Down the road: KW Development owner Kent Walker is developing two O’Reilly Auto Parts stores in the Baton Rouge area. One store is being constructed at 9545 Airline Highway, and another will be built at La. 30 and Interstate 10 in Gonzales. Permits were pulled last week, with construction is set to begin on Monday. The Baton Rouge store is expected to be completed in July, while the Gonzales store will be done by the end of April. O’Reilly Automotive has 12 locations in Baton Rouge and operates 5,000 stores in 47 states.
Enemy territory: Former LSU football coach Nick Saban is coming back to the Bayou State. The Alabama coach will be in Lafayette on Saturday, April 7, to honor longtime friends Wayne and Connie Elmore at the UL Lafayette Alumni Association Spring Gala, The Advertiser reports. Wayne Elmore is chairman of the UL Foundation board, and owner and CEO of Mello Joy Coffee. Connie Elmore is a former adviser to UL Lafayette. Saban has been friends with the Elmores since his coaching days at LSU from 2000 to 2005. Read more.
Teeing it up: A pair of former Masters champions have committed to playing in the Zurich Classic next month in New Orleans. Defending Masters champ Sergio Garcia will partner with Rafa Cabrera-Bello for the tournament, which switched to a two-man team format last year. Meanwhile, 2012 and 2014 Masters winner Bubba Watson will partner with Matt Kuchar, says tournament chief Steve Worthy. The tournament runs from April 26-29.
