Kingham named bank officer

Christi Kingham has been promoted to bank officer in loan operations by Lakeside Bank. She joined Lakeside in April of 2022 as a commercial loan assistant.

Kingham has 13 years of experience in the real estate and financial fields. Her background includes working as a real estate loan closer at a local title company, a real estate paralegal for a local law firm, and a consumer loan clerk and real estate closer for a local bank.

Originally from Jennings, Kingham is a graduate of McNeese State University where she earned a Bachelor of Science in management and a Bachelor of Science in marketing.  She is a certified notary public.

Dutel joins Carlyss JD Bank

JENNINGS — JD Bank is pleased to announce that Wendy Dutel has joined the JD Bank team as AVP branch manager of the Carlyss office, located at 4507 La. 27 S.

Dutel brings more than 20 years of banking and finance expertise to her new role. As branch manager, she will oversee daily branch operations and serve as a lender for the local community.

A McNeese State University graduate, Dutel began her career in finance in 1989 and her banking career in 2011. She has worked as a financial analyst for several large corporations and most recently served as a branch manager in Sulphur.

Active in the community, Dutel is a member of the Krewe of Cosmos, Sulphur Rotary Club, Lafayette Paddle Club, and the First United Methodist Church of Lake Charles.

LAIA appoints executive board

Jim Rock, executive director with Lake Area Industry Alliance, announces the 2023-2024 LAIA executive board.

Mark Peters, site executive director with Lotte Chemical, was appointed chairman. Greg Gray, plant manager with Grace, was appointed vice chair. Greg Defrantes, executive director with Firestone Polymers, was appointed secretary/treasurer.

LAIA was formed in 2000 to provide a collective voice for industries in Southwest Louisiana. It is a channel of communication between industries and the community, civic leaders, elected officials, educators and non-profit organizations.

EXIT Realty  adds to team

Local EXIT Realty affiliated offices are pleased to announce the addition of the following individuals to their teams of dedicated real estate professionals.

Edgar Bueno-Stubbs, Jeremiah Wilson, Lauren Huffman and Zach Thrift have joined EXIT Realty Southern located at 2915 Commons St.

Jessica Landry has joined EXIT Bayou Realty located at 722 N. U.S. 171.

Dawne Newell has joined EXIT Realty Southern located at 3701 Maplewood Drive in Sulphur.

Mangham named postmaster

COUSHATTA – Brandi Mangham has been named the postmaster of Coushatta.

​Her postal career began in 2018 as a postal support employee clerk at Hall Summit and was converted to a part-time flexible clerk position a year later when she started working at Coushatta.

She became the officer in charge in October of 2022. Mangham comes to the postmaster position with a lot of business background, owning several business with her husband over the past 20 years.

These days, she is responsible for six rural routes, two part-time flex clerks, and three RMPOs – Ashland, Hall Summit and Powhatan – with one clerk each.

Orthopaedics clinic opens

MOSS BLUFF — The Center for Orthopaedics held a ribbon cutting and grand opening this week for their new Moss Bluff office, located at 1355 Sam Houston Jones Parkway, Suite 340.

CFO is the region’s largest musculoskeletal group, providing comprehensive treatment for patients of all ages. Their range of services includes joint replacement; joint revision; knee surgery; hip surgery; shoulder surgery, spine and neck surgery; hand and wrist surgery; sports medicine; neurosurgery; podiatric medicine; arthritis treatment; occupational injuries; rheumatology; and interventional pain management.

Founded in 1994, CFO’s main office is located in Lake Charles. The medical staff includes 17 doctors:  Dr. John Noble Jr., Dr. Craig Morton, Dr. Tyson Green, Dr. Steven Hale, Dr. William Lowry Jr., Dr. George Trappey IV, Dr. Andrew Foret, Dr. Kalieb Pourciau, Dr. Jonathan Foret, Dr. Joseph Crookshank III, Dr. Brian Kelley, Dr. Alex Anderson, Dr. Sarah Clevenger, Dr. Enrique Mendez, Dr. Michael Garitty, Dr. Brad Jimerson, Dr. David Wallace Jr., and senior advisor Dr. David Drez Jr.

BBB board has new officers

The board of directors of Better Business Bureau Serving Southwest Louisiana has a new slate of officers for 2023.

Allen Jarvis of Knight Media will serve as chairperson, Cheyenne Boudreaux of Mission Flares and Combustion as vice president, Stacey Corbello of Terrell & Associates as secretary, Darrel Metoyer of Boyd Gaming will serve as treasurer, Jennifer Istre of First Horizon Bank served as chairperson during 2022 and will now serve as ex officio this year.

The following individuals will serve as board members at-large: Adam Guinn of Port Aggregates, Jason Williams of Pat Williams Construction, Kay Fox of Beauregard Electric Co, Matt Welsh of West Cal-Cam Hospital, Robert Soileau of J&J Exterminating, Ryan Abell of Abell & Son, and Wendy Stine of Stine Lumber.

The board also inducted new members Amanda Cox of Latter & Blum, Brett Downer of O’Carroll Group, and Christa Comeaux of Lakeside Bank.

The Better Business Bureau is a nonprofit, business-supported organization that sets and upholds high standards for fair and honest business behavior.

Burklow opening new office

Jason Burklow, MD, board certified family medicine physician with Imperial Health, has relocated his practice to the 4th floor of the main Imperial Health campus at 501 Dr. Michael DeBakey Drive.

A native of Lake Charles, Burklow earned a Bachelor of Science in biological science from LSU. He received a Doctor of Medicine from the American University of the Caribbean School of Medicine on the island of St. Maarten. He completed a Family Medicine Residency at Lake Charles Memorial Hospital as a part of the LSU Health Science Center Family Medicine Residency Program.

He has been with Imperial Health since 2017.