According to two of the industry’s most comprehensive annual surveys, Keller Williams Realty brokerages continue to defy the pervasive downturn in the industry by growing and expanding. RISMedia’s Power Broker Report and REAL Trends’ REAL Trends 500 rank the largest residential real estate brokerages in the U.S. based on transaction sides and sales volume. This year, Keller had more brokerages on both lists than any other real estate brand. In the REAL Trends 500 report, Keller dominated, with its offices comprising more than a quarter of the entire list. Of all the major brands represented in the report, Keller was the only company to boast growth in both number of agents added to its ranks and in total transactions closed. According to one of the industry’s most comprehensive annual surveys, RISMedia’s Power Broker Report, Keller Williams Realty Acadiana was listed No. 28 in the report of 2009 Companies to Watch. RISMedia’s Power Broker Report lists the top 600 real estate offices in the nation and lists 300 companies to watch, along with trends in the real estate industry.
The Courtyard by Marriott Lafayette was awarded Marriott’s Gold Circle Award for 2008. The award is given to top performing hotels with outstanding overall satisfaction scores. Marriott recognized only 60 of 800 Courtyard by Marriott hotels with the award at this year’s international conference held in New Orleans. The Courtyard by Marriott Lafayette is owned by Lodgian Inc. of Atlanta, Ga.
Cox Communications has been awarded the 2009 North American Broadband Customer Value Leadership Award by Frost & Sullivan. This national honor recognizes Cox for providing the most economical, secure packages for high-speed Internet customers. In Louisiana, Cox provides Internet service to the Baton Rouge, Lafayette and New Orleans metro areas. The Frost & Sullivan Award is based on responsiveness to customer needs, enhanced quality and reliability of products and technological innovation and leadership.
Lafayette Education Foundation and supporting partners awarded $26,104 to Lafayette Parish teachers. Since 1989, LEF has put more than $1 million directly into classrooms for innovative academic projects. This year’s partners for the grant awards are Acadian Ambulance, Beaver Club, Realtor Association of Acadiana, Safety Management Systems and Wilkinson Family Foundation. The grant reception was sponsored by Jackson Hewitt Tax Services.
International Society of Automation Lafayette Section will host an ASME Federal Fellow Luncheon Talk Nov. 9 at the Petroleum Club. This event is open to the public, and lunch will be served at 11:30. Tickets can be purchased for $15 at www.isalafayette.org or at the door (PDH certificates available; see Marla Ratzlaff after the luncheon). Philip Grossweiler, principal consultant at M&H Energy Services, will discuss evolving U.S. policies on energy and climate change, providing his “in the trenches” perspectives while working as a Congressional Fellow on energy and climate change policy issues. Grossweiler will discuss interfaces with congressional staff, lobbyists, think tanks and New Mexico constituents on a broad range of energy, resource access, climate change issues and work in developing legislation for renewable energy and energy production in ANWR and the Outer Continental Shelf. He will summarize key technology options for future energy supplies and reducing greenhouse gas emissions and offer comparisons of “cap and trade” and a carbon tax policies and discuss the costs and sacrifices either policy would impose on the U.S. public. The event is sponsored by Stella Maris LLC of Lafayette.
Advanced Logistics LLC, a leading provider of offshore marine and logistics management software, is now ranked among Inc. magazine’s 500/5000 fastest-growing private companies in America. According to Inc., Advanced Logistics and other candidates were ranked according to percentage revenue growth from 2005 through 2008, highlighting the significant accomplishments of entrepreneurial companies. Advanced Logistics experienced 331.8 percent growth, ranking 908th overall and 37th in the energy sector.
Offshore accommodation specialist, HB Rentals, a Superior Energy Services company, recently completed a total accommodations solutions contract for BG Trinidad. The contract consisted of the demobilization, re-installation and commissioning of a 25-building accommodations package with heliport from the Dolphin to the Poinsettia platforms. Additionally, on the Dolphin platform, HB Rentals replaced the original accommodations package with a newly constructed heliport with five accommodations modules.
The Juliet Hotel has joined the Ascend Collection by Choice Hotels International. The 20-room property, located in the historic La Parisienne building at 800 Jefferson St., is downtown Lafayette’s only boutique hotel.
Glazer’s Distributors (Glazer’s), one of the country’s largest wholesale distributors of wine, spirits and malt beverage products, turned 100 this year. The Louisiana subsidiary, Glazer’s of Louisiana, has been operating since 1943 and has become one of the state’s largest wine and spirits distributors and a leading beer wholesaler. Glazer’s, based in north Texas, has five Louisiana locations and employs nearly 600 people throughout the state.
The Glass Packaging Institute recognized McIlhenny Company as a “Friend of Glass” for its loyalty to using glass containers for over 140 years for Tabasco Brand Pepper Sauce. The sauce has been packaged in glass for over 140 years. The glass packaging extends shelf life of the company’s sauces, conveys an image of quality, and allows for a premium image that has enabled the glass containers to become a global icon in the food and beverage industry. More than 700,000 bottles of sauce are produced daily, packaged and exported to more than 160 countries and territories in 22 languages and dialects.