Roy Holleman’s Holleman Companies, dba FranOwner, has signed a master franchise agreement with Clubstore Outlet, based in Charleston, S.C., to sell/ open Clubstore Outlet franchises in the state. The exclusive agreement will allow FranOwner to open 40-50 franchise units in Louisiana. CSO opens storefronts in neighborhood centers that sell overstock merchandise from warehouse clubs at 30-40 percent below their existing prices, with no membership fees. CSO purchases the big box store’s overstocks, shelf-pulls, open-box/damage-box goods as well as customer returns, all of which the giant stores need to move out to make room for new merchandise. CSO in turn offers a profitable business opportunity for franchisees, and the consumer reaps the rewards of buying quality merchandise at a fraction of retail prices.
Jerry Vascocu, IberiaBank president of the Acadiana Region, was named 2016 chairman of One Acadiana’s board of directors. Vascocu has been an active member of 1A for the past six years and has served on the board of directors for the last four. He previously served as chair of the finance committee and is an active member of 1A’s business development, talent development and urban revitalization and development committees.
Lafayette Parish Sheriff-Elect Mark Garber has been elected by the Acadiana Criminalistics Laboratory Commission to serve on the executive committee. The Acadiana crime lab provides technical support, training and quality scientific analysis of forensic evidence in the areas of chemistry, biology, trace evidence and firearms to all law enforcement agencies in Acadia, Evangeline, Iberia, Lafayette, St. Landry, St. Martin, St. Mary and Vermilion parishes. Garber will serve on the executive committee alongside St. Mary Parish Sheriff Mark Hebert and Vermilion Parish Police Jury President Ronald Darby. The commission’s president is 15th Judicial District Attorney Keith Stutes, and its vice president is 16th Judicial District Attorney Bo Duhe. St. Landry Parish President Bill Fontenot Jr. serves as the commission’s secretary.
Robert Miller, Lafayette project engineer for C. H. Fenstermaker & Associates, has earned his Ph.D. in applied mathematics from UL Lafayette. Miller is a professional engineer and has been with the Fenstermaker firm for more than nine years. He also holds several degrees in the field of applied mathematics and civil engineering with an emphasis on problems dealing with the environment. Miller’s research focuses on the development of numerical models that deal with how structured populations (e.g., phytoplankton, fish, insects, and people) interact with their environment. He also has 10 years of experience designing programs and collecting data in the field, installing and maintaining monitoring instrumentation, field construction techniques, and quality control of the measurements.
Bonnie McDonald has joined the staff of ad agency Prejean Creative as an account executive. In this role, McDonald participates in the overall account management activities at the agency and oversees various client projects. The New Iberia native earned a bachelor of arts degree from LSU in 2004, with a concentration in mass communications. In 2007, she earned a master of science degree from UL Lafayette with a concentration in mass communications. McDonald previously spent seven years in the private sector, working as a marketing specialist.
Dr. Kevin R. Hargrave, a neurologist and sleep medicine physician, has joined LGMD Physician Group. Hargrave also is joining Neuroscience Center of Acadiana as its new medical director. With 15 years experience in private practice, Hargrave will be instrumental in helping to develop a comprehensive sleep medicine center for Lafayette General. Other areas of focus for him include Parkinson’s disease, multiple sclerosis, epilepsy and neuroimaging. Hargrave received his medical degree from LSU School of Medicine in New Orleans, and completed his neurology residency at Penn State College of Medicine in Hershey, Penn. He was previous medical director and owner of CNS Clinic, a general neurologic clinic and sleep center in Lafayette. He is board certified in neurology and sleep medicine and holds a certificate in neuroimaging. He completed his MBA in health care administration at UL Lafayette in 2011.
Home Bancorp, the parent company for Home Bank, was recently named to investment banking firm Sandler O’Neill + Partner’s “Top Ideas for 2016.” Sandler’s Rob Haderer notes in his analysis that he expects 2016 “to be a year of meaningful profitability improvement” for the company. Haderer cites management’s “excellent track record of deploying capital” and Home Bank’s conservative credit philosophy as key reasons for making Home Bancorp his top pick for 2016. Despite low energy prices, Haderer believes Home Bank is well positioned to succeed in 2016: “HBCP has historically been a very conservatively run institution from a credit standpoint … despite the indirect exposure to low oil prices in Louisiana, the bank should emerge from this period relatively strong,” Haderer said.