It's Acadiana: Out to Lunch

If you ve been out to dinner, drinks, or hung out with friends over the last couple of years, there s a good chance you ve been in more than one conversation about the state of the energy business in Acadiana. Here at Out to Lunch we ve talked about it a lot too. And we ve finally come up with a great idea. What if we talked to people about the energy business who actually know what they re talking about Rick Richard is Chairman of CleanFuel USA, an alternative motor fuel company based in Georgetown, Texas, and President of Empire of the Seed Consultants consulting on energy projects in Southwest Louisiana and the nation at large. Previously, Rick was Chairman, President, and CEO of Columbia Energy Group a 7 billion Fortune 500 Company. In Washington DC, Rick was a legislative assistant for energy issues to U.S. Senator Bennett Johnston, and was appointed by President Ronald Reagan as Commissioner of the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission. Rick is the recipient of the Distinguished Service Medal from the U.S. Secretary of Energy for his role in creating economic opportunities in natural gas markets. And he lives in Lake Charles. Jason French is the Senior Director for Government and Public Affairs at Cheniere Energy. Cheniere is a Houston based energy company primarily engaged in LNG related businesses. In Louisiana Cheniere owns and operates the Sabine Pass LNG terminal, and Creole Trail Pipeline, and between here and Texas they have around 900 full time employees. This conversation about the current and future state of the Acadiana energy industry is guaranteed to surprise you, in a good way. Photos at Cafe Vermilionville by Gwen Aucoin.

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Cherry Fisher May, publisher of Acadiana s business magazine ABiz, sits in for Peter Ricchiuti on this edition of Out to Lunch. Cherry admits she doesn t have any NPR, Out to Lunch or ABiz research to back this up, but statistically she estimates per square inch there s more great food in Acadiana than anywhere in the nation. Because you live here and maybe were even raised here, you know all about it. But, unless you re friends or family, it s unlikely you know about the food career of Jennifer Jackson. Dr Jackson is CEO of Keystone Nutrition, a company she started in 2014. Jennifer s food and nutrition clients include 8 parish jails. Jennifer also consults for the Louisiana Office of Juvenile Justice, the Lafayette Juvenile Detention Home, WIC a nutrition program for low income women and Whole Foods. In the department of Specialty Food Careers, Bob Carriker has a special seat at the table. Known as "Dr. Boudin" he is actually a Ph.d and professor of history Bob is Acadiana s boudin authority. He s the author of the recently published book Boudin A Guide to Louisiana s Extraordinary Link, and creator of Acadiana s biggest sensation of 2015, the Boudin King Cake. Bob, welcome to Out to Lunch. Jennifer s and Bob s slice of the food business might be unusual or eccentric, but if you re looking for something truly nutty, meet Jady Regard. Jady is Chief Nut Officer at the Cane River Pecan Company. Jady took over the family business in 2002 and found a unique niche in the nut market Corporate gifts. What says "Let s make a deal" better than a customized tin of pecans with your company logo on it Right Apparently so. The B2B nut business is booming. For more information about Acadiana entrepreneurs Innov8 Acadiana and The Opportunity Machine. Photos at Cafe Vermilionville by Gwendolyn Aucoin.

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

One of the traditional instruments in Cajun music is the triangle. Although it couldn t be much more basic, its simple presence forms the foundation of many songs. There s another kind of fundamental triangle that distinguishes and connects three sides of Acadiana rural life, city life, and Cajun culture. This edition of Out to Lunch today s show looks at businesses dedicated to maintaining each of these 3 key elements, and keeping them in balance. The Bayou Vermilion District is committed to the preservation and enhancement of natural and cultural resources for residents of Lafayette Parish. The BVD provides boat, canoe, and kayak launches along the river, and maintains public parks. They also have a Living History Museum. A folklife park. And a restaurant. They have over 50,000 visitors a year. David Cheramie is CEO of the Bayou Vermilion District. Cities across the country in part inspired by New York City s Central Park have realized the importance of preserving greenspace for recreation and as a home for cultural events. Here in Lafayette, in 2012 a company called Lafayette Central Park Inc leased The Horse Farm 100 acres of green space on Johnston Street from the city and is in the process of converting what was once a playground for horses, into a playground for people. The company s Director of Administration and Capital Projects is E.B. Brooks. Brandon Broussard epitomizes all three sides of the Acadian triangle Brandon is a teacher at Acadiana High School, teaching traditional and modern skills of meat processing and agriculture, as well as an entrepreneur with a small business teaching Cajun dancing. This conversation is the heart of 21st Century Acadiana a conscious mix of culture, forward looking urbanism, environmentalism, and dancing Photos on this page are taken at Social by Gwendolyn Aucoin. For more information about Acadiana entrepreneurs Innov8 Acadiana and The Opportunity Machine.

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

If you grew up in an average home or you re growing up in an average home today "business" can seem like something very foreign. Something that people who wear suits do. Something that requires going to business school. And that means spending your life in a boring office, going to meetings, and being that obnoxious person at the airport obsessively pounding away at a laptop. If that s what you think going into business means, Peter Ricchiuti s guests on this edition of Out to Lunch are going to open up a whole new world for you. Lisa Crane taught herself to ice cakes by watching The Food Network. This was even before YouTube. Lisa worked in a bakery in Echo Louisiana, moved to Pineville, and finally to Ville Platte where, in 2015, she opened her own business the Uptown Cake Company. Business is booming and the shop is already expanding. Chad Monceaux is a fireman in Crowley, Louisiana. Crowley, as you probably know, is "the rice capital of the world," and when he s not putting out fires, Chad is the Vice Chairman of Crowley s International Rice Festival. If you ve never been to the festival, this is not like organizing a middle school bake sale it s more like putting on Lollapalooza. The festival costs nearly a million dollars to stage and in a town of 13,000 people, the festival attracts 300,000 visitors. Troy Primeaux who almost everybody calls Primo is a musician, a music producer and an ecologist with a degree in sustainable agriculture. 10 years ago Primo started growing peppers. Today he grows over 70 varieties of peppers including what is measurably the hottest pepper in the world. And Primo s wife, Kara, uses Primo s Peppers in her popular line of products, The Farmer s Daughter Pepper Jellies. Photos at Pete s by Gwen Aucoin.

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Acadiana is known for many things. From the outside, it s mostly zydeco and alligators. But when you live here, one of the things you appreciate most is the pace of life itself. Folks take time to stop, talk, and listen to each other. So, it s ironic that this relaxed attitude has produced one of Louisiana s most successful and innovative businessmen whose businesses are all about speed and convenience. John Dan Gielen is Chairman of the Board of Shop Rite the gas station convenience stores he started in 1969 and Tobacco Plus, a chain of tobacco stores he started in 1991. Today, Shop Rite and Tobacco Plus are in 59 locations in central and South Louisiana. And John Dan s empire has expanded to over 1,000 locations in 6 states through his convenience store supply company, Church Point Wholesale. As vibrant as ever, John Dan talks to Peter Ricchiuti on the anniversary of his company s 50th year. Although he s retiring and unassuing, John Dan Gielen is literally a Louisiana business legend. Part of the secret of his success is buried between the lines of this conversation a humility and an intelligence married to an attitude that looks forward and a conscience that is completely clear from a lifetime of doing what s best for people not profit. Ironically John Dan s philosophy is exrtemely profitable. The next generation of Gielen s is embodied in John Dan s grandson, Cody. Cody is both John Dan s "right hand man" and an entrepreneur in his own right with a chain of Another Broken Egg restaurants throughout Louisiana, Alabama and Florida. The only thing missing from this folksy, unvarnished conversation is the crackle of logs in the fireplace. Photos at Cafe Vermilionville by Gwen Aucoin.

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

There s an old saying in business that s half joke and half warning and can be applied to any location. In this case let s say Acadiana. "Do you know how to make a small fortune in Lafayette Start with a big one." Of course it s much easier to lose money than to make it, but the fear of failure doesn t scare off the usually young person with real entrepreneurial fire in their belly. The trick is channeling enthusiasm and passion into channels that will result in less talk and more business. The Opportunity Machine launched in 2009 to help Lafayette entrepreneurs turn ideas into reality. The Opportunity Machine, as its title suggests, give entrepreneurs opportunities to access classes and expertise from successful local business people in every aspect of building a company from making and marketing a product to doing your taxes. The Executive Director of The Opportunity Machine is Zach Barker. Pete Prados is the Director of Innov8 Acadiana. The number 8 in Innov8 represents the 8 parishes in Acadiana. Innov8 has helped develop and find financing for a number of fascinating startup businesses, some of which we ve featured on previous editions of Out to Lunch, including Wade Cl ment s Lift Horse and Wayne Nix s Nix Tool. There are many more, some of which Pete tells Peter on this edition of Out to Lunch. Dr. Blake Escudier defies the laws of physics by being in 3 places at once. Sitting at his desk in his office in Lafayette, Blake is an online professor of marketing at Kaplan University, and teaches the MBA program online at the University of Fredericton in New Brunswick, Canada. Among a long list of impressive academic business exploits, Blake previously taught consumer behavior to students in Silicon Valley at San Jose University. If you ve got an idea for a business in Acadiana or you want to know what business plans other people around here are hatching, check out this conversation. Photos at Charley G s by Gwendolyn Aucoin.

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Living in a place rich in traditions like Acadiana doesn t mean everything stays the same. Quite the opposite. Here, tradition is something that creative and business people continually nourish and grow. Some literally, like Brian Gotreaux. Brian and his family developed Gotreaux Family Farms, growing traditional food from veggies to tilapia in a way that s both traditional and modern. A few generations ago Brian s approach to agriculture on his property in Scott was simply called "farming." Today, it s called producing nutrient dense food that s organic and local. Collin Cormier takes an all new Acadiana approach to an established American institution soft drinks. While Coke and Pepsi are taking hits for their part in contributing to the nation s obesity, Collin and his partner launched Swamp Pop, an all natural alternative soft drink with local Acadiana flavors that are now finding fans across the country. George Graham is founder and principal of The Graham Group, a marketing company and ad agency with branches in Lafayette, New Orleans and Baton Rouge. For most people, running three offices would be enough work for an average day. But George is also Acadiana s most visible food blogger, the closest thing to being a chef without actually being a chef, and among other notable accomplishments, represented Louisiana in a nationwide TV search for the creator of the country s best burger. Photos on this page are taken at Charley G s by Gwendolyn Aucoin. For more information about Acadiana entrepreneurs Innov8 Acadiana and The Opportunity Machine.

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Many of us have dreams of quitting the nine to five and doing what we really want. For many different reasons, that mostly remains a dream. Although it s often said in sarcasm, Peter s guests on Out to Lunch Mark Boudreaux, Janie Varisco, and Skylar Manuel are in fact living the dream. Their stories are very different, but they re all equally inspirational. Mark Boudreaux spent nearly 40 years in the oil industry working offshore, and later as an executive at ExxonMobil. In 2013 Mark retired and started doing what he really wanted. Cooking. Today Mark says he s the only personal chef within a one hundred mile radius of New Iberia. Janie Varisco also started out in the oil industry. Then spent 12 years in sales, before launching her own business as a wedding and event planner. When weddings started to become what Jamie describes as "a circus that s all about the party, gown, and guest list," she decided to focus on the part of the wedding she cares about the vows. Janie became a wedding celebrant. She s made something of a name for herself in local wedding circles because she s happy to marry anyone in love and legal, including LGBTQ couples. Skylar Manuel didn t switch careers. She didn t get that far. Skylar went to school to study criminal justice, but realized that wasn t the career she wanted and instead started doing what she enjoyed most baking cakes. After 3 years the bakery she was working at closed down so Skylar took out a loan and opened her own bakery. Today Sky s The Limit Cakes is known for the one of a kind sculpted cakes that Skylar makes to order. Photos at Social by Gwen Aucoin.

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

In Acadiana we re quick to acknowledge the incredible talents of our Cajun and Zydeco musicians. Which is pretty natural. After all, if they re not going to come from Acadiana, where are they going to come from In other styles of music and the arts where we don t have the field all to ourselves, the interesting thing is we have an equally talented array of artists. Some of them are natives. Others move here. Like Jenny Krueger. Originally from New Mexico by way of D.C., Jenny has been a professional flute player since she was 15. She was also the starting center on the boys basketball team in 5th grade, and had dreams of becoming a Dallas Cowboys Cheerleader. Since 2010 Jenny has been the Executive Director of the Acadiana Symphony Orchestra. Mark Falgout runs a unique music business that s a combination hostel and honky tonk. At the legendary Blue Moon Saloon in Lafayette you can come for the music which ranges from rock to Zydeco and if you love it too much to leave, you can sleep it off in a dorm bunk for 18. If your timing s right, you can even stick around for the crawfish boil. Gerd Wuestman is an internationally acclaimed classical guitarist who has played everywhere from Carnegie Hall to Berlin, and recorded 11 albums. In 2008 Gerd became the Executive Director for Lafayette s Acadiana Center for the Arts, better known as the ACA. Vastly over qualified for simply scheduling events, Gerd has revolutionized the 40 year old organization. With a brand new performance venue and visual art gallery, the ACA hosts over one thousandarts events each year. There are a lot of people doing a lot of great things in the music and art worlds in Acadiana. But not many are having more fun or more of an impact than Jenny, Mark, and Gerd. Photos at Cafe Vermilionville by Gwen Aucoin.

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Acadiana is known for entertainment. If you don t play in a band yourself, someone in your family almost certainly does. There s music everywhere from small house parties to giant festivals. But there s more to life than music. For example, comedy. There s a genre of Cajun comedy, typified by our friend Boudreaux. Boudreaux usually appears to be a na ve country boy at the beginning of the joke, but in the end gets the last laugh. Over the years there have been a few notable Cajun comedians. But what Acadiana has not enjoyed is a comedy culture. There haven t been comedy clubs, or a place where visiting stand up comedians on a national tour could perform. Until the recent advent of a business, called Lafayette Comedy. The founder of Lafayette Comedy is Jason Leonard. Jason is also the founder of the Louisiana Beard and Facial Hair Association. That s not a joke. It s how Jason got started in the funny business. If you re going to make a living as a comedian in Acadiana you either have to have very meager needs, or have a few other skills to supplement your income. Robert Harris is a comedian. He s also an artist, recording artist, event poster designer, playwright, performing artist, and voice actor specializing in Cajun accents. On top of that he has a gallery in downtown Lafayette where he sells his artwork. And he s royalty best known around Lafayette as King Rob. On Out to Lunch we generally have three guests. So the thinking when putting together trhis show was, who could we invite as a third guest to join these two comeians How about somebody who could use a laugh Say, someone who spends all day teaching people how to shoot, bust a meth lab without blowing themselves up, get into a hostage location through the roof, use a Taser, repel out of a helicopter, and react to all kinds of threats of violence That would be Joey Comeaux. Joey is founder and CEO of the Cover Six Training Academy in Church Point. He might be a fearsome tactical assault expert, but on this show Joey gets the last laugh. Photos at Social by Gwen Aucoin.

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.