At the helm: A White Castle sugar mill operator has been elected as the new president of the American Sugar Cane League. Charles Schudmak of Cora Texas Manufacturing Company was selected to serve a two-year term as the organization’s president at the nonprofit’s annual meeting on Feb. 7, a news release says. Schudmak has a master’s degree in mechanical engineering from LSU and a master of business administration from the University of Louisiana at Lafayette. The American Sugar Cane League is a nonprofit organization of Louisiana sugarcane growers and processors. The organization elected Gregory Gravois of Vacherie as vice president, Randall Romero of Jeanerette as secretary and Bryan Simon of Maurice as treasurer.
End of life: A new crop of tech startups is hoping to capture a slice of the $18 billion funeral industry. The New York Times reports that the tech startups—many founded by millennials—are hoping to compete against traditional end-of-life businesses in both price and convenience as the nation’s population grows older and the industry attracts more attention. The companies offer everything from online estate planning to a one-stop shop where families or individuals can compare funeral home prices and services. Traditionally, funeral home directors meet face-to-face with families, offering clients a more personalized experience. But the method is one reason the death care industry has been able to maintain a lack of pricing transparency, and entrepreneurs see an opportunity to innovate. Read more.
Sworn in: Alabama Sen. Jeff Sessions is officially the U.S. attorney general. The Associated Press reports Sessions was sworn in today at a ceremony held in the Oval Office. Trump called Sessions a man of integrity and principle, and someone who has devoted his life to the cause of justice. Sessions was sworn in the morning after the Senate confirmed his nomination following a contentious confirmation process. The Alabama lawmaker resigned his Senate seat shortly after his colleagues approved him on a 52-47 vote that broke largely along partisan lines. Sessions was the first sitting U.S. senator to endorse Trump. He faced criticism from Democrats over his record on civil rights and immigration. Republicans lauded his four decades of public service and his commitment to fairness and the rule of law.
