Greater Lafayette Chamber transforms into ‘One Acadiana’

LAFAYETTE — The Greater Lafayette Chamber of Commerce announced Wednesday that it is officially transforming into a regional business organization known as “One Acadiana.”
The organization’s new name is representative of bringing together the business community across nine parishes to pursue a long-term vision of making Acadiana one of the most high quality, sought after regions in the South for business and talent.
One Acadiana will deliver a new, highly professional, nationally competitive economic development program for the region, which will help manage Acadiana’s current and long-term growth, retain and grow current business, and diversify the economic base by attracting new emerging growth industries and professional talent.
David Callecod, president and CEO of Lafayette General Health and chairman of One Acadiana’s CEO Advisory Council, shared his excitement about the direction of this regional organization, “One Acadiana will bring together leaders to move the needle on key initiatives and secure a prosperous future for Acadiana. Lafayette General Health is proud to align with this program that is focused on improving the region we call home.”
The announcement comes shortly after the completion of the official fundraising phase of The Campaign for One Acadiana. With the planning, leadership and financial resources in place, One Acadiana looks to take the region to new heights. The Campaign will continue to engage businesses across the nine-parish region and welcomes new investors at any time.
Jason El Koubi, president and CEO of One Acadiana, highlighted the inclusion of current Chamber members, “Everyone who is a current member of the Chamber is automatically a part of this new regional organization. We are not creating a separate organization; we are transforming into a regional organization. We will continue to represent our general membership and are excited to provide new regional engagement opportunities.”
In addition to leading new regional activities, One Acadiana will continue to provide leadership and coordination for local business issues in Lafayette Parish. Local chambers in other Acadiana municipalities and parishes will continue to provide leadership over business issues in their areas, and One Acadiana will work together with them to help inform the planning and implementation of the new regional initiative.
St. Landry Parish President Bill Fontenot, who as chairman of Acadiana Regional Alliance serves on the board of directors of One Acadiana, emphasized the organization will bring the region together on key issues, “One Acadiana’s strategies to cultivate regional assets, speak at the Capitol with one voice, and market and sell our region to business and talent will help us tell the story of extraordinary opportunity in Acadiana.”
One Acadiana also announced its board of directors representing a diverse group of leaders from across Acadiana, who provide ongoing leadership and oversight of the organization’s activities. The board of directors is comprised of members with a presence in each of the region’s nine parishes: Acadia, Evangeline, Iberia, Jefferson Davis, Lafayette, St. Landry, St. Martin, St. Mary and Vermilion. Directors include representatives ranging from small businesses to the region’s largest employers, covering virtually every major industry segment.
In addition to its board of directors, One Acadiana’s CEO Advisory Council is a senior-level advisory group to help guide and prioritize the five-year initiatives of The Campaign for One Acadiana at the highest level. This group’s engagement is strategically targeted to specific topics and initiatives where top leadership is vital.
Joseph Zanco, CFO of Home Bank and Chairman of One Acadiana, emphasized the strength of leadership One Acadiana brings together, “This powerhouse group of business leaders is truly representative of the region and includes virtually all industry sectors. We are aligned on the vision and goals for One Acadiana and are ready to implement the program of work outlined by The Campaign for One Acadiana. I truly believe bringing together this unprecedented group of leaders will set a new trajectory of growth for our region.”
President and CEO, Jason El Koubi, was thrilled to announce the organization’s leaders, “I am honored to serve this group of outstanding leaders who all share a passion for advancing Acadiana’s economic future. Under their leadership, we will address the issues most critical to our region’s quality of life, competitiveness, and prosperity by leveraging the abundant resources of our nine-parish region.”
With over 1,200 investors, members and partners, One Acadiana serves as the voice of the regional business community. The organization is located in the city of Lafayette and serves a region of roughly 700,000 people with a vibrant culture and unique entrepreneurial spirit.
Board of Directors
Chris Allain, Vidox; David Andrus, Dwight Andrus Companies; Glenn Angelle, Angelle Architects LLC;
Prescott Bailey, Young’s Industries LLC; Bud Barrow, Our Lady of Lourdes Regional Medical Center; Stephen Bartley, MassMutual Financial Group; Adrian Baudoin, Acadiana Computer Systems Inc.; Jim Bernard, Stuller; Ben Berthelot, Lafayette Convention and Visitors Commission; Kevin Blanchard, Lafayette City-Parish Government; Kathy Bobbs, Women’s & Children’s Hospital/The Regional Medical Center of Acadiana; Vicky Bowers, Bowers Law Firm; Sue Soileau Brignac, Washington State Bank; Blake Broussard, Broussard Brothers/Acadian Contractors Inc.; Donald Broussard, The Lemoine Company;
Nick Cahanin, The Picard Group; Gabe Camalo, BETA Land Services; Katie Chiasson, Cleco; Todd Citron, Hub City Ford Inc.; Troy Cloutier, MidSouth Bank;
Floyd Degueyter, CLM Equipment Co. LLC; Francis Delhomme, SLEMCO; Ryan Domengeaux, Schumacher Group; Julie Simon-Dronet, COX; Pat Duhon, Duhon Brothers Oil;
David Edmond, Postlethwaite & Netterville; Jason El Koubi, One Acadiana;
Gerald Faulk, Fire & Safety Specialists; Charles Fenstermaker, FENSTERMAKER; Frank Fink, St. Mary Parish Economic Development; Bill Fontenot, Acadiana Regional Alliance;
Cody Gielen, Shop Rite; Joe Giglio, Liskow & Lewis; Gregg Gothreaux, Lafayette Economic Development Authority; Beth Guidry, Acadiana Economic Development Council; Darrell Guillory, The Moody Company/Louisiana State Newspapers; Grant Guillotte, Capital One Bank;
Michael Handley, Townsend Addiction Recovery Centers/Hedge Media Group; Natalie Harder, South Louisiana Community College; Trey Harper, CGI; Randy Haynie, Haynie & Associates; Ed Hebert, Chase Bank; Raymond Hebert, Community Foundation of Acadiana; Jim Henderson, University of Louisiana at Lafayette; Mary Ellen Henry, JohnPac Inc.; Trey Hill, Atmos Energy; Cecil Hymel, McIlhenny Company; Jay Jackson, Stuller; Ed Jimenez, Entergy;
Erick Knezek, Truston, Technologies Inc.; Mark Knight, Knight Oil Tools; EJ Krampe, McDonald’s of Acadiana;
David Mann, I-49 South Coalition; Thomas Marcotte, Chevron; Randy McCollum, Blue Sky Innovations LLC; Quay McKnight, M & M International; Mike Moncla, Moncla Companies; Brach Myers, LHC Group;
Frank Neuner, NeunerPate; Danny Nugier, Southwest Real Estate LLC;
Hunter Perret, The Perret Group LLC; Ronnie Petree, St. Martin Bank & Trust Co.; Allyson Pharr, Acadian Companies; Doug Place, Dupré Logistics; Tex Plumley, Billeaud Companies; Jim Prince, Stone Energy Corporation;
Gus Rantz, AMG Specialty Hospitals; Jady Regard, Cane River Pecan Company; Gary Russo, Jones Walker;
Chris Schouest, Schilling Distributing Company Inc.; Mark Suellentrop, Cabot Corporation;
Mike Tarantino, Iberia Industrial Development Foundation; Carrie Templeton, Lafayette General Health; Judi Terzotis, The Daily Advertiser;
Gina Tuttle, Guglielmo, Lopez, Tuttle, Hunter & Jarrell;
Jerry Vascocu, IBERIABANK;
Paul Watts, Bell Helicopter; Joseph Zanco, Home Bank;
Flo Ziegler, Stone Energy Corporation; and TBD, Acadiana Bottling Company Inc.
CEO Advisory Council
David Callecod, Lafayette General Health; Al Gonsoulin, PHI Inc.; Gregg Gothreaux, Lafayette Economic Development Authority; Natalie Harder, South Louisiana Community College; Lenny Lemoine, The Lemoine Company; Jim Moncus, Jim Moncus; Keith Myers, LHC Group; Joseph Savoie, University of Louisiana at Lafayette; Herbie Schilling, Schilling Distributing Company Inc.; and Matt Stuller, Stuller.