Gov. Bobby Jindal has appointed Yvonne Bell of Lafayette, executive director of Families Helping Families of Acadiana, to serve as an at-large member of the Governor’s Advisory Council on Disability Affairs. Families Helping Families is a nonprofit resource center for individuals with disabilities and their families.
Dr. Ali Ghalambor, American Petroleum Institute Endowed Professor, head of petroleum engineering and director of the Energy Institute at UL-Lafayette, received the 2008 Distinguished Service Award by the Society of Petroleum Engineers International.
Renée Ory has joined Innovative Intelligent Design as sales and marketing representative. In this newly created role, Ory is developing and maintain business relationships with prospective and current IDI clients. Services include commercial space planning, interior design and furniture procurement. Ory has more than 15 years of advertising, design and sales experience. Prior to joining IDI, she was the owner of Amazing Spaces LLC, a space design and organizing company. Ory is a 1991 graduate of UL Lafayette with a bachelor’s degree in fine arts.
Foster Marketing Communications has named Lauren Galligan media buyer. She is responsible for media planning, coordination, placement and quality assurance as well as marketing and business development throughout the Louisiana area. The Lafayette native was previously an intern at Foster and received a bachelor’s degree in textiles, apparel and merchandising from LSU. She was involved in Pi Beta Phi and served as an intern with Twelfth Street by Cynthia Vincent in Los Angeles.
Heidi Melancon of the Louisiana Small Business Development Center at UL Lafayette has been named the 2008 State Star for the LSBDC. Melancon was honored at a special awards reception held in September in Chicago, in conjunction with the Association of Small Business Development Centers. The reception recognized the 2008 State Stars from across the nation.
The National Federation of Independent Business, Louisiana’s leading small business association, has named Wayne Rabalais of Lafayette to its statewide Leadership Council. Rabalais started his small business, Rabalais Business Consulting, in 1979 and joined NFIB/Louisiana in 2001.
CPA Diana Gary was among nine members specially selected by the Society of Louisiana CPAs to become a CPA Ambassador. Gary participated in top-quality spokesperson training that focused on the CPA profession’s commitment to strengthening financial literacy, battling fraud, improving auditing standards and quality, and shoring up small businesses that represent the main economic engine of this country. She is an audit/tax/accounting manager with Delmar Systems Inc. in Broussard and serves as chair of the LCPA’s Communications and Public Relations Committee. As a CPA Ambassador spokeswoman, she is available to speak to local civic and community groups. To schedule Gary or another LCPA CPA Ambassador for an upcoming event, contact Ann Lupo at (800) 288-5272 ext. 125.
Larry Curtis has been selected for inclusion in the 2009 edition of The Best Lawyers in America in the practice areas of maritime law and personal injury litigation.
Former Gov. Kathleen Blanco, Mervin Harmon, Melinda Mangham and Edgar “Sonny” Mouton Jr. were honored for their work building their community and their party with the Lafayette Parish Democratic Executive Committee’s first Lifetime Achievement Awards. “Each of these great Democrats has contributed immensely to the advancement of our community and our party,” says John Bernhardt, chairman of the Lafayette Parish Democratic Executive Committee. “Their work constitutes a significant part of our party’s proud history here, and their leadership and example point the way for our promising future as we work to grow our community and our state.” Blanco served in the state Legislature, on the Louisiana Public Service Commission, and two terms as lieutenant governor before winning election as governor in 2003. Harmon served in World War II as a member of the Tuskegee Airmen. He returned from the war to lead the fight for social justice in Lafayette and the state and became the first African-American elected to serve on the Lafayette Parish Police Jury. Mangham teaches at Lafayette High School and has championed public education and democratic principles throughout her adult life. She is active in the local and state branches of the National Education Association and is a past member of the Louisiana Democratic State Central Committee. Mouton served in the state Legislature as a member of the House and the Senate, was a candidate for governor in 1979, and served in various advisory capacities in various administrations throughout the 1980s.
Josephine Ennis has joined the staff of LEDA as a research associate in the Information Services department, where information related to business and industrial development in Lafayette Parish is maintained and provided to the public. Ennis works with clients to provide additional services such as market research, site selection and industry analysis. She graduated from LSU with a degree in political science and spent a year studying at Thammasat University in Bangkok, Thailand. She was selected for Louisiana Public Allies, an AmeriCorps program, and served at the Urban Restoration Enhancement Corporation in Baton Rouge as a policy associate, event planner, and researcher. She also volunteered at an orphanage in Ghana, West Africa, for six months before joining LEDA.
CableFAX: The Magazine has named Jacqui Vines, senior vice president and general manager for Cox Greater Louisiana, to its list of the Most Powerful Women in Cable. The Most Powerful Women in Cable list honors and ranks the top women in cable operations, programming, sales and technology following a rigorous nomination process.
Kristin Hebert has joined Accel as senior project manager/support engineer, in charge of designing and managing CCTV, commercial burglar alarms and access control systems including NetTalon and Remote Video Monitoring. He has eight years of experience in the business and is a graduate of Louisiana Technical College with an associate degree in industrial electronics technology.
David McCutcheon has been promoted to vice-president of engineering/operations for Chalmers, Collins & Alwell Inc. McCutcheon, a professional engineer, is located in CCA’s Lafayette office and previously served as a project engineer. Prior to joining CCA, he was a senior drilling engineer for Marathon Oil in Houston.
“Case Studies in the Diagnosis of Upper Extremity Pain Using Magnetic Resonance Imaging” by Dr. David J. Jewell, director of radiology for Advanced Imaging of Lafayette, has been published in the international Journal of Hand Therapy. Board Certified by the American Board of Radiology, Jewell has more than 18 years of experience in diagnostic body imaging. He received his medical degree from LSU’s med school in New Orleans, completed his residency at Charity Hospital in New Orleans and completed a fellowship in body imaging at LSU.
Jada Littleton has joined the Woman’s Foundation Inc. as community program coordinator. A Monroe native, Littleton previously interned at Big Brothers Big Sisters of Acadiana and is a graduate of UL-Lafayette in public relations. She was a member of Public Relations Student Society of America, Sigma Gamma Mu and Delta Delta Delta Sorority.
Nanette Soileau Heggie, a Smith Barney financial advisor, has received the Certified Financial Planner designation, a certification awarded for meeting specific ethical requirements and completing a rigorous examination administered by the Certified Financial Planner Board of Standards, a professional regulatory organization. The coursework covers topics ranging from financial planning process, risk management, investments, tax planning and management, retirement and estate planning to employee benefits. Heggie has been with Smith Barney for more than 14 years. She has also achieved the designations of Investment Management Specialist, Retirement Plan Consultant, and Financial Planning Specialist.
Jenny Craig has opened a new location in Lafayette, the first time the city has had a Jenny Craig Centre since the corporate headquarters closed its company-owned store a decade ago. Jenny Craig helps people create a healthy relationship with food, build an active lifestyle and develop a balanced approach to living, says local director Michelle Duhé. Personal consultants provide clients with one-on-one support and motivation, and Jenny’s Cuisine food items teach them proper portion sizes. “Our goal is to help our clients become successful long-term weight managers,” Duhé says. The center is located at 4422 Ambassador Caffery, between Kohl’s and Albertsons.
Foster Marketing Communications won eight awards at the recent Houston Chapter of the Business Marketing Association Lantern Awards of Texas, including top honors in three categories and five Awards of Excellence. There were more than 330 entries in 65-plus categories and 172 awards, including just 40 Lantern Awards, presented to the top entry in each category. Foster received Lantern Awards for VAM Drilling’s product catalog; a fractional-page, four-color ad for Ellis Williams Engineering Company’s Quintuplex mud pump; and Foster’s collaboration on BJ Services’ bus advertisements for SPE. Foster’s five Awards of Excellence included a fractional-page campaign for InterMoor; and full-page, four-color campaigns for At Balance and GE Energy. Also receiving Awards of Excellence were a full-page, four-color ad for Fugro Gravity and Magnetic Services and Foster Marketing’s LAGCOE party invitation.
As part of its long-standing commitment to supporting the communities in which it does business, Cargill has donated $3,500 to LARC, a nonprofit organization that serves individuals with developmental disabilities in Lafayette and surrounding areas. Funds from Cargill will go toward purchasing food for LARC’s St. Anne’s Knights of Columbus Cafeteria, which serves approximately 135 hot, nutritious meals five days a week. The cafeteria also provides employment opportunities for some of the individuals LARC serves.
Smoothie Factory celebrated the grand opening of its Lafayette store, the first in Louisiana, at 125 Arnould Blvd. between Jason’s Deli and Brother’s. Russell and Darcee Bex are the local franchisees for the concept. The menu consists of classic fresh fruit smoothies along with specialty, berry, tropical, protein and kids smoothies. The local store is Acadiana’s only location for wheat grass shots, and other local favorites include power shots (Green Tea and NO-Xplode). Smoothie Factory also has a comprehensive selection of nutritional supplements including Muscle Milk, Lipo-6, Optimum Nutrition Whey, Egg, Soy and Casein Proteins and Source of Life vitamins.