Thrive March 2016 Issue

March 2016 Thrive Magazine for Better Living www.thriveswla.com 11 www.thriveswla.com Thrive Magazine for Better Living March 2016

MARCH 2016

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TheStateof Our

Local EconomyCyphacon

2 www.thriveswla.com Thrive Magazine for Better Living March 2016

Rehabilitation Hospital of Jennings

24 Hour Nursing Care Physical Therapy Occupational Therapy Speech Therapy Nutritional Counseling and MonitoringCase Management

Call for a free assessment today.

Brain Injury

Strokes

Amputations

Burns

Major Multiple Trauma

Rheumatoid Arthritis

Joint Replacements

Hip Fractures

Osteoarthritis/DJD

Neurological Disorders

Spinal Cord Injury

Congenital Deformities

Systemic Vasculidities

DIAgNOSeS THAT we TReAT

Others who can benefit from inpatient rehabilitation are postoperative patients, accident victims and cancer patients.

One Hospital Drive, Ste. 101 Jennings, LA 70546 Phone: (337) 821-5353 Fax: (337) 821-5355 or [email protected] www.jenningsrehab.com


Join us for the 4th Annual Dragon Boat Race!

CHRISTUS St. Patrick Foundation invites you and your family to come out with lawn chairs and blankets to enjoy the race!

Saturday, April 23rd 9:00 a.m.LAKE CHARLES CIVIC CENTER SEAWALL

PROCEEDS BENEFIT THE CHILDRENS MIRACLE NETWORK

PRESENTING SPONSORS:

VIP EVENT SPONSORS:

Louisiana


Contents

In This Issue Wining &Dining 6 Pass the Cheese, Please 8 Tobasco: Simple Recipe, Long Local History 10 Rosewater Grill & Tavern Now Open at Delta Downs

Places &Faces 12 Its CYPHACON 16 Celebrate Womens History Month

Home &Family 20 Cutting the Cord: Why Parents Need to Stop Tracking their Kids 22 Take Care: Preventing Care Giver Burnout

Money &Career 26 49 Cover Story & Special Section:

50 How to Fail with Success 52 Tips for Winning a Scholarship

Style &Beauty 56 Simple Steps for Smouldering, Smoky Eyes 58 Time to Get a Watch

Mind &Body 62 Surprising Ways Youre Hurting Your Heart 66 Mosquito Protection Aids Against ZIKA VIRUS

Thrive is designed for people focused on living a happy, healthy life, one that is balanced, full of energy and contentment. Thrive readers want to make the most of every day and be successful in all areas of their lives family, health, home and career.

DONT JUST LIVE, THRIVE!

Editors and Publishers Kristy Armand Christine Fisher

Creative Director Barbara VanGossen

Managing Editor Erin Kelly

Business Manager Katie McDaniel Stevenson

Assistant Designers Shonda Manuel Kris Roy Mandy Gilmore

Submitted articles and photos are welcome. Thrive assumes no responsibility for unsolicited materials and does not guarantee any submissions.

Advertising Sales [email protected] 337.310.2099

Submissions [email protected]

40Regular Features 18 Whos News 24 The New Family Tree 48 First Person with John Pohorelsky 54 Business Buzz 68 Happenings 70 Solutions for Life 71 McNeese Corral

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Now reserving space in Thrives Fun-sational Guide to Summer Fun.

This handy pull-out guide is something parents will refer to all summer long!Call to reserve your advertising space

today - (337) 310-2099


All our wonderful dogs are available for adoption through 4Paws Society.

Call 287-3552 for more information and to learn about other programs that are available.

PUPPIES, PUPPIES, PUPPIES!All of these precious pups are looking for loving homes.

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Take a closer look at the specialized eye care available at The Eye Clinic.

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This cutie is a small, 4-year-old Chihuahua. Hes so calm, we felt he deserved a spunky name. Even though Spike is a little shy, he loves to be held.

Wilson is an adorable, 10-pound Yorkie. Hes very affectionate and absolutely loves bath time. Better than bath time is the brushing that follows. Hes the perfect pet for pampering!

Nanette and Kobe are a pair of Maltese rescued from an unfortunate, unfriendly situation. Because of their past, they need some socialization, but mostly, a lot of love. Strides have already been made to get these two to a place they deserve to be - unafraid and happy.

Spike

Wilson

Nanette and Kobe


Wining &Dining

If you find yourself daydreaming about nachos or lovingly describing your last fondue, youre not alone. Cheese is a dietary staple on every continent in the world, and recent studies have found the soft, tangy treat to be just as addictive as drugs due to the fact that the fats in cheese trigger the release of casomorphins, or opiates in the body that flood our brains with a sense of reward, which can be addictive.

So consume at your own risk, but if youre not quite ready to kick the hard stuff, heres a buyers guide that will help you categorize different types of cheese and maybe even inspire you to try something new.

How Do We Classify Cheese?According to Cara Warren, east coast

sales representative for Isigny America, an international cheese cooperative, your local grocer or cheese mongers case is divided by rind type and cheese making style. The case is usually divided by aged sheeps milk cheeses, washed rind cheeses, bloomy rind cheeses, aged cows milk cheeses, and then blue cheeses, Warren says.

Normally, a grocers case will have goats milk, sheeps milk, and cows milk cheeses. Sheeps milk cheeses contain the most butterfat of all the animals, and will generally have a fuller, richer taste.

Washed rind cheeses are the ones we usually think of as stinky, though newcomers shouldnt let the term throw them off. Washed rind cheese, which is usually sticky with a reddish or pink exterior, can also have bread-like, or even beefy flavor. The taste, explains Warren, comes from the aging process.

Washed rind cheeses which can be soft and fruity like Taleggio, while others are more nutty and firm like Gruyere, but theyre all washed every other day during the ripening stage with a brine solution that usually has a fortified wine or local spirit added to the solution to develop bacteria to seal in the cheese and ripen the paste, Warren says.

Bloomy rind cheeses, on the other hand, have soft, edible rinds, like those found on camembert and brie, and are often known for their mushroomy flavor.

And while blue cheese has a tendency to freak people out, probably because of its namesake blue mold powder added during the cheese making process, the cheese can actually

be quite buttery, like brie, as in Cambozola or nutty and spicy, like Jasper Hill Bayley Hazen Blue, a Vermont cheese that Warren says you cannot make anywhere else in the world.

If youre looking for an aged gouda or clothbound cheddar, Warren says, youd probably do best to look outside the cheese case, as those are usually too large to store comfortably.

How Should You Buy Cheese?The bad news, according to Warren, is that

you get what you pay for when it comes to cheese, and a really good one can run you upwards of twenty dollars per pound.

If a cheese has a silky texture and flavors that mingle long after you taste it, that probably means this is very high quality cheese, but that may also mean the cheese is going to be $35 a pound.

The good news is, a pound is probably much more cheese than youd want to buy. Most good cheese shops or counters will let you taste different cheeses and then offer to cut you as little as a quarter pound to enjoy at home.

Storing CheeseAnd once youve bought a new cheese, you

should protect your investment! The American Cheese Society recommends wrapping uneaten cheese first in wax or parchment paper and then in plastic wrap to seal in air and moisture and prevent the cheese from drying out. Store it in the refrigerator, preferably away from other strong-smelling foods. They also recommend fresh wrappings each time the cheese is taken out of the refrigerator to prevent your cheese from picking up other flavors.

The most important part of cheese buying: indulgence. Dont be afraid to try something new and decadent. Get those reward centers firing!

Cheese, PleasePass the

by Emily Alford


Wining & Dining

TABASCO:A Simple Recipe with a Long Local History

Tabasco is a simple product with a long Louisiana history. The Avery Island brandone of Louisianas most recognizablehas just three ingredients: peppers, vinegar, and salt. But each year, McIlhenny Co. welcomes hundreds of tourists to its factory each year. The McIlhenny name is now synonymous with Tabasco, but for many, its also synonymous with a deep and genuine respect for Louisiana. The family has

led sustainability and conservation efforts in Louisiana for more than 100 years. E.A. McIlhenny lobbied to make the snowy egret one of the first-ever federally protected wildlife species.

The family has a longtime history of commitment to both the conservation of and education around Louisianas wetlands and even encourages students from around the state to come and plant marsh grass.

Our family has been on Avery Island since 1818, says Tony Simmons, President and CEO of the McIlhenny Company and great-great-grandson of Edmund McIlhenny, founder. Simmons says they strive to be good stewards of the land.

Tabasco remains committed to bringing its visionboth culinary and philanthropicfurther into the 21st century.

Our goal is simple: to make peoples food taste better, Simmons says. We currently ship to 187 countries around the world, and we get visitors from all over the world. We do a good bit of social media; we promote Tabasco with a very strong corporate budget, and we even make some products youd be surprised to see, like Tabasco mayonnaise, olives, spicy beans, and spicy okra.

Weve even got Tabasco teriyaki and soy sauce to try and expand the use of the product.

Simmons credits the widespread use of Tabasco in ever more modern, unconventional dishes, to a newfound interest in global cuisine, one that has made America, and the world, much more interested in trying Louisiana flavors. That newfound interest really pays off, especially when new audiences realize that Tabasco can add flavor without heat.

Were seeing is a real change in food culture, and Louisiana is a beneficiary of that change, Simmons says. What we see going on around the world is that people are much more open to experimenting than they used to be whether its with Cajun cuisine, Thai, or Vietnamese. We sell more Tabasco to the food service industry than we do to grocery stores, and most of that is being used in the kitchen, where chefs use it because the flavor lasts, if not the heat.

And while Tabasco might always have a reputation as a spicy afterthought to the casual diner, Simmons is okay with that too. You can use it as a condiment. It adds layers of flavor.

Another place layers are being added is the Avery Island facility.

by Emily Alford


As tourists continue to pour into Avery Island, Simmons says the company has invested more than $5 million to modernize the visitor tours fondly remembered by many generations of Louisiana school children.

The old-school, 15-minute looping videos at the back of the gift shop are a thing of the past. Instead, theyre being replaced by a much more immersive experience, including an updated museum with family artifacts dating back hundreds of years, new factory tour and a brand new restaurant.

We spent $5.5 million doing the upgrades to our visitor experience at Avery Island, Simmons says. And weve now officially opened the new visitor experience for Tabasco, in addition to making a much more interactive experience for visitors, like our new museum with artifacts for people to see. For example, our second president, John McIlhenny, resigned from the company to join Theodore Roosevelts Rough Riders, Simmons says. And now weve got his uniform and boots on display.

Simmons says the new visitor experience will give tour groups a more complete history of the company and the family itself.

A wound that hasnt healed after 30 days is one you shouldnt ignore. It can keep you from enjoying life the way you used to. So dont wait any longer to get the help you need. Lake Area Medical Centers Wound Care Center offers convenient, outpatient treatment with a specially trained staff and effective techniques, including hyperbaric oxygen therapy, to help heal chronic wounds of any type. Same-day appointments are often available. To learn more or to schedule an appointment, call 337-475-4001.

You could be out living your life instead of living with a chronic wound.

4150 Nelson Road, Bldg. I Lake Charles, LA LakeAreaMC.com

90134_LAMC_WCcb_8x4_875c.indd 1 2/16/16 10:40 AM


Wining & Dining

Rosewater Grill & TavernNow Open at Delta Downs

Delicious and comfortable are two words used to describe the newest restaurant inside Delta Downs Racetrack Casino & Hotel, Rosewater Grill and Tavern.

We sought to create a dining experience that will appeal to foodies and long-time Delta Downs customers alike," said Steve Kuypers, vice president and general manager, Delta Downs Racetrack Casino & Hotel. "Rosewater Grill & Tavern is all about great service, a beautifully designed space, and, of course, bold flavors inspired by this great state."

Imagined as a modern interpretation of a traditional pub, the tavern area features checkered wood flooring and upholstered walls adorned with nail-head trim. Hanging overhead are custom-designed bird cage chandeliers, juxtaposed against smartly tailored architectural detailing. Behind the tavern room is the dining area, featuring a series of terraced dining spaces with a panoramic view of the Delta

Downs racetrack. Circular banquettes, each with their own swing-arm light fitting above, add a decidedly upscale appearance. Playful violet dining chairs add warmth and a sense of casual elegance.

Ted Bogich, Boyd Gaming's executive vice president of operations, says, "Something like this really sets us apart. It's not just a restaurant. When you look at just how stunning it is and the different features as you transition through the space, this is really something that is special.

Rosewater offers an array of beer, wine and hand-crafted cocktails, including the Backwoods Front Porch, a half & half of iced tea and homemade lemonade, served with a potent kick of Firefly Peach Moonshine; or the Sinless Sangria, a divine mix of Merlot, Christian Brothers brandy, limes, strawberries, pineapple juice and orange juice.


The tavern food selections feature lighter, casual fare, like Bronzed Chicken Wings, Rosewater Crab Cake Sliders, and Street Tacos. The main dining menu includes bold and unique twists on traditional steak and seafood dishes with Louisiana flair, such as Louisiana BBQ Shrimp, Fettuccini Alfredo -- topped with shrimp and crab or blackened chicken, the 21-ounce bone-in ribeye, or the signature prime rib.

Rosewater Grill & Tavern is the first new concept to premiere in Boyd Gaming's $45 million expansion and enhancement of Delta Downs. Over the coming year, Delta Downs will be adding a 167-room hotel tower, redesigning its existing 200 hotel rooms, and introducing additional dining concepts.

Rosewater Grill & Taverns hours of operation are: Wednesday-Thursday 5pm-9pm, Friday-Saturday 4pm-11pm, and Sunday 5pm-9pm. They are closed Monday-Tuesday.

For more information, call 337-589-9063 or visit deltadowns.com

FIGHT LUNG CANCERT H E W O R L D W I L L S E E Y O U D I F F E R E N T L Y.

5K RUN/WALK 1-MILE WALK|4.9.16Lake Charles Civic Centerfreetobreathe.org/swlouisiana

#freetobreathe


Places &Faces

CyphaconDONT CALL IT A

COMIC CONITS

IN SOUTHWEST LOUISIANA by Mitch Thomas


Guest relations director Garrett Manuel doesnt like to call it a comic con. Hes attended cons big and small, some that were comic cons in the strictest interpretation of the phrase, others that were big hits like events in San Deigo or New Orleans. But CyPhaCon, a Southwest Louisiana anime, science fiction and gaming convention, is more than that its a pop culture convention made by and for the people of the Lake Area.

Thats what the whole point of CyPhaCon is, Manuel said. We believe that its an avenue for any geek, any nerd, anybody that loves pop culture to make new friends and spend a weekend amongst your peers and enjoy.(continued)


Places & FacesCyPhaCon is gearing up for its sixth year of gaming and pop culture entertainment, with the event happening Friday through Sunday, April 8-10. The con has grown from a gathering of 500 fans on the second floor of the Lake Charles Civic Center in 2011 to an expected attendance this year of well over 3300 guests enjoying games, panels and displays spread throughout all three floors.

Back again this year will be the sponsored gaming tournaments, role-playing games, console games and board games available to anyone with admission. Expect to also see the return of MechCorps, the gaming experience that puts players inside a pod that creates the feel of piloting a three-story tall, 75 ton robot in a battle against other pilots. CyPhaKids will also be returning with science-related learning activities planned specifically for children to enjoy.

The Rosa Hart Theater stage will play host to several concerts featuring cover band, The Tugboats, the music of The Suzaku Seven and the Celtic, folk and renaissance period tunes of the Bedlam Bards.

The guests of honor this year will include Nana Visitor, best known for the role of Kira Nerys on Star Trek: Deep Space Nine, Tony Amendola of several film and television credits such as The Mask of Zorro and Stargate: SG1, and Aaron Douglas, known for portraying Galen Tyrol on SyFys Battlestar Galactica. This year will also bring in Monica Rial, a 15-year veteran of anime voice-acting whos appeared in over 350 titles, and a return appearance of Lake Charles native Kyle Hebert, who has several voice-acting credits of his own and is known as the narrator for the Dragon Ball Z English Funimation dub.

New to this year will be special evening events on Friday and Saturday for more mature audiences, where alcoholic beverages will be served and admission will be restricted to attendees 18 years or older. A pub crawl featuring establishments in downtown Lake Charles is also planned, which will end in a concert at Luna Live.

Be prepared to encounter everything from the outlandish to the terrifying as guests put their hard work into their best costumes to compete for prizes. Remember that though photos are taken often, it is polite to ask to take someones photo first.

Gattis, Poppa Johns, Stellar Beans and Cajun Cakes and Creations will provide local flavors for the hungry, and this years charity donations will benefit Hobo Hotel.

For those who have never attended a convention before, or who feel like they might be out of their element attending one, expect CyPhaCon to cater to several interests beyond those of a typical comic con.

Expect a mix of everything, expect a festival, and with any festival theres so much to do, Manuel said. Youll be able to shop, youll be able to attend panels and talk to people. Youll be able to go to concerts, see artists, authors. Just know when you go in youre going to learn something, youre going to have fun, youre going to enjoy yourself, and most of all, youre going to make friends.

Advance tickets are on sale now atwww.cyphacon.org/membershipinfo.


Poetry Out Loud is a nationwide program supported by the National Endowment for the Arts and the Poetry Foundation. Poetry Out Loud partners with US state arts agencies, including the Arts and Humanities Council of Southwest Louisiana, to host contests that not only encourage a love and appreciation of great poetry, but helps students master public speaking skills, build self-confidence, and learn about their literary heritage.

After successful pilot programs in Washington, DC, and Chicago, Poetry Out Loud was launched in high schools nationwide in the spring of 2006 and has grown to involve millions of students across the country, including those in Southwest Louisiana.

The local competition was held in the Benjamin W. Mount Auditorium at Central School on February 11 and saw three students advance to the state competition in March. They are: Ashtyn Hanna, 18, a senior at DeRidder High School, who won third place with her performances of Sanctuary by Jean Valentine and She Walks in Beauty by Lord Byron (George Gordon); Reigner Kane, 16, a home-schooled junior, was awarded second place for his recitations of Ode by Arthur OShaugnessy, and Pentatina for Five Vowels by Campbell McGrath; and Mekenzie Peshoff, 16, a sophomore at Barbe High School, for her dramatic performances of Revenge by Letitia Elizabeth Landon and The Gaff by C. K. Williams. Students Claire Buchanan of Barbe, and Brenda Guzman and Leah Worley, both of DeRidder, also competed.

Students were judged on physical presence, voice and articulation, dramatic appropriateness, evidence of understanding, overall performance, and accuracy.

When it comes to what children learn, we often turn a careful eye toward math or sciencesubjects that we believe are quantifiable, particularly in our current era of standardized tests and measurable goals. But every year, a group of local students come together and take the stage to participate in a competition that encourages the nations youth to learn about a less tangible topic: Poetry.

POETRYOutLoud

Sherry Perkins performs at Poetry Out Loud.

Leah Worley recites for the judges.

Mekenzie Peshoff, Reigner Kane, and Ashtyn Hanna will continue to the state competition.


The woman I admire the most is Mother Teresa. She was a woman of strong faith, commitment to others, an advocate and fierce warrior of those in need (the poor and ill), a humble servant, a witness, a risk taker, and so much more. She was the founder of Missionaries of Charity and today that order has spread all over the world providing help to the poorest of the poor. She donated her earnings to charities and the hospitals she served. At the early age of 12, she answered her call to serve others. Her actions throughout her life were to serve others. Though never wanting any recognition, she received a number of awards, including the Nobel Prize, for her endless efforts and dedicated service.

We live in a world filled with hatred, poverty, self-indulgence, war, hunger and pain. Imagine a world with more individuals being committed to humbly helping others in needin the community, a school, a neighbor, a family, a church member, a stranger. What a better world it could be.

Lets do something about it. Mother Teresa did.

Caroline Boudreaux. This Lake Charles native is blazing a trail

for orphans around the world, all because she saw a need and acted!

Caroline was a successful account executive in the television industry, when she quit her job to travel the world. While in India, she saw first-hand the terrible conditions orphans were living in and knew she had to do something BIG.

Caroline created The Miracle Foundation, a non-profit organization to transform orphan care. It trains caregivers in orphanages, increases educational opportunities for the children, and provides medical care. Caroline is a difference maker and proves that one person can truly make a difference.

First choice: Eleanor Roosevelt, wife of FDR, mother of six, writer, social

activist and reformer and diplomatic representative for the US at United Nations. Im remembering her during the rancor and noise in todays political scene. My immediate second choice is Emily Dickinson, whose poetry still resonates as I read her work almost every day to lift my moods and make me laugh when I need laughter and lifting.

Oprah. She has broken so many barriers for women over the years and

has shown me that anything is possible. As an entertainer, she has put herself out to the world and shown everyone that women can do just as good of a job as men. Shes shown women everywhere that hard work and dedication can bring you far in life. Though theres only one Oprah in the world, we can all strive to be like her in our lives by working hard and not giving up on our dreams. Ive used her example to push my limits and to achieve my goals.

There are so many women in U.S. history that I admire, that its hard to narrow it down, but since I research and write about Louisiana women, Ill pick a couple of those. The women I most admire worked against powerful opposition and dodged slings and arrows aimed in their direction. They sacrificed and suffered social opprobrium to secure justice, to right wrongs. One was Sarah Towles Reed, a teacher in New Orleans during the early twentieth century who fought for more than a decade to win pay equity for women teachers (who in the 1920s were routinely paid half what men were paid), academic freedom, labor rights, civil rights, and for public education generally.

I also greatly admire Janet Mary Riley, a devout Catholic and member of a secular institute, the first female law professor at Loyola University, a supporter of the Equal Rights Amendment and the guiding hand behind the reform of the old head and master rule of the community property system in Louisiana, which had given husbands control over all property in

Celebrate Womens History Month

Places & Faces

Although Womens History Month wasnt given an official designation until the 1980s, the roots of the celebration can be traced to the early 1900s. To celebrate Womens History Month, we asked several prominent local women to answer the following question:.

We Can Celebrate!

What woman in history do you most admire?Former Lake Charles Mayor Willie Landry Mount, Louisiana State Senator (2000-2012)

Dr. Janet Allured, author, Remapping Second-Wave Feminism: The Long Womens Rights Movement in Louisiana and Louisiana Women: Their Lives and Times.

Maaliyah Papillion, Miss Louisiana

Britney Glaser, Morning Show Anchor, KPLC-TV

Brenda Bachrack, Retired Educator


Banners Presents:Grammy Award-Winning

Jazz Vocalist

the marriage. In 1980, head and master was replaced with equal management, and Riley, along with many other Louisiana feminists, helped to bring that about.

Besides my mother, my all-time favorite woman from history is Rosa Parks. I was a little girl during the

civil rights movement. My aunt lived in Birmingham, so I was always on edge. In fact, she was a member of Sixteenth Street Baptist Church where the four girls were killed. Growing up in San Antonio was far different from Birmingham.

In a very gentle and ladylike way, Rosa Parks helped change history by refusing to give up her seat, therefore promoting a city-wide boycott that (culminated) in the Civil Rights Movement. When I think of Rosa Parks I think of a woman who was courageous and bold during the worst of times.

Stella Miller, Retired Educator

Ccile McLorin Salvant

Ccile McLorin Salvant has been called the finest jazz singer to emerge in the last decade. In 2007, at the age of eighteen, she traveled from Florida to France, with the intention studying law and continuing her education in classical voice at the Darius Milhaud Conservatory. While there, she discovered she had a natural talent for jazz performance. McLorin Salvant found a freedom in jazz improvisation. She reveled in the creative license afforded jazz singers. She was influenced by the masters Sarah Vaughn, Billie Holiday, and Ella Fitzgerald and studied their techniques. Once she could mimic their phrasing and enunciation, she quickly developed her own unique musical identity. McLorin Salvant sings original pieces as well as the old standards, but she especially enjoys finding exceptional but long-forgotten compositions and re-inventing them with her signature

style. She describes her sound as jazz, blues, with elements of folk and musical theatre. McLorin Salvant was born in Miami in 1989 to a Haitian father and a French mother. She began singing at the age of eight with the Miami Choral Society and studied classical voice. McLorin Salvant wows crowds in both Europe and the United States, performing in clubs, concert halls, and festivals accompanied by renowned musicians. She has won numerous awards, including the esteemed Thelonious Monk International Jazz Competition in 2010. Around that time, she released her first album, entitled Ccile. Her second album, WomanChild, earned a Grammy nomination in 2014. Her third album, For One to Love, recently won the 2016 Grammy Award for Best Jazz Vocal Album of the Year.McLorin Salvant will perform at 7 p.m. Sunday, April 24, at the Central School Theatre.


DeRouen Receives Certified Financial Planner CertificationMarty DeRouen, Wealth Management Advisor with Northwestern Mutual in Lake Charles, LA has been authorized by Certified Financial Planner Board of Standards Inc. (CFP Board) to use the

CFP and CFP (with flame logo) certification marks in accordance with CFP Board certification requirements. These marks identify those individuals who have met the rigorous experience and ethical requirements, have successfully completed financial planning coursework and have passed the CFP Certification Examination. For more about CFP Board, visit www.CFP.net.

Clemons Appointed to Judicial CouncilTodd S. Clemons was recently appointed to the Judicial Council of the Louisiana Supreme Court for a three-year term. The council is an advisory and oversight body for the Judicial Branch of government to study and

monitor the operations for the court system and identify areas for improvement.

Leis Named West Calcasieu Cameron Hospital Employee of the MonthWest Calcasieu Cameron Hospital (WCCH) recently named Paul Leis as its employee of the month for January 2016. As a member of the hospitals Plant Operations team,

Leis assists in a variety of tasks related to the buildings and facilities at WCCH and surrounding clinics. Leis has been with the organization for nearly 25 years.

McNamara Joins First Federal InvestmentsFrank McNamara has joined First Federal Investments as an Investment Executive. His office is located at the Sulphur Office of First Federal Bank of Louisiana, 2250 Maplewood Drive. McNamara is a

Financial Advisor and comes to First Federal Bank of Louisiana after having served the majority of his 18-year career at Capitol One Investments. He holds licenses as a securities representative (Series 7, 63, and 66 registrations), in addition to insurance licenses for life, health and annuities, and is registered as an Investment Advisor Representative (IAR).

Local Orthopedic Surgeon Earns Specialized CertificationLake Charles Orthopedic Surgeon, Dr. Alan Hinton recently passed the 2015 American Board of Orthopedic Surgery Combined Sports Medicine Examination. In

order to obtain this special certification, Dr. Hinton was required to complete a written exam, as well as submit surgical case reviews to determine accuracy of care and surgical technique. Dr. Alan Hintons medical practice is located at 230 West Sale Road in Lake Charles. For more information, call (337) 477-5252.

Stacey Corbello named Chair of the 2016 SWLA Heart BallStacey Dion Corbello, Financial Advisor with JD Prime Investments a subsidiary of JD Bank, will serve as chair for the American Heart Associations 2016 Southwest Louisiana

Heart Ball. The gala will be held on April 16th at The Lake Charles Civic Center. The event will generate funds to support education, research and awareness to prevent heart disease in The

Southwest Louisiana community.stroke. For more information, visit swlaheartball.ahaevents.org.

Dr. Brad LeBert Joins Imperial Healths Physician Team Dr. Brad LeBert, an ENT (ear, nose and throat) and allergy specialist who has practiced in Lake Charles for more than 5 years, has joined the physician team at Imperial Health, Southwest Louisianas

largest, physician-owned multispecialty medical group. Dr. LeBert specializes in the medical and surgical treatment of a variety of diseases and disorders of the ear, nose and throat, as well as related structures of the head and neck. This includes, but is not limited to: sinus disease, tinnitus, ear infections, tonsilar conditions and facial reconstruction. Dr. LeBert offers minimally invasive sinus procedures and also provides specialized allergy treatment. Dr. LeBert sees patients at the ENT & Allergy Clinic, which is located at 1920 W. Sale Road, F3. To schedule an appointment with Dr. LeBert, call (337) 312-8564.

Partin Named 2015 Professional of the YearMartina Partin was named the 2015 recipient of the Imperial Calcasieu Human Resources Management Association (ICHRMA) Professional of the Year award. Martina Partin has worked for Synergy Care

Inc. / The Broussard Group as the Director of Human Resources for the past fourteen years. She has been a member of the Society for Human Resource Management (SHRM) since 2008, and achieved her Professional in Human Resources certification in 2011, as well as her SHRM Certified Professional in 2015. Martina has served on the ICHRMA board for five years, most recently as Treasurer.

Movers and Shakers in Southwest Louisiana... Whos News? You tell us! Send press releases to [email protected] with the subject line Whos News.

Places & Faces

Marty DeRouen

Frank McNamara

Dr. Brad LeBert

Martina Partin

Dr. Alan Hinton

Dr. Alan Hinton

Todd Clemons

Paul Leis


Phillips Refinery 66 Names New Plant ManagerRichard (Rich) Harbison has been named manager of the Phillips 66 Lake Charles Manufacturing Complex in Westlake. Harbison has 28 years of experience in a variety of leadership

roles across the refining, pipeline and terminal business. Prior to Lake Charles, Harbison was the manager at the Phillips 66 refinery in Ferndale, Washington. He has worked as the operations manager at the Phillips 66 refinery in Ferndale and Los Angeles, California. For more information, call (337) 912-4627.

Rich Harbison

FAMILY MEDICINEAt West Calcasieu Cameron Hospital (WCCH), weve made family medicine a priority, partnering with trusted physicians throughout Southwest Louisiana. Your first line of defense in keeping your family healthy requires strong, experienced family medicine physicians and a hospital with a reputation for

excellence and an unsurpassed tradition of caring.

When it comes to your familys healthcare, we deliver compassionate care focused on patient safety for an exceptional healthcare experience.

Thats why the doctors you trust, trust us.

701 Cypress Street, Sulphur

wcch.com


Home &FamilyCutting the Cord

Why Parents Need to Stop Tracking their KidsThere is a rapidly growing trend that offers parents every way possible to stalk

their kids. Many parents now have GPS systems on their teenagers phones.

There are apps such as Mobile Watch Dog where parents can see every app,

every text and everything that happens on their kids phones. Other parents

create the same social media accounts as their teens and follow not only their

own children, but their friends.

According to licensed psychologist Sherrie Campbell, parents have become

obsessive.

Instead of enjoying time as adults without their teens around, parents are

at home calling each other, looking at social media and then texting their kids

all throughout the night destroying any sense of teenage normalcy and needs

for independence, says Dr. Campbell, author of Loving Yourself: The Mastery of

Being Your Own Person. Parents are getting overinvolved and deeply-ingrained

with no respect to boundaries or personal spacethey expect all the details

of their childs life and even go so far as to try to help them to handle their

conflicts rather than allowing kids to learn on their own. The impact of this is

has crippling effects on teens/parent relationships.

According to Dr. Campbell, some of those effects include increased lying

and deception, an increase in rebellion and household tension, and self-harm

behaviors of teens who are desperate for separation, independence, and

control.

You cannot bubble wrap your kids and have that end well, Dr. Campbell

says. Parents need to let go and allow their kids to be independent, make

mistakes and to trust their kids will talk to them when they need help.


She offers the following tips on how you can begin to let go.

Have ground rules around curfews that your children

must respect. If plans change, they need to keep in touch

of their whereabouts and times to be home.

Have them check-in throughout the nightsuch as

before they go to bed, or before they go to a different

place originally planned. Its not hard, it shows

responsibility, and there is no alternative.

Allow them the freedoms have problems with peers and

boyfriends without intervening in their personal and

private messages via social media or text. Parents need

to let their teens know they are there if they need them

and to accept when they would prefer to handle things

independently. If parents force themselves into their

lives teens start to feel like their parents are on the same

level as their peers instead of their parent which will

push them away from their parents because they dont

feel safe, feel invaded. And, parents often stay stuck on

problems when teens just want to move on.

You cannot bubble wrap your kids and have that end well. Sherrie Campbell, Licensed Psychologist

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Home &Family

TAKE CAREPreventing Caregiver Burnout

There are 65.7 million caregivers in the US, according to the National Alliance for Caregiving and AARP. Thats 29 percent of the adult population providing care to

someone who is ill, disabled, or aged. Of those, 43.5 million are taking care of someone aged 50 or older.

When youre under pressure to provide for a loved one, its easy to forget that the best way you can care for someone else is to take good care of yourself.

Kurt Kazanowski, an authority on hospice and home care, advocates on the importance of preventing caregiver burnout. He provides the following tips:

Soothe yourself with prayer, meditation, repeating positive affirmations or anything else to remind you that you are a wonderful person. It is helpful to join a caregivers support group.

Switch your focus. Do something different, change your routine even if its just for a few minutes. This will help you return to what you were doing with a fresh perspective.

Ask for help. Make a list of things you need and concrete ways people can assist you. When people ask what they can do, have them choose from the list.

Avoid isolation. Spend time with friends, pursue a hobby, take a class and become active in your community.

Take care of your needs. Eat right, exercise, get enough rest, get regular checkups at the doctor and take time for yourself spend time alone and/or visit family/friends.

Express your feelings. Feelings of anger, depression and sadness are common to caregivers. Talk about these feelings with a friend, relative, support group or a therapist.

Remember that you are doing the best that you can. Nobody is perfect or can do everything. Accept assistance if offered and stay positive.

Avoid the use of illegal drugs and/or alcohol. These substances do not help to make the situation any better. See a therapist or join a support group to work on issues, instead of ignoring them.

Consult with trained professionals who have the knowledge and experience with aging issues to help make things easier for you.

Taking care of yourself first will leave you with the energy needed to be a much more effective caregiver, which is something positive and healthy for your loved one as well.


Home &Family

Cherish Wants a Forever Louisiana Home

Cherish, an 11-year-old girl from Southwest Louisiana, had to be relocated to a therapeutic group home in Arkansas, but she wants a forever family back home in Louisiana. Louisiana Department of Children and Family Services adoption supervisor, Carla Wilson, says it is hard to move children, but sometimes the only option. Because of a childs special needs, we cannot always meet their needs locally, said Wilson, so were forced to find placement elsewhere and unfortunately, sometimes, that placement might be out of state.

Cherish is a happy, friendly little girl, and it would make her so happy to be adopted by a family in Louisiana. She would like a new mommy and daddy, said Wilson. She would be happy with brothers and sisters and she would love to have pets. Wilson says adoption could transform the future for this young girl. Having that family bond, it can make a big difference in this childs life, show her what a real family is like, show her how to love, show her how to be accepted, said Wilson. When Cherish was asked what she would say to a potential adoptive family, her response was heartfelt. I love you, she said. A two-parent home is ideal for Cherish, to give her love and support from a mother and father. Cherish says she would love to have younger siblings she can help care for as a big sister. If you are interested in learning more about adopting Cherish, the first step is to make an inquiry. You can call the Department of Children and Family Services at 337-491-2470 to learn more about adopting through foster care.

For more information, call 337-491-2470. or 1-800-814-1584. Follow Britney Glasers The New Family Tree series at www.kplctv.com.

Each day, an abused or neglected child is removed from an unsafe home and placed in Louisianas foster care system. They remain in the system until their home environment is safebut for many that never happens. Of the 4,000 children currently cycling in state foster care, about 350 are ready to be adopted today. More than 60 of them are in Southwest Louisiana, right here in our community. .

KPLC reporter Britney Glaser, in partnership with the Department of Children and Family Services (DCFS), highlights one child each month who is legally ready to be adopted. Thrive is supporting The New Family Tree by featuring each months story.


Money &Career

It has the early bumps and bruises to prove it, too.

Every week we have developments that are encouraging that show how we are continuing to move forward, said George Swift, president and CEO of the Southwest Louisiana Economic Development Alliance. Things are happening each day. Permittings getting done. Dirts being turned.

About $40 billion worth of the work is under way, much of it of the mega-industrial variety.

Were going to need 25,000 construction workers to build these plants, then 20,000 permanent workers, Swift said.

Were also going to need:

More job training.

More housing.

More patience in traffic.

A Solid FoundationUnemployment in the Lake Charles metropolitan area fell to 4.3 percent in December 2015, the most recent stats available, according to the federal Bureau of Labor Statistics. That was down from 4.8 percent the previous month and down substantially from 5.8 percent in December 2014.

Cornerstones of the area economy remain entry points to good-paying jobs. Asked to name some, Swift cited:

Healthcare, which employs as many or more employees than any other sector is the region. He pointed to the McNeese and SOWELA degree programs as career gateways.

The petrochemical industry, which continues to need operators and other employees people often hired from the process technology program at SOWELA. (The college will soon be turning out additional trained graduates from a new Workforce Technology Center.) As Swift noted, In existing industries, theres an issue of employees who are nearing, or past, retirement age.

Aviation. Chennault Industrial Airpark is a world-class aircraft maintenance facility, and people can train for jobs right door at SOWELA.

Construction, expansion create ripples even a few rogue waves in SWLAs economy, everyday life.

by Brett Downer

CALL THEM GROWING PAINS THE CHALLENGES THAT SURROUND THE UNPRECEDENTED GROWTH UNDER WAY IN SOUTHWEST LOUISIANA. IN OUR ANNUAL LOOK AT THE AREA ECONOMY, WE EXAMINE THE POSITIVES AND NEGATIVES.

SOME COMMUNITIES COULD ONLY DREAM OF SUCH ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT $97 BILLION IN ANNOUNCED PROJECTS, WITH ABOUT $40 BILLION OF IT ALREADY UNDER WAY.

SOUTHWEST LOUISIANA LIVES IT.

continued on p28


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Gaming. Theres lots of activity. We have five major gaming resorts. Lake Charles has turned into a destination location. Delta Downs is adding new hotel and dining choices and the Golden Nugget is building a new tower.

Hospitality. We need to maintain the tourism and gaming market and not take up hotel rooms for worker housing.

The ChallengesNothings ever all roses.

The biggest problem is the state economy, Swift said. The state Capitol is overwhelmed with controversy over how to close a budgetary black hole through higher taxes, slashed spending or both.

The good thing, though, is that some sectors here arent being hammered because of it.

Were very fortunate that the LNG (liquified natural gas terminal) projects and other things are here. The Sasol ethane cracker unit is under construction.

Elsewhere, we must acknowledge the declining oil market, he said. But the (current and coming) LNG facilities are not dependent on that.

Education, meanwhile, is in the bullseye of the state budget crisis.

McNeese State University is enlisting community support after being told to prepare for a budget cut of $2.9 million.

McNeese has already sustained a reduction of over $20 million in annual state general fund appropriations since 2009, President Phillip C. Williams said in a mass email to alumni and supporters. Make your voice heard with a very clear message: that you support McNeese.

Swift also spoke up for McNeese, citing a study that calculated the universitys economic impact in Southwest Louisiana at $371.6 million.

The university has so much value to the community, Swift said. Not just the faculty and staff it hires, but the students buying good and services in the surrounding area. The cultural element. The sports and entertainment events.

Elsewhere in education, ever-growing Southwest Louisiana will face crowded grade schools.

Public schools will face a large influx of new students, Swift said. So increased facilities will be needed.

And then theres the traffic.You battle the traffic all this traffic and you

wonder: Whats happened to this town?Its not your imagination. Its your new reality.Of all the changes in the new Southwest

Louisiana, the most obvious is the increased traffic, Swift said. An impact study indicated it would take a driver 40 percent more time than in the past to get to their destination.

Help is on the way, eventually, through a number of highway projects by the city, the parish and the state aimed at the areas clogged arteries, he said.

But with the increased traffic and frustration comes opportunity, he said, citing the United Way and opening the door to a hard truth in Southwest Louisiana.

Go Ask AliceThe United Ways ALICE (Asset Limited, Income Constrained, Employed) Report is a study of financial hardship endured by households where at least one person holds a job but its hard to make ends meet. It more fully explores the cruel shorthand of the term working poor.

The ALICE results were alarming in Southwest Louisiana. Fully 40 percent of the 111,000 households in the five-parish area are unable to afford basic necessities housing, food, childcare, healthcare and transportation.

Thats a not a growing pain. Its a chronic condition.

People are working, but at marginal and poverty levels in our area. Growth will mean opportunities to move into higher-paying jobs. That might some discomfort (for businesses) because theyll lose these workers and have to train new ones, but an increased household income means an increased standard of living and that translates into increased business and improved quality of life in the community.

Whats Your Address?The local job pool wont fill the huge demand for construction workers in the several years ahead. So when these out-of-town workers come in for these jobs, where will they stay? Beyond that, what will be available for people who come to stay?

Theres an increased need for housing, Swift said. But private developers have really been stepping things up not only in Calcasieu, but South Beauregard and Jeff Davis with apartments and duplexes. In Lake Charles, youre seeing a lot of housing being built in existing areas, where theres already infrastructure and (water) connections.

Not all of these people will be staying here or looking to buy a home.

Well need worker housing, temporary housing, he said, citing the site at Southland Field in Carlyss as an example. But many of them will be living in RVs their own and rentals.

The Time is NowFact: Not all of the construction-boom jobs have to go to visiting workers. Take that as a hint from the Alliance.

We cannot let this opportunity pass, Swift said. These jobs are coming, and some people will be coming for these jobs. We should get as many of our local workers (in these jobs) as we can. With all this building and expansion, were going to need people from around our area and people from outside our area.

That means that people who want to capitalize on this need to start on it now, he said. If they wait, theyre going to miss their opportunity.

R.B. Smith, who for years helped young people launch technical careers at SOWELA, is now the vice president for workforce development at Southwest Louisiana Economic Development Alliance.

To would-be welders, and others who hear of a construction boom and think of paycheck dollars, Smith offered some simple encouragement: Get involved with any of the industrial construction crafts. These are where the big-demand jobs are.

These opportunities, Smith said, can be an entry-level pathway to permanent employment.

The Time AheadTo Swift, theres also a larger, longer-range picture, one not tied to billion-dollar pricetags.

We want to improve the quality of living, the quality of life to be a stimulus to make the area more attractive to newcomers and potential newcomers, Swift said. We cant have this new growth and not work to improve the quality of living.

What about the challenges already presenting themselves?

We will reach it not without difficulty, he said, pausing to find the right term. But in five to 10 years, we, and the next generation, will enjoy the economic benefits for years to come.


Stockwell Sievert is a name that has earned a well-deserved reputation for excellence in the legal field for over 80 years.

That reputation extends to Stockwell Sievert Title, LLC, which has earned national certification in American Land Title Associations (ALTA) Best Practices. We are now one of an elite group of title service providers to meet the standards of ALTA, assuring both lenders and clients the highest level of security, competence, and customer satisfaction available in the industry today.

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Many of us take lifes comforts for granted every day, and we dont always wonder how the products we depend on reach our doorsteps in Southwest Louisiana. Lake Charles is a port city, and much of our nations economy begins and ends on waterways.

A big reason why the nations eyes are fixed on our regions surging economy is because of one of Southwest Louisianas most importantyet underratedassets: the Calcasieu Ship Channel.

In 2015, the Lake Charles Harbor and Terminal District released an economic impact study for the ship channel. The study shows the immense and positive economic effects of this waterway on the Lake Charles region, the state of Louisiana and the nation.

The study, titled Economic and Fiscal Impacts of the Calcasieu Ship Channel, concludes that the health of almost half of the Lake Charles metro economy depends on the health of the

channel. For instance, nearly one third of jobs in the Lake Charles metro area are tied to the channel and the port authority, and maritime commerce accounts for 46 percent of the Lake Charles economys total $14.8 billion of business activity.

The Calcasieu Ship Channel was engineered in the 1920s, 30s and 40s to straighten, widen and deepen the Calcasieu River from Lake Charles to the Gulf of Mexico, making Lake Charles a deepwater port, although it is 34 miles inland. The ship channel became a highway for the delivery of goods, both inbound and outbound, and dozens of companies built facilities on the channel to produce, process, send or receive those goods. The Lake Charles Harbor & Terminal District has grown to become the 11th-busiest port in the United States by tonnage, according to U.S. Army Corps of Engineers figures for 2013, the latest year available.

Our Gateway to a Global Economy


Some key findings of the study (figures are for 2014):

The ship channel is responsible for nearly 36,000 direct, indirect and induced jobs in the area, or 31 percent of the total employment in the Lake Charles metro area, and 50 percent of local tax revenue is generated from industrial production or maritime services tied directly to the ship channel.

Over 80 percent of the manufacturing employment in Lake Charles is strongly tied to waterway-dependent industries.

Some 46 percent of the GDP in Lake Charles directly depends on the ship channel for either raw material receipt or for the shipment of finished product.

An additional $1 billion of earnings and $1.3 billion of personal income is generated outside of the Lake Charles economy from the ship channels production and services.

Industries relying on the ship channel produce nearly 13,000 additional jobs outside of the local economy. The total number of jobs in Louisiana generated by the ship channel is nearly 50,000 jobs or almost 2 percent of the states workforce.

The ship channel and associated industrial production contributed $916 million in federal taxes in 2014; that figure is expected to rise to $1.3 billion in 2023.

These impacts will grow tremendously in the next several years as the regional economic boom continues to materialize.


The Calcasieu Ship ChannelCHANNELINGDOLLARSFor the people in Calcasieu and Cameron Parishes, on average, 46 of every dollar in their pockets comes from the Calcasieu Ship Channel.

PO Box 3753 Lake Charles, LA 70602

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LAKE CHARLES HARBOR & TERMINAL DISTRICT

PORTOFLAKE CHARLESLAK E C H A RLES

PORT OF

PO Box 3753 Lake Charles, LA 70602

800 845-PORT (7678) www.portlc.com

R. Adam McBride Port Director


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The Calcasieu Ship Channel has attracted more than $90 billion of industrial development projects, generating jobs, personal and business income, and tax revenuebenefiting virtually everyone in Southwest Louisiana.

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A two-mile-long runway inherited from the U.S. Air Force has become a valuable resource for Southwest Louisiana. This massive airstrip is now the key feature of a thriving center of economic developmentChennault International Airport, fast becoming known as Americas premier industrial airport.

Chennaults runway is active these days. In 2015 it saw 23,931 takeoffs and landingsthats nearly

2,000 flight operations per month. Some of that activity is from transient aircraft, stopping to refuel or stop over at Chennaults fixed-base operator, Million Air. The visiting aircraft range from military and NASA jets to private planes shuttling casino patrons and business executives.

Tenant companies at Chennault employ about 1,500 permanent workers. Two big aircraft modification companiesNorthrop Grumman and AAR Aircraft Servicesconduct operations at Chennault. Northrop Grumman performs contract work on Air Force reconnaissance and refueling

aircraft, while AAR handles MROmaintenance, repair and overhaulfor airlines and other jet fleets. Another Chennault tenant company, Louisiana Millwork, is a major building materials manufacturer, supplying a growing line of products to retail lumber and building material companies.

Looking to the future, Chennault International Airport is positioning itself for growth through expansion of existing tenants, the addition of new tenants, and the pursuit of new markets as an air-cargo hub.


PROVIDING ENERGY.IMPROVING LIVES.At Phillips 66, supporting our people, our environment and our communities guides everything we do and it always will. Thats why were proud to be an employer of choice in Southwest Louisiana.

Phillips 66 Company. 2014. All rights reserved.www.Phillips66.com

Refine, baby, refineWith gas prices at their lowest since 2009, most Americans are filling er up

with a smile.But in a petrochemical powerhouse like Louisiana, the price crash might

make one shrug or even shiver. Your reaction might depend on where your oil-and-gas job fits along the stream.

There are three segments of the oil and gas industry:

Upstream: Finding and drilling crude. Think oil well.

Midstream: Transporting material. Think pipeline.

Downstream: Making products. Think refinery.

Each of these three reacts in its own way to changes in the price of oil.The Southwest Louisiana Economic Development Alliance analyzes each

of these sectors, and explains why were somewhat better insulated from the effects of falling prices.

Upstream is engaged in exploration and production. Its hunting for onshore and offshore locations for wells, drilling wells bringing oil and natural gas to the surface. Upstream is hurt the most by falling prices.

Alliance analysis: There are several businesses in our region that primarily serve the upstream oil and natural gas industry. While these businesses are suffering hard times, their impact on the SWLA regional economy makes up a small portion of the overall energy industrial profile.

Midstream industries include the interstate and intrastate pipeline networks seen throughout the area as well as the LNG import/export facilities along the Calcasieu and Sabine River ship channels. They also include rail systems, trucks, barges and cargo ships.

Alliance analysis: Currently, nearly $30 billion of capital expansion is under construction for the LNG export facilities in our region, with more yet to start.

Downstream industries are the high-profile facilities that refine oil or process natural gas into marketable products. Theyre a literal and figurative signature of the regions economic landscape.

Alliance analysis: Yet nearly another $16 billion in capital expansion is under construction for downstream industries. These include ethane crackers, methanol plants and gas-to-liquid plants that convert natural gas to value-added products. Each new project is creating thousands of skilled craft construction jobs to build their facilities. This will be followed by several hundred operations and maintenance jobs needed to run each facility.

by Brett Downer


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Sasols ethane cracker and derivatives project is a welcome boost to the growing Southwest Louisiana economy. The new $8.9 billion facility, currently under construction, will include an ethane cracker, six new downstream derivative plants and associated utilities and infrastructure. It will roughly triple Sasols chemical production capacity in the United States and increase its U.S. employee base by about 50 percent.

In addition to building a world-scale facility, Sasol is also building careers, local business and community through its Louisiana First commitment and corporate social responsibility initiatives.

PROJECT PROGRESSEarly works activities, site preparation and civil construction work have been under way since 2014 and are nearly complete. On-site concrete batch plants are operational and internal haul routes are complete, eliminating a significant amount of off-site public road use for material deliveries.

Site aboveground work began last fall and the first phase of the heavy haul route strengthening project is complete, with widening activities to finish in fall 2016. Other infrastructure improvements are under way throughout the city of Westlake and surrounding areas, including new roadways and a significant amount of new water, sewer and gas line infrastructure an investment of more than $40 million with $35 million in the city of Westlake alone.

Theyre building AN $8.9 BILLION WORLD-SCALE PETROCHEMICAL COMPLEX

500

450

400

350

300

250

200

150

100

50

EMPLOYMENT January 2016

260

employees HIRED

87% Louisianaresidents

500 to be hired for the project

and 75% are fromCalcasieu Parish

81,000 cubic yards

of concrete poured

3 millionfeet of

aboveground pipingto be installed

distance from Lake Charles to Tallahassee

4,000+ water coolers

cleaned, filled with ice & water, & staged

throughout site daily

5.4 million man hours without an OSHA recordable

6.5 millioncubic yardsof fill material placed(2.5 times the Superdome volume)

1,330+ traffic cones & barrels

17 miles of underground high/medium voltage cable & 30 miles

of low voltage for temporary construction power

More than 13,100

piles installed

15 millionfeet electrical

raceway & cable to be installeddistance from New York City to Los Angeles

January 2016

US $2.5 billion

committed to Louisiana businesses

CONSTRUCTION STATS

; Receipt of air, water & wetlands permits; Announcement of final investment decision & engineering, procurement and construction management contractor ; Early works activities & site development work begins; Construction dock improvements begin; Heavy haul route electrical updates begin

; Heavy haul route strengthening & widening begins; Civil foundation work begins; Site aboveground work kicks off; Heavy equipment deliveries begin via heavy haul route

; Heavy haul module transports begin Mechanical, electrical & instrumentation work advances Workforce peaks with 5,000+ construction workers on-site

Heavy haul transports complete

CONSTRUCTION TIMELINE

2017 2016

2015 2014

LA suppliers currently bidding

124

LA suppliers awarded

73

Calcasieu Parish

awarded

40

Total amount spent with Louisiana suppliers:

$300+ Million$82 Millionof this spend is with

Calcasieu area suppliers

PROCUREMENT

Sasol is delivering on its commitment to hire Louisiana workers and use Louisiana businesses first for its project. Sasol hired 260 of the more than 500 full-time positions to date 75 percent of whom from Calcasieu Parish and the majority of the remaining hires from other cities in Louisiana.

Of the 5,000 temporary construction phase positions, about 3,500 workers are currently on site through Sasols engineering, procurement and construction management contractor Fluor Technip Integrated and eight major Louisiana construction contractors. Sasols contracts with

Theyre also building CAREERS

and LOCAL BUSINESS

these eight contractors Cajun Constructors, Performance Contractors, ISC Constructors, Civil Construction Company, Turner Industries, Excel USA, James Industrial Constructors and MMR Constructors represent more than $2.5 billion.

Additionally, Sasol has spent more than $300 million with Louisiana suppliers for materials and equipment, more than $80 million of which is with Calcasieu Parish suppliers.

Sasol Thrive article 3.indd 1 2/19/16 10:19 AM


Sasols ethane cracker and derivatives project is a welcome boost to the growing Southwest Louisiana economy. The new $8.9 billion facility, currently under construction, will include an ethane cracker, six new downstream derivative plants and associated utilities and infrastructure. It will roughly triple Sasols chemical production capacity in the United States and increase its U.S. employee base by about 50 percent.

In addition to building a world-scale facility, Sasol is also building careers, local business and community through its Louisiana First commitment and corporate social responsibility initiatives.

PROJECT PROGRESSEarly works activities, site preparation and civil construction work have been under way since 2014 and are nearly complete. On-site concrete batch plants are operational and internal haul routes are complete, eliminating a significant amount of off-site public road use for material deliveries.

Site aboveground work began last fall and the first phase of the heavy haul route strengthening project is complete, with widening activities to finish in fall 2016. Other infrastructure improvements are under way throughout the city of Westlake and surrounding areas, including new roadways and a significant amount of new water, sewer and gas line infrastructure an investment of more than $40 million with $35 million in the city of Westlake alone.

Theyre building AN $8.9 BILLION WORLD-SCALE PETROCHEMICAL COMPLEX

500

450

400

350

300

250

200

150

100

50

EMPLOYMENT January 2016

260

employees HIRED

87% Louisianaresidents

500 to be hired for the project

and 75% are fromCalcasieu Parish

81,000 cubic yards

of concrete poured

3 millionfeet of

aboveground pipingto be installed

distance from Lake Charles to Tallahassee

4,000+ water coolers

cleaned, filled with ice & water, & staged

throughout site daily

5.4 million man hours without an OSHA recordable

6.5 millioncubic yardsof fill material placed(2.5 times the Superdome volume)

1,330+ traffic cones & barrels

17 miles of underground high/medium voltage cable & 30 miles

of low voltage for temporary construction power

More than 13,100

piles installed

15 millionfeet electrical

raceway & cable to be installeddistance from New York City to Los Angeles

January 2016

US $2.5 billion

committed to Louisiana businesses

CONSTRUCTION STATS

; Receipt of air, water & wetlands permits; Announcement of final investment decision & engineering, procurement and construction management contractor ; Early works activities & site development work begins; Construction dock improvements begin; Heavy haul route electrical updates begin

; Heavy haul route strengthening & widening begins; Civil foundation work begins; Site aboveground work kicks off; Heavy equipment deliveries begin via heavy haul route

; Heavy haul module transports begin Mechanical, electrical & instrumentation work advances Workforce peaks with 5,000+ construction workers on-site

Heavy haul transports complete

CONSTRUCTION TIMELINE

2017 2016

2015 2014

LA suppliers currently bidding

124

LA suppliers awarded

73

Calcasieu Parish

awarded

40

Total amount spent with Louisiana suppliers:

$300+ Million$82 Millionof this spend is with

Calcasieu area suppliers

PROCUREMENT

Sasol is delivering on its commitment to hire Louisiana workers and use Louisiana businesses first for its project. Sasol hired 260 of the more than 500 full-time positions to date 75 percent of whom from Calcasieu Parish and the majority of the remaining hires from other cities in Louisiana.

Of the 5,000 temporary construction phase positions, about 3,500 workers are currently on site through Sasols engineering, procurement and construction management contractor Fluor Technip Integrated and eight major Louisiana construction contractors. Sasols contracts with

Theyre also building CAREERS

and LOCAL BUSINESS

these eight contractors Cajun Constructors, Performance Contractors, ISC Constructors, Civil Construction Company, Turner Industries, Excel USA, James Industrial Constructors and MMR Constructors represent more than $2.5 billion.

Additionally, Sasol has spent more than $300 million with Louisiana suppliers for materials and equipment, more than $80 million of which is with Calcasieu Parish suppliers.



Southwest LouisianaWORKFORCE Resource Guide

A step-by-step guide to prepare you for a job in support of area industry

Begin

Learn Gain

Succeed!

www.SWLAresourceguide.com

Workforce Resource Guide & Scholarship ProgramThe Southwest Louisiana Workforce Resource Guide, developed by Sasol in partnership with the community, is a step-by-step guide that helps individuals choose a career, acquire training, certifications and basic life skills, prepare a resume and ultimately land a job in support of area industry. The initiative targets the estimated 20 percent of the Southwest Louisiana unemployed and undereducated population who might otherwise be left out of the workforce development pipeline.

Sasol also partnered with the Community Foundation of Southwest Louisiana to establish a pilot scholarship fund that provides financial support to cover tuition, training costs, support services and human resources technical support for individuals participating in the Workforce Resource Guide program. To date, Sasol committed approximately $500,000 to the scholarship fund.

How ethane cracking works

and COMMUNITY

Small Business Resource Guide & WorkshopsBuilding on the success of the workforce initiatives, Sasol partnered with the Louisiana Small Business Development Center at McNeese State University and the Southwest Louisiana Economic Development Alliance SEED Center Business Incubator to develop a Small Business Resource Guide, which outlines suggested steps for launching a new business and recommendations for existing businesses that want to build a working relationship with area industry.

Sasol also sponsors monthly certification workshops and other small business development trainings through the LSBDC. So far, more than 100 individuals have attended the workshops.

Business Opportunity Forum & Job Readiness ForumTo educate local businesses and residents about project opportunities, Sasol hosted a Business Opportunity Forum in January 2015 and a Job Readiness Forum in February 2016. The Business Opportunity Forum provided the Southwest Louisiana business community a chance to meet with Sasols Louisiana-based construction contractors and learn about opportunities with the project. About 800 people attended the event.

At the Job Readiness Forum, held last month at the Civic Center, nearly 2,000 local residents met with the projects Louisiana contractors, local craft training providers and resource-based organizations to learn about opportunities.

Founded upon strong partnerships throughout the community, Sasol is delivering on our commitment to build careers, local business

and community in Southwest Louisiana.

To ensure local residents have access to the opportunities created by the project,Sasol implemented several workforce, business & community programs.

Learn more at www.SasolNorthAmerica.com


Source: Sasol


A Letter from the Publisher: We could not publish a section on economic development in Southwest Louisiana without including a tribute to David Conner, vice president of economic development and international services for the SWLA Alliance. He deserves a great deal of credit for many of the large industrial projects driving our regional growth because he played a key role in selling Southwest Louisiana to these companies. He was one of our regions biggest champions, working for progress, negotiating compromises and ironing out the details. He loved every minute of it.

I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith. ~ 2 Timothy 4:7

This often-quoted line from the Bible fits Davids life, which ended much sooner than any of us wanted. After a hard-fought battle against leukemia, David passed away on January 26. The positive courage he exhibited throughout his illness stands as a tribute to his strong faith in God and love for his family.

As those who eulogized him expressed so well, David was a friend, not just to everyone he met, but to our community as a whole. He was a true community hero someone who always looked for ways to improve the circumstances of those around him.

On a personal note, David played a big role in our businesses growth and success. He saw our potential with our marketing agency, Healthy Image, before we did, and got us involved in the states new Economic Gardening Program. David

helped us complete the tedious paperwork for the U.S. Chambers Small Business Award, and when we were named one of the top 100 in the country, no one cheered louder for us than him, wearing his trademark, I-told-you-so smile. He gave me some of the best advice about managing business growth that Ive ever received, and I hear him repeating it in my head often. (No, Im not going to tell you trade secret. I think he would approve of me protecting our competitive advantage!). His generosity frequently astounded me. When my temporary housing fell through this fall while my new house was being built, he called within hours, offering me the use of the pool house at his home. He was undergoing cancer treatment in Houston, but still reaching out, taking care of a problem for someone else. That was David.

If you had any doubt about Davids impact on people, the 3-hour wait by thousands of people to get into the funeral home to pay their respects, and the standing-room-only funeral services would have clued you in that the person we were saying good-bye to was a beloved member of our community.

David Conner will never be forgotten. His legacy will be a lasting one in our community. We extend our deepest sympathy to Davids wife, Mary Beth, his daughter Mariet Bernard, son Clint and the entire Conner family.

Kristy ArmandPartner/Owner,Thrive MagazineHealthy Image Marketing Agency


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For more than 130 years, PPG has been making a splash around the world with our coatings and specialty materials. Closer to home, we

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giving people opportunities to succeed. To learn more, visit ppg.com.

MAKING A SPLASH!





MAKING A SPLASH!





MAKING A SPLASH!



Thrive March 2016 Issue

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Transcript of Thrive March 2016 Issue