• AARP Louisiana has joined Better Choices for a Better Louisiana, a coalition of business, community, consumer, education, labor and religious groups, to convince Louisiana’s policymakers to take a balanced approach to meeting short-term and long-term needs, rather than continuing a cuts-only strategy that hurts Louisiana’s working families.
• Ferrara Fire Apparatus has sold three fire trucks to the Knoxville [Tenn.] Fire Department. The department has used Ferrara trucks since 2003 and currently has 14 in its fleet. The new trucks, two custom pumpers and a 77-foot aerial ladder, will be built on Ferrara’s igniter heavy-duty custom chassis.
• Louisiana Sugar Refining has awarded a maintenance contract to Turner Industries. Upon completion in early 2011, LSR’s Gramercy refinery will make refined white sugar that will be sold in dry bulk sugar form and liquid sugar.
• MAPP Construction has started a $9.7 million expansion and renovation at LaPlace Elementary School. The project, which includes a two-story, 54,692-square-foot classroom building, cafeteria and kitchen, is scheduled for completion in August 2011. Holly & Smith Architects is the designer.
• Oxford Alloys, an international supplier of welding wire, has opened a Chicago facility that will maintain stock of its line of welding wire and electrodes. Also, Oxford Alloys welding wire and electrodes have been approved by The Brazilian Foundation of Welding Technology—FBTS, a nonprofit, private technological organization founded in 1982 by several Brazilian companies. The foundation’s objective is to generate, assimilate, consolidate and disseminate information and technology concerning the union of materials.
• Wright Feigley Communications has been chosen by Pinnacle Entertainment to coordinate the unnamed River Road casino resort’s public relations and community outreach efforts. The first phase of the resort is expected to open in December 2011.
• Flynn D. Foster, vice president/secretary and board member of Guaranty Corporation, has been elected president of Guaranty Broadcasting Corporation. George A. Foster Jr. has been reelected as board chairman of Guaranty Corporation for 2011. Also reelected to the board are: Fran F. Aslam, James C. Beakey Jr., Marjorie M. Beakey, A. Bridger Eglin, Thomas E. Gibbens, Forrest E. Mills Jr., and Ben R. Ogletree Jr.
• John H. Lancaster, president of Guaranty Income Life Insurance Company, has been selected to the American Council of Life Insurers’ Long-Term Care Insurance Committee for 2011.
• Kendra Case and Laurie Kadair Robinson have joined the board of directors of Health Centers in Schools. Adren Wilson of the Equity and Inclusion Campaign has been chosen chairman. Other board members are: Sandra Adams, Dr. Jada Armstrong, Rita Baillie, Kredenna Beverly, Herman Brister, Rev. Errol Domingue, John Paul Funes, Wanda Hughes, Susan Pryor and Christina Stephens.
• The Louisiana Board of Elementary and Secondary Education has chosen new officers for 2011. They are: Penny Dastugue, president; Jim Garvey, vice president; and Glenny Lee Buquet, secretary-treasurer.
• The Louisiana Health Care Quality Forum has elected new officers and members to its board of directors. Officers are: Dr. Karen B. DeSalvo, president; Raymond A. Peters, president-elect; Eric. B. Taylor, secretary-treasurer; Lynn M. Buggage, member at large; and Dr. Michael O. Fleming, immediate past president. New board members are: Dr. Harold Brandt, Sabrina B. Heltz, Dionne E. Viator and Dr. Vindell Washington.
• Thomas Claverie, Dr. Catina Peoples and Darius Pique have been chosen to the Louisiana Special Olympics board of directors. Other board members are: Ricky Ouber, chair; Steve Diest, vice chair; Edward Gautier, secretary; Joe Alleva, athlete representative; Mona Brown, athlete representative; A.N. Diodene, athlete representative; Rose Garrett, athlete representative; Gayle Horaist, athlete representative; Tristan Manthey, athlete representative; Bill McDonald, athlete representative; Kathleen Quatroy, athlete representative; Charles Trent, athlete representative; and William “BeBo” Wilkes, athlete representative.
• Al Moreau III of Moreau Physical Therapy has been appointed to the Louisiana Physical Therapy Board by Gov. Bobby Jindal. Moreau will assist in regulating licenses as well as keeping Jindal and legislative officials informed on the state of the industry.
• Baker, Donelson, Bearman, Caldwell and Berkowitz has received the 2010 WebAward for Legal Standard of Excellence by the Web Marketing Association. The honor recognizes the firm’s redesigned website, which was launched in March 2010 to reflect its new branding strategy.
• Daniel McCarthy, physicist and dean of the Southeastern Louisiana University College of Science and Technology, has been appointed an associate editor of the journal Radiation Effects and Defects in Solids, an international peer-reviewed scientific journal based in England.
• Erin Cowser, executive director of public and governmental affairs at Southeastern Louisiana University, has received the Edwin Crawford Award for innovations in governmental advocacy from the American Association of Community Colleges, American Association of State Colleges and Universities, Association of State Universities and Land-Grant Colleges and the Council for Advancement and Support of Education.
• Ginger Guttner, public relations coordinator with the LSU School of Veterinary Medicine, has successfully completed the Examination for Accreditation in Public Relations, allowing her to use the APR professional designation.
• Ji-Chai Lin, Lloyd F. Collette Endowed Chair of Insurance and Financial Services and a professor in LSU’s Department of Finance, has received a best paper award from the Securities and Financial Markets. Lin’s paper, “SEO timing, the cost of equity capital, and liquidity risk,” was co-authored with YiLin Wu of National Taiwan University’s Department of Economics.
• Julian Bourgeois and Cason Tullis have received the Pace-?setter 40 Award from Northwestern Mutual Financial Network. The honor recognizes financial representatives who sell 40 life policies during their first six months with the company.
• Kathryn Bankston Smith, owner of Advanced Imaging Solutions, has been selected as Leader of the Year 2010 by the Association of Records Managers and Administrators.
• Paula Currie, associate professor and head of the Southeastern Louisiana University Department of Communication Sciences and Disorders, has received a Freedom through Assistive Technology 2010 Champion Award by the Louisiana Assistive Technology Access Network. The award recognizes an individual who increased access to assistive technology or advocated for changes in policies, laws or practices to assure universal access.
• Pelican State Credit Union ranks No. 16 on the Bancography Brand Value Index for the third consecutive year. The ranking recognizes the country’s strongest credit unions with less than $1 billion in assets.
• Dr. Roberta Vicari, associate program director for Our Lady of the Lake Pediatric Residency Program, has been named 2010 Health Hero by Health Centers in Schools. The honor recognizes someone who has dedicated his or her life to improving children’s health.
• Scotty Drake, an announcer with Guaranty Broadcasting Corporation’s WDGL-FM [98.1], has been chosen as the broadcast-radio winner of the 2010 Awards for Excellence in Medical Journalism by the Louisiana State Medical Society.
• ERA Stirling Properties’ Baton Rouge office raised $650 for the Greater Baton Rouge Food Bank. For every $1, the Food Bank provides seven meals; the donation enables the Food Bank to provide 4,550 meals.
• The Weyerhauser Company Foundation has donated $10,000 to the LSU AgCenter Grant Walker 4-H Educational Center in Pollock to fund a ?multipurpose building.
• The American Advertising Federation-Baton Rouge is accepting entries for the 2011 ADDY Awards and Pinnacle Awards. ADDY Awards categories are: interactive campaigns, outdoor, web design, print, radio and television, among others. The deadline for entries is Jan. 10, 2011. For more information, visit addy2011.com/entries. Pinnacle Award categories are: industry account executive, media sales representative, printing/paper company sales representative/account executive, sales manager, media director/buyer, marketing director, industry newcomer, industry CEO/president of the year and client of the year. The deadline for entries is Jan. 7. For a nomination form, visit addy2011.com/pinnacle-awards.
