Lafayette native and former touring musician Rex Moroux has returned to Lafayette and joined Coldwell Banker Pelican Real Estate's commercial real estate division. Despite his new career, Moroux says he still plans to play a gig every now and then. Other new agents include Rachel Romero, of San Diego; New Iberia native Matt LeCamus; and designer, interior stylist and home staging/color consultant Raoul Blanco.
Lafayette native and former touring musician Rex Moroux has returned to Lafayette and joined **Coldwell Banker Pelican Real Estate'**s commercial real estate division. Despite his new career, Moroux says he still plans to play a gig every now and then. Other new agents include Rachel Romero, of San Diego; New Iberia native Matt LeCamus; and designer, interior stylist and home staging/color consultant Raoul Blanco.
Dr. Amanda Logue was named chief medical information officer for LGMC and its affiliates. Logue is continuing to serve as medical director for LGMC's hospitalist program, and as a hospitalist on a part-time basis. She was instrumental in planning, implementing and executing the hospital's electronic record-keeping system, PRIDE (Pathway Resources to Implementing Decisions for Excellence). Logue is assisting in the development of clinical information systems to support the delivery of patient care across the health system.
The Employee Benefits Department of Brown & Brown of Louisiana was named the Top Benefits Department in the company at Brown & Brown's annual meeting in Orlando, Fla., topping 175 other Brown & Brown offices in 38 states. The Lafayette-based benefits department, lead by Senior VP Stacey Bienvenu, was honored based on its effective and efficient distribution of employee benefits to employers in Louisiana and surrounding states.
Physical Therapist Matthew Walker has opened Precision Rehabilitation at 3524 Kaliste Saloom Road #205. Walker, a fellow with the American Academy of Orthopaedic Manual Physical Therapy, earned a master's degree in physical therapy from Northern Illinois University in 2007. After graduation, he worked in Illinois as a staff therapist and later a managing therapist in outpatient orthopedic clinics. In 2011, he became a traveling physical therapist and worked in outpatient orthopedic clinics in Washington, D.C., and Colorado Springs, Colo. His wife, Acadiana native Anna Mary L. Walker, serves as administrative director/Take Shape For Life health coach. She earned a bachelor's degree in studio art/photography from LSU and a master's degree in arts management from Columbia College Chicago. While in Chicago, she taught both undergraduate and graduate-level management courses and managed a 7,000-piece fashion collection.
MidSouth Bank has hired CPA Stephanie Burge as financial reporting accountant responsible for preparing the bank's SEC filings. A Ville Platte native now living in Lafayette, Burge did auditing and tax work for the local CPA firm Kolder, Champagne, Slaven & Co. for the past 4.5 years. She graduated summa cum laude from LSU with a bachelor's degree in accounting and obtained her CPA license in 2008.
Arthur J. Gallagher Risk Management Services has hired David Battard as a senior VP. He was previously employed with PHI Inc. as an officer and director of the company's risk management department. Battard has more than 30 years of experience in the insurance and risk management fields. He is responsible for attracting new clients to the company as well as providing insurance and risk management services to existing clients. Prior to PHI, he was risk manager for Terrebonne Parish and also previously worked for the insurance company Willis, where he oversaw its marketing operations for the Southeast region, and for First American, AIG and Swiss Re.
Myrtis Ashley has been named director at Hospice of Acadiana Foundation. She has more than 25 years of experience in the non-profit sector in Acadiana. As executive director of the American Cancer Society, she initiated the first Relay for Life events in Lafayette, Opelousas, Breaux Bridge, New Iberia and Crowley. As campaign director for United Way of Acadiana for nearly a decade, Ashley recruited and worked with hundreds of dedicated volunteers, leveraging more than $3 million annually for local non-profits. The foundation also announced that Stephanie Guilbeaux has been named special event coordinator. She previously worked for the Lafayette Convention & Visitors Commission as sports and special events coordinator. She earned a degree in hospitality management from UL Lafayette.
Registered Nurse Lani Smith, Ph.D, director of clinical research at Our Lady of Lourdes, has been appointed for a third term to the 2012 Board of Examiners for the Malcolm Baldrige National Quality Award. The award, created by public law in 1987, is the highest level of national recognition for performance excellence a U.S. organization can receive. The board is composed of leading experts selected from industry, professional and trade organizations, education and health care organizations and government.
Jason Blalock has joined online health care education provider Apex Innovations as account representative for strategic business development. Blalock is responsible for increasing the reach of Apex Innovations' unique health care educational products, growing market-share both nationally and internationally. Blalock previously worked at Capital One Bank as branch business manager. He has experience in sales, managed business, revenue targets, strategic development and operational excellence. He has a bachelor's degree in business administration from Louisiana Technical College in Ruston.
Todd G. Kidder has been named president/CEO at Heritage Credit Union in Lafayette. Kidder succeeds Richard "Dick" Rein, who retired after more than 17 years as CEO. Kidder, who will also serve on the board of directors of Heritage, is a 1985 graduate of UL Lafayette with a degree in finance and has more than 25 years of experience in banking and financial management.
Jean Nelson has joined Keller Williams Realty Acadiana. A New Orleans native, Nelson has lived in New Iberia for the past 30 years and has 12 years of experience in the wine industry. She has a degree in radiology technology. Bonnie Trahan has also joined the company. Trahan is a Franklin native and graduate of Teche Area Technical College. She has more than 25 years in the information technology and quality assurance fields.
Ashley Domingue has joined Acadiana Metro Realty. Originally from New Roads, Domingue graduated from UL Lafayette with a bachelor's degree in business administration in 2009. She received her Louisiana Real Estate license this past spring and will specialize in residential home and land sales. Ashley is a member of the Realtor Association of Acadiana, Louisiana Realtors Association and the National Association of Realtors.
Marianne Bourgeois, president and founder of Apex Innovations, will serve as the 2012 chairman of the Emergency Nurses Association's Exhibitor Advisory Board. She has been a member of the board since 2006. Additionally, Bourgeois has been appointed to serve on the American Association of Critical Care Nurses' Exhibitor Advisory Council through 2014. Also at Apex, Will Poillion has come on board as program developer, assisting with the design, development and maintenance of existing and new interactive online health care educational programs. Poillion served as a developer for several organizations, including Texas Instruments.
FM Bank has named Billie Jo Byrom Frame as its bank secrecy act officer. She has been with FM Bank for four years, serving at the Park Plaza Branch and main office. She most recently was a branch manager. Frame is a native of Opelousas and earned a bachelor's degree in organizational communication and an MBA from UL Lafayette.
Lafayette Surgical Specialty Hospital has received a 2011 Louisiana Hospital Capstone Quality Award, presented by eQHealth Solutions, the Medicare Quality Improvement Organization for Louisiana. The award was announced at the 2012 Louisiana Medicare Quality Summit & Awards hosted by eQHealth Solutions in Baton Rouge. Lafayette Surgical was presented the award for improving the quality of health care for its patients in the clinical area of surgical care.
Knight Oil Tools acquired Cool Group Ltd., headquartered in Aberdeen, Scotland. Cool Group Ltd. is the holding company that owns Global Rentals, a provider of downhole drilling tools such as the Megaton drilling jars, fishing jars, energizers, shock tools, bumper subs, drilling safety joints and under reamers and Pedem, the tool design and manufacturing unit for the company's products. Global Rentals' main operations are based in Stavanger, Norway. The company has a rental and service facility in the Netherlands that covers most of Europe and part of Africa and a sales office in Dubai. Knight also recently acquired Tri-State Tools & Inspection based in Corpus Christi, Texas. Tri-State Tools & Inspection provides stabilizers and non-destructive testing for drill pipe and bottomhole assembly components. The company operates throughout the South Texas and West Texas drilling markets via facilities in Corpus Christi and Odessa. Terms were not disclosed on both deals.
Lafayette-based home health and hospice provider LHC Group Inc. has entered into a home health joint venture with both Texas Health Resources and Methodist Health System, calling the new initiative "an innovative model that will significantly expand the post-acute care company's operations in the Lone Star state." Texas Health Resources, headquartered in Arlington, is one of the nation's largest faith-based, not-for-profit health systems. It has 25 owned and affiliated hospitals, more than 21,000 employees and nearly 4,000 licensed beds, delivering care to patients across North Texas. In fiscal year 2011, the system reported total operating revenue of $3.74 billion. Dallas-based Methodist Health System is comprised of seven hospitals that include more than 1,200 licensed beds. The not-for-profit system employs nearly 7,000 people and posted net patient revenue of nearly $1 billion in fiscal 2011.
Environmental Drilling Solutions has received a growth equity investment from Element Partners and CSL Capital Management. Element Partners is an energy and industrial technology-focused private equity fund, and CSL Capital Management is an energy-services private equity firm.
LHC Group's marketing and communications department received a combined five awards in the 29th annual Healthcare Advertising Awards and the 2012 Aster Awards. The Healthcare Advertising Awards, sponsored by Healthcare Marketing Report, are the industry's largest advertising awards competition. The Aster Awards, a program of Creative Images Inc., recognize the nation's best health care marketing and advertising initiatives. In the Healthcare Advertising Awards, LHC Group received a silver award for its "Perfect Fit" campaign in the category of physician referral. The company's quarterly employee newsletter, The Group Report, received merit recognition in the newsletter category. The "Perfect Fit" campaign garnered a gold award in the Aster Awards' physician referral-series category. LHC Group also earned silver Aster awards in the categories of brochure advertising-folded/panels and poster/display-single. For the Healthcare Advertising Awards, winners were selected from nearly 4,000 entries. A national panel of judges reviewed all entries based on creativity, quality, message effectiveness, consumer appeal, graphic design and overall impact. Gold awards were bestowed on 253 entries. In the Aster Awards competition, winners were scored and judged by a diverse panel of experts.