GATEWAY NEWS A Bi-monthly Publication of the Iberville Chamber of Commerce
FEBRUARY-MARCH 2014
Wilbert gets prestigious Spirit of Iberville Award at Chamber banquet A packed house of Chamber members and guests were on hand to watch as John W. “Johnny Boy” Wilbert, Jr. received the Spirit of Iberville Award at the Chamber’s annual banquet and recognition ceremony. The popular event was held at Nottoway Plantation Resort on January 23. Sponsoring the event this year as the platinum sponsor was the Iberville Parish banks: Anthem Bank, Bank of Maringouin, Citizens Bank & Trust Co., Iberville Bank, Plaquemine Bank & Trust Co.,
New Members Tiger Truck Stop, Inc.
648-2312 Advanced Retail Solutions
776-7522 4-H Youth Development Program-Iberville Parish
687-5155 Cableworks Incorporated
752-2253
Johnny Wilbert, who received the prestigious Spirit of Iberville award, is shown with part of his family. From left is Anna Breaux, Colleen Wilbert, Johnny Wilbert and his wife, Emily. and The Bank of Commerce. The gold sponsor for the event was The Dow Chemical Company. The silver sponsor for the event was Axiall Corporation. The bronze sponsors for the event were Dow Louisiana Federal Credit Union; East Iberville-INC (Industry Neighbor Companies); Excel Group; Iberville Parish School Board; Ochsner Health System; Performance Contractors; SNF Flopam Inc; and Shintech Louisiana. The Spirit of Iberville award is given annually to an individual who exhibits a very high degree of parish and community involvement, the highest level of integrity in all of his or her business
Brad Guerin, outgoing Chamber Board of Directors chairman, is shown with incoming chairman, Clint Seneca. and community activities; has a record of service to others, exhibits leadership in action and dedication to making Iberville a better community. “Johnny Boy” Wilbert is a
native and life-long resident of Plaquemine, a 1943 graduate of St. John High School, and has a bachelor’s degree from LSU in zoology. He was a veteran of WWII, and is a member of the American Legion and the Knights of Columbus for over 50 years. Wilbert has been blowing taps for veterans’ funerals and patriotic gatherings for more than 70 years. He served as a past board member of the Iberville Chamber of Commerce and was named “Plaquemine Citizen of the Year” in 2002. He served as past president of the Plaquemine Rotary Club; is a retired director of Citizens Bank and Trust; past president and board member of the Foundation of Historical Louisiana and was named Preservationist of the Year in 2004. His interest in preservation began as a young boy with his parent’s restoration of their antebellum home called “Old Variety,” which burned to the ground in 1973. His love for preservation led him to purchase an 1850 home, move it and restore it on the exact site of his burned family home. |continued on page 3|
16 Annual Chamber Golf Scramble th
Monday, March 31 The Island Country Club Registration begins at 11 a.m.
Team sponsorship includes 2 mulligans per golfer, longest drive contest, closest to the pin contest, hole-in-one contest, lunch, beer, soft drinks, cart and green fees, range balls and the awards dinner. Team sponsorships are $480 per team or $120 per golfer.
EXECUTIVE COMMITTEE Chairman of the Board Clint Seneca Iberville Assessor’s Office Chairman Elect Steve Smith, The AME Group First Vice-Chair Jolain Landry Iberville School Board
Shotgun start at 1 p.m.
Sponsorships and registrations now being accepted!
Chamber Officers and Board for 2014
Among the sponsorships are: Hole - $125 Corporate - $700 Hole-In-One - $500 Food - $500 Awards Dinner - $600
For more information, call the Chamber – 687-3560 or Email Brenda:
[email protected] Email Jennifer:
[email protected]
Past Chairman Brad Guerin Fusion Architecture Treasurer Daniel Durand, Allstate
BOARD MEMBERS Rick Gros, Shintech David Kessler, The Bank of Commerce Leslie Gallagher, Iberville Sheriff’s Office Arron Pierre, A. Wilbert’s Sons
Parish of Iberville ARC Facility
Ribbon Cutting events
Frances Tempanaro, Clear Choice Communications Hayley Brown, Axiall Grace Cryer, Syngenta Christina Cedotal, The Dow Chemical Co. Maurice Hall, Maurice Hall & Associates
The Island Pub
Tonya Orcino, St. John School J. Mitchell Ourso, Jr., Parish President
GETTING LAW ENFORCEMENT LESSON… The 2014 class of Leadership Iberville got a lesson on law enforcement and the prison system at its January session. Iberville Sheriff Brett Stassi had key personnel give presentations on various aspects of law enforcement in Iberville, including its canine and forensics programs, at the Syngenta Crop Protection plant in St. Gabriel. The group also toured Hunt Correctional Center in St. Gabriel. Shown above are scenes from the session. Special thanks to Sheriff Stassi for assistance in arranging this presentation.
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Scenes from the Chamber’s membership banquet at Nottoway
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Wilbert’s grandfather started a coffin business in 1850 that is known today as Wilbert Funeral Home. His father bought the funeral home business from the family corporation in 1940 and today Wilbert serves as Chairman of the Board, overseeing the business operations. He is married to Emily Van Horn, and has three sons, a daughter, 12 grandchildren and 8 great-grandchildren. Brad Guerin of Fusion Architecture APC was recognized as outgoing chairman of the board, and presented with a plaque and gift for his years of service. He recognized the outgoing directors Bobby Blanchard, Iberville Bank; Stacey Chiasson, Dow Chemical; Glynn Fontenot, Methanex; Kit Janis, East Iberville-INC; and Janet Campo, Plaquemine Bank, for their service. Guerin passed the chairmanship gavel to Clint Seneca of the Iberville Parish Assessors Office. Giving the Keynote address for this year’s banquet was former LSU Basketball Coach Dale Brown, the winningest coach in LSU basketball and SEC history.
Platinum sponsor – Iberville Banks Danny Strickland of Anthem Bank, Ed Middleton of Citizens Bank, Bobby Blanchard of Iberville Bank, Janet Campo of Plaquemine Bank, David Kessler of The Bank of Commerce and Al Smith Jr., of the Bank of Maringouin.
Gold and Silver sponsors Stacey Chiasson of the Dow Chemical Co., gold sponsor; and Hayley Brown of Axiall, silver sponsor.
Bronze sponsors Lesli Sheets of East Iberville-INC, Kim Wigley of Excel Group, Jeanetta Hebert of Ochsner Medical Center, Lis Patrick of the Dow Louisiana Federal Credit Union, Superintendent Ed Cancienne of the Iberville School System, Paul West of SNF Flopam, Tim Gilder of Shintech, and Chet Ferachi of Performance Contractors.
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4 Iberville Sheriff’s Office
Krewe of Comogo
Businesses understand the importance of technology, and the Iberville Sheriff’s Office has ramped up its use of technology to communicate with residents, solve crimes and operate more efficiently under the leadership of Sheriff Brett Stassi. Among the technology improvements made by Stassi are the development of a new website and creation of a facebook page for the Sheriff’s Office, both of which have become very popular. The website includes new features that allow for payment of property taxes and citations on line, along with providing residents ways to report suspicious activity, make records requests, and see recent arrests. And Sheriff Stassi’s facebook page reached 5,000 friends, so he created a facebook page for the Sheriff’s Office to post arrests and other department information. Stassi has also increased training for deputies, negotiated a standstill budget with Acadian Ambulance through June of 2014, made equipment upgrades including new bullet-proof vests and guns, and led the effort to get the Sheriff’s Office more involved in the community and local schools by increasing resource officers at schools. The Sheriff’s Office can be reached via the website: www.IbervilleSheriff.com, facebook. com/Iberville Parish Sheriff’s Office, or by calling 225-687-5100.
The Krewe of Comogo is gearing up for its parade on Saturday, March 3, at 7 p.m. The parade will feature 17 floats, three marching bands, including one 200-member band; and a pipes and drums group. Dr. James Grace was named Grand Marshal of this year’s parade. The Krewe of Comogo is the only night time Mardi Gras parade in Iberville. It will be followed by the Krewe’s gala at the Carl Grant Civic Center. The Krewe was formed in memory of Brenda Comeaux. Brenda’s true love was Mardi Gras, which was evident by her involvement in the Krewe of Okeanos, where she
served as a board member and Ball Captain in 1991 and 2000 and Co-Ball Captain in 1993. She was also the first woman Co-Ball Captain of Krewe du Roi in 1988 and again in 1995. She was a creative individual who had a flair for designing and decorating. She organized entertainment, coordinated music, and decorated sets, costumes and headpieces for the krewe balls. The parade will begin at St. John the Evangelist Catholic Church in Plaquemine, travel down La. Hwy 1 South to La. Hwy. 75 (Belleview Road) and continue to the Civic Center. For more information, go to www.KreweofComogo.org.
23675 Church St., P.O. Box 248 Plaquemine, LA 70765-0248 225-687-3560
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