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Fifty companies we can't do without? Of course there are more than 50 private companies the corridor can't do without. We could fill 10 issues of 10/12 writing about hundreds of locally owned, privately held businesses that are crucial to the life and economy of the region. Instead, what we hoped to accomplish with this list was a unique way of representing within the covers of a single issue what the corridor, both economically and culturally, has been in the past and might be in the future. And—as always—a way of helping leaders in each part of the corridor understand the entire corridor.
It's easy to think of businesses that provide thousands of jobs as "companies we can't do without"—and they usually are. But we wanted this list to be about more than just large employers or economic driver firms, so we also looked for businesses that are 1) important because of their national or global footprint, 2) notable for innovation, 3) good corporate citizens, or 4) critical to key industries, be they the bedrock industries we depend on today or the high-growth industries we hope to build in the future. There are companies we can't do without because they have become ambassadors through which the world knows the corridor, by completing projects and distributing their brands around the world. Others are fundamental to how the corridor knows itself, creating the brands we love and the culture we share. And of course, some businesses stand out in several of these areas.
To create the list, we started by asking for nominations from chambers and economic development organizations up and down the corridor and from Louisiana Economic Development and its network of regional contacts. After extensive research and discussion, our editorial board narrowed the nominations to a final list of 50. (We did not include banks, law firms, insurance companies or media outlets—though each of these sectors certainly plays an important role in corridor communities.) Finally, we asked each company on the list to respond to a survey. The information presented here is compiled from their responses and 10/12's research.
1 Abita Brewery
Abita touts itself as the oldest and largest craft brewer in the Southeast, and they've attained success while craftily incorporating homegrown ingredients like Louisiana strawberries, satsumas and cane sugar in their product lines. Aside from its status as a south Louisiana cultural icon (Gambit readers have voted it the No. 1 beer brand for eight years in a row), Abita beer is now distributed across the country. The company has also made a point of being a good corporate neighbor, not only to its hometown of Abita Springs, but to all of south Louisiana. It has raised $550,000 for hurricane relief charities through its Restoration Ale project, and this year it will donate more beer and root beer to various charities and fundraising events than it brewed in its first year of business.
At a glance
What they do: Brewer of craft beers and root beer
Company headquarters: Abita Springs
Top executive: David Blossman
Total employees: 58
Total employees in Louisiana: 51
Year founded: 1986
Market area: Nationwide
Web: abita.com
2 Acadian Ambulance
Acadian Ambulance has ground and air ambulance facilities strategically located in areas across Louisiana, Texas and Mississippi, medics supporting offshore facilities across the Gulf, and monitoring services that are available across the country. In addition to its role in emergency medical transportation, the company has played a key role in marshaling technology, resources and a partnership with South Louisiana Community College to train new and existing medics through its National EMS Academy, a program that now reaches statewide. More recently, Acadian has diversified into innovative business services such as monitored security solutions, chartered air travel and GPS fleet monitoring.
At a glance
What they do: Nation's largest private ambulance service provider
Company headquarters: Lafayette
Top executive: Richard Zuschlag
Total employees: 3,000
Total employees in Louisiana: 2,500
Year founded: 1971
Market area: South Louisiana, south Texas, eastern Mississippi
Web: acadian.com
3 Acme Truck Line, Inc.
Acme was founded in 1960 as a Louisiana intrastate oilfield hauler. At that time the company consisted of six trucks, two small sheds in Harvey and three office employees. From these humble beginnings, it has grown into a recognized industry leader with more than 120 offices, 2,000 trucks and 7,000 customers throughout the U.S. and Canada. A savvy business strategy of exclusively using owner/operators and maintaining numerous local offices for flexibility and 24/7 customer service has led to decades of continuous expansion and positioned Acme for aggressive national sales efforts.
At a glance
What they do: Trucking company specializing in flatbed expedited transportation of oilfield and general commodities freight
Company headquarters: Harvey
Top executive: Mike Coatney
Total employees: 2,100
Total employees in Louisiana: 1,010
Year founded: 1960
Market area: Primarily the Gulf South
Web: acmetruck.com
4 Aeroframe
For a glimpse of one of the 10/12 corridor's most successful businesses, just look toward the sky.
There you will see planes from around the world flying to and from Aeroframe Services, a Lake Charles-based company that specializes in the maintenance, repair and overhaul (known as MRO in the aviation industry) of large commercial transport aircraft. Located at Chennault International Airport in Lake Charles, Aeroframe has a customer base that includes both cargo and passenger planes, from Federal Express to US Airways.
In summer 2005, Roger Porter acquired the company from EADS, the Europe-based owner of Airbus that, along with Northrop Grumman, established Aeroframe in 2000. Porter, who has spent his entire life in the aviation business, wanted to maintain the company's niche in the aviation MRO industry. Aeroframe specializes in heavy maintenance and modifications of Airbus airframes. Today, the company is the largest Airbus service provider in North America.
The majority of Aeroframe's work involves scheduled maintenance required by the Federal Aviation Administration. Just like a car needs regular upkeep, an airplane needs scheduled maintenance checks as well. The average life cycle of an aircraft ranges from 20 years to 40 years, and a plane must undergo routine inspections mandated by the FAA every 12 months to 18 months. Some of the MRO services provided by Aeroframe include landing gear changes, engine removal or replacement, flight control changes and rigging, panel replacement and fuel leak repair. In addition to MRO services, Aeroframe also performs avionics upgrades, interior refurbishment, cabin conversion, and paint and strip services.
Aeroframe's facilities at Chennault include 75,000 square feet of hangar space with 12 wide-body bays. A 30,000-square-foot climate-controlled warehouse is operated around the clock. During a typical year, Aeroframe services approximately 75 planes; each service is known as an "event." The work is incredibly labor intensive—it takes 75 to 100 workers to service each aircraft. The same team works nose to tail—or, in other words, from start to finish throughout the plane's entire maintenance and repair event. Each event takes about 30-35 days and requires about 20,000 man hours. In 2009, Aeroframe employees completed 350,000 man hours.
Lake Charles Mayor Randy Roach says the intricate, technical work Aeroframe does at its Chennault facility is impressive.
"When you walk into the hangar and see an airplane all in pieces, then just a few weeks later you see that same plane taking off from Chennault, it's pretty amazing," Roach says. "It's hard to appreciate the complexity of the work without seeing it first-hand."
The aviation MRO industry is an incredibly global one, with airlines, freight companies, governments and private companies flying their planes to facilities around the world for service. "We are competing on a global scale in a very labor-intensive business," Porter says. "We're constantly looking at how we can improve our efficiency." This intense competition recently led Porter and his staff to change how Aeroframe compensates its maintenance staff. Instead of getting paid at an hourly rate, maintenance personnel now are compensated at a piece rate. Staff are paid a set rate for each maintenance event, regardless of how long it takes them to complete the event.
"Changing to a piece rate allowed the mechanics to control their own destiny," Porter says. "It incentivizes the mechanic to be more efficient."
Aeroframe's presence in the corridor is not just visible in the skies or at Chennault. The company, which has annual revenue of about $60 million, has an evident impact on the corridor's economic vitality. Aeroframe is a major private-sector employer in the region—and one that is growing. In February, Porter, along with Gov. Bobby Jindal and Mayor Roach, announced Aeroframe's plans to add at least 300 new jobs this year, bringing the total to about 600 employees by the end of the year.
Employees earn an average salary of $58,000 per year, plus benefits, and Porter estimates that the company's year-end payroll will reach about $34 million. Aeroframe also uses many local businesses in its operations. For example, the company turns to local interior shops for sewing needs and helps these local businesses obtain the needed FAA certifications. Aeroframe partners with the community in other ways, as well. For example, the company works with SOWELA Technical Community College's Aviation Technology Maintenance program to prepare students for FAA certification in airframe and powerplant mechanics, which is required for many positions at Aeroframe. "We want to grow as much local talent as possible," Porter says. —Story by Meredith Whitten
At a glance
What they do: Aviation maintenance, repair & overhaul facility; largest MRO in North America
Company headquarters: Lake Charles
Top executive: Roger Porter
Total employees: 400
Total employees in Louisiana: 400
Year founded: 2000
Market area: Worldwide
Web: aeroframe.com
5 Associated Grocers
While its core idea of providing combined buying power to member-retailers is critical to the continued competitiveness of independent retail grocers, this company today provides a much broader range of support to its 220-plus members: retail accounting, advertising, engineering, marketing, retail technology and merchandising. With 2008 annual sales of $700 million, Associated Grocers is No. 4 on the Greater Baton Rouge Business Report's Top 100 list and a key player in the economy of the corridor.
At a glance
What they do: Wholesale grocery distribution for independent grocers
Company headquarters: Baton Rouge
Top executive: J.H. Campbell Jr.
Total employees: 710
Total employees in Louisiana: 705
Year founded: 1950
Market area: Louisiana, Mississippi and Texas
Web: agbr.com
6 Barrister Global Services Network
With more than 30 years experience in the IT support services industry, Barrister is now the largest woman-owned, HUBZone-located computer services organization in the U.S., and its solid growth path is indicated by its appearance on the Inc. 500 list of fastest growing private companies for both 2008 and 2009. It provides technology response services for a variety of industries and multiple major companies in the U.S. (hardware and software), including technology manufacturers and all levels of federal, state and local government, using a network of 15,000 technicians across the country.
At a glance
What they do: Provide national and international support for computers, laptops and servers, as well as multi-tier support on printers
Company headquarters: Hammond
Top executives: Debra D. Bowers, John S. Bowers III, Jared M. Bowers
Total employees: 164
Total employees in Louisiana: 160
Year founded: 1972
Market area: Nationwide
Web: barrister.com
7 Bercen, Inc.
Bercen moved its headquarters and R&D labs from Rhode Island to Livingston Parish in 2009, a critical relocation "win" for economic development on the corridor. The company is a leader in providing both innovation and services to the paper industry and employs both engineers and other staff with higher-than-average salaries. Key assets the company identified in announcing the move: being able to recruit research chemists and engineers from LSU and Southeastern Louisiana University, and proximity to raw materials, the petrochemical industry and the Port of New Orleans.
At a glance
What they do: Manufacture specialty chemicals for the pulp and paper industry
Company headquarters: Denham Springs
Top executive: Jim Thorpe
Total employees: 55
Total employees in Louisiana: 46
Year founded: 1958
Market area: Worldwide
Web: bercen.com
8 Bevolo Gas & Electric Lights
Bevolo is a name known throughout the United States and in 28 countries as a leader in traditional and custom lighting, but it is the way it symbolizes the architecture and ambience of a city known for its architecture and ambience that captured our attention. Bevolo's signature French Quarter light has spread this ambience around the world and has become a trademark of New Orleans, adorning many restaurants, hotels and landmarks in the city. The design of the French Quarter light was based on a drawing by none other than A. Hays Town, the patron saint of corridor architecture. Though it now produces lights in Covington and Harvey as well, Bevolo still makes lights in the French Quarter, as it has for the last 65 years. The story of Bevolo Gas & Electric Lights is infused with the history of lighting, the French Quarter and Louisiana architecture. Watch the story on video here.
At a glance
What they do: Manufacture hand-made copper lights
Company headquarters: New Orleans
Top executive: Drew Bevolo
Total employees: 50
Total employees in Louisiana: 50
Year founded: 1945
Market area: International
Web: bevolo.com
9 Billes Partners
As a participating architect for Brad Pitt's Make It Right foundation, Billes is playing a key role in the rebuilding of New Orleans under the guidelines of sustainability. Make It Right is not only devoted to rebuilding homes in the hurricane-devastated Ninth Ward, it functions as a unique laboratory for testing and implementing new construction techniques, technologies and materials that will make affordable, green, storm-resistant homes for Gulf Coast residents. As of February 2010, three different home designs Billes contributed to the project had been built, all of which have earned a LEED Platinum certification. Billes is also the design firm behind the Superdome repairs, renovations at New Orleans' iconic French Market and renovations to the Ninth Ward's historic William Frantz Elementary School, where the plan includes a solar panel system on the roof.
At a glance
What they do: Full-service design studio offering planning, project development, architecture, interior design and graphic design
Company headquarters: New Orleans
Top executive: Gerald W. Billes
Total employees: 24
Total employees in Louisiana: 24
Year founded: 2003
Market area: Gulf Coast, United States
Web: billesarchitecture.com
10 Bruce Foods
Founded in 1928 in New Iberia, Bruce Foods has been manufacturing original Cajun and Tex Mex food products for more than 80 years—long before these spicy cuisines were introduced to the rest of the world. The company's Mexican food plant in El Paso, Texas, was founded in 1931 and pioneered the first canned Mexican foods. Along the corridor, the company's Louisiana brand hot sauce, Cajun Injector products and Bruce's Yams are household names. But Bruce products are distributed throughout the U.S. and in more than 100 countries and are carried by most of the top retail grocery chains worldwide. The company claims it sells more than 35% of all canned yams sold during the Thanksgiving holidays, equaling millions of cans. Now that's what we call giving the corridor a good name.
At a glance
What they do: Food manufacturer, distributor and exporter
Company headquarters: New Iberia
Top executive: J.S. "Si" Brown
Total employees: 1,200
Total employees in Louisiana: 600
Year founded: 1928
Market area: Worldwide
Web: brucefoods.com
11 Canal Barge Company, Inc.
Canal Barge operates a fleet of 32 towboats and more than 800 barges throughout the U.S. Inland Waterways System, moving petroleum and petrochemicals, dry bulk commodities and specialized project cargos, both domestically and internationally. The company also operates a bulk liquid storage terminal and a towing and fleeting service on the Illinois Waterway. In 2009, the company debuted on the Inc. 500/5000 list of fastest growing private companies at No. 3,404, with $275.8 million in revenue and a 2005-2008 growth rate of 73.2%.
At a glance
What they do: Marine transport
Company headquarters: New Orleans
Top executive: H. Merritt Lane III
Total employees: 571
Total employees in Louisiana: 199
Year founded: 1933
Market area: U.S. Inland Waterways System
Web: canalbarge.com
12 Celtic Media Centre
Louisiana's first full-service, state-of-the-art movie production studio facility, Celtic is a key player and investor in Louisiana's growing film industry. It has taken a leading role in incubating and growing businesses and individuals catering to the region's creative industries, from partnering with a local real estate company to relocate film crew into homes in the Baton Rouge area to assisting indigenous filmmakers with tax credits. A venture of The Celtic Group, this company has dedicated itself to establishing a permanent, successful and locally based entertainment industry on the corridor.
At a glance
What they do: Motion picture production studio facility
Company headquarters: Baton Rouge
Top executive: Michael O'Connor
Total employees: 8
Total employees in Louisiana: 8
Year founded: 2006
Market area: Worldwide
Web: thecelticgroup.com
13 C.H. Fenstermaker & Associates
This multidisciplinary company provides engineering, surveying and mapping, environmental consulting, and advanced technologies for a variety of markets, including transportation, energy, natural resources and ports and waterways, in federal, state and municipal capacities. It's background in coastal engineering and advanced technologies could make it a key player in the backbone of a future water management industry in south Louisiana.
At a glance
What they do: Engineering, surveying & mapping, environmental consulting, advanced technologies
Company headquarters: Lafayette
Top executives: Greg Palmer, Gerry Duzynski, Gordon Nelson, Krista Goodin
Total employees: 289
Total employees in Louisiana: 278
Year founded: 1950
Market area: Louisiana, Texas
Web: fenstermaker.com
14 Community Coffee Co.
What would morning in south Louisiana be without Community Coffee? The flavor, the fragrance—even the familiar red package—are an integral part of the culture of countless kitchens, offices and families on the corridor. We also tip our hat to the company's longtime efforts to touch the community, particularly by aiding schools. Its popular Community Cash for Schools program is now in its 21st year.
At a glance
What they do: Family-owned importer, roaster and distributor of premium, specialty coffee
Company headquarters: Baton Rouge
Top executive: Matt Saurage
Total employees: 1,102
Total employees in Louisiana: 767
Year founded: 1919
Market area: Gulf South and Southeast
Web: communitycoffee.com
15 Dynamic Industries, Inc.
One of the corridor's largest headquarters firms, Dynamic Industries employs more than 1,400 Louisianans in its operations as one of the leading fabrication and related field services companies serving the energy industry. It operates facilities in Lake Charles, New Iberia and Harvey and has employees working at client sites worldwide, with a client list that includes the giants of the oil production industry. For decades, companies like Chevron, BP and ConocoPhillips have depended on Dynamic Industries to help them construct and maintain offshore platforms around the world—and to do it safely.
At a glance
What they do: Fabrication, maintenance and construction services for the energy industry; marine services; pipe, valve & fittings and steel product distribution; offshore and onshore equipment rental; support and emergency services
Company headquarters: Lafayette
Top executive: Michael Moreno
Total employees: 1,614
Total employees in Louisiana: 1,450
Year founded: 1998
Market area: Worldwide
Web: dynamicind.com
16 Edgen Murray II
Another of the corridor's key suppliers of materials and services to the energy industry, Edgen Murray II has emerged as a major player in the world steel products market, thanks to an explosive growth that has been fueled by smart acquisitions and sharp increases in the global demand for products it is consistently able to deliver. Revenues topped $1.2 billion in 2008, a 37% increase from $918 million in 2007, and it has 25 locations worldwide with more than 2,700 customers. The growth landed the company at No. 18 on Inc. magazine's 2008 list of fastest-growing private firms in the nation.
At a glance
What they do: Distribute high-performance steel and alloy products for use in energy infrastructures and other industrial markets
Company headquarters:
Top executives: Dan O'Leary, David Laxton
Total employees: 450
Total employees in Louisiana: 90
Year founded: 1996
Market area: Worldwide
Web: edgenmurray.com
17 Emeril's Homebase
The home office for the numerous restaurant and food enterprises of Chef Emeril Lagasse, another of the corridor's best known brands.
At a glance
What they do: Houses Emeril's restaurant operations, as well as cookbook and recipe development and testing, the emerils.com Web site and product shipping, and a store front for Emeril's signature products
Company headquarters: New Orleans
Top executive: Emeril Lagasse
Total employees: 850
Total employees in Louisiana: N/A
Year founded: 1990
Market area: Worldwide
Web: emerils.com
18 Ferrara Fire Apparatus
From its 300,000-square-foot factory in Holden, Ferrara offers a full line of fire trucks and emergency vehicles, including the Inferno, Igniter, Ember and Intruder custom chassis; pumpers; tenders; wildland; rescues; and aerial ladders and platforms. Ferrara also builds specialty fire apparatus, such as law enforcement command vehicles, bomb squad trucks and a line of vehicles built especially for refineries and chemical plants. The company is both a major innovator in its industry and an ambassador for the corridor, supplying its equipment to fire departments and cities around the country, including the Fire Department of New York City, and around the world.
At a glance
What they do: Manufacture heavy duty, custom fire apparatus
Company headquarters: Holden
Top executive: Chris Ferrara
Total employees: 400
Total employees in Louisiana: 400
Year founded: 1982
Market area: Worldwide
Web: ferrarafire.com
19 Florida Marine Transporters
From Pittsburgh, Penn., to Lake Michigan to the Gulf Intracoastal Waterway, FMT uses an industry-standard-setting fleet of barges and towboats to move liquid cargoes such as gasoline and jet fuel all over the inland waterways of the U.S.
At a glance
What they do: Marine transportation company currently moving liquid cargoes through out the inland waterways of the United States
Company headquarters: Mandeville
Top executives: Dennis A. Pasentine, Dennis J. Pasentine, John D. Roberts
Total employees: 99
Total employees in Louisiana: 50
Year founded: 1998
Market area: Gulf Intracoastal Waterway, Mississippi River, Great Lakes, Midwest, Southern U.S.
Web: fmt.flmarine.net
20 General Informatics
Though it is less than 10 years old, General Informatics has rolled up an impressive list of honors and awards—including a spot on the 2009 Inc. 500|5000 list for fastest-growing private firms—and today works as the functional IT department for more than 30 clients, supporting, managing and implementing their IT needs. It pioneered the model of pay-for-performance in IT outsourcing, allowing customers to better predict and manage their IT budgets. CEO Mohit Vij is the Greater Baton Rouge Business Report's 2010 Young Businessperson of the Year.
At a glance
What they do: IT engineering and services
Company headquarters: Baton Rouge
Top executive: Mohit Vij
Total employees: 28
Total employees in Louisiana: 28
Year founded: 2001
Market area: Louisiana and Mississippi
Web: geninf.com
21 Laitram, LLC
Founded by J.M. Lapeyre to develop and commercialize his invention of the automatic shrimp peeler, Laitram has grown to employ more than 1,400 people in four operating divisions: Intralox LLC is a maker of modular plastic belting for conveyors that has 60,000 customers around the world and six new product development teams working in New Orleans; Laitram Machinery Inc. continues to be a leading innovator in seafood processing equipment; Lapeyre Stair Inc. designs and makes metal stairs and work platforms for industry; and Industrial Microwave Systems LLC is a developer of industrial microwave applications based in North Carolina's Research Triangle Park. Lapeyre himself was issued more than 130 U.S. patents and more than 100 foreign patents that have led to thousands of jobs around the world, and Laitram continues to generate more than a dozen U.S. patents a year.
At a glance
What they do: Design and manufacture seafood processing equipment; conveyor belts; metal stair and platform systems; and microwave systems used for heating and drying in manufacturing
Company headquarters: Harahan
Top executive: Jay Lapeyre
Total employees: 1,400
Total employees in Louisiana: 890
Year founded: 1949
Market area: Worldwide
Web: laitrammachinery.com
22 LEEVAC Industries
LEEVAC is a leading shipbuilding and ship repair operation providing "world-class vessels for all oceans"—and a key employer and key corporate citizen in the Jefferson Davis Parish community.
At a glance
What they do: Shipbuilding and ship repair
Company headquarters: Jennings
Top executives: Christian Vaccari, Tom Church, Troy Skelton
Total employees: 220
Total employees in Louisiana: 220
Year founded: 1965
Market area: Gulf of Mexico and international waters
Web: leevac.com
23 Mardi Gras World (Blaine Kern Studios)
In the city that made Mardi Gras famous, no name is more closely associated with Mardi Gras than Kern.
It was some 60 years ago that the head of a New Orleans Carnival krewe asked a young sign painter named Blaine Kern to design a parade float. From that first foray into the accoutrements of celebratory excess, Kern went on to a build an impressive career.
Today, Blaine Kern Studios (now known as Mardi Gras World) is a celebration-organizing powerhouse with a reputation that crosses continents and has the Kern family rubbing elbows with the world's biggest names in fun. The company long ago began expanding outward from its core focus on Mardi Gras in New Orleans and now stages major parades and events around the world.
Many of the events use props modeled after the floats displayed in Mardi Gras World, the Kern family's massive Carnival exhibit and event center that has locations on both sides of the Mississippi River in New Orleans. The larger-than-life characters from Greek mythology that populate the spectacular Mardi Gras floats have become familiar to parade-goers in far parts of the globe. And Blaine Kern's company has grown into a sprawling enterprise that also opened careers for his three sons, Barry, Blaine Jr. and Brian, all of whom work in the business.
"Right now we're working on floats in London," says company CEO Barry Kern. "We're working on major events in Singapore and Japan for Universal Studios, in Montreal for the jazz festival there, and in South Africa for events tied to the World Cup."
The business employs people ranging from hundreds to thousands, depending on the demands of various events, at a time when much of the world is still recovering from economic slowdown. Kern says it's hard to believe that a mere five years ago the company was headed for the best year, and the biggest disruption, in its history.
"We were on line to do the most events and have the most visitors ever to Mardi Gras World," he says. Then came August 2005.
For every resident of New Orleans, Hurricane Katrina and the resulting flood delivered a staggering blow. But for the city's "first family" of Mardi Gras, the punch carried an added cost. The disaster suddenly called into question the future of the Carnival organizations that annually spend big bucks with Blaine Kern Studios for floats, decorations and the staging of elaborate balls. Carnival leaders and their families were hurting, and people who would ordinarily have been gearing up for Carnival season were instead focused on replacing their homes.
The Kern family realized, instinctively, that staging Mardi Gras 2006 would be crucial. Fat Tuesday would fall exactly six months after Katrina hit New Orleans. Blain Kern Sr. and his sons flew into high gear.
"We got our people back to work and started telling other people that there was going to be a Mardi Gras," Barry Kern says. "We didn't necessarily believe it ourselves at first, but we just knew it had to happen."
In their quest to build support for Mardi Gras, the family received help from afar. They were busy with projects at Walt Disney World and other Florida theme parks, where they stage weekly parades and concerts for Universal Studios during Carnival season. Universal Studios and another Kern partner, alcoholic beverage giant Diageo, asked what they could do to help.
"I said I needed them to pre-pay me for my work because I needed the revenue to keep everything else going until we could get people thinking about Mardi Gras again," Kern says. Both companies stepped up.
Their support enabled Blaine Kern Studios to keep things moving in New Orleans. "I had my own concerns about the overall viability of building floats in New Orleans, but had we not staged that first Mardi Gras, a lot of those krewes would not have come back the next year," Kern says.
Kern says it has been gratifying to see how Mardi Gras in New Orleans has rebounded in recent years. But for sheer excitement, nothing tops the 2010 parade that occurred just ahead of Mardi Gras.
"This year, the highlight for all of us was the Saints winning the Super Bowl, and the parade we produced for the Saints was special, even for me," he says.
Kern says his dad was delighted to be a part of the historic event and, at age 82, the elder Kern remains "very involved" in the company. "He still has an idea a second—not a minute, but a second. He has an incredible imagination and a great vision." —Story by Kathy Finn
At a glance
What they do: World's leading maker of floats, sculptures and props
Company headquarters: New Orleans
Top executive: Barry Kern
Total employees: 25
Total employees in Louisiana: 25
Year founded: 1947
Market area: Worldwide
Web: mardigrasworld.com
24 Marucci Sports
Starting in 2003 with a bat designed by LSU's head athletic trainer Jack Marucci, this company has already established itself as one of the most powerful brands in baseball. Hundreds of Major Leaguers now trust a bat made by Marucci when they step into the box, from two-time National League MVP Albert Pujols to 18 of the players in the 2009 World Series. This year, the company launched a high-tech, aluminum bat targeting the massive youth baseball market, which represents a large share of the 2 million aluminum bats sold each year in the U.S. Company officials envision building a business deeply rooted in the LSU and Baton Rouge communities—a brand that is to Louisiana what Nike is to Oregon.
At a glance
What they do: Make wooden bats for Major League Baseball players and aluminum bats for the youth baseball market
Company headquarters: Baton Rouge
Top executive: Reed Dickens
Total employees: 25
Total employees in Louisiana: 20
Year founded: 2003
Market area: Nationwide
Web: maruccisports.com
25 McIlhenny Co.
The producer of the corridor's best known brand, Tabasco, is also the oldest company on our list.
At a glance
What they do: Food manufacturer
Company headquarters: Avery Island
Top executive: Paul McIlhenny
Total employees: 200
Total employees in Louisiana: 186
Year founded: 1868
Market area: Worldwide
Web: tabasco.com
26 Naked Pizza
This innovative startup that had the gumption to imagine healthy pizza has garnered venture capital funding from the likes of Mark Cuban and Robert Kraft.
At a glance
What they do: Sell nutritional pizza—and franchises to do the same
Company headquarters: New Orleans
Top local executives: Jeff Leach, Randy Crochet, Brock Fillinger, Robbie Vitrano
Total employees: 35
Total employees in Louisiana: 35
Year founded: 2006
Market area: International
Web: nakedpizza.biz
27 Neill Corp.
This family-owned, Hammond-based beauty product and salon company has endorsed the principle that its business is not only about looking beautiful, but also about living beautifully, so it has also made sustainability a major corporate value. In addition to distributing Aveda products, Neill operates 13 salons in south Louisiana and has branched out into salon and spa technology, software development, education, retail planning and design.
At a glance
What they do: Distribute Aveda products; salon and spa industry services
Company headquarters: Hammond
Top executives: Edwin H. Neill III and Debra Neill-Baker
Total employees: 531
Total employees in Louisiana: 467
Year founded: 1968
Market area: Louisiana, Texas, Mississippi, Tennessee, Alabama, Oklahoma, Arkansas and Mexico
Web: neill.net
28 New Orleans Saints
Super Bowl XLIV Champions.
At a glance
What they do: Professional football
Company headquarters: Metairie
Top executive: Tom Benson
Total employees: 125
Total employees in Louisiana: 125
Year founded: 1967
Market area: Worldwide
Web: neworleanssaints.com
29 Ochsner Health System
Ochsner Health System is a nonprofit, academic, multispecialty, health care delivery system dedicated to patient care, research and education. The system includes seven hospitals and more than 35 health centers located throughout southeast Louisiana. Ochsner employs more than 750 physicians in more than 90 medical specialties and subspecialties, and its 11,000 employees make it one of the corridor's largest employers. Just as significantly, Ochsner is a national leader in medical research with more than 300 ongoing research trials and 200 annual publications in medical literature. The system was also ranked one of the "Best Places to Work" by New Orleans CityBusiness in 2005, 2006, 2007 and 2008, and was ranked as "Best" Hospital by U.S. News and World Report in Ear, Nose and Throat (ENT) in 2007 and as one of the 50 "Best Hospitals in America" in Heart & Heart Surgery, Urology and ENT in 2009.
At a glance
What they do: Health care
Company headquarters: New Orleans
Top executive: Patrick Quinlan, M.D.
Total employees: 11,000
Total employees in Louisiana: 11,000
Year founded: 1941
Market area: Southeast Louisiana, southwest Mississippi
Web: ochsner.org
30 Omega Natchiq
Another critical support business for the oil and gas industry, Omega Natchiq has extensive capabilities in fabrication of production platforms, production operations and maintenance.
At a glance
What they do: Full-service provider for the global energy, refining, chemical, power, utility, and manufacturing industries
Company headquarters: New Iberia
Top executive: Gary Bucchanan
Total employees: 500
Total employees in Louisiana: 475
Year founded: 1998
Market area: Gulf Coast
Web: N/A
31 OTTO CANDIES
Another key link in south Louisiana's support network for the offshore oil industry, OTTO CANDIES was the first independent contractor to use ocean-going barges for deep-sea supply. Eliminating the need for large, bulky ships during transport reduced supply costs. CANDIES vessels were also the first to transport a complete oil production package from Houston to the North Sea, and, when NASA needed to ship its enormous Saturn V rocket to Cape Kennedy, it turned to CANDIES, a family-owned and operated business based in St. Charles Parish.
At a glance
What they do: Marine transportation and towing
Company headquarters: Des Allemands
Top executives: Several members of the Candies family lead the company
Total employees: 250
Total employees in Louisiana: 250
Year founded: 1942
Market area: Worldwide
Web: ottocandies.com
32 Pixel Magic
Last summer, Louisiana Immersive Technologies Enterprise CEO Henry Florsheim met the producer of the Disney film Secretariat while he was in Lafayette filming. Florsheim offered to temporarily house the movie's edit team at LITE. The producer took him up on the offer and also introduced Florsheim to a friend of his who worked for a visual effects company in California. That friend was Ray McIntyre Jr., the vice president and VFX supervisor for Pixel Magic.
"We realized Pixel Magic had been looking for their first location outside of California, and when we met and started talking about LITE's mission and the technology infrastructure we had here, it became clear immediately that it was going to be a really good fit," says Florsheim. Pixel Magic, represented by McIntyre Jr. and Vice President and General Manager Ray Scalice, announced their intent to open a studio at LITE in November 2009 moved into their new space in January.
McIntyre Jr. says the technical capabilities of LITE and the state's extensive tax credits for the film industry are why Pixel Magic is in Lafayette today. "In the last five years or so, what's really changed in our business is the tax credits offered," he says. "Until we came to Lafayette, I was losing jobs and work to companies that were in Canada or Australia or states where they could offer the credit. That was a big change for the business in general and so Pixel Magic had to become part of that."
LITE was an attractive solution because of its all-inclusive technical capabilities, like server access, high-speed data transfer and on-site support. "It just puts us in a position to get to work sooner and generate income sooner than if I had to do all that myself," explains McIntyre Jr.
The Canada native spends about two weeks out of every month in the Lafayette office, training mostly UL Lafayette graduates in visual effects work through a Louisiana FastStart program, which covers screening and training costs for new companies. The program allowed them to immediately hire several people from the Lafayette area to work on Secretariat, and McIntyre Jr. hopes to eventually have a Rolodex of locals he can call on for work.
Initially, Pixel Magic expected to create 40 jobs in three years through FastStart, but this spring, when the company entered the market for converting standard movies into 3D, it announced plans to hire 100 artists for its offices at LITE.
The company worked on two films out in theaters now, She's Out of My League and Hot Tub Time Machine, and is currently working on Warner Bros.' Jonah Hex, due out this summer. While the term "visual effects" probably brings to mind action scenes like those in 300 or HBO's new series, The Pacific, both listed on Pixel's resume, McIntyre Jr. says, "There's very few movies that have no visual effects at all." Pixel can do anything from removing a wire from a scene to changing the colors of a landscape like in 2008's Marley & Me. "There were hundreds of shots done in there because we didn't shoot at the right time of year to either have snow on the ground or to have the fall colors in the trees, so they were manufactured, and hopefully when people watch the movie they never had any idea there was anything done," says McIntyre Jr.
The same is true for Secretariat. All of the horse racing footage was shot at Evangeline Downs in Opelousas, but stadium footage was shot in Kentucky, so Pixel Magic has to put the two elements together.
Pixel Magic is the first tenant in LITE's Accelerator program, a business incubator that brings in companies for one year of free rent, with funding help from Lafayette Economic Development Authority.
"Our team has been working with them to build out a custom solution so they can do the same type of work here that they do in California," explains Florsheim. Pixel Magic is expected to fulfill its part of the deal by being a sort of spokescompany for the state's tax credits, as well as being instrumental in starting a Louisiana chapter of the Visual Effects Society to ensure that Louisiana stays on the map for the film industry.
"Part of our responsibility to the state and Lafayette is to help them bring more business," says McIntyre Jr. "The intent is to try and get more movies to come here for production and to stay here for post-production if the services are here."—Story by Erin Z. Bass
At a glance
What they do: Provide a wide range of visual effects and 3D animation services for feature film and television clients
Company headquarters: Los Angeles
Corridor location: Lafayette
Top local executive: Ray McIntyre Jr.
Total employees: 40
Total employees in Louisiana: 12
Year founded: 1985
Market area: Primarily Southern California
Web: pixelmagicfx.com
33 The Receivables Exchange
The world's first online marketplace for real-time trading of accounts receivable, helping companies to increase their liquidity and drive down their cost of capital on their terms.
At a glance
What they do: Online marketplace for accounts receivable
Company headquarters: New Orleans
Top executive: Nic Perkin
Total employees: 70
Total employees in Louisiana: 60
Year founded: 2007
Market area: National
Web: receivablesXchange.com
34 Reily Foods Co.
Based in New Orleans, Reily is the maker of Luzianne tea, CDM coffee, Blue Plate mayonnaise and other authentic Southern foods and beverages.
At a glance
What they do: Marketer of authentic Southern foods and beverages, with focus on tea (Luzianne), coffee, mayonnaise, baking and chili
Company headquarters: New Orleans
Top executive: David Darragh
Total employees: 400
Total employees in Louisiana: 100
Year founded: 1902
Market area: National
Web: luzianne.com
35 Schumacher Group
Founded by William "Kip" Schumacher 15 years ago, Schumacher Group is now the third-largest emergency medicine staffing and management company in the country. The company began in rural Louisiana and has grown by reputation, without mergers or acquisitions: What began as a business for staffing and management of rural, community hospital emergency departments continues to grow. The company was ranked No. 3 on Acadiana's Top 50 by The Independent in 2009 with $370 million in 2008 revenues, and Kip Schumacher was named Acadiana's 2010 Entrepreneur of the Year. Schumacher Group also supports numerous nonprofit and community events and organizations in the Lafayette area.
At a glance
What they do: Provide staffing and management to emergency rooms and hospitals
Company headquarters: Lafayette
Top executive: William "Kip" Schumacher, M.D.
Total employees: 730
Total employees in Louisiana: 320
Year founded: 1994
Market area: Serves more than 160 hospital partners in 19 states
Web: schumachergroup.com
36 Smoothie King
The first franchised smoothie bar/health food store business in the U.S. currently has more than 550 units operating in 32 states and more than 60 international locations in Seoul, Korea. The Covington company says it has its eyes on expanding into Egypt, Turkey and the Cayman Islands next.
At a glance
What they do: Sell nutritional fruit- and function-based, fresh-blended smoothies; franchising
Company headquarters: Covington
Top executives: Steve & Cindy Kuhnau
Total employees: 55
Total employees in Louisiana: 48
Year founded: 1973
Market area: 32 states and South Korea
Web: smoothieking.com
37 Stine Lumber
A retailer providing building materials and other home improvement goods to both the do-it-yourself and contractor markets, Stine Lumber has grown from a single store in Sulphur in the early '70s to more than a dozen stores today. Stine is among the top 100 building materials dealers in the U.S., and fourth in sales among 6,000 Ace retailers worldwide. But Stine is also the quintessential family business, led by six brothers and dedicated to supporting the communities in which it operates. The brothers have served in governmental roles at various levels, and the company supports universities, hospitals, community foundations, chamber boards and other nonprofit organizations with both money and time.
At a glance
What they do: Sell home improvement products—retail and contractor
Company headquarters: Sulphur
Top executive: Dennis Stine
Total employees: 713
Total employees in Louisiana: 658
Year founded: 1954
Market area: Western and central Louisiana, I-10 corridor, and Natchez, Miss.
Web: stinelumber.com
38 Stirling Properties
Reporting more than a half billion dollars in combined sales in 2009, Stirling has a portfolio with 91 million square feet of commercial properties and land for sale or lease, 11.5 million square feet of managed properties, and more than $275 million in properties under development. The company ranked 20th nationwide in Commercial Property News' list of Most Powerful Brokerage Firms for 2009. One of the largest real estate firms in the Gulf South, Stirling's list of credits includes The Premier Centre in Mandeville, Northpark I and II in Covington, Hammond Square in Hammond, University Club Plantation in Baton Rouge and the Stirling Center retail developments located across the corridor.
At a glance
What they do: Real estate firm offering comprehensive services in development; commercial brokerage; property and asset management; investment sales; property owner and tenant representation; and residential
Company headquarters: Covington
Top executive: Marty Mayer
Total employees: 342
Total employees in Louisiana: 340
Year founded: 1976
Market area: Gulf South
Web: stirlingprop.com
39 Stuller
Lafayette-based Stuller employs 1,200 people in Louisiana and owns 10 operations located on three continents, providing a wide range of products and services for jewelry professionals, from jewelry to mountings, diamonds, metals, tools and supplies.
At a glance
What they do: Provide a wide range of products and services for jewelry professionals, from jewelry to mountings, diamonds, metals, tools and supplies.
Company headquarters: Lafayette
Top executive: Matthew Stuller
Total employees: 1,500
Total employees in Louisiana: 1,200
Year founded: 1970
Market area: Worldwide
Web: stuller.com
40 Sunland Construction
Based in Eunice, Sunland is one of the largest pipeline construction and related energy services contractors, with capabilities ranging from maintenance, drilling and industrial instrumentation to the manufacture of innovative amphibious undercarriages that allow heavy construction equipment to operate in swamp and marsh terrain. Despite the national economic downturn, the company recorded its second most successful year ever in 2009, constructing more than 325 miles of pipeline in various parts of the country. Sunland credited the good year to its safety record, quality personnel, quality work and competitive pricing.
At a glance
What they do: Pipeline construction and related energy services
Company headquarters: Eunice
Top executives: Eddie Soileau, Mark O'Roke, Craig Meier
Total employees: 800-2,200
Total employees in Louisiana: N/A
Year founded: 1974
Market area: Gulf Coast; eastern, south central, midwest and Rocky Mountains
Web: sunlandconstruction.com
41 Textron Marine & Land Systems
As members of the U.S. military go about their dangerous service, a corridor company has their backs. Textron Marine & Land Systems, which operates plants in New Orleans and Slidell, builds heavy-duty vehicles, boats and amphibious vessels that carry and protect U.S. armed forces around the globe. The company's equipment is at work not only in the world's worst military conflicts, but also in areas such as Haiti, where civilians struggle to survive in the wake of natural disaster.
"In some way or another, all of our products save lives," says Textron Marine & Land Systems General Manager Tom Walmsley.
An operating unit of a company under the umbrella of defense giant Textron Inc., the local firm employs more than 1,000 people spread among its primary manufacturing plant in New Orleans and an assembly site, warehouse and administrative headquarters in Slidell.
Though its local roots reach back four decades, some of the company's most significant growth has occurred, surprisingly, in the last six years. During a period when the greater New Orleans area struggled to recover from one of the country's biggest disasters, Textron Marine & Land Systems doubled its physical footprint and grew its workforce by more than 120%. What triggered the growth was the Iraq war.
The 2003 U.S. invasion of Iraq sent military contractors into a frenzy, including Textron Marine & Land Systems, which then had only a single plant, along Chef Menteur Highway in New Orleans. Walmsley says the company was still in the process of ramping up for war-related production when Hurricane Katrina struck the city. "At that same time, they really needed these vehicles in Iraq," he says.
Katrina dealt Textron a $50 million blow and left its local manager stunned. Barely a week before the storm, Walmsley had left a 25-year career with Boeing in Huntsville, Ala., to take the helm of Textron Marine & Land Systems.
"My boss asked me if I wanted to reconsider, but I wanted to stay, and I haven't regretted it for a day," he says.
In the wake of the local disaster and under huge pressure from the U.S. military ("All the generals had their eyes on us," Walmsley says), the company mounted an expansion effort. Hiring engineers, mechanics and welders at a breakneck clip, Walmsley's team found new space in Slidell while overseeing repairs to the New Orleans plant. Somehow, the company soon was not only back on its feet but building armored security vehicles (ASVs) at a record pace.
"We went from delivering one vehicle every three weeks to 48 per month. They were shipping out of Stennis to Iraq as fast as we could finish them," Walmsley says. During the entire post-Katrina period, the company did not missed a delivery deadline.
Despite the Katrina complications, the U.S. government would have had little to gain from attempting to get the armored vehicles it needed from another provider. Textron has been building ASVs for 25 years, and while the vehicles initially seemed to meet their match in Iraq, the 28,000-pound fortresses-on-wheels continue to evolve. "We had the right package at the right time," Walmsley says.
Textron has invested hugely to develop sturdier and better-designed ASVs that can withstand the terrorist-style warfare that U.S. troops face today. The company has completed a next-generation version of the machine that rides higher off the ground and puts still-more layers of steel between its passengers and potential explosives, including the IEDs (improvised explosive devices) that are rampant in Iraq and Afghanistan.
But the ASV is not the whole story. Before Textron became known for its armored four-wheelers, the company's claim to fame stemmed from the amphibious vessels that for decades have transported military equipment and personnel from ship to shore. Textron developed the LCAC (landing craft, air-cushion) in the late 1970s, and the hovercraft-like vessel evolved over the decades into the high-powered juggernaut the company is known for providing around the globe.
LCACs are capable of lifting straight up, several feet off the surface of water or land, and transporting up to 75 tons of cargo. Today's LCAC can transport an M-1 Abrams Battle Tank from a ship and plop it on a beach without strain.
Textron initially built 76 LCACs for the Navy, and a few are currently in use in Haiti, delivering relief supplies to earthquake victims. Meanwhile, the company hopes to land a new Navy contract for next-generation LCACs that could add 20 years or more to the company's backlog.
Beyond that, Walmsley says Textron is negotiating with the Army for an additional ASV contract that would boost the almost 2,400 total vehicles already delivered past the 3,000 mark.
In addition, the New Orleans yard recently launched, for the Mexican navy, a new 47-foot motorized lifeboat that features the technologically advanced capability of righting itself in the event it should capsize in rough waters. The company built 117 such vessels for the U.S. Coast Guard and now is under contract to Mexico for six.
To fulfill these and future contracts, the company will continue to operate two 10-hour shifts per day at its production facilities while bidding on new contracts that will add job security for current employees and expand the payroll in years to come. A large Slidell warehouse the company recently acquired to supply parts to the manufacturing facility still has a great deal of space that is going unused. If Textron succeeds in landing some of the contracts it has set its sights on, the space can easily be converted for production, Walmsley says. —Story by Kathy Finn
At a glance
What they do: Design, production and support of advanced marine craft, light armored combat vehicles, turrets and related subsystems.
Company headquarters: Providence, R.I.
Local office: Slidell
Top local executive: Thomas J. Walmsley
Total employees: 997
Total employees in Louisiana: 985
Year founded: 1969
Market area: Southeast Louisiana
Web: textronmarineandland.com
42 Trinity Yachts
After Hurricane Katrina hit the city of New Orleans and halted work at Trinity's New Orleans shipyard, the company purchased a shipyard in Gulfport, Miss. Along with purchasing a new shipyard to keep the company in business, management ordered 104 mobile homes to house displaced workers and their families. At one point, Trinity had more than 400 people living in housing provided by the company on the shipyard grounds in Gulfport. Today, the company operates yards in both Gulfport and New Orleans—and it weathered the recession with "Seeking employees" signs posted at their entrances. The yachts made there eventually grace the most prestigious ports of the world, from Monaco to Dubai.
At a glance
What they do: Build custom yachts
Company headquarters: Gulfport, Miss.
Top executive: John Dane III
Total employees: 800
Total employees in Louisiana: 250
Year founded: 1988
Market area: Worldwide
Web: trinityyachts.com
43 TurboSquid
The "Getty Images" of 3D. Click here to learn about how TurboSquid got its start.
At a glance
What they do: Digital media marketplace for 3D content
Company headquarters: New Orleans
Top executive: Matt Wisdom
Total employees: 25
Total employees in Louisiana: 22
Year founded: 2000
Market area: Worldwide
Web: turbosquid.com
44 Turner Industries Group
As the largest privately owned industrial service business in Louisiana and one of the leading such companies in the nation, Turner Industries impacts virtually every community on the corridor. It is the largest employer in the Capital Region and the largest employer in southwest Louisiana except for two casinos and the Calcasieu Parish School System. The company is also one of the most corridor's most dedicated corporate citizens, involved in countless area Adopt-a-Schools, chambers of commerce, museums, operas, symphonies, colleges and universities, and both employees and the company contribute to every United Way on the corridor to the tune of $1.3 million.
At a glance
What they do: Heavy industrial maintenance, turnarounds, construction, piping, equipment and associated specialty services to the chemical, petrochemical, refining and power industries
Company headquarters: Baton Rouge
Top executives: Roland Toups, Thomas Turner
Total employees: 15,000
Total employees in Louisiana: 9,000
Year founded: 1961
Market area: International
Web: turner-industries.com
45 Vision Logistics
Vision Logistics, headquartered in Lafayette, recently merged several transportation companies in the Acadiana region (Ace Transportation, Dynasty Transportation, Texas Hot Shot Co. and Venture Transport Logistics) to become the leading provider of land transportation services to the U.S. energy industry. The company maintains a rapidly growing base of more than 230 truck terminals and 4,000 owner-operators located throughout the Southeast, Gulf Coast and other energy producing regions in the U.S.
At a glance
What they do: Provide ground transportation services for customers participating in the domestic oil and gas industry, as well as other industrial markets
Company headquarters: Lafayette
Top executive: Thomas D. Perdue
Total employees: 400
Total employees in Louisiana: 250
Year founded: 2007 (m
Market area: Primarily the Gulf Region
Web: visionlogisticscorp.com
46 Yatec Games
A potential key player in efforts to build a thriving digital media industry along the corridor, Yatec was founded post-Karina with the intention of bringing permanent quality jobs to south Louisiana. The video game developer is also involved with the Louisiana Internet Software and Technology Association in order to encourage and support state incentive programs for digital media opportunities. Yatec has designed and developed three video games for profit so far, along with commercials, Web sites and animations, and is currently designing its next digital media release.
At a glance
What they do: Design and develop digital media applications, including computer simulation and video games
Company headquarters: Baton Rouge
Top executive: Dean Majoue
Total employees: 5
Total employees in Louisiana: 5
Year founded: 2006
Market area: International
Web: yatecgames.com
47 Waldemar S. Nelson and Co.
Nelson is a full-service project management, engineering, environmental and architectural firm serving industry and the public sector on a massive range of projects worldwide since 1945. With a staff of more than 300 engineers, architects, scientists, construction managers and support personnel, the firm has a client list that reads like a Who's Who of technology and industry, from NASA and the Army Corps of Engineers to Dow Chemical and BP Oil. International projects touch nearly 40 countries on six continents.
At a glance
What they do: Consulting engineers and architects providing design services in all disciplines
Company headquarters: New Orleans
Top executives: Charles W. Nelson, Kenneth H. Nelson, Thomas G. Ehrlicher
Total employees: 318
Total employees in Louisiana: 205
Year founded: 1945
Market area: Worldwide
Web: wsnelson.com
48 The Wright Group
Called the "Wizard of Rice" around the rice industry in the early 1900s, Salmon Lusk "Sol" Wright was responsible for perfecting a domestic variety of rice and saving a struggling industry. A rice farmer with a passion for experimentation, Wright revolutionized rice agriculture by developing several of the rice varieties still used today, including Blue Rose.
In the decades since, Wright's son, grandson and great-grandson have carried on his legacy of innovation through a family business that today is a world leader in nutrition and food science. Founded in 1956 by Salmon Lusk Wright Jr. as Wright Laboratory, initially the business continued to serve the rice industry with rinse-resistant grain premixes. Salmon's son, S.L. III, changed the name to Wright Enrichment in 1972 and expanded to blended vitamin and mineral premixes for products like Kellogg's cereal and Slim Fast shakes, eventually getting into the international consumer food products business.
In 2004, Salmon Lusk "Sam" Wright IV acquired the company from his family and changed its name to The Wright Group. Within two years, he'd expanded its domestic and international presence, focusing on custom nutritional blends for products like breakfast cereal, nutrition bars and infant formulas.
Today, The Wright Group's nutrient products can be found in foods and beverages all over the world—they're in everything from Kellogg's cereals to Coca-Cola beverages to Krispy Kreme doughnuts to fortified rice used in the fight against malnutrition. Just as importantly, the company's continuing research and development efforts are leading it into the booming functional foods, enhanced foods and cosmeceuticals markets—think Vitamin Water and anti-aging skin creams.
The Wright Group has sales offices on each coast, as well as in Mexico, Australia, Canada and Denmark, but its headquarters remain in Crowley on Airport Road, adjacent to the original family home, which is now Crystal Rice Plantation and Blue Rose Museum.
At a glance
What they do: Today, Wright's primary specialty is the hands-on development, formulation and manufacture of custom nutritional blends, or premixes. Composed of any number of raw-material vitamins, minerals, amino acids and assorted nutrients, or nutraceuticals, these premixes begin as a series of nutritional delivery targets intended to enrich a variety of product applications.
Company headquarters: Crowley
Top executive: S.L. "Sam" Wright
Total employees: 250
Total employees in Louisiana: 125
Year founded: 1956
Market area: Worldwide
Web: thewrightgroup.net
49 Zagis USA
Cotton spinning mill in Lacassine keeps more of Louisiana's homegrown cotton in state and turns it into valuable textile fibers—and value-added jobs for Louisianans. LED estimates that when the new Zagis spinning mills are in full production they will employ 160 workers and utilize up to 20% of Louisiana's cotton crop to spin yarn, helping Louisiana farmers at the same time.
At a glance
What they do: Processes raw, locally grown cotton into yarn, which it then sells to manufacturers
Company headquarters: Lacassine
Top executive: Dan Feibus
Total employees: 160 (projected)
Total employees in Louisiana: 160 (projected)
Year founded: 2008
Market area: Worldwide
Web: N/A
50 Zen-Noh Grain Corp.
One of the largest grain shipment companies in the world.
At a glance
What they do: Grain shipping and exporting
Company headquarters: Covington
Top executive: John D. Williams
Total employees: 215
Year founded: 1979
Market area: International
Web: N/A
*At a glance info from Hoover's and manta.com
Comments
Posted by courtney on May 4, 2010 at 12:50 p.m. (Suggest removal)
Where is Rotolo's Pizzeria on this list.....? Definitely one of the top 50 companies I couldn't live without!
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