It's Acadiana: Out to Lunch

You may remember in the late 1990 s a company called BASF had a massive TV marketing campaign, based on what they didn t make. They had a number of commercials that said things like, "At BASF we don t make the cooler, we make it cooler." And "At BASF we don t make the jeans, we make them bluer." All these beautifully shot and expensive looking commercials would end with, "At BASF we don t make a lot of the products you buy, we make them better." You could think of today s Out to Lunch as the BASF of Out to Lunches. Aileen s guest Mark Cartwright didn t invent fishing. But his invention makes it better. Mark is the creator of The Catcher s Mitt a special glove and set of accompanying tools that clip to your belt, ready for that moment when you reel in a fish. Available online and in sports stores across Louisiana and Mississippi, the Catcher s Mitt is increasingly becoming a fisherman s favorite. And meet Tipster, "21st Century jug fishing," where you drink beer and the fish catch themselves. Brian Biddick didn t invent the guitar, and although he does actually build guitars from scratch and spent many years doing just that what he specializes in is customizing guitars. In other words, Brian takes your guitar which you already like because it sounds good and makes it sound better. Brian is a master guitarchitect whose clients are literally a who s who in Acadiana music. Brian works out of Lafayette Music and, much to his wife s chagrin, on his kitchen table, but his influence on what we listen to spreads far and wide. Photos over lunch at Social on Johnston Street in Lafayette Louisiana.

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A lot of people around here in Acadiana compare the recent downturn in the oil business to the downturn in the 1980 s. The general consensus seems to be that although this downturn is having a longer term effect within the oil business itself, it s having a lesser effect on the overall Acadian economy. The reason everybody gives for that is one word diversification. And it s true. Over the past couple of decades the scope of local business has grown to include all kinds of new enterprises, from technology to tourism. Along with this diversification has come a whole new breed of Acadian business person. The entrepreneur. These are, for the most part, people with businesses that have nothing to do with the natural resources in this part of the world other than imagination and hard work. People like Aileen s lunch guests on this edition of Out to Lunch, Wayne Nix and Jeff Martin. Jeff is short and fat. Normally one would never introduce a person by their appearance. Even if it was tall and slender. But Jeff is the co founder of a company called Short and Fat. They make shirts for short and fat guys. The company s website which is important, because it s an online business is shortandfat.com. Wayne Nix has an MBA and he s an RN. He s a business guy who is also a nurse. Wayne and his wife, who is also a nurse, have a company called Rnvention and its first invention is The Multi Nix Tool. Nurses need all kinds of specific tools. They need to adjust the flow of a patient s oxygen, to measure the dilation of pupils in the eye, to clamp off tubes, they need scissors, and so on. The Multi Nix does all of these functions, and many more. It s the Swiss Army pocket knife of nurses tools. It looks like a pair of tricked out scissors, and its finding its way into the pockets of nurses across the country. Photos taken over lunch at Cafe Vermilionville in Lafayette Louisiana.

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If you re the kind of person who doesn t like meat, you might want to keep this show on in the background and not listen too closely. If you re the kind of person who believes there are certain jobs that women just shouldn t do for example, that there s nothing sexy about a lady pig farmer or a woman who knows her way around a butcher shop you ll probably be happier listening to an old Skynyrd album than hanging out for the next half hour with Aileen and her two fascinating women guests. And fascinating they are. Jamie Vickery has re written the term "farm to table." Normally when we talk about the commercial farm to table movement we think of restaurants that locally source food from small farms. In other words there are two separate entities a farmer, and a restaurant. In Jamie s case, she s the farm and the table. Jamie s company, Scratch Farm Kitchen, raises pigs, lambs and chickens on her farm in Duson. And serves them up on plates as a caterer, and at the Lafayette Farmer s Market on Saturdays. Betsy Bellard is a third generation member of the first family of meat and poultry in Opelousas. Betsy is Director of Sales and Marketing for the family businesses Targil Seasoning and Butcher Supplies, Bellard s Poultry, and the family s newest venture, Zydeco Chop Chop a combination of dehydrated herbs and vegetables, already blended and ready to use in anything from traditional Cajun favorites to regular American fare. Betsy and her dad, Tim, starting packaging Zydeco Chop Chop in 2014 and today you can find it in most grocery stores in Acadiana as well as Baton Rouge, Shreveport, and around the world thanks to its availability online. Photos at Cafe Vermilionville by Gwen Aucoin.

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In Acadiana we love music. Not only do we listen to it, but many of us play it. There are probably more musicians per capita here than anywhere in the country. Music, for many families, is a way of both celebrating and passing on our culture. It is, as the late Eddie LeJeune, said, "In the Blood." Despite the fact that music is a central part of our lives, making a living from music is not easy around here. While we have lots of music, we don t have a lot of music business. We share that problem with the rest of the country. Since the advent of online music streaming services like Spotify, it s very difficult for musicians, or record companies, to make money from sales of recorded music. Which leaves music for film, commercials, and live performance as the principal sources of revenue for musicians today. With the focus on live music here in Acadiana, you d think that would work well for our local musicians. However, if you know any, you ll notice they re not living in gated mansions or driving fancy cars like their counterparts in Nashville, or even Austin. So why not Two local musicians shed some light on the Acadiana music biz. Lane Mack was born and raised in Lafayette. He was a contestant on the TV show The Voice, and his record, "Swampodisiac," rose to the number 2 spot on the iTunes Blues chart. Sean Bruce was born and raised in Carencro. Sean went to UL where he graduated with a degree in business with a focus on music. He s the owner of the Norwood Recording Company, his independent record label which released his latest recording, Staring At Maps. Photos at Social Southern Table and Bar in Lafayette by Lucius A. Fontenot.

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When we talk about somebody being in business, our underlying assumption is that they re in business to make a profit. For themselves. That assumption does not always hold true. Admittedly, exceptions are rare. And that s what makes them all the more remarkable. It would hard to find a more remarkable exception than Kim James Boudreaux. Kim is the Executive Director of Catholic Services in Lafayette. Catholic services provides a wide range of community help, including serving over 100,000 free meals a year at St Joseph s diner. Providing shelter for homeless or struggling men, women, and children. And along with many other, community initiatives, continue to provide assistance to people still struggling to rebuild after the floods. Kim has worked with other needy communities, including time spent in Mother Theresa s order in Calcutta, India. Joe Zanco is Executive Vice President and Chief Financial Officer at Home Bank. That doesn t sound like the kind of job that typically lends itself to big hearted largesse. In Joe s case, however, it does. Joe is the recipient of the American Institute of CPA s 2016 Public Service Award, quote, "for the selflessness he has shown in supporting his community." In 2017, Junior Achievement of Acadiana named Joe Business Person of the Year, for both his professional accomplishments and commitment to community. Joe is the founder an organization called Lead The Change Now, which is focused on inspiring and investing in servant leadership. And he s part of a prison ministry, in which he teaches business, using bible verses. Many of us, especially at the holidays, or after a disaster, think about how fortunate we are and tell ourselves that we re going to do something to give back. For most of us that amounts to little more than a good intention. And maybe a donation. Some of us will actually get up off of the couch and go do something. But very few of us commit the amount of time, energy, and genuine love that Kim and Joe find in themselves to give. This is an inspirational insight into a whole other side of Acadiana business. Photos at Cafe Vermilionville by Lucius A. Fontenot.

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On his album Purple Rain, Prince famously opens his dance party with the lines, "Dearly beloved, we are gathered here today, to get through this thing called Life." Prince s point is that we re all on our individual journey to find happiness, but we re also all in this together. Most of us quietly go about our lives, making our own discoveries and mistakes, and hopefully getting wiser as we do. Then there are people who, like Prince, feel compelled to share their discoveries with the rest of us. And that s what creates culture. Aileen s lunch guests are both people who are determined to share their very different Acadian experiences with the rest of us. And that sharing is giving us the opportunity to both celebrate and change how we live in Acadiana. Toby Rodriguez went to UL, studied industrial design, became a carpenter, then a butcher, then a celebrant of butchery with a travelling ritualistic Boucherie, and lastly found a home for all of his talents by taking over the Acadian Superette in Lafayette. That s where we find Toby today, and the journey is far from over. Phanat Xanamane pronounced, Par nut Zarna marn is an architect with a prestigious post grad degree from Columbia University in New York, and an architecture, urban design, and urban research office in New Iberia. Phanat s clients range across the country but he s also heavily invested in revitalizing and, frankly, revolutionizing New Iberia through design, dance, public transportation, health and wellness, and the economy. His initiatives range from a community garden to a bike sharing program. And much more. For many reasons, you might expect Phanat s compulsion to share would, at best, be greeted skeptically by a small, conservative, South Louisiana town. But that s not at all what s happening in New Iberia. Times are changing. And Phanat Xanamane is changing them. This edition of Out to Lunch is a compelling look back into the future, with two of Acadiana s most iconoclastioc traditonalists. Photos at Cafe Vermilionville by Lucius A Fontenot.

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In the past, one of the indications of being good in business and a successful and respectable person in general was job stability. You graduated from high school or college, you got a job and you stuck at it for 40 years. If you did well, you d work your way up through the ranks and end up in management. But even if you didn t, you appreciated the security, you were loyal to the company, and you retired with a decent pension. That s all changed. Markedly. These days there is usually no pension waiting for you. And far from any stigma being attached to changing jobs, we regard change and new challenges as positive. On this edition of Out to Lunch, Aileen Bennett meets two people who have both recently made big changes. For 11 years Dana Baker was Executive Director of Festival International. For most of us, running the most popular music festival in town, and one of the greatest in the country, would be a dream job. Dana s new job keeps the dream alive. As of late 2016 Dana is the Executive Director of the Acadiana Symphony. Harold Bernard has started a new business at the time of life most people are retiring. Harold is 65 and as of January 2017 the founder and owner of Glide Studios, on Jefferson Street in downtown Lafayette. Harold is a dancer and dance teacher. Glide Studios is a place where you can learn dance, watch dance, or just plain old dance. In Acadiana our cultural life is an integral part of every aspect of our lives. From the symphony to the zydeco dance hall, in this conversation we discover the audiences are not so different. Often they re the same people. Photos at Cafe Vermilionville by Gwen Aucoin.

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Here in Southwest Louisiana we are buffeted by elements and forces largely beyond our control. We don t have the luxury of debating whether climate change is man made or a natural phenomenon. Whomever is causing it man or nature we have to live with the reality that changing weather is bringing one hundred and 500 year storms far more frequently than centuries apart. And eroding coasts are robbing us of the very land that some of us live on. Alongside that, the economies of our urban centers and small towns have been, for a long time, at the mercy of the vagaries of international oil prices. You might wonder what the heck these broad brush subjects have got to do with you, your house, or your daily errands. YOu re about to find out Aileen s lunch guests are both involved in making the link between where we live and how we live. It s a link you might not normally think about, but it s fascinating. And vital. Geoff Dyer is the CEO and Director of Design for the Downtown Development Authority in Lafayette. Geoff is an urban designer with an international reputation. He s designed more than 80 projects in 18 states across the US. He s both an enthusiast and an authority on downtown revitalization. Which is what he specializes in here in Lafayette. Ursula Emery McClure is a founding partner in the firm Emery McClure Architecture, and occupies the prestigious seat of A. Hays Town Professor in the School of Architecture at LSU. Ursula has won numerous international prizes for her architecture and her firm s work is internationally recognized as well. Here at home, Ursula s designs are sometimes controversial as she champions forward thinking design while, as she puts it, "being caught between the global petro chemical infrastructure and an alligator." Photos from lunch at Social in Lafayette.

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It s not totally unheard of for a husband and wife to start up a business together. There are small businesses that are labor intensive and require long hours that a couple can split, and keep whatever profit they can make in the family. Traditionally, businesses like family farms come to mind. Or convenience stores. Gas stations. And, perhaps more stereotypically than true these days, the mom and pop scenario where dad is a plumber and mom handles the phone and the books along with the kids. You can probably think of other examples. But, unless you already know Sandi and Richard Chalmers, I doubt that your list of businesses a couple might start up together would include a baseball team. Sandi and Richard Chalmers met in college, where they got married. Richard brought Sandi back to his hometown of Lafayette, and some 28 years later, in 2010, they decided to start up The Acadiana Cane Cutters. The Acadiana Cane Cutters baseball team is member of The Texas Collegiate League. They re based at Fabacher Park in Youngsville. Couples have come up with all kinds of ways to re energize their relationship after years of being together. And families have come up with all kinds of businesses to go into together. Starting up a semi professional sports franchise together after a quarter century of marriage has got to be one of the most creative, inventive, and challenging ideas anybody has come up with. But it s certainly working out for The Chalmers. Photos from lunch at Cafe Vermilionville.

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Muhammad Yunus is a Nobel Prize winning economist. He is the inventor of what is called the micro economy. He came up with the idea of making micro loans to people in 3rd world countries so they could start a small business. Yunus s latest thoughts on the capitalist economy include the opinion that one of our biggest stumbling blocks to happiness and the fulfilment of our true human nature is that too many of us think about getting a job. Instead, we should be thinking about how we could be entrepreneurial and work for ourselves. Here in Acadiana, Aileen Bennett s lunch guests have unwittingly followed Yunus s call to action and thrown off the shackles of education and employment, respectively, to follow their own entrepreneurial paths. Nathanael Johnson was majoring in business at LSU when he decided to short circuit the whole process. He dropped out of business school to open a business. In 2007 Nathanael opened Caf Mosaic, a coffee shop in Eunice. Then he moved to Lafayette and opened another one. Reve on Jefferson Street. Today, Reve is more than a coffee shop. It s also a brand of coffee, available around the state and across the country, made from beans roasted by Nathanael or one of his 42 employees. Nathanael is quite a success story. And a role model for kids in business school everywhere Kelly Guidry has a website called chainsawguy.com. If you ve ever stood in front of a mirror rehearsing how you re going to explain something difficult to your husband, wife or parents, you can only imagine Kelly s speech in which he had to rationalize quitting work as a successful graphic designer with a paycheck to throw himself into the career of chainsaw artist. Going on for 20 years later, you can find Kelly s artworks in homes and collections locally, and all over the country thanks mostly to his marketing strategy of selling his pieces at festivals including Festival International and Jazz Fest in New Orleans. Aileen Bennett, Kelly Guidry, and Nathanael Johnson find a surprising amount in common as they discuss their adventures in self employment over lunch at Cafe Vermilionville.

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