COMPANY NEWS
Brad Smith, the owner and president of Royal Nissan-Suzuki, is purchasing VooDoo BBQ and Grill’s Drusilla Lane location. Smith also bought the franchise rights to bring the chain to Lafayette. VooDoo, which was started in 2002 in New Orleans and moved its headquarters to Baton Rouge, has 11 locations.
Capital Area Transit System has begun routes from Metro Airport to downtown and Corporate Boulevard. The route includes stops at the city’s major hotels; airport departures are scheduled about every 30 minutes.
CMA Technology Solutions, an IBM premier business partner specializing in enterprise technology, has acquired certain assets and services of CamSoft Data Systems, a Microsoft business partner specializing in application development, managed services and wireless solutions. CamSoft’s application development division will operate under a new name with increased emphasis on growing market share and increasing its expertise in mobile and web development platforms.
Investar Bank opened its Coursey Boulevard branch and operation center on April 21. The location, Investar’s third in Baton Rouge, features state-of-the-art equipment and technology. The bank outgrew its Perkins Road headquarters and needed a new operations center for its employees.
Jim Engster has purchased a majority ownership interest in the Louisiana Network, which provides a range of news, including sports and agriculture, to a statewide network of 79 radio stations, and also publishes Tiger Rag magazine. Engster, who has been general manager of the network since 2006, will serve as president of the company, which he will rebrand as the Louisiana Radio Network to better reflect the medium.
Louisiana Roofing Supply, a distributor of residential systems in Prairieville, has been acquired by Peabody, Mass.-based Beacon Roofing Supply. Louisiana Roofing Supply will become West End Roofing, Siding and Windows, under which Beacon operates branches in Harahan and Lafayette. Louisiana Roofing Supply co-owner Pyke Babin will remain part of Beacon’s regional management team.
NewAperio has released Twoschedule, its first personal productivity Web application. Twoschedule is based on the Getting Things Done system by David Allen. For $7 per month, the app keeps track of events during a two-week span. For more information, go to newaperio.com or twoschedule.com.
North Oaks Neurology Clinic has relocated to 16033 Doctors’ Blvd. in Hammond, across from North Oaks Medical Center. The clinic provides treatment for neurological conditions such as headaches, strokes, seizures, movement disorders and tremors, as well as treatment and management of diseases, including Parkinson’s, Alzheimer’s and multiple sclerosis. The clinic’s new phone number is [985] 230-7525.
Our Lady of the Lake Regional Medical Center and the Mary Bird Perkins Cancer Center will receive $2 million in federal stimulus funds for cancer research and clinical trials. The money from the National Institutes of Health is coming from an $80 million pool.
Stupp Corporation became the most successful startup Spiral Weld pipe facility in North America with the March 30 completion of the manufacture, coating, shipment and delivery of 90 miles of custom steel line pipe for the transport of oil and natural gas. The Baton Rouge facility recently completed an $80 million expansion.
ACCREDITATIONS/CERTIFICATIONS
Janet Schwartz of C.J. Brown Realtors has received Accredited Buyer’s Representation by the Real Estate Buyer’s Agent Council of the National Association of Realtors. Schwartz successfully completed a comprehensive course in buyer representation and an elective course focusing on a buyer representation specialty.
Justin Langlois of Sealy & Falgoust Real Estate has received the Certified Commercial Investment Member designation from the CCIM Institute. The designation is awarded to commercial real estate professionals upon completion of a graduate-level curriculum and attainment of a level of qualifying experience.
Magnolia Mound Plantation has been renewed for accreditation by the American Association of Museums, the highest honor a museum can receive. Magnolia Mound was first accredited in 1985.
Reginald Green, a claim representative for State Farm Insurance Company, has received the Chartered Property Casualty Underwriter designation from the American Institute for CPCU. Green successfully completed eight courses and national exams, and he also met ethics and experience requirements.
APPOINTMENTS/MEMBERSHIPS
Dr. Ricardo Rodriguez, a surgeon at the Baton Rouge Orthopaedic Clinic who specializes in sports medicine, has been appointed vice president of the Louisiana Orthopaedic Association.
Heritage Ranch has added four members to its board of directors. They are: Anderson O. “Andy” Dotson III, city of Baton Rouge/Dotson Firm; Benny DiChiara, DiChiara Creative; Nancy S. Foy, East Baton Rouge Parish School System; and William Spann, Postlethwaite & Netterville.
Volunteers in Public Schools has elected its board of directors for 2010. Officers are: Verni Howard, Hancock Bank, president; Mary Lou Potter, Louisiana Board of Regents, vice president; Michelle Carriere, Capital One Bank, treasurer; and Lulu Ford, Our Lady of the Lake Regional Medical Center, secretary. New members are: Sister Helen Cahill, Our Lady of the Lake; Connie Fabré, Greater Baton Rouge Industry Alliance; and Leslie Taylor-Grover, Southern University.
AWARDS/HONORS
Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Louisiana has been awarded Health Plan, Health Network, Case Management and Health Utilization Management accreditation by URAC, a Washington, D.C.-based health care organization that establishes quality standards for the industry.
Campus Federal Credit Union has received a 2010 CMBDC Merit Award for its website. The honor recognizes outstanding design, functionality, security and ease of use.
Charles D’Agostino, executive director of the LSU Louisiana Business & Technology Center of the E.J. Ourso College of Business, has been selected for a Fulbright Specialists project in L’Aquila, Italy, at the Universita degli Studi dell’Aquila, according to the State Department and the J. William Fulbright Foreign Scholarship Board. D’Agostino will be providing assistance to the university and city of L’Aquila, which was devastated by a major earthquake in April 2009.
Five McGlinchey Stafford attorneys have been recognized by Chambers USA: America’s Leading Lawyers for Business in 2010 for excellence in their respective practice areas. They are: Rudy Aguilar, corporate/mergers and acquisitions; Samuel Bacot, real estate; Deborah Harkins, gaming and licensing; Christine Lipsey, general commercial litigation; and Mike Rubin, banking and finance.
The Louisiana State Employees’ Retirement System has received a Certificate of Achievement for Excellence in Financial Reporting from the Government Finance Officers Association. The honor recognizes LASERS’ Comprehensive Financial Report for the fiscal year that ends June 30. LASERS has won the award for 13 consecutive years.
Pelican State Credit Union has received a Diamond Award for excellence in website marketing from the Credit Union National Association. The honor recognizes strategy, design and production, creative concept, copy and communication, and results.
Robert Doolos, LSU university registrar, has been awarded the Thomas A. Bilger Citation for Service by the American Association of Collegiate Registrars and Admissions Officers. The honor recognizes an AACRAO member who has five or more years of service and has provided outstanding contributions to conferences and programs, special projects, task forces, committee assignments or other positions.
St. Elizabeth Hospital has received the 2009 Morehead Apex Workplace of Distinction Award from Morehead Associates. The honor recognizes clients that have sustained at least the 90th percentile on employee surveys and also demonstrated employees’ and physicians’ commitment and engagement as valuable resources for safe, superior health care.
PHILANTHROPY
Acadian Waste Service has donated $5,000 for the renovation of Oak Grove Community Park at La. Highway 42 and La. 73 in Ascension Parish. The first phase of the renovation includes a spray park, two playgrounds, a pavilion and a beach volleyball court.
The Susan G. Komen Baton Rouge Race for the Cure on March 6 attracted more than 11,000 participants and raised more than $300,000 for breast cancer awareness and research.
