BATON ROUGE, LA (February 11, 2020) – Today at its Annual Meeting in Baton Rouge, the Louisiana Association of Business and Industry (LABI) formally announced its officers and Board of Directors for 2020, along with the members of the 2020 LABI Emerging Leaders Council, a group of distinguished entrepreneurs and young professionals.
“I look forward to working with this talented group of leaders willing to lend their time and voices as we look to bring solutions and ideas grounded in the principles of free enterprise to the State Capitol,” said LABI President Stephen Waguespack. “LABI is a member-driven organization with a 100-member board, and we’re proud of the fact that our board members come from every region of the state and across the many sectors of business and industry in Louisiana. We’re glad to have them on our team as we tackle the important issues that directly affect their ability to create jobs in Louisiana.”
Tom O’Neal, president of O’Nealgas, Inc. will serve as the chair of LABI for 2020. He replaces Sonia Pérez, president of southeast states for AT&T, who becomes the immediate past chair. “It is truly an honor to be chosen to lead this group in such a critical year,” O’Neal said. “I look forward to working with all of LABI’s members to help address the state’s most pressing issues. Chief among them in my mind is the need to pass meaningful legal reform legislation, a desire shared by many across this state. Working together, I am confident we can get something done.”
Terry Baugh, Chief Financial Officer of D&J Construction Company, Inc., will serve as the board’s vice chair. Christel C. Slaughter, CEO, SSA Consultants, and Jude Melville, President, b1 Bank will serve as Secretary and Treasurer respectively, rounding out the slate of 2020 LABI Officers. Serving as chair of the Emerging Leaders Council is Meagan Shields, Investment Portfolio Manager, Louisiana Workers' Compensation Corporation.
11 LABI members are new to the Board of Directors, and 20 leaders were re-nominated for another term. That combined list is as follows:
Jeff Albright – Trade Association Representative
Executive Vice President, Independent Insurance Agents of Louisiana (Baton Rouge)
Robert Angelico
President and Managing Partner, Liskow & Lewis (New Orleans)
James A. Babst
Attorney, Wegmann & Babst, LLC (New Orleans)
Bobby Barousse
Chief Financial Officer, Elmer Candy Corporation (Ponchatoula)
Bob Barton
Managing Partner, Taylor Porter (Baton Rouge)
Terry Baugh
Chief Financial Officer, D & J Construction Company, Inc. (West Monroe)
Robert S. Boh
President, Boh Brothers Construction Company, LLC (New Orleans)
Ayres Bradford
Business Development Director, Lincoln Builders, Inc. (Ruston)
Tom Cox
President, Golfballs.com, Inc. (Lafayette)
Eric Danos
Owner Executive, Danos, LLC (Gray)
Lavelle Edmondson
Manager, State Government Affairs, Marathon Petroleum Company, LP (Texas City, Texas)
Ronald Evans
Owner, International Packaging Company, LLC (Gretna)
Tommy Faucheux
Southeast U.S. State Government Affairs Leader, Dow Inc. (Plaquemine)
Courtney A. Fenet, Jr.
VP & Special Assistant to CEO and President, R. E. Heidt Construction Company, LLC (Sulphur)
John J. Finan, Jr.
President/CEO. Franciscan Missionaries of Our Lady Health System, Inc (Baton Rouge)
Jay Guillot
Senior Vice President, Hunt, Guillot & Associates LLC (Ruston)
Chris Haskew
Louisiana Market President, Capital One Bank Louisiana (Baton Rouge)
Bryan Jones
Gulf Coast Deputy Office Leader, HNTB Corporation (Baton Rouge)
Raymond Lasseigne
President, TMR Exploration, Inc. (Bossier City)
Jerry Lebold
Senior Vice President & General Manager, BASF Corporation (Geismar)
Sandra Lindquist – Chamber of Commerce Representative
Vice President – Chief Operating Officer, New Orleans Chamber (New Orleans)
Melissa Mann
Senior Director of Government Affairs, Central Region, CenturyLink (Monroe)
Jude Melville
President, b1 Bank (Baton Rouge)
Jennifer Neil
General Counsel, Pool Corporation (Covington)
Kenneth L. Ross
Managing Partner, Seale & Ross (Hammond)
Meagan Shields – Emerging Leaders Council Chair (ex oficio)
Investment Portfolio Manager & Enterprise Risk Specialist, Louisiana Workers Compensation Corporation (Baton Rouge)
Dana Stumpf
Chief Executive Officer, Durr Heavy Construction, LLC (Harahan)
Kristin Wall
President/CEO, Louisiana Workers Compensation Corporation (Baton Rouge)
Peter Wilson
President & CEO, Barriere Construction Company, LLC (Metairie)
Robert Yarborough
Chief Executive Officer, Manda Fine Meats (Baton Rouge)
Angela Zeringue
Polyolefins Plant Manager, ExxonMobil Chemical Company (Baton Rouge)
Other current members of the LABI Board of Directors include:
Joe Arroyo
President, Fire Extinguisher & Supply Company, Inc. (New Orleans)
Scott Ballard
Founder, Ballard Brands (Covington)
Adrianne Baumgartner
Partner, Porteous, Hainkel & Johnson (Covington)
Andree Begneaud
Owner, Begneaud Manufacturing, Inc. (Lafayette)
Jill Benoit
Regional Manager Government Affairs, LafargeHolcim U.S. (Metairie)
James B. Bulliard
Owner, Cajun Chef Products, Inc. (St. Martinville)
J. H. Campbell, Jr.
Manager, Client Consulting Services, LLC (Baton Rouge)
Kim Carver
Vice President of Government Relations, Gulf Coast Bank & Trust (New Orleans)
Emile Cordaro
Government Affairs, American Electric Power (Shreveport)
Kim Cusimano
Manager, Government & Public Affairs North American Operations, Sasol Chemicals (USA) LLC (Westlake)
Jason DeCuir
Principal, Ryan, LLC (Baton Rouge)
John Doggett
Chief Administrative Officer, Crest Operations, LLC (Alexandria)
Maura Donahue
Executive Vice President, DonahueFavret Contractors, Inc. (Mandeville)
Keith P. Duet
Owner, Duet Wealth Management (Covington)
Michael Eason, Sr.
Vice President, Michael Eason – Merrill Lynch (Lake Charles)
Meryl Kennedy Farr
President, Kennedy Rice Mill, LLC (Mer Rouge)
Art Favre
President, Performance Contractors (Baton Rouge)
Cassie Felder
Managing Attorney, Swamp Dragon, LLC (Baton Rouge)
William Fenstermaker
Chairman/CEO, Fenstermaker (Lafayette)
Wayne J. Fontana
Attorney, Fontana & Seelman, LLP (New Orleans)
William Fontenot
President & CEO, Cleco Corporate Holdings LLC (Pineville)
Felicia Frederick
State Government Affairs Manager, Chevron U.S.A., Inc. (New Orleans)
David Gaines
CEO System Retail Svcs & VP of Public Affairs, Ochsner Health Systems (New Orleans)
Ryan Girouard
Senior Vice President – Middle Market Banking, Hancock Whitney Bank (Baton Rouge)
Lane Grigsby
Chairman Emeritus, Cajun Industries, LLC (Baton Rouge)
George H. Guidry, Jr.
Regional Manager, State Government Affairs, Koch Companies Public Sector, LLC (Baton Rouge)
Richard Guillory
Vice President of Operations – South Central Group, Cintas Corporation (Lafayette)
Mike Hall
Controller, Nucor Steel Louisiana LLC (Convent)
Bryan Hanks
President, Beta Land Services, LLC (Lafayette)
David Huval
Professional Civil Engineer, CEC, Inc. (Lafayette)
Steve M. Jordan
CEO, Central Crude, Inc. (Lake Charles)
Christopher M. Kinsey
CEO, Kinsey Interests, Inc. (Shreveport)
Jamey LeBlanc
Senior Director – Strategic Support, Community Coffee Company, LLC (Baton Rouge)
Martin Mayer
President, Stirling Properties, Inc. (Covington)
Patrick Mockler
President, Mockler Beverage Company (Baton Rouge)
Jessica Monroe
Director of State Government Affairs, Johnson & Johnson HCS (Baton Rouge)
Danny Montelaro
South Louisiana Area President, Regions Bank (Baton Rouge)
Jody Montelaro
VP – LA Governmental Affairs & Regulatory Affairs, Entergy Corporation (Baton Rouge)
Spencer Murphy
General Counsel, Canal Barge Company, Inc. (New Orleans)
Mark Myrtue
Treasurer & Corporate Secretary, Hornbeck Offshore Services, Inc. (Covington)
Tom O'Neal
President, O'Nealgas, Inc. (Choudrant)
John Overton
Owner & CFO, TurnKey Solutions (Baton Rouge)
Reldon Owens
Director of External Relations, Diamond B Construction LLC and Affiliated Companies (Alexandria)
Frederick B. Palmer
State Government Relations Manager – Southeast U.S., Shell Oil Company (New Orleans)
Sonia Pérez
President Southeast States, AT&T Louisiana (Baton Rouge)
Todd Perry
Principal/Senior Geologist, PPM Consultants (Monroe)
Scott Poole
Chief Operating Officer, MARTCO LLC (Alexandria)
E. Fredrick Preis, Jr.
Senior Partner, Breazeale, Sachse & Wilson, LLP (New Orleans)
Arthur Price
President, Badger Oil Corporation (Lafayette)
Wynn Radford
State & Federal Affairs, Communications & External Affairs, BP America, Inc. (Washington, D.C.)
Jennifer Ries
President, Atmos Energy (Baton Rouge)
James T. Rogers, III
Partner, Adams and Reese (Baton Rouge)
Gordon E. Rountree
SVP/General Counsel, Lafayette General Health System (Lafayette)
Phillip Rozeman
President, Willis-Knighton Cardiology (Shreveport)
Nathalie Simon
Special Counsel to CEO, Laitram, LLC (Harahan)
Christel C. Slaughter
CEO, SSA Consultants, Inc. (Baton Rouge)
Tim Stine
Chief Financial Officer, Stine Lumber Company (Sulphur)
Matt Stuller
Founder & Chairman, Stuller, Inc. (Lafayette)
Stephen Toups
President, Turner Industries Group, LLC (Baton Rouge)
Kelli Bondy Troutman
VP, Director of Communications & Community Relations, LUBA Workers’ Comp (Baton Rouge)
Shawn Usher
Founder, Sparkhound, Inc. (Baton Rouge)
Rusty Vincent
Secretary Treasurer, Century Group, Inc. (Sulphur)
Stephen Waguespack – ex officio
President & CEO, LABI
Robert Webb, Jr.
President, Louisiana CAT (Reserve)
William Windham
CEO, Windham, LLC (Bossier City)
Joseph Zanco
Executive VP/CFO, Home Bank (Lafayette)
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The 13 new members of the 2020 LABI Emerging Leaders Council include:
Matt Adams
Regional Director, External Affairs, AT&T Louisiana (Baton Rouge)
Hunter Chauvin
Partner, Liskow & Lewis (Lafayette)
Carroll Devillier, Jr.
Partner, Breazeale, Sachse & Wilson, LLP (Baton Rouge)
Arthur Dupre
President, ACE Scholarships Louisiana (Metairie)
Chelsea Harris
Economic Development Marketing Strategist, Entergy Corporation (Baton Rouge)
Jessica Judice
General Manager, Cintas Corporation (Lake Charles)
Julie Laperouse
Director, Emergent Method (Baton Rouge)
Trenton Rives
Project Manager, Hunt, Guillot & Associates LLC (Baton Rouge)
Micah Schilling
Business Development, Pactec, Inc. (Clinton)
Jeremy Stine
Marketing Director, Stine Lumber Company (Sulphur)
Bo Thornhill
Director of Loss Control, Stupp Corporation (Baton Rouge)
Allyce Trapp
Director of Governmental Affairs, Home Builders Association of Greater Baton Rouge (Baton Rouge)
Trey Williams
Managing Partner – Owner, JRE Private Equity Group (Baton Rouge)
Other current members of the LABI Emerging Leaders Council include:
Albert Alexander
Senior Associate, Bluehenge Capital Partners (Baton Rouge)
Sarah Olcott Allen
Director of Government Affairs, Cox Communications (Baton Rouge)
Cody Bauman
Project Engineer, Drax Biomass (West Monroe)
Anita Begnaud
CEO, Downtown Development Authority (Lafayette)
Anita Byrne
Partner, SSA Consultants (Baton Rouge)
James Debaillon
Director, Consulting U.S. Federal Market, CGI (Lafayette)
Eric Engemann
President, Cristo Rey Franciscan High School (Baton Rouge)
Charles Fenstermaker
Chief Financial Officer, Fenstermaker, Inc. (Lafayette)
Marshall Ferrell
President, Construction Safety Products (Shreveport)
Lance Glaser
Strategic Procurement Manager, Performance Contractors, Inc. (Baton Rouge)
Dustin Granger
CEO, Toujours Planning (Lake Charles)
William “Billy” Guste IV
Program Manager, Coastal Engineering Solutions, LLC (Belle Chasse)
Brent Guthrie
Project Manager, Cajun Industries, LLC (Denham Springs)
Jason Hayes
COO, Hayes Manufacturing Co., Inc. (Pineville)
Canaan Heard
CEO, Protac LLC and Protac Foundation (New Orleans)
Ron Hemelt
Investment Banker, Evangeline Securities (New Orleans)
Michelle Hensgens
Divisional Director, Business Development, Our Lady of Lourdes in Lafayette (Lafayette)
Trent Hill
Digital Marketing Strategist, Gatorworks (Baton Rouge)
Todd James
Director of Strategic Planning, Broadmoor LLC (Metairie)
Laura Pryor Johnson
Associate, Allen & Gooch (Lafayette)
Riley Kennedy
Director of Org. Development, Woodward Design+Build (New Orleans)
Justin Landry
Real Estate Development, Stirling Properties (Covington)
Marissa Lingoni
Director of Business Development, Providence Engineering & Design (Baton Rouge)
Mike Nizzo
Market President for East Baton Rouge, B1 Bank (Baton Rouge)
Nial Patel
Vice President, Cornerstone Government Affairs (Baton Rouge)
Amy Canik Province
Commercial Banking Relationship Manager, Regions Bank (Baton Rouge)
Dustin Puryear
CEO, Puryear IT (Baton Rouge)
Meagan Shields
Investment Portfolio Manager, LWCC
Mawe Takyi
Financial Advisor, Dent Asset Management (Baton Rouge)
Robert Williamson
SVP Market President, JD Bank (Lake Charles)
Robert “Robbie” Wooderson
Chief Operations Officer, Durr Heavy Construction, LLC (Harahan)
For press inquiries, contact:
Mitch Rabalais
(985) 317-8509
mitchr@labi.org
About the Louisiana Association of Business and Industry
The Louisiana Association of Business and Industry was organized in 1975 to represent Louisiana businesses, serving as both the state chamber of commerce and state manufacturers association. LABI’s primary goal is to foster a climate for economic growth by championing the principles of the free enterprise system and representing the general interest of the business community through active involvement in the political, legislative, judicial and regulatory processes. Find out more information at www.labi.org.
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