LyondellBasell facilities honored

LyondellBasell is proud to announce four of its U.S. manufacturing facilities have been awarded some of the highest safety awards in the industry during the American Fuel and Petrochemical Manufacturers’ 2023 Annual Safety Awards event held last month.

The AFPM Safety Awards Program is part of a comprehensive safety program developed to promote accident prevention in the petroleum refining and petrochemical manufacturing industries.

The Elite Platinum Safety Award is among the most distinguished safety awards, which represents the top one to five percent of the industry’s safety performers. The LyondellBasell Lake Charles Louisiana Integrated PolyEthylene Joint Venture Site was the recipient of this award for its outstanding performance in 2023.

AFPM’s Elite Gold Award, the second highest safety award, recognizes facilities with safety performance within the top 5% of industry, demonstrating excellent program innovation and leadership over time. The LyondellBasell Elite Gold Award recipients include the Matagorda Complex and the Corpus Christi Site. AFPM’s Elite Silver Award recognizes the top 10% of industry safety performance. The LyondellBasell Elite Silver Award recipient is the Victoria site.

Visit LC campaign recognized

Visit Lake Charles has been honored with eight prestigious awards for its “As Much Joy As You Can Pack In” campaign. These awards include six American Advertising Federation (AAF) ADDY Awards in local and regional competitions and two Telly Awards.

The AAF ADDY Awards celebrate the advertising industry’s most creative work, and the Telly Awards honor the best video work across all screens, from commercials to online content, in a global competition. The awards Visit Lake Charles received:

Gold ADDY Award (Districts) – Online/Interactive Campaign

Gold ADDY Award (Districts) – Regional/National Television Commercial Campaign

Gold ADDY Award (Locals) – Out-Of-Home & Ambient Media

Gold ADDY Award (Locals) – Online/Interactive Campaign

Gold ADDY Award (Locals) – Film, Video, Sound Regional/National Campaign

Silver ADDY Award (Locals) – Print Ad Full Page or Less

Gold Telly Award for Social Video

Silver Telly Award for Online Commercials

The district-level ADDY awards are especially impressive, as less than 3% of this year’s entries were recognized. Additionally, the campaign earned recognition as a Best of Category Finalist for a Charlie Award at the district level in the Online/Interactive  category.

Several complete School of Banking

RUSTON — Bankers from across Louisiana, Arkansas, and Mississippi participated in the third year of the Louisiana Tech University School of Banking, June 3-7, in Ruston. Presented by the College of Business in collaboration with the Louisiana Bankers Association, the weeklong professional development program expands the skills and knowledge base of rising bank leaders.

The 75 participants engaged in trainings and discussions about fintech, regional economic development, and cybersecurity to hone skills that have become increasingly critical to the banking industry. Local School of Banking Graduates included:  Mitchell Best, Louisiana Land Bank, ACA; Jason Blalock, Red River Bank; Kaila Boire, b1BANK; Royce Boyer, b1BANK; Melissa Dickson, First Federal Bank of Louisiana; Layne LaBudde, First Horizon Bank; Vicky Meyer, b1BANK; and Jonathan Vedros, b1BANK.

A cohort of 40 bankers completed their first year of courses and will return in June 2025 for a second year featuring BankExec simulations and case studies that will complement classroom discussions.

Locals will include: Jack Colvin, b1BANK; Angelle David, b1BANK; Julie McMillin, Merchants & Farmers Bank; Kylie Middleton, b1BANK; Briar Prewitt, b1BANK; and Kendall Shaw, b1BANK.

Each second-year banker participated in BankExec, an intensive simulation designed to provide an understanding of financial management challenges in banks. Divided into seven banks, teams competed throughout the week and presented their final results prior to graduation. The following team was the 2024 winner: Chad Doucet, South Louisiana Bank; Layne LaBudde, First Horizon Bank; Reed Trisler, Guaranty Bank & Trust; Jonathan Vedros, b1BANK; and Mackenzie Willis, Louisiana National Bank.

Marcantel named office manager

JENNINGS —  JD Bank is pleased to announce the promotion of Tyler Marcantel to office manager of the Sale Road Branch located at 119 W. Sale Road in Lake Charles.

In this role, Marcantel will oversee daily branch operations and serve as a consumer lender.

Marcantel joined the JD Bank team in 2020 as Head Universal Banker for the Sale Road location. A native of Kinder, Marcantel obtained an Associate of Science in Business Administration and Management from Sowela. He is pursuing a Bachelor of Science in Accounting from LSU-A, expected to graduate in 2025.

He is a graduate of the 2022 Louisiana Bankers Association’s Leadership School.

WCCH honored by Blue Cross

The Women’s Center at West Calcasieu Cameron Hospital has been recognized by Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Louisiana with a Blue Distinction Centers+ (BDC+) for Maternity Care designation, as part of the Blue Distinction Specialty Care program.

To earn this designation, each facility must deliver quality care, safely and cost- effectively.

The Blue Distinction Centers for Maternity Care program plays a key role in the Blue Cross Blue Shield Association’s (BCBSA) National Health Equity Strategy aimed at reducing racial health disparities in healthcare and improving patient outcomes for all Americans.

The Blue Distinction Centers for Maternity Care program recently elevated its quality and measurement standards to recognize higher-quality facilities that have taken action to respond effectively to obstetric emergencies, reduce racial disparities and improve maternal health outcomes.