Carolyn Greco, the founder of FACET, a company that offers career transition services and executive coaching, joined Discover Lafayette to discuss the celebration of 40 years in business. Carolyn’s group works with corporate clients who have achieved success and are now focusing on fulfillment. FACET also assists companies with the outplacement of employees when mergers, acquisitions or downsizing occurs. She’s known for her expertise in the creation and administration of career management and workplace programs, and provides direction on individualized career strategies. With the upheaval in the workforce due to COVID, this seemed like a good time to discuss why it’s important to hire the right people and retain valued personnel and managers. 

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Carolyn Greco – FACET Founder and Workplace Consultant Celebrating 40 Years of Career Coaching and Transition Services

Josh Goree, owner of Completeful, joined Discover Lafayette to discuss his journey in building his growing empire in e-commerce. Completeful offers a Dropshipping service that allows entrepreneurs to create an online business and sell products at little to no risk, and without having to first purchase and store merchandise to successfully fill orders. With services such as Completeful offers, a business owner can start selling at little to no cost out of pocket, and run their business from a laptop anywhere in the world. Dropshipping has upended the shopping experiences of consumers as online shopping continues to improve and grow in popularity. Today, about 33% of e-commerce stores use drop shipping as a fulfillment method. To bring this home, many of you may have also heard that the former Walmart building in North Lafayette was purchased by an up-and-coming entrepreneur who is setting the e-commerce world on fire. This entrepreneur would be our guest, Josh Goree. His story is an inspirational one for anyone wanting to have an opportunity to make passive income. Josh didn't study business at Louisiana Tech; he ran track on scholarship and wanted to be a biomedical engineer. But he became frustrated with how engineers were expected to work within pre-existing 'boxes' of thought. Josh would come up with ideas and wanted them immediately implemented. He jumped into sales for a marketing company and learned to overcome his introverted tendencies. After approximately "500 presentations," he realized he was on the way to effectively selling products and making lucrative commissions. His goal was to buy a Raising Canes franchise. His first traditional business that he bought was a hair salon, with no experience in the cosmetology business and with no hairdressers yet hired to work for him. Yet, over a meal at Logan's Steakhouse in Alexandria, he convinced 10 of the 14 hairdressers he met with to work for him. Josh joked that they robbed him blind, but he still made a profit and sold the salon for a profit two years after the purchase. After a foray into being a franchisee for Jimmy John's (and he eventually had three locations )with the Monroe store recently being sold), Josh realized that the traditional retail concept limited him as to how many people he could serve based on limited capacity. He started learning all he could about the e-commerce business. Shopify turned out to be the best bet for selling goods easily and cheaply. He fishing bait, bikinis, and leather jackets. "For $30 per month, you can get access to a website, drag and drop your logo onto it, and start selling." Josh learned that marketing is the key. "you can have a terrible website but if you can drive people to your website, you can be successful. Don't believe everybody on youtube. You can learn everything you need to know for free." Josh Goree's advice for budding entrepreneurs: "You don't need a lot of money to get started; But, there will be times when you want to quit. Push through the disappointments. You can handle the challenges. Don't think about all the ways you may fail. You will make mistakes, but you learn from them. Just don't make the same mistake twice." Josh began to target goods in demand in the wedding industry. He figured out how to market on Facebook and targeted all the people getting married. Trying different company names such as '"From Him to Her," "From Her to Him," Yours Personalized," and Your Wedding Things," he had success but realized the business model wasn't scalable. He was still immersed in the moment-to-moment execution of his businesses. So about three years ago Josh built a new business model as he learned about dropshipping. He thought, "What if we carry all the inventory, have printing machines, ship the goods for others who need their orders fulfilled?" That is scalable. In July of 2019, he was traveling with one of his best friends from college, Justin Martin,

Josh Goree – Dropshipping Entreneur Shares e-commerce Story of Completeful’s Genesis

Carol Trosclair and Dr. Brian Campbell joined Discover Lafayette to discuss the David Trosclair Memorial Scholarship in Kinesiology at UL - Lafayette. Carol is well-known in the oil business and has been a Petroleum Landman for over 30 years. One of the most active women in our community, she is passionate and filled with the love of God and others. As you will hear in this interview, she is absolutely the best salesperson you'll ever encounter! "She could sell holy water to the devil himself," according to her close friend, Dr. Brian Campbell. Dr. Brian Campbell serves as the coordinator of Exercise Science in the School of Kinesiology at UL – Lafayette. He is the faculty advisor to the Kinesiology Professionals Association. He met David Trosclair while teaching him, and recounted his admiration for this talented, modest young man who scored perfect scores in his classes. "David loved kinesiology because it involved a specialized experience in biomechanics and orthopedics and allowed him to help people maintain and recover mobility and provide exercise prescriptions. After the tragic death of Carol’s son when he was a Senior, David Trosclair, in 2010, Carol and Brian established the David Trosclair memorial scholarship in Kinesiology to acknowledge his academic achievements. There are over 1200 kinesiology students at UL-Lafayette yet very few scholarships are offered to the students. As Carol recounts, "what an honor, but there was no money! We had to raise it to fund it." David Trosclair tragically died in 2010. His mother, Carol Trosclair, and his kinesiology professor, Dr. Brian Campbell have worked to fund a scholarship in his name so that his legacy will continue. In the first year of fundraising, Carol wanted to hold a car wash and enlisted the kinesiology students to assist. She realized she would never be able to get the students up at 9 am on a Saturday to wash cars. Plus, you never clear much money working a traditional car wash. So she went down to Todd's Car Wash and spoke with the owner, Todd Lemaire, asking him to partner for one day to raise funds for the scholarship. Lemaire generously countered and offered the whole month of September to allow $10 ticket holders to access his $25 car wash. Carol was told by UL that if she raised $10,000 it would establish an endowed scholarship, if she raised $50,000 there would be a plaque placed in Martin Hall. They raised $11,990 the first year by preselling tickets. Todd Lemaire did not ask for any reimbursement for his expenses the first year, and still has not to this date on any of the annual fundraising efforts. Kermit Duhon, of The Travel Machine, saw press coverage on the memorial scholarship. He called Carol and gave $150 to purchase tickets for his employees to get the premium car wash at Todd's Car Wash. With a bit of encouragement and salesmanship from Carol, they eventually "Sir, we don't just have a handout, we have four hands out. There are 1200 students in kinesiology with very few scholarship options. Won't you please sponsor a customer-designed vacation for two designed by Travel Machine?" Kermit agreed and they have partnered with this popular fundraising drive annually. Carol Trosclair, Moon Griffon and Kermit Duhon promoting the David Trosclair Memorial Scholarship Fundraising effort in 2021. It’s that time of year to buy your $10 raffle tickets to win a trip of your choice and $500 spending money to go along with it! Now in October 2021, a ticket will allow you to obtain free coffee or tea and chocolate chip pumpkin bread at Reve Coffee or a flatbread of your choice at any Tropical Smoothie Cafe; in November you can select a free 6" sandwich of your choice at Roly Poly or loaf of bread at Great Harvest Bread Company. Although David Trosclair did not live to fulfill his dreams, his legacy lives on through other students who are pursuing their own dreams. The scholarship inspires students to work hard.

David Trosclair Memorial Scholarship – A Mother’s Love and a Professor’s Friendship Create a Lasting Legacy

Boyer Derise, owner/founder of Good Eats Kitchen, joined Discover Lafayette to discuss his career journey as a professional chef. His story is really one of being an entrepreneur who has learned to evolve and adapt to meet the needs of today's world, especially with the challenges of the pandemic. Boyer, a Delcambre native, always loved to cook and be around the food industry. His uncle had a diner and by the age of ten, Boyer was flipping burgers. He began his professional culinary career after graduating from the Louisiana Culinary Institute in Baton Rouge along with other local chefs such as Chef Colin Cormier of Pop's Poboy's. He learned how to cook in a traditional French culinary style and also was taught the mechanics of running a kitchen and the economic realities of keeping a restaurant open. He began his professional culinary career with Fleming’s Prime Steakhouse in Baton Rouge. That was the beginning of a 10-year career with Fleming's, where he was the youngest Executive Chef Partner in the company’s history, taking the helm of his own kitchen at age 25. Fleming's was going through an incredible expansion phase growing from 20 to 62 locations in four years while Boyer was employed with them. (Paul Fleming, a Franklin native, was the principal behind Fleming's along with Bill Allen, and then founded PF Changs and Pei Wei; he now owns Paul Morton's American Grill found throughout the Western U. S.) The training Boyer gained from his time with Fleming's gave him more hands-on relevant learning than any classroom education would have afforded him. Boyer also had the distinctive honor of being selected to cook for Team USA and Dignitaries at the 2008 Summer Olympics in Beijing. This came about through his future wife, Katie, a pastry chef who had first worked at the Turin (Italy) Olympics with Behind The Scenes Catering who works for NBC. Boyer networked through Katie and was hired by Behind the Scenes to run catering Olympic Pavilions for Omega and Johnson & Johnson. Although incredibly challenged by having to work with young chefs who spoke no English while putting in 20-hour days over four weeks, he looks back and realizes the experience was life-changing. As a young man in his 20's, not a bad way to learn to "adapt and overcome" in a similar mentality exemplified by the Marines. Boyer was in a sales role with a local seafood company when he started doing meal prep in 2016 for his sister to keep her "dress ready" for her wedding. Good Eats Kitchen, in Boyer's mind, came about by accident in connection with him helping his sister and re-engaging with his first love, cooking. Timing, of course, is everything when one makes the leap from having a "side hustle" to focusing full-time on the endeavor. Starting out working in his home kitchen for a few people at $8.00 per prepared meal, word of mouth grew this side hustle exponentially. He had always liked the 'grab and go' healthy meal concept, especially after living in Austin while working for Fleming's. For a year, he cooked out of his home kitchen; in 2017 he pulled the plug on his day job and took the plunge full-time in what would be branded as Good Eats Kitchen. His focus has always been on "just good food", without being pigeonholed into the low calorie/Keto option. It's whole food cooking, according to Boyer Derise. Customers can order line at https://mygoodeatskitchen.com/ or walk into Good Eats Kitchen in the Oil Center at 1116 Coolidge Blvd., Suite F. Meal choices are sure to please everyone. Chef Boyer Derise's favorite meal is the Chicken Piccata and from day one the best-selling meal has been the Green Chili Chicken Enchiladas. You can find options such as a blackened redfish or Indian Butter Chicken, and many many more! As Boyer says, "Come GEK ('geek") out with us!" Each meal is individually portioned, "fresh and high quality." The only things ever frozen in the meal prep is frozen shrimp from Delcambre and canned tomato...

Boyer Derise – Good Eats Kitchen

The Annual Hunters for the Hungry Food Drive will be held on Sunday, September 26th from 10 AM to 3 PM. Sportsmen and their families are encouraged to “clean out their freezers” and donate frozen game and fish. And for the 'hunters and gatherers' among us who may obtain chicken, beef, or turkey from their local grocery, those protein-based contributions are also highly welcome. It all makes a difference to help our neighbors in need of a healthy meal. All donations are tax-deductible and will be used to feed the needy through The Refinery Mission’s shelters and programs. Visit https://www.h4hla.org/freezer-day for more information. Last year’s drive was a huge success and has provided enough protein-based contributions to serve over 60,000 meals to the impoverished and homeless in the greater Lafayette community. Drop-off points in the Lafayette area include UL -Lafayette's Cajun Field, First Assembly of God in Youngsville, MC Taxidermy in Carencro, Chop's Specialty Meats in Broussard, and Giles Nissan in Opelousas. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7pmrsW7LIII&t=15s Johhny Carrier, Executive Director of the Refinery Mission, explains how Hunters for the Hungry Food Drive came to be in our interview. Hunters For The Hungry’s mission is to encourage hunters and fishermen to make a difference in the lives of their neighbors by sharing their bounty of wild game and fish in order to combat hunger. Since 1994, "Hunters For The Hungry has increased awareness of its program throughout the state by partnering with all 5 major food banks in Louisiana. By conducting multiple programs such as the Clean Out Your Freezer Day and Freshly Harvested Game and Fish Programs, the organization is providing thousands of meals for Louisiana families." Locally, businessman Bob Giles has been actively engaged and serves on the board of directors. The Refinery Mission services men in transition from incarceration, drug-related issues, homelessness, or crisis, through Christ-centered services. Providing a home shelter, the men are given assistance and education on how to become employed, healthy, and self-sufficient individuals. For more information on the work of the Refinery Mission, visit http://refinerymission.org/

Hunters for the Hungry – Johnny Carriere on 2021 Clean Out Your Freezer Day

Louisiana State Representative Jean Paul Coussan joined Discover Lafayette during the immediate aftermath of Hurricane Ida, which ripped up most of Southeast Louisiana. Jean Paul represents District 45 which covers much of Lafayette Parish. Jean-Paul serves as chair of the Natural Resources and Environment Committee and is a member of the Joint Legislative Committee on Capital Outlay and House Select Leadership Committee. He is a member of the Acadiana Delegation, the Louisiana Republican Legislative Delegation, and the Rural Caucus. A graduate of LSU Law School, Jean Paul is a partner at the Lafayette real estate law firm of Andrus Boudreaux Complete Title. He is also a co-founder of Cougar Construction, LLC, which focuses on residential construction and rental units in Lafayette LA. District 45 is centrally located in the city of Lafayette and is a largely residential area. Its boundaries may be roughly described as UL-Lafayette at its eastern tip,, Fieldspan Road to the western point, bounded south by the Vermilion River and rounded out by Cameron Street to the north. With 42,000 constituents he represents, Jean Paul spoke proudly of the people he represents who understand the issues and the scope of what he does as a State Representative. Lafayette is traversed by many State-owned roads, such as Pinhook Road and Johnston Street, which many people may not realize and wonder why they are never improved. He shared that in the upcoming there will be big news about Lafayette Consolidated Government taking over miles of state-owned highways so that improvements may happen more quickly and Lafayette can take control of its own destiny. When catastrophic events such as hurricanes occur, Jean-Paul says it is a team effort to pull together resources. Everyone from the local elected officials, the state legislators, top Louisiana elected and appointed leaders, and of course, our federal delegation come together to determine how they can best help their constituents get back on their feet. While Hurricane Ida devasted the Southeastern portion of Louisiana, our neighbors to the west, particularly Calcasieu and Cameron Parishes, are still reeling from the havoc wreaked by Hurricanes Laura and Delta, as well as floods and freezes. He emphasized that all legislative delegations join in a nonpartisan effort to get life-saving resources such as water and generators to those most in need. Jean Paul had just traveled to Houma early in the week and he said, "Houma is as bad as you can imagine." He along with many of his legislative colleagues have traveled to bring ice and other needed supplies to help. When you listen to Jean Paul speak, you will hear compassion and concern as well as a "can-do" attitude to render assistance as needed. Active in our community, Jean Paul has been honored as Top 20 under 40, he is a graduate of Leadership Lafayette Class 21, served on the Cajundome Commission, the Executive Committee of the Lafayette Chamber of Commerce among many other organizations. Jean-Paul is on September 1, 2021, right after Hurricane Ida tore through Louisiana. State Rep. Jean Paul Coussan, his wife Jennifer Joy Coussan, and their young family, circa 2019. Jean Paul enjoys coaching his daughter's basketball team, watching his son play football, and all the joys of being a dad and husband while he juggles work and legislative service. There has been a high turnover in the Legislature in years of late. Once people get involved and they serve a term or two, they start to look at their options. Jean Paul Coussan likes what he is doing and in particular, loves serving as Chair of the Natural Resources and Environment Committee which oversees everything from Wildlife & Fisheries, the Department of Conservation (oil and gas issues) "Relationships are key. It's sad to see people leave and many are leaving before term limits are up. There is a major turnover. A lot of people roll back into local government an...

State Representative Jean Paul Coussan – Using His Gifts to Improve Our Region

Nadia de la Houssaye, partner at the Jones Walker law firm, joined us to discuss her career journey in law and telemedicine. Nadia chairs the firm’s telemedicine team and is co-leader of their healthcare litigation team. She works with hospitals, health systems, providers, and start-up companies to structure and integrate telemedicine, telehealth, and digital health platforms. Her passion for the expansion and growth of telemedicine began in 1997 when she and Dr. Tom Vreeland launched one of Louisiana's first teleradiology networks. At that time, internet access was offered mainly through analog services which were incredibly slow by today's standards; she had to get a high-speed T1 line installed to be able to offer the technology. Her interest in telemedicine predated teleradiology, and in fact, her fascination with technology began when she was a young girl and watched the Apollo 11 moon landing. And then, she happened to marry a radiologist (Dr. Tom Vreeland) who wanted to start a teleradiology practice. He was the first person she met who also had the same interests as she did. Nadia recalled how back when Dr. Vreeland worked at UMC (now UHC), "there were boxes and boxes of x-rays sitting at all hospitals, not just UHC. There was a shortage of radiologists, and back then people didn’t read films 24/7. There was no sense of urgency even if the patient being treated had cancer or a stroke. Today, everyone wants things done in “real-time” and people expect quick results from tests. The standard of care has evolved with the evolution of technological advances. Their teleradiology company, Nighthawk, had offices in Australia and Germany as well as the U. S., all with American trained physicians who were licensed in every state in the U. S. The company could provide 24 hour a day readings with radiologists working throughout different time zones. By the time the company went public in 2004, technology had advanced to where the transmission was almost instantaneous. Everyone recognized that with technology, better care was becoming available to patients. Nadia believes that Tom Vreeland became a spearhead in the way medicine should be practiced. They were both visionaries in the field. Technology has outpaced the regulatory climate for telemedicine. Active for the past 28 years in the American Telemedicine Association which has thousands of members, Nadia was one of about 50 original members in the group. Very few people understood what they were trying to accomplish and they were called “dreamers “  The goal was to get telemedicine accepted and thereby get fairly reimbursed for services rendered virtually. Nadia de la Houssaye was an original member of the American Telemedicine Association. She is still active with ATA, whose mission is to work to "advance industry adoption of telehealth and virtual care, promote responsible policy, advocate for government and market normalization, and provide education and resources to help integrate virtual care into emerging value-based delivery models." With COVID, telemedicine became necessary for the masses and has become much more widely accepted. But prior to the pandemic, advancements in telehealth, telestroke, teleICU,and telecardiology transformed the ability for rural hospitals to have access to specialists they would not otherwise have. As an example, rural patients can now get a teleneurologist online with a software app that allows the doctor to treat as if he had the ability to put his hands on the patient. CT scans are taken at the hospital and uploaded to the teleneurologist. Critical time is saved for the patient. The doctors can work simultaneously while treating the patient. Ochsner Health System has a tremendous telehealth platform which was implemented over 15 years ago. Medical professionals are in short supply in many regions. Negotiated deals with hospitals/doctors meant lower reimbursement,

Nadia de la Houssaye, Healthcare Attorney Shares Latest on Telehealth and Telemedicine

Ravi Daggula, the owner of several historic properties near downtown Lafayette including the Mouton Plantation, The Nickerson House, and Esprit de Coeur, joined Discover Lafayette to discuss his journey. He is also a Developer of the newly built Vermilion Lofts situated at Johnston and Vermilion Streets. Ravi is a native of India. He moved to Lafayette to attend UL-Lafayette while he studied computer engineering. He has made Lafayette his home. Ravi’s interest in restoring historic properties and his dedication to offering beautiful event venues for downtown and North Lafayette is inspirational. While he was originally encouraged by others to invest in Lafayette's southside, Ravi felt his calling was to pour his energy into the northside. "I took it one step at a time. I wasn't looking for other projects but other projects came to me!" Ravi believes that once you hit 35 years of age, you will know your calling. After he graduated, he worked at several jobs and eventually realized that real estate was his calling. He harkened back to his early days in the workforce, during 2003 and 2004, when he didn't have a car and relied on cabs. His cab driver would shuttle him by the Mouton House to pick up more customers while Ravi was sleeping in the car. Once he was able to buy a vehicle he would still pass by the property because he liked it so much. Fast forward to 2016, and his banker encouraged him to invest in a bed and breakfast because it would be a successful entity in this area. Given his love for the Mouton Plantation and finding out that the price was right, he realized this would be a good fit for investment. At that time, however, he was more into buying and flipping real estate. Once he owned the Mouton Plantation though he also felt and saw the bigger picture, the bigger purpose in his life. "The Mouton Plantation has made me be the man I am today. Lafayette has helped me be where I am. This is my way of giving something back. I didn't know that at the beginning." The Mouton Plantation was built in 1820, one of the first five homes built in its genre that are still in existence in Lafayette. (Cafe Vermilionville's structure is older.) The historic Charles Mouton Plantation House circa 1820 is one of only five properties of its era still in existence. It is a popular venue as a bed and breakfast and special events. It was hard to run a bed and breakfast at the beginning, but "the house provided." There is good energy in the house and most of Ravi's meetings in the house were so successful that they led to other successful projects. Ravi believes with historic properties, you are just a temporary caretaker of the house.....you hold the baton and at some point, you will pass on the baton to others. He invites everyone to his properties with respect and dignity, especially descendants of plantation slaves who originally made the properties successful. You must listen to his words to understand the impact of his love and his heart for the best interest of others. Very few people in our area know the history of the historic Sterling Grove neighborhood and Ravi encourages all to visit and learn more. His second historic purchase was the Nickerson House and the owners knew of his intent to revitalize the area. The renovation is almost over, and Nickerson will be fully renovated by the end of September 2021. It is already booked through October, November, and December of this year. It offers seven acres of land for catered events and weddings. Ravi Daggula works hands-on at his historic properties, including the historic Nickerson House at 310 N. Sterling Street, Lafayette LA 70501. Photo on the right of Ravi is by Brad Bowie of The Acadiana Advocate. When we spoke of how these historic properties have survived enumerable hurricanes and floods, Ravi explained that they were built in the "path of the wind" (to be able to withstand high force winds and not fight the wind...

Ravi Daggula, Proprietor and Developer of Downtown Lafayette and Historic Properties

Our guest is Dr. Bryan Sibley, a well-known pediatrician in Lafayette who has dedicated his professional life to taking care of our youngest. We asked Bryan to join us to discuss how the Delta variant of COVID has evolved to affect children in ways that the initial wave of coronavirus never did. It's been a tough year and a half for all of us, including pediatricians. In the initial stages of the coronavirus pandemic, children were socially distancing, not in school and playing on their school playgrounds, no longer participating in organized sports and activities. They were staying home and playing in the backyard. For the first time in years, they weren't getting sick, breaking bones, coming down with viruses. Entire days would go by with no children being admitted to the hospital or going in with their parents to see their pediatrician. Dr. Sibley shared that 90% of children's viruses are caused by respiratory viruses, mostly colds. We typically think that when our little ones get the sniffles it is an allergy, but last spring when all the kids were outside playing and keeping a social distance from others, they didn't get sick! "We usually think it's allergies when kids get the sniffles, but last spring (2020) they were all outside playing and they didn't get sick! We would go two to three days with no kids being admitted to emergency rooms, no admissions for broken arms or twisted. Children were healthy. It was awesome for public health, terrible for pediatricians! Then in April 2021, schools and daycares were reopened, the COVID vaccines rolled out, and in May, June, and July, a wave of sick children began showing up, much sicker than pediatricians across the U. S. had ever seen. While virtually no children got COVID in 2021, by the second week of July 2021, children started getting really sick with COVID, presenting with coughs and runny noses. The 12 to 18 year old group seem to have been hit the hardest, and almost everyone that Dr. Sibley tests in that age group have been positive for COVID. Most are not sick enough to be hospitalized but they have to quarantine and they suffer. Infants and children up to age ten or eleven have not been hit as hard with COVID at this point in time. Previously only a handful of children had been hospitalized, but in the past few weeks, 50 to 60 children per day have been admitted to pediatric hospitals. While there have been a few deaths, most children do get better and get to go home. The Delta variant of COVID has changed all of the expectations as to who will get sick. "This is no longer a benign process for children. The COVID vaccine is not yet available to children under twelve years of age. Testing is ongoing and we anticipate vaccine approval for children sometime this school year. The reality is this Delta variant is more contagious and more severe. Children are dying. Hospitals are at a breaking point with staff, personnel, bed space. The mask mandate has been controversial and Dr. Sibley harkened back to the last major pandemic experienced worldwide: "Last time we had a pandemic, the Spanish Flu in 1918, people got past the crisis by wearing masks. They figured it out. Germs weren't shared and people moved on. They got better." He believes it is important for the health and safety of our children and school administrators that everyone remain masked since the children can't be vaccinated yet. The COVID mask mandate has seemingly been of great help to the outbreak of flu. In a typical flu season, there are millions of cases of flu and thousands of people die. In the 2020-21 flu season, there were less than 5,000 cases in the U. S., an unheard-of occurrence. There were fewer cases than any season on record. The flu vanished. Mask-wearing and hand-washing measures seemed to have kept the flu away. When we spoke of people's concerns about their personal freedoms being taken away by the mask mandates and other measures, Dr.

Dr. Bryan Sibley, Pediatrician Reporting on Rapid Rise in Delta Variant of COVID in Children

Brent Henley, the founder of The Pyramid Group, joined us to discuss his life mission to build leaders and improve human performance. We post this interview with great sadness, as shortly after our interview, Brent passed away suddenly on August 8, 2021. We devote this show to Brent's memory and his life's legacy of encouraging all of us to be the best possible version of ourselves. Brent worked with clients to increase performance in sales, customer service, supervision, and leadership. People would clamor to attend his executive retreats on strategic planning, product launches, and organizational growth. Many listeners know Brent Henley for his leadership in running a simulated society, known as SIMSOC, for Leadership Lafayette and many other organizations. Participants are forever changed as they experience real-life societal challenges they’ve never encountered. Brent Henley grew up in Oklahoma in a family that was highly active: his mom, B. Glorine Henley, served as Oklahoma Secretary of State (and also worked for the DNC when Bill Clinton was President), and his father, Thomas H. Henley, was chief of surgery at a large hospital. All of his family members were educated at Oklahoma institutions of higher learning. However, with an early calling to be a United Methodist Minister, Brent moved to Louisiana to attend Centenary College where he got a full scholarship. He fell in love with the people of Louisiana. He also eventually met a beautiful woman (his future wife, Tammy) who was a “half Spanish/half redhead from New Iberia” who turned his head and eventually brought him to Lafayette. We dedicate this show to the memory of our dear friend, Brent Henley. (November 9, 1957 - August 8, 2021) Henley discovered through an internship at Broadmoor UMC that full-time pulpit ministry really wasn’t his calling. He changed course and got double degrees in sociology and business. He credits his many mentors at the Centenary's School of Church Careers for encouraging him to follow his God-given path. They didn’t want to force him to be “another miserable minister.” While this was unfolding, Brent waited tables at a steakhouse in Shreveport, at Mississippi River Company owned by Dobbs House, at a time when Louisiana Downs first got started and Downtown Square was hopping. Brent became headwaiter and hired all the serving staff and trained them while he was a senior in college. They wanted him to become a management trainee and to get into the restaurant world, but Brent didn’t want to work in restaurants for the rest of his life. Brent had a particular client at the restaurant who always requested him as a waiter on Saturday nights and talked to him about coming to work in the Human Resources Department for his organization which owned a variety of companies and employed 110 employees. Brent was hired! He joined the local SHRM (Society of Human Resource Management) chapter in Shreveport as he jumped into his new job feet first. In his first two months on the job, when he found out that his company was paying three people who were no longer employed, he stopped that abuse. At that point, he made up his annual salary in three days! After a year, the owner of the company asked Brent to become president of the company, when he was 24 years old! He helped grow the company from $14 million to $40 million per year in eight years. At the end of that eight years, he quit the company at 32 years of age on Christmas Eve when the partners declined to give him a bonus in lieu of using those funds to buy another business. Brent felt this was unfair, so he handed them the keys as he walked out and went home to tell his wife he had started a consulting business to help other businesses run their concerns. The day after Christmas, he started “dialing for dollars,” getting many people to buy into his new endeavor, including Larry Wilson (owner of Wilson Learning, the world’s largest sales and leadership training...

Brent Henley – Leadership Exemplified by a Life Well Lived

Discover Lafayette welcomes Joel Fruge, owner of Acadiana Prescription Shop and expert on all thing’s relating to independent pharmacies. Acadiana Prescription Shop has been in continuous operation since 1969 and under Fruge’s wing since 2002, where they have five pharmacists on staff. “I feel privileged to be able to work in the Oil Center, we have a great clientele,” Fruge said. Fruge grew up with his five siblings in Eunice, three of whom now also live in Lafayette. While Fruge was attending college at LSU-Eunice, his first gig was a delivery job for a pharmaceutical company, which sparked his interest in the profession immediately. He later went to Northeastern Louisiana University’s Pharmaceutical School, and thereafter made several important connections at his first job working at the University Medical Center (now Ochsner University Hospitals & Clinics). Fruge then went to work for K&B Drug Stores in Lake Charles, which was later acquired by Rite Aid. After moving to a small town in Texas to work for a management company, Fruge knew he wanted to come back to South Louisiana. The first independent pharmacy that he worked for was Carmichael’s in Crowley. “Ted Carmichael was very successful, he taught me so much,” Fruge said. He quickly learned the value of customer relationships through Ted and by witnessing his work ethic firsthand. After his time at Carmichael’s, Fruge was called to work for Acadiana Prescription Shop by its late owner, Philip Comeaux. Unfortunately, Comeaux died shortly after Fruge joined the shop in 2002. “We had so much in common, he really afforded me an opportunity to be here in the Oil Center as an independent pharmacist. We don’t plan on going anywhere,” Fruge said. He took over Acadiana Prescription Shop and kept many of its classic details, such as the “Toot & Scoot” drive-up service while also updating operations by replacing the DOS software and purchasing a fax machine. Over the years he has upgraded software and hardware to be able to consistently offer his clientele the ability to check out in two to three minutes, even when they have up to ten prescriptions filled. Joel Fruge and his staff love working with their clientele. "It's always a great crowd. Compounding medications have been a godsend helping patients with menopausal symptoms as well as other health issues. The pharmacy even offers medical compounded prescriptions to animal patients. Acadiana Prescription Shop is a stand-alone independent pharmacy, which means that it isn’t connected to any chain prescription store. “It took me five years to become the owner, but it went by quickly. I was so happy that the customers gave me a chance and stayed.” Fruge mentioned how neat and well-stocked his store is, which will always be of utmost importance to him as he follows in the revered footsteps of Philip Comeaux. When discussing how outside factors impact his pharmacy business, Fruge said, “One of the biggest challenges is to be able to afford what the insurance companies decide to pay us back.” Fruge mentioned the impact in 2006 that the implementation of Medicare Part D (which covers the cost of seniors’ medicines), had on the pharmacy industry: “It brought people back to buying their medicine from the pharmacy but at a discounted rate.” Part D also ushered in the era of Pharmacy Benefit Managers who have undercut payment of drug manufacture rebates to customers and the government, and have been blamed for the shocking rise in drug prices over the past 15 years. When discussing pharmacy benefit managers, Fruge said that their original goal was to save the government and insurance companies money. After much legislation, their practices still aren’t extremely transparent. “Last summer, many of us independent pharmacists went to the Capital in our white coats to hear the pharmacy benefit managers lobby,” Fruge said. He also mentioned that large pharmacies like CVS are trying to squash smaller independent p...

Joel Fruge, Pharmacist Owner of Acadiana Prescription Shop

Executive Director and CEO of St. Landry Economic Development Group, Bill Rodier, joins Discover Lafayette to share news of the growth of St. Landry Parish as well as the current boom in growth along the I-49 corridor. In his previous position, Bill served as Deputy Director of the Louisiana Workforce Commission and had recruitment roles with Louisiana Economic Development. He also had experience in sales: “In a different lifetime I used to run a large car dealership,” Rodier said. Rodier began his work with the group in 2013 when the need to focus on the development of the region became a top priority in St. Landry Parish. “As an economic developer, one of the first things that I looked at when the position became available is how many opportunities St. Landry Parish had,” Rodier said. The parish has both LSU-Eunice and South La. Community College, transportation access via the I-49 corridor (north/south) and Hwy. 190 (east/west), and a booming culture and historical background. St. Landry Parish is one of the larger parishes within Louisiana, encompassing 940 square miles, and has 12 incorporated communities, the most of any in Louisiana. It is bordered by the Parishes of Avoyelles, Point Coupee, St. Martin, Lafayette, Acadia, and Evangeline.  June 2021 groundbreaking ceremony of a new wastewater treatment facility in St. Landry Parish near the entrance of the Clos De Bois subdivision on the I-49 S. Service Road. Officials expect continued growth in both the residential and commercial sectors of the region. As Rodier speaks about the work of his group throughout Acadiana, interestingly he hears over and over about the direct ties people have with the parish, such as family, school, and business connections. Statistics bear this out, as many jobs in St. Landry Parish are filled with Lafayette Parish residents, many Lafayette families send their children to St. Landry Parish private schools, and St. Landry Parish residents look to Lafayette for amenities. The Parish is uniquely known for its trail rides, making it one of the top equine regions in America. The Academy of the Sacred Heart is well-known for its equestrian program offered to its students. It is also home to Evangeline Downs, the area’s premier horse racetrack. In 2021, the Louisiana State Senate passed SR215 commending the equine industry for its cultural and economic impact to the state of Louisiana. “If I were to describe our job, we’re almost like puzzlers…we put pieces together to make things work,” Rodier said. He strives to stimulate investment within St. Landry Parish and to attract investment from outside of the Parish borders. Bill Rodier stressed the potential of downtown Opelousas and plans to revitalize its commercial potential. “You will continue to see a progression in downtown Opelousas…Opelousas used to be a mecca of commerce because of its geographical location and accessibility by the highways.”  A master plan has been created by the Downtown Development District that identified long-term plans for growth and development. Commercial developments along the I-49 corridor are of utmost importance to St. Landry Parish’s growth. Locals have taken the initiative to keep up the appearance of interchanges such as in grass cutting, a task formerly done by the state only four times a year, so as to present the best face to people traveling through the region. Rodier commended other mayors for their guidance in these issues, such as former Mayor of Scott, Purvis Morrison, and Carencro Mayor Glenn Brasseaux. The I-49 Midway corridor, situated between Shreveport and New Orleans, has seen incredible growth over the past 10 years. St. Landry Economic Development, Acadiana Planning Commission, and the cities of Washington, Opelousas, Sunset, Grand Coteau, Carencro, and Lafayette have joined together to create a vision for the Corridor, and to promote investment and economic development within the region.

Bill Rodier, St. Landry Economic Development Group

Today’s guest is Kevin Gossen, President of Gossen Architects in Lafayette LA. Kevin specializes in traditional and historic design for custom residential dwellings. He’s followed his dream of being a residential architect that began when he was a young boy of five years old and began sketching home designs. Kevin's work has been published many times, highlighting the attention to historic vernacular design. His designs can be found throughout the south, spanning from Texas to Florida. People who contract with Kevin Gossen or buy his custom homes know that they are receiving quality designs that will stand the test of time. A "Kevin Gossen" design is a mark of excellence. A graduate of USL in 1981 with a Bachelor of Architecture, Kevin comes from a large family raised by Alberta and Jerry Gossen, both of whom were much admired in our community. One of seven siblings, all of his brothers and sisters live in Lafayette and remain close by making plans at least once a week to gather for lunch. Growing up on Ronald Blvd. in the heart of Lafayette, Kevin’s love of architecture was nurtured by his dad, Jerry Gossen, who was a commercial architect and engineer who made his living in commercial and governmental work. His grandfather was a contractor. Design and build are concepts he grew up with. “As early as I can remember, when I was a young boy, five or six years old, I was sketching houses on a large pad. In fact, I wish I still had the pads depicting those sketches. I’ve known I wanted to do this my entire life. His dad, Jerry, focused on the commercial architectural sector; he would look at Kevin’s sketches and tell him: “You need to get those houses out of your mind. You’ll never be able to make a living doing houses.” His dad meant well, with his message coming from the experience gained at his firm, O’Rourke and Gossen, with fourteen architects who exclusively designed commercial structures. Jerry was well-known for his work on Chase Tower downtown (formerly the FNB building) and Women's and Childrens Hospital, among others. However, his mother’s creative influence on him gave him the direction to follow his dreams. “There was nothing she couldn’t do. Her influence probably had a greater influence on me than my father.” He was also greatly influenced by the beautiful work of A. Hayes Town, whose late-career was focused on traditional residential structures, after a lucrative career as a commercial architect. “He’s been a great influence on the type of work I try to do. In the beginning, I tried to emulate Mr. Town and as I got more comfortable with my abilities I brought them to the table. I used his work as a strong influence.  However, I threw my own spin into the architecture. As an example, Mr. Town’s work focused on “living space” and downplayed the kitchen space, closets, and bathrooms. In his day, people wanted kitchens out of site and bathrooms were not the luxurious spacious ones we see today. However, Town's love of salvaged bricks and wood, and earthy textiles, is one Kevin shares and which you will see in many of his designs. “My first love is beauty in a home and I have learned functionality along the way from clients and living life. Our homes are both functional and beautiful. We design how people live, with an eye for resale. Don’t design for the two events in your life….design for the everyday. That’s what makes a home happy. People’s habits don’t change when they move." When a client hires Kevin, they get not only an architect but also a professional who guides them in design choices inside and outside the house. He helps clients select paint, flooring, textiles, as well as the look of the gardens, patios….all of these elements need to be integral in the design. Sometimes an interior designer can select a look out of sync with the architecture of the house; Kevin guides his clients to ensure a cohesive design from inside and out.

Kevin Gossen: Architect Focused on Creating Comfortable and Functional Dwellings

We welcome Joan Savoy and Andrew Duhon of the Lafayette Public Library Foundation. Joan is the current President of the Foundation and Andrew is a longtime volunteer on behalf of the public library, having also served twice as President on the Library Board of Control. The Foundation is a nonprofit 501(c)(3) organization created in 1992 that supplements taxpayer funding of our libraries by encouraging private donations and endowments that provide books and services and fund special programs and projects. More than $200,000 has been raised over the years and monies have been dedicated to library improvements such as enhancing the entrance to the children's wing in the Main Library, "wrapping" the bookmobile and purchasing books for the libraries. Donors can create an endowment fund in the name of a family member, individual, or business organization with a minimum contribution of $100; once the endowment is fully funded at $1,000, one book will be donated annually in perpetuity in honor of the named endowment. The foundation's largest fundraiser is the annual luncheon which highlights local authors and awards proponents of the library system. The theme of this year’s event was “The Future Is Local!” where Second Harvest Food Bank was honored with the Foundation Award and Andrew Duhon received the President’s Award. Since 1992, the Lafayette Public Library Foundation has purchased over 10,000 books for our libraries through private donations.  Through the endowment program, the foundation has established a continuous, long-term revenue stream for the purchase of new books and media for the library. 'The Foundation is currently focused on educating the community on the many services offered by the public library system. With a 1.8 mill property tax renewal on the October 9, 2021 ballot, which raises approximately $4 million a year, Discover Lafayette is proud to share the many ways our public libraries sustain our quality of life. We also want to inform the public on the importance of adequate funding and acknowledge the many volunteers who work to maintain this community asset. We thank Joan and Andrew, along with their peers, for the selfless time they give to our library system. The Lafayette Public Library System has nine locations to serve the citizens of Lafayette Parish. People of all ages and demographics utilize the library daily and enjoy its free Wi-Fi, meeting spaces, and of course, the ability to check out books and digital resources.  Makerspaces and Tech Labs offer the use of 3D printers and classes in digital media, paper and textile arts, electronics, and fabrication. Adults can receive free assistance from library staff in crafting or updating their resumes. During 2018-2019, over 1 million people visited the Lafayette Public libraries, 13,338 library cards were issued, and over 2 million materials were checked out (including digital resources). During the COVID shutdown, people flocked to the libraries to use to take advantage of the free computers and Wi-Fi; the volume of materials checked out went up and the library responded to the crisis by offering a 23% increase in programming. Of course, while the library offers 'free' services and resources to the public, its annual budget of $12 million must be met to sustain operations. Annual tax revenue is now approximately $11 million, resulting in a $1 million shortfall each year. Just a few short years ago, the library's reserve fund was flush with a balance of $40 million. Plans were underway to build a much-needed Northeast Lafayette Parish Regional Library with the intent to tie services into underperforming schools such as Northside High, JW Faulk, and NP Moss. Additions to public meeting space at regional libraries were in the works. The Board of Control had endeavored to be good stewards with the public funds, building four new regional libraries with a combination of cash and bond revenues while maintaining a healthy cash res...

Lafayette Public Library Foundation’s Joan Savoy and Andrew Duhon

We welcome Jaci and Michael Russo, authors of “He Said, She Said: Branding," to Discover Lafayette. Their new book shares the wisdom they've garnered through their combined decades of experience working in branding and with each other as a married couple. It's important to understand that in today's world, a company's "brand" is much more than a logo or type of product. The Russos define brand in the same way as Marty Neumeier, an American icon in the world of advertising and business creativity: "A brand is a person's emotional connection to a company, product or service." That emotional connection is why consumers seek out the products that they like, that make them feel good, and that they're willing to pay more for. We can all relate to products that we're proud to wear or drive....the things that make us feel good every time we encounter them. Jaci and Michael Russo are the co-founders of brandRUSSO, a strategic branding agency in Lafayette, LA. The agency focuses on helping their clients build their brand, help them effectively tell their story, and decipher their best business practices to effectively distinguish them from the crowd of competitors. Experience has shown that their clients may then command a premium price for their products or services once their targeted market identifies with their brand and trusts that they will deliver on their company's promises. "He Said, She Said: Branding" can be purchased online at Amazon or at Beausoleil Books on Jefferson Street in downtown Lafayette. Michael and Jaci Russo share not only their tips on effectively branding a company but how they have managed to stay married while working together for over 20 years! About 15 years ago, the Russos sat down and analyzed how they strategically solved their clients' problems and trademarked it "Razor Branding." In a nutshell, the Russos ask clients the following questions: "Who are you talking to?" "Why should they pick you?" "What are you trying to say?" "Where should you say it?" Razor Branding has four core elements that work for any type of business or service for which you are wanting to build a solid and loyal client base: focus (the "Who"), promise (the "Why"), connection (the "What"), and harmony (the "Where"). It works by "first identifying their client's target audience and then developing messaging, strategies, and creative that builds awareness, loyalty, and eventual advocacy." "In the entrance to our building, we have a quote from Jef Richards: 'Creative without strategy is art. Creative with strategy is advertising.' I came across this quote while I was touring agencies in Texas back in college. I like to think if Jef had written that today, it would have said, "Creative with strategy is branding." Michael Russo Our interview is full of colorful anecdotes that will inspire both budding entrepreneurs and established business owners to closely examine their business practices and how they place media ads. Since 2008 there has been a drastic change in marketing due to the explosion of social media. Before then, television, radio, and print ads were the way to go. Today, Jaci and Michael call themselves 'media agnostic," meaning that there is no one (media) size that fits all businesses to effectively share messaging about a client's offerings. For some clients, it is still best to place tv ads. Others will advertise solely on digital platforms. It all depends on who the targeted market is and how best to reach them. It is interesting to note that South Louisiana is a huge radio market....." people here love their radio!" "Consumers have all the power now. They have the ability to communicate their experience, and many businesses, such as Uber and Airbnb have built their brands upon that feedback. Uber riders have to give their driver a rating and vice versa. Everyone has access to this information. Crowdsourcing of reviews means that companies have to earn your loyalty; they can...

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