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Chasing the rubber lining

Topcor Belco has purchased the assets of Bud Enterprise Lining Company Inc., a specialty contractor that provides rubber lining for process vessels and steel fabrication along the Gulf Coast. The company’s former owners will remain with the company and work with new owner Jay Roccaforte to make Belco a national competitor in the rubber lining industry.

Moving on up

Aquaterra Engineering has moved to Baton Rouge from its former location in Port Allen. The company’s new office on O’Neal Lane will provide a larger, more centralized location from which Aquaterra can continue to expand its environmental and geotechnical engineering services.

Asian acquisitions

Albemarle Corporation finalized the acquisition of two joint venture projects in China. The acquisition adds Ningbo Jinhai Albemarle Chemical and Industry Co. and Shanghai Jinhai Albemarle Fine Chemicals Co. to Albemarle’s list of locations worldwide. The Jinhai Albemarle joint ventures specialize in the manufacture and marketing of polymer antioxidants and associated intermediaries.

AWARDS/HONORS

Nicole Fox of Woman’s Hospital received the fifth annual Association of Women’s Health, Obstetric and Neonatal Nurses and Johnson’s Childbirth Nurse to Nurse Award. The award honors childbirth nurses who demonstrate exceptional dedication and skill in their practice. Fox has worked as a full-time nurse at Woman’s Hospital for more than 17 years in labor and delivery, newborn nursery, postpartum and home health and is currently working as a lactation nurse and educator.

LeBlanc Nissan in Gonzales received an Owner First Circle of Excellence award from Nissan. The award recognizes dealerships that demonstrate excellence in terms of sales volume, profitability and customer service. This year, only 36 Nissan dealers out of more than 1,000 nationwide qualified for the award, and only 12 were honored in Nissan’s South Central Region.

Ray Castle, LSU department of kinesiology assistant professor, was awarded the National Athletic Trainers Association’s 2007 Athletic Trainer Services Award. The award recognizes outstanding service to the athletic training profession and to NATA at the state and district levels. Castle was one of 27 recipients this year.

The Baton Rouge Ballet Theatre and Playmakers of Baton Rouge have received the 2007 Stanford Financial Excellence in the Arts Award. The award recognizes local arts organizations that demonstrate exceptional fiscal management of their resources. The Ballet, representing arts organizations with budgets of more than $250,000, received a $25,000 unrestricted grant from Stanford. Playmakers, representing arts organizations with budgets less than $250,000, received a $10,000 unrestricted grant.

Michael H. Rubin has been named the 2007 LSU Law Center’s Distinguished Alumnus of the year. The award is given annually to an alumnus who exemplifies the highest quality and ethical standards of the legal profession and whose achievements bring distinction to Louisiana and the Law Center. Rubin’s father, the late Judge Alvin B. Rubin, was the first recipient of the award in 1986.

Glenn Sumners, director of LSU’s Center for Internal Auditing, has received the Bradford Cadmus Memorial Award. The award, presented by the Institute of Internal Auditors, was one of two given this year to individuals who have made significant contributions to the profession of internal auditing through research, education publications or development activities. LSU’s CIA program is recognized as the world’s leader in auditing education, and 15 LSU students have received the highest score on the International Certified Auditor Exam since 1998.

Evan Berman, LSU business professor, will serve as editor in chief for an upcoming series of books about public administration and public policy. The books, which were commissioned by the American Society for Public Administration and Taylor and Francis Group, will include information from ASPA members and target both executives and academics. According to Berman, LSU could receive enough attention from the books to receive offers for future research opportunities.

Bill Noonan, co-chairman of the Baton Rouge Clean Air Coalition, has been recognized as Louisiana’s 2007 Outstanding Tobacco Control Advocate. The award honors individuals who have made exemplary contributions to Louisiana’s tobacco control efforts, including superior advocacy, education and prevention. Noonan has worked with both local and state tobacco control efforts.

NOMINATIONS

The Louisiana Purchase Venture Capital Forum is seeking business plan submissions from companies that will ultimately be selected to present at the forum. Submissions should come from companies that have a headquarters or a significant operating presence in Louisiana. Submissions should also come from several target sectors, including biotechnology, information technology, telecommunications, environmental technology, agriculture and food technology, manufacturing and materials, and industrial and energy. Submitting a business plan is free and should be turned by Aug. 31. Entries may be submitted via e-mail at submissions@la-purchase.com. For details visit la-purchase.com.

CERTIFICATIONS

Christopher M. White, vice-president of Wynn L. White Consulting Engineers Inc., has earned a professional engineering license from the Louisiana Professional Engineering and Land Surveying Board. White, a graduate of LSU, has more than 18 years of experience as an engineer and has a broad background in environmental investigation and remediation