Names in the News: People shaping the future of Lake Area business

Published 8:44 am Sunday, February 9, 2025

Waldmeier named senior VP

Caleb Waldmeier has been promoted to senior vice president of commercial lending for the Calcasieu area market of Merchants and Farmers Bank.

Waldmeier has been with Merchants and Farmers for over 12 years, earned a Bachelor of Science in Finance from McNeese State University in 2005, and graduated from Graduate School of Banking at LSU. He is a lifelong Calcasieu Parish resident.

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Waldmeier stays civically engaged in the Calcasieu community as he formally served as the treasurer for the Arts Counsel for the past five years, and is also a past president of the Kiwanis Club of South Lake Charles.

Hughes named VP of lending

Kenneth Hughes has been promoted to senior vice president of commercial lending for Merchants and Farmers Bank’s Calcasieu area market.

Hughes began his career with Merchants and Farmers as a teller, proof operator and in the Note Department during the summers of high school and college. Hughes has extensive banking experience in investments, audit, loan review and regulatory reporting.

Hughes, a Vernon Parish native and Leesville High School graduate, earned his Bachelor of Science in accounting at McNeese State University, and is a graduate of the Graduate School of Bank at Louisiana State University.

Hughes is actively engaged in the Calcasieu community as he serves on the Delta Waterfowl Gulf Coast Chapter committee, Lake Charles chapter of the Coastal Conservation Association, and treasurer for the Barbe Football Booster Club.

Hunter presented leadership award

Lake Charles Mayor Nic Hunter was presented with the Tommy Longo Disaster Leadership Award at the Louisiana Municipal Association’s annual Mid-Winter Conference.

The award was presented by LeadersLink, a nonprofit specializing in harnessing and sharing the perspective and lessons learned by leaders who have faced disasters in hopes of helping other communities better prevent, prepare and recover from major crises.

Nominations for the award came from around the country, with nominees leading recoveries from wildfires, floods, tornadoes, hurricanes or other natural disasters.

The Tommy Longo Disaster Leadership Award is named after the late mayor of Waveland, Miss., John “Tommy” Longo.  He led the city’s successful recovery from Hurricane Katrina and volunteered to serve as one of LeadersLink’s first mentors, sharing his experiences with other.

Andrepont VP of Lake City Printing

Lake City Printing has announced the promotion of Adrian Andrepont to the position of vice president/general manager.

Andrepont is originally from Church Point and has 22 years of experience in the printing industry. He has been with LCP for eight years, working in a variety of production management roles and serving as the company’s general manager for the past two years, a role he will continue.

Founded by Romero 48 years ago, LCP is now the largest printing and mailing company between Houston and Baton Rouge. LCP also started FASTSIGNS 10 years ago. Mathew Romero serves as president of that company.

Four graduates recognized

BATON ROUGE — The Louisiana State Police recently hosted the graduation ceremony for Cadet Class 105, comprised exclusively of prior law enforcement officers from across the state.

The event highlighted the dedication and achievements of 51 individuals who successfully completed their journey to become Louisiana State Troopers.

Among them were — from Troop D-Lake Charles — Branden Guillory,  Sabrina Hays,  O’Hyge Little and Recia Murphy.

Chiefs accepted into academy

WESTLAKE — The City of Westlake is proud to announce that Fire Chief Jonathan Duff has been accepted into the U.S. Fire Administration’s National Fire Academy’s Executive Fire Officer Program in Emmitsburg, Md.

This prestigious program represents the highest level of training offered at the academy and is designed to enhance the professional development of fire service leaders.

The EFO Program spans two to four years and culminates with a Capstone Applied Project (CAP) that directly benefits the chief’s organization and community. In addition to Chief Duff, Carlyss Fire Chief Mark Ware has also been selected to participate in the EFO Program.

Since its inception in 1985, only 27 fire chiefs from Louisiana have been accepted into this elite program, highlighting the significance of this accomplishment.

Mazilly named  VP at BHS

DERIDDER — Ashley Mazilly has accepted the position of vice president of project management at Beauregard Health System.

Mazilly brings over 15 years of leadership and operational experience to this new role. She comes to Beauregard Health System from Northrop Grumman Corporation, and was previously the vice president of finance and corporate services, CFO, of Beauregard Electric in DeRidder. In this role, she also led BECI’s data processing and information technology functions.

Mazilly has health care accounting and leadership experience, having served as Controller for Women’s and Children’s Hospital in Lake Charles.

As VP of project management for Beauregard Health System, Mazilly will oversee projects designed to drive organizational improvement and optimization. She will also lead Revenue Cycle, Information Technology, Utilization Review and Health Information Management. She has a Bachelor of Science Degree in accounting from McNeese State University.

Boudreaux Joins bankFNBD

Southwest Louisiana – bankFNBD is proud to announce the appointment of Jonathan J. Boudreaux as senior vice president, regional President for Calcasieu Parish. He brings nearly two decades of expertise in commercial lending, guaranteed lending programs, and business development, along with a commitment to building strong community partnerships.

Boudreaux’s background includes over 17 years of experience in banking, specializing in business and commercial lending. A Louisiana native, he earned both a Master of Business Administration from Louisiana State University-Shreveport and a Bachelor of Science in business administration from Northwestern State University. He is also a graduate of the Graduate School of Banking at LSU and the Barrett Commercial School of Banking. He is a Leadership SWLA Alumni (2019 class).

Boudreaux will oversee regional initiatives that reinforce bankFNBD’s dedication to excellence in financial services and the ongoing development of Southwest Louisiana’s community.