Flashes

Flashes

Georgia Boudreaux, Irma Nell R. Bourque and Patricia Begnaud have been promoted to vice presidents at Teche Federal Bank. The bank's training director and assistant manager of retail sales, Boudreaux works at the New Iberia operations center at 1120 Jefferson Terrace Blvd. and has been with Teche for four years. She has 23 years of banking experience. Bourque ' who has 37 years of banking experience, 27 of those years with Teche ' is accounts payable clerk at the same location. Begnaud joined Teche Federal in 2005 and is the assistant lending sales manager at the Jefferson Terrace location. She attended UL Lafayette and has completed various banking courses and seminars in mortgage banking. Begnaud is a Notary Public for Iberia Parish and has more than 26 years of banking services and mortgage lending experience. Also at Teche, Linda S. Roman has been promoted to assistant vice president. She joined the bank in October 1997 and is the branch sales and service manager at 529 N. Lewis St. in New Iberia. Katy S. Hinze has joined the bank as assistant vice president and mortgage loan officer at 1001 Johnston St. in downtown Lafayette. Hinze has more than five years of banking experience and was most recently employed by the Lafayette District Telephone Credit Union as lending manager. Additionally, Leslie C. White has been promoted to banking officer. White joined the bank in 2006 with five years of banking experience and is a graduate of the University of Southern Mississippi with a bachelor's degree in accounting. She is preparing to sit for the CPA exam. Robin Haga has been promoted to banking officer. She is call center manager at the Jefferson Terrace location and has been with Teche since 2005.

MidSouth Bank has hired Alexander Calicchia to fill the newly created position of chief marketing officer/senior vice president. Calicchia has an office in Lafayette but will be based out of Houston, where MidSouth Bank is opening a banking facility in the next two months. In addition to his ongoing effort to solidify MidSouth Bank's brand position and marketing strategy, the new CMO is also assisting in the ongoing development of the banking group's suite of products and services. Calicchia's 23-year career in marketing and advertising includes work in New Orleans, Houston, Dallas and New York. Most of his experience is in the field of banking, having previously served as vice president, brand and product marketing manager for Capital One. He worked out of the company's New Orleans and Houston offices and led the strategic marketing and brand initiatives for the $32-billion-asset bank with 330 retail locations. He also played a key role in the conversion of Hibernia National Bank to the Capital One retail brand.

Cori Webre has been promoted to account executive at Graham Group, and Julia Mark has been named a client support manager. Webre, who began with Graham Group in January 2005 as an account manager, will now be responsible for implementing marketing strategies of clients and the development and execution of advertising, marketing and public relations programs developed by the agency. Mark, who has more than 20 years of computer experience, will handle coordinating schedules of Graham Group's traditional and interaction production teams, and will communicate with clients on Web maintenance. She previously worked for Firefly Digital.

Louizette "Lou" Broussard Labbé, a chaplain with Hospice of Acadiana, recently returned from a national conference in Portland, Ore., where she was one of only 23 chaplains from around the country to earn certification as an American Red Cross Spiritual Care Response Team member. A native of St. Martin Parish, Labbé earned a B.S. from UL Lafayette in child and family studies. Also, she completed training in clinical pastoral education through the McFarland Institute and is board certified through the National Association of Catholic Chaplains. In addition to her work at Hospice of Acadiana, Labbé has volunteered with the Sexual Abuse Response Center, Faith House and the Healing House and was active in ministering to the victims of hurricanes Katrina and Rita.

Erinn Romero has been named accounts manager for BE (Business Express). Her duties include expanding the relationship with each associate account and educating local business owners of the advantages of using a common "community currency" to keep money in the local economy. Prior to joining BE, Romero was store manager for Orleans Interior Imports, a furniture and accessory store. BE is an alliance of local companies that creates new opportunities for cutting costs and increasing revenues for businesses through the use of a common community currency. BE helps business owners measure and eliminate financial losses derived from choosing the wrong supplier of products or services.

The most respected, nationwide listing of top real estate brokerages, Real Trends has released its listing of the Top 500 largest brokerages in America for 2006. Coldwell Banker Pelican Real Estate of Lafayette ranked No. 203 on the list, up from No. 294 in 2005. The increase places the company among the nation's elite real estate firms. Lafayette's Van Eaton & Romero also made the list, ranking No. 364, as did ERA Stirling Properties, which has Lafayette offices. It ranked No. 232 for sales in its entire Gulf Coast operation.

Lafayette/Baton Rouge-based New Orleans Teleport Inc. is one of 24 companies (only two are outside of the Washington, D.C., beltway) selected by the U.S. General Services Administration to provide next generation satellite communication services to government agencies. The GSA is awarding $750 million in grant awards for this advanced satellite technology, which provides the only network available where no phone of cable lines exist, such as for federal workers fighting wilderness fires, patrolling remote borders and rescuing injured people from natural disasters. New Orleans Teleport, a privately held and minority-owned business, recently relocated to 1001 W. Pinhook Road in Lafayette.