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  • Judge Doug Saloom Reflects on 31 Years on the Bench, Seven Decades of Family Service, and a Life Devoted to Lafayette

    Judge Doug Saloom Reflects on 31 Years on the Bench, Seven Decades of Family Service, and a Life Devoted to Lafayette
    2026/10/30
    After 31 years serving as a Lafayette City Court judge, Judge Douglas “Doug” Saloom is preparing to retire at the end of 2026, closing a remarkable chapter in Lafayette’s judicial history. Between Doug and his father, the late Judge Kaliste Saloom Jr., the Saloom family has served on the Lafayette City Court bench for more than seven decades. Judge Saloom joined Discover Lafayette to reflect on his family’s deep roots in Lafayette, the lessons he learned from his father, his commitment to treating everyone who enters his courtroom with dignity and respect, and the many interests that will keep him busy after retirement. While his judicial accomplishments are extensive, what shines through in our conversation is his genuine love of people and the Lafayette community. A Family Legacy That Helped Shape Lafayette Judge Saloom grew up surrounded by the legal profession. His father, Judge Kaliste Saloom Jr., served as Lafayette City Court judge from 1953 until his retirement in 1993. As a young boy, Doug accompanied his father to the courthouse on weekends, helping update the pocket parts of Louisiana’s legal reference books. As he grew older, he and his siblings would walk over from school and sit in the courtroom waiting for their father to finish his work. His father’s influence extended far beyond the courthouse. Judge Kaliste Saloom Jr. was deeply involved in Lafayette’s civic life and had witnessed the community’s transformation from a small town into a growing regional center. Kaliste Saloom, Jr. and his wife, Yvonne Nassar Saloom, on their wedding day in 1958 Judge Kaliste Saloom, Jr. and hs wife, Yvonne Saloom. One interesting bit of Lafayette history involves Kaliste Saloom Road. Contrary to what many assume, the road was named not for Judge Doug Saloom’s father, but for his grandfather, Kaliste Saloom Sr. Doug explained that his grandmother owned land in what was then the countryside outside Lafayette, where she enjoyed going to pick pecans. When land was needed for a fire station, she donated a portion of her property, and the road was named in honor of her husband. As Doug recalled his father’s favorite explanation: “Dad always said the road and I are named after the same person.” The family’s connection to Lafayette’s history is something Doug hopes to preserve. Among his retirement projects will be reviewing his father’s papers, correspondence, and historical records, including documents relating to Lafayette’s early civic development and his father’s World War II military service. From Tulane Law School to the Lafayette City Court Bench A graduate of the University of Southwestern Louisiana, now UL – Lafayette, Doug earned his law degree from Tulane University in 1985. He always knew he wanted to practice law. Growing up in a family immersed in the legal profession, he could scarcely imagine another career. After law school, Doug returned to Lafayette and joined his brothers in the family law practice. His early career included criminal defense work, and he became involved with the public defender’s office after accompanying attorney Gerald Block to court. That experience sparked a lasting interest in criminal law and courtroom advocacy. In 1994, when Judge Mike Sullivan announced his move to the Louisiana Third Circuit Court of Appeal, an opportunity arose to seek the Lafayette City Court judgeship. Doug discussed the possibility with his older brother, who encouraged him to pursue it. Doug was elected and took office in November 1995. His father had retired two years earlier, and Doug’s election began another generation of Saloom family service on the City Court bench. Why City Court Is Truly the People’s Court Judge Saloom describes Lafayette City Court as a place where ordinary citizens can resolve disputes without the expense and complexity of larger court proceedings. City courts are courts of limited jurisdiction, handling civil disputes, landlord-tenant matters, small claims, traffic offenses, and certain misdemeanor criminal cases. During his tenure, Judge Saloom worked with legislators to increase Lafayette City Court’s civil jurisdictional limit, which was just $5,000 when he first took office. The limit eventually increased to $35,000, bringing Lafayette in line with other city courts in the 15th Judicial District. He believes that City Court’s greatest value is its ability to resolve disputes efficiently and provide citizens meaningful access to justice. “The purpose of a city court is expedient resolution of a conflict.” He explained that attorneys often choose City Court because trials can typically be scheduled much more quickly than in district court. But what he especially enjoys is working with people who appear without attorneys. He understands that for many litigants, simply having an opportunity to explain their situation and feel heard is profoundly important. “A lot of times the end result is not as important as the...
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    1分未満
  • Jan Risher: Journalist Finding Connection, Humor and Meaning in Everyday Life

    Jan Risher: Journalist Finding Connection, Humor and Meaning in Everyday Life
    2026/11/06
    Jan Risher has spent much of her life collecting stories and helping the rest of us recognize the extraordinary moments hiding in ordinary experiences. An award-winning journalist, author and longtime columnist, Jan serves as Louisiana culture editor for The Advocate, The Times-Picayune/ and The Acadiana Advocate. She also edits Louisiana Inspired, a publication celebrating people who make a positive difference in their communities. Jan Risher with the late Smiley Anders, both journalists dedicated to sharing stories of family ties and community connectedness. Jan first joined Discover Lafayette in 2018, when she was writing her popular Long Story Short column and sharing observations about family, travel and life in Acadiana. Eight years later, she returns with new stories, fresh perspectives and a renewed appreciation for the relationships that sustain us through life’s challenges. Her work is grounded in a simple conviction: everyone has a story worth telling. “I believe that it is our responsibility to do what we can do to make the world a better place.” Jan believes readers are increasingly hungry for stories that offer hope, celebrate the human spirit and remind us of our shared humanity. She says the response to her work has never been greater. “I think it’s because people are so hungry for that sense of connection,” she explains. Finding Her Voice — and the Freedom to Be Herself One of the most revealing moments in our conversation concerns a women’s retreat Jan attended in 2010 at the Solomon Retreat Center near Hammond, Louisiana. During a dream discussion led by Dominican Sister Mary Ann Carlotta, Jan shared a dream about attending a journalism conference and repeatedly explaining that she was no longer a journalist. At the time, she was working in public relations. The exercise prompted an unexpected realization: Jan had been holding back parts of her personality, worrying that she might simply be too much for other people. The experience changed her approach to life and writing. “It freed me up completely,” Jan recalls. “I just started living life a lot fuller.” She began telling stories more authentically, trusting her instincts and looking beyond the surface of the events and people she encountered. That spirit continues to define her work today. More Than Two Decades of Long Story Short Jan began writing her Sunday Long Story Short column in Lafayette in February 2002 and says she has continued writing it every Sunday since. Readers have followed her family through major milestones, including the adoption of her daughter Piper from China when Piper was 11 months old, the raising of her daughters, and the family’s many adventures. Today, Piper is 24, has completed two years with Teach For America, and is in law school. Jan’s daughter Greer lives in Orlando. Her Tuesday column takes a different approach: Jan ventures somewhere in Louisiana to try something new. Among her more memorable assignments, she has helped mow the grass at Tiger Stadium, worked as a blacksmith and even transformed herself into a mermaid. “That was the scariest thing I’ve ever done in my life,” she laughs about her mermaid adventure. As culture editor, Jan also enjoys helping other reporters develop stories, an opportunity she describes as the “exponential effect of storytelling.” And deadlines? Unlike many writers, Jan welcomes them. “Deadlines are a gift from the gods, in my opinion.” A Life of Adventure, Travel and Unexpected Turns Jan’s career has been anything but conventional. A Mississippi State University graduate with a degree in English education, she began as a high school English teacher before moving to Reno, Nevada, where she worked in education, special events and public relations. Her adventures also took her to Slovakia, where she taught English shortly after the country became independent. She had already received a marriage proposal from her future husband, Julio, but decided to make the trip before settling down. She eventually returned, married Julio and continued a life that would take the couple to different communities before they made Lafayette their home for approximately 20 years. Jan also recalls reporting from the Cajundome during Hurricane Katrina, an experience that remains part of her understanding of Louisiana and its people. Although she now lives in Baton Rouge, Lafayette remains deeply important to her. “Both my daughters. This is my daughter’s hometown, so it holds a very special place.” Jan has also come to appreciate Baton Rouge’s distinctive neighborhoods, its sense of community and what she calls its “underdog goodness.” When Everything Changes: The Fire That Destroyed Their Home Perhaps the most moving part of our conversation concerns the fire that devastated Jan and Julio’s Baton Rouge home on August 17, 2025. The couple had gone to a book club gathering, bringing a large pot of homemade chicken spaghetti inspired ...
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    48 分
  • JP MacFadyen — Moncus Park, a Place Where Community, Nature and Belonging Come Together

    JP MacFadyen — Moncus Park, a Place Where Community, Nature and Belonging Come Together
    2026/10/16
    When JP MacFadyen first joined Discover Lafayette in 2022, Moncus Park was still in the early stages of becoming the extraordinary public gathering place envisioned by a group of determined Lafayette citizens nearly two decades earlier. Today, the 100-acre park in the heart of Lafayette has blossomed into one of Acadiana’s most treasured destinations, offering everything from peaceful walks among native plants and wildlife to concerts, outdoor movies, fitness classes, farmers markets, and holiday celebrations. JP, who joined Moncus Park in 2019 as operations director and became executive director in 2021, returns to share the latest developments, including new facilities, an ambitious calendar of free public programming, and the financial realities of operating a privately managed, nonprofit park that welcomes everyone. The conversation also takes us back to the beginning, when two young women, E.B. Brooks and Danica Adams, helped rally the community to save the former horse farm from development. Reflecting on their efforts more than 20 years ago, JP. says, “There was a yearning and now even more so for public spaces where people can connect and belong.” That sense of belonging remains central to everything Moncus Park does. More Than a Beautiful Green Space One of the most remarkable aspects of Moncus Park is the feeling of escape it provides despite its location along one of Lafayette’s busiest thoroughfares. A short walk into the park brings visitors into a landscape of rolling hills, water, trees, wildlife, and peaceful places to reflect. JP explains that the park’s programming is built around three guiding pillars: nature and sustainability, community and belonging, and health and wellness. These priorities are reflected in a growing assortment of activities, from birdwatching and learning about native plants to yoga, Pilates, sound baths, cultural exchanges, and organized dog walks. The park partners with For the Birds of Acadiana to release rehabilitated birds back into their natural environment. Visitors can participate in these releases, which are incorporated into the park’s nature programming. Moncus Park also works with the University of Louisiana at Lafayette on cultural exchanges that introduce visitors to different traditions through food, dance, and other experiences. Even something as simple as walking a dog can create a meaningful human connection. “It’s amazing when you put people in a public space together with some sort of activation, how easy it is for people to bond,” JP explains. For JP, these activities serve a larger purpose. They provide a reason for someone to visit the park for the first time, discover its beauty, and perhaps develop friendships along the way. He describes a philosophy of creating inviting public spaces that begins with making them clean, safe, and welcoming. From there, thoughtful landscaping, benches, shade, and amenities make people comfortable. Programming then brings the space to life. New Improvements: A Meditation Garden, More Parking and a Farmers Market Pavilion Several significant improvements have made Moncus Park more accessible and inviting. Among the newest additions is the Kergan Family Meditation Garden, located beyond the central bridge toward the quieter back portion of the park. The garden is arranged into four smaller garden spaces, each with distinctive plantings, benches, water features, and inspirational messages. JP describes it as a place designed for reflection, where visitors can enjoy a moment of quiet in the middle of the city. The park has also substantially expanded its parking capacity with assistance from state funding. The primary paved parking area increased from 155 to 225 spaces, and the new Paul Doerle Sr. Farmers Market Pavilion includes an additional paved parking area. With overflow parking, the park can accommodate approximately 600 vehicles during major events. The Farmers Market Pavilion represents another important milestone. In addition to providing a home for the popular Saturday market, it creates new opportunities for weddings, family reunions, corporate crawfish boils, and other gatherings. These rentals are especially important because they help generate the revenue necessary to sustain the park’s operations. The Financial Reality of Running Moncus Park One of the most revealing portions of our conversation concerns a fact that many Lafayette residents may not fully appreciate: Although the City of Lafayette owns the land, Moncus Park is operated and maintained by a nonprofit conservancy. The conservancy is responsible for the park’s construction, maintenance, security, landscaping, programming, trash collection, and day-to-day operations. Its annual operating budget approaches $3 million. “That is a challenge we face every year,” JP acknowledges, explaining the continuing need to educate the public about the park’s financial structure. The organization relies on a combination ...
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    50 分
  • Robert Schacht – From Hollywood to Aerospace Manufacturing: Building a Future in Lafayette and Championing the Arts

    Robert Schacht – From Hollywood to Aerospace Manufacturing: Building a Future in Lafayette and Championing the Arts
    2026/10/23
    Robert Schacht has lived a life that bridges seemingly different worlds: Hollywood filmmaking, aerospace and defense manufacturing, international trade, and classical music. Today, as Chairman and CEO of Westfield Fluid Controls and Westfield Hydraulics, he is building a sophisticated manufacturing operation in Lafayette, Louisiana, while also serving as Chair of the Board of the Acadiana Symphony Orchestra. Raised in Beverly Hills, California, Robert grew up surrounded by the entertainment industry. His grandfather was the legendary actor Ross Martin, best remembered for portraying the brilliant master of disguise Artemus Gordon in the 1960s television series The Wild Wild West. Robert followed his early interest in film to New York University’s Tisch School of the Arts, eventually working in the movie business before embarking on a dramatically different career in aerospace and defense. What brought him to Lafayette, and what keeps him here, is a fascinating story of economic opportunity, cultural richness, family values, and the importance of building something that lasts. Why Lafayette? A California Businessman Finds His Home in Acadiana When Robert began considering relocating his manufacturing business from California, Louisiana wasn’t even on his list. Manufacturing in California had become increasingly difficult, particularly for a business seeking to expand its capabilities and operations. Robert began evaluating locations across the country, including areas with established aerospace and defense industries. A friend from Lake Charles, Gray Stream, encouraged him to consider Louisiana. That introduction led to meetings with economic development professionals, including Greg Gothreaux of Lafayette Economic Development Authority (LEDA). Robert was impressed by the professionalism and transparency of Lafayette’s economic development leadership. Gothreaux understood what his company needed and was equally candid about the region’s limitations, particularly the absence of an established aerospace and defense manufacturing ecosystem. But Lafayette had something else. “There was an energy here that was very different, unique,” Robert recalled. After touring communities across Louisiana, two characteristics distinguished Lafayette: its early investment in fiber-optic infrastructure and its extraordinary cultural heritage. For someone operating a technology-intensive business, Lafayette’s commitment to fiber demonstrated forward thinking. Equally important was its rich tradition of music, art, and cultural engagement. Robert explained that recruiting and retaining talented executives requires more than attractive business incentives. “You can’t recruit and retain executives without cultural development in parallel with economic development.” Lafayette offered both. What began as a location that wasn’t even under consideration quickly became his first choice. The move has also profoundly affected Robert’s family. He and his wife are raising their five children, including two still in school, and he values the kindness, courtesy, and genuine friendships they have experienced here. “I have made more adult friends here than I ever would have imagined possible just because of the genuineness, the relationships. People are open.” For Robert, Lafayette offers something increasingly difficult to find in larger metropolitan areas: a welcoming community where relationships matter and children can grow up with an appreciation for respect, responsibility, and humility. Westfield: Precision Manufacturing for Aerospace, Defense, and Space Exploration Robert’s companies, Westfield Fluid Controls and Westfield Hydraulics, design and manufacture sophisticated fluid-control components for aerospace, defense, and space applications. These components may be relatively small, but their functions are critically important. Westfield manufactures solenoid valves, actuators, reservoirs, and other precision components that control hydraulic, fuel, and pneumatic systems in aircraft, missiles, military vehicles, and spacecraft. The company produces approximately 2,000 different items, many consisting of 30 to 40 individual parts. Its manufacturing requirements are extraordinarily precise. Robert explained that some components operate with metal-to-metal clearances of approximately 40 millionths of an inch, a tiny fraction of the width of a human hair. Westfield has built a new 30,000-square-foot facility in Lafayette and maintains approximately 20,000 square feet of operations in California. The company is developing parallel capabilities to ensure continuity of operations in the event of natural disasters or other disruptions. Robert explained that certain Federal Aviation Administration certifications make maintaining a California presence necessary, at least for the foreseeable future. At the time of our interview, Westfield employed 18 people in Lafayette and had committed to growing to 67 ...
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    42 分
  • George Marks – Director of International Trade and Cultural Development for LCG

    George Marks – Director of International Trade and Cultural Development for LCG
    2026/10/09
    George Marks, Director of International Trade and Cultural Development for Lafayette Consolidated Government, joined Discover Lafayette to discuss his vision for connecting Lafayette to the world by building upon one of our region’s greatest assets: our culture. George stepped into his new role in April 2026, but in many ways, he has been preparing for it for the past two decades. An artist and native of Arnaudville, George is the founder of NuNu Arts and Culture Collective, the remarkable cultural gathering place that helped demonstrate how art, music, language, food and simple human connection can breathe new life into a small community. “I will tell you that I feel NuNu’s has been preparing me for this role for the past 20 years.” From Arnaudville to LSU and Back Home George grew up in Arnaudville and eventually attended LSU, where he initially planned to study business. An art professor saw things differently. George recalled the professor asking what he was majoring in. When George answered “business,” the professor responded, “No, no, you need to switch.” He did. After graduating from LSU in fine arts, George remained in Baton Rouge for approximately 15 years, building his career as an artist. He began selling his work while still in college and became associated with Anne Connelly Fine Art. He also spent three years working at LSU in programming, managing a frame shop, gallery and craft center, experience that in retrospect foreshadowed what he would later create in Arnaudville. George describes his art as expressive, spontaneous and deeply influenced by his surroundings. Power lines, landscapes, cotton, family stories and the visual memories of rural Louisiana repeatedly find their way into his paintings. When his father became ill, George returned home to Arnaudville. After his father died, George began recognizing just how much his hometown had shaped his artistic vocabulary. “I realized that a lot of the symbols that were in my art were actually from Arnaudville.” Creating a Place Where People Wanted to Be Arnaudville was very different when George returned. He remembers approximately nine empty storefronts, a stark contrast to the thriving small town of his childhood. George knew that if he was going to remain there, something needed to change. “We knew that we wanted to create a place that people would want to come, and where we wanted to live first.” At the time, George didn’t know the term “creative placemaking.” He simply understood that art, activity and people could bring spaces back to life. The community began programming events and activating vacant or underused buildings. One space became Tom’s Fiddle & Bow. Another eventually became a guest house. A space that would become The Little Big Cup was temporarily activated as an art gallery, in part to show what was possible and encourage others to invest in the community. That philosophy ultimately grew into NuNu Arts and Culture Collective. Today, NuNu’s occupies approximately 7,500 square feet in a former hardware store and lumberyard. It includes gallery spaces, a market, café, makerspace, technology studio and work areas for artists. George says the organization benefits from an extraordinary amount of volunteer support, with approximately $550,000 in volunteer value contributed annually. NuNu’s has become much more than an art gallery. It is a place to gather, make things, exchange ideas, celebrate Louisiana French culture and welcome people from around the world. And now George is bringing that philosophy to Lafayette. “NuNu-fying” Lafayette The Lafayette International Center was established in 1989 to connect Lafayette with international opportunities and relationships. George is building upon the trade and economic development foundation established under longtime director Philippe Gustin while greatly expanding the Center’s emphasis on culture and Lafayette’s creative economy. George jokes that they are “NuNu-fying Lafayette.” But there is a serious economic development philosophy behind the phrase. The International Center is being transformed into a place where people can learn, work, meet, collaborate and create. The first floor is envisioned as a public-facing convening space, something George describes almost as “everyone’s living room.” “You can come in, grab a coffee across the street. Come and sit. Pull out your laptop, do some work within a space that displays original art, but also examples of some of the projects that we’ve worked on with some of our international partners.” Alliance Française will become more visible within the building and expand access to its French library. A new Co-Lab space will provide desks to cultural nonprofit organizations, allowing groups to work in proximity to one another and share ideas, equipment, expertise and resources. George calls it creating “positive tension” among organizations. “One might own a stage, ...
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    52 分
  • Olivia Regard – Attorney, Baker, Writer and Champion of the Arts

    Olivia Regard – Attorney, Baker, Writer and Champion of the Arts
    2026/10/01
    Olivia Regard, corporate counsel for Aggreko, food writer for The Advocate, baker, arts advocate, mother and enthusiastic traveler, joins Discover Lafayette to share the many chapters of a life that has been shaped by curiosity, creativity and a willingness to say “yes” to new experiences. Olivia grew up in New Roads, Louisiana, and spent seven years at LSU earning her undergraduate and law degrees. She laughs that one of the perks was “seven years of cheap football tickets.” She also holds a memorable place in LSU history: Olivia was LSU Homecoming Queen alongside Homecoming King Warren Morris, shortly after Morris hit his legendary game-winning home run in the 1996 College World Series. After law school, Olivia began her legal career in Baton Rouge with the Jones Walker law firm. She moved to Lafayette in 2005, transferring to the firm’s Lafayette office, and later practiced with Babineaux, Poché, Anthony & Slavich before moving from private practice into the corporate world. Her early litigation practice included environmental toxic tort defense before she transitioned into employment law. She handled matters involving non-compete agreements, proprietary information, discrimination and harassment claims, among other employment disputes. As a young lawyer, she had the opportunity to work alongside an experienced Jones Walker litigator handling cases across the country. “I learned so much from him,” Olivia says of that early mentor. Today, Olivia serves as Associate General Counsel for Aggreko, a global company specializing in temporary power and temperature control solutions. Aggreko’s work can range from providing power for major events to supporting data center construction, hospitals, petrochemical and refining operations, manufacturing facilities and other businesses that cannot afford an interruption in power or temperature control. Interestingly, Aggreko is headquartered in Scotland, but its North American story has strong Acadiana roots. The company expanded into North America through the acquisition of an oil and gas business in New Iberia, and its New Iberia campus remains a significant part of its operations. Olivia provides legal support to Aggreko’s data center and petrochemical and refining sectors, as well as its North American human resources team. Her background in employment law is particularly valuable because the role of in-house counsel is often preventative rather than reactive. She explained the difference between private practice and corporate counsel this way: when an employment dispute reached her in private practice, “the damage was already done.” She was defending, mitigating or resolving an existing problem. In-house, the goal is to educate managers and employees, maintain compliance with applicable laws and hopefully keep disputes from developing into litigation in the first place. “I love when I don’t have to call outside counsel to help me with a problem.” Olivia has been with Aggreko for just over three years and has found the experience enormously rewarding. “I have had more fun and learned more in that three-year time period than probably the 20-plus years of legal experience combined.” Louisiana Bakes For many people in Acadiana, however, Olivia may be just as familiar from a completely different pursuit: her Louisiana Bakes column in The Advocate. Olivia’s love of writing goes back to sixth grade and her English teacher, Pam Whitlock, whom Olivia credits with giving her both a love of writing and confidence in her own voice. Her love of cooking goes back even further. “My first memories of cooking were in my grandmother’s kitchen.” Olivia grew up in New Roads in a family where, as she jokes, “I either know them or I’m related to them.” Her grandmother was a wonderful cook, remembered particularly for her fried chicken and pumpkin pie. Unfortunately, neither recipe was preserved. “Those are the two recipes that I wish someone would have captured before she passed.” Food, memory and family would eventually become the ingredients of Olivia’s own writing. Like many families, the Regards spent a great deal of time in the kitchen during the COVID shutdown. Olivia sat her children down and asked everyone to choose something they wanted to learn to cook, something they wanted to eat, and something new they wanted Olivia to learn to prepare. COVID also brought Samson, Olivia’s sourdough starter, named for her grandmother’s maiden name. Cooking became a way of staying connected. Olivia shared recipes on Instagram and even mailed packets of yeast to friends around the country who couldn’t find it in stores. Friend and writer Jan Risher then organized a COVID-era version of The Great British Bake Off, livestreaming participants from their kitchens as they cooked and were interviewed by judges. That experience helped plant the seed for what came next. A “Year of Yes” When Jan later approached Olivia about ...
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    56 分
  • CuGino’s Hunter Moody and Gene Todaro

    CuGino’s Hunter Moody and Gene Todaro
    2026/09/25
    Discover Lafayette welcomes Hunter Moody and Gene Todaro, proprietors of CuGino, their beautiful Sicilian restaurant located at 117 South College Road in Lafayette. This episode is presented in special partnership with Eat Lafayette by Lafayette Travel, celebrating the locally owned restaurants that help define our community and our culture. CuGino may be relatively new to Lafayette’s restaurant scene, but there are generations of restaurant experience behind it. Hunter Moody grew up in one of Lafayette’s best-known restaurant families, while Gene Todaro brought authentic Sicilian cooking to Acadiana more than four decades ago as one of the founders of Marcello’s. Their paths are remarkably different, but their philosophies about food, hospitality and the people who work alongside them are very much the same. Hunter Moody: Raised in the Restaurant Business For Hunter, the restaurant business was part of life from childhood. His grandfather, B. I. Moody, was a CPA who became involved in the restaurant industry through the Trotter brothers’ Burger King franchise interest. The Moody family went on to own and operate numerous restaurants and other franchises, including Luther’s Barbecue, Chart House and Outback Steakhouse. Hunter remembers being included in the business by his father at an unusually young age. “When I was 12 years old, he’d say, ‘Son, get in the car. We’re going talk to Outback Steakhouse in Baton Rouge.’ When I was 15, he’d say, ‘Son, come sit at the kitchen table. Let’s discuss this month’s P&Ls and financial statements.’” Hunter says academics were highly valued in his large family, but he discovered early that his strengths were elsewhere. “I was more of a blue-collar kind of person, believe it or not, coming from a very well-off family with a lot of privileges, a lot of opportunities. But I played sports and loved them. I was good with my hands, good with people. From a young age, I wanted to be in the restaurant business.” At the age of 28, Hunter took over his family’s Sonny’s Barbecue operation in Baton Rouge at a difficult time. The restaurant had experienced two down years following the 2008 financial collapse, and the family was considering closing it. Hunter saw potential in both the management team and its loyal customer base. Within a year, he says, sales and profits returned. Over the next decade, the restaurant nearly doubled its sales. That experience also shaped Hunter’s approach to leadership. As Sonny’s itself began adapting to a changing restaurant industry, Hunter embraced a management philosophy centered on kindness, teamwork and creating a workplace where people could thrive. “I never minded sweating. I never minded working hard. And that’s why the business worked out well for me early on.” Gene Todaro: From Palermo to Louisiana Gene Todaro’s story begins thousands of miles away in Sicily. Gene grew up in Palermo and was 14 years old when his family came to the United States in 1961. His father had actually been born in Pueblo, Colorado, before returning with his family to Sicily, which meant he was an American citizen. After World War II, with Palermo devastated by bombing, Gene’s father and his brothers began considering leaving Sicily. A visit to the American consulate changed everything when they learned Gene’s family could obtain American passports. “We came into the country on an American passport because our father was American.” The family initially settled in New Orleans, where relatives already lived, before Gene’s path eventually brought him to Lafayette. Gene did not initially plan on spending his career in a restaurant. His academic background was in accounting, and he earned an MBA through Texas A&M while working for Halliburton in Dallas. He also operated a restaurant on the side. Then his younger brother Marcello, who was attending USL in Lafayette, called. “He says, ‘Gene, there are no good Italian restaurants in Lafayette. I need you to come down here and see what you think and see if you can help me get a restaurant.’” Gene came to Lafayette, surveyed the local restaurant scene and agreed that the city could use another Italian restaurant. He helped get the business started with every intention of returning to Dallas. Six or eight months later, his brother called again and asked for help. Gene sold his Dallas restaurant and moved to Lafayette. The rest became part of Lafayette restaurant history. The Todaro Taste The Todaro family’s food traditions came directly from Sicily. Gene remembers shopping for his mother, Rosalie, and learning the ingredients that went into her cooking. He may not have been the one doing the cooking, but he learned what the finished product was supposed to taste like. Rosalie Todaro “I knew all the ingredients and what went into different dishes, and I knew what they should taste like. And if something didn’t taste quite like it, we got to ...
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    57 分
  • Missy Rogers – Founder and President of Noble Plastics

    Missy Rogers – Founder and President of Noble Plastics
    2026/09/18
    Discover Lafayette welcomes Missy Rogers, founder and president of Noble Plastics, an advanced manufacturing company headquartered in Grand Coteau, Louisiana. Noble Plastics is a remarkable Acadiana success story. What began in 2000 with one injection molding machine and Missy as the company’s sole employee has grown into a sophisticated manufacturing operation specializing in precision injection molding, engineering and robotic automation. A mechanical engineer by training, Missy built Noble Plastics around a deceptively simple idea: solve difficult problems for customers and be willing to manufacture things others say cannot be done. But as Missy shares in our conversation, Noble’s success has never been about one person.“It’s never been about me, and it’s never been something that can be achieved by an individual. I think the sooner you recognize that, the sooner you empower the capable people around you.” From Engineering to Entrepreneurship Missy grew up on the West Bank of New Orleans and earned her mechanical engineering degree from LSU. Today, she serves in advisory capacities at both LSU and UL Lafayette, and after three decades in the Lafayette area, she considers Acadiana home. Her grandfather, an engineer himself, had a profound influence on her life and leadership philosophy. He taught her to see herself as “a piece of the whole, not the head of the whole,” a lesson she continues to emphasize as Noble develops new managers and leaders. Missy met her husband, Scott Rogers, while both were mechanical engineering students at LSU. She describes herself as the analytical engineer and Scott as the creative, visionary engineer. Their complementary strengths eventually helped launch Noble Plastics. In the late 1990s, both were working in the energy sector when Scott recognized opportunities to use advanced plastics in applications traditionally dominated by steel. The automotive industry was already turning to lightweight materials to reduce weight and cost, and Missy and Scott both saw potential for the same transition in energy and defense. Plastics could offer properties particularly useful in demanding applications: chemical neutrality, electrical insulation, lighter weight and the ability to replace certain metal components. There was skepticism. Missy remembers being told some of their ideas simply couldn’t be done. But that became part of Noble’s niche. “Sometimes it takes a visionary who doesn’t see the limits, like my husband. And then a person like myself who will say, ‘Yeah, I believe in you. I’ll support this. Let’s find a way.’” Building a Company and a Family at the Same Time Noble Plastics’ first home was the rear of a rented building in an industrial park off Ambassador Caffery. Missy had a detailed five-year business plan, but life quickly reminded this self-described planner that not everything fits neatly into a spreadsheet. She and Scott already had two young children when Missy unexpectedly became pregnant with their third. Her attorney and accountant jokingly pointed out that there was nothing on page 17 of her carefully constructed business plan about having a baby in the third quarter. Her son spent much of his first year in a Pack ‘n Play in her office. Missy recalls holding him while a client signed a contract, handing the baby to the client, and then signing the agreement herself. That experience helped define the kind of people Noble wanted to work with: clients who valued relationships, local jobs and a company that understood their industries. What Exactly Does Noble Plastics Make? Noble is not making disposable cups, water-bottle caps or other commodity plastic products. The company occupies a highly specialized precision manufacturing space. In injection molding, solid plastic pellets are heated under pressure until the material flows, injected into a precision mold and then cooled back into a solid form. Depending upon the material, temperatures can reach the 500-, 600- or even 700-degree range. And these are not necessarily ordinary plastics. Noble works with specialty materials containing glass fiber, carbon fiber, nanotubes and other components engineered for strength, durability, heat management and insulating properties. Missy offers a wonderfully understandable description of the highly sophisticated equipment Noble Plastics operates: “They are like giant hot glue guns.” The difference is what comes out of those “hot glue guns.” Noble Plastics manufactures precision components used in energy, defense, solar, sporting goods and other industries, often creating parts the average consumer will never see. “What we make really matters in the programs that they go into,” Missy says. “And there’s a sense of pride for that.” Perhaps no story better illustrates the breadth of Noble’s work than one Missy recalls from about 15 years ago. On the same day, Noble’s smallest machine was producing super-glue ...
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