Locally Owned - Mediaspan

2 

AMERICAN PRESS 

ADVERTISING SECTION 

THURSDAY, APRIL 7, 2011 

ADVERTISER PAGE 

3/50 Project . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .20 

Aday Tire & Auto Service . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .4 

Affordable Mobile Homes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .14 

Allstar Pontiac GMC Truck Inc. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .13 

Alterations Plus . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .4 

American Press . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .16 

Better Business Bureau . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .18 

Billy Navarre Chevrolet . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .5 

Blazin Truck Parts & Accessories . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .2 

Bridgeway Psychiatric Center . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .8 

Brown’s Neighborhood Market . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .17 

Business Health Partners LLC . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .9 

Calcasieu Financial Services . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .12 

Celebrations Cakes & Catering . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .15 

Chamber Southwest . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .14 

Creative Concepts . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .17 

Creative Concrete by Ron . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .12 

CSE Federal Credit Union . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .6 

Fat Cat Cafe, The . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .6 

Fiesta Tamales . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .8 

First Federal Bank . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .10-11 

Garber Foot And Ankle Clinic . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .18 

Grand Rental Station . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .18 

Gulf Coast Carpet . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .20 

Hokus Pokus . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .19 

Huddle Up, The . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .17 

Insurance Unlimited . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .19 

Keith’s Paint And Body . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .6 

Kenny Fuselier . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .18 

Lake Area Office Products . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .13 

McNeese State University . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .3 

Michelle Swift, DDS . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .8 

Neighborhood Bar, The . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .15 

Nissan of Lake Charles . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .20 

Pumpelly Auto Centers . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .9 

Renee’s Cafe & Boutique . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .13 

Sabine Pools & Spas . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .14 

Seal Properties . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .7 

Sha-Sha’s . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .2 

Shearman Real Estate . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .3 

Southland Coins . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .8 

Southwest Bar Needs, Inc. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .4 

Special Touch Massage . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .9 

Spicer-Hughes Marina & Motel . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .3 

State Farm Insurance - Melanie Perry . . . . . . . . . . . . .12 

Stockwell, Sievert, Vicellio, Clements & Shaddock . . .15 

Teci’s Ladies Apparel . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .17 

Uniform Shop, The . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .3 

United Office Supply . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .19 

■ BLAZIN’ TRUCK PARTS & ACCESSORIES 

For real heavy-duty truck parts 

Scott McCoy, Manager and Sabrina McCoy, Owner 

Blazin’ Truck Parts & 

Accessories is owned by 

Sabrina McCoy and managed 

by her husband 

Scott, who has over 28 

years experience and 

expertise in the heavyduty 

truck parts industry. 

“Our main focus is 

heavy-duty truck and 

trailer parts and chrome 

and stainless accessories,” 

said Sabrina. “Some of the 

brands we carry are Grand 

Rock exhaust, Baldwin 

and Caterpiller filters, 

■ SHA SHA’S OF CREOLE 

Fresh Cajun Seafood with a Kick 

Sha Sha’s of Creole was 

opened in 1972 by Karlton 

Styron and his mom, Sha 

Sha. Karlton and Sherry 

Styron, who have been 

managing the business 

since 2000, now own Sha 

Sha’s. After twice having 

to rebuild in Creole 

because of Hurricane Rita 

and Hurricane Ike, they 

made the move to Lake 

Charles one year ago to 

get further away from the 

storm surge. 

Sha Sha’s is the only 

restaurant in the Lake 

Area that actually purchases 

our own seafood 

from local fishermen. We 

shuck every oyster. We 

de-head and peel every 

shrimp. We purchase fresh 

crab meat when possible. 

We feel we offer the best 

and freshest seafood possible. 

We are also one of 

the only places in the area 

that has live music on 

Friday and Saturday 

nights, a full service bar, 

and a fun, casual atmosphere, 

in which our 

servers are wearing their 

Omega air conditioning 

parts, United Pacific 

chrome accessories, Road 

Works stainless accessories, 

and much more. 

We also carry parts for 

boat, utility, and cargo 

trailers.” She said they 

nurture their working relationships 

with an assortment 

of vendors because 

they are dedicated to providing 

the best products 

available in the trucking 

industry. 

“As a locally owned 

Karlton and Sherry Styron, Owners 

shrimp boots! 

“We prepare everything 

from scratch. We make 

our own coleslaw, potato 

salad, bread pudding, 

onion rings, and gumbo. 

We even make our own 

cocktail and tartar 

sauces.” 

Stop in and enjoy everything 

Sha Sha’s has to 

offer at 609 Ryan St., in 

Downtown Lake Charles. 

business, beyond providing 

exceptional service 

and products to our customers, 

we also believe in 

supporting our community,” 

Sabrina explained. 

“With that spirit in mind, 

Blazin’ Truck Parts & 

Accessories hosted a customer 

appreciation/anniversary 

celebration this past year 

which included a truck 

show for customers to display 

their big rigs, with all 

proceeds benefiting the 

Parkinson Association of 

the South.” They hope to 

make this an annual event. 

Come by and see “The 

REAL Heavy Duty Truck 

Specialist,” conveniently 

located at Exit 36 off of I- 

10 with lots of big rig 

parking available. 

5925 Wright Road 

Exit 36 

Lake Charles 

310-PART (7278) 

00671158 

00671260 

Sha Sha’s of Creole 

609 Ryan Street 

Lake Charles, LA 

www.shashasofcreole.com

THE UNIFORM SHOP 

The Lake Area’s Only “Complete” Uniform Shop 

Opened in 1984 as 

Vyrona’s Uniforms and 

Gifts, in Downtown Lake 

Charles, on Ryan Street, 

by Stanley & Vyrona 

LeJuene, it was purchased 

in 1998 by Albert 

Andrepont and Debbie 

Dubrock Trahan. The 

Uniform Shop expanded 

and moved to a new, bigger 

location in 2002, on 

the corner of Kirkman 

Street and 18th Street, 

where it still is today. In 

2008, Debbie became the 

sole owner of the Uniform 

Shop. 

They outfit the surrounding 

parishes Law 

Enforcement, Fire and 

EMT, Postal, and Security 

uniforms. They provide 

Private and Public school 

uniforms, Medical uniforms 

and equipment. 

They also provide alteration 

services for any uniforms 

they sell, along 

with personal attire alterations. 

They offer uniforms 

for culinary, local 

restaurant attire, P.E. uniforms, 

chair backs and 

many more accessories. 

They offer competitive 

prices and impeccable 

Top Left to Right: Soffia, Debbie & Megan. 

Bottom Left to Right: Sue, Bonnie, 

Bertha & Shontay. 

quality while providing 

outstanding customer 

service. They offer yearround 

lay-a-way and you 

can always find a sale at 

The Uniform Shop. 

“We look forward to 

start outfitting more pri- 

vate schools, in terms of 

plaids, and would welcome 

any current or new 

business owners looking 

for uniforms to call for an 

appointment. We would 

love to outfit your business.” 

2708 Kirkman Street 

Lake Charles, LA 70601 

337-439-2476 1-866-439-2476 

00671762 

■ DOWNTOWN PROPERTIES 

For residential and commerical needs 

Downtown Properties 

opened February 1, 2009, 

but had been operated 

long before this by Lake 

Charles Property 

Management. Serving the 

Downtown Lake Charles 

area, they specialize in 

providing homes, apartments, 

retail, and office 

spaces to the public. 

“We are locally owned 

and operated and look 

forward to finding the 

perfect place for your 

business or home needs.” 

If you are in the market 

for a home or business 

space, Downtown 

Properties can help you 

find Downtown rentals at 

a very reasonable price. 

Stop by their office 

located at 721 Ryan St. in 

Lake Charles and visit 

with any of their knowledgeable 

staff, which 

includes Stephani, the 

manager, Sheila or Lynette 

to help you with any of 

your residential or commercial 

needs. With a 

maintenance staff second 

to none, you are sure to be 

satisfied with your choice 

of Downtown Properties. 

Downtown Lake 

Charles is becoming bigger 

and better than ever, 

and so is Downtown 

Properties. 

“We are continually 

growing. Come be a part 

of the new Downtown 

Lake Charles!” You can 

contact Downtown 

Properties at (337) 433- 

4353 to assist you with 

your Downtown relocation 

needs. 

OFFICE SPACE 

RETAIL SPACE 

LOFTS 

APARTMENTS 

HOMES 

00671185 



433-4353 



■ SPICER-HUGHES MARINA AND MOTEL 

“We are wife-approved” 

Spicer Hughes Marina 

and Motel is just minutes 

away from some of the 

best fishing spots in 

Louisiana. Whether on 

business, vacation, planning 

a fishing trip with 

the guys or just trying to 

get away, we can accommodate 

all of your needs. 

Guide services available 

for your fishing needs. 

Spicer Hughes Marina 

and Motel opened for 

business in May 1998. We 

are located on Kelso 

Bayou in Hackberry, La., 

about 18 miles south of 

Sulphur, La. We have two 

boat launches on site. We 

have a large parking area 

to park your truck and 

trailer. Our location offers 

dockside fuel for boats. 

We have a large bait 

room with 8 vats that we 

have live shrimp for sale. 

We also have a large selection 

of light tackle for salt 

water fishing, frozen bait 

shrimp, cold drinks, all 

sorts of snacks and souvenir 

t-shirts and hats. 

Fish cleaning facilities 

available. 

We have eight motel 

rooms. All rooms have 

two queen beds, minifridge, 

microwave, TV, 

and coffee pot. Some 

include kitchenettes, 

which have a kitchen 

stocked with essential 

utensils. There are outdoor 

grills available to 

cook up that fresh catch. 

We have three different 

lodges available for larger 

groups. The “Main 

House” has two bedrooms 

with five beds. The 

“Dock” is a one bedroom 

with three beds and a 


■ MCNEESE STATE UNIVERSITY SMALL BUSINESS DEPARTMENT 

Helping small businesses grow 

Could your business use 

a boost? 

Louisiana Economic 

Development’s Small & 

Emerging Business 

Development Program 

could be the answer! Get 

help paying for specialty 

training, accounting training, 

website design and 

more! Go to 

www.ledsmallbiz.com to 

see if you qualify. Then 

call the Louisiana Small 

Business Development 

Center at McNeese State 

University at (337) 475- 

5529 for further assistance. 

The Louisiana Small 


Center at McNeese has 

been serving Southwest 

Louisiana for more than 

25 years. Besides working 

with the Small and 

Emerging Business 

Development program, we 

offer confidential, individual 

business consulting at 

no cost to the business 

owner in Allen, 

Beauregard, Calcasieu, 

Cameron and Jeff Davis 

parishes. Our experienced 

professionals work with 

start-up and existing businesses 

in developing busi- 

ness plans, financial statements, 

marketing and 

growth strategies, and 

loan packages. We also 

offer inexpensive entrepreneurial 

training, and free 

business information and 

resources. 

The LSBDC specializes 

in helping small businesses 

solve problems and 

grow. Let the experienced 

staff members assist you 

with their confidential, 

professional consulting 

services. 

Businesses who take 

advantage of counseling 

from the LSBDC are more 

successful. Clients experience 

a 29 percent greater 

sales increase and a 16 

percent greater increase in 

employment levels over 

the average Louisiana 

business. And all counseling 

assistance is free! 

"Even being in business 

for more than 11 years, it 

was good to get a fresh set 

of eyes on my business," 

said Sarah Ehlers, owner 

of Jon Margeaux in the 

Cottage Shop cultural district. 

As Southwest 

Louisiana's premier busi- 

Jon Margeaux 

We can accommodate all your needs. 

3 

ness consulting service, 

we are proud to serve the 

business community, 

assisting businesses 

toward successful ventures. 

Call today to learn 

how to turn your dreams 

of being a successful entrepreneur 

into a reality. 

00671180 

queen size sleeper sofa. 

The “Duck Hut” has one 

bedroom with two beds, a 

rollaway bed, and a queen 

size sleeper sofa. 

Spicer-Hughes 

Marina & Motel 

00671172 

Louisiana Small 


Center at McNeese 

State University 

lsbdc.msu@lsbdc.org 

(337) 475-5529 

198 Bourgs Port Rd. 

Hackberry, LA 70645 

337-762-3170

4 




ADAY TIRE & AUTO SERVICE 

Keeping Lake Area Rolling 

Tom Aday, Sr. opened 

his own tire store in 

1952 with the idea that 

people wanted quality 

tires at a competitive 

price. 

His business was 

built on the philosophy 

that customer service 

was always the highest 

priority. This tradition 

is still carried on today 

by his son Brian. 

Aday Tire & Auto 

Service has been a fullline 

Goodyear dealer 

since 1969 and also 

offer the full-line up of 

Kelly Springfield. They 

have the best tires for 

your car, truck or recreational 

vehicle. 

A Sulphur location 

was added in 1990, and 

is managed by Bobby 

Koonce. He is assisted 

by John Aday, the 

Aday’s 3rd generation. 

Both stores offer 

complete tire service, 

alignment, brake and 

minor auto repairs. The 

Lake Charles store has 

added complete auto 

Clara Loomis, John Aday, 

Bobby Koonce, Patrick Matt, 

Andrew Smith, Brian Aday. 

00671189 

Mrs. Tom Aday, Sr., 

Original Founder 

service, including A/C 

repairs and tune-ups 

with Thomas Till. 

“We have a commitment 

not only to our 

customers, but to the 

ideals on which we 

were founded that 

makes us the best,” 

says Brian. 

910 E. Prien Lake Rd. 

Lake Charles 477-6992 

106 Roddam St., Sulphur, 

527-3961 

■ SOUTHWEST BAR NEEDS, INC. 

Your one stop restaurant supply company 

From Left to Right: Jason Savoie, Dustin Burrow, 

Jason Mott, Jerry Savoie, Melissa Trahan, Buddy Sweat, 

and Evan Savoie 

When it comes to restaurant 

equipment and supply needs, 

you must visit Southwest Bar 

Needs Inc. Inc. They are your 

one stop restaurant supply company! 

Bought in 1992 from Stanley 

and Carol Hungerford, 

Southwest Bar Needs Inc. has 

been family owned since 1986. 

Stanley retired from Holsum 

Bread Company and had many 

contacts in the bar business, so 

he started supplying them with 

their bar needs. The business 

grew from there. 

With the addition of a 10,000 

sq. ft. showroom showcasing 

quality name brand food equipment 

such as True, Southbend, 

Berkel, Anets and Star; as well 

as small- ware brands such as 

Carlisle, Vollrath, Lincoln, 

Crestware and Cambro, you can 

find anything you need to stock 

your restaurant. Not only will 

you find the equipment and 

small-ware you are looking for, 

but they also carry a line of 

paper and janitorial supplies 

including Continental, 

Rubbermaid and Dart. This 

brings Southwest Bar Needs Inc. 

to the top of the competition in 

offering everything a restaurant 

needs. 

If you are looking for tabletop 

items such as china, glassware 

or silverware, we offer numerous 

possibilities from companies 

such as Dudson, Syracuse 

China, Libbey, Cardinal, Anchor 

Hocking and Walco. If you are 

having a difficult time getting 

your products, let us know. If 

■ ALTERATIONS PLUS & GAIDRY’S HABERDASHERY CLUB 

The highest quality service and merchandise available 

Alterations Plus & 

Gaidry’s Haberdashery 

Club is an outgrowth of 

the old Gaidry’s Men’s 

Wear Store. The same 

alterations staff that was 

employed at Gaidry’s is 

now working at 



Club. The staff includes 

the owner-David Trahan, 

the custom specialist- 

Joseph Walls, and the 

alterations staff-Ashley, 

Rose and Elaine. They 

provide the same quality 

men’s clothing that 

Gaidry’s has provided 

since 1920. 

The services that 

Alterations Plus provides 

include alterations for 

men, women and children. 

At Gaidry’s 

Haberdashery Club, you 

can get custom-tailored 

men’s suits, sport coats, 

slacks, and shirts. You can 

also special order shoes, 

shirts and slacks. “Our 

customers demand excellence 

in quality and service 

that just can’t be 

hound at the larger franchise 

stores and discount 

outlets.” 

Gaidry’s has been a fix- 

we do not have the item you’re 

looking for in stock, we will do 

our best to get it for you and 

work with you on stocking it for 

your future needs. 

We are currently running 

weekly routes in Southwest 

Louisiana including Lafayette, 

Baton Rouge and Shreveport. 

We offer delivery and setup. 

We consult with new restaurants, 

figure out what they need, 

and deliver it when it’s ready. 

Buddy Sweat, the top salesman, 

says, ”No job is too big or 

too small. We do deliver nationwide.” 

Visit us at 1229 Third Street in Lake Charles for all of 

you restaurant supply needs 

We are still here: Ashley Rose, David Trahan - 

owner, Elaine & Joseph 

ture in this area for over 

80 years. We personally 

know many of the families 

who have remained 

faithful patrons of our 

store through the generations. 

They are not only 

our customers, we consider 

them friends. 

“We are a service-oriented 

company. We owe 

our continued success to 

customers who have 

made us what we are 

today.” 



Club is located at 121 

West College Street in 

Lake Charles. Give them a 

call at 474-3800 for your 

alteration needs. 

121 West College 

Lake Charless 

337-474-3800 00671177 

00671514 

The biggest selling points at 

Southwest Bar Needs Inc. are 

the convenience and selection. 

“We are the largest stocking 

dealer in the United States for 

the Dudson China Company,” 

says Jason Savoie. 

From the largest restaurant to 

the family home, Southwest Bar 

Needs Inc. has what you need. 

Thank you Southwest 

Louisiana for a wonderful 19 

years! 

Southwest Bar Needs, Inc. 

1229 Third Street 


430-0808 fax 430-0829 

Buddy@southwestbarneeds.com 

melissa@southwestbarneeds.com 

jason@southwestbarneeds.com

■ BILLY NAVARRE 




Thank You for 29 Fantastic Years and We’re Building 

for the Next 29 Years! 

Billy Navarre, center and sons (L-R) Grant, Ryan 

(General Manager at the Sulphur Store), Jareth & 

Barrett Navarre work hard each day to ensure that their 

customers get the best value for their automotive dollar. 

We’re building 2 New Chevy 

Showroom facilities on both sides of 

the river! 

We’re also building a New 

Hyundai Facility and New Huge 

Used Car Operation with Quick 

Service where we’ll be able to 

change people’s oil & filters in less 

than 10 minutes or an oil & filter 

change and tire rotation in less than 

20 minutes, and we’ll do it at a 

price lower than anyone has ever 

done in the marketplace in large 

volume and also includes a Free 

Car Wash! This service is already 

being provided now. This new 

Hyundai Showroom Floor and 

Used Car Center that we are building 

will be located on the corner of 

College and Enterprise. Along with 

the new Hyundai showroom, we 

will be adding an all new luxury 

line, which will include 5 luxury 

models: the Equus, Genesis, Genesis 

Coupe, the new luxury sport utility, 

and a new small high volume car. 

We are really excited about bringing 

in an import luxury brand where 

people will not have to drive out of 

town to buy a high-quality luxury 

import car in the future. We are 

breaking ground on this in the next 

few weeks and should be completed 

in the next 7 months! 

Billy Navarre says “Thank You” 

for allowing us not only to be the #1 

Auto Dealer in the market but also 

for again being named Lagniappe 

Magazine’s Best Auto Dealer and 

we have been voted the best every 

year in almost every publication for 

the last 30 years! 

Billy Navarre also says “Thank 

you SWLA for allowing us to serve 

you for 29 years. Also, thank you, 

for choosing our dealership as your 

number #1 choice in automobile 

dealers in the Lake Charles area, 

year after year.” And Chevrolet for 

the first two months of 2011 is the 

#1 selling car and truck brand in 

America outselling Ford, Toyota, 

Nissan, all other brands! Billy 

Navarre is expecting an increase in 

market share over the next 3 to 4 

years due to the tremendous products 

coming. 

Now that GM no longer builds 

Pontiac, Saturn, Hummer, or Saab, 

they will be building a lot more 

new Chevrolets and they will be 

restyling our models a lot quicker 

in the next 20 months. The all new 

Silverado HD, Motor Trend’s Truck 

of The Year, has debuted and is selling 

as fast as we can get them off 

the trucks. This is the most powerful 

heavy duty truck that Chevrolet 

has ever produced with Allison 

Transmission and 13 years of reputation 

of outstanding quality. The 

Cruze is selling like hotcakes! 

Already, for the first two months of 

2011, the Chevy Cruze is the #1 selling 

Sub-Compact in America, outselling 

the Corolla, the Sentra and 

all other brands in it’s class. That is 

amazing for a new car that doesn’t 

even have all production up yet. 

The customers absolutely love it! 

The Eco Cruze gets 42 MPG, the car 

has 10 air bags, comes with a 

100,000 mile warranty and a price 

of under $17,000. The Chevy 

Equinox is the #1 seller in the market 

by far and is outselling the 

Honda’s, the Toyota’s, the Nissan’s, 

all of them! Plus Chevrolet gives 

you a 40,000 mile longer powertrain 

warranty than you get from Ford, 

Toyota or Nissan! The Equinox has 

a great look, best in class fuel econ- 

omy of 32 MPG, and a lot of room 

and comfort and safety built into 

the new sport utility. The new Volt 

is not in Lake Charles yet, but 

everywhere they are selling it in the 

other 4 states, they are selling them 

like hotcakes! The electric vehicles 

are on the way! We should be selling 

this new car in approximately 6 

weeks. The new Chevy Sonic which 

gets over 40 MPG, a small car that 

competes with the Accent and the 

Fit is going to sell the new standard 

in small cars. We also have a new 

Spark that is even smaller and gets 

even better gas mileage coming in 

at an unbelievably low price. The 

new Camaro convertible, we have 8 

on the way at this moment, I think 

this car is going to set a record in 

convertible sells, it’s beautiful! 

We are building a new Hyundai 

Showroom Floor and Used Car 

Center on the corner of College and 

Enterprise, we have owned that 

land for years and now we are 

going to utilize it in a big way in 

increasing used cars, visibility and 

convenience and more room to park 

Hyundai’s and our new Genesis 

Luxury line, which will include 5 

luxury models: the Equus, Genesis, 

Genesis Coupe, the new luxury 

sport utility, about the size of the 

Lexus RX SUV, and a new small 

high volume car, about the size of 

the BMW 3 Series. We are really 

excited about bringing in an import 

luxury brand import where people 

will not have to drive out of town 

to buy a high-quality luxury import 

car in the future. 

When it comes to new models 

with Honda, we have a new 

Odyssey that gets 28 unbelievable 

MPG that we are selling as fast as 

we get them off the truck. The new 

Civic is rated at 41 MPG and is due 

in the next coming weeks. We are 

very excited about those two new 

models. 

For Hyundai we have 3 new 

exciting models coming in the next 

6 months. The new Elantra has 

already arrived and is selling unbelievably 

well. The new Sonata, we 

sell out of the Sonata every single 

month, we’re excited about that 

new car, and the Hybrid gets over 

40 MPG, the new Turbo, a fast, fun 

car that gets over 30 MPG and has a 

275-HP! Also there is another new 

Hyundai car that is coming out that 

gets over 40 MPG and the new 

Accent that looks a lot like the new 

Elantra and a lot lower price that is 

going to set new records in sells. We 

have a lot to be excited about for 

Hyundai and that is why we are 

building Hyundai a brand new 

showroom floor on our outstanding 

location which will give us a total 

of 24 acres of Billy Navarre sales 

and service of many different 

brands, makes and models. 

Billy Navarre has been honored 

with the Chamber SWLA Citizen of 

the Year in 2008 and in 1990, 

Navarre also won the Citizen of the 

Year Award from the West 

Calcasieu Chamber of Commerce. 

“To be named Citizen of the Year on 

both sides of the river is unbelievable” 

Navarre said. “I cherish these 

awards so much. Especially since I 

was chosen among so many outstanding 

peers in the community 

who own businesses.” Navarre has 

also received the Marine Corps’ 

Citizen of the Year, Southwest 

Daily’s Man of the Year, Ernst and 

Young’s Entrepreneur of the year, 

Young Businessman’s Club Citizen 

of the Year, Blue Cross/Blue Shield 

Angel Award; Louisiana 

Association of Education 

President’s Award; Literacy Hero 

Award; Rotary Distinguished 

Service Award; Four time Friend of 

Education Award for Calcasieu 

Parish; Friend of Education Award 

for the entire State of Louisiana; 

Heart of Gold Award in SWLA; 

Lake Charles Jaycee Outstanding 

Young Man, Jaycee Outstanding 

Young Man; Delta Sigma Theta 

Outstanding Public Service Award; 

United Way Silver Award; Honda 

President’s Award; GM Mark of 

Excellence Award; BBB Torch 

Award for Highest Standard of 

Ethics, and the Family Foundation’s 

Outstanding Community 

Philanthropist Award. Navarre’s 

recognized commitment to his community 

is demonstrated through his 

generosity and involvement. 

5 

00671121 

We’re building 2 new Chevy Showroom facilities on both 

sides of the river - Lake Charles and Sulphur! 

Navarre said “I am very proud of 

my five sons and my beautiful 

daughter. Four of my boys now 

work with me in our business: 

Jareth is the General Sales Manager 

of Chevrolet in Lake Charles, and 

Barrett Navarre is Sales Manager in 

our Honda store while Ryan 

Navarre, my oldest, is currently the 

General Manager in the Sulphur 

location.” Navarre added “It’s fantastic 

to have Ryan in the Sulphur 

store, because he cares so much 

about our customers.” His fourth 

son, Grant Navarre, is a freshman at 

McNeese and is working in sales. 

He began working part time in the 

service lane learning how to service 

customers before entering sales. 

Navarre said his youngest two, 

Bryce and Kaitlyn, “are still a little 

young for us to know what they 

will do. We’ll have to wait and see!” 

“I want to thank all the people of 

Southwest Louisiana who have 

given us such tremendous support 

and allowed us to become their 

number one choice when it comes 

to buying and servicing their automobile 

needs,” says Navarre. “God 

has truly blessed me with an outstanding 

company, six wonderful 

children, 300 outstanding employees, 

and I am so grateful for the 

wonderful community in which we 

live. I am truly thankful for all of 

you and every chance I get I will try 

to prove my appreciation to my 

employees, my customers and especially 

my community by helping in 

every way possible.” 

Navarre said, “It’s our goal to be 

here another 29 years. We know the 

only way that’s going to happen is 

if you, our customers, allow us to 

be here. The only way that will happen 

is to continually improve and 

get better at serving you and that’s 

our 100 percent commitment.”

6 AMERICAN PRESS ADVERTISING SECTION THURSDAY, APRIL 7, 2011 

■ CSE FEDERAL CREDIT UNION 

00671625 

There’s a Difference Between what you Have and What you Own 

Pictured in the photo are Clark J. Yelverton, President & CEO and 

Kenneth L. Gardner Jr., Chairman, Board of Directors. 

For nearly 70 years, CSE 

Federal Credit Union has 

stayed true to its mission 

of helping members experience 

the joy of achieving 

their financial goals. CSE 

was established in 1943 

with eleven initial subscribers; 

the once small 

struggling credit union 

today serves more than 

31,000 members and is the 

sixth largest credit union 

in Louisiana. 

CSE Federal Credit 

Union is a cooperative, 

not-for profit financial 

institution, which is 

owned and controlled by 

our members. Our members 

own a stake in the 

success of their credit 

union, a voice in decisions 

made, and a partnership 

in our community. CSE 

returns earnings to our 

members through higher 

savings account rates, better 

service, lower loan 

rates, and many other free 

services. 

Originally, membership 

was limited to employees 

of Cities Service Refinery 

Corporation in Calcasieu 

Parish, employees of the 

credit union, and members 

of their immediate 

families. Today CSE offers 

membership to over 300 

Select Employee Groups 

and their primary family 

members. Assets now 

total $270 million and CSE 

is by far the largest credit 

union in Southwest 

Louisiana. 

Times change, people 

change, and we have 

grown with them. We 

offer many of the same 

products and services as 

other financial institutions 

but we remain true to the 

traditions of our credit 

union’s founders. The philosophy 

of “People 

Helping People” is how 

our credit union was 

founded and as long as 

our doors remain open, 

we will continue doing so. 

CSE’s main office is 

located at 4321 Nelson 

Road in Lake Charles and 

the Sulphur branch is 

located at 2154 Swisco 

Road. 

CSE’s 77 hard working 

and dedicated employees 

believe in giving back to 

their community and are 

involved in a number of 

local organizations, 

including Big Brothers, 

Big Sisters, Bowl for Kid’s 

Sake, and Children’s 

Miracle Network (Credit 

Union for Kids). CSE has 

also sponsored and/or 

participated in area walks 

for NAMI, Free to 

Breathe, Ethel Preicht, and 

Pancreatic Cancer Action 

Network Lake Area 

Purple Stride. 

“We have come a long 

way since our organization 

in 1943, but our mission 

and goals have never 

changed,” comments 

Clark J. Yelverton, 

President and CEO. “The 

only reason for our existence, 

and our highest priority, 

is to serve our members. 

And I think the fact 

that we have been in existence 

in Sulphur and Lake 

Charles for 67 years 

proves that we have been 

very successful. 

4321 Nelson Road 

Lake Charles 

337-477-2000 

2154 Swisco Road 

Sulphur 

337-625-5747 

■ THE FAT CAT CAFÉ 

Where Everyone Can Feel Like They Belong 

In 2001, Mario Pacetti 

came up with the idea 

and opened the Fat Cat 

Café in Oakland, Ca. It 

got its name from a 38 

pound cat that Mario had 

named “Big Daddy”. The 

Fat Cat remained open in 

Oakland until 2005. It was 

there that Mario and 

Marco created the sandwiches 

and menu you see 

today. In the summer of 

2010, with the partnership 

of longtime friend Mike 

Williams, the idea for a 

Fat Cat Café in Lake 

Charles began. On 

November 1, 2010, The 

Fat Cat Café opened its 

doors in Lake Charles, La. 

The Fat Cat Café offers 

Gourmet sandwiches, salads, 

500-calorie specials, 

Sunday Champagne 

Brunch, catering and 

breakfast. 

“We are a place everyone 

can feel they belong 

to. Mario, Marco and 

Mike are all from this area 

and bring our love of food 

to the place we love!” 

■ KEITH’S PAINT & BODY LLC 

Celebrating 30 years in business 

KEITH’S PAINT & 

BODY, LLC, owned by 

Keith, Patty, Jonathan & 

Kasey have been in business 

for 30 years. Their 

solid reputation for excellent 

work is due to the 

experience of Keith and 

his staff and working with 

the best equipment available. 

Keith’s Paint & Body 

has two of the most up-todate 

paint booth facilities 

in town equipped with 

infrared heating systems 

and a designed air turban 

to keep oil and moisture 

out of your paint finish. 

All this allows them to 

produce a top-grade paint 

job regardless of weather 

conditions. They also 

offer a lifetime guarantee 

on body and paint repairs. 

“We can’t do every job, 

but every job we do is 

right.” 

Keith’s Paint & Body is 

l-Car certified, members 

of the Certified First 

Network, BBB, ASA and 

has a Good 

Housekeeping Seal of 

Approval. 

Maintaining a reputation 

for quality work 

Marco Pacetti Mario Pacetti Michael Williams 

Owner Founder/Executive Chef Owner 

The Fat Cat Café’s 

biggest selling points 

include the prices, portions, 

service and the personal 

attention they give 

to each and every one of 

their guests. 

The five-year plan for 

Fat Cat Café includes two 

locations in Lake Charles, 

one in Beaumont and one 

in Lafayette. 

Stop in and experience 

the food and service in 

Downtown Lake Charles, 

at 723 Ryan St. 

Keith and Jonathan have a reputation for 

hard work. “Where quality is not expensive - 

it’s priceless”. Your Auto Collision Center 

takes dedication and the 

desire to be good at what 

you do. That’s why Keith 

and Jonathan not only 

supervise, they are also 

working diligently in the 

shop to make sure every 

customer is happy. The 

staff can also assist you 

with obtaining a rental car 

if needed. Keith and 

Jonathan have years of 

experience with all insurance 

companies, so feel 

free to contact us with any 

questions. 

00671612 

723 Ryan St. 

Lake Charles 

www.fatcatcafe.net 

337-433-4363 

Mon.-Friday 7AM-10PM 

Saturday 8AM-10PM 

Sunday 10AM-3PM 

00671255 

The owners of Keith’s 

Paint & Body would like 

to thank you for the trust 

and confidence you have 

shown in the past by 

choosing Keith’s and for 

continuing to choose them 

in the future; they would 

also like to thank the Lake 

Area for voting them “The 

Best Paint & Body Repair 

Facility in Southwest 

Louisiana.”Keith’s Paint & 

Body is located at 5603 

Common St. Call 474- 

4379.




■ LLOYD’S COUNTRY STORE AND SEAL PROPERTIES REAL ESTATE SERVICES AND INVESTING 

Westlake antique store offers step back in time 

Lloyd’s Country Store in Westlake takes customers back to a simpler time when life moved at a much slower pace. 

If the hustle and bustle of everyday 

life has you wishing you could slow 

down, we have the perfect place for 

you. 

Lloyd’s Country Store in Westlake, 

located at 318 Phillips Road, will 

take you back to a simpler time 

when life moved at a much slower 

pace. It’s a place where you can do a 

lot of front-porch sitting while enjoying 

a bottle of pop or a cup of coffee. 

The antique store, owned by 

Westlake residents Allen and Pamela 

Seal, opened on June 6, 2009. The 

longtime dream of Allen took three 

years to complete after they purchased 

the property on June 6, 2006. 

For passersby on Phillips Road, 

one would not have even known a 

house existed amid the trees and 

brush that had filled the property for 

years. After clearing and developing 

the property into a scenic backdrop 

for Lloyd’s Country Store, work 

began on the structure itself. The 

house was painted, and a front porch 

was added on. 

Much of the structure remains in 

its original form as far as floors, 

walls, doors, etc. All who have visited 

the store have said what an inviting 

atmosphere it is and how much it 

Allen and Pamela Seal, owners 

reminds them of days gone by — so 

much so, that many photographers 

flock to the country store as a backdrop 

for some of their photo shoots. 

The Seals also own and operate 

Seal Properties Real Estate Services 

and Investing which is housed in the 

southwest corner of the store. Over 

the years, Seal Properties has purchased 

many homes for rental property. 

Often times, sellers would leave 

furnishings in the houses. After years 

and years of collecting and storing 

furniture and miscellaneous items, 

there was finally enough to fill up 

Lloyd’s Country Store and open for 

business. The store is named in 

memory of Allen's father, Lloyd Seal, 

also a collector. 

Another drawing card to the 

Norman Rockwell-like scene on 

Phillips Road is the memorabilia 

scattered throughout the property — 

antique cars and trucks, antique tractors 

and implements, antique outboard 

motors, collectible service station 

items and Coca-Cola memorabilia. 

Some vintage trucks are used 

as shelving to display merchandise 

in the back of the store. 

On some days, you might walk in 

to the smell of whangdoodles heating 

up in the nostalgic grocery store 

kitchen. If you’ve never eaten one, it 

will be worth your trip if you like 

barbecued beef on a toasted bun 

washed down with an old-fashioned 

bottle of Coke or a frosted mug of 

A&W root beer. An added feature in 

7 

00671119 

the works will be offering RV spots 

on the vacant lot next door to the 

store. A walk across the wooden 

bridge will have you relaxing on the 

front porch, enjoying lunch at one of 

several picnic tables under the shade 

of cedar trees, or snapping photos of 

your trip back in time. The country 

store also offers weekend rentals of a 

houseboat docked on the Calcasieu 

River. 

If you like fresh yard eggs, stop by 

Lloyd’s Country Store for a dozen or 

two. You can even meet the chickens. 

During the spring and summer, fresh 

seasonal fruits and vegetables are 

available. 

Lloyd’s Country Store is open 10 

a.m.-5 p.m. Friday and Saturday 

(first and third weekends), and by 

appointment. Vendors are welcome. 

The store also offers 24/7 display 

advertising. For more information, 

call 540-3925 or 433-7325 (SEAL) or 

visit www.sealproperties.net for your 

real estate needs. 

318 Phillips Road 

Westlake, LA 

540-3925 or 

433-7325 (SEAL) 

www.sealproperties.net

8 




■ BRIDGEWAY PSYCHIATRIC CENTER 

Your outpatient mental health resource 

Bridgeway Psychiatric 

Center, is a structured outpatient 

program providing 

a variety of mental 

health services to meet the 

needs of Lake Charles, 

Calcasieu Parish and 

neighboring communities. 

Established in August, 

2005, Bridgeway offers 

intensive outpatient and 

partial hospitalization 

programs for adults and 

seniors experiencing, 

depression, bi-polar disorders, 

anxiety, worry, or 

panic disorders, severe 

mood swings, hallucinations 

or delusions, 

appetite and sleep disturbances 

and other mood, 

behavioral and thought 

disorders. 

Psychiatric Medical 

Directors are Dr. Said 

Cantu, Dr. Charles 

Murphy, and Dr. Charles 

“Chip” Bramlet. The 

management team 

includes Program 

Director, Barbara 

Gauthreaux, RN; Dee Dee 

Ferguson, RN; Lisa Brune, 

LCSW and Chrystal 

Robideaux, Community 

Liaison. 


■ MICHELLE SWIFT D.D.S. 

Giving People Beautiful Smiles 

Michelle Swift went to 

Barbe High School, after 

which she attended LSU 

for both her undergraduate 

degree and Dental 

School. After earning her 

Doctorate in Dental 

Surgery, Swift returned to 

Lake Charles and began 

working as a dentist. Last 

year, Swift bought the 

dental practice of Charles 

Mackey D.D.S., who still 

practices there on 

Wednesdays. 

Open Monday through 

Friday, Swift works with 

Allison Plior R.D.H and 

Kristen Johnson R.D.H., 

both dental hygienists. 

Swift provides consultations, 

dental cleanings 

and digital x-rays, fillings, 

implant crowns, crowns 

and bridges, and root 

canals. In addition to 

these, she does whitening, 

veneers, extractions, and 

oral surgery. Sedation 

dentistry is available upon 

request. 

Swift and her staff are 

constantly attending continuing 

education courses 

to grow and expand in 

providing the most up-todate 

care available. 

Center is pleased to 

announce the association 

of Psychiatric Mental 

Health Nurse 

Practitioner, Bonny 

Duhon, APRN for the 

Outpatient Mental Health 

Clinic. The clinic 

accepts appointments for 

clients ages 18 and older. 


Center is an off campus 

outpatient department of 

Jennings Senior Care 

Hospital. Jennings Senior 

Care is a 16-bed psychiatric 

inpatient facility 

located next to Jennings 

American Legion Hospital 

specializing in caring for 

seniors 50 years and older. 


Center is a proud member 

of Compass Health, a 

Dr. Swift enjoys creating 

beautiful smiles. She says, 

“My passion is cosmetic 

dentistry. Our goal is to 

make our patients look 

and feel their best. There 

is nothing greater than 

being able to give a smile 

back to a person that they 

are proud of.” 

With a growing staff 

Michelle E. Swift, D.D.S. 

00671171 

leader in psychiatric medicine 

since 1998. 

Compass Health offers 

psychiatric resources 

throughout Louisiana 

with seven inpatient facilities 

and twelve outpatient 

centers. 

For a confidential prescreening 

assessment, 

please contact 337-562- 

0211. 


Center 

3451 5th Avenue 


337-562-0211 

www.compasshealthcare.com 

and upgrading dental 

equipment, they are available 

to provide the best 

quality dental care 

around. 

Call 337-478-2960 to 

make an appointment. 

1333 Oak Park Blvd. 


337-478-2960 

■ FIESTA TAMALES 

Where to go to get your “Fiesta Fix” 

Fiesta Tamales has been 

operating in Moss Bluff 

since 1980. In May 2000, 

the owner, Jeanie Dillon, 

purchased the business, 

which included its timetested 

recipes. It used to 

be mostly known for its 

tamales, but the menu has 

increased to include some 

of the tastiest Tex-Mex 

dishes around. Jeanie has 

owned Fiesta Tamales for 

11 years, with a staff that 

includes her daughter, 

Diana; Cook-Becky 

Thompson; Cashier-Kathy 

Maunder; Prep-Connie 

Bandeaux; and Food Prep- 

Mason Minervini. 

Fiesta Tamales offers a 

wide variety of Tex-Mex 

foods, such as their 

Covered Burritos (one bite 

and we’ve gotcha!), taco 

salads, Mexican pizza, 

tacos, nachos, and freshly 

made guacamole-just to 

name a few. 

Fiesta has a small dining 

area or drive-thru for 

call-ins. They accept credit 

and debit cards. Gift cards 

are available. 

The biggest selling 

■ SOUTHLAND COINS & COLLECTIBLES, INC. 

We ARE the gold standard 

When Malcolm Self 

opened Southland Coins 

& Collectibles in 1987, he 

fulfilled a dream of owning 

a coin shop. He never 

imagined that almost 25 

years later his business 

would generate $26 million 

in sales in one year 

and be in the Top 50 privately 

owned businesses 

in Imperial Calcasieu for 

nine consecutive years. 

Southland Coins moved 

to its current location at 

4670 Lake Street in 2008 

and now serves clients in 

a secure, private setting. 

In addition to his time in 

the office, Malcolm 

attends trade shows to 

search for items on clients’ 

want lists and provide 

them with collections they 

will be proud to own. He 

is a lifetime member of 

numerous numismatic 

associations. Southland 

Coins is a member of the 

Chamber of Commerce 

and a strong supporter of 

McNeese State University 

and McNeese athletics. 

Through its website, 

www.southlandcoins.net, 

the company services 

clients locally and interna- 

point at Fiesta is the quality 

of the food. Only the 

freshest ingredients are 

used to prepare our dishes. 

Nothing is made ahead 

of time and nothing sits 

under a heat lamp. Our 

tamales are made fresh 

and are the best around! 

We guarantee that you’ll 

love the food and will 

come back for more. 

Jeanie would like to 

thank all of our wonderful 

customers who have 

The Gold Team: Camille, Donna, Malcolm, 

Dulley and Lorie 

tionally. Its prices on precious 

metals and collectible 

coins are quite 

competitive with businesses 

nationwide. 

Because of the continued 

growth and success of 

Southland Coins, another 

branch, Southland Gold 

Xchange, opened at 4510 

Nelson Road on March 21, 

2011. Southland Gold 

Xchange will cater to 

clients wanting to sell broken 

and unused gold and 

silver jewelry, flatware, 

and other items. 

Malcolm has been 

blessed with hard-working, 

dedicated employees 

Jeanie Dillon, Owner 

00671631 

helped make Fiesta 

Tamales what it is today! 

2251 Sam Houston 

Jones Parkway 

Moss Bluff 

337-855-2535 

Mon-Fri 

10:30AM-8:00PM 

00671253 

over the last 25 years. He 

acknowledges their contributions 

to the success of 

Southland Coins and 

credits God for laying the 

foundation for his business. 

Stop by Southland 

Coins and see what we 

can do for you. After all, 

“We ARE the gold standard.” 

4670 Lake Street 


337-478-2646 

www.southlandcoins.net

■ SPECIAL TOUCH THERAPEUTIC MASSAGE 

Pain is inevitable, suffering is optional 

Located on 1737 W. 

Sale Road, Suite 103, 

Special Touch 

Therapeutic Massage is 

owned by Joy Clement 

Derise. They opened on 

June 14, 1994, and offer 

various types of massages 

including deep tissue, 

sports, pre-natal, 

infant, and Swedish. 

They provide other services 

as well, such as 

facials, glycolic peels, ear 

candling and cellulite 

treatments, just in time 

for swimsuit season. 

“Special Touch 

Therapeutic Massage is a 

positive approach to 

health where we believe 

pain is inevitable, suffering 

is optional,” says 

Clement Derise. 

Starting out in a small 

room within a nail shop, 

Special Touch 

Therapeutic Massage has 

transformed into a full 

service massage salon. 

They have since moved 

into GiGi’s and eventually 

to their current loca- 

Pumpelly Tire has been serving 

the lake area for over 40 

years. Glenn Pumpelly, 

President, Ron Fogal, General 

Manager, and our supportive 

managers have over 100 combined 

years of experience in the 

tire business. Ron Fogal states, 

“We have seen radical changes 

in the automotive and tire 

industries in the past few years 

and as a result, have taken the 

lead in our market to train our 

people to deliver the very best 

products and service at the right 

tion. Joy Clement Derise 

is proud of what her 

business has become. 

She says that the price 

for their services is the 

biggest draw for customers. 

You can get a 

half-hour massage for 

$35, one hour for $60, 

and one and a half hours 

for $85. Special Touch 

Therapeutic Massage 

also offers senior citizen 

and student discounts. 

Clement Derise says 

her customers always 

enjoy their wonderful 

and pleasant experience, 

which is why so many of 

them have been coming 

back for 17 years. 

Clement Derise and her 

staff truly care about 

their clients and treat 

them like family. The 

staff includes Clement 

Derise, Griffin “Spider” 

Edwards, Ginny 

Waggoner, Kyla Ackley, 

Ashley Leger, Jodi Mack, 

Patrick Freeman and 

Katie Fontenot, with 

Tasha Leleaux doing 

price for our customer’s vehicles. 

Tire manufacturers have 

increased tire prices at unprecedented 

levels for the last two 

years due to a number of factors 

including short supply. We 

spend a lot of time searching for 

great tires at the best possible 

prices for our customers.” That 

type of commitment is what has 

earned Pumpelly’s, “Tire dealer 

of the year.” 

“Our business is about people. 

We are a family here at the 

Pumpelly Companies. And just 

Joy Clement Derise 

facials. Special Touch 

Therapeutic Massage is 

open Mon-Fri from 9-7, 

and Saturday from 9-2. 

7137 West Sale Road 

Suite 103 


337-480-1100 

www.specialtouchcla.com 

like a family, we rely on each 

other to meet our goals and succeed 

in our endeavors. Our customers, 

the people who trust us 

to get the job done, make up the 

heart of our family – the part 

that we cannot survive without” 

-Glenn Pumpelly, President of 

Pumpelly Tire Company. 

Services offered at Pumpelly 

Tire include: Tire Pressure 

Monitoring Systems, Custom 

wheels ATV tires/wheels, 

Balancing, Alignment, Shocks 

and struts, Brake service, 




■ BUSINESS HEALTH PARTNERS 

Serving SWLA Industry Needs 

Founded in 1996, as 

Industrial Medicine and 

Safety Training, Business 

Health Partners serves 

over 90% of all industry in 

Southwest Louisiana. The 

staff includes David 

Drumwright, Business 

Manager; Dr. Jack 

Drumwright; Dr. Bonnie 

Drumwright; Bryan 

Hollingsworth, Clinical 

Manager; Stacy Byrd, 

Training Manager; and 

Erin Davison, Grant and 

Training Coordinator. 

Business Health 

Partners offers Medical 

Physicals, DOT and USCG 

Drug Screens, Workmen’s 

Compensation Medical 

Treatment, Fit Testing, 

FAA Physicals, 

Audiograms, 

Vaccinations, Laboratory 

Testing, Pulmonary 

Function Testing, 

Radiology, and Safety 

Testing. They also provide 

on-call services and onsite 

training services as 

needed. 

“BHP offers a full range 

of occupational, medical 

and training services. We 

are a one-stop shop for all 

safety and medical needs. 

Batteries, Drive train, Oil 

change, Vehicle maintenance, 

Free lifetime rotation, Free wireless 

internet, and Courtesy shuttle. 

We would like to thank the 

Lake Area for giving us your 

support and trust throughout 

these years. We do appreciate 

your business. 

Pumpelly Tire Co. ... “People 

you can trust. Products you can 

depend on.” 

Business Health Partners Staff 


Partners boasts a fully 

trained staff, with two 

Medical Doctors on staff. 

They provide excellent 

training in OSHA, USCG 

and Federal mandates. 

They can customize all 

services to fit specific 

company needs and offer 

corporate medical and 

training packages. 


Partners will soon be 

offering online safety 

training, as well as 

expanding their business 

into Southeast Texas. In 

addition to these, Business 

Health Partners is current- 

■ PUMPELLY TIRE CO. 

Tire dealer of the year 

L-R: Glenn Pumpelly- Owner & President, Mark Chase, Mark Fuselier, Oliver McDonald, Danny Brown, Ron Fogal, Chris Sanders, Beverly Gates, Chris Best 


337-477-9850 

2600 Hwy. 14 

337-478-6565 


1500 Ruth Street 

337-527-6355 

Sulphur, LA 

9 

00671505 

ly developing new training 

topics such as Basic 

Level EMT Course, and 

other valuable training to 

offer in Southwest 

Louisiana and Southeast 

Texas. 

299 Cities Service 

Highway, Suite B 

Sulphur, LA 70663 

337-626-1011 

www.businesshealthpartners.com 

www.facebook.com/Business 

Health Partners & bhp safety 

on twitter

10 AMERICAN PRESS ADVERTISING SECTION THURSDAY, APRIL 7, 2011 

THURSDAY, APRIL 7, 2011 ADVERTISING SECTION AMERICAN PRESS 11 

After more than 60 years, First Federal Bank President Charles Timpa says their work 

continues with one goal in mind: “Meet the banking needs of our communities.” 

First Federal Bank of Louisiana 

diligently works to meet that goal 

by implementing products and 

technologies which expedite, simplify 

and modernize their customers’ 

banking experience. Mr. Timpa 

believes this forward-thinking growth 

stands firmly rooted in the bank’s 

continued strength and stability. 

Leslie Harless, Marketing 

Director and Vice President, points to 

the technology which drove many of 

their advancements this past year. 

“Our web site saw a complete 

overhaul, making it more customer- 

centered and user-friendly, while 

still providing 24/7 secure access to 

account information. Plus, some of 

our ATMs received an upgrade as well 

with a new Check Deposit option.” 

She explains that this ATM 

feature allows customers to insert 

checks directly into the ATM, 

where their deposit amount 

gets verified on screen, then 

prints the check images directly 

on the receipt. This time-saving 

convenience was implemented 

at their Alexandria North Mall, 

Pineville and Main Office locations. 

“While we diligently look ahead, 

we’re also mindful of remaining 

consistent,” said Timpa. One thing 

hasn’t changed: First Federal helps 

families buy homes. The bank has 

focused on helping home buyers 

from the beginning and remains 

committed to that important task. 

In 2010, BauerFinancial, Inc., the 

nation’s bank rating firm, recognized 

First Federal as one of the strongest 

banks in the country. 

“We earned their coveted 5-Star 

Superior rating based in part on our 

capital adequacy and profitability,” 

said Timpa. “Having attained this 

rating for 74 consecutive quarters 

puts us in elite company: only 8% 

of banks nationwide can claim 

this distinction.” 

For a local bank, both Timpa and 

Harless recognize the importance of 

community involvement. 

“We are proud of the fundraising 

events and friend-building 

opportunities our employees take 

part in to serve the communities of 

Southwest and Central Louisiana,” 

said Harless. 

The bank continually supports 

more than a dozen community 

organizations, including McNeese 

State University, Big Brothers/Big 

Sisters, Partners in Education, the 

Children’s Museum, the Literacy 

Council of SWLA and many more. 

Timpa sees their focus as a 

distinct advantage. “Our ongoing 

commitment to helping our 

customers and our community 

succeed definitely keeps First Federal 

moving forward.” 

433-3611 FFBLA.COM 

0067111

12 




■ CALCASIEU FINANCIAL SERVICES 

Making loans in the Lake Area for 45 years 

Calcasieu Financial 

offers personal loans starting 

as low as $300 as well 

as home equity loans to 

$25,000. We make loans 

for any reason ranging 

from vacations, taxes, 

home repairs, unexpected 

expenses, purchasing 

household goods and 

used cars, to debt consolidation. 

Calcasieu Financial 

Services has been making 

loans to the citizens of 

Southwest Louisiana for 

45 years. Scott Reeves 

(CFS President) believes 

the success is due to offering 

friendly, fast, no nonsense 

service. We specialize 

in loan approvals for 

those who may have had 

credit issues and those 

who appreciate doing 

business with a well 

established locally owned 

company. Also, being 

locally owned we are able 

to offer loan approvals 

within minutes of application. 

The company was started 

in 1966 by a prominent 

Lake Charles businessman 

and has remained locally 

owned ever since. CFS 

■ MELANIE PERRY STATE FARM 

Family is why we do it all! 

Melanie Perry has 

worked for State Farm 

since 1971 and started her 

own agency in in 1982. 

With a staff of eight 

people, there is always 

someone there to help. 

The licensed agents 

include Melanie Perry, a 

licensed agent for 40 

years; Edna Little, 25 

years; Lori Perry, 35 years; 

Robert Perry, 12 years; 

Trey Jolie, 12 years; Mika 

Foreman, 6 years; and 

Wendy Faulk, 4 years. 

Megan Lambright has 

been the receptionist there 

for 2 years. 

At Melanie Perry, State 

Farm, they sell and service 

auto, home, business, 

life, and health insurance. 

Melanie Perry says, 

“After 40 years, I still love 

being a part of State Farm. 

Helping people to manage 

the risks of everyday life 

and recover from the 

unexpected has been my 

mission all these years. 

Everyone in my office 

loves to help others…it’s 

From left to right; Scott Reeves, 

Kim Reeves & Carl Kober 

offers over 65 years of 

experience in the finance 

business. Carl Kober 

(Loan Officer/Account 

Manager) has been with 

the company since 1987. 

“I believe our 45 years 

of success has to do with 

our friendly, fast, personable 

and professional 

service we offer. We also 

realize how important our 

customers are to our success 

and how important it 

is to meet the needs of our 

Left to right: Wendy Faulk, 

Mika Foreman, Megan Lambright 

and Edna Little. 

not work for us.” 


prices with exceptional 

service. 

“We support ALL boys 

and girls in sports in Moss 

Bluff. I’m also a Bronco 

Booster.” We’re partners 

in Education with Gillis 

Elementary, Moss Bluff 

Elementary and First 

Baptist Moss Bluff 

Christian Academy.” 

When you’re looking 

Melanie Perry, Agent 

00671755 

customers and potential 

customers.” 

We are located at 3024 

Ryan Street directly across 

from Hixon Funeral 

Home. 



337-436-3636 

for insurance, visit 

Melanie Perry at 108A 

Executive Drive, in Moss 

Bluff, or give them a call 

at 337-855-7768. 

Melanie Perry, Agent 

108A Executive Drive 

Moss Bluff, LA 70611 

337-855-7768 

www.melanieperry.net 

■ CREATIVE CONCRETE BY RON 

Imagination only limit 

Creative Concrete By 

Ron offers decorative concrete 

design and 

Installation. Owner Ron 

Guidroz studied concrete 

designs in Las Vegas, Nev. 

He and his wife, Pat, 

began Creative Concrete 

By Ron in January 2005. 

Since then, Creative 

Concrete have been providing 

acid staining, 

stamping, scoring, color 

flaking, crack repair, 

resurfacing and digital 

imaging services to the 

area. You will discover 

that creativity and professionalism 

are their trademarks. 

They work carefully 

with their clients to produce 

the most attractive 

and effective results possible. 

Creative Concrete 

believes that their experience 

will definitely compliment 

your imagination. 

That combination — their 

experience and your 

imagination — will help 

you transform your home 

into the stunning showplace 

you envision. Your 

satisfaction is guaranteed. 

When it comes to limits, 

Pool Design by Creative Concrete by Ron 

there are none. With 

Creative Concrete By 

Ron’s, the only limit to the 

designs and styles available 

is your imagination. 

All you must do is create 

a dream that they can 

make come true for you. 

They offer complete ideato-finished 

product service 

that we challenge anyone 

to beat. 

www.creativeconcretebyron.com 

to view their 

portfolio 

(337) 855-8333. 

You can e-mail Ron at 

ron@creativeconcretebyron.com. 

4900 HIGHWAY 90 EAST (70615) 

LAKE CHARLES, LOUISIANA 

FLYERS 

Black & white or full color 

8.5 x 11 and 11 x 17 

One side or both sides 

Wide variety of paper stock and color 

BROCHURES 


Tri-fold 

Wide variety of 

paper stock and color 

POST CARDS 


One or both sides 

00671164 

www.creativeconcretebyron.com 

to view their portfolio 

(337) 855-8333. 

You can e-mail Ron at 

ron@creativeconcretebyron.com. 

BOOKLETS 


Wide variety of 

paper stock and color 

8 to 80 pages 

BUSINESS 

CARDS 


One or both sides 

COMPETITIVE PRICING! CALL TODAY FOR A QUOTE! 

433-3000

■ RENEE’S CAFÉ 

Come see what everyone is talking about 

Four years ago, when 

Marsha McCarthy found 

out that the owner of the 

restaurant where she had 

been working for three 

years had decided to sell, 

she made up her to mind 

buy it herself. That was 

four years ago. 

Today, the name 

remains the same, as well 

as most of the food, since 

that is what everyone 

already knew and loved. 

McCarthy says, “We have 

great homemade food that 

everyone loves. Almost 

everything is made from 

scratch. We slice our own 

turkey and ham and make 

our own great chicken 

salad and gumbo.” 

Renee’s Café sells 

breakfast, lunch specials, 

sandwiches, wraps, salads 

and the best burgers in 

town. Don’t forget their 

soups and gumbo! 

Also sold at Renee’s 

Café are purses and jewelry, 

so you can shop while 

you eat lunch. 

At Renee’s Café, they 

know you only have a 

short time for lunch, so 

they get your food out 

quickly. For fast service at 

great prices, visit Renee’s 

Café, where they offer 

nighttime and lunch parties 

for 20-40 people, with 

no room charge. So keep 

them in mind when planning 

your next group 

meeting. 

Located at 1 Lake Shore 

Dr., Suite 555 in Lake 

Charles, La. Give them a 

call at 337-439-6916. 

00671190 

Sandy, Richard, and Marsha McCarthy-owner 

www.reneescafe.net 

1 Lake Shore Dr., 

Suite 555 


337-439-6916 




■ LAKE AREA OFFICE PRODUCTS 

Office product values you can believe in 

Lake Area Office Products 

opened in 2000 as a small, 

home-based business remanufacturing 

toner cartridges and 

providing repairs for office 

machines such as printers, 

copiers and fax machines. Our 

approach was simple: Offer 

top-quality products at low 

prices, and back it up with a 

level of service that none of 

our competitors could match. 

Over the next four years, 

that approach proved so successful 

that owner, John Ney, 

found it necessary to relocate 

to a larger location on Kirkman 

Street and expand his staff. 

This larger location allowed 

LAOP to add a full line of 

office supplies. LAOP continued 

to grow, and in 2005 we 

became a business partner with 

Toshiba and Samsung. The following 

year, after continued 

growth, we moved to still larger 

quarters, this time on East 

Prien Lake Road. This move 

allowed us to add Sharp 

copiers to our line. We also 

brought in a selection of used 

office furniture and introduced 

temporary leasing on used 

office furniture and equipment. 

Business has remained 

strong. Today we are able to 

provide furniture solutions for 

businesses of all types and 

sizes — from the one- or twoperson 

organization to major 

corporations with 50 offices or 

more, all from our 12,000- 

square-foot building on 

Enterprise Boulevard. 

What started out as a homebased 

business, in 2000, has 

become a strong, multi-faceted 

organization with the resources 

and expertise to provide costeffective 

office solutions on 

multiple levels. Lake Area 

Office Products is a proud 

member of the Chamber of 

Commerce of Southwest 

Louisiana. We're locally owned 

and operated for over 10 years, 

and we welcome the opportunity 

to support our community 

by doing business with other 

locally owned companies. 

Because of your support, 

Lake Area Office Products has 

the opportunity to sponsor little 

league baseball and soccer 

in the Lake Area like the bud- 

13 

00671754 

Seated, John Ney, owner, from left to right: 

Tanya Roy, Pam Long, Amber Humphrey, David 

Bryant & Paul Chandler 

ding superstars on the 

Westlake Rams Tee Ball and 

Sulphur Strikers Soccer teams. 

Our team is made up of 

hard-working professionals 

with the experience to help 

you make the most of your 

money and keep your business 

running smoothly. These professionals 

include Amber 

Humphrey, Tanya Roy, Pam 

Long, and Paul Chandler. 

2010 Enterprise Blvd. 


337-439-1313 

www.lakeareaofficeproducts.com 

ALLSTAR BUICK GMC 

Our family business brings a new look along with “Buick” to Sulphur! 

The Heberts and staff Left to right: Gabby Fisher, 

Kelli Hebert, Brittany Hebert, Courtney Hebert, 

Kallie Guidry, Kim Guidry and Ryan Davis. 

Seated: Grant Engel, Jack Hebert, Carley Heller 

and Khristine Hebert 

The Hebert family is pleased 

to welcome you to Sulphur with 

their newly acquired Buick 

Franchise and their new modern 

facility. "It's just simply gor- 

geous!" say many of the customers 

as they visit All Star. 

“We are proud of our brand 

new two story 10,000 sq foot 

showroom and accounting facil- 

ities. And that's not all. Our 

Service Department has been 

completely redesigned for comfort 

and to better serve All Star's 

customers, “ says owner Jack 

Hebert. 

Allstar is proud of our new 

Buick franchise and JD Power 

reports that Buick LaCrosse and 

Buick LuCerne are amond the 

Top 5 Models in the entire 

industry in long-term dependability. 

We are the only Buick 

Dealer in Calcasieu Parish and 

our Sales & Service Department 

is ready to serve the growing 

Buick population. 

“I always feel that I have the 

best deals around,” Jack continues 

“and will gladly meet with 

any customer that walks in my 

door. In fact, I am one of few 

dealers where customers can get 

prices directly from the owner. 

All Star is a family owned dealership 

and we like to treat people 

like family. My daughter 

Khristine is the General Sales 

Manager. My other daughter 

Kelli is the Finance Manager. 

And of course my granddaughter 

Gabby is in charge of commercials. 

She started when she 

was only seven and we call her 

the ‘All Star Celebrity.’ She is 

often asked for her autograph 

when dining around town.” 

Once upon a time Jack would 

frown when called "paw paw" 

but now he is all smiles. 

All Star has long term 

employees that have become 

family also. They have Kim 

Guidry, Comptroller; Bobby 

Hommel, Service Director; 

Sherry Guidry, Quality Control; 

Peggy Fruge, Warranty Clerk; 

Ryan Davis, Assistant Sales 

Mgr.; Jacque Moore, Accounts 

Payable; Melissa Carpenter, Title 

Clerk; Tammy Newman, Dealer 

Trade Specialist; & Jean Hebert, 

Service Advisor just to name a 

few. All Star’s staff is professionally 

trained and ready to 

assist you with any need you 

may have from sales, service, 

body shop, parts or accessories. 

All Star Buick, GMC invites 

you to stop by and visit their 

new facility. Their exciting new 

products from General Motors 

awaits you. “We invite you to 

come by today and become a 

part of our family here at All 

Star Buick, GMC Truck Inc. in 

Sulphur,” says Jack. 

Buick GMC 

1180 E. Napoleon Street (Hwy. 90) 

Sulphur, LA 337-527-6391 

00671149

14 AMERICAN PRESS ADVERTISING SECTION 

■ SABINE POOLS, SPAS & FURNITURE 


Celebrating our 36th Anniversary 

Sabine Pools’ Founder & Owners (L to R) Dean Tassin, 

Operations Manager; David Tassin, Sales Manager; 

Joey Tassin (seated), President; Houston Tassin, Founder 

Since 1975, Sabine 

Pools has set the standard 

for excellence in 

swimming pool design, 

craftsmanship, and customer 

satisfaction. 

Sabine Pools is the only 

local pool builder to 

receive the national 

award of “Aqua 100”, a 

list of the nation’s top 

100 pool companies. A 

7-time recipient, Sabine 

Pools is now a permanent 

member of the 

Aqua Hall of Fame. 

The people of Lake 

Charles can be proud of 

this local business 

achieving these national 

honors. 

Additionally, Sabine 

Pools has raised the bar 

by achieving exclusive 

Certified Professional 

Builder (CPB) status, a 

rigorous Association of 

Pool & Spa 

Professionals (APSP) 

training program. The 

CPB designation, held 

by co-owner and company 

president Joey 

Tassin, signifies a contractor’s 

elite status as 

the top in his field, 

with a specialty in 

modern design & technology. 

Sabine Pools keeps 

standards high and 

prices fair by participating 

in buying 

groups that provide 

members with topnotch 

products and 

competitive pricing. As 

a member of the prestigious 

Aquatech professional 

building group 

and as the largest 

BioGuard water care 

dealer in the tri-state 

region, Sabine Pools 

offers customers volume 

prices on premium 

products. 

With 5 stores in South 

Louisiana, and over 90 

employees, Sabine 

Pools is committed to 

our customers and to 

our community. Only 

Sabine Pools has 

Outdoor Pool Parks, 

which feature 

InGround and Above 

Ground Pools, so you 

can see our quality for 

yourself. In addition to 

the pools, supplies, 

repairs, and mainte- 

00671510 

nance you would 

expect, Sabine Pools 

also offers Hot Spring 

Spas and a huge variety 

and selection of distinctive 

outdoor furniture. 

Visit Sabine Pools on 

the web at 

www.SabinePools.com, 

at their Pool Park & 

Showroom at 3213 

Common St. in Lake 

Charles or call 433-1193 

or 1-800-960-7665. Also, 

call for directions to 

Sabine’s Gonzales or 

our new store in Baton 

Rouge or our Lafayette 

showrooms. Get to 

know the people at 

Sabine Pools, and you 

too will experience 

their 36-Year Tradition 

of Excellence! 

3213 Common St., 

Lake Charles 

433-1193 

1-800-960-7665 

www.sabinepools.com 

■ AFFORDABLE MOBILE HOMES 

For all your mobile home needs 

Affordable Mobile 

Homes is a third generation 

family owned and 

operated business offering 

mobile home transports 

and servicing. They service 

all of Louisiana and 

Southeast Texas. They 

relocate, repair, service, 

remodel, restore, maintenance 

and build add-ons 

on all mobile homes, as 

well as home improvement 

projects. They offer 

turnkey services such as: 

land development, house 

pads, install sewer systems 

and utility poles, disconnect/reconnectelectricity, 

plumbing, and air 

conditioning. They recently 

joined forces with 

Justin’s Mobile Homes, 

who is LMCH certified, 

offering Zone I, II, and III 

set-ups. They are both 

licensed and insured. 

“Your one stop mobile 

home shop. We can put 

your home where others 

cannot.” 

“We offer every service 

imaginable for a mobile 

home. We cut out all middlemen, 

so we can save 

you money, time, hassle 

and headaches.” 

Also, they now offer In- 

■ CHAMBER SOUTHWEST 

We’re in business.. for business! 

Serving the 5 parishes 

of Southwest Louisiana, 

The Chamber SWLA 

develops programs and 

initiatives to entice new 

business and support 

existing businesses. We 

rely on the strength of our 

membership to do what is 

needed to make 

Southwest Louisiana a 

great place to live and 

work for decades to come. 

We are the voice of the 

Southwest Louisiana business 

community in Baton 

Rouge and Washington 

D.C. We work with 

regional leaders and other 

organizations to solve the 

issues facing our communities 

such as our workforce 

and infrastructure 

needs. We provide our 

members networking and 

professional development 

opportunties. We market 

Southwest Louisiana to 

the rest of the nation & 

the world. 

Contact George Swift or 

Paula Ramsey at 337-433- 

3632 to talk about joining 

the Chamber SWLA. 

Affordable Mobile Home Movers 

House Financing on their 

Turn-Key Service 

Performances. 

For all your mobile 

home needs, visit 

Affordable Mobile Homes 

& Justin’s at 2920 Hwy 90 

in Sulphur, La., or give 

their office a call at (337) 

855-1759. 

Future plans include 

expanding the business 

into mobile home supply 

and repossessed mobile 

home sales. 

In loving memory of 

Norman f. Simmons Sr., 

one of the first mobile 

home movers in our area 

since 1957. 

Fax: (337) 313-3039 

Cell: (337) 302-9400 

Email: affordablehomes98@yahoo.com 

Website: affordablemobilehomes.biz 

Affordable 

Mobile Homes 

Transporters / Service / Sales 

(337) 855-1759 

Since 1998 

00671173 

2920 Hwy 90 

Sulphur 

337-855-1759 

affordablemobilehomes.biz 

00671517 

Regional Business and Community leaders 

joined U.S. Senator Mary Landrieu at the 

ground breaking of the Southwest Louisiana 

Entrepreneurial and Economic Develop (SEED) 

Center. The SEED Center will house the 

Chamber SWLA, the SWLA Alliance, and a 

full-scale incubator which will generate a 

culture of entrepreneurship in 

Southwest Louisiana.

■ THE NEIGHBORHOOD BAR 

Under new management 

The Neighborhood Bar 

has been around for more 

than 50 years, with different 

owners along the way. 

Though at times the name 

has been shortened to 

“The Hood,” it has mostly 

stayed the same. 

Located at 4404 Lake 

Street, The Neighborhood 

Bar is managed by Dawn 

Rubatt, who also bartends, 

along with 

Kathleen Dunse, Maddie 

Boyer, Lauren Dyers, Jeri 

Gordon and Myra Arabie. 

With an all female staff, 

you can always expect 

customer service with an 

attitude in the 

Neighborhood. 

There are always drink 

specials that continue to 

draw customers to The 

Neighborhood Bar, like 

Margarita Mondays with 

$3.00 margaritas. On 

Wednesdays they hold 

Scotch Doubles Pool 

Tournaments, where you 

draw numbers to pick a 

partner, at 7pm. For a 

good time on a Saturday 

afternoon, join in on their 

Straight 8Ball 

Tournaments at 2 pm. If 

you happen to be there on 

Home of the “Coma Cookie”! 

the nights when they host 

the tournaments, be sure 

to enjoy the free homecooked 

dinner. Everyday 

from 5-7 pm you can get 

$7.50 buckets of domestic 

beer. 

“Our drinks are good, 

our beer is cold, and our 

bartenders are friendly. 

Come on by the neighborhood 

for a fun time. Relax 

and have a drink. Meet 

new friends and laugh 

00671250 

with old ones.” Open at 

10am Monday-Saturday. 

4404 Lake Street 


OPEN 

Monday-Saturday 

10:00 a.m. - till 




■ CELEBRATIONS CAKES AND CATERING LLC 

Beautiful cakes for any occasion 

Celebrations Cakes and 

Catering LLC is owned by 

Susan Prejean. With seven 

years of restaurant and 

catering experience and a 

long-time interest in decorating 

cakes, Susan decided 

to take the next step 

and open her own shop. 


Catering LLC has been in 

business since October 

2009, providing custom 

cakes for weddings, birthdays 

and other events. 

They are also available for 

off-site catering whenever 

you have your own venue 

in mind. For those planning 

a wedding, 

Celebrations offers complimentary 

wedding cake 

consultation and tasting. 


Catering LLC provides 

unique and delicious 

cakes for your celebration 

needs. You get to choose 

from a great selection of 

dishes for catered events. 

Willing to work within 

your budget, Celebrations 

Cakes and Catering LLC 

always gives personalized 

service to each of their 

customers. 

“Our goal is to make 

Susan Prejean, owner of 

Celebrations Cakes and Catering LLC 

your event a CELEBRA- 

TION to remember.” 

Serving all of Southwest 

Louisiana, Celebrations 

Cakes and Catering LLC 

is open by appointment at 

202 South Pine Street in 

DeQuincy, La., or give 

15 

them a call at (337) 274- 

2688. 

You can also visit their 

website at www.celebrationscakesandcatering.co 

m, or send an email to 

susan@celebrationscakesandcatering.com 

202 South Pine Street 

DeQuincy 

(337) 274-2688 

celebrationscakesandcatering.com 

00671199 

00671125

16 


We're proud to publish 

the American Press in 

Southwest Louisiana, an 

area with a sharpened 

sense of direction, a 

refreshing community 

spirit and an ever-growing 

record of progress. 

We're also proud to have 

tracked this area's 

growth as Southwest 

Louisiana's leading 

information resource for 

more than a century. 

We care about this 

community. The 

American Press' employees 

live, work and rear 

our children and grandchildren 

here. 

We care by printing 

news that will provoke, 

inform and serve the 

wider public interest. 

The community has lots 

of good news, and we are 



■ AMERICAN PRESS 

Giving you the best for more than 100 years 

proud to spotlight it. But 

our commitment also 

remains strong to meet 

our unique responsibility 

as an aggressive government 

watchdog. As 

author Herbert 

Sebastian Agar wrote in 

1943, the year Thomas B. 

Shearman Sr. bought this 

newspaper, "The truth 

that makes men free is, 

for the most part, the 

truth which men prefer 

not to hear." 

Our priority has been 

the same since our 

founding: To give you the 

best paper we can, every 

day. 

The American Press 

was Southwest 

Louisiana's first daily 

paper, founded in 1895. 

Its ancestry encompasses 

a number of earlier 

publications. The paper's 

roots go back to Joseph F. 

Reed, who started the 

Weekly Press in 1893, 

and Guy Beatty, whom 

Reed recruited to form 

the Press Publishing Co. 

in Lake Charles. 

Together, Reed and 

Beatty turned the Weekly 

Press into a daily newspaper, 

forming the Daily 

Press in February 1895. 

Beatty sold out after a 

year, but later returned 

to the scene. Meanwhile, 

land developer J.B. 

Watkins moved his New 

York newspaper, the 

American, to Lake 

Charles in 1897. It 

became the Daily 

American. Beatty 

returned to town to run 

the Tribune, a weekly. 

He consolidated it with 

the Daily American. 

Beatty and partner 

W.E. Krebs then bought 

out another paper, The 

Commercial. The Daily 

American and the Daily 

Press went head-to-head, 

then merged in 1910 to 

become the Lake Charles 

Daily American Press. 

The word "Daily" was 

dropped in 1912. 

In 1943, Thomas B. 

Shearman Sr. purchased 

the newspaper from the 

heirs of Beatty and longtime 

director Frank A. 

Smith. The Shearman 

family has owned and 

operated the newspaper 

ever since. The phrase 

"Lake Charles" was deleted 

from its name in 1998 

to better reflect the 

newspaper's longstanding 

regional coverage. 

The American Press 

has enjoyed its greatest 

successes during the 

Shearmans' half-century 

of ownership — achievements 

that began with 

the newspaper's crusade 

in the 1950s against illegal 

gambling and have 

since included national 

and regional awards in 

all facets of news gathering, 

Pulitzer Prize nominations 

for writing and 

photography and top 

honors for excellence in 

news, advertising, and 

Web site design. 

4900 Highway 90 East 


433-3000 

www.americanpress.com 

00671785

CREATIVE CONCEPTS 

One-stop creative shop 

For the past 15 years, 

Creative Concepts has 

offered design and digital 

print services. From 

copies to business cards to 

vinyl signs and banners, 

we can meet your printing 

and graphics needs. 

We offer 24-hour turnaround 

on business cards. 

Small quantities are no 

problem. 

Whether your needs are 

small or large we can create 

mugs, mousepads, Tshirts 

and jewelry with 

photos on them, all produced 

at our 3,000 square 

foot facility on McNeese 

Street. Call us for a custom 

quote. 

Our t-shirts are printed 

directly on the fabric with 

no screen charges. 

We engrave custom 

designs on metals and 

plastics. Trophies, 

plaques, awards and gifts 

which may be purchased 

and engraved at our location. 

Tired of paying ad 

agency prices for design 

services? Degreed artists 

Visit us today for all your printing, graphic 

signs, and engraving needs. 

are on staff to help you 

with all your design 

needs. Bring us your files 

for color laser output or 

let us digitize them and 

save them to CD. 

Vinyl signs and banners 

are custom designed in 

house. Feel free to stop by 

and visit with us about 

your project. We are locally 

owned and operated by 

Denise Foster, and have 

over 30 years experience 

in design and graphics. 

Louisiana Made is now 

located inside Creative 

Concepts where we sell 

the finest products made 

right here in Louisiana. 

From food to music to art 

- if you are looking for a 

one of a kind Louisiana 

item, stop by our store. 

We also make baskets 

with your favorite 

Louisiana Made items in 

them for gifts. 

Creative Concepts 

144 W. McNeese St. 

474-3406 

www.fggroup.com 

■ BROWN’S 

Celebrating 33rd Anniversary! 

Brown’s Neighborhood 

Market offers 

specialty cut meat, 

store-made sausage 

and chicken patties, 

deli bread pudding, 

rotisserie chicken and 

ribs and so much 

more. Their produce 

section is supplied 

with great quality produce. 


prices, provide 

excellent customer 

service and take 

great pleasure in providing 

a friendly 

atmosphere. 

We offer a great 

selection of products 

from many names you 

know and trust. No 

matter if you are cooking 

from scratch or if 

you are looking for a 

quick and easy meal, 

we offer convenience 

items like mixes for 

cakes and stuffings, 

instant mixes and much 

more that can be found 

on our well stocked 

shelves. 

Established in 1978, 

Brown’s Neighborhood Market in Grand Lake 

Meat Department at 

Brown’s Food Center in Hackberry 

Brown’s Food Centers 

main location is in 

Hackberry. 

The next time you go 

shopping, let the 

friendly faces at 

Brown’s help you in 

meeting all of your grocery 

needs. 

00671167 

00673433 

Brown’s Neighborhood 

Market 

10051 Gulf Hwy. 

Grand Lake, LA 

Brown’s Food Center 

620 Main Street 

Hackberry, LA 

337-762-4632 


■ THE HUDDLE UP 



“The view on the bayou never looked so good!” 

After gaining experience 

as a cook in the 

United States Air Force, 

Mark Leone got the 

opportunity to own his 

own restaurant that he 

opened up with his wife, 

Libby. With the help of his 

family, he came up with 

the idea of Huddle Up 

Sport’s Bar and Grill. 

Located at 1103 W Prien 

Lake Road in Lake 

Charles, La., Huddle Up 

serves homemade hamburgers, 

wings, appetizers, 

pizzas, salads, pasta, 

po-boys, sandwiches and 

desserts. For those wanting 

to quench their thirst, 

Huddle Up serves domestic, 

imported and craft 

beer. 

For the ultimate viewing 

experience, come in 

and watch the game on 

any one of their 21 flat 

screen televisions. 

While you’re there, 

don’t forget to try their 

signature Home Run 

Sandwich – a huge sandwich 

that comes with a 

fried pork chop, eight 

ounce ground beef patty, 

and grilled chicken breast 

served with all the fixings. 

■ TECI’S LADIES APPAREL 

A unique shopping experience 

Teci’s Ladies Apparel is 

an upscale specialty store 

with a friendly and welcoming 

atmosphere. We 

carry an eclectic mix of 

classic essentials and up 

to the minute trends at a 

variety of price points. 

You can always trust 

Teci’s for the most sophisticated 

ladies apparel, as 

well as trendy scarves, 

handbags and fashion 

jewelry. Some of the lines 

we carry are eileen fisher, 

Nic & Zoe, Ming Wang, 

Barbra Lesser, Sharon 

Young and our newest 

line that we love is 

Sympli. For the more 

trendy lady, we now carry 

some funkier lines like 

Mystree, Downeast and 

Gypsie Junkie. 

Teci’s has served SWLA 

for 4 1/2 years. Before 

moving to our current 

location in 2009 on Ernest 

Street by Prien Lake Mall, 

we were located on 

College Street. 

Libby Leone, Rachael Leone 

and owner Mark Leone 

They have their own signature 

wing sauce. 

You can always find 

friendly service at Huddle 

Up, where you are welcome 

with Southern 

Hospitality. You can 

always find the owner in 

the restaurant, talking to 

customers and making 

sure the service is running 

smoothly. 

“We want our customers 

to feel free to tell 

us what you like and any- 

“We really love our 

location,” explains Teci. 

“It seems to be the perfect 

location for our ladies to 

stop in often, so they can 

keep up with all the fashions 

that arrive daily. 

Already, 2011 is appearing 

to be our best year yet.” 

We invite you to discover 

Teci’s Ladies Apparel 

today. We think you’ll 

appreciate the style, value 

and appeal of our clothing. 

We place strong 

emphasis on customer 

relationships and services. 

We now invite you to join 

us on facebook at Teci’s 

Ladies Apparel or by 

email at tecijo@aol.com. 

Our number is 436.5944 

and we are available to 

help with all your fashion 

emergencies. You will find 

us at 3125 Ernest St; East 

of the Mall. We are open 

Monday thru Friday 10:00 

– 5:30 and on Saturdays 

10:00 – 4:00. 

17 

00671753 

thing we can do better.” 

Coming soon: Outdoor 

seating and entertainment 

during the summer. 

1103 W. Prien Lake Rd. 


337-656-2905 

00671263 

Owner Teci Culpepper 

Teci’s Ladies Apparel 

3125 Ernest St. 


337-436-5944 

www.tecisapparel.com

18 



■ BETTER BUSINESS BUREAU 

Start with trust 

The Better Business 

Bureau of Southwest 

Louisiana is headed by 

Carmen Million. The mission 

of the BBB is to be 

the leader in advancing 

marketplace trust. The 

BBB’s vision is an ethical 

marketplace where buyers 

and sellers can trust each 

other. 

The BBB offers free 

assistance and counseling 

in resolving marketplace 

disputes. The Better 

Business Bureau also provides 

information to help 

consumers and businesses 

make informed decisions 

before making a purchase 

or a charitable donation. 

“We are the first step in 

resolving issues in an 

effort to possibly eliminate 

the need to take legal 

action,” Million said. 

Some of the services 

provided by the Better 

Business Bureau include 

mediation and binding 

arbitration, information 

and counseling, monitoring 

advertising and charity 

control, speeches and 

alerts on current schemes 

and scams, and programs 

to educate middle & high 

school students on identi- 

■ KENNY FUSELIER 

Under Foot Since 1988 

Kenny Fuselier and 

Company was started in 

1988 by Kenny Fuselier. 

Today they are still locally 

owned and family operated 

and managed by Mike 

Blevins. 

Kenny Fuselier offers a 

wide variety of flooring 

and window treatments. 

With over 21 years of 

experience and expertise, 

they can help you take 

any room or space and 

create the atmosphere that 

you desire. They offer 

flooring: wood, ceramic, 

vinyl, plank; carpet, marble, 

granite, area rugs, 

Hunter Douglas: blinds, 

shades, and shutters; 

Sunbrella canvas awnings, 

wallpaper, and much 

more. 

Customers continue to 

go to Kenny Fuselier 

because they offer quality 

products and name 

brands at competitive 

prices. Anytime you deal 

with Kenny Fuselier, you 

are dealing with experienced 

and professional 

sales people. 

ty theft and wise financial 

decisions. 

In 2010, the local BBB 

office serviced over 34,000 

pre-purchase inquirers 

and processed over 900 

complaints as well as 

thousands of counseling, 

mediation and informational 

requests. The local 

BBB staff includes 

Kathleen Leonards, Vice 

President - Marketing, 

Olivia Collins, Complaint 

Manager, Tina Cotton, 

Charity Review, and 

Gisele Weber, Marketing 

Assistant. 

Million advises all consumers 

to contact the BBB 

before doing business 

with any company. 

Consumers and business 

can reach the BBB at 337- 

478-6253 or by visiting the 

website, www.bbb.org 

The Better Business 

Bureau is a non-profit 

organization supported 

solely by accredited bus 

nesses that must meet and 

maintain certain standards. 

The BBB of Southwest 

Louisiana, Inc. services 

the parishes of Allen, 

Beauregard, Calcasieu, 

Cameron, Jeff Davis and 

Choosing your flooring 

begins with choosing a 

reputable company that 

will work with you in 

attaining your desired 

look, price and level of 

service. If you are in the 

market for any of our professional 

home decorating 

services, please do not 

hesitate to call us today 

for a free estimate! 

We pledge every effort 

on our part to see to it 

that your flooring needs 


Carmen Million, 

President 

00671984 

Vernon. The local BBB 

was established in 1955. It 

is affiliated with the 

Council of Better Business 

Bureaus, the national BBB 

office, which was established 

in 1912. 

Better Business Bureau 

2309 E. Prien Lake Road 

478-6253 1-800-542-7085 

www.bbb.org 

00671511 

Call us today for Free Estimate 1-337-478-6700 

are met as quickly as possible. 

For more information, 

call Lucy or Kenny at 478- 

6700. 

Kenny Fuselier & 

Company 

3019 Kirkman St. 


337-478-6700 

■ GRAND RENTAL STATION 

Where to rent the best 

Grand Rental Station 

has everything a homeowner 

or small contractor 

needs for do-it-yourself 

projects. They have a complete 

line of items for rent 

or purchase. 

Open since 1977, Grand 

Rental Station has three 

locations to better serve 

customers. Visit the location 

at 115 West College 

Street in Lake Charles or 

Moss Bluff at 487 Hwy. 

171 North. Stop by 3400 

Ryan Street location for 

your wedding and party 

needs. 

Personal service is the 

priority at Grand Rental 

Station. Brand name 

equipment such as Ditch- 

Witch, Kubota, Bosch, 

Honda, Bil-jax , 

Husqvarna, Stihl, Bobcat 

and more can be found. 

Dean Henagan, owner, 

invites you to stop by one 

of Grand Rental Station’s 

three locations for wellmaintained 

equipment 

that is designed for the 

do-it-yourself home 

owner and small contractor. 

■ GARBER FOOT & ANKLE CLINIC, L.L.C. 

00671243 

Grand Rental Station 

Lake Charles 

115 W. College 

(478-3115) 

3400 Ryan St. 

(478-3116) 

Moss Bluff 

478 Hwy. 171 N., 

(855-7791). 

www.grandrentalstation.com 

Helping your foot related problems 

Garber Foot & Ankle 

Clinic, L.L.C., has been in 

its present location since 

1994. They offer conservative 

treatment for common 

ailments of the feet 

in the office as well as 

more advanced surgical 

treatments at local hospitals 

and Surgicare. They 

have foot aids and appliances 

available through 

their office such as diabetic 

shoes and custom 

molded inserts for foot 

problems. 

They also offer individualized 

care to make their 

patients feel that, “When 

you’re here, you’re 

home.” 

People go to Garber 

Foot & Ankle Clinic, 

L.L.C. because, “We treat 

the patient’s foot related 

problems as if they were 

our own.” 

Their patients always 

come first, they schedule 

appointments in a timely 

manner, so you do not 

have to remain in pain. 

With a staff that 

includes Dr, Garber, 

Dr. Vernon Louis 

Garber of Garber 

Foot & Ankle Clinic, 

L.L.C. 

Sharon Fuselier-Office 

Manager, Carolyn 

Sonnier-Receptionist, 

Gaynell Jourbert and 

Gena Estaville-Podiatric 

Assistants, they have 

remained a relatively 

moderate sized boutique 

00671563 

practice, so they can cater 

to individual needs in a 

much more efficient, personalized 

manner. It is 

their belief that early 

detection of foot problems 

can lead to more successful 

outcomes. 

“In our office, our staff 

strive to deliver prompt, 

courteous care to every 

patient that walks through 

the door.” 

They treat heel pain, 

hammer toe and bunion 

correction, nerve related 

problems, skin problems, 

(warts, ingrown toenails, 

cysts), and management 

of diabetic related foot 

problems. 

Garber Foot & Ankle 

Clinic, L.L.C. 

651 Doctor Michael 

Debakey Dr. 

337-433-3338

■ HOKUS POKUS 

Spiritual Advisor since 1940 

Hokus Pokus Liquors is 

the Lake area’s largest spirits 

and wine retailer. Starting out 

in 1940 in Louisiana, Hokus 

Pokus continues to be the 

leader in defining the spirits 

and wine industry. 

Gus and Michelle Olah, 

current third generation owners, 

strive to provide the 

same service and selection 

standards that founded this 

company over 71 years ago 

by providing excellent customer 

service, great selections, 

and low prices. 

Hokus Pokus is your total 

beverage retailer carrying 

wine, spirits, beer, mixers, 

cigars, gourmet foods and 

cheeses! In 2009 we completed 

our renovation of our new 

location and opened the new 

store located at 1915 Country 

Club Road. This 8,000 sf facility 

has allowed us to expand 

our product lines and offer a 

selection never before seen in 

the Lake Area! So at this time 

we would like to say to all 

our customers, “Thank you 

for allowing us to grow and 

better serve you!” Our 

Spiritual Advisors have been 

helping you make selections 

with your wine and spirits 

for many years and continue 

to strive to make your shopping 

experience like none 

other. 

We feel the best way to 

■ INSURANCE UNLIMITED 

We cover all your needs 

Founded in 1962 by James 

C. Robinson, Insurance 

Unlimited established its 

main office in Lake Charles. 

The Sulphur branch opened 

at 1000 S. Huntington St. in 

1978 and the south Lake 

Charles branch at 1013 E. 

McNeese St. was added in 

1998. Lafayette and 

DeRidder were added in 

2009. The agency is now 

owned by associates Larry 

Christ and Eddy Robinson. 

Insurance Unlimited 

offers all lines of insurance 

for your personal or commercial 

needs, including 

auto, home, mobile home, 

RV, umbrella, life and 

health, commercial property, 

general liability, workers 

compensation, business 

auto, garage and umbrella. 

While Hurricane Rita presented 

market problems, the 

markets are stabilizing and 

they are actively writing all 

lines of insurance. 

With knowledgeable producers 

and staff to coordinate 

a package to suit individual 

or business owner’s 

needs at a competitive price, 

their 260 years of combined 

experience should assure 

you you’re in excellent 

hands. 

Principals Eddy Robinson 

and Larry Christ state, “We 

Gus and Michelle Olah, Owners 

learn about wine and spirits 

is to taste them! Every Friday 

from 5-7 pm Hokus Pokus 

offers a complimentary instore 

tasting at our tasting 

bar. Not only do you get to 

taste great artisan wines, but 

we also offer a 10% discount 

on all wines tasted... now that 

is the Magic of the Ghost! So 

we invite you to come and be 

our guest each and every 

Friday and let us share our 

passion with you! We offer 

custom gift baskets, gift 

cards, party-wedding planning, 

and glassware rentals. 

Let our Spiritual Advisors 

make your special occasion 

magical and remember to 

please enjoy our spirits 

will not compromise our 

reputation with inferior 

products or companies.” 

Branch managers Tony Perot 

and Casey Christ agree 

along with agents Dana 

Jackson, Gary Pearce, 

Dennis Guillory, Craig 

Martel, Keith Smith & Cody 

Delcambre, Dooley Prince, 

Melody Jackson, Darlene 

Marsh, Blake Petry, Chad 

Newgebaver, Mike 

Spielmann, and Paul Lanier. 

They represent A+ rated 

companies, and provide A+ 

rated services after the sale. 

They seek profitability 

through productivity and 

growth but never compromise 

on their primary commitment 

to serve their customers. 

00671675 

responsibly. Cheers, Gus & 

Michelle Olah 

Mon-Thur 10am-8pm 

Fri-Sat 10am-9pm 

1915 Country Club Rd. 


337-474-0447 

info@hokuspokusliquor.com 

00671170 

L-R (Back Row) Dennis Guillory, Blake Petry, Darlene Marsh, 

Gary Pearce, Dooley Prince, Craig Martel, Keith Smith, 

Cody Delcambre, Paul Lanier, (Bottom) Tony Perot, 

Eddy Robinson owner, Larry Christ owner, and Casey Christ 

Main Office 

3111 Ryan St. 




477-6922 

1013-A E. McNeese St. 

South Lake Charles, LA 

562-1808 

1000 S. Huntington St. 

Sulphur, LA 

527-8691 

301 E. Kaliste Saloom Rd., 

Ste. 200 

Lafayette, LA 70508 

337-456-5402 

160 Joe Larson Rd. 

DeRidder, LA 70634 

337-660-7128 


■ UNITED OFFICE SUPPLY 



19 

Largest locally owned office supply 

store in SW La approaching 24 years 

United Office 

Supply and 

Equipment Co., Inc., 

located at 4013 

Maplewood Drive in 

Sulphur was purchased 

by Carolyn 

Cockrill in January 

1989. The business 

was in desperate 

need of attention. In 

the past 23 years 

Carolyn has worked 

very hard and many 

long hours to build 

up the business to 

where it is today...the 

largest locally owned 

office supply store in 

Calcasieu Parish. 

United Office 

Supply sells office 

Carolyn Cockrill, Owner 

supplies, office furniture, 

office machines, 

copier and computer 

supplies, janitorial 

supplies, promotional 

products, printing, 

business cards, wedding 

invitations, rubber 

stamps, fine 

leather gifts, 

TimeMist products 

and so much more. 

Fast, personal service 

is what you’ll find at 

UOS. 

Each order has free 

delivery, with no 

minimum order 

amount, so call UOS 

and save your time 

and gas! They even 

do desktop deliver- 

United Office Supply and Equipment Co., Inc. 

4013 Maplewood Drive 

Sulphur, LA 

337-625-2442 or 474-5589 

www.unitedofficesupply.com 

00671154 

ies. Credit, debit & 

pro cards are accepted, 

as well as cash 

and checks. 

Visit Carolyn and 

her staff today and 

experience the locally 

owned personal service 

for yourself. 

You’ll be glad you 

did! 

UOS is a proud 

member of the Better 

Business Bureau. 

Start with Trust! 

Check out UOS with 

your local BBB of 

Southwest Louisiana. 

“Buying Locally- 

Owned keeps Your 

$’s Local”

20 


While the auto industry was 

busy writing itself off, John Stelly, 

CEO of Paramount Companies, 

was unexpectedly expanding. 

Amid the industry turmoil, 

Stelly’s business acquired Gray 

Nissan and Gray Ford, a pair of 

dealerships in DeRidder. The company, 

also acquired 15 acres of 

land in Silsbee, Texas, and built a 

state-of-the-art Nissan facility at a 

cost of $4 million. 

The automotive industry travails 

over the past few years are 

well-documented; sales in 2009 

were the lowest since 1982. While 

it may seem ill-advised to spend 

millions to expand sales capabilities 

during the industry’s worst 

slump, Stelly’s philosophy is being 

the biggest fish in a smaller pond. 

The five locations create a 200square 

mile triangle that guarantees 

Nissan’s excellent market 

penetration, which he predicts will 

more than double sales for 2011. 

U-Turn To Profitability 

As the dealership is only an 

hour’s drive from Stelly’s Lake 


NISSAN MAZDA FORD 


vthe3/50 b project® 

saving the brick and mortars our nation is built on 

3 

50 

68 

1 

Save your local economy... 

three stores at a time. 

Think about which three independently owned businesses 

you’d miss most if they were gone. Stop in and say hello. 

Pick up a little something that will make someone smile. 

Your contribution is what keeps those businesses around. 

If just half the employed U.S. population spent $50 each 

month in independently owned businesses, their purchases 

would generate more than $42.6 billion in revenue.* 

Imagine the positive impact if 3/4 of the employed 

population did that. 

For every $100 spent in independently owned stores, 

$68 returns to the community through taxes, payroll, and 

other expenditures. If you spend that in a national chain, 

only $43 stays here. Spend it online and nothing comes home. 

oi 

The number of people it takes to start the trend...you. 

Pick 3. Spend d50 550. SSave yyour 

llocal 

economy. 

Visit the350project.net 

© ® Cinda Baxter 2010; all rights reserved. Proudly supporting RetailSpeaks and independent retailers everywhere. 

* Employment statistics courtesy U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, 2/6/2009; 68/43 courtesy Civic Economics study, 2008. 

Local dealer making deals everyday...and acquisitions 

Charles showroom, common sense 

might dictate that he’d be cannibalizing 

his current customer base 

with the acquisition. 

However, he would also be 

acquiring his closest competitor. 

“It works out great. I’m my own 

competition, which means I cover 

- from a Nissan perspective - more 

than 200 square miles of territory 

by buying these dealerships,” he 

says. “I’m the only Nissan dealer 

from Lake Charles to Shreveport, 

which covers 200 miles, roughly.” 

Minority Report 

Stelly’s success is rare in an 

environment where the number of 

minority-owned dealerships continues 

to dwindle. While there is 

stabilization that signals the worst 

is likely over, it’s taken a catastrophic 

toll. 

“The African American dealer 

count has had a significant 

amount of attrition. Out of 22,000, 

there are 300 black (auto) dealers 

in the country,” says Damon 

Lester, president of the National 

Association of Minority 

00673866 

DeRidder, LA DeRidder, LA 

■ GULF COAST CARPET & DECORATING 

Our overhead is low so we can sell for less 

John Fontenot has been 

selling floors for 35 years, 

since 1976. He opened 

Gulf Coast Carpet for 

business in 1994. He started 

with all kinds and any 

flooring made. 

Gulf Coast Carpet & 

Decorating stocks, and 

has great prices on wood, 

laminate, ceramic, carpet 

and counter tops. They 

also have experienced 

sales people with over 20 

years in the business and 

in-house professional 

installation. Gulf Coast 

Carpet & Decorating has 

over one hundred, 8X11 

rugs in stock starting at 

$199.99, plus custom 

drapes and blinds. They 

have a decorator available 

by appointment and sell 

beautiful framed pictures, 

lamps, decorative accessories, 

and wood furniture 

accents. Gulf Coast Carpet 

& Decorating custommake 

canvas and metal 

awnings and have the 

Automobile Dealers (NAMAD). 

Stelly stands to benefit from 

having profitable operations that 

could fuel acquisitions to help 

penetrate new markets and grow 

his business. “(In) the current economic 

climate, it’s tough for dealers 

who either lack capital or 

access to capital. And Mr. Stelly’s 

first dealership in Lake Charles 

has been so successful for him, it’s 

allowed him to acquire additional 

properties and additional businesses,” 

says Mark Alan Rainey, 

senior manager, Dealer Network 

Strategy for Nissan North 

America. “I would say that as far 

as his acquisitions this year, he’s 

fared better than any of our other 

minority dealers.” 

“For us to retain the number of 

dealers that we have, as well as 

increase the minority network, we 

need access to capital,” says 

Lester. “We’re still seeing challenges 

from the banks to lend to 

automobile dealers, particularly 

those who don’t have the equity 

in their stores and in the real 

I-210@LEGION 

Gulf Coast Carpet & Decorating Staff 

cheapest price on 2-inch 

faux wood blinds. They 

have recently added a 

beautiful line of purses 

and fashion jewelry. 

At Gulf Coast Carpet & 

Decorating, “Our overhead 

is low so we can sell 

for less. We complete decorating 

with other items 

besides floors, and we 

buy in volume. We sell 

good value product and 

have great sale prices.” 

estate that they once had.” 

For the relatively few who 

can gain access to capital, 

such as Stelly, opportunities 

remain. “The price to acquire 

dealerships is at an all-time 

low, so there’s a lot of opportunity 

for growth. In order 

for us to grow we have to be 

creative in how we do business; 

that means we have to 

be creative in partnering 

and using private equity 

as an additional source to 

obtain access to capital,” 

says Lester. 

“This is a very good 

time to buy stores. 

Stelly is an example of 

dealers who have cash, 

or access to it, who are 

capitalizing on the 

market conditions.” 

Stelly stands to benefit 

from having profitable 

operations that 

could fuel acquisitions 

to help penetrate 

new markets. 

5500 Common 

Lake Charles 

337.477.2266 

M-F 9-5; SAT. 9-1 

00671169 

GULF 

COAST 

CARPET & 

DECORATING 

CENTER 

00671127 

Nissan of Lake Charles 

Mazda of Lake Charles 

I-210 at Legion 

337-439-9955 

www.paramountcompanies.com

Locally Owned - Mediaspan

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