Louisiana Economic Development honored 10 companies as Louisiana Growth Leaders at the 2024 Spotlight Louisiana event recently at the Hilton Capitol Center in Baton Rouge. The event also featured the presentation of the annual Louisiana Growth Leader Legend.
Louisiana Growth Leaders are selected by a statewide panel of economic development professionals who evaluate companies in the LED Growth Network on business success and community contributions. Criteria consists of growth, strategy, innovation, philanthropy and leadership. The Legend Award is the LED Growth Network’s top honor, recognizing one past Louisiana Growth Leader who has exhibited sustained success and excellence.
“These are different kinds of businesses from different parts of the state, but they share one thing in common: they have all gone above and beyond, both as business owners and community leaders,” Gov. Jeff Landry said. “I congratulate our honorees and encourage everyone to learn more about the impact these business leaders are having on our economy. They are role models for our future economic success.”
The 10 companies honored as 2024 Louisiana Growth Leaders are:
- brandRUSSO of Lafayette; Jaci Russo, PCM, co-founder
- Core Boiler & Mechanical Services of Prairieville; Paola Alvarado, president
- Envoc of Baton Rouge; Calvin Fabre, president and founder
- Finding Solace of West Monroe; Lyla Corkern, owner and CEO
- Foret Contracting Group, LLC of Thibodaux; Benton Foret, co-founder
- Gulf Wind Technology of Avondale; James Martin, CEO
- M S Benbow and Associates Professional Engineering Corporation of Metairie; Leo Holzenthal, Jr., P.E., president and CEO
- Martin Specialty Coatings, LLC of Shreveport; Tim Keeley, CEO
- Restech Information Services, Inc. of Metairie; Vince Gremillion, founder and president
- Urban South Brewery of New Orleans; Jacob Landry, founder and CEO
“One of my top priorities as LED Secretary is to ensure we are shining a spotlight on the many assets Louisiana has as well as our business success stories,” LED Secretary Susan B. Bourgeois said. “This dynamic group is a true representation of the outstanding products and services our great state has to offer. Tonight’s awardees collectively generated more than $72 million in sales in 2022 to external markets beyond Louisiana, representing immense new wealth creation and opportunity for our state.”
The third annual Legend award was presented to Tides Medical, a Lafayette-based biotechnology company that sources and acquires donated human placentas to manufacture advanced regenerative skin substitutes. Those skin substitute products are distributed nationwide for use in the treatment of chronic or difficult-to-heal wounds.
“As I reflect on the past, celebrate the present and envision the future of Tides, the core tenet of putting patients first remains top-of-mind,” said Tides Medical CEO Joe Spell. “It’s always been about helping people. Each day I am amazed by the growing company that we’ve built with our common purpose to improve and save lives. Even though we’ve come so far in 14 years, it feels like we’re just getting started.”
Detailed information about the honorees may be found in Louisiana’s Entrepreneurial Engine 2024.
LED’s key partner for second-stage small business support, the Michigan-based Edward Lowe Foundation, had senior leadership in attendance at this year’s Spotlight ceremony. The Edward Lowe Foundation recognizes Louisiana as a national model for programs that support growth-oriented small businesses and entrepreneurs. The LED Growth Network is the suite of programs designed to accelerate second-stage business success.
The LED Growth Network has supported over 700 companies that represent more than $4.2 billion in annual sales and 22,700 jobs. Return on Investment figures for key small business programs such as the System for Integrated Growth and CEO Roundtables are in excess of $11 and $9, respectively, for every $1 invested by the state. Growth Network members are small businesses beyond the startup stage but not yet fully mature. They enter the Growth Network by participating in one or more of LED’s programs for second-stage firms.
Applications for the 2025 Louisiana Growth Leaders class and 2025 Legend will be accepted from Oct. 1 through Nov. 30, 2024. All LED Growth Network companies are eligible to apply for the Growth Leader award. All past Growth Leaders are invited to apply for the Legend award.
For more information about the LED Growth Network, Spotlight Louisiana or Louisiana Growth Leaders and Legends, contact Assistant Director of Small Business Services Christopher Cassagne at Christopher.Cassagne@La.Gov or 225.342.5882.
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