Bank announces promotions

JENNINGS —  JD Bank is pleased to announce that Jared Doucet has been promoted to chief financial officer of JD Banc-shares and JD Bank; and Amber Freese has been promoted to controller of JD Bank.

Doucet has 23 years of accounting and investments experience, about 14 of which have been with community banks. He has served as JD Bank’s Controller and Investment Officer for about nine years. He is a certified public accountant and holds a Bachelor of Accounting and Master of Business Administration from the University of Louisiana at Lafayette.

Freese has 11 years of accounting and banking experience and joined JD Bank in 2021 as assistant controller. She holds a Bachelor of Accounting and Master of Professional Accountancy from Louisiana Tech University.

Brandon named president of bank

LEESVILLE — Ken Hughes, chairman/President and CEO of Merchants & Farmers Bank, is pleased to announce the selection of Luke Brandon as the bank’s new president and CEO, following an extensive search process performed by an outside firm. Brandon, who currently serves as the bank’s chief financial officer, will replace Hughes upon his retirement in February 2025, after 50 years of service to Merchants & Farmers Bank, and the communities it serves.

Hughes will continue to serve as chairman of the Board of Directors.

Brandon is a graduate of Anacoco High School, and Louisiana State University. He holds the designation of Certified Valuation Analyst from the National Association of Certified Valuators and Analysts and is a graduate of Louisiana State University’s Graduate Banking School program, where he received recognition for outstanding performance in Bank simulation.

He  started his banking career at American Planning Corporation, a consulting firm that specializes in financial and strategic planning for community banks, regulatory rehabilitation, and investment banking services.

Brandon served as an outsourced CFO for over 50 community banks ranging in size from under $50 million to over $2 billion in assets. Over a 16-year period, he assisted in the successful formation of several banks (two in Louisiana), assisted in numerous merger and acquisition projects, and specialized in bank stock valuations. Brandon joined Merchants & Farmers Bank in July of 2022.

Meinhold joins LC Memorial

Lake Charles Memorial Health System is pleased to welcome Michael Meinhold, DO, a fellowship trained orthopedic surgeon, to its medical staff.

Meinhold is the newest physician to join Memorial’s team of Orthopedic Specialists of Nathan Cohen, MD, Kipp Cryar, MD, Barry Henry, MD, Alan Hinton, MD, and James Jackson, DO.

Meinhold specializes in adult total joint replacements, including primary and complex revision joint procedures. He is skilled in anterior total hip and knee arthroplasty, including computer-navigated robotic-assisted surgery, and the latest techniques for improved patient outcomes.

After receiving an undergraduate degree from the State University of New York at Buffalo, he received a Post Baccalaureate Certification and a medical degree as a Doctor of Osteopathic Medicine from Lake Erie College of Osteopathic Medicine. His residency was spent at Millcreek Community Hospital in Erie, Penn. Then completed an Adult Reconstruction Fellowship at the University of Miami, of which was a high-volume fellowship allowing him to perform 500+ joint replacements during the COVID-19 Pandemic.

Southern Pipe & Supply honored

MERIDIAN, Miss. – For the third consecutive year, Southern Pipe & Supply has been named one of the Best Workplaces in Construction, earning a spot in the Top 10 of companies nationwide.

This is the company’s 10th time to be recognized by Fortune magazine, and its second time to receive two honors in the same year after being recognized as a Top 100 Workplace for Millennials in June.

Southern Pipe & Supply is the largest privately-owned distributor of plumbing, heating, air-conditioning (HVAC), industrial, mechanical, and waterworks materials in the Southeast.

In Fortune’s analysis of the company, the top two reasons employees gave for ranking Southern Pipe & Supply so highly were the remarkable sense of family and working with people that care for each other.