Section Acadiana Business

Heavenly help

INNOV8 Acadiana is looking to introduce you and your next big business idea to the choir of capitalists known as Angel Investors.

LGMC Girard Park project on hold

A two-phase apartment complex project planned for a 4.1-acre tract adjacent to Girard Park to accommodate a growing population of medical residents working at LGMC and its University Hospital & Clinics campus has yet to break ground two years after being announced.

Planning Commish approves UDC

The Unified Development Code won the approval of the Lafayette Planning Commission Monday evening and now heads to the City-Parish Council for approval.

Thirteen Questions for Nicholas Laborde

Whether you are a deal maker looking to drive sales and revenue or a technician producing a better product or service; finding the right balance of time, talent and technology is key to making your business work well.

La. jobless claims rise

The state labor department says first-time claims for unemployment insurance in Louisiana for the week ending Feb. 28 increased to 2,559 from the previous week's total of 2,144.

Former Shaw exec announces merger

Former Shaw Group executive Jim Bernhard Jr. has announced a merger of four companies that will provide design-and-build energy infrastructure services similar what Bernhard’s former company provided before it was purchased by CB&I two years ago in a $3 billion deal.

UDC workshops set

Lafayette Consolidated Government has set a series of workshops in early to mid-March to help builders, developers, real estate agents and others familiarize themselves with the new Unified Development Code.

Airport pegs Picou as next director

A unanimous choice among three finalists, Picou currently serves as deputy director of the Amarillo International Airport; he previously served as airport operations officer at New Orleans International Airport in addition to various positions at Albuquerque International Airport.

Eyeing return to Council, Conque resigns from Chamber

Bruce Conque, the former city-parish councilman, has resigned his position as vice president of community development at the Greater Lafayette Chamber of Commerce as he prepares a run for his old job...

Rouses expands stores and concepts in Lafayette

Shoppers familiar with Louisiana-based Rouses Market might be surprised when they walk into the new third location set to open at the corner of Johnston Street and Duhon Road south the Acadiana Mall...

Get your Entrepreneur of the Year nom in by Friday

Know an innovator, job creator and visionary with a penchant for hard work? We want to know that person. An entrepreneur can be many things. But he or she is almost always a risk-taker, willing to...

In La., more jobs yet higher unemployment

The number of Louisianans with jobs continued to set records in September, but the state's unemployment rate kept rising. The number of Louisianans with jobs continued to set records in September, but...

Make a Mark

Local pieces and logo-emblazoned corporate gifts Louisiana sweet pepper jelly from E's Kitchen The proof is in the pudding when it comes to business and there's no better time to show that your...

LCG prevails in sign fight

Lafayette Consolidated Government was the victor at the 3rd Circuit Court of Appeal in a suit brought against it by a billboard company that argued new(ish) zoning regulations prevented it from making...

Initial unemployment claims rise

The state labor department figures released Friday show the initial claims increased to 2,081 from the previous week's total of 1,887. For the comparable week a year earlier, there were 2,456. BATON...

Small business aid program threatened with closure

Lawmakers and business leaders are pressing Gov. Bobby Jindal's administration to pledge the financing needed to keep open a 25-year-old program that helps small businesses apply for government...

Initial La. jobless claims dip

The state labor department figures released Friday show the initial claims decreased to 1,887 from the previous week's total of 2,068. For the comparable week a year earlier, there were 2,307...

First-time jobless claims fall

The state labor department figures released Friday show the initial claims decreased to 2,068 from the previous week's total of 2,071. For the comparable week a year earlier, there were 2,494...

La. jobless rate rises even as more have jobs

Both sets of figures - adjusted to cancel out seasonal changes - were released by the U.S. Labor Department. Louisiana's unemployment rate jumped again in August, the fourth straight month with an...

Building a Community of Entrepreneurs

Collaboration and relationships give you the help you want - and the help you need. Collaboration and relationships give you the help you want - and the help you need. Opportunity Machine By Zachary...

Initial jobless claims drop

The state labor department figures released Friday show the initial claims decreased to 1,961 from the previous week's total of 2,237. For the comparable week a year earlier, there were 2,190...

Broussard bar doing dry for a while

Hurry, rush to Jersey's Daiquiris Sports Bar in Broussard for a cold one because at noon tomorrow its license is suspended for two months by the state! A Broussard sports bar will begin two months...

Lafayette man facing federal tax-evasion indictment

The feds say Donald Domingues reported $259,725 as income and paid $64,909 in taxes but he allegedly failed to mention a $351,000 sales commission, which would have bumped his income up to just over...

Software development center planned in Lafayette

St. Louis-based Perficient Inc. says it will establish a software development center in Louisiana that is expected to create 245 jobs. LAFAYETTE, La. (AP) - St. Louis-based Perficient Inc. says it...

Health benefit changes planned for state workers

Critics say workers and retirees are being held responsible for the Jindal administration's mismanagement of their program. BATON ROUGE, La. (AP) - State employees and retirees face increased...

Louisiana cost of living compares favorably

In the Pelican State, Benjamin Franklin buys you about $109 worth of stuff. Louisiana is in the upper third among U.S. states in its consumer purchasing power. According to Bureau of Economic Analysis...

Jobless rate rises in La., but so do payrolls

The state's jobless rate rose to 5.4 percent in July from 5 percent in June. Louisiana's unemployment rate was 6.4 percent in July 2013. Louisiana's unemployment rate rose for the third straight month...

Nike releases shoe reflecting Louisiana heritage

Local skate shop collaborates with sneaker giant to create the "Crawfish Dunks" Photo via Nike Crawfish Dunks designed by Rukus Board Shop What do Nike, a local skateboard shop and crawfish...

Red Arrow and Parish Ink in the Big Easy

Local stores open second location The Red Arrow is pointing to the big easy. Sister store Parish Ink will join the River Ranch store in a new location on the corner of Magazine and Austerlitz...

Gulf oyster harvest has nose-dived

Numbers have declined dramatically in the four years since a BP PLC oil well blew wild in the nation's worst offshore oil disaster. HOPEDALE, La. (AP) - Fisherman Randy Slavich drags a clunky metal...

La. jobless claims fall

The state labor department figures released Friday show the initial claims decreased to 2,293 from the previous week's total of 2,312. For the comparable week a year earlier, there were 2,844. BATON...

La personal spending growth has lagged since 2009

New federal data show personal spending in Louisiana grew slightly during the Great Recession but has lagged behind growth in other states since then. NEW ORLEANS (AP) - New federal data show personal...

LUS Fiber inks SEC

LUS Fiber announced Tuesday afternoon it has reached an agreement to carry the new SEC Network for its cable subscribers. LUS Fiber announced Tuesday afternoon it has reached an agreement to carry the...

Weekly jobless claims decrease

The state labor department figures released Friday show the initial claims decreased to 2,312 from the previous week's total of 2,543. For the comparable week a year earlier, there were 2,627. BATON...

Red Arrow shooting for AcA

The hip little River Ranch shop will open in the Acadiana Center for the Arts in time for the September ArtWalk. Red Arrow Workshop, which is celebrating its second anniversary in business today, will...

Investar reports fall in earnings

The parent of Investar Bank says its second-quarter earnings fell to $1.1 million or 26 cents a share from $1.7 million of 44 cents a share in the same period a year ago. BATON ROUGE, La. (AP) - The...

US rig count down 4

1,554 rigs were exploring for oil and 315 for gas. Two were listed as miscellaneous. A year ago there were 1,770 active rigs. HOUSTON (AP) - Oilfield services company Baker Hughes Inc. says the number...

Donelon: Ridesharing drivers should check coverage

Most personal auto insurance policies exclude coverage when people charge money to drive others in their personal vehicles. BATON ROUGE, La. (AP) - Insurance Commissioner Jim Donelon is urging...

Louisiana casino winnings edge up from June 2013

Louisiana's 21 casinos took in $203.5 million statewide in June, edging up one-half of a percentage point from a year earlier. NEW ORLEANS (AP) - Louisiana's 21 casinos took in $203.5 million...

'Shroom time

Mellow Mushroom Pizza Bakers opens on Johnston. After about eight months of renovations, the new Mellow Mushroom Pizza Bakers restaurant has opened at 3151 Johnston St. at the corner of Doucet Road...

Investar chief to ring NASDAQ bell

The company currently has 10 branches throughout Louisiana, including an Ambassador Caffery location which opened last year. Investar Bank Chief Executive Officer John D'Angelo will ring the opening...

La. jobless rate rises for second month

The state's jobless rate rose to 5 percent in June from 4.9 percent in May. Louisiana's unemployment rate was 6.4 percent in June 2013. Louisiana's job market softened in June, as the unemployment...

2014 state annual sales tax holiday on Aug. 1-2

The 2014 Louisiana Annual Sales Tax Holiday exempts the first $2,500 of the purchase price of each eligible item for non-business use when the customer buys and accepts delivery of eligible property...

Audit: Failed sugar mill cost La. taxpayers $71M

The project was pushed by former Agriculture Commissioner Bob Odom as a way to help Louisiana's sugar industry, and its financing was approved in 2003 by the State Bond Commission. But it was a...

Get your women's awards noms in by July 15

The Women Who Mean Business honorees and trailblazers will be featured as a cover story in the September issue of ABiz, which publishes Sept. 15. ABiz annually profiles the leading ladies of Acadiana,...

Initial unemployment claims drop

The state labor department figures released Monday show the initial claims decreased to 2,577 from the previous week's total of 2,604. For the comparable week a year earlier, there were 3,027. BATON...

La. unemployment claims drop

The state labor department figures released Friday show the initial claims decreased to 2,604 from the previous week's total of 2,691. For the comparable week a year earlier, there were 3,026. BATON...

Weekly unemployment claims dip

The state labor department figures released Friday show the initial claims decreased to 2,691 from the previous week's total of 3,292. For the comparable week a year earlier, there were 2,915. BATON...

Is this the Costco plan?

A site plan floating around cyberspace is purportedly a preliminary layout for that $95 million, 58-acre Ambassador Town Center development anchored by Costco Wholesale and Dick's Sporting Goods near...

Pampered Paws = beatin' on the bitches?

A Lafayette pet-grooming business is claiming conspiracy after the owner and an employee were issued misdemeanor summonses for animal abuse stemming from an undercover video. This screen shot from a...

Dear Tabasco, if you want a crowd, pick a fight

The world's most famous pepper sauce is hot under the collar with blogger Lamar White over a parody logo. Who will blink first? [Update: We've chosen to remove the parody Tabasco logo at issue in this...

Weekly unemployment claims drop

The state labor department figures released Friday show the initial claims decreased to 2,976 from the previous week's total of 2,985. For the comparable week a year earlier, there were 3,306. BATON...

Saints' workers comp bill placed on IR

Lawmakers are getting out of a dispute between New Orleans Saints owner Tom Benson and NFL players about workers compensation claims. BATON ROUGE, La. (AP) - Lawmakers are getting out of a dispute...

First-time unemployment claims climb

The Louisiana Workforce Commission said Friday that initial claims rose to 2,343 from the previous week's total of 2,209. There were 2,738 initial claims during the comparable week in 2013. BATON...

Jobless claims rise

The Louisiana Workforce Commission said Friday that initial claims rose to 2,273 from the previous week's total of 2,238. There were 2,466 initial claims during the comparable week in 2013. BATON...

Bill to raise La. minimum wage fails

The House labor committee rejected bills Thursday that would have set the state minimum wage higher than the hourly federal rate of $7.25 and would have allowed local governments to set their own...

First-time jobless claims rise

The Louisiana Workforce Commission said Friday that initial claims rose to 2,101 from the previous week's total of 1,985. There were 2,444 initial claims during the comparable week in 2013. BATON...

DOJ seeks to shut down Iberia tax preparer

The civil complaint alleges that Joyce Bougere-Keyes prepares federal income tax returns for customers who report fabricated and/or inflated business income and expenses to maximize the amount of the...

1st-time unemployment claims fall

The Louisiana Workforce Commission said Friday that initial claims fell to 1,985 from the previous week's total of 2,131. There were 1,663 initial claims during the comparable week in 2013. BATON...

LHC adds home health agencies in 4 states

The acquisition of Deaconess HomeCare and Elk Valley Health Services boosts LHC to 340 agencies in 26 states. LHC expects the new properties to increase earnings by 5 cents to 10 cents per...

First-time unemployment claims fall

The Louisiana Workforce Commission said Friday that initial claims fell to 2,131 from the previous week's total of 2,232. There were 2,057 initial claims during the comparable week in 2013. BATON...

La ag economy has second record year in a row

Louisiana's agricultural economy had its second straight record year in 2013, bringing the state more than $11.8 billion, according to a report released Monday by the LSU AgCenter. That's 3.5 percent...

Louisiana unemployment rate drops

Louisiana set a record in January with 1,990,531 people employed, which helped lower the unemployment rate to 4.9 percent, state labor officials said. BATON ROUGE, La. (AP) - Louisiana set a record in...

Y'ville biz owners pleads to polluting river

Robbie Mouton admitted to dumping the pollutant into the waterway during a two-week period in January of 2009. A Youngsville business owner faces a year in prison and up to $100,000 in fines after...

First-time unemployment claims rise

The Louisiana Workforce Commission said Friday that initial claims rose to 2,125 from the previous week's total of 1,964. There were 2,887 initial claims during the comparable week in 2013. BATON...

Most Expensive Home Sales of 2013

Increases in higher-end home sales say a lot about the health of the overall market. Last year broke the housing sales records in Lafayette Parish, eclipsing the staggering sales surge the market...

ABiz People for Feb. 20, 2014

Who joined whom or got promoted? United Way of Acadiana has named Jason Huffman director of impact strategies. In this position, he leads research efforts, develops programs supporting United Way of...

First-time unemployment insurance claims rise

The four-week moving average, which is a less volatile measure of claims, decreased to 2,332 from the previous week's average of 2,566. BATON ROUGE, La. (AP) - First-time claims for unemployment...

State high court rejects damages against drug makers

The Supreme Court of Louisiana has thrown out nearly $331 million in damages, attorneys fees and court costs against two pharmaceutical companies sued by state Attorney General Buddy Caldwell. The...

First-time unemployment insurance claims fall

The Louisiana Workforce Commission said Monday that initial claims fell to 2,726 from the previous week's total of 3,330. There were 3,850 initial claims during the comparable week in 2013. BATON...

Record-breaking real estate year

Last year's Lafayette Parish home sales soared, besting 2012 by 21 percent. It's official: 2013 broke the housing sales records in Lafayette Parish, eclipsing the staggering sales surge in 2007. Home...

Businesses use tax credits as amnesty payment

In Louisiana's latest tax amnesty period, Gov. Bobby Jindal's administration added a new twist, letting companies settle their back-owed taxes with unused tax credits, instead of paying cash. BATON...

Dust off the internet sales tax issue

The National Conference of State Legislatures estimates $800 million of sales tax revenue annually in Louisiana is not collected and remitted by internet vendors. Just in time for the holidays, the...

Kennedy: Make I-49 South a priority

State Treasurer John Kennedy argues in a new op-ed emailed to media Tuesday that, with an anticipated $100 million surplus from the last fiscal year, Louisiana should invest the funds in I-49...

Court won't take Gulf spill moratorium case

The Supreme Court won't decide if the Obama administration violated a judge's order that struck down its temporary moratorium on deep water drilling after BP's 2010 oil spill in the Gulf of...

ABiz Scene, Dec. 16, 2013 - Jan. 19, 2014

From a chili cook-off to author Scott Turow to honoring Acadiana's top philanthropists BBR Creative hosted its annual vendor and media thank you breakfast Nov. 14 at Café Vermilionville. Guests...

US rig count increases by 7 this week

Oilfield services company Baker Hughes Inc. says the number of rigs exploring for oil and natural gas in the U.S. increased to 1,782. HOUSTON (AP) - Oilfield services company Baker Hughes Inc. says...

Weekly unemployment claims drop

The state labor department figures released Friday show the initial claims decreased to 2,363 from the previous week's total of 2,707. For the comparable week a year earlier, there were 2,875. BATON...

Vermilion Bay Sweet 'gumbo' shrimp now at Rouses

Delcambre-based company keeps the shrimp season alive Photo by: Kari Walker Thomas Hymel of Delcambre Direct and Tammy Gordon of the Port of Delcambre As the slow shrimp season comes to a close in...

ABiz Scene, Nov. 15-Dec. 15, 2013

Women Who Mean Business, Stuller Wellness Fair and the LGMC Gala Sister Betty Lyons led the 14th annual Women Who Mean Business Awards as this year's Trailblazer. Joining Lyons as WWMB honorees were...

First Serve

Local tennis star turns her attention to real estate, breathing new life into an old Oil Center building. Local tennis star turns her attention to real estate, breathing new life into an old Oil...

Influence of Legislative Auditor Growing

"What we want to be is a fact-finder, not a prosecutor." Photos by Robin May Friday, Nov. 15, 2013 Written by Kelly Connelly, LaPolitics News Service When he was nominated for the...

Weekly unemployment insurance claims drop

The state labor department figures released Friday show the initial claims decreased to 2,309 from the previous week's total of 2,374. BATON ROUGE, La. (AP) - First-time claims for unemployment...

Newpark Resources to expand Carencro facility

Newpark Resources Inc. will invest $41.1 million in its Carencro-based facility, which makes composite mats for drill-site construction and other applications. CARENCRO (AP) - Newpark Resources Inc....

Cox's Dronet chairing chamber in 2014

Executive director of Cox's Acadiana operations will assume reins from Pinnacle Group's Rob Eddy Julie Dronet Julie Dronet, executive director of Cox's Acadiana operations, will lead the Greater...

Comeaux, Coussan vie for HD 45 seat

Two years out and two candidates are already in the race to replace term-limited state Rep. Joel Robideaux. Although the election is still two years out, André Comeaux and Jean-Paul Coussan say they...

Comeaux sets early sights on Robideaux seat

Lafayette insurance broker André Comeaux has announced he will seek the seat of term-limited state Rep. Joel Robideaux in an election that won't be held for another two years. André Comeaux Lafayette...

Report: La. could have more than 2M jobs in 2015

A new report says unprecedented growth in the Lake Charles and Baton Rouge areas is likely to boost employment in Louisiana to more than 2 million jobs sometime in 2015, in spite of what it describes...

Yay, Which Wich has a lease!

I rarely use exclamation points, but this is an exception. The IND has confirmed that at least one agreement has been finalized for Ambassador Crossing, the new Whole Foods-anchored shopping center at...

Monks trump morticians at SCOTUS

Benedictine monks have won the final round in their lawsuit to keep selling plain caskets from their monastery outside New Orleans. NEW ORLEANS (AP) - Benedictine monks have won the final round in...

Let the Horse Farm design begin

Austin firm and group of locals holding forums to seek public input on conversion of acreage into passive park. After announcing Sept. 20 that a master planning team had been chosen for the Horse Farm...

Lasting Impressions

Successful corporate gifts mean giving - or doing - something the recipients will remember. Successful corporate gifts mean giving - or doing - something the recipients will remember. By Amanda...

Faith, Hope and Big Charity

Clancy DuBos on the political squabble over reviving Charity Hospital as a new civic center Clancy DuBos on the political squabble over reviving Charity Hospital as a new civic center Photo by Rachel...

Common Sense

You should support Common Core in Louisiana. You should support Common Core in Louisiana. By Jason El Koubi Tuesday, Oct. 15, 2013 Most people in private business today know that measuring, tracking...

Executive Spotlight: Geoff Dyer

Lafayette Downtown Development Authority's new director of design on his vision for transforming the area's urban landscape Tuesday, Oct. 15, 2013 By Patrick Flanagan Photo by Robin May Geoff...

Stronger by the day

All three categories of economic indicators - leading, current and lagging - head north. All three categories of economic indicators - leading, current and lagging - head north. By Gregg...

Food drive begins Monday

The Greater Acadiana Food Bank's supply of non-perishable food items is critically low, and that has prompted Lafayette's Manuel Builders to sponsor a food drive starting Monday. The Greater Acadiana...

Cupcakes for cancer

Everything Else is Cake, a specialty bakery on Bertrand Drive, is shooting to raise $10,000 this month for Miles Perret Cancer Services. Everything Else is Cake, a specialty bakery on Bertrand Drive,...

Around Town: 2 Paul's No. 2 comes to Broussard

Second location for local BBQ joint opens in November. 2 Paul's Broussard location will open in mid-November at Hwy. 90. and N. Morgan Broussard residents and anyone who travels Hwy. 90 will soon be...

Rayburn Counseling opens office Downtown

Rayburn Counseling focuses on treating addiction. Robert Rayburn Rayburn Counseling focuses on treating addiction, and is now in business in Downtown Lafayette. Located at 917 Buchanan St., Rayburn...

Judge hears conflicting estimates of BP oil spill

Lawyers for BP and the federal government quarreled over how much oil gushed out of BP's Macondo well during the 87-day crisis. NEW ORLEANS (AP) - For weeks after BP's massive 2010 oil spill in the...

BP trial to focus on scientists' spill estimates

A federal judge was set to begin hearing three weeks of testimony Monday about how much oil made it into the ocean during the 2010 Gulf of Mexico oil spill. NEW ORLEANS (AP) - A federal judge was set...

Around Town: Shi Shi relocating to River Ranch

The women's clothing and accessories store will locate on the first level of a new building still under construction on Camellia Boulevard in River Ranch. The women's clothing and accessories store...

Lafayette plays host to Notre Dame urban designers

A series of brain-storming sessions staged throughout last week by a visiting group of architecture grad students from the University of Notre Dame considered various development scenarios for three...

Business funding for research lands UL in top 10

University among highest in country for its percentage of R&D expenditures funded by business. UL Lafayette is among the top 10 universities in the U.S. for its percentage of research and...

Judge hears claims BP lied to feds about oil spill

A trial over BP's 2010 oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico has resumed with a federal judge hearing claims that the company misled federal officials and withheld information about the amount of crude...

Our Lady of Lourdes brings down the walls

Former hospital on St. Landry street reduced to rubble. A St. Landry Street icon is soon to be nothing more than memory of works of healing and a pile of bricks by the end of 2013. Our Lady of Lourdes...

Motion: Toss BP supervisors' manslaughter charges

Lawyers for two BP rig supervisors charged with manslaughter in the Deepwater Horizon disaster say the indictment should be dismissed because prosecutors accuse the men of violating standards that...

Louisiana payroll growth jumps in August

Louisiana saw a spurt of job creation in August, as payrolls jumped by 14,000 for the month. The state's unemployment rate, calculated in a separate survey, held steady at 7 percent. Louisiana saw a...

BP: State can't order removal of anchors

BP has filed a federal lawsuit against Louisiana authorities over an August order that the oil giant remove anchors that were placed in the Gulf of Mexico following the 2010 Deepwater Horizon...

QB Delhomme named to MidSouth's board of directors

Retired NFL quarterback Jake Delhomme has been named to MidSouth Bank's board of directors, according to a press release issued this week. Retired NFL quarterback Jake Delhomme has been named to...

Ex-Halliburton manager charged in Gulf spill probe

A former Halliburton manager was charged Thursday with destroying evidence following BP's 2010 oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico, a case that coincides with a guilty plea to a related charge by the...

Investar announces plans for public offering

Investar Holding Corporation announced plans Thursday for a public offering of the company's common stock, pending approval by Investar Bank's shareholders at a special meeting set for Oct....

Judge to review Halliburton's plea deal

A federal judge was set to decide Thursday whether to approve a plea agreement that calls for Halliburton Energy Services to pay a $200,000 fine for destroying evidence after BP's 2010 oil spill in...

Judge asked to dismiss BP rig supervisors' charges

Lawyers for two BP rig supervisors charged in the deaths of 11 workers in the Deepwater Horizon disaster asked a federal judge on Wednesday to dismiss the manslaughter charges against their...

Whoop-Dee-Do! Advertiser has new publisher

Gannett veteran becomes fourth publisher in six years. The Daily Advertiser has a new publisher. (Didn't we just report this a little more than a year ago?) It's official: Judi Terzotis is the fourth...

Judge urged to approve BP claims czar's budget

The administrator of BP's settlement with Gulf Coast residents and businesses following its oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico asked a federal judge Tuesday to reject BP's bid to slash his office's...

Businesses seek tax breaks

A big box home improvement chain along with a motel company and two other private companies are seeking reductions in their property tax burden and will ask the City-Parish Council Tuesday night to...

Judge urged to accept Halliburton's guilty plea

Halliburton Energy Services and Justice Department prosecutors have urged a federal judge to approve a plea deal that calls for the Houston-based company to pay a $200,000 fine for destroying evidence...

'Big Oil' suit looms over flood board nominations

A committee representing good government groups, science and engineering societies and academics is preparing to meet in New Orleans to discuss vacancies on a flood control board that created a...

BP seeks cuts in settlement program's budget

BP has urged a federal judge to reject a $111 million budget request by the court-supervised administrator of the company's multibillion-dollar settlement with Gulf Coast businesses and residents...

Levee panel wants oil suit back in state court

The Southeast Louisiana Flood Protection Authority-East's board of commissioners filed the suit in state civil district court in New Orleans on July 24. Last month, it was transferred to federal court...

On the Horizon: J. Crew and Mellow Mushroom?

Upscale clothing store, national pizza joint may be looking to settle in Lafayette. ABiz has received strong leads on two new developments coming to Lafayette, as multiple sources tell us J. Crew and...

The apple of my lie

Lafayette man pleads guilty to peddling counterfeit Apple products, faces decade in slammer. Brennan LeBlanc Don't mess with Apple Inc., maker of the iPhone, iPad and other top-selling tech devices. A...

Another guilty plea in Bowman Investment scheme

Herbert S. "Steve" Fouke pleads guilty in investment fraud that cost clients $8 million. U.S. Attorney Stephanie Finley announced Sept. 6 that 54-year-old Herbert S. "Steve" Fouke...

Waguespack replaces Juneau at LABI

Gov. Jindal's former chief of staff takes over top post at statewide business organization. Stephen Waguespack is replacing Dan Juneau as president of the Louisiana Association of Business &...

Biz Scene: Camellia bridge turns 10

Despite decades of resistance, bridge has been economic boom for city. City-Parish President Joey Durel addresses the Camellia bridge's impact on Lafayette over the past decade Photos by: Kari...

Court asked to uphold BP settlement approval

Plaintiffs' attorneys who brokered a multibillion-dollar settlement with BP following the company's 2010 Gulf oil spill have asked a federal appeals court to uphold a judge's approval of the deal. NEW...

BP: Jindal admin 'misrepresents' company's record

Geoff Morrell, BP's vice president of U.S. communications, responded Thursday to comments made a day earlier by Jindal and his top coastal official, Garret Graves, during and after a meeting of the...

Groups lash out at Jindal's opposition to lawsuit

The groups say contributions from the oil industry influenced Jindal's harsh criticism of the lawsuit. NEW ORLEANS (AP) - One year after Hurricane Isaac and eight years after Hurricane Katrina, a...

Judge refuses to suspend BP settlement payments

A federal judge has rejected BP's latest request to suspend settlement payments to Gulf Coast residents and businesses while former FBI Director Louis Freeh leads an independent investigation of the...

Oil lease sale: 21M acres in western Gulf

The Bureau of Ocean Energy Management says 12 companies have submitted 61 bids on 53 offshore blocks out of the 3,864 offered. NEW ORLEANS (AP) - The federal Interior Department is offering nearly 21...

Exxon Mobil agrees to $2.4M in fines, improvements

About $2.3 million will resolve violations from 2008 into this year at four plants, including the company's Baton Rouge refinery. BATON ROUGE, La. (AP) - Louisiana's Department of Environmental...

3 prosecutors ask out of ex-BP engineer's case

Three Justice Department prosecutors have asked to withdraw from the case against a former BP engineer charged with deleting text messages about the company's response to its 2010 oil spill in the...

Go Getters

Meet ABiz's 2013 Women Who Mean Business honorees Thursday, Aug. 22, 2013 By ABiz Staff From Sister Betty Lyons to LEDA's Pamela LaFleur and the always-on-the-go Stephanie Morris, this year's Women...

Around Town: Lolli's Chocolates opens in Oil Center

New Orleans based chocolate shop opens Lafayette location in Oil Center Gardens. Oil Center Gardens got a little sweeter today as Lolli's Chocolates opened its doors for business. This is the second...

DDA's design director now on the job

Design Director Geoff Dyer aims to help transform Lafayette's downtown into an urban center that will attract more residents, businesses and investment. Geoff Dyer The $100,000 salary for the Downtown...

Johnston Street eyesore is no more

The former Super Taco Buffet on Johnston Street has been razed. The former Super Taco Buffet on Johnston Street has been razed. Originally a Western Sizzlin' Steak House, the building housed a number...

La. exports hit record $29B for 6 month period

The World Trade Center of New Orleans said Louisiana's principal export markets through the second quarter were Mexico, $3.26 billion; China, $2.58 billion; and Singapore, $1.53 billion. NEW ORLEANS...

La. jobless rate flat as payrolls dip slightly

Louisiana's unemployment rate held steady at 7 percent in July. Louisiana's unemployment rate held steady at 7 percent in July. A separate survey showed state employer payrolls fell slightly for the...

Crowley company ordered to pay $1M for cleanup

As part of plea deal, company agrees to reimburse federal and state agencies for cleaning up an estimated 266 barrels of waste oil that leaked from a damaged tank near the mill. The owner of the...

Levee board's suit moved to federal court

A New Orleans-area levee authority's lawsuit against dozens of oil and gas companies was transferred Tuesday from state to federal court at the request of one of the companies, but the move may be...

Biz Scene: meet LAGCOE Looey

Alfred J. Thomas II was honored with the signature golden hard hat. Alfred J. Thomas II is the 2013 LAGCOE Looey. In anticipation of the 2013 Louisiana Gulf Coast Oil Exposition, members of the local...

Top money site keen on Frank's

"The valuation remains attractive for this niche player in the oil and gas service sector." Writing that "the valuation remains attractive for this niche player in the oil and gas...

WWMB? The SBA can help

The U.S. Small Business Administration will be teaching a free workshop in Lafayette designed for small business owners interested in learning more about SBA's certification program for Woman-Owned...

Blue Victory acquires yogurt chain

The boutique private equity firm's founder, Seenu Kasturi, tells ABiz the deal worth $4.8 million includes three company-owned stores and an expanding galaxy of franchises nationwide. Clean lines...

Attorney blasts firing from BP settlement program

In a letter to claims administrator Patrick Juneau last Friday, Christine Reitano's lawyer said her contract for working on the settlement program was "wrongfully and improperly"...

Lottery shifts $160M to state treasury last year

Its payment to the state was the second highest annual transfer to the treasury since the lottery began operations in 1991. BATON ROUGE, La. (AP) - The Louisiana Lottery Corporation brought in more...

Weekly claims for unemployment insurance rise

The state labor department figures released Friday show the initial claims increased to 2,844 from the previous week's total of 2,627. Initial claims were below the comparable week a year earlier at...

ABiz announces 2013 WWMB winners

Honorees will be recognized at Sept. 11 luncheon. Sister Betty Lyons leads the 14th annual Women Who Mean Business Awards as this year's Trailblazer. Joining Lyons as WWMB honorees are Amy Jones,...

Judge intervenes as BP balks at paying claims czar

A federal magistrate has set a Wednesday hearing for BP to justify why it has balked at paying more than $130 million in fees to the court-supervised administrator of its multi-billion dollar...

BP balks at paying claims administrator

BP is refusing to pay more than $130 million in fees to the court-supervised administrator of its multi-billion dollar settlement with Gulf Coast businesses and residents after the 2010 oil spill,...

Alexander won't run for re-election

Six-term 5th District U.S. Rep. Rodney Alexander won't run for re-election next year, the congressman told The News-Star in an exclusive interview Wednesday afternoon. Six-term 5th District U.S. Rep....

LALED merges with Magnolia Companies

Company plans to build new production facility and create more than 150 jobs. LALED, a Louisiana-based manufacturer of LED lighting, announced this week that it has merged with Louisiana-based...

People in Business: Tony Carroll, Scott Louviere

Tony Carroll was named VP and commercial loan officer by Farmers Merchants Bank of Lafayette, and Global Data Systems has promoted Scott Louviere to VP of operations. Tony Carroll Tony Carroll has...

BP cites new fraud allegations in spill settlement

BP says it has uncovered new allegations of fraud and conflicts of interest inside the settlement program that has awarded billions of dollars to Gulf Coast businesses and residents. NEW ORLEANS (AP)...

Relief well drilling starts after Gulf blowout

Workers have started drilling a relief well to permanently seal a gas well that blew out in the Gulf of Mexico last month off the coast of Louisiana. HOUMA, La. (AP) - Workers have started drilling a...

Halliburton to plead guilty in Gulf oil spill

A federal judge has scheduled a hearing on Sept. 19 for Halliburton Energy Services to plead guilty to destroying evidence after BP's 2010 oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico. NEW ORLEANS (AP) - A federal...

Blowout could tip regulator focus to shallow-water

Last week's blowout on a natural gas rig off the Louisiana coast could shift regulators' focus to shallow-water drilling and make an overhaul of safety equipment regulations more likely. Last week's...

Relief drilling expected to take 35 days

Crews are expected to begin drilling a relief well Thursday at the site of a gas well that blew wild July 23 off the Louisiana coast but eventually was choked off by sand and sediment. NEW ORLEANS...

Maurice man admits to counterfeiting $100 bills

Brandon Lee Landry, 31, of Maurice pleaded guilty Tuesday before U.S. District Judge Richard T. Haik to counterfeiting $100 bills and using them to buy goods services from local businesses. U.S....

La. will get nearly one-third of Entergy layoffs

Entergy Corp. says it plans to cut 800 jobs - nearly one-third of them in Louisiana, where the bulk of its employees live. NEW ORLEANS (AP) - Entergy Corp. says it plans to cut 800 jobs - nearly...

Parkway Services wins Safest 70 Award

LWCC recognizes Lafayette company for superior safety. Parkway Services Group was presented with the Safest 70 Award by the Louisiana Workers Compensation Corporation in recognition of its superior...

La. weekly initial unemployment claims down

The state labor department figures released Monday show 3,035 initial claims compared to 3,764 a week earlier. BATON ROUGE, La. (AP) - First-time claims for unemployment insurance in Louisiana for the...

Federal agency to probe blown Gulf well

The Bureau of Safety and Environmental Enforcement said it will work closely with the Coast Guard to determine the cause, and ways to prevent such accidents. ON THE GULF OF MEXICO (AP) - A federal...

Scientists collect water near site of blown well

Scientists from several universities are working to learn whether a gas well that blew wild last week off the Louisiana coast is polluting the Gulf of Mexico. NORTHERN GULF OF MEXICO (AP) - Scientists...

Some say industry arrogance fueled fracking anger

Some experts say a lack of transparency and poor communication on the part of the drilling industry have helped fuel public anger over the process of hydraulic fracturing, or fracking. PITTSBURGH (AP)...

Feds: Halliburton agrees to plead guilty in spill

Federal officials said in a news release that a criminal information charging Halliburton with one count of destruction of evidence was filed in federal court in Louisiana. NEW ORLEANS (AP) -...

Let Cooper's progress in education continue

The school board should be praising Dr. Cooper and his team and thanking their lucky stars we have them instead of trying to hire a law firm to investigate them. Since coming to Lafayette almost 10...

Sediment clogs wild natural gas well in the Gulf

Natural gas has stopped flowing from a well that has been ablaze in the Gulf of Mexico and remaining small flames are from gas still in the pipe, regulators said Thursday. NEW ORLEANS (AP) - Natural...

La. flood board sues oil companies over erosion

The oil and gas industry has cost Louisiana hundreds of acres of coastal land that serve as a natural buffer against flooding from hurricanes, officials in charge of New Orleans-area flood protection...

Rig owner loses round in oil spill document fight

Transocean is appealing a federal court order enforcing a subpoena of the documents by the U.S. Chemical Safety and Hazard Investigation Board. NEW ORLEANS (AP) - Transocean Deepwater Drilling Corp....

Around Town: Johnston Street eyesore coming down

Demolition is under way of the former Super Taco Buffet on Johnston Street, which has played host to a bevy of restaurants over the years, including a Western Sizzlin' Steak House and a number of...

Around Town: Anne's Table coming downtown

Healthy takeout concept to open on Jefferson Street mid-August in former Pane & Vino location. Photos by: Kari Walker Former Pane & Vino location becomes Anne's Table mid-August. Anne's Table...

American Tank building $2M facility in New Iberia

Company officials and Gov. Bobby Jindal announced the plans Monday, saying the plant will create 20 jobs averaging $32,000 a year plus benefits. NEW IBERIA, La. (AP) - American Tank Company Inc. is...

LABI chief: Jindal tax commission reversed reforms

Gov. Bobby Jindal has backpedaled on changes his predecessor made in the oversight of local assessors who decide property taxes, the head of a powerful state business organization said Friday. BATON...

Louisiana jobless rate rises in 6th straight month

Louisiana's unemployment rate rose to 7 percent in June, climbing for the sixth straight month as labor figures suggested a pause in economic growth. Louisiana's unemployment rate rose to 7 percent in...

Judge to weigh suspending BP settlement payments

A federal judge is set to hear BP's bid to temporarily block all settlement payments to Gulf Coast businesses and residents who claim they lost money after the company's 2010 oil spill. NEW ORLEANS...

La casino winnings down $8M from June 2012

Louisiana added a 19th casino in June but statewide casino winnings sank. NEW ORLEANS (AP) - Louisiana added a 19th casino in June but statewide casino winnings went down. State-regulated casinos took...

Zeus expands to Crowley

Lafayette-based Greek and Lebanese restaurant heads west. Balbeisi Business Consultants announced Friday that the company's Greek and Lebanese chain, Zeus Café, is expanding to Crowley. Nidal...

Why Downtown needs a 'rock star'

The announcement of a new design director for the Downtown Development Authority was a bit premature, as funding for the newly created position, which will be split between three entities, still...

DDA hires first-ever design director

Downtown Development Authority CEO Nathan Norris calls his new director of design a "rock star of the design world." Speaking during Wednesday's lunch meeting of the Upper Lafayette Economic...

Gulf of Mexico returns - with a vengeance

Not only did the sky not fall when a drilling moratorium was put in place after the Deepwater Horizon explosion, but a rainbow has appeared over the Gulf of Mexico. The Gulf of Mexico has rebounded...

Calling all entrepreneurs

The Louisiana Small Business Development Center at UL Lafayette is accepting entries for a business plan competition for Lafayette entrepreneurs and small business owners. The Louisiana Small Business...

Gannett cans Advertiser publisher

After giving her just over a year at the helm of The Daily Advertiser, Gannett has pulled the plug on publisher Karen Lincoln, according to inside sources who say the announcement was made Tuesday...

Bayou Teche's LA-31 tops mag list

Arnaudville's Bayou Teche Brewing's first offering, LA 31 Bière Pale, is at the head of Southern lifestyle magazine Garden & Gun's list of its favorite seasonal craft...

'What's Up with Downtown?'

The Upper Lafayette Economic Development Foundation will hold a panel discussion Wednesday focusing on what's in store for the downtown area, and the impact those developments will have on the...

BP sets up hotline for fraudulent claims

Monday's launch of the hotline comes a week after a federal appeals court heard BP's argument that it has been forced to pay hundreds of millions of dollars in settlement money to businesses with...

A 'Lafayette Institution' gets the boot

The firing of Mr. Cliff - known as the man behind the bar at Don's Downtown for more than 40 years - has prompted the creation of a Facebook group demanding his return. The firing of Mr. Cliff - known...

Acadian exec chairs trade group

LAFAYETTE, La. (AP) - Acadian Cos. Executive Vice President and Chief Financial Officer David Kelly has been elected chairman of the ESOP Association. LAFAYETTE, La. (AP) - Acadian Cos. Executive Vice...

Jason El Koubi is chamber's new CEO

Louisiana Economic Development assistant secretary replacing retiring chief exec Rob Guidry. A source with information on the search to replace retiring Greater Lafayette Chamber of Commerce President...

Around Town: Old Gallagher's becomes Linebacker's

Balbeisi brings new life to former dining establishment near UL Lafayette. Noticed the old Gallagher's Café at 405 E. University Ave. is receiving a fresh coat of Ragin' Cajun red paint on its roof?...

Chamber could have new CEO Friday

The committee charged with finding a replacement for Rob Guidry is playing its cards close to its vest, but ABiz has learned a new leader could emerge as soon as Friday. The committee charged with...

On the Horizon: Trader Joe's eyeing Lafayette?

The popular California-based natural foods grocer that has been scouting locations in Lafayette for more than a year will open its first Louisiana location in Baton Rouge on Perkins Road this fall....

CB&I moves 400 jobs to Baton Rouge location

The company that bought the Baton Rouge-based Shaw Group is expanding its presence in the capital city, moving 400 jobs there from out-of-state locations. BATON ROUGE, La. (AP) - CB&I, the company...

Weekly unemployment insurance claims stable

The state labor department figures released Monday show 3,027 initial claims compared to 3,026 a week earlier. BATON ROUGE, La. (AP) - First-time claims for unemployment insurance in Louisiana for the...

The disconnect: land lines becoming history

The number of U.S. phone lines peaked at 186 million in 2000. Since then, more than 100 million copper lines have already been disconnected, supplanted by cellphones and Internet-based phone service...

Louisiana Plating & Coatings opens Scott facility

The company is now providing area industries, primarily oilfield service companies, with corrosion protection services and in late July plans to open its electroless nickel plating line. Louisiana...

Gasoline prices begin summer slide

The national average for a gallon has fallen for 21 days straight and is now below $3.50 for the first time since February. The reason: Oil prices have been relatively stable, and refineries are...

US rig count up 9 this week to 1,757

Alaska, Arkansas, Louisiana, West Virginia and Wyoming were unchanged. HOUSTON (AP) - Oilfield services company Baker Hughes Inc. says the number of rigs actively exploring for oil and natural gas in...

Around Town: KFC on Ambassador becoming a Hardee's

Lafayette businessman Seenu Kasturi already has his second Hardee's planned for Lafayette. Photo by Robin May Lafayette businessman Seenu Kasturi outside of his Hardee's restaurant that is set to...

C&C Technologies finds missing Missoni plane

Local company plays a major role in the discovery of two aircraft lost near an island chain off the coast of Venezuela, including a plane that disappeared in January with six passengers, among them...

Weekly unemployment insurance claims increase

The state labor department figures released Friday show the initial claims increased to 3,026 from the previous week's total of 2,915. For the comparable week a year earlier, there were 3,633 initial...

Marco opens Lafayette office

Provider of service and equipment for the surface preparation industry opens full-service facility on Zonolite Street. Marco, a provider of service and equipment for the surface preparation industry,...

Cavender's coming to Acadiana Mall area

Texas-based chain carries popular brands like Wrangler, MissMe, Ariat and Lucchese. Photo by Camille LeJeune Construction is under way on the outskirts of the Acadiana Mall near the Ambassador...

Advo owner John Georges keynotes Acadiana's Top 50

The mega-successful businessman stunned newsmakers and political observers with his purchase of the state's largest daily newspaper. Now Acadiana's Top 50 Privately Held Companies will hear what he...

Tiffany & Co. heads to NO's Canal Place

The luxury jewelry store's iconic blue-green boxes will debut in Louisiana this fall. The Times-Picayune reported Monday that high-end jewelry store Tiffany & Co. plans to open its first New...

Swamp Pop: The soda

Though their businesses have been up and running for just two years, cousins John Peterson of the men's clothing boutique Genterie and Lafayette food truck pioneer Collin Cormier of Viva la Waffle...

Developing Acadiana

ABiz's annual commercial real estate roundtable discussion comes to life. For the first time this year, ABiz's outlook for the commercial real estate market is being presented in video format, thanks...

Renovations complete for University Place Apts.

After years of neglect, University Place Apartments will enter the fall semester a top contender for off-campus housing for UL students thanks to new ownership and a recently completed multi-million...

First Quarter EPI 2013

In cooperation with LEDA, each quarter ABiz presents the Lafayette Economic Performance Index. The EPI tracks the strength of the local economy by combining multiple data points into a single score...

Clucks from the Capitol

This year's regular session was an incubator for Lafayette politics, with some folks emerging hatched and others cracked. This year's regular session was an incubator for Lafayette politics, with some...

No new tenants yet at Whole Foods site

Houston-based developer says the center is moving in a "decidedly upscale" direction. Photo by Robin May A "Now Leasing" sign has gone up at the Whole Foods site on the corner of...

Outlaws becomes The District

Johnston Street saloon and dance hall to become premier live music venue. If you spend any amount of time in the car driving around and happen to listen to local radio, maybe you too have heard an...

Six years later, Teche Ridge turns dirt again

The concept of a traditional neighborhood development has been a tough sell in New Iberia, and a tough road for the nonprofit Southern Mutual Help Association, which after overcoming numerous...

On air soon: 'Soul of the South'

Channel surfers will soon find a new urban-focused television station, possibly as early as this week, says Delta Media General Manager Chuck Wood. "Soul of the South - Lafayette" could go...

Weekly unemployment insurance claims drop

The state labor department figures released Friday show the initial claims decreased to 3,306 from the previous week's total of 3,386. For the comparable week a year earlier, there were 4,177 initial...

Louisiana economic growth lags nation in 2012

New figures show that Louisiana's economy grew by 1.5 percent in 2012, leaving it ranked 30th among the 50 states. New figures show that Louisiana's economy grew by 1.5 percent in 2012, leaving it...

Bullritos adds second location on Johnston Street

Build-your-own burrito franchise comes to Winnwood Shopping Center this fall. Photo by Kari Walker Texas-based Bullritos is expanding its Lafayette presence with the addition of a second location...

Hardee's coming to Kaliste Saloom

Lafayette's first Hardee's is well under way on Kaliste Saloom Road next to Pizzeria Venti. Lafayette is getting its first location of Hardee's, the fast-food chain known for its charbroiled burgers...

Along the waterfront

A 10-acre waterfront residential development in Vermilion Parish will offer cottage-style campsites that are more like homes away from home, complete with all the amenities of city-life as well as...

Led by pickups, US auto sales roar back in May

Full-size pickups once again dominated U.S. auto sales in May, as small businesses - increasingly confident in the economy - raced to replace the aging pickups they held on to during the...

LHC Group buying AseraCare of Texas

A Lafayette-based home health care company is buying one that serves Atlanta, Pittsburgh, Milwaukee and Bloomington, Minn. LAFAYETTE, La. (AP) - Lafayette-based home health care company is buying one...

LUS Fiber launches gigabit intranet service

New service ups the ante in competition for Internet customers and makes Lafayette the nation's first digitally connected gigabit community. LUS Fiber announced Wednesday that it has upped the ante in...

On the Move: Brandon Hyde joins Whitney Bank

To further boost its impact on the Lafayette market, Whitney Bank brings Brandon Hyde on board as vice president of its private banking division. Brandon Hyde To further boost its impact on the...

Whitney Bank's Acadiana region tops in franchise

Hancock Holding Co.'s acquisition of the New Orleans-based Whitney Bank in 2011 has not panned out as investors originally hoped, except in Lafayette, which now ranks as the top-performing market...

Lafayette General inks UMC deal

Lafayette General announced Tuesday that it has signed binding docs inking the takeover of UMC, a deal widely touted as a way to stave off mass personnel cuts at the public hospital and ensure...

Weekly claims for unemployment insurance rise

First-time claims for unemployment insurance in Louisiana for the week ending May 18, increased from the previous week's total. BATON ROUGE, La. (AP) - First-time claims for unemployment insurance in...

IberiaBank adds advisory board members

IberiaBank names three young business leaders, Todd G. Citron, Blake R. David and Edward J. Krampe III, to its Lafayette Advisory Board. IberiaBank has named Todd G. Citron, Blake R. David and Edward...

Summer travel forecast: Better, but no blowout

Airlines, hotels and campgrounds are commanding higher rates and seeing more customers than a few summers ago, and luxury hotels are selling out. Local businessmen and state officials are...

Lafayette General/UMC deal closing in June

Gov. Bobby Jindal's top budget architect says the state will have enough money to cover the costs of privatizing the LSU-run hospitals. BATON ROUGE, La. (AP) - Gov. Bobby Jindal's top budget architect...

Global Data Systems is growing

An expansion is under way for Global Data Systems, a telecommunications company headquartered in Lafayette. An expansion is under way for Global Data Systems, a telecommunications company...

Senate rejects end of federal sugar program

Louisiana's $3.5 billion sugarcane and sugar mill industries could breathe a sigh of relief after an effort to effectively end the federal sugar program was defeated on the Senate floor. WASHINGTON...

Congrats, LUS

One statistic Lafayette Utilities System's Director Terry Huval has been reluctant to release since the launch of LUS Fiber in 2009 has been the number of its customers. One statistic Lafayette...

Ryan Rogers returns to Russo

Strategic branding and marketing firm Russo has announced the return of Ryan Anthony Rogers as associate creative director. Ryan Rogers Strategic branding and marketing firm Russo has announced the...

Casinos win $35.8M less in April than in March

State police figures show most also won less than they did a year ago. The big exceptions were 8.7 percent one-year increases at both L'Auberge Lake Charles and the slots casino at the New Orleans...

Whitney Bank announces closures

Up to 45 branches of Hancock Back and Whitney Bank are slated for closure in the coming months, according to an announcement made Friday by Hancock Holding Co. President and CEO Carl J. Chaney. Up to...

Louisiana jobless rate rises for fourth month

The jobless rate rose to 6.5 from 6.2 percent in March, though it remained below April 2012's 6.8 percent rate. Louisiana's unemployment rate rose in April for the fourth straight month, as fewer...

Lafayette's economy on upswing

At the risk of sounding like a broken record, LEDA's Gregg Gothreaux said it again: "best year, ever." "Best year, ever." At the risk of sounding like a broken record, LEDA...

IberiaBank closing 9 branches; none in Lafayette

Coming on the heels of four closures earlier this year, IberiaBank Corp. officials announced plans to eliminate nine additional branches during a late April conference call detailing the bank's first...

Kaufman debuts art gallery Saturday evening

Kelli Kaufman Studio and Gallery opens ahead of schedule after The Big Easel is rescheduled. Photo by Kari Walker Kelli Kaufman Studio and Gallery will open its doors ahead of schedule to welcome Art...

Lamar 1Q loss narrows, but misses Street's view

Lamar Advertising's first-quarter loss narrowed compared with results a year ago that were weighed down by a hefty loss on debt extinguishment. The latest loss was still larger than analysts expected,...

INVESTAR arrives

With ground broken, a temporary office secured and recruiting under way, Baton Rouge-based INVESTAR Bank has arrived in Lafayette and will be ready for business next week. With ground broken, a...

PetroQuest earns $2.6 million through March

Oil and gas operator's first quarter earnings are up significantly over the first quarter of 2012, which included a non-cash ceiling test impairment of $20 million. Lafayette-based PetroQuest Energy...

Courtesy Lincoln is back

Though construction won't be fully complete for another five weeks, Courtesy Automotive Group's new Lincoln Dealership on Ambassador Caffery, situated not far from the Vermilion River, has already...

Plastic bag tax scrapped by Baton Rouge lawmaker

A Baton Rouge lawmaker has shelved her proposal to add a new 5-cent state tax on plastic bags, like those used at grocery stores. BATON ROUGE, La. (AP) - A Baton Rouge lawmaker has shelved her...

Stella Maris expands its HQ and workforce

Stella Maris, a Lafayette-based oil and gas engineering and manufacturing company, is expanding its corporate headquarters on W. Pont Des Mouton Road. www.stellamarisllc.com Stella Maris, a...

Senate bill lets states tax Internet purchases

The Senate is aiming to help traditional retailers and financially strapped state and local governments with a vote Monday that would widely subject online shopping - for years a largely tax-free...

La. company agrees to pay $2M in back wages

The Labor Department said Monday that Hutco Inc. employees in Louisiana, Mississippi and Texas were denied overtime compensation as a result of the company's improper payment and record-keeping...

Coastal govs call for more offshore drilling

The governors of Texas, North Carolina, South Carolina, Alabama, Mississippi and Alaska spoke Monday at the Offshore Technology Conference in Houston. Officials from Louisiana and Virginia also...

‘Favorably received'

A recently unveiled plan for the Davidson property near Girard Park may settle a long-running dispute and help LGMC meet its growth potential. This view of the proposed development is from Girard...

ABiz Around Town

Commercial developments soon to open doors for business on Louisiana Avenue and Downtown Lafayette. Louisiana Avenue shoppers will have two new stops to make this fall. ULTA and Cato are two tenants...

MidSouth reports record 1st Q earnings

The $3.1 million in first quarter earnings reported by MidSouth Bancorp Inc. is a record for the nearly three decades old Lafayette-based bank. The $3.1 million in first quarter earnings reported by...

River Ranch's Daigle named to Committee of 100

Local developer joins state's prestigious economic development group. The Committee of 100 Louisiana has added Robert Daigle, managing partner of River Ranch Development Company, to its...

Abell + Crozier Architects expands to Texas

Lafayette firm merges with San Antonio firm to become Abell + Crozier + Davis Architects. Chad Abell and Eric Crozier have merged their Lafayette-based architectural firm with San Antonio-based...

Parkview Towers back on track?

Cecil Trahan's Parkview Towers, a mixed-use residential development planned for the vacant lot in front of the downtown parking garage, appears to be back on track after the project stalled several...

Ag economy hits record $11.4 billion in 2012

That's about 6.5 percent more than the 2011 total of $10.7 billion and $500 million above the previous record, set in 2007. NEW ORLEANS (AP) - The LSU AgCenter says high prices and record yields for...

La. spent $800M on film tax credits over 5 years

Supporters of the program say the industry has created thousands of new jobs and economic activity across the state. Critics question if Louisiana gets enough return for its investment. BATON ROUGE,...

Swimming in the shark tank

Five hopefuls seek investment opportunities to dream bigger. The Acadiana Center for the Arts theater was a full house Thursday night as people gathered to hear entrepreneurs pitch their ideas for...

Rx drug scheme goes sour for Lafayette biz owner

Gloria Adams, owner of Essential Medical Center in Lafayette, pleaded guilty Tuesday in federal court, admitting to her role in a profit-making conspiracy involving the filling and selling of...

INNOV8-ation excellence recognized

From the Boy Scouts to the new product BluDri, from LGMC to UL Lafayette, innovative is alive and well in Acadiana. A project of the Greater Lafayette Chamber of Commerce, the INNOV8 Awards, held in...

Tuesday Launch Hour

Launch Hour, held each day around lunchtime, is among the bevy of events being featured for this year's INNOV8 Lafayette. At Tuesday's Launch Hour, Zachary Barker, a local business owner and president...

Andruses, LGMC have big plans for Davidson land

Girard Park residents may finally have an option that will get rid of a pesky neighbor for good. In February 2012, in a cover story titled "Don't Back Down," this paper urged Girard Park...

Report: Richest 7% got richer during recovery

The richest Americans got richer during the first two years of the economic recovery while average net worth declined for the other 93 percent of U.S. households, says a report released...

INNOV8 Lecture ticket deadline Tuesday at 5

Catch Morris Miller's lecture, "Rackspace to Robots - The Adventure of an Entrepreneur-Investor," Thursday at 11:30 a.m. at the Hilton Lafayette. Tuesday at 5 p.m. is the deadline to buy...

Lafayette airport unveils safety upgrades

The ends of the runways at Lafayette Regional Airport have been re-engineered for safety. LAFAYETTE, La. (AP) - The ends of the runways at Lafayette Regional Airport have been re-engineered for...

Louisiana jobless rate rises along with payrolls

The increase, reported Friday by the federal Bureau of Labor Statistics, contrasts with a separate survey showing employer payrolls rose in Louisiana. Louisiana's unemployment rate rose in March for...

Weekly claims for unemployment insurance rise

The state labor department figures released Friday show the initial claims increased to 2,620 from the previous week's total of 2.444. BATON ROUGE, La. (AP) - First-time claims for unemployment...

US rig count decreases by 13 this week to 1,758

Of the major oil- and gas-producing states, California and Colorado each gained two rigs while Louisiana and Pennsylvania were up one apiece. HOUSTON (AP) - Oilfield services company Baker Hughes Inc....

Senate requires approval for LSU hospital deals

Without debate Tuesday, senators approved legislation that says the LSU Board of Supervisors needs the backing of the Senate Finance Committee to privatize the hospitals. BATON ROUGE, La. (AP) - The...

Lafayette tax dodger gets two years in slammer

Gary M. Scott hid his assets and "went to great lengths to remove those assets out of his name." The day after the federal tax deadline did not spell relief for 61-year-old Gary M. Scott of...

Update: La Carreta opens downtown restaurant Monday

Louisiana-based chain introduces its Mexican concept on Jefferson Street April 22, two weeks ahead of Cinco de Mayo. As ABiz reported in early February, the closing of Bonsai Sushi Bar downtown opened...

La. AGC honors J.B. Mouton's Popie Billeaud

The Louisiana Associated General Contractors names Lafayette contractor to elite class. In early April, the Louisiana Associated General Contractors inducted J.B. Mouton Inc.'s Robert...

La. contractors look to double licensing fee

Approximately $1.7 million raised by increase would fund state's certified schools of construction management and technology. Baton Rouge's Daily Report notes in a Tuesday story that the state's...

Where is Lafayette's economy headed?

Find out May 9 at noon. On Thursday, May 9, at noon Lafayette Economic Development Authority President and CEO Gregg Gothreaux will follow up on one of the most talked about business events of 2012...

2013 INDesign Awards for commercial

The awards are presented each spring at the annual Smart Growth Lecture. This year's lecture, featuring keynote speaker Nathan Norris, the Downtown Development Authority's new executive director, will...

US unemployment aid applications plummet to 346K

The steep decline reversed sharp gains over the previous two weeks and brought the level back to a point that signals stronger job growth. WASHINGTON (AP) - The number of Americans seeking...

BP exec: Safety was top priority before blast

A BP executive who oversaw the company's Gulf of Mexico operations testified Tuesday that he he led a push to improve safety when he started the job more than two years before an April 2010 rig...

Schilling takes over Glazer's beers

Schilling is now distributing brands from breweries Spoetzl, Vermont Hard Cider, Rogue Ales & Spirits, Sapporo and Warsteiner. Schilling Distributing Company is now the exclusive distributor of...

Injured contractor prevails at 3rd Circuit

A Louisiana appeals court has reversed a ruling by a Lafayette district court judge dismissing a personal injury suit against a couple and their insurance company filed by a contractor who was...

Laf. Schools Credit Union opens in Carencro

Local credit union opens fourth location in Acadiana. Lafayette Schools Credit Union has opened a new location in Carencro at 724 Veterans Drive in the Melancon Pharmacy Shopping Center near...

Judge refuses to block BP settlement payouts

A federal judge has rejected BP's request to block what could be billions of dollars in settlement payouts to businesses who claim the company's 2010 oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico cost them...

Judge to hear BP's bid to block settlement payouts

A federal judge is set to hear arguments on BP's request for an order blocking what could be billions of dollars in settlement payouts to businesses who claim the company's 2010 oil spill in the Gulf...

Weekly unemployment insurance claims drop

The state labor department figures released Friday show the initial claims decreased to 1,663 from the previous week's total of 2,057. For the comparable week a year earlier, there were 2,945 initial...

2013 INDesign Awards Photo Gallery

IND Monthly's annual INDesign Awards were created to emphasize that good design contributes to the high quality of life we all enjoy and to spotlight the architects, home designers, and interior...

BP appeals judge's ruling in Gulf spill settlement

BP on Wednesday asked the 5th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals to review last month's ruling by U.S. District Judge Carl Barbier, who appointed Lafayette attorney Patrick Juneau to serve as claims...

Halliburton worker testifies at Gulf spill trial

A man who worked for BP's cement contractor on the drilling rig that exploded in the Gulf of Mexico in 2010 testified Tuesday that he didn't believe the oil giant's employees were risking workers'...

LHC Group buys Ala. hospice agency

LHC said the agency has about $2.5 million in annual revenue. It is based in Mobile and serves Mobile and Baldwin counties. It will keep the Infirmary Hospice Care name until the end of the...

Acadiana Bottling heads to Y-ville

Kaliste Saloom bottler is moving from Kaliste Saloom Road to Young Street in Youngsville. In a letter to its "partners in business" dated March 13, Acadiana Bottling confirms it is in the...

By the Numbers: $3.4 million

Amount a whistleblower who sued Shaw of Baton Rouge for alleged retaliation was awarded by a federal court jury in Anchorage, Alaska. The Advocate reported Tuesday that a whistleblower who sued Shaw...

LHC Group acquires Ala. hospice agency

Annual revenue for Infirmary Hospice Care is about $2.5 million. LHC Group Inc. has acquired the assets of Infirmary Hospice Care in the state of Alabama, a Certificate of Need state for hospice...

Weekly claims for unemployment insurance rise

The state labor department figures released Monday show the initial claims climbed to 2,057 from the previous week's total of 1,889. Initial claims were below the comparable week a year earlier at...

Claims administrator seeks dismissal of BP lawsuit

Lafayette attorney Patrick Juneau says he is entitled to immunity and would be violating U.S. District Judge Carl Barbier's orders if he processed business claims in the way that BP wants him to. NEW...

IBM putting 800-job tech center in Baton Rouge

The project involves about $74 million in public money over 12 years, including $30.5 million for an office building and $14 million over 10 years to increase the needed number of computer science...

UL Alumni Assoc. honors Mosings at Spring Gala

Annual fundraiser is from 6:30-10 p.m. April 20 at the Alumni Center. The UL Lafayette Alumni Association will honor the Frank Mosing family at its 2013 Spring Gala on April 20 from 6:30-10 p.m. at...

Investar Bank snags respected exec Keith Short

Investar Bank hire marks return to Lafayette for former IberiaBank executive. Former Lafayette banker Keith Short, who most recently worked for IberiaBank in Florida, is returning to the Hub City to...

Weekly unemployment claims decrease

The state labor department figures released Monday show the initial claims dropped to 1,889 from the previous week's total of 2,860. This is the lowest level since March 22, 2008, when initial claims...

Rig worker: Training saved lives after BP blowout

A Transocean employee who served as chief mate on the Deepwater Horizon testified Monday that he believes the rig crew's emergency training saved lives following the 2010 explosion that killed 11...

Designer Shoe Warehouse, Petco coming to Settlers

Houston-based company developing site for Whole Foods is bringing DSW and Petco to same corridor. The Ainbinder Company, which is developing a 95,000-square-foot center at Settlers Trace and...

Houma newspaper to charge digital-only readers

The Courier will begin digital subscriptions next month. HOUMA, La. (AP) - The Courier of Houma will begin digital subscriptions next month. A notice from publisher Miles Forrest says home-delivery...

US rig count falls

Oilfield services company Baker Hughes Inc. says the number of rigs actively exploring for oil and natural gas in the U.S. fell by 30 this week to 1,746. HOUSTON (AP) - Oilfield services company Baker...

Gulf lease sale draws $1.2 billion in high bids

The Bureau of Ocean Energy Management said 52 companies submitted 407 bids on 320 tracts, three to 230 miles off the coasts of Louisiana, Alabama and Mississippi. NEW ORLEANS (AP) - A nearly 39...

Salazar participates in Central Gulf lease sale

The New Orleans sale began at 9 a.m. Wednesday in the Superdome and included about 7,299 federally-owned drilling tracts, three to 230 miles off the coasts of Louisiana, Alabama and Mississippi. NEW...

The INNOV8 Lecture: Rackspace to Robots

Part of INNOV8 2013, IND Monthly Lecture Series hosts investor/lawyer/CEO/salesman Morris Miller Thursday, April 25. As part of this year's INNOV8 festival, the IND Monthly Lecture Series will feature...

La. unemployment rises in January

Louisiana's unemployment rate rose to 5.9 percent in January and it was the only state to register a significant loss on a separate survey of payrolls. Bureau of Labor Statistics numbers released...

Knight announces new global leadership focus

Local company says realigned leadership team will focus on global growth strategies. Mark Knight Mark Knight, president and chief executive officer of Knight Oil Tools, announced Tuesday that the...

BOEM gets 407 bids for Wednesday lease sale

Lease sale 227 offers almost 39 million acres in the Central Gulf of Mexico. The Bureau of Ocean Energy Management's oil and gas lease sale, scheduled for Wednesday at the Mercedes-Benz Superdome,...

LPTFA set to buy former Greyhound site downtown

The Lafayette Public Trust Financing Authority is poised to purchase the vacant Greyhound Bus terminal on the 300 block of Lee Avenue - a location city officials are considering as a possible police...

Dirt flies on Whitney's new HQ

Dirt started flying this morning at the corner of Camellia and Settlers Trace boulevards, marking the start of construction for what will become the new regional headquarters for Whitney Bank. Design...

Transocean CEO: Rig workers should have done more

Transocean Ltd. president and CEO Steven Newman said the Swiss-based drilling company agreed in January to plead guilty to a criminal charge of violating the Clean Water Act because its employees on...

Sharp drop in US homes lost to foreclosure in Feb.

While the nation's foreclosure woes persist, new data show they're easing amid a resurgent housing market, rising home prices and efforts by some states to buy homeowners more time to avoid losing...

Greene's Energy opens two Texas facilities

Oilfield service company with operations headquarters in Lafayette says new facilities give it better access to Eagle Ford Shale region. Greene's Energy Group has opened two Texas facilities, one in...

Rayne salesman headed to slammer over wire fraud

According to U.S. Attorney Stephanie Finley, 53-year-old Deynoodt Joseph Besse of Rayne admitted to diverting proceeds from tire sales at the company he worked for to a fake company he created. A...

Free health care reform seminar March 18

BancorpSouth Insurance Services/Wright & Percy, Postlethwaite & Netterville and Taylor Porter will offer an in-depth look at health care reform and how it will affect businesses and their...

By the Numbers: 9.01 million

New Orleans' visitor count in 2012, the second highest on record NEW ORLEANS (AP) - A University of New Orleans researcher says tourists no longer think of New Orleans as only the French Quarter and...

Anything goes with judges' expense fund

$7,302: Amount of public money 15th Judicial District Judge David Blanchet paid over the past five years to have someone prepare his personal financial disclosure forms, according to The Daily...

Number Crunch: $15.1 billion

Amount Louisiana consumers spend annually on outdoor recreation The Outdoor Industry Association says Louisiana consumers spend $15.1 billion annually on outdoor recreation, supporting 146,000 direct...

PAR: attaboy for Revenue Study Commish

The Public Affairs Research Council of Louisiana is offering a congratulatory pat on the back to the panel of lawmakers that on Tuesday delivered its recommendations on the various tax incentives and...

Whitney says so long downtown?

Whitney Bank is moving its regional HQ from downtown Lafayette to River Ranch, but what remains to be seen is the fate of the bank's downtown presence. Whitney Bank is moving its regional headquarters...

Anadarko sells minority stake in project for $860M

The Heidelberg development project is located in 5,300 feet of water, approximately 140 miles off the coast of Louisiana. HOUSTON (AP) - Anadarko Petroleum is selling a nearly 13 percent stake in the...

Oil spill judge hears from rig blast survivor

A Transocean employee who survived the Deepwater Horizon rig explosion testified at the Gulf oil spill trial Tuesday that a subordinate killed in the blast was one of the workers who apparently missed...

Tax break study panel releases recommendations

Lawmakers who spent months reviewing Louisiana's lengthy list of tax breaks are recommending more regular oversight and study of the credits, exemptions and rebates. BATON ROUGE, La. (AP) - Lawmakers...

Dow Jones industrial average trades at a new high

The record high is being powered by China's strong economic growth targets and a jump in European retail sales. NEW YORK (AP) - The Dow has never been higher. The Dow Jones industrial average jumped...

UL says goodbye to Campus Copies

After 26 years serving burgers and lunch plates to UL students, faculty and staff, Campus Copies will say goodbye and shut its doors permanently Thursday when its lease expires. After 26 years serving...

1st witness testifies in Gulf oil spill trial

BP failed to implement a new safety plan on the ill-fated Deepwater Horizon drilling rig even though the company realized a blowout in the Gulf of Mexico was its greatest danger, an expert witness for...

Jindal proposes $47M in property sales in budget

An art deco landmark in downtown Baton Rouge, a slice of a St. Tammany Parish psychiatric hospital campus and prime property overlooking the Louisiana Capitol need to be sold within the next year to...

2012 retail sales shatter record

Lafayette Parish taxable sales in 2012 were $5.71 billion, 6.5 percent more than 2011 and 5.7 percent higher than the previous record set in 2008. More than $596 million in December sales bumped...

Food processing conference set March 13-14

John Finley, head of the LSU AgCenter department of food science, said the industry represents a major economic sector for Louisiana with significant growth potential. BATON ROUGE, La. (AP) - The...

Paul McIlhenny dies at 68

The McIhenny Company CEO died Saturday at his home in New Orleans of an apparent heart attack. The Times-Picayune reported Saturday afternoon that 68-year-old Paul McIlhenny, who for 14 years headed...

It's 'Acadiana Mall' again!

South side mall returns to its original name amid multi-million-dollar renovation. Lafayette's south side mall is going back to its original name, Acadiana Mall, amid a multi-million-dollar...

Kevin Moody chairing Community Foundation

For the next two years the Moody Company chief will chair the organization charged with turning the 100-acre Horse Farm into a passive public park. Kevin Moody, the top official at a family enterprise...

Zapped by an iPhone

A new device born locally transforms the smart device into a weapon of self-defense. Of the iPhone's countless capabilities, one element has been missing: The ability to use the device as a...

Judge approves Transocean's $1B spill settlement

A federal judge on Tuesday approved Transocean Ltd.'s agreement with the Justice Department to pay $1 billion in civil penalties for its role in the massive 2010 oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico. NEW...

BP ready for trial in Deepwater Horizon case

BP acknowledged Tuesday it had failed to reach a settlement in advance of next week's civil trial on the Deepwater Horizon accident and is ready to defend itself vigorously against allegations of...

AMPOL is growing

An expansion is under way for New Iberia-based American Pollution Corp. - one of the environmental remediation companies hired to clean up after such massive catastrophes as the 9/11 attacks and the...

Judge to rule on Transocean's plea deal

A federal judge was expected to decide Thursday whether to approve Transocean Ltd.'s agreement with the Justice Department to plead guilty to a misdemeanor charge and pay $400 million in criminal...

A slump in McDonald's stock drags Dow lower

The Dow was held back by a slump in McDonald's stock Wednesday, leaving it short of a record. NEW YORK (AP) - The Dow was held back by a slump in McDonald's stock Wednesday, leaving it short of a...

Solons want offshore rig demolitions halted

Congressmen from coastal states want the Department of Interior to stop demolishing inactive offshore oil rigs until more study details the dangers to Gulf of Mexico fish species. JACKSON, Miss. (AP)...

Houston company sued over oil discharged in Gulf

The Justice Department is suing a Houston-based company it accuses of illegally discharging oil from a platform in the Gulf of Mexico. NEW ORLEANS (AP) - The Justice Department is suing a...

LHC acquires home health, hospice agencies

Lafayette-based LHC Group Inc. says it will pay $20 million to acquire the home health service line of Addus HomeCare Corp.'s 19 home health agencies and two hospice agencies in five...

Gulf lease sale to open 38M acres to drilling

It's estimated the March 20 sale could lead to the production of 460 million to 890 million barrels of oil, and 1.9 trillion to 3.9 trillion cubic feet of gas. NEW ORLEANS (AP) - Federal regulators...

Japan's TEPCO gears up for US shale gas imports

Tokyo Electric Power Co., operator of the devastated Fukushima Dai-Ichi nuclear power plant, plans to buy liquefied natural gas from the LNG terminal in Cameron Parish, Louisiana, raising expectations...

LHC Group buying Addus HomeCare assets for $20M

Local company's acquisition if Illinois-based group includes 19 home health agencies and two hospice agencies in five states. LHC Group Inc. (Nasdaq: LHCG) has entered into a definitive agreement to...

RUSSO expands to NO

Lafayette-based strategic branding and marketing communications firm expands to the New Orleans market with offices at 643 Magazine St. Lafayette-based RUSSO, a strategic branding and marketing...

Be patient Lafayette, Five Guys is a comin'

Five Guys Burgers and Fries franchisee Billy Jacob still won't elaborate on the delays, but he says he's definitely coming. ABiz first reported in late 2010 that Billy Jacob, whose family owned and...

La. congressman pushes Shaw CEO for energy job

U.S. Rep. Rodney Alexander is urging President Barack Obama to choose Shaw Group CEO and founder Jim Bernhard as his new energy secretary. BATON ROUGE, La. (AP) - A Louisiana congressman is urging...

U.S. sues S&P over pre-crisis mortgage ratings

The U.S. government said in a civil complaint filed late Monday that S&P misled investors by stating that its ratings were objective and "uninfluenced by any conflicts of...

La Carreta Mexican Restaurant coming downtown

The popular Mexican chain founded in Hammond in 1998 is taking over the former Bonsai spot on Jefferson Street. The closing of Bonsai Sushi Bar downtown paved the way for La Carreta Mexican Restaurant...

Lafayette airport sets activity record

Passenger activity beats the previous year's totals for the third consecutive year. Passenger activity at Lafayette Regional Airport last year set a record. A total of 459,119 passengers flew into and...

MidSouth earnings rise

MidSouth Bancorp, Inc. (NYSE MKT:MSL) today reported net earnings available to common shareholders of $1.3 million for the fourth quarter of 2012, compared to net earnings available to common...

Judge OKs $4B BP oil spill criminal settlement

A federal judge in New Orleans agreed to let the London-based oil giant plead guilty to manslaughter charges for the deaths of 11 rig workers and pay a record $4 billion in penalties. NEW ORLEANS (AP)...

Donelon rejects State Farm's rate increase

The rate revision would have affected more than 300,000 policyholders and generated an estimated $71.2 million in additional premiums to the company. BATON ROUGE, La. (AP) - State insurance regulators...

Potential Advo buyer is John Georges

The 52-year-old New Orleans businessman confirms he has a "serious interest" in buying the paper. [Update: In a story published Tuesday in The Advocate, John Georges confirms he has a...

Potential buyer eyeing Advocate

The Advocate reported Friday afternoon that its owner, Capital City Press, is in talks with a potential buyer. The Advocate reported Friday afternoon that its owner, Capital City Press, is in talks...

Weekly unemployment insurance claims fall

But the four-week moving average, which is a less volatile measure of claims, increased to 3,523 from the previous week's total of 3,434. BATON ROUGE, La. (AP) - First-time claims for unemployment...

Hancock profit rises, but dented by loan sale loss

Fourth-quarter profit rose for the parent of Hancock and Whitney banks as merger expenses eased, but it lost money on a loan sale. GULFPORT, Miss. (AP) - Fourth-quarter profit rose for the parent of...

SCOLA agrees to hear pharma appeal

The Supreme Court of Louisiana has agreed to hear an appeal by a pharmaceutical company hit with massive penalties after a St. Landry Parish jury found it had overstated the benefits and underplayed...

LSU forum looks at health care redesign

Jan. 29 forum examines the future of new public-private partnerships between LSU hospitals and local community medical centers. Public-private partnerships between LSU hospitals and local community...

The great reset: disappearing jobs

Five years after the start of the Great Recession, the toll is terrifyingly clear: Millions of middle-class jobs have been lost in developed countries the world over. [Editor's Note: This is the first...

Gachassin deposition in ethics case Wednesday

The Louisiana Board of Ethics will finally get a chance to question developer Greg Gachassin about his alleged violations of the state's ethics laws while earning hundreds of thousands of dollars on...

Three new iPhone models in 2013?

The blogosphere is abuzz with speculation of a 4.8-inch "iPhone Math" by July and a 12 megapixel camera by year's end. The Commercial Times of Taiwan claims that Apple plans to release three...

AT&T boosting rural coverage with Alltel buy

Telecom giant pays $780 million for network that covers about 4.6 million people in primarily rural areas across six states. Dallas-based AT&T announced Tuesday that it has signed an agreement...

Farm conference set in BR

Farmers will be able to talk with LSU AgCenter scientists and scientists from universities across the Midsouth. BATON ROUGE, La. (AP) - Several LSU AgCenter experts will discuss their research...

Golfballs.com among top golf e-retailers

Local company is seventh most popular online retailer of gold equipment. A national survey conducted by the respected research firm Longitudes Group ranks Golfballs.com among the country's most...

John Mosier Lights Up the Italian Coast

A Lafayette businessman's specialized subsea lighting equipment lands him a job on the Costa Concordia salvage project. When the massive cruise liner Costa Concordia met its demise along the Tuscan...

Coal vs. Renewables

Plans are under way to invest millions in Lafayette's existing coal plant, but a growing number of residents are calling for an alternative approach. Natural Gas More than 30 percent of Lafayette's...

Transocean drops bid to depose BP rig supervisor

Transocean Ltd. has asked a judge to vacate an order requiring BP rig supervisor Donald Vidrine to submit to a medical exam to determine if he is fit to answer questions about his actions on the...

Gary Keller returns to Schumacher as EVP

Former president and CEO of Opelousas General Health System returns to Schumacher Group as executive vice president. Gary Keller, who retired from Opelousas General Health System late last year after...

ACME No. 2 comes to Oil Center

New burger concept builds on success of north Lafayette brand. When Chip Rooney traveled to Lafayette a year and a half ago to help out a friend, Vic Patel, create a concept for a north Lafayette...

Appeal turns up heat on FEMA

Livingston Parish officials' harsh criticisms could cause serious problems for the federal agency. Damning allegations involving outright lies, gross ineptitude and shady decision-making included in a...

Judge delays ex-BP engineer's trial

Kurt Mix's trial was scheduled to start Feb. 25, but U.S. District Judge Stanwood Duval Jr. moved it to June 10 after conferring with defense attorneys and prosecutors. Duval agreed to give both sides...

Caldwell benefactors flush with contracts

Louisiana's attorney general has spent nearly $24 million building a case against BP, with much of it going to outside law firms that have contributed to his campaigns. BATON ROUGE, La. (AP) -...

Rain aids mudbug jail break

As rain follows rain, crawfish farmers see their livestock swim over the levees around their ponds while fish swim in to feast on those remaining. NEW ORLEANS (AP) - As rain followed rain in southwest...

Get the lowdown on tax credits Wednesday at LITE

"Tax credits offer a unique way for businesses to generate capital without sacrificing equity," says Clay Allen of Allen & Gooch law firm, sponsor of Wednesday's event. The Lafayette...

Get your INDesign Award entries in now

The deadline to enter projects for the 2013 INDesign Awards is Tuesday, Feb. 26. Recognizing the best in local architecture and interior design, the INDesign Awards are presented each spring at the...

Moody-Price acquires Guico Specialty

Moody-Price LLC, a Baton Rouge equipment and supplies distributor, has acquired Guico Specialty Co., a Lafayette firm that sells high-pressure industrial equipment. BATON ROUGE, La. (AP) - Moody-Price...

Judge sets Feb. 14 hearing on Transocean plea deal

A federal judge in New Orleans has scheduled a Feb. 14 hearing to decide whether to accept the Justice Department's criminal settlement with Transocean Ltd. over the company's role in the massive 2010...

Acadian seeking rate hikes

Lafayette Parish's exclusive ambulance service provider is seeking a 44 percent increase over two years for emergency transports and almost 75 percent for non-emergencies. Photo by Robin May The...

La. farms and timber still recovering from drought

The U.S. Department of Agriculture declared 36 Louisiana parishes drought disaster areas in 2010. In 2011, seven parishes were named drought disaster areas along with 213 Texas counties. SHREVEPORT,...

Biofuels plant to open in St. Gabriel

The centerpiece of the AgCenter's sustainable bioproducts Initiative, the plant focuses on processing sweet sorghum, energy cane and other grassy feedstocks into convertible sugars, fiber and...

Urban planner replacing Webre at DDA

In a move that aims to up Lafayette's "cool" quotient, DDA has hired an urban design professional with a law degree and real estate background to help Lafayette's downtown realize its full...

Transocean's $1.4B oil spill deal will help Gulf

Federal legislation dictates that 80 percent of the civil penalty be used for environmental and economic recovery projects in the Gulf states. NEW ORLEANS (AP) - A $1.4 billion settlement between the...

Floods blamed for 16 pipeline spills

Regulators found flood-related pipeline spills since 1993 in California, Texas, Iowa, Louisiana, Montana, Nebraska, South Dakota and Kentucky. BILLINGS, Mont. (AP) - Pipeline spills caused by flooding...

Startup auto company moves into former GM plant

Elio Motors is moving into the former General Motors plant in Shreveport, where it will build three-wheeled, low-price vehicles. BATON ROUGE, La. (AP) - A startup car company called Elio Motors is...

Feds, Transocean reach $1.4B deal over Gulf spill

Proposed settlement resolves the department's civil and criminal probe of Transocean's role in the Deepwater Horizon rig disaster. NEW ORLEANS (AP) - The Justice Department reached a $1.4 billion...

LED: 2012 a banner year for economic wins

Louisiana Economic Development says the state announced dozens of company expansions or relocations in 2012, launching projects that will create more than 24,000 new jobs and $22.3 billion in new...

Little time left to head off longshoremen's strike

Shipments of products as varied as flat-screen TVs, sneakers and snow shovels could sit idle at sea or get rerouted, at great time and expense, if more than 14,000 longshoremen go on strike as...

Chevron chief: Drill, baby, drill!

Chevron CEO John Watson notices something important as he visits his company's operations around the globe: Governments everywhere find high energy prices much scarier than the threat of global...

White House urges dockworkers, shippers deal

The White House is urging dockworkers and shipping companies to reach agreement "as quickly as possible" on a contract extension for East Coast and Gulf Coast dockworkers whose existing pact...

Lafayette's unemployment down to 3 percent

It's not a typo. Lafayette Parish's unemployment rate is the lowest in the state for the 10th time this year. For the 10th time in 11 months, Lafayette Parish's unemployment rate is the lowest in...

Meeting of shippers, East/Gulf dockworkers called

Federal mediators seeking to avoid a walkout of thousands of East Coast and Gulf Coast dockworkers from Massachusetts to Texas have called a meeting of them and shipping companies. WASHINGTON, D.C....

LDWF offers online renewal for commercial licenses

Until now, commercial licenses could be renewed only by mail or in person at the department's office in Baton Rouge. BATON ROUGE, La. (AP) - The Louisiana Department of Wildlife and Fisheries says...

Geoff Daily joins Lafayette General Foundation

Named development director, local techie in charge of foundation's fund-raising efforts. FiberCorps founder Geoff Daily has joined the Lafayette General Foundation for Healthcare Innovation as...

Lafayette's unemployment down to 3 percent

It's not a typo. Lafayette Parish's unemployment rate is the lowest in the state for the 10th time this year. For the 10th time in 11 months, Lafayette Parish's unemployment rate is the lowest in...

12 dredgers getting up to $500M in Corps work

Two Louisiana companies are Weeks Marine Inc. of Covington and Mike Hooks Inc. of Westlake. NEW ORLEANS (AP) - Twelve companies from eight states have contracts for a total of up to $500 million in...

Strike looms at East and Gulf Coast ports

Weeks after a critical West Coast port complex was crippled by a few hundred striking workers, the East Coast is bracing for a possible walkout numbering thousands that could close 15 ports from...

Montesanos selling proposed Chateau Mirage acreage

"We've transitioned into land sellers," says John Montesano's son Bruce. The son of longtime Lafayette State Farm agent John Montesano confirms that the family has abandoned plans to develop...

Spanish Adult Hits format on local airwaves

Stations 1230 KSLO-AM and 105.3 FM switch from country format to Spanish music. Nashville, Tenn.-based JUAN radio, a Spanish Adult Hits format, is now broadcasting on 1230 KSLO-AM, which is simulcast...

Chateau Mirage development district to be dissolved?

An introductory ordinance aims to terminate the Community Development District created to help finance public improvements at John Montesano's development near the Mall of Acadiana. At Tuesday's...

Lafayette's real estate market on red-hot pace

This year could go down as the third best for the residential real estate market, says Coldwell Banker's Steven Hebert. In his just released December market report, Coldwell Banker Pelican Real Estate...

Van Eaton & Romero now a Latter & Blum company

As ABiz predicted Monday, Van Eaton & Romero and New Orleans-based Latter & Blum made it official Wednesday morning: the two real estate firms are now one. In a press conference at the City...

Deadline Wednesday for Mickey Edwards luncheon

The deadline is tomorrow, Wednesday, to RSVP for the Mickey Edwards luncheon lecture on Dec. 19. Confused and confounded by all the acrimonious political maneuvering in Washington as the fiscal cliff...

Explosives co. faced scrutiny before La evacuation

The explosives recycling company that caused the evacuation of a Louisiana town has come under scrutiny for explosions and its handling of dangerous materials before, and it was so far behind on its...

Exxon: US energy revival has staying power

Exxon says the energy renaissance in the U.S. has staying power and predicts that North America will become a net exporter of oil and gas by the middle of the next decade. Exxon says the energy...

UMC is saved

A massive downsizing of University Medical Center will be avoided thanks to a public-private partnership announced Monday afternoon between LSU and Lafayette General Medical Center. Lafayette General...

Author of controversial fracking report retires

Amid conflict of interest charges, Chip Groat, the lead author of a report that found no link between hydraulic fracturing and water contamination retires from the University of Texas. The University...

Van Eaton/Latter & Blum joining forces?

Months of speculation about talks between Van Eaton & Romero and Latter & Blum will come to an end at a press conference Wednesday morning. And while no one is releasing details at this point,...

Judge certifies Stanford class action against OFI

Broussard native John Ducrest will have to prove that the regulatory agency he heads did not turn "a blind eye to the Stanford scheme," as the class action suit alleges. On Wednesday Baton...

Acadian Ambulance acquires north Texas company

The Lafayette-based ambulance company said its acquisition of StarPlus EMS in McKinney, Texas, took effect on Saturday, adding 50 full-time employees, eight ambulances and three wheelchair...

Study: Natural gas exports would help economy

Exporting natural gas would benefit the U.S. economy even if it led to higher domestic prices for the fuel, according to a study commissioned by the Energy Department. Exporting natural gas would...

Coal vs. Alternatives

A public forum Thursday will address the future of powering Lafayette, which will require a new plan going forward, says one of the event's organizers, who points to the fact that 60 percent of the...

Big miner buys pair of energy companies for $9B

Mining company Freeport-McMoRan is buying a pair of oil and gas producers for $9 billion, creating a natural resources conglomerate with assets ranging from oil rigs in the Gulf of Mexico to mines in...

Chamber backs horizontal tax exemption

Local chamber will fight efforts to repeal the state's suspension of severance taxes on production from horizontal and deep wells. The state of Louisiana allows for the suspension of severance taxes...

BESE moves ahead with ‘Course Choice' program

Louisiana's top school board approved nearly four dozen organizations on Tuesday to offer courses to public school students through online classes and other nontraditional means, despite a judge's...

Cajuns in Big Easy means big bucks for program

Last year UL sold approximately 18,900 tickets through its on-campus ticket office; at an average cost of $50 per ticket, that was a nearly $1 million boon to the Cajun athletic department. UL's goal...

LHC Group: SEC investigation complete

Lafayette-based home health and hospice provider says the SEC staff won't recommend any action against the company. LHC Group Inc. announced Tuesday that the Securities and Exchange Commission has...

Incentives: biz bait or corporate welfare?

An exhaustive state-by-state examination of tax credits, rebates and other incentives state governments use to lure new businesses and to keep existing businesses from relocating elsewhere suggests...

State's unemployment insurance claims drop

The state labor department figures released Friday show the initial claims decreased to 2,705 from the previous week's total of 2,875. BATON ROUGE, La. (AP) - First-time claims for unemployment...

BP suspended from new US gov't contracts

The Obama administration put a temporary stop to new federal contracts with British oil company BP on Wednesday, citing the company's "lack of business integrity" and criminal proceedings...

Gulf oil tracts up for bid

The government will auction off leases Wednesday on about 20 million acres of ocean bottom available for oil and gas production in the western Gulf of Mexico. NEW ORLEANS (AP) - The government will...

Focus: Entrepreneurs

No Entrepreneur of the Year for 2012 ABiz annually seeks nominations from readers and leaders throughout the business community for its Entrepreneur of the Year award. After evaluating the...

Weekly unemployment insurance claims drop

First-time claims for unemployment insurance in Louisiana for the week ending Nov. 17 decreased from the previous week's total. BATON ROUGE, La. (AP) - First-time claims for unemployment insurance in...

Direct seafood marketing program expanding

A boat-to-table seafood marketing project is expanding to two areas in southeast Louisiana, with plans for the southwest. ABBEVILLE, La. (AP) - A boat-to-table seafood marketing project is expanding...

Holiday shopping season off to record start

If you make holiday shopping convenient, Americans will come in droves. NEW YORK (AP) - If you make holiday shopping convenient, Americans will come in droves. It's estimated that U.S. shoppers hit...

Natural gas drillers target US truck, bus market

If the trash truck or bus rolling down your street seems a little quieter these days, you're not imagining things. It's probably running on natural gas. SCRANTON, Pa. (AP) - If the trash truck or bus...

TDA: Lafayette Health Club shuttered

The club, according to a report in The Daily Advertiser, was unable to recover financially after filing for bankruptcy earlier this year. The Daily Advertiser is reporting that Lafayette Health Club...

La. unemployment rate falls

State's unemployment rate down to 6.6 percent, compared with 7.1 percent a year ago. Louisiana's unemployment rate fell to 6.6 percent in October, down from 7 percent in September, and 7.1 percent in...

Eat. Stay. Shop.

A new campaign aims to sell Lafayette as a shopping destination. Visitors and locals already "EatLafayette" and "Fly Lafayette." And a new holiday season campaign hopes they'll...

Mignon Faget opens

Lafayette store is New Orleans jewelry designer's fifth. Check out Mignon Faget's new retail gallery in Parc Lafayette this week and be a part of the grand opening Nov. 29. The Lafayette gallery...

Ag chief borrows $7M to take control of mill

Agriculture Commissioner Mike Strain will borrow $7 million to take control of a defunct sugar cane mill in southwest Louisiana that was built with state tax dollars and only operational for 90...

Waguespack joining Jones Walker

Citing sources, Daily Report says Jindal's former chief of staff will be special counsel and director of the New Orleans-based firm's multi-state governmental relations practice. In a breaking news...

Cottage Landing apartments break ground Friday

Atlanta company investing $8 million in student housing complex on Coolidge Street at General Mouton. As ABiz first reported in January, an Atlanta-based company is entering the Lafayette market with...

La. 1 a good example for I-49 South

Local officials, in their search for a funding mechanism to pay for the completion of I-49 South, and the costly elevation of the Evangeline Thruway, look to the successes of Lafourche Parish, where a...

$2 million donation fuels LSU Energy Law Center

Citing complex regulatory issues and a more modernized industry, LSU creates a specialized energy law program. LSU Law Center Chancellor Jack M. Weiss told The Times-Picayune last week that a...

LHC Group's 3rd quarter earnings up

Lafayette-based home health provider earned $6.3 million in the third quarter, compared to a $38 million loss in the comparable quarter last year. LHC Group, a Lafayette-based home health and hospice...

'Four more long years' for oil and gas industry

While President Obama did not seem like the best option for the oil and gas industry particularly, the industry will remain resilient. The people of our nation have spoken and have decisively...

Quirky stock-market indicator says Obama wins

Another predictor that likely won't mean much: Typically, when the Dow Jones closes higher on Election Day than it was on Labor Day, the incumbent is re-elected. his just in from HuffPo...

Crowne Plaza back to Hotel Acadiana

First it was Hotel Acadiana, then Best Western Hotel Acadiana, then Crowne Plaza. Now it's Hotel Acadiana again, and no one is saying what's up. The West Pinhook Road Crowne Plaza is no more. It's...

Transocean 3Q loss balloons to $381M on charges

Offshore drilling rig contractor Transocean Ltd. said Monday that its third-quarter loss ballooned to $381 million, hurt by hefty charges largely stemming from its plan to exit the shallow water rig...

Vote rescheduled on Jindal health outsourcing plan

Gov. Bobby Jindal's administration is returning to lawmakers this week to ask for approval to outsource a state employee health insurance plan. BATON ROUGE, La. (AP) - Gov. Bobby Jindal's...

Citizens eyes 45% hike in commercial rates

The board for the state-backed insurer of last resort for those who can't obtain traditional property insurance - typically coastal residents who frequently find themselves in the paths of hurricanes...

Stock market on way to second straight gain?

Investors appear to be upbeat that the end of the presidential campaign is near. With the end of the presidential campaign near, uncertainty is no longer dogging the stock market. Investors appear to...

MidSouth's 3Q earnings up from last year

Lafayette-based MidSouth Bank reports third quarter earnings of $2.2 million, up from the $300,000 the company reported for the third quarter last year. Lafayette-based MidSouth Bank reports third...

Auto dealer Adrian Vega dies

The longtime owner of Acadiana Dodge lost his battle with cancer at the age of 63. Lafayette auto dealer Adrian Vega died at home Monday night at the age of 63 following a three-month battle with...

Doctors lament hospital redesign

A Lafayette nephrologist and prez of the state medical society says the state's health care redesign will prompt the best and brightest' to leave the state. Lafayette nephrologist Andy Blalock,...

UL's Moody school among country's best

The Princeton Review features the school in the 2013 edition of its annual guidebook, "The Best 296 Business Schools." UL Lafayette's MBA program in the B.I. Moody College of Business...

Lafayette's unemployment rate drops to 4 percent

Lafayette Parish's unemployment rate went from 4.8 percent in August to 4 percent in September, the lowest in the state. Preliminary unemployment numbers released by the Louisiana Workforce Commission...

Univ. of Phoenix closing Lafayette campus

The for-profit, publicly traded company that owns the University of Phoenix is closing 115 campuses and satellite learning centers, including the new Lafayette campus. The U. of Phoenix campus in...

Drug company fraud settlements rise to $84 million

Since February of this year, the state attorney general has been securing settlements with drug companies accused of pricing fraud. On Wednesday AG Buddy Caldwell announced five more settlements of...

Iberia, Home Bank earnings up

IberiaBank and Home Bank both reported an increase in third quarter earnings as compared to the same period last year. Two of Acadiana's four publicly traded banks are reporting increased third...

Jeff Davis Bancshares buys Guaranty of Mamou

Once the deal is finalized later this year, Jennings-based Jeff Davis Bank will have $704 million in assets. Jennings-based Jeff Davis Bancshares has entered into a definitive agreement to buy...

Courtesy builds first standalone Chevy store

A little more than a month after announcing its plans to build a boutique Caddy store on U.S. Hwy. 90 next to Le Triomphe, Courtesy Automotive Group confirms it will build its first standalone...

BP urges judge to approve $7.8 billion settlement

Arguing that the alternative is "all-out litigation that would last many years and have an uncertain outcome for class members," BP lawyers on Monday urged a New Orleans federal judge to...

Jack Hardy Sr. honored by international oil industry

The international oil industry awarded one of its top honors to Arnaudville native Jack Hardy Sr. Arnaudville native and oil industry veteran Jack Hardy Sr., 65, took home one of the international oil...

One, possibly two more 2Paul's?

The Lafayette-based restaurant is eyeing two new locations. Lafayette's 2Paul's Radically Urban BBQ plans to expand - and possibly franchise. Gary "Paul" Roy, who opened the Johnston Street...

Agave opening third location in Parc Lafayette

The thriving Mexican cantina that started downtown and has since expanded to a second location on Bertrand is planning to open a third restaurant in Parc Lafayette. Agave Mexican restaurant and...

Thwarted again! 5th Circuit denies Knights

The ruling by the federal appeals court increases the likelihood that plaintiff Judy Lyons will get a crack as suing the wealthy Oil Patch family for defamation and malicious prosecution. The 5th...

BP settlement expected to move forward

The Houston Chronicle reports that only 100 to 200 oil spill claimants in the multi-billion dollar class action suit against BP have opted out of the deal, a signal that the epic settlement will...

Scottish O&G firm makes Broussard base in U.S.

The new Broussard location has been operational since April, but steps are now being taken to move forward with the firm's expansion plans. The growing list of internationally-headquartered oil and...

Scott's economic forecast coming to sold-out crowd

A copy of Dr. Loren Scott's 2013 Louisiana Economic Outlook report will be emailed to all who attend Thursday's ABiz Entree to Business breakfast. Renowned LSU economics professor Dr. Loren Scott is...

Revenue Study Commish: Who, us?

The commission's chairman, Rep. Joel Robideaux, R-Lafayette, tells the AP he doesn't anticipate the panel laying out a list of tax breaks it thinks should be eliminated or adjusted. The Associated...

Pessimism on the rise among small business owners

A NFIB survey released today credits the trend to the race for president. Optimism among small business owners is on the decline, which according to a survey released today by the National Federation...

GOP wants Gulf states to control BP fines

House and Senate Republicans are asking the U.S. attorney general to put Gulf coast states, rather than the feds, in control of the billions in fines BP is set to pay for the worst oil spill in the...

UL ranked 12th in state for grads' starting pay

Study shows starting and mid-career pay potential for Louisiana's college grads. On average, graduates from 11 Louisiana universities are projected to enter the workforce with bigger salaries than...

Boneheads heading our way?

The Advocate reports that the fast-casual concept based in Atlanta has set its sights on Louisiana. According to The Advocate, the upstart chain Boneheads is looking to open two locations in the Baton...

Stirling group buys another Stewart complex

The purchase of Tiger Manor in Baton Rouge for $24.8 million brings a Stirling-led group's apartment unit holdings to 657. Stirling Communities I, an investment group led by Stirling Properties, paid...

Jobless rate stays stable

According to August unemployment figures, Louisiana experienced positive, but minor gains. More jobs and fewer unemployed. That's the results of the most recent labor data released Tuesday by the...

Scott returns for Entrée to Business

The fourth quarter is here and if you haven't started planning for success in 2013 yet, there's no time like the present. Loren Scott The fourth quarter is here and if you haven't started planning for...

More domestic drilling has little effect on prices

Be wary of any politician who tells you his policy for more domestic drilling will bring energy prices down. Both Mitt Romney and Barack Obama are vowing to reverse the U.S.'s dependence on foreign...

Bank execs: Acadiana is the South's banking hub

MidSouth Bank President and CEO Rusty Cloutier and IberiaBank Lafayette President Jerry Vascocu tout Lafayette as the place to be for banking in the South. Three Lafayette-based banks have seen rapid...

Lafayette home sales soar to highest level since 2007

Coldwell Banker's Steven Hebert says 2012 is even better than 2010, when the Homebuyer Tax Credit provided a much-needed shot in the arm to the housing market. Coldwell Banker Pelican Real Estate's...

State AIA design conference at Hilton Sept. 27-28

Approximately 300 architects and their guests are expected to attend the Louisiana Chapter of the American Institute of Architects' annual design conference at the Lafayette Hilton and Towers Sept....

Saving the T-P: a city's exercise in futility

Gambit Editor Kevin Allman on why the community's effort to keep its daily paper printing seven days a week never had a chance A full-court press by readers of the Times-Picayune and business leaders...

Mignon Faget expands to Lafayette

Popular New Orleans-based jewelry designer is bringing her architectural forms to the Parc Lafayette shopping center. New Orleans native Mignon Faget is expanding her popular jewelry line to...

IberiaBank launching grant program

IberiaBank customers looking to purchase a home or refinance their current loan could receive up to $4,000 in grant money if they meet eligibility requirements. Lafayette-based IberiaBank announced...

Molli retirement sale in full swing

It was a retail event that felt more like playing dress up at a slumber party last Tuesday in the Oil Center as Molly Finnegan began the official countdown to her retirement after 34 years of...

Spotlight on energy tax breaks Friday

Industry claims state would lose more by repeal because energy companies will choose to drill elsewhere. The Revenue Study Commission, charged with reviewing the effectiveness of Louisiana s many tax...

Spotlight on energy tax breaks Friday

The energy industry says the state would lose more by repeal because companies will decide to drill elsewhere. The Revenue Study Commission, charged with reviewing the effectiveness of Louisiana s...

Forum investing $19 million in manufacturing plant

Forum Energy Technologies' St. Martinville facility will produce onshore and offshore drilling equipment for global customers. On Wednesday Gov. Bobby Jindal and Houston-based Forum Energy...

La. slammed for lawsuit climate

But a national trial lawyers group calls the U.S. Chamber-sponsored study hyperbolic bull. The U.S. Chamber Institute for Legal Reform's latest ranking of states' lawsuit climate has Louisiana once...

Caldwell opposing BP settlement

Louisiana Attorney General Buddy Caldwell says federal court approval of the $7.8 billion BP settlement could leave the state responsible for a potential fishery collapse like the one that occurred...

By the Numbers: $918

Down from $1,879 just two years ago, it's the average GO Grant award for a qualifying full-time student attending LSU in 2011-2012. In its Monday "Number of the Day," the Louisiana Budget...

Leadership Lafayette taking apps

Local leadership development program is accepting applications through Oct. 26. The Greater Lafayette Chamber of Commerce is accepting applications for its Leadership Lafayette Class of...

La.'s legal climate ranked 49th in nation

According to a report from Gannett's Mike Hasten, a national business survey places Louisiana near the bottom when it comes to perceptions about the state's civil courts. The Bayou State's...

SEC charges former Stanford officials with fraud

The SEC says Stanford Group Co. officials, including Jason Green of Baton Rouge, knew or should have known that documents about the company's so-called CDs were false or misleading. The Securities and...

Chamber names board of directors candidates

The Greater Lafayette Chamber of Commerce announced the 16 candidates for consideration to fill eight, term-expired seats on its board. The Greater Lafayette Chamber of Commerce announced the 16...

Wednesday is deadline for women's awards luncheon

Hear the inspiring stories of how these 10 women became role models for all of us. River Oaks on Kaliste Saloom Road will once again be the gathering spot to honor women of influence in Acadiana. This...

CNG vehicles slowly gaining ground

Energy companies with large stakes in the natural gas industry say Louisiana could be leading the nation in natural gas use. Lafayette has been pegged as the "state's most aggressive" mover...

Mortgage rates fall after a month of increases

New residential construction in Lafayette Parish is up 31 percent in the first half of this year, and right now is as good a time as any to lock in a low interest rate. What seemed like the only...

Weatherford consolidation under way?

The oilfield services giant is adding 55,000 square feet behind its existing facility off U.S. Hwy. 90, which could be the beginning of a major consolidation of area operations. Sources with knowledge...

Isaac shuts down Gulf oil biz

More than 93 percent of daily oil and 67 percent of daily natural gas production in the Gulf of Mexico has been shut down as Hurricane Isaac approaches the coastline. Citing operator reports, the...

Lafayette makes CNN's ‘Where the Jobs Are' list

Lafayette Parish ranks 17th out of the 25 counties listed on CNN Money's Where the Jobs Are.' The Hub City has received more accolades for its economy and job strength, this week taking the No. 17...

Lafayette airport's activity up 11 percent

The number of passengers boarding planes at Lafayette Regional in July is the second best July ever and the sixth best month in the airport's history. Lafayette Regional Airport's activity through...

Port of Iberia director's contract extended

The Port of Iberia commission has halted a search for a new port director, opting instead to extend and sweeten the current director's contract after narrowing down more than two dozen applicants to a...

Teddy Eastin joins FM Bank

After six years as BancorpSouth's Lafayette president, Teddy Eastin is now the senior vice president for commercial lending for FM Bank's Lafayette market. Farmers Merchants Bank has a new face at its...

Lafayette's Blue Victory invests in Dick's Wings

Seenu G. Kasturi's Blue Victory Holdings has acquired controlling interest in American Restaurant Concepts of Jacksonville, Fla., the operator and franchisor of Dick's Wings restaurants. Lafayette...

Acadian makes ‘I.C.E' contact more accessible

A new app from Acadian Ambulance creates an emergency contact banner on the home screens of smart phones, making in case of emergency' contacts more accessible for ambulance and other emergency...

Old Lourdes hospital coming down

The limited reuse value of the old Lourdes building prompted the decision to dismantle it. In the first quarter of 2013, the old Lourdes hospital on St. Landry Street will start coming down. The...

Pane & Vino opens downtown

Located in the former Bonnie Bell's Bistro, Pane & Vino is serving up Italian lunches and dinners on Jefferson Street. Maurizio Principato, a Sicily native and former owner of Italian Food Market...

Fifty deals for discovering downtown

Downtown Lafayette is offering 50 money-saving deals for downtown shoppers, diners and nightlife patrons through its Do It Downtown' promotion that runs until Sept. 30. From free desserts to...

ABiz announces influential women award winners

Acadiana's premier event honoring women of influence in our communities is Wednesday, Sept. 12, at River Oaks. River Oaks on Kaliste Saloom Road will once again be the gathering spot to honor women of...

Lafayette set to shatter 2008 retail sales record

Year-to-date retail sales are up by more than 10 percent, and LEDA's forecasting model shows that pace accelerating slightly through the second half. Lafayette Parish's June retail sales of more than...

Ambassador Caffery North?

A proposed 10-mile extension of Ambassador Caffery into Carencro, Scott and unincorporated Lafayette Parish would be a major shot in the arm for north Lafayette development. The Advocate reported...

Imelda's closing Parc Lafayette store

Less than a year after relocating from Ambassador Caffery Parkway near the mall to Parc Lafayette on Camellia Boulevard, Imelda's Fine Shoes is calling it quits. Less than a year after relocating from...

Home sales up by 50 percent

The Advocate reports that Lafayette Parish home sales are outpacing sales reported in years past, prompting local Realtors to predict a good year for Hub City housing. Home sales have been...

Shaw shareholders sue to block sale

Two separate lawsuits are seeking class-action status. The Advocate reported Thursday that Shaw Group Inc. shareholders have filed two lawsuits in 19th Judicial District Court in Baton Rouge to block...

LHC Group earnings fall 39 percent

Home health and hospice provider's second quarter earnings were $6 million, compared with $9.8 million for the same period last year. LHC Group earned $6 million in the second quarter of this year, or...

Port of Iberia director search turns comical

A 'brother-in-law' search for a new director at the Port of Iberia, which houses more than 100 tenants and has a $1.4 billion annual economic impact, has all but eliminated the dozens of outside...

Scrutiny heats up on state's film incentives

Louisiana Budget Project is not alone in its criticism of the high cost of the state's film credit program, making a strong case that it's time to revisit how much the state spends to lure...

Tujague honored for nearly 6 decades in banking

FM Bank directors, executive officers and staff toasted and roasted Robert E. Tujague Sr. in honor of his retirement from a banking career spanning 57 years. Last month FM Bank directors, executive...

BOEM updates online process for lessees

The Bureau of Ocean Energy Management announced Monday that it has launched a new Web-based tool that will help expedite review and approval processes and reduce errors. The Bureau of Ocean Energy...

Radio farm news consolidates

The merger of Louisiana Farm Bureau Radio Network's farm broadcasting operations with Louisiana Radio Network's agrinews division will have a combined 42 affiliates in Louisiana and Mississippi....

Top 50 luncheon deadline Aug. 16

Get your tickets now to hear respected journalist Steven Coll at the 2012 Top 50 Privately Held Companies Luncheon on Thursday, Aug. 23, at the Cajundome Convention Center. ABiz's annual event, which...

Paul Michael Co. expands River Ranch space

River Ranch furniture store takes over adjoining space, expanding total square footage to 31,000. Paul Michael Company now has more floor space to display a wider variety of its furniture and...

BR's Big Deal: Shaw sold for $3 billion

Baton Rouge-based Fortune 500 company The Shaw Group is being acquired by CB&I in cash and stock deal valued at $3 billion. What the $3 billion buyout of The Shaw Group ultimately means for its...

Haik won't dismiss Lyons v. Knight; invites appeal

A federal judge has upheld his earlier ruling in a lawsuit brought against a powerful Lafayette oil family by their former interior decorator. [Editor's Note: This story has been modified to reflect...

Lafayette still tops in job growth

The Lafayette metro's job market is on fire - at least when compared to the rest of the state. The Lafayette metro - which includes St. Martin Parish - had 15,300 more jobs in June 2012 than it had in...

Riverwalk to become upscale outlet mall

The Howard Hughes Corp. is spending $70 million to convert New Orleans' Riverwalk Marketplace into an upscale outlet mall. The Howard Hughes Corporation announced Thursday plans for the redevelopment...

La. tops Digital Media Leaders list

Louisiana ranks first in the nation on digital media thanks to the state's flourishing film industry. The state's flourishing film industry has brought Louisiana to the top of yet another list from...

Big change at No. 1 on Top 50 list

A home-grown enterprise that has appeared on the Top 50 list since its inception moves into the No. 1 spot. Check out ABiz's July-August issue to find out which home-grown Lafayette enterprise has...

Chamber's Rob Guidry retiring next year

The longtime executive says he's announcing his retirement now to allow the chamber time to search for his replacement. Greater Lafayette Chamber of Commerce President and CEO Rob Guidry says he'll...

Lafayette group opening 10 Broken Eggs in Atlanta

Lafayette-based Double R Restaurant Group plans to open 10 Another Broken Egg Cafés in Atlanta in the next five years. Lafayette-based Double R Restaurant Group, headed by Rodney Savoy and Robert...

MidSouth expanding to Carencro

The Lafayette-based bank plans to open its first location in Carencro on Veterans Boulevard by October. MidSouth Bank announced today its plans for a new location in Carencro set to open in...

Airport besting last year's record by 9 percent

Lafayette Regional Airport's passenger activity in June was the best ever for that month and second best in the airport's history. Year-to-date the airport is up 9 percent. In a press release issued...

Lafayette among fastest growing cities forecast

Bloomberg reports that Lafayette is poised to be the second fastest-growing city next year, joining Odessa, Texas, and Bismarck, N.D., as energy boomtowns' to watch. Lafayette is expected to grow its...

LUS Fiber touts ‘cash positive' status

"To have done so, so soon after we began serving customers, is a strong indicator that we are a healthy, thriving business that will continue to grow." The telecom offshoot of Lafayette...

LGMC one of nation's ‘Most Wired' hospitals

Hospitals & Health Networks magazine's survey puts LGMC among the nation's best 200 hospitals for health information technology; in a separate listing accompanying the survey, Opelousas General...

Moody's gets moody on La. Medicaid crisis

The Moody's statement has not affected the state's bond rating, but it does signal to investors that the state's finances are precarious. Moody's Investors Service, a major bond ratings agency, is...

Acadiana's largest job recruitment event Aug. 15

Get your résumé ready for the area's largest and most successful job fair, scheduled for Wednesday, Aug. 15, from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. at the Cajundome Convention Center. Dozens of Acadiana's top...

LGMC, OGHS named ‘most wired'

The survey examines information technology departments and IT practices/infrastructure at hospitals across the country. A pair of local hospitals - Lafayette General Medical Center and Opelousas...

North meets south for like-minded lawmakers

North Louisiana lawmaker teams up with Acadiana reps to fund Lafayette area infrastructure projects he calls "incredibly vital" to the state's economy. UL Lafayette alone stands to take in...

Devon Energy's 4th Tuscaloosa well best yet

Devon Energy's fourth horizontal well in the Tuscaloosa Marine Shale is producing 384 barrels of oil per day, its strongest yet. Devon Energy's fourth horizontal well in the Tuscaloosa Marine Shale is...

On the Move: Skip Protko and Amos Batiste

Schumacher Group hires Skip Protko for the newly created chief human resources officer position, and Amos Batiste leaves Acadian's EMS Academy to join Second Harvest Food Bank as development...

N.O.-based Smoothie King sold to Korean group

Franchisee Mark Knight has two new Smoothie Kings in the works for Lafayette. SK USA Inc., a division of Korea-based SK Group, is buying controlling interest in Smoothie King Franchises Inc. of...

Rum tasting: Coming to an interstate near you

A new rum distillery under construction along Interstate 10 in Lacassine will manufacture 200 gallons of rum a day and feature a rum-tasting bar with samples. The stretch of I-10 near Lacassine will...

IberiaBank sees rapid growth in Houston market

A Houston Business Journal report notes that Lafayette-based IberiaBank has experienced a $480 million growth in its Houston-area loan portfolio over the past two years. IberiaBank's loan portfolio in...

Knight acquires Texas-based Tri-State Tools

Knight Oil Tools has purchased Tri-State Tools & Inspection based in Corpus Christi, Texas. Knight Oil Tools Monday announced the acquisition of Tri-State Tools & Inspection based in Corpus...

LHC Group expands in Texas

Joint venture with Texas Health Resources and Methodist Health System significantly expands post-acute care company's operations in the Lone Star state. Lafayette-based home health and hospice...

LHC Group helps win $3.8 M award for stroke care

Local company joins forces with Ochsner Clinic Foundation to improve the care of stroke patients in the acute and post-acute settings. Lafayette-based LHC Group, a hospice and home health provider,...

Lafayette tops another best mid-size cities list

Area Development magazine ranks Lafayette at the top of its list of best mid-sized cities and third among metros of all size across the country. Area Development magazine ranks Lafayette at the top of...

Lafayette Parish home sales up 18 percent

In his latest housing report, Steven Hebert says existing and new home sales are robust and predicts a market shift is under way. Coldwell Banker Pelican Real Estate Chief Operating Officer Steven...

Gachassin's attorney says he'll beat ethics charges

BR lawyer Gray Sexton is putting his four decades of experience as chief lawyer for the Louisiana Board of Ethics to work for Lafayette developer Greg Gachassin. Baton Rouge lawyer Gray Sexton, who...

BR bank eyes 2013 Hub City debut

The bank currently has six locations in Baton Rouge. Baton Rouge-based Investar Bank is planning three expansions outside the capital city in the coming months and Lafayette is on its list. An...

Farm Bill a mixed crop in Louisiana

While sugar cane producers chalked up a win in the new Farm Bill being debated in Congress, rice farmers aren't happy. Independent contributor Jeremy Alford, in a story published by The Courier in...

Gulf auction fourth largest at $1.74 billion

"The Gulf is back," declared Interior Secretary Ken Salazar. On Wednesday, when the Interior Department held its first oil and gas lease sale in the central Gulf of Mexico since the...

Romacelli takes over Marcello's in BR

Romacelli, the Lafayette-based Italian/Mediterranean concept with restaurants in River Ranch and Sugar Mill Pond, is taking over the space occupied by Gene Todaro's Enoteca Marcello's Wine Bar &...

Infiniti builds new car dealership on Johnston

Lafayette is getting a new Infiniti dealership - possibly before the end of the year. Could Acura be far away? Infiniti of Lafayette, which since 1998 has operated a pre-owned lot and service center...

Alligator industry on upswing

A strong 2010 harvest and expectations for 2011's harvest are "proof that the alligator industry is recovering," The Times-Picayune reports Monday. The state's alligator industry, which took...

LHC Group's legal woes continue

Lafayette provider of home health and hospice care is facing a potential class action lawsuit alleging securities fraud. The law office of Scott & Scott, headquartered in Connecticut, is seeking...

Stanford gets 110 years in prison

Sir Allen Stanford will die in prison. Allen Stanford, the Texas financier convicted in a $7 billion Ponzi scheme, which included about $1 billion bilked from Louisiana investors, was sentenced...

Moss Motors builds used car superstore

Moss Automotive Superstore is under way at 1545 SE Evangeline Thruway. On Wednesday Moss Motors broke ground on Moss Automotive Superstore, located on a 4-acre site at 1545 SE Evangeline Thruway, next...

Delta Media launches 'hot AC' format

MIX 107.1 FM, billing itself a hot adult contemporary station, replaces KOOL 107.1, which played a mix of tunes from the '60s, '70s and '80s. Delta Media Corp., which last week launched a new sports...

MidSouth doubles BR footprint

Along with a branch in Carencro expected to open in August, the Baton Rouge acquisitions will expand to 43 the number of MidSouth branches operating in Louisiana and Texas. Lafayette-based MidSouth...

Mr. Keet's 2 opening next week in former Ryan's spot

Maurice eatery makes its Lafayette debut Tuesday, June 19. Gerard and Helen Baudoin are opening the second location of their popular 10-year-old Maurice restaurant in Lafayette Tuesday, June 19. Mr....

Wednesday sheriff's sale: old Clarion Inn on Thruway

Wednesday bidding starts at $2.27 million for the former Clarion Inn on Evangeline Thruway. Wednesday morning the former Clarion Inn at 1421 SE Evangeline Thruway will be part of the weekly sheriff's...

Cheddar's opens near mall June 18

Beaumont-based franchisee expands to Lafayette, investing $3 million in an 8,500-square-foot eatery on Johnston Street near the Mall of Acadiana. Allen Perkins' Beaumont-based WOW Food Concepts has...

Report: La. most licensed state in U.S.

A new study on states' licensing requirements for 102 occupations places Louisiana at the top of the License to Work' list for the number of occupations that must obtain formal licensing from the...

Lafayette's unemployment rate lowest in state

The parish's unemployment rate in April fell to 4.3 percent from the revised rate of 4.8 percent in March, tying Lafourche Parish as the lowest in the state. Preliminary April unadjusted numbers...

Mortgage settlement allocations telling

The majority of the $2.5 billion mortgage settlement paid by the five biggest banks to 49 states and the District of Columbia, a settlement reached in April and intended to go toward consumer-focused...

Things that caught my eye this week

In his weekly column, LABI President Dan Juneau weighs in on the Wisconsin recall, exit polls, the stock market and the fiscal outlook for the state. THE WISCONSIN RECALL ELECTION Gov. Scott Walker...

Trynd becomes Bolt Nightclub, special events venue

The couple taking over the former Trynd Restaurant and nightclub on Vermilion Street hopes to open by June 15. Justin Menard and Joe Speyrer have leased the former Trynd space from Nidal Balbeisi and...

Parish Ink expands brand to RR

The new venture, Red Arrow Workshop, will open on Rue Promenade next door to Maven's Menswear later this summer. Decoylab's acrylic, laser-cut "forest creatures" wall clock Jillian and Bram...

Senate takes up farm reform bill

What's been called "the most significant reform of agriculture policy in decades," a bill that would end direct payments to farmers regardless of whether they plant crops, is being debated...

Seeking Top 50, women in biz nominations

ABiz is seeking nominations for its annual Top 50 Privately Held Companies feature, which will be published July 26, and for its annual issue honoring the role of women in the local business...

IberiaBank gets regulatory go-ahead for Florida buy

IberiaBank's application to purchase Florida Gulf Bank in a deal worth $43.7 million has been approved by both state and federal regulators, leaving only the approval of Florida Gulf shareholders for...

Let the sports talk competition begin

Dyed-in-the-wool Acadiana sports fans now have two listening options in their cars and workplaces. Dyed-in-the-wool Acadiana sports fans now have two listening options in their cars and...

Forbes: The ‘fracking' image problem

A study conducted by LSU concludes that when it comes to fracking, gas companies would be wise to find another word to describe the hydraulic fracturing process. As energy companies continue to battle...

Delta launches first-ever FM sports talk format

If you're a sports fan, you may want to add 103.7 FM to your favorites list. Local sports talk radio is now reaching a much wider Acadiana audience. Delta Media Corp. Monday announced the launch of...

Trynd closing, Balbeisi tight lipped on new tenant

Nidal Balbeisi is closing his struggling Trynd restaurant and bar downtown June 1, announcing in an eblast that he has leased the space to an undisclosed tenant. Nidal Balbeisi is closing his...

Sugar farmers hail FDA ruling on HFCS

"It reaffirms what most consumer advocates, health experts and policy officials have been saying all along: only sugar is sugar." Sugarcane farmers and processors in south Louisiana are...

Courtesy opens second pre-owned center in Abbeville

Courtesy Automotive Group, No. 10 on ABiz's list of the Top 50 Privately Held Companies in Acadiana, has added another pre-owned center to its growing franchise of used and new car dealerships from...

Mondavi joins EatLafayette campaign

EatLafayette has kicked its campaign up a notch this year, with Robert Mondavi Wines joining The New Fly Lafayette Club as a title sponsor. EatLafayette has kicked its campaign up a notch this year,...

Five Guys Burgers opening this fall

"It's what it is. Things take time," says Billy Jacob, who thought registers would long be ringing by now at his first Lafayette location for Five Guys Burgers and Fries. First reported by...

Crude up on Greece optimism, down on Spain

Despite optimism about Greece, crude oil prices are weakening on worries over Spain's banking crisis. The Wall Street Journal reported Tuesday that crude oil futures are weaker today as worries over...

Rouses eyes Johnston Street site

Rouses' Managing Partner Donny Rouse says the company has an 11-acre site at Johnston Street and Duhon Road under contract. If you like Rouses' Lafayette store, you'll love its newest location in New...

Phone book delivery could cease after PSC vote

A 4-1 vote by the Public Service Commission will allow phone companies to stop delivering phone books - but only if they ask customers first whether they want to see the bulky book at their doorstep....

Delhomme joins MidSouth Bank as advisory director

The NFL quarterback will serve as the bank's 'goodwill ambassador.' UL Lafayette great-turned-NFL quarterback Jake Delhomme was named advisory director at MidSouth Bank by the bank's board of...

Ema's on Pinhook closing, joining Bailey's

Ema Haq is about to shake things up in his well-known restaurants, Ema's on Pinhook Road and Bailey's Seafood & Grill on Johnston Street. Ema Haq is about to shake things up in his well-known...

LGMC takes over old Begneaud's spot in OC

Hospital signs lease-purchase agreement on Coolidge Street building. Lafayette General Medical Center is continuing to buy property and expand its medical complex in the Oil Center. Earlier this month...

Lafayette attorney reps players versus NFL

Included in the most recent suit are Charlie Granger, Allen "Jubilee" Dunbar, Raymond Jones, Clint James, Willie Teal, Lyman White and Herman Fontenot. Several former NFL players who had...

Waste Facilities washes its hands of Sunbeam site

The developer says it only wants damages and no longer has any interest in the north Lafayette project. Waste Facilities of Lafayette, which was in the middle of developing a waste transfer station on...

Forbes: Lafayette best mid-size city for job growth

The highly regarded business magazine reports this month that Lafayette is not only first in job growth in the mid-size category, but it's also No. 4 overall. Forbes magazine says Lafayette's job...

Acadiana banks see more growth in their future

Speaking at a Gulf South Bank Conference in New Orleans last week, Acadiana-based bank CEOs discussed growth opportunities for MidSouth, Iberia and Teche banks. Growth and expansion were the key words...

Seeking Top 50 nominations

Nominate a company for ABiz's annual list of the Top 50 Privately Held Companies in Acadiana. ABiz is seeking nominations for its annual Top 50 Privately Held Companies feature, which will be...

Spa Mizan, StormGuard earn small biz honors

Two Lafayette-based companies are among the 20 honored this week by Louisiana Economic Development and the U.S. Small Business Administration. Spa Mizan owner Ginger Louviere took home the Small and...

Vegas group buying Evangeline Downs

Boyd Gaming Corp. is buying Peninsula Gaming, which owns Evangeline Downs in Opelousas, for $1.45 billion. In a transaction it says will immediately boost its earnings per share, Las Vegas-based Boyd...

Metal Shark creating 100 jobs in Jeanerette

Company is investing $1.9 million to produce 500 boats for the U.S. Coast Guard. Metal Shark Boats exec Matthew Unger announced Monday a $1.9 million capital investment that will allow the company to...

Economic development documents staying private

Negotiations between the state's Economic Development department and the businesses it's trying to lure to the state will likely continue to be exempted from the state's public record statutes...

Want to know how Lafayette's economy is faring?

Find out at the first-ever State of the Economy Luncheon next Thursday at the Cajundome Convention Center. Next Thursday, May 17, LEDA will unveil its first-ever Economic Performance Index, an...

Taylors International expands to Brazil, Mexico

Ranked No. 29 on ABiz's list of Acadiana's Top 50 Privately Held Companies last year, Taylors International is extending its international reach. Founded in 1996 by G.T. "Butch" Darce,...

Cox honors unsung heroes

Cox Communications honored about 40 Acadiana students who have overcome personal adversity and are an inspiration to others. Last Wednesday Cox Communications honored nearly 40 Acadiana students,...

R2S software company comes to Hub City

International software developer Return to Scene, which helps improve communications in the offshore energy industry and also works with police forces and investigation agencies throughout the world...

Home Bank takes home $2.1 million in 1Q

Home Bank reported 2012 first-quarter earnings of $2.1 million. Lafayette-based Home Bank reported $2.1 million in income for the first quarter of 2012, marking a $1.3 million increase (159 percent)...

MidSouth reports record 1Q earnings

The Lafayette-based bank reaped a record $2.5 million in profit for the first quarter of 2012, more than five times the revenue it earned during the same quarter last year. MidSouth Bank is reporting...

Local bank CEOs addressing American Banker crowd

Daryl Byrd and Rusty Cloutier, presidents and CEOs of IberiaBank and MidSouth Bank, respectively, are listed as two of the four keynote speakers at American Banker's merger and acquisition symposium...

Tom Cox tells his story to INNOV8 audience

He didn't dive into the lake at Le Triomphe to retrieve golf balls, but he did dive head-first into the dot com business, which remains on fast growth track almost 17 years later. At Monday's LAUNCH...

Get your Peak on

Twin Peaks, the ultimate man cave' restaurant franchise that spawned from a former Hooter's exec, is bringing the scenic view' to Lafayette later this year. Dallas-based Twin Peaks restaurant is...

Lafayette's unemployment rate lowest in state

With unemployment at 4.8 percent in March, Lafayette is tops in the state. Lafayette Parish had the lowest unemployment rate in the state last month, 4.8 percent, according to preliminary unemployment...

Mr. Keet's expanding to Lafayette

Popular Maurice restaurateurs opening Mr. Keet's 2 in the old Ryan's Steakhouse location on Ambassador Caffery Parkway. Gerard and Helen Baudoin hope to have Mr. Keet's 2, the second location of their...

MidSouth stock upgraded ahead of earnings release

TheStreet upgraded MidSouth Bank's stock from hold' to buy' status due to anticipated increased earnings this year, while last week two financial firms downgraded IberiaBank's stock from buy' to hold'...

IberiaBank 1Q earnings up

The Lafayette-based bank reported first-quarter revenues of $19 million, up almost $5 million from the first quarter of last year. Lafayette-based IberiaBank reported $19 million (66 cents a share) in...

Catch a Big Fish at Wednesday's INNOV8

Meet the team of LSU undergrads Inc. magazine calls one of "America's Coolest College Startups." [Editor's Note: Below is an online-only addition to The Independent's eight-page INNOV8...

LABI: beware the ides of May

In a few short weeks, the Revenue Estimating Conference will meet to update the revenue estimates available to balance the budget now being considered by the Legislature. Many who are close to the...

INNOV8 BAH at Courtesy on Johnston

April's Business After Hours, which this year coincides with INNOV8, is Tuesday, April 24, from 5-7 p.m. While you're INNOV8-ing next week, stop by Courtesy GMC Buick on Tuesday, April 24, from 5-7...

‘Chew' update: just in time for Wednesday

This is the day of the week comic dorks look forward to. It's Wednesday, the day all the shops put out new issues, fresh and crisp from the distributor. This is the day of the week comic dorks look...

IberiaBank redirecting deposit services

The Lafayette-based bank is transferring 15 positions from its Deposit Services division in New Iberia to Birmingham, Ala., a move the bank says will help to avoid service interruptions amid natural...

Schumacher expands to New York state

Lafayette's Schumacher Group was named the exclusive ER provider for NY state hospital system. Schumacher Group was chosen the exclusive emergency medicine management firm for Orange Regional Medical...

La. foreclosures on the rise

A wire report posted on The Houma Courier's website says foreclosure actions have struck one out of every 432 residential properties in the state. Louisiana ranks 26th in the country for its level of...

KATC named ‘Station of the Year'

KATC-TV3 was named 2012 small market Station of the Year by the Louisiana Association of Broadcasters. Lafayette's ABC affiliate, KATC-TV3 was named 2012 small market Station of the Year by the...

Tabasco fires up effort to save wetlands

Pick up a bottle of Tabasco in any of 166 companies now and you'll get the message: We're losing the equivalent of a football field an hour of valuable wetlands. And we gotta stop it. McIlhenny...

Second lawsuit filed in trash dispute

Progressive Waste Solutions of LA Inc., formerly IESI LA Corp., has taken legal action against Lafayette Consolidated Government for halting construction of its waste transfer facility. A federal...

Oceaneering adding 200 jobs at MC facility

Houston-based provider of engineered services and products to the offshore oil and gas industry is adding 200 jobs with average salaries of $60,000 per year. Oceaneering International Inc. is adding...

New payment, shipping options on cajunbrands.com

Different shipping, payment and communication options have come to cajunbrands.com's newly revamped website. Customer options in payment, shipping and communications are all part of the redesign to...

Redesigned cajunbrands.com offers options

The website cajunbrands.com's newly revamped site has been up for about three weeks and offers different shipping, payment and communication options. Customer options and a redesign are the main...

Janet Wood leaving Capital One

The former Capital One Lafayette president is retiring after a 30-year career in banking. Janet Wood is officially retiring from Capital One Bank June 1, marking the end of a 30-year (to the day)...

Kleinpeter lowers prices, plans to reverse pay cuts

Kleinpeter Farms Dairy has dropped the price of its milk for the second time in the first quarter, and the company says it plans to reinstate a 2.5 percent pay cut instituted in October. Kleinpeter...

LITE's new CEO brings impressive credentials

Dr. Kam Ng, deputy director for research at the Office of Naval Research in Virginia, is taking over the Louisiana Immersive Technologies Enterprise. The board of commissioners for the Louisiana...

Lafayette's unemployment falls to 4.9 percent

The parish's unemployment rate dipped from 5.3 percent in January to 4.9 percent in February, and the metro area's rate is second-lowest in the state at 5.2 percent. For the third time in four months,...

Wood joins Delta Media as GM

Chuck Wood, whose GM position with the KSMB/KXKC group was eliminated in January, is taking over management of Delta Media. Photo by Robin May Chuck Wood, whose general manager position with Cumulus...

Best Buy shedding stores

As Best Buy announces plans to close 50 stores and lay off 400 workers, the fate of the electronics retailer's Lafayette site remains unclear. Electronics big box retailer Best Buy announced this week...

Frank's Casing expands with new facility

Frank's Casing has opened a new 18,000-square-foot facility across the street from its Verot School Road headquarters, an expansion that's expected to immediately double - and eventually triple -...

Retire here, cher

The Wall Street Journal's Smart Money Magazine lists Lafayette's festivals, low cost of living and ‘a passion for all things Cajun' among the reasons why retirees would be wise to choose the Hub City...

La. fifth lowest in U.S. for union members

Union membership represents only 4.5 percent of Louisiana's workforce, far below the national average of 11.8 percent. Union participation in the Pelican State climbed slightly last year, but the...

Juneau: $27 million paid out since BP settlement

In the two weeks since he was appointed by the court to supervise the BP settlement's claims process, Lafayette attorney Patrick Juneau has paid 1,096 claimants about $27 million. In the two weeks...

Drilling support back up to pre-spill levels

A new Pew report finds that support for offshore drilling, which plummeted in the wake of the BP disaster, is back, thanks to rising gasoline prices. Amazing what impact rising gasoline prices will...

IberiaBank purchasing Florida Gulf Bank

Lafayette-based IberiaBank, the publicly traded regional bank that's been rapidly spreading its footprint in the Southeast, announces plans to buy Florida Gulf Bank in an acquisition valued at more...

LCVC selection process under way

The four-member selection committee charged with finding Gerald Breaux's replacement as ED of LCVC may narrow the field a bit more Wednesday. Rob Robison, a member of the selection committee charged...

January retail sales jump 16.5%

Coming off a year-over-year increase in Lafayette Parish retail sales of almost 11 percent, January 2012 sales totaled $427 million, 16.5 percent higher than January a year ago. Coming off a...

Deadline tomorrow for Ind housing luncheon

Economist Elliott Eisenberg returns to Lafayette next week with a new economic impact study, including up-to-date numbers on the home building industry and its projected influence on the local...

Economist Scott questions Lafayette's job growth

I mean, I love Lafayette. These are wonderful people. But the idea that they picked up 10,000 jobs in the last year is silly.' -Economist Loren Scott, responding to the most recent employment report...

Acadian Contractors lands major Weatherford deal

Abbeville-based fabricator wins contract with Weatherford U.S. to build seven tanks that would be used to respond to a deepwater well control incident in the Gulf. Abbeville-based Acadian Contractors,...

125 candles top IberiaBank's birthday cake

Louisiana's oldest and largest bank holding company is celebrating 125 years in business with iPad giveaways, free gas and a ceremonial ringing the NASDAQ bell. Lafayette-based IberiaBank, the oldest...

Parade Mag names Dean-O's among top 5 pizzerias

The local pizza joint famous for its Marie LeVeaux, Shrimp a la Dean-O's and Cajun Executioner has a big time fan: Parade Magazine. The local pizza joint famous for its Marie LeVeaux, Shrimp a la...

Think your website's the best in town?

In its next issue, March 28, ABiz will spotlight some of the best websites in Acadiana. Get your nominations in now. ABiz is seeking the best websites in Acadiana and will spotlight our choices in the...

Attorney Patrick Juneau to administer BP settlement

A federal court in New Orleans has named Lafayette attorney Patrick Juneau claims administrator for the BP oil spill settlement process, which the court will oversee. A federal court in New Orleans...

Littell named outstanding marketing grad

In addition to maintaining an outstanding grade point average throughout her college career at UL, Carly Littell has been very active in university and community service initiatives. Carly Littell, a...

State's biz-friendly status climbing

Louisiana ranks No. 2. in the country on low tax burdens for new companies and No. 10 for mature' firms, according to a report published recently by The Tax Foundation, a non-partisan,...

2011 retail sales second highest in parish history

Boosted by $566 million in December activity, parish retail sales totaled $5.34 billion in 2011 - almost 11 percent more than a year ago. Sales of more than $566 million in December pushed 2011 total...

La Madeleine heading to Lafayette

La Madeleine French Bakery and Bistro is scouting Lafayette locations, and real estate sources say it may be close to making a decision. Marketing officials with La Medeleine French Bakery and...

Jap for Dat

Acme Tacos, Lafayette's newest Mexican eatery on North University, adds a funky menu, cozy atmosphere and the right spice - jalepeno - to the Hub City's Mexican dining scene. Q: What do you get when...

Editor Tolley leaving Daily Advertiser

The local paper's executive editor is moving over to The Clarion-Ledger, where he will rejoin his former boss, Leslie Hurst. The Daily Advertiser's executive editor, Brian Tolley is moving to another...

Former Heart Hospital COO joins LHC Group

Less than two months after losing her job as COO of Heart Hospital of Lafayette/VP of cardio services at Lourdes, Karen Wyble has joined LHC Group as regional VP of operations. In early January, ABiz...

Bond program funding $60 million LGMC expansion

On the heels of completing an $85 million renovation, LGMC gets approval for up to $60 million in hospital revenue bonds to fund operating room and emergency department expansions. The Louisiana...

LHC Group exploring options to boost stock

No doubt hit by cuts to Medicare and faced with the uncertainty of further reductions in reimbursement rates, LHC Group announced this week that it has "engaged in a process to review strategic...

Latiolais named MidSouth regional president

Kevin Latiolais, a 22-year veteran of MidSouth Bank, has been promoted to regional president of the bank's Lafayette and Opelousas markets. Kevin Latiolais, a 22-year veteran of MidSouth Bank, has...

Agave on Bertrand opens

The Mexican restaurant's signature bold hues and multi-colored lights have livened up Bertrand Drive. Tuesday afternoon Agave Mexican Grill and Cantina began serving its first customers on Bertrand...

E's Kitchen coming to Parc Lafayette

Step aside Williams-Sonoma and Sur La Table. A locally owned concept is bringing some of the top kitchenware brands to Lafayette. Lafayette native Paul Ayo and his wife Jenine hope to have E's Kitchen...

LHC Group among world's fastest growing companies

Online global business news source ranks Lafayette-based home health provider No. 468 on its list of the 1,000 fastest-growing public companies in the world. A national provider of home health and...

Dynamic Offshore Resources selling for $1.28B

Moreno entity postpones IPO Tuesday, announces Wednesday it'll be acquired in deal ranked "largest for Gulf of Mexico oil-and-gas fields since the Deepwater Horizon rig exploded." On...

‘Who Dat' suit settled

The popular phrase "Who Dat" may soon return to the public domain where it rightfully belongs. The popular phrase "Who Dat" may soon return to the public domain where it rightfully...

Ex-Stanford adviser: Moreno lost $20 million

Lafayette/Houston/Dallas businessman Michel Moreno took a big hit when Stanford Group was shut down by regulators in 2009. Lafayette businessman Mike Moreno got more than half of his money out of...

Home Bank earnings up

The Lafayette-based bank increased its revenues by 46 percent in December of last year as compared to earnings reported in December 2010. Lafayette-based Home Bank reported fourth quarter earnings of...

Natural gas falls 12 cents to $2.60 mcf

After rebounding early in the week on word that companies were cutting production, natural gas prices fell to a 10-year low on a report of a supply glut. After rebounding early in the week on word...

Where's Gabe (Part 2)?

Bako's has already shut down, which could be a record for Lafayette's most short-lived but highly anticipated restaurant venture. Word over the weekend that Bako's Mexican restaurant had shut down...

CETCO adding 60 jobs

Oilfield services company's new coiled tubing division adding to its almost 200-employee workforce. CETCO Oilfield Services broke ground on an $8 million Iberia Parish facility this week that will...

Bako's closes temporarily for repairs

Johnston Street Mexican restaurant shuts down to repair 'drainage issues.' Restaurant-goers hoping to have lunch at Bako's Tuesday had to make new plans, as the Mexican eatery has shut down to repair...

Stanford trial starts Monday

Follow the Houston trial of alleged Ponzi scheme mastermind Allen Stanford through Twitter or blog updates at The Houston Chronicle's website. The man accused of bilking investors out of $7 billion, a...

Celebrating Lafayette and all its glory

The Greater Lafayette Chamber of Commerce's annual banquet, set for Feb. 2 at the Cajundome Convention Center, will feature keynote speaker Gary Luquette, Chevron's president for North America...

Lafayette Regional's passenger count sets record

More than 455,000 passengers flew to and from Lafayette last year, breaking the record set in 2010. More passengers traveled through Lafayette Regional Airport in 2011 than ever before. The 455,377...

Agave No. 2 coming to Bertrand

Nidal Balbeisi's popular Mexican concept is expanding and taking over the old WOW Café and Wingery across from Cajun Field. Hoping to take advantage of the large draw of sports fans to Cajun field,...

Michot joins The Picard Group

Former state Sen. Mike Michot, term-limited out of the Legislature this year, is now senior policy advisor at The Picard Group. Former state Sen. Mike Michot, term-limited after 16 years in the...

New manufacturing facility coming to Scott

Gov. Bobby Jindal made an appearance at Scott City Hall Thursday afternoon to announce Louisiana Plating and Coatings' $9 million investment in a new manufacturing facility in Scott. Louisiana Plating...

Natural gas down to $2.69/mcf

In the past week, natural gas prices have fallen 13 percent. As the debate over exporting America's abundant supply of natural gas heats up on Capitol Hill, the price of the commodity continues to...

Raymond James buying Morgan Keegan

St. Petersburg, Fla.-based financial services company acquiring Memphis-based competitor for $930 million. In an effort to expand both its private client wealth management and capital markets...

LSU backs out of beer deal

Apparently fully sobered after getting its gluteus maximus spanked by Alabama's Crimson Tide Monday night, LSU announced Wednesday it is cancelling plans for a university-licensed beer. Apparently...

Cring replaces Ware at LAGCOE

LAGCOE planning and technology director Angela Cring has replaced Sally Ware as executive director. Angela Cring, who has been in a management role with the Louisiana Gulf Coast Oil Exposition since...

Frank's donating $2.83 million to UL engineering

At a Wednesday press conference at its corporate headquarters on Verot School Road, Frank's Casing Crew will give UL's College of Engineering a major financial boost. Donald Mosing, chairman emeritus...

Wood out - yet again - at KSMB group

A local radio station group's new owner's plans don't include General Manager Chuck Wood. Radio veteran Chuck Wood, who returned to his old job with the local group of stations that includes FM...

Student cottages going up on Coolidge

For the first time this fall, UL students will have the option of living in a cottage community. An Atlanta-based company is entering the Lafayette market with a unique $8 million student-cottage...

Choot em, Troy!

One of the "characters" in the popular History Channel reality-TV program Swamp People has filed a federal lawsuit against three companies accusing them of violating his trademark on several...

Pilot program fueling Apex Innovations' growth

Lafayette's Apex Innovations is one of only 14 chosen in state for pilot program that targets fast-growing companies. Apex Innovations is one of 14 Louisiana companies selected to be part of the...

New Medicare program expanding to Lafayette

A pilot senior Medicare program, eQHealth Solutions, is expanding to Lafayette and looks to curb the number of Medicare patients returning to hospitals within 30 days of initial treatment for a...

Cameron Int'l loses appeal in BP liability trial

Cameron International, one of the companies facing lawsuits over the April 2010 Deepwater Horizon explosion and spill, has failed in its attempt to block a non-jury trial planned for February before a...

Courtesy's road show continues

Its December purchase of Douet Motors in St. Martinville brings to eight Courtesy Automotive Group's count of dealerships with an expansive Acadiana footprint from Lafayette to Morgan City. Within a...

Small biz resources going digital

Louisiana Small Business Development Center, the state's largest nonprofit established to assist small businesses, has created a new 'one-stop-shop' website for the thousands of Louisiana small...

AT&T, T-Mobile merger dead

AT&T announced Monday that is has ended its bid to acquire T-Mobile USA, a painful breakup that will cost it $4 billion. AT&T's nine-month battle to acquire T-Mobile ended Monday when the...

LHC Group getting national attention

Much of its legal troubles now in rear view, local home health provider gets props from Forbes and Fortune magazines. For the fifth consecutive year, Lafayette-based home health and hospice provider...

Parish retail sales up 15 percent in October

With retail sales up more in October than any other same month-over-month this year, the climb that started in 2010 is picking up steam. More than $450 million of taxable retail sales in October - a...

La. exports among the highest in U.S.

The 45 percent overall growth from the third quarter of 2010 to the third quarter of 2011 can be attributed to increases in several categories, including big jumps in petroleum and coal exports and...

Briggs: Energy boom taking hold

LOGA's Don Briggs explains why he thinks the U.S. is experiencing the beginning of a long-term energy boom. In 1956, M. King Hubbert established the first scientific model behind peak oil to...

State Farm raising rates 7.8%

State Farm, which insures more homes in Louisiana than any other company, is raising its rates yet again. The Associated Press reported this week that State Farm will raise its rates - yet again - on...

LSU policing Money, er, Honey Badger merch

Louisiana State University is trying to crack down on entrepreneurs who are cashing in on LSU cornerback and Heisman Award hopeful Tyrann Mathieu's nickname. Louisiana State University is trying to...

BP claims Halliburton destroyed evidence

BP's assertion that Halliburton destroyed critical evidence about its cement is the latest in a legal battle that has both companies facing hundreds of lawsuits in the nation's worst offshore oil...

Cox customers watching live TV on iPads

Cox customers can now watch streaming video of national TV shows on their iPad free of charge. Cox Communications announced Monday that its Cox TV Connect app is allowing many customers to use their...

Stronger dollar may curb oil gains

Crude oil futures prices again inched above $101 a barrel this week after major central banks said they would lower interest rates to shore up the global financial system, but a stronger dollar may...

MidSouth makes First La. National Bank buy official

The Lafayette-based bank completed its acquisition of First Louisiana National Bank of Breaux Bridge for $11.5 million in cash and 725,000 shares of MidSouth common stock. By weekend's end, First...

265 employees facing layoffs at call center

The Transcom call center in Northgate Mall is laying off 265 employees, KATC reported Wednesday. Lafayette's Transcom call center, which originally opened as NuComm International in 2006, is laying...

LSU med school program coming to UL

A partnership between LSU and ULL will bring a specialized three-year M.D. program to Lafayette starting in July 2013. Beginning in July 2013, UL Lafayette will host a satellite campus for a select...

Big banks tucked away $13B in profit from bailouts

The amount of money the central bank parceled out [to troubled banks] was surprising ... Add up guarantees and lending limits, and the Fed had committed $7.77 trillion as of March 2009 to rescuing the...

Martin named UL's director of PR and marketing

Aaron Martin, who earned his bachelor's and master's degrees from UL, has returned to the university to head its communications and marketing efforts. Aaron Martin Aaron Martin is UL's new director...

Retail sales' upswing continues

Retail sales in Lafayette Parish are a definite boost to consumer confidence. Retail sales are but one barometer of an area's economic health, but they're a key indicator. And retail sales in...

Rayne native taking on Nola restaurant scene

Toups' Meatery is bringing contemporary Cajun to New Orleans' Mid-City. Isaac Toups, a Rayne native who's apparently made a big splash in New Orleans fine dining, is taking his Cajun roots to the...

Acadian Hills shuts down

After almost five decades, Acadian Hills golf course calls it quits. Lafayette Parish had dodged one telltale sign of the nation's economic slowdown until Wednesday, when Acadian Hills Country Club...

Another record October at Lafayette airport

Passenger numbers for October are Lafayette Regional Airport's largest ever for that month. Passengers boarded and departed planes at Lafayette Regional Airport in record numbers for the month of...

Thursday lecture: algae as a renewable energy source

The Acadiana Alternative Energy Committee is hosting a free lecture on algae fuel at the LEDA Resource Center Thursday at 1:30 p.m. Aquatic Energy envisions a world that thrives on energy, food and...

Fashionably forward couple redefining menswear

Style mavens Daniel and Christina Barbier have opened a men's store in the Mainstreet shopping center in River Ranch. The sprawling strip of boutiques at Mainstreet River Ranch has expanded with the...

Jefferson Street Pub has new ownership

As of last week, Jefferson Street has a few new faces. Gus Rezende and B.J. Crist have taken over ownership of the street's eponymous Jefferson Street Pub. As of last week, Jefferson St. has a few new...

Stone Energy's 3rd Q. earnings soar

The Lafayette-based energy producer's quarterly net income increased more than $32 million over the comparable quarter last year. For the third quarter of 2011, Lafayette-based independent producer...

Acadian expands to Houston, Dallas

Acadian Ambulance Service acquires NorthStar EMS. Lafayette-based Acadian Ambulance Service, the largest privately held ambulance operator in the country, has expanded its reach in Texas with the...

LHC Group reports 3Q loss of $38 million

Lafayette-based home health provider's loss mainly attributable to $65 million settlement with feds. LHC Group, a national provider of home health and hospice services, announced Wednesday that it...

From big banks to credit unions?

Bank Transfer Day is a national movement for irate consumers to move their money out of big banks and into credit unions or smaller community banks on or before Nov. 5. But will the potential mass...

LAGCOE honors top 6 exhibitors

LAGCOE, which closed out its 28th industry showcase Thursday, awarded first place exhibitor honors to PetroHab, Ezy-Lift, Map Oil Tools, Begneaud Manufacturing, Dragon Products/Tiger Offshore Rentals...

Bako's restaurant now open

Gabe Bako's new Tex-Mex eatery in the former Serranos Salsa spot on Johnston Street, just a half mile from the Mexican restaurant where he worked for more than four decades, is welcoming customers...

Coldwell report: home sales in statistical dead heat

Local real estate firm's research finds residential market unchanged in last three years. Coldwell Banker Pelican Real Estate COO Steven Hebert says Lafayette Parish home sales continue to be solid...

LGMC shuttering LPN program

LGMC's last licensed practical nurse class graduates in February. Lafayette General Medical Center announced last week that it will close its licensed practical nurse program following the graduation...

Lafayette's unemployment rate falls to 5%

The metro area's rate is 5.2 percent, second lowest in the state. Lafayette Parish's unemployment rate fell from 5.9 percent in September 2010 to 5 percent this September. It was 5.3 percent in...

Hancock earnings up in 3Q

Hancock Bank's first full quarter since its merger with Whitney Bank more than doubled the Mississippi-based bank's income over the same period last year. Mississippi-based Hancock Bank, which...

Pay cut 2.5% for Kleinpeter's 200+ employees

Kleinpeter Farms Dairy has confirmed that it is instituting a 2.5 percent pay cut for all of its 215 employees to avoid having to raise its prices on its products. Kleinpeter Farms Dairy has confirmed...

Sprint, LUS Fiber join forces

Collaborative program makes LUS Fiber business customers or current Sprint residential customers who use LUS Fiber's services eligible for a 10 percent discount on Sprint wireless service plans. In...

Lafayette Regional breaks new passenger records

The record-breaking news comes less than a month after airport officials began publicly discussing how to fund a new terminal for the airport, a much-needed project that's expected to cost $60 million...

SCOLA declines Knight appeal

The decision lets stand a Third Circuit Court of Appeal ruling earlier this year in favor of Judy Lyons, a former designer who worked for several years for the Knights and who was arrested, charged...

Kayak adventures on the Bayou Teche

The latest business venture from a California family with ties to south Louisiana marks another victory for the numerous groups  working to revitalize the Bayou Teche. The Bayou Teche has been getting...

Management shakeup at Moreno Group?

[Update: Mike Moreno says there has been no management shakeup at the company, that he is living in Dallas temporarily and that his River Ranch mansion is not for sale.] [Update: Mike Moreno called...

O&G decision-makers flying in for a day of LAGCOE

Houston oil reps can take LAGCOE in and be home before the sun goes down. Thanks to the efforts of Lafayette native William Flores Jr., oil and gas industry decision-makers are flown by commercial jet...

The Russians are coming

LAGCOE prepares for its first-ever delegation from Russia. While the Louisiana Gulf Coast Oil Exposition is a great way for local and domestic oil and gas companies to see the latest in both offshore...

Parish Ink bringing the fun back to downtown

Saturday's ArtWalk will serve as the soft opening for the so South Louisiana' apparel company's new store, the old Fun Shop on Jefferson Street. The brother-sister T-shirt teamsters of Parish Ink...

Mercedes-Benz inks Superdome naming rights

Sharon Moss has got to be smiling about this deal: the Mercedes-Benz Superdome Six years after Hurricane Katrina ravaged New Orleans and turned the Superdome into the shelter of last resort, the city...

LHC Group settles with feds for $65 million

One of the nation's largest providers of home health and hospice services puts a controversial inquiry into its billing practices behind it. LHC Group has reached a $65 million settlement agreement...

From farm to (online) market

Launched about a year ago, MarketMaker program hopes to see more local ag merchants take advantage of its free farming network. Regional ag industry leaders are spreading the word about a niche...

Report says Medicaid cuts hurt La. economy

The health care sector in Lafayette employs 21,504 people and shells out more than $732 million in payroll annually. A recent study by the Louisiana Hospital Association and LSU economics professor...

Free CNG workshop slated for Oct. 5

LOGA, Apache Corporation and LCG to discuss progress of CNG fueling options in the Acadian region. On Wednesday, Oct. 5, from 9 am. to noon, the Greater Lafayette Chamber of Commerce and Acadian...

Local oil stocks taking a hit

Falling oil prices have an immediate impact oil companies' profitability - and their stock price. Despite that demand for oil is expected to set a record this year, worries over a weak economy are...

Saints' Payton new face of Whitney/Hancock

Super Bowl-winning coach is new pitchman for Gulf South banking group. New Orleans Saints coach Sean Payton has joined the Whitney/Hancock banking team as an official spokesman and representative, the...

Dean-O's South now open

Popular Bertrand Drive pizza eatery opens Monday in former Case Olé on Kaliste Saloom Road. In 1971 Dean Metcalf opened a small pizza place on Bertrand Drive called Dean-O's and launched a family...

LGMC celebrates centennial milestone

Black-tie event at AcA highlights growth of Lafayette not-for-profit hospital. Lafayette General Medical Center is hosting a 100th Anniversary Gala on Thursday, Oct. 6, from 6:30 p.m. to 10 pm at the...

Done deal: Citadel now Cumulus

Cumulus Media Inc. has completed its acquisition of Citadel Broadcasting Corp., owner of four Lafayette radio stations. Cumulus confirmed in February that it was negotiating with Citadel Broadcasting...

Bank overhaul hits consumers

With banks on a quest to recoup tens of millions of dollars in lost revenue from a new federal law that takes effect Oct. 1, banking customers are already seeing fee increases and other changes in...

Mulate's in Breaux Bridge now Pont Breaux's

After enjoying continued success as one of biggest Cajun music venues in the area, the restaurant is under new management and renamed Pont Breaux's Cajun Restaurant. Yesterday, the original Mulate's...

High schoolers take tourism challenge

UL and Lt. Gov. Jay Dardenne are challenging high school students to help sell Louisiana to tourists. UL Lafayette's B.I. Moody III College of Business Administration has teamed up with the lieutenant...

Logan Farms on Johnston has new owner

Lance Champagne has purchased the longtime honey ham and café business from Lafayette franchisee Greg Nick. Lance Champagne, a UL grad who worked as a manager at Champagne's grocery store in the Oil...

Move over Haynesville

Exploration of the Brown Dense shale area in north La. and Arkansas could bring both oil and gas discoveries to the energy industry, giving the potential shale play a one-up on Haynesville, which only...

Trucking execs optimistic about economy

Results of new Business Sentiment Index show Louisiana trucking execs expect "better than normal" economic conditions. The Louisiana Motor Transport Association and UL Lafayette's Moody...

Frank's expands at corporate HQ site

One of Acadiana's largest privately held companies, Frank's Casing Crew is adding a new facility and about 40 jobs at its Verot School Road headquarters. Frank's Casing Crew, which ranks No. 8 on the...

On ‘Quest for Wellness,' Pennington heads west

The largest academic-based nutrition research center in the world aims to make Lafayette's population healthier. Take a major step toward a healthier lifestyle on Sept. 17 at the Pennington Biomedical...

Wright Group acquires Ohio facility

Crowley based company says new facility will protect supply and manufacturing during natural disasters. The Wright Group, a nutritional supplement manufacturer based in Crowley, announced Thursday...

Cheddar's Casual Café heading to Lafayette

The Irving, Texas, based casual concept plans to open on Johnston Street near the Mall of Acadiana. Now about 100 units strong, Irving, Texas-based Cheddar's Casual Café is planning its first...

VooDoo restaurant coming to Lafayette

Lafayette is home to one of 41 franchise agreements for upcoming VooDoo BBQ restaurants across the country. Think Lafayette can't possibly handle another restaurant? Think again. It's not known where...

Armentor Jewelers coming to Parc Lafayette

The New Iberia-based jewelry store founded by the Armentor family in 1939 hopes to have its Lafayette store open by Nov. 1. Armentor Jewelers, which carries a range of mid- and high-priced lines in...

DOJ sues to block AT&T merger

Maintaining it had no indication DOJ planned to block its merger with T-Mobile USA, AT&T expressed surprise and disappointment Wednesday, the day the antitrust suit was filed. Maintaining it had...

OM hosting social media ‘TuneUp' session

The Opportunity Machine's September session will help participants develop and evaluate a social media plan. The Opportunity Machine will host the second in its series of TuneUp sessions on Wednesday,...

MidSouth buying Breaux Bridge's First La. National

The definitive agreement calls for an $11.5 million cash payment and 725,000 shares of MidSouth's common stock. MidSouth Bank isn't stopping in its active role in the region's acquisition fever, as...

State may add another multi-state lottery game

With the price of Powerball rising next year, Lottery officials discuss adding another $1 jackpot game to the mix. But when it comes to the state divvying up the lottery revenues supposed to be spent...

Magnolia State now selling Kleinpeter milk

Rouses Supermarkets opens door for Baton Rouge-based Kleinpeter's first major out-of-state expansion. Kleinpeter milk is now available in Rouses supermarkets in Diamondhead, Gulfport, Long Beach, and...

Stirling steps into Hub City apartment market

According to a business plan for Parc Lafayette, the three Lafayette apartment complexes Stirling purchased were owned by physician turned local developer Glenn Stewart. A Stirling Properties-led...

MidSouth Bank increasing small business lending

The U.S. Treasury has strengthened its ties with Lafayette, selecting MidSouth Bancorp Inc. to participate in the Small Business Lending Fund. The U.S. Treasury has strengthened its ties with...

Fed Reserve Bank prez speaking at Cajundome

Dennis Lockhart will discuss the state of the country's economy on Wednesday, Aug. 31. The 14th president and chief executive officer of the Federal Reserve Bank in Atlanta, Dennis Lockhart will...

Landry departs Schumacher, heads to Lourdes

The longtime health care executive, who left LGMC for Schumacher Group in late 2006, is replacing André Moreau as VP of Corporate Development at Lourdes. Donna Landry, who most recently was chief...

Three to receive top honors at ABiz Top 50

As the executives who lead the region's top privately held and publicly traded companies gather next week for the third annual luncheon, three of their peers  - Acadian Companies, Schumacher Group and...

Top 50 table reservation deadline Aug. 24

Reserved tables of eight are $450, and the deadline to reserve one is next Wednesday, Aug. 2. ABiz's annual Top 50 luncheon, sponsored by Whitney Bank and Allen & Gooch law firm, will be held...

MidSouth acquiring new branch in Tyler, Texas

The Lafayette-based bank announces it will buy a Beacon Federal Bank branch in Tyler, Texas, for $3.3 million and also purchase $26 million in loans and assume more than $77 million in...

Next stop: Sin City

Nonstop jet service from Lafayette Regional Airport to Las Vegas will begin Nov. 3. Nonstop jet service from Lafayette Regional Airport to Las Vegas will begin Nov. 3. The flights, which will run...

Cox, LUS gear up for Saints season

Cox nabs partnership extension with Louisiana's NFL team; LUS airing Saints preseason games in high def. As Saints fans ready themselves for what looks to be another exciting NFL season, cable TV...

Credit downgrade prompts plummet in oil prices

Standard and Poor's blow to the U.S. credit rating brings oil prices to their lowest in eight months. Oil is trading at $83 a barrel as of Monday morning, down more than $3 a barrel since Friday's...

IberiaBank looking at new Florida buys

The Lafayette-based bank continued its Florida expansion this year - and is still searching for buying opportunities in the Sunshine State. Lafayette-based IberiaBank made a big splash in Florida...

Lafayette Chamber best in the nation

Chamber staff members received the top award in Los Angeles Thursday night at the American Chamber of Commerce Executives annual convention. The city's biggest friend of local businesses has received...

LHC Group's earnings down again in 2nd Q

The Lafayette-based provider of home health services says reimbursement and regulatory changes are affecting its bottom line. In the first quarter of this year - the same quarter it confirmed it had...

Parish retail sales continue to climb

Lafayette Parish retail sales through May are up 11 percent compared with the first five months of 2010. Albeit by a very small margin, Lafayette Parish retail sales broke a record in 2010 when they...

Chamber seeking emerging leaders

Leadership Lafayette is looking for the region's future leaders for its Leadership Lafayette program. The nationally recognized Leadership Lafayette program, sponsored by the Greater Lafayette Chamber...

Burlington Coat deal moving along

Before the end of the year, a Burlington Coat Factory could be up and running in the old Super Kmart on Ambassador Caffery Parkway. Before the end of the year, a Burlington Coat Factory could be up...

ExxonMobil, Shell earnings up

Benefiting from higher oil and gasoline prices, ExxonMobil, the largest oil company in the U.S., and Shell Thursday reported significant increases in second-quarter profits. Benefiting from higher oil...

Iberia, Teche Federal banks see drop in 2Q earnings

IberiaBank's earnings are 41 percent lower than they were a year ago; Teche Federal drops 2.3 percent. IberiaBank is reporting a 41 percent drop in second quarter earnings over the same period last...

La. PSC won't oppose AT&T/T-Mobile merger

The Louisiana Public Service Commission Wednesday agreed not to oppose the AT&T/T-Mobile merger. The PSC staff also had recommended approval of the deal, spokesman Colby Cook tells ABiz. The...

Home Bank sees drop in 2Q earnings over 2010

The Lafayette-based bank is down $199,000 from the second quarter of last year. [Editor's Note: This article has been altered since its first publication to remove the second quarter earnings of...

Tulane's Ricchiuti headlining Top 50 luncheon

You may never be able to spell his name, but you'll remember this speaker after Sept. 1. Peter Ricchiuti (pronounced ri-shooty) is the business school professor the executives and managers from...

Wholesale distributor expands in Church Point

Church Point Wholesale adds 50,000-square-foot warehouse to existing facility. Church Point Wholesale has added a 50,000-square-foot warehouse to its facility at 9684 Church Point Hwy., bringing total...

Schumacher creating 600 local jobs

Homegrown Schumacher Group Thursday announce a five-year expansion plan that will create 600 permanent local jobs. Gov. Bobby Jindal joined Schumacher Group CEO Dr. William "Kip" Schumacher...

Centanni replaces Thierry at Chamber SWLA

An incredible opportunity to move up the chamber ladder has one Acadiana native off to Dallas, but her old job is keeping another local talent close to home. Lafayette native Monique Thierry has...

BP ups the ante on safety

In its bid to resume Gulf of Mexico drilling, BP is promising to implement even stricter safety measures than the feds are requiring. In its bid to resume Gulf of Mexico drilling, BP is promising to...

DNR grant fuels Lafayette's CNG plan

LCG has secured another $1.25 million to boost its effort to utilize more clean-burning natural gas. Louisiana Department of Natural Resources is granting $1.25 million to Lafayette Consolidated...

Women's awards deadline Friday, July 15

Know an influential woman in Acadiana deserving of recognition? Nominate her for the 14th Annual Women Who Mean Business awards. Each fall ABiz profiles up to 10 inspiring women from across the...

Pittman Broadcasting off air for studio move

A Pittman Broadcasting official would not say how long the company's radio stations have been dark or when they'll be back, but she did confirm that the independent operator is moving its studio from...

La. tech company suing 'Net bigs

Lake Charles-based Transcenic is asking a Delaware district court to prohibit Google, Microsoft and others from further infringing on its patent. A Louisiana company is pursuing a patent infringement...

AT&T/T-Mobile deal gets another nod of approval

The Louisiana PSC is still gathering public comments on the proposed $39 billion AT&T/T-Mobile deal, but earlier this week Arizona's public utility approved the merger in that state without a...

LGMC and OGHS team up on cardio, neuro care

Lafayette General Medical Center and Opelousas General Health System collaborate to provide "best practices" for cardiology and neuroscience services. Lafayette General Medical Center and...

Kleinpeter's crème de la crème

Three years after introducing its ice cream line, Kleinpeter Farms Dairy has kicked it up a notch with Crème de la Kleinpeter, which hits Lafayette grocery store shelves July 19. Three years after...

Rutherford, Superior One join Keller Williams

The Rutherford Agency and Superior One Realty, both small Lafayette-based agencies, have merged with Keller Williams Realty Acadiana. The Rutherford Agency and Superior One Realty, both small...

Fed fixes swipe fee cap

Will Bernanke's compromise be enough to appease banks that stood to lose millions from a new swipe fee' policy? A regulatory battle over what's commonly known as swipe fees has ended with a compromise...

Regions Financial may be shrinking

A $200 million settlement on fraud charges has prompted Regions Bank to explore strategic alternatives.' Federal regulators are billing a Regions Bank subsidiary more than $200 million following a...

LITE offers social networking 101

Louisiana Immersive Technologies Enterprise will play host to a conference Tuesday about using social networking to further your business. Louisiana Immersive Technologies Enterprise will play host to...

LOGA: NYT misses mark on shale gas story

The Louisiana Oil & Gas Association's Don Briggs takes on The New York Times: "The assertion that the Haynesville Shale has not lived up to its expectations is a bold and outlandish...

Analysts' reactions mixed on SPR release

The Obama administration's plan to drive gasoline prices down by releasing oil from the Strategic Petroleum Reserve, its emergency stockpile, isn't going over well with the industry and analysts'...

State Farm wants another rate hike

The request from State Farm comes just three months after state Insurance Commissioner Jim Donelon denied the company's request for an average 14.3 percent increase. For the fourth time in three...

SEC: Stanford victims should be compensated

A day after U.S. Sen. David Vitter put a hold on President Obama's nomination of two new Securities and Exchange Commission members, victims of Allen Stanford's alleged Ponzi scheme scored a major...

P&N offers free government accounting seminar

Local accounting firm Postlewhaite & Netterville is hosting a free seminar, "Hot Topics in Governmental Accounting," for area government accounting professionals. Local accounting and...

U.S. airlines collect $3.4 billion in baggage fees

The country's major airlines charged passengers 24 percent more to check bags in 2010 than in 2009. Saying they'd lose money without the fees, the country's major airlines collected $3.4 billion in...

Regions Bank board investigating its own execs

An audit committee is trying to find out whether top dogs at Regions delayed the relabeling of loans that were likely not going to be repaid. Regions Bank executives could come under fire if an...

MidSouth CEO hitting the Bloomberg airwaves

MidSouth Bank President and CEO Rusty Cloutier is hitting the national airwaves Monday afternoon, appearing as a guest on The Hays Advantage, a Bloomberg Radio talk show hosted by longtime economics...

ExxonMobil's deepwater GOM well hits pay dirt

ExxonMobil Corp. announced Wednesday that it is the first company to discover oil from a new deepwater well in the Gulf of Mexico since the moratorium on drilling was lifted in October. Super major...

BR, NOLA, S'port: best for grads

Three Louisiana cities - Baton Rouge, New Orleans and Shreveport - have landed in a recent list of the 25 best cities for fresh college graduates. Three Louisiana cities - Baton Rouge, New Orleans and...

Russo Group expanding to Dallas

The expansion into the Dallas market brings two new team members to the Lafayette branding agency. Lafayette-based branding agency The Russo Group is growing westward with an expansion into Dallas and...

100 Days of Downtown deals continue

The powers that be in charge of Lafayette's downtown want you to know they are more than just nightlife and dining, and they have retail deals to prove it. 100 Days of Downtown is Downtown Lafayette's...

Jimmy John's coming to Winnwood on Johnston

A Jimmy John's Gourmet Sandwiches, for which Saints QB Drew Brees is a New Orleans area franchisee, is opening next to Aveda in Lafayette's Winnwood Shopping Center on Johnston Street. This may be the...

Disgraced designer gets second chance at vindication

A Lafayette interior decorator arrested and charged in 2005 with 32 counts of forgery and 32 counts of theft by fraud - and later acquitted - will get another crack at suing the wealthy oil-patch family she claims defamed and maliciously prosecuted her - a family she once counted among her close, personal friends.

Home Bank buying back common stock

The repurchases, which could include a little more than 402,000 shares, will add to another recent stock repurchase in which Home Bank bought back about 427,000 shares of its common stock at an...

Gelato/espresso café coming downtown

Silvia Bertolazzi and Erik Graveson are opening a new gelato/espresso café in the Juliet Hotel downtown. Silvia Bertolazzi and Erik Graveson are opening a new gelato/espresso café in the Juliet Hotel...

The Switch is on downtown

The Opportunity Machine's latest tool aims to create a workspace that promotes interaction between startups. Downtown Lafayette is starting to see a new trend in pod-style, pay-as-you-go office space...

New Rouses is open for business

Although Youngsville has had years of gloating its good fortune over us, as of today we, too, in Lafayette have our very own Rouses. It's located on Bertrand Drive where Graham Central Station was...

Feds approve Hancock-Whitney deal

The $1.5 billion stock deal will be official on June 5. The Federal Reserve has approved the long-awaited merger of Whitney Bank with Mississippi-based Hancock Bank, bringing the official acquisition...

Elephant Room closing ... and moving

A south Lafayette restaurant that offered a rare combination of beef and burlesque for the past year, The Elephant Room is closing its current location on the corner of Ambassador Caffery and Kaliste...

Graham Group rebuilding state's seafood image

Lafayette's Graham Group is among a trio of agencies selected to help rebuild the state's nationwide and global seafood image. Lafayette's Graham Group is among a trio of agencies selected to help...

VER's Bacque: April home sales best in decade

In an apples-to-apples comparison, April 2011's home sales might just be the best month in a decade. In an apples-to-apples comparison, April 2011's home sales might just be the best month in a...

Hotel/motel numbers spike 33%

The best indication of the strength of Lafayette Parish's hospitality industry is its hotel business, and hotel/motel receipts are up a whopping 33.3 percent over March a year ago. The best indication...

Retail spending jumps 11%

Retail sales in Lafayette Parish are continuing to rise in 2011, with the first three months besting 2010's first quarter by 9.62 percent. Retail sales in Lafayette Parish are continuing to rise in...

Cox launches ‘TV Online'

Cox customers can now view thousands of TV shows and movies at cox.com/tv. Cox Communications announced Tuesday the launch of "TV Online," which allows its customers to view TV and movies...

Economic stress down in U.S., up in La.

The Associated Press reports that most of the nation's counties and all but two states "enjoyed better conditions in March than in February," also noting that first-time jobless claims have...

LHC Group's earnings fall 34% on Medicare cuts

LHC Group Inc. earned $7.7 million in the first quarter, compared with $11.7 million in the comparable quarter last year. Medicare's 5.2 percent cut in reimbursement rates for home health providers...

Pizza Village expanding to Kaliste Saloom Road

The Walk-On's on Kaliste Saloom Road will have a new neighbor, Pizza Village, hopefully by the first of the year. The Walk-On's on Kaliste Saloom Road will have a new neighbor, Pizza Village,...

Genterie men's store is newest downtown resident

While it's certainly no Milan, Lafayette is garnering quite a selection of locally owned, specialized boutiques. Its latest is Genterie Supply Company. While it's certainly no Milan, Lafayette is...

La. Economic Development tops in country

Site Selection has ranked Louisiana Economic Development the No. 1 state economic development agency in the country. Site Selection, a national expansion planning publication, has ranked Louisiana...

Shareholders approve Whitney-Hancock deal

With roughly 300 branches in Louisiana, Mississippi, Alabama, Florida and Texas, Hancock will be the 32nd largest bank in the country after the merger is complete. Mississippi-based Hancock Bank's...

Big Oil earns big money in 1st Q

The spike in oil prices is hitting consumers and putting the Obama administration in the hot seat, but it's been good for the oil industry. The spike in oil prices is hitting consumers and putting the...

Poupart's heads downtown

Poupart's Bakery is expanding to Jefferson Street. Poupart's Bakery is expanding to Jefferson Street. The popular bakery, located at the corner of Pinhook and Kaliste Saloom roads, is opening...

Bancorp South loses $494k in first quarter

A year ago, the Tupelo, Miss., based bank reported earnings of more than $8 million. Bancorp South, a regional Southern bank with two branches in Lafayette Parish, posted a first quarter loss of...

Whitney Bank boasts positive earnings

The first quarter report on Whitney's gains is just in time for its merger with Mississippi's Hancock Bank. Whitney Bank bounced back from a more than $90 million profit loss last year with positive...

Landry wants standby vessels at offshore rigs

In a move clearly designed to show he is not merely a mouthpiece for the oil and gas industry, freshman U.S. Rep. Jeff Landry introduced legislation requiring a standby vessel within 12 miles of an...

Kleinpeter builds Lafayette distribution center

Baton Rouge-based Kleinpeter Farms Dairy, which expanded to Lafayette in late 2007, is building a distribution center and office in the Lafayette Regional Industrial Park on Pont des Mouton Road....

Mall of Acadiana adding 4 new concepts

The Mall of Acadiana is adding Francesca's Collections, Apricot Lane, Bare Escentuals and Thai Max to its store lineup. The Mall of Acadiana confirmed that Francesca's Collections, Apricot Lane, Bare...

La. foreclosures rise

Overal foreclosure actions in the state jumped 10.8 percent from the fourth quarter of last year and were up an alarming 34.4 percent compared to the first quarter of 2010. Nearly 1,400 homes in...

Retail sales up 8.64% in 2011

Contrasting the sluggish 2010 start, Lafayette Parish retail sales for the first two months of 2011 are up 8.64 percent compared to last year. What a difference a year makes. Last year Lafayette...

Drilling permit tally rises to 9

The feds Thursday issued another drilling permit, No. 9 since the BP disaster, this one to Murphy Exploration and Production of Houston. Houston-based Murphy Exploration & Production Co. on...

Crowne Plaza owner files for bankruptcy

Troubles for the Houston-based company that transformed the Hotel Acadiana into a Crowne Plaza have been brewing from the start of the $10 million upgrade. Formal notice has been sent to the long list...

Rooms to Go coming to Lafayette

Moderately priced furniture retailer Rooms to Go is building a store at the old Marshall's Nursery site on Ambassador Caffery Parkway. Rooms to Go, a moderately priced furniture retailer with...

Quality buys Traco, building new HQ in Youngsville

Quality Companies USA announced its purchase of Traco Production Services and a new $2 million headquarters project at Traco's Youngsville site. Quality Companies, an oilfield construction and...

Deepwater permit count rises to seven

The feds have approved the seventh deepwater drilling permit under the new regulatory process prompted by the BP disaster. Federal regulators Wednesday signed off on a deepwater drilling permit for a...

Jackson named president of Stuller Inc.

Stuller COO Jay Jackson has been elevated to president and CEO, and founder Matt Stuller returns to the role of chairman. Stuller Chief Operating Officer Jay Jackson has been elevated to president and...

Lafayette Stanford investors sue SEC

A group of local Stanford investors has finally made its move, suing the SEC for almost $19 million. The Securities and Exchange Commission and one its former officials, Spencer Barasch, were sued...

Bad attitudes on drilling shifting

Fifty seven percent of responders polled by the Pew Research Center are in favor of allowing more oil and gas drilling in U.S. waters. For Louisiana's offshore oil and gas industry, the news just...

Czichomskis need some dough to do their good works

Breadmakers Peter and Ingrid Czichomski want to give up their life and business in Lafayette to volunteer in Haiti, but they'll need a little dough to do it. Peter and Ingrid Czichomski want to give...

Tri-Star Graphics Group has new owner

TriStar Graphics Group's new owner is a familiar face in the local printing biz. Benson Young, who lived in Lafayette for 20 years before moving to the Mississippi Gulf Coast, has returned to purchase...

Scrutiny heats up on AT&T, T-Mobile deal

The proposed mega merger between AT&T and T-Mobile USA has some major regulatory hurdles to clear. The proposed mega merger between AT&T and T-Mobile USA has some major regulatory hurdles to...

Japan quake rattles La. stock

Last week's earthquake and ensuing damage to several nuclear power plants in Japan is sending aftershocks through share prices of two Louisiana companies. Last week's earthquake and ensuing damage to...

Lafayette gains 2,700 jobs in 2010

Yet another economic indicator, job growth, is supporting the resilience of the Lafayette metro. The Lafayette metro gained 2,700 jobs in the past year, many of those coming from the oil patch,...

IberiaBank on a roll with acquisitions

The Lafayette-based bank has announced yet another acquisition that will expand its Louisiana market. IberiaBank is adding 22 branches and $706 million in assets to its bankroll with the latest...

Subway now world's largest restaurant chain

Sandwich shop Subway has surpassed the golden arches as the world's largest restaurant chain. Sandwich shop Subway has surpassed the golden arches as the world's largest restaurant chain. In terms of...

Acadiana Commercial Outlook March 16 at LITE

The Realtor Association of Acadiana is presenting its inaugural commercial real estate event, featuring keynote speaker Lt. Gov. Jay Dardenne, Wednesday, March 16, at LITE. Calling it the premier...

Salazar: at least four more permits by end of month

Interior Secretary Ken Salazar assured dubious Louisiana lawmakers that more drilling permits are on the way. Interior Secretary Ken Salazar, who has been under fire from Louisiana lawmakers and other...

Teche Federal making the grade

Teche Federal Bank is the only Louisiana bank appearing on an Honor Roll list of 40 banks nationwide. New Iberia-based Teche Holding Company, parent company of Teche Federal Bank, is the only...

La. shoots up economic development list

Louisiana climbed a dozen spots in Site Selection magazine's annual "Governor's Cup" ranking of business-development projects among states. Louisiana climbed a dozen spots in Site Selection...

Scandals night club reopening

Night club returns as Crowne Plaza's owner faces possible bankruptcy. Amid a sea of debt and a pile of civil lawsuits, the former Hotel Acadiana on Pinhook Road, now the Crowne Plaza, is prepping for...

Economist Scott reverses job-loss prediction

Economist Loren Scott, who left us scratching our collective head when he predicted in September that the Lafayette metro would lose 3,800 jobs in the next two years, has reversed course. Economist...

Business First expanding mortgage market

The Baton Rouge acquisition will help in the bank's plans to add mortgage loan services and a mortgage staff to its Lafayette branch. The recent purchase of a Baton Rouge mortgage company by Business...

Where's Gabe?

La Fonda's Gabe Bako has been absent for weeks. The conspicuous absence of what was once the most visible face at La Fonda is leading to lots of questions - and very little answers. ABiz, out on...

IberiaBank merging with Metairie-based Omni Bank

The combined branches and assets would make IberiaBank the fifth largest New Orleans area bank in terms of market share. Analysts' predictions that Lafayette-based IberiaBank would not stop in its...

Cumulus, KSMB parent talking merger

Atlanta-based Cumulus Media is negotiating to buy the Citadel radio group, owner of local radio stations 94.5 KSMB, 99.1 KXKC, 104.7 KNEK and 95.5 KRRQ. Cumulus Media Inc. confirmed Friday that it is...

Retail sales up slightly in 2010

An economy many believed would be pounded by the drilling moratorium that resulted from the BP disaster proved its resilience in 2010, as retail sales inched slightly above 2009's figures. An economy...

Haynesville: High production, low revenue?

The latest report of Haynesville's success comes on the heels of an article outlining a lack of severance tax revenue hitting the state's coffers from the shale. "Fracking" in to north...

AP: Whitney shareholder sues to block merger

A company that owns stock in Whitney Holding Corp. is asking the courts to block the bank's merger with Mississippi-based Hancock Holding Co. A company that owns stock in Whitney Holding Corp. is...

Saints' Payton part of Trynd grand opening

New Orleans Saints head coach Sean Payton is coming to Lafayette's Trynd restaurant for a grand opening celebration and benefit for his Play It Forward Foundation. New Orleans Saints head coach Sean...

Moseley & Hollard back to all-men's store in March

The popular River Ranch clothing and accessories store Moseley & Hollard returns to its roots in late March. When Joe Moseley and Roy Hollard combined their decades of expertise in the men's...

C'est what? Whitney execs may get golden parachutes

Executives at troubled Whitney Bank, which announced in December a merger with smaller, Mississippi-based Hancock Bank, may be able to skirt U.S. Treasury Department rules and get handsome payouts...

Briggs fires back on severance tax exemption

LOGA President Don Briggs takes to task the state's Legislative Fiscal Office on the severance tax exemption for horizontal drilling in the Haynesville Shale. On Sunday The Advocate reported that...

IberiaBank dubbed ‘big dog on the block'

The acquisition of Louisiana banking giant Whitney Bank by Hancock Holding Corp. of Mississippi has prompted a new nickname for Lafayette-based Iberiabank: Big dog on the block.' The acquisition of...

Papa Murphy's Pizza opens in Westwood Village

Papa Murphy's Take-and-Bake Pizza, a national pizza chain with more than 1,150 stores in 35 states, has opened a restaurant in Lafayette's Westwood Village Shopping Center. Papa Murphy's Take-and-Bake...

Crawfish Town USA Fresh Market opens

Johnny and Wendy Hebert have opened Crawfish Town USA Fresh Market next to their popular boiled crawfish restaurant in Breaux Bridge. On Tuesday Johnny and Wendy Hebert opened Crawfish Town USA Fresh...

Whitney loses $88 million in fourth quarter

In the midst of a merger with Hancock Holding Co. of Mississippi, Whitney Holding Corp. reported a net loss of $88.5 million for the fourth quarter of 2010. New Orleans-based Whitney Holding Corp.,...

Judge says Stanford incompetent to stand trial

Alleged Ponzi scheme master mind Sir Allen Stanford is incompetent to stand trial on claims that he led a $7 billion fraud, a U.S. judge in Texas ruled on Wednesday. Alleged Ponzi scheme master mind...

Bullritos coming to Shops at Martial

A new competitor is entering Lafayette's design-your-own burrito category. A new competitor is entering Lafayette's design-your-own burrito category, ABiz reports in its Jan. 26-Feb. 22 issue out on...

Home, Regions, Teche increase earnings

Two Acadiana banks, Home and Teche, along with Alabama-based Regions, reported increased earnings for the most recent quarter. Two Acadiana banks, Home and Teche, along with Alabama-based Regions,...

2010 flies into record books

Last year was the best on record for Lafayette Regional Airport, with the three airlines serving the airport reporting a combined increase of 2 percent in passenger activity. Last year was the best on...

Reaux joins MidSouth, Cloutier promoted

Lafayette-based MidSouth Bancorp has announced that seasoned Lafayette banker Jerry Reaux is joining the company as chief operating officer and company veteran Troy Cloutier has been promoted to the...

LUS Fiber launches Video Apps

LUS Fiber is bringing the ever expanding world of apps to your TV. LUS recently launched three basic apps - News, Weather and Messages - now available to all its digital cable subscribers. LUS Fiber...

Michot gets an F on chamber report card

The grade will likely raise some eyebrows in Lafayette as the mild-mannered and well-liked moderate Republican is generally considered a business-friendly legislator. State Sen. Mike Michot,...

Russo opens NY office, welcomes Johnston

Greystone will serve as the public relations arm of The Russo Group. Jeff Johnston, founder and CEO of Greystone, is joining Russo in its Lafayette headquarters and will serve as executive vice...

Chicago group buying Lafayette Surgical hospital

National Surgical Hospitals is buying a majority interest in Lafayette Surgical Specialty Hospital. National Surgical Hospitals is buying a majority interest in Lafayette Surgical Specialty...

WSJ: Drilling remains at standstill

[UPDATE: In a followup to its Monday morning story, the Wall Street Journal noted that the Obama administration is trying to clear a path for 13 oil and gas companies to resume drilling in the Gulf of...

Analysts: oil returning to $100-per-barrel in 2011

Although oil is down to $91.20 a barrel as of 10:53 Tuesday morning on the New York Mercantile Exchange, analysts at J.P. Morgan and Morgan Stanley are predicting a return to $100 oil in the new...

Hancock, Whitney merging

The combined company will be headquartered in the Crescent City and branches will retain their current branding and identity. Mississippi-based Hancock Holding Co. is buying New Orleans-based Whitney...

Consumer Reports: AT&T worst provider

With the looming threat of Verizon Wireless offering a version of Apple's iPhone next year, the news could not be worse for AT&T: Consumer Reports, the respected product review publication, ranks...

Locals develop music fest iPhone app

Wondering if the Polyphonic Spree is performing near you? There's an app for that. Wondering if the Polyphonic Spree is performing near you? There's an app for that. MacFriends, a Lafayette-based...

Hamilton Medical Group moving to new Lourdes campus

Founded in 1928 in the Oil Center and housed on the Regional Medical Center of Acadiana's grounds on Congress Street for the past 25 years, Hamilton Medical Group is moving to the new Our Lady of...

Local online retailers anticipate Cyber Monday boost

Following a black Friday where retail sales were up across the country, local online retailers are anticipating a big Cyber Monday' today, their annual kickoff to the holiday sales season. Following a...

Cox donates tech center to BGCA

The Jackie Unit of the Boys & Girls Clubs of Acadiana is the recipient of technology center comprising 10 new computers, educational software, a laser printer and a wireless router to access Cox...

Feds: La. GDP fifth in nation

Louisiana's gross domestic product - the measure of goods and services produced in the state - was in the top tier in the nation in 2009. Louisiana's gross domestic product - the measure of goods and...

60 Minutes looks at La. 'Shaleionaires'

Last Sunday's 60 Minutes reported on 'the pros and cons of shale gas drilling,' a segment that brought the program to north Louisiana, where the Haynesville Shale project has been an economic boon for...

Port Barre native named president of LHC Group

Donald D. Stelly, who has served as executive vice president and chief operating officer of LHC Group since June 2009, is now the Lafayette-based home health provider's president. Donald D. Stelly,...

Courtesy buys Jackie Edgar Ford

Don Hargroder's Courtesy Automotive Group has added the former Jackie Edgar Ford in Breaux Bridge to its portfolio of dealerships. Don Hargroder's Courtesy Automotive Group, primarily a GM dealer, has...

Bayou Teche Brewing releases Boucanee smoked ale

Arnaudville's Bayou Teche Brewing is following up the success of their LA-31 Biere Pale with a unique cherry-wood smoked wheat beer, dubbed Boucanee. Arnaudville's Bayou Teche Brewing is following up...

Fowl fuel goes online at La. plant

Tyson and Syntroleum Corporation announced Monday that operations are under way at their joint-venture Dynamic Fuels plant in Geismer, which is converting animal fats and grease into high quality...

Johnston Street Java now brewing

Independently owned Johnston Street Java, near the Grand 16 Theater, aims to shake up Lafayette's coffee house scene. Peter Martin, Marie Darby, Jeanine Cheramie and Randall Martin are part of the...

LHC Group's earnings up 35%

Neither an SEC investigation nor a Senate Finance Committee inquiry into its billing practices dampened home health provider LHC Group's third quarter earnings. The company bested by 3 cents analysts'...

La.'s business climate among 10 best

Site Selection magazine, a leading economic development pub, this week released its 2010 Top Business Climate Rankings, and Louisiana earned its highest ranking to date - improving to ninth best in...

UL biz school widens scope

The Moody College of Business Administration at UL has announced the advent of its International Business Curriculum, an initiative designed to increase global business knowledge among students at the...

Lafayette foreclosures up 34%

Lafayette is one of four metro areas in the state to experience a jump in foreclosures during the third quarter, its rate increasing 34.3 percent over third quarter 2009. Lafayette is one of four...

UL students fare well at sales competition

Melanie Teng and Steven Walczak, marketing students at UL Lafayette, placed in the semi-finals last week during the Regional Sales Competition at Nicholls State University in Thibodaux. Melanie Teng...

RedHawk Energy sells Texas units for $66 million

Lafayette-based RedHawk Energy Corp. sold its Texas oilfield services operations for approximately $66 million. Lafayette-based RedHawk Energy Corp. sold its Texas oilfield services operations for...

Huckabee keynote speaker at Lafayette oil expo

Former Arkansas Gov. turned 2008 presidential candidate turned Fox News host, Mike Huckabee will deliver the keynote address at the Gulf Coast Prospect & Shale Expo, scheduled for Oct. 18-20 at...

Nick Saban's Lafayette coordinator

Alabama head football coach Nick Saban has maintained several close friendships and business relationships in Louisiana from his time in the state as LSU's coach. Alabama head football coach Nick...

Lafayette among top career cities

What most of the cities on the list share, and Lafayette is no exception, are universities and thriving medical centers. The Hub City ranks 20th on a list - "30 Cities to Restart Your...

Scott: Lafayette losing 3,000 jobs next year

Noted economist Dr. Loren Scott predicts that the Lafayette MSA will lose 3,000 jobs in 2011 and another 800 in 2012. Dr. Loren Scott predicts the Lafayette MSA will lose 3,000 jobs in 2011. He...

Stanford asks judge to dismiss criminal charges

R. Allen Stanford, who is accused of masterminding a $7 billion Ponzi scheme, on Monday asked a federal judge in Houston to dismiss all charges against him, claiming the court-appointed receiver and...

White House blasts Landrieu over OMB block

On Thursday, White House Press Secretary Robert Gibbs had unusually harsh criticism for a congressional Democrat, calling down U.S. Sen. Mary Landrieu for her decision to block the nomination to...

Landrieu blocks nom to protest moratorium

U.S. Sen. Mary Landrieu is playing hard ball with her own party to protest the drilling moratorium. U.S. Sen. Mary Landrieu is playing hard ball with her own party to protest the drilling...

Reserve at Acadiana becomes Greystone apartments

As first reported by ABiz in its June issue, the apartment complex adjacent to the mall of Acadiana is back on track after being abandoned for more than 1.5 years. But the new owners have just...

MidSouth's Cloutier joins reform discussion

Rusty Cloutier, president and CEO of Lafayette-based MidSouth Bank, has returned from an invitation-only roundtable at the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation where he gave the big boys hell. Rusty...

La. bank cited by feds

The Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation placed New Orleans-based First Bank and Trust under a cease and desist order in July, accusing the institution of unsound banking practices. The Federal...

Lafayette named among most recession-proof cities

The Hub City ranks a respectable 14th among American cities in news/politics website The Daily Beast's list of the 20 cities most resistant to the recession. The Hub City ranks a respectable 14th...

Sky Blue clothing opening next to Imelda's

Larie Barnett and Candace Meche are opening Sky Blue clothing on Sept. 10 in the Pearson's Shopping Center on Ambassador Caffery Parkway. Larie Barnett and Candace Meche are opening Sky Blue clothing...

Congress Street Hilton Garden Inn sold

The Hilton Garden Inn on Congress Street across from the Cajundome was sold for an undisclosed sum by Jackie's International to Apple REIT Nine, according to the website Hotel Interactive. The Hilton...

La. sales tax holiday Aug. 6-7

Thinking of making a major purchase? You might want to wait till the first weekend in August, when you can forgo the 4-cent state sales tax on the first $2,500 you spend. Thinking of making a major...

Lafayette chamber re-energizes

The Greater Lafayette Chamber of Commerce is bringing its Energy Division back into its programming, promoting and protecting not only the oil and gas industry but also now encouraging the development...

KVOL offers freebies to moratorium-hit businesses

KVOL 1330 AM is offering free advertising to Acadiana businesses affected by the Gulf deepwater drilling moratorium. KVOL 1330 AM is offering free advertising to Acadiana businesses affected by the...

Parish Brewing taps into local beer market

Parish Brewing Co makes its first foray into the local beer market this weekend. Parish Brewing Co makes its first foray into the local beer market this weekend. The local brewery, which has been in...

Jindal strikes down blooming nonsense

It's been easier to sell a gun in Louisiana than a floral arrangement - until today. It's been easier to sell a gun in Louisiana than a floral arrangement - until today. Gov. Bobby Jindal on Monday...

LHC Group's stock tumbles on Amedisys investigation

Lafayette-based LHC Group has not been notified of any SEC investigation into its billing practices, but its stock lost 12 percent of its value Thursday on confirmation that home health competitors...

Cypremort Point shrimp season in full swing

For now, Vermilion Bay is clear of oil, and the Cypremort Point shrimp season is in full swing. Morning comes early in midsummer. Five o'clock on June 15 and the sun is beginning to rise over the long...

Walk-On's coming to Kaliste Saloom Road

Baton Rouge-based Walk-On's Bistreaux and Bar, a concept founded by two former LSU basketball players (both walk-ons, of course), is opening a 9,500-square-foot restaurant and bar on Kaliste Saloom...

IberiaBank gets new Lafayette president

IberiaBank Corp. has announced management changes in its headquarters office, promoting Executive Vice President Jerry Vascocu to president of the Lafayette market, while current Lafayette President...

Angelle speaking on moratorium Thursday

Lt. Gov. Scott Angelle will discuss the potential impact of the deepwater drilling moratorium at the Acadiana Regional Alliance's general meeting Thursday at 7:30 a.m. at the Petroleum Club of...

Nominate a company for ABiz's annual Top 50 list

ABiz is seeking nominations for its second annual Top 50 Privately Held Companies feature, which will be published July 28. ABiz is seeking nominations for its second annual Top 50 Privately Held...

Lafayette's retail sales off 8.55 percent

Lafayette Parish retail sales got off to a rough start this year, falling more than 14 percent during the first two months and almost 11 percent in March, compared with the first three months of 2009....

Cox issues SOS

Save Our Shore: Gulf Coast Relief is a multi-pronged program. Cox Communications has launched a new program to aid the recovery effort along the Gulf Coast as a result of the BP oil disaster. Save Our...

IberiaBank: minimal risk exposure from spill

Lafayette-based IberiaBank Corp. says its $5.7 billion loan portfolio spread out mainly across the southeastern United States faces negligible impact as a result of the BP oil disaster....

New shallow water rules expected this week

The Wall Street Journal is today reporting that the Obama administration could as early as tomorrow release new safety requirements that would reopen offshore oil and gas permitting in shallow...

LOGA putting a face on moratorium

SPEAK OUT TODAY!!! It's the first line of the Louisiana Oil and Gas Association's Friday afternoon plea for help. SPEAK OUT TODAY!!! It's the first line of the Louisiana Oil and Gas Association's...

Private equity firm buying OMNI Energy

An affiliate of New York City-based Wellspring Capital Management LLC plans to purchase OMNI Energy Services Corp. An affiliate of New York City-based Wellspring Capital Management LLC is buying OMNI...

Study: Haynesville Shale a boom for La.

Last year alone, the extraction activity of the seven oil and gas firms drilling most of the wells in the Haynesville Shale generated roughly $10.6 billion in new business sales in the state of...

Lee Michaels opens gold-buying store in mall

Louisiana Gold Market, a division of Lee Michaels Fine Jewelry, has opened a gold-buying store in the Mall of Acadiana. Louisiana Gold Market, a division of Lee Michaels Fine Jewelry, has opened a...

Snap 103.7's classic rock enters market

Tune your dial to 103.7 FM later this week and you'll get a taste of classic hits with an emphasis on classic rock. Delta Media's new station will hit the airwaves in a few days, though the station...

Hurricane sales tax holiday May 29-30

Louisiana's annual state sales tax holiday for purchases of hurricane-preparedness supplies is Saturday, May 29, and Sunday, May 30. Louisiana's annual state sales tax holiday for purchases of...

Dillard's scores partial win in tax case

First Circuit rules customer catalogues are not subject to state's use tax. Dillard's Louisiana department stores won a partial victory in its appeal of a lower court ruling in favor of the Louisiana...

CC's Coffee House closes Kaliste Saloom store

After more than a decade, CC's Coffee House has shuttered its Kaliste Saloom Road location in the Centre Park shopping center, which is anchored by Marcello's Wine Market Café. After more than a...

There's neither sugar nor oil at this Refinery

Refinery, a barberspa opening in downtown Lafayette May 10, is destined to be a refuge for men who want a little pampering in the privacy of a male refuge. Men. Only. Refinery, a barberspa opening in...

AG: price gouging laws in effect

Louisiana price gouging laws are in effect following the state of emergency declaration from Gov. Bobby Jindal resulting from the massive Gulf Coast oil spill. Louisiana price gouging laws are in...

WSJ investigates home health Medicare reimbursements

In an investigative report published Monday, The Wall Street Journal looks into home health care companies that appear to be taking advantage of the Medicare reimbursement system. In an investigative...

SEC too preoccupied with porn to nab Stanford

Just one week after the Securities and Exchange Commission's inspector general revealed that the SEC knew about Allen Stanford alleged Ponzi scheme since 1997 but failed to act, a clearer picture on...

Expo Acadie returns to Lafayette

The biannual Expo Acadie will be held in Lafayette during Festival International de Louisiane with several events at the Holidome. The biannual Expo Acadie will be held in Lafayette during Festival...

Kleinpeter honored in D.C. with environmental award

Kleinpeter Farms Dairy, which has been offering its products in Lafayette since December 2007, is being honored with a prestigious national environmental award in ceremonies on Capitol Hill today....

Community banks clear air on financial reform

The Independent Community Bankers of America is stepping into the debate over financial reform legislation currently mired in Congress. The Independent Community Bankers of America is stepping into...

Saints' Shanle to shill for Courtesy Cadillac

Courtesy Automotive Group announced that New Orleans Saints linebacker Scott Shanle is now the spokesman for its Cadillac dealership, which recently relocated from Johnston Street to Ambassador...

$10 million Marriott going up in River Ranch

Charles Cornay of Stirling Properties confirmed to the INDsider today River Ranch sold 2 acres on Settlers Trace Boulevard to an investment group that will develop a Springhill Suites by Marriott...

BR attorney: Stanford likely had two sets of books

The IRS' investigation of the collapse of Allen Stanford's financial empire reveals that potential losses, last year estimated at about $7.2 billion by court-appointed receiver Ralph Janvey, may be...

Ann Taylor shutters Mall of Acadiana store

On Saturday, Ann Taylor pulled up stakes at the Mall of Acadiana. On Saturday, Ann Taylor pulled up stakes at the Mall of Acadiana. "We have a brand new retailer that is going to require at least...

Former Citizens chief gets 30 months for theft

Terry Lisotta, the former CEO of Citizens Insurance, the state's property insurer of last resort, pled guilty to one count of felony theft by fraud over $500 and will be sentenced April 23 to 30...

Survey: La.'s legal climate 2nd worst in nation

A new national survey ranks Louisiana's lawsuit climate 49th in the country. A new national survey ranks Louisiana's lawsuit climate 49th in the country. In the survey, released today by the U.S....

Lafayette one of 9 metros gaining construction jobs

Lafayette is the only city in the state to experience growth in construction jobs from January 2009 to January this year and one of only a handful across the country. Lafayette is the only city in the...

Mazda now part of Vega lineup

Lafayette auto dealer Adrian Vega has added Mazda to his Chrysler, Dodge and Jeep franchises on Evangeline Thruway across from the airport. Lafayette auto dealer Adrian Vega has added Mazda to his...

Downtown designated tax-free art zone

Art purchases in downtown Lafayette are now exempt from state sales tax thanks to its new status as a Cultural Products District. Just in time for what is expected to be the first Second Saturday...

VER: new home construction down 6%, resales up 2%

Housing sales reported to the Realtor Association of Acadiana Multiple Listing Service for the first two months of this year are holding steady with last year, according to Van Eaton & Romero...

Gasoline prices rising, up to $2.64/g

Retail gasoline prices in Louisiana have risen 4.9 cents per gallon in the past week, averaging $2.64 per gallon today. Retail gasoline prices in Louisiana have risen 4.9 cents per gallon in the past...

Bullet Films signs 10-picture deal

Lafayette-based film production company Bullet Films has recently signed a multi-million dollar, 10-picture deal with international distribution company Echo Bridge Entertainment. Lafayette-based film...

IberiaBank proposes $300 million public offering

IberiaBank Corp. today announced that has commenced an underwritten public offering of $300 million of its common stock. Lafayette-based IberiaBank Corp. today announced that has commenced an...

LCPA to offer free tax help March 3

The Society of Louisiana Certified Public Accountants will offer free tax advice on Wednesday, March 3 via a toll-free hotline. The Society of Louisiana Certified Public Accountants will offer free...

Cox adds caller ID to TV

Cox Communications' customers can now identify callers without taking their eyes off the TV, an enhancement not yet available on LUS Fiber, though plans call for it to be added later this year. Cox...

Community Coffee snubs Kleinpeter

Baton Rouge-based Community Coffee is switching back to Borden's products for its coffeehouses, after last year signing an agreement with a fellow Baton Rouge company, Kleinpeter Dairy. Baton...

2009 retail sales slide 11.6 percent

After climbing steadily since 2002, retail sales slid 11.61 percent last year, falling from $5.4 billion in 2008 to $4.8 billion. After climbing steadily since 2002, retail sales slid 11.61 percent...

Energy leases further divide north and south

Opting instead to chase the natural gas play in north Louisiana, oilmen and private investors showed very little interest in coastal properties this week when the state Mineral and Energy Board...

CNBC's 'More Secrets of the Knight' re-airs Sunday

CNBC Senior Correspondent Scott Cohn, who last year landed the only in-depth interview with flamboyant Texas billionaire Allen Stanford for his investigative story, "Secrets of the Knight: Sir...

Blue Cross, FMOL reach compromise

Our Lady of Lourdes Regional Medical Center, one of several hospitals in the Franciscan Missionaries of Our Lady Health System, announced late Thursday that the impasse between FMOL and Blue Cross...

Academy betting on Saints

After last week's outstanding performance against the Arizona Cardinals, the New Orleans Saints, which are now as healthy as they were at the start of the season, are looking good - real good - as...


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