is still the key to company parties; the survey says 58% of the budget is being spent on eats, with dinner buffets and hors d'oeuvres and desserts the most popular offerings.