Meet the thinkers, builders and risk-takers whose ideas have reshaped business—and beyond

The Business Awards & Hall of Fame recognize more than success. They honor the changemakers—people who saw a need, challenged the status quo and built something lasting, often quietly and patiently. In doing so, they helped reshape the economic and civic fabric of the Capital Region and beyond.

This year’s honorees reflect that idea in six very different ways. They include a second-generation industrial leader who started over to build a purpose-driven company rooted in innovation and safety; a family patriarch who transformed a humble car wash into a nationally influential business model while never losing sight of his people; and a nurse whose personal experience gave rise to an entirely new model of care for medically fragile children and working families.

They also include a pharmaceutical founder proving that data, discipline and compassion can coexist in a highly regulated industry; an insurance executive whose steady leadership, humility and service left a permanent mark on Baton Rouge institutions and nonprofits; and a risk-taker who bet everything on the idea that locally focused, relationship-driven banking still matters—and could help a city grow.

Taken together, their stories show how change really happens in a community—through deliberate choices, hard calls and a steady willingness to take risks when it matters most. These honorees built with purpose, stayed true to their values and left Baton Rouge better than they found it. That’s what makes them changemakers—and why their impact will be felt well beyond this moment.

Hall of Fame laureate

Benny Alford – Benny’s Car Wash
Read: How Benny Alford rebuilt an industry around people

Hall of Fame laureate (posthumous)

Bob Greer – Chairman, b1Bank, President and CEO, Union National Life Insurance and LEMIC Insurance
Read: Bob Greer’s influence wasn’t loud—but it was everywhere

Executive of the Year

Renita Williams Thomas – Owner, In Loving Arms Healthcare for Kids
Read: When the system failed her child, Renita Thomas built a new one

Young Businessperson of the Year

Scott Gaudin – President and CEO, Currency Bank
Read: Why Scott Gaudin cashed out everything to buy a bank

Company of the Year (100 or more employees)

Loadstar
Read: Why Brian Haymon chose the riskier path

Company of the Year (fewer than 100 employees)

SOLA Pharmaceuticals
Read: This Baton Rouge pharma company is beating the big players at their own game