Acadian Ambulance enters Houston, Dallas markets

Acadian Ambulance Service is acquiring NorthStar EMS, meaning the Lafayette-based company will enter the Houston and Dallas markets. The expansion will add 150 full-time employees, 30 ambulances and 10 wheelchair vans to Acadian’s Texas operations, the company says. Acadian began operating in Texas in 2006 and serves 14 counties in the central, south-central and southeast portions of the state. NorthStar EMS, founded in 1998, provides emergency and non-emergency transports throughout Harris County and in Dallas. Porter Taylor, a 25-year Acadian veteran who most recently was operations manager in Baton Rouge, will serve as vice president of operations for the Dallas area. Acadian, which was established in 1971 and is owned by its employees through an employee stock ownership plan, serves central and south Louisiana as well as southern Mississippi. The company has about 3,600 employees total.