Lake Charles Lakefront Slated for National Hurricane Museum and Science Center

By Nancy Correro
The Times of SWLA




As we know, Lake Charles’s lakefront is slated for a facelift, but what some residents may not know is there is a possibility that the lakefront will also be host to a National Hurricane Museum and Science Center. While the Museum is still in the developmental stages, it has been moving forward at a steady pace since 2002 according to Jill Kidder, Project Coordinator for the Creole Nature Trail. In 2005, they needed someone to get the project off the ground so they hired Jill Kidder as a contractor.

“In 2003 the Creole Nature Trail received a grant and I wasn’t a part of it at that time. I didn’t come on until 2005. They received a grant from the National Scenic Highways Program to develop a Hurricane Audrey Memorial,” Kidder said.

Kidder and their group sent out a Request-for-Quote (RFQ) to designers and fourteen designers showed interest in doing an exhibit to memorialize Hurricane Audrey.
The RSQ was sent in June or July of 2005 and then Hurricane Rita hit in August and the designers were to have submitted by September 15th. Kidder’s team put everything on hold at that point.

“I told them we just can’t do anything right now. Our state is topsy-turvy and we don’t know what is going on so ‘ya’ll just hang in there with us and we’ll get back to this.’ They all came back to us later, the exhibit designers, and said, ‘look, ya’ll have got to think bigger than this. We understand that ya’ll are in a position right now that you don’t want to think about this, but you are going to have to later.’ And why not Southwest Louisiana. So that is what we did,” Kidder said.

They did some research on a National scale to see if there was anything like a Hurricane Museum and, it turns out, there is not. They started talking about expanding the Hurricane Audrey project and talking to people who work on these types of projects.

“So we received 14 proposals and we narrowed them down to the top five. Those top five exhibit designers came in from all across the country and shared with us their suggestions and we chose a firm, did a master plan, began formulating how this could all work, formed a 501c3 [non-profit organization], and began developing the 501c3. Most museums establish themselves that way so that they can receive donations and grant funding,” Kidder said.

They started garnering state, federal, and local support as well as grants and one for $1.36 million for the design of the exhibits.

“After we developed a master plan, we then decided it was time to go out and get some schematic designs for the facility so we could sell this to somebody. We didn’t have any pretty pictures,” said Kidder.

The Hurricane Center did some research, and also wrote a grant to hire fundraising consultants. In 2008, the consultants began helping them with more development and a fundraising plan. At the same time, the design group began to develop a program of work for the museum, a storyline that would show how the museum exhibits work together.

“We want to have a lot of hands-on exhibits for the kids, and have them show interest in the maths and sciences that lead to these weather related phenomena. So the question is, how do you do that? What does it look like and feel like? How will they flow through the museum? So that is what the designers are doing,” said Kidder.

The designers came up with concepts that they then tested on focus groups in five major cities across the country: Houston, Atlanta, Mobile, New York, and Chicago.

The artisan drawings on the Hurricane Museum’s website are some of the ideas the design team has come-up with after their research, but those are only the drawings they have so far.
“What we put up there has been tested. And certainly that is not final. Those are drawings where we said, ‘if we had something that looked like this, would you be interested?’ Now, we may not be able to do all of that. It all depends on how much money is raised for this project,” said Kidder.

In May, the Hurricane Museum and Science Center (NHMSC) began conversations with America’s Wetland Discovery Center to merge their projects and it looked like from the conversations that what would happen is The National Hurricane Museum would be the surviving entity and America’s Wetland Discovery Center would become a part of the National Hurricane Museum.

“You really can’t tell one story without the other. The merger is still in the works. We are still working through merger documents and articles have to be approved and bylaws and all of that. We are just working through all of the details,” said Kidder.

The city council has approved to change or amend the property agreement that they had with America’s Wetland Discovery Center so that if these two organizations do merge then it will be transferable over to the National Hurricane Museum. There were a lot of similarities between the two projects. The America Wetland Discovery Center and the National Hurricane Museum both had the idea of educational rooms, a big theatre, a cafe, and a ticketing booth.

“It didn’t seem right for us all to be going along the same path trying to raise money and ultimately compete for visitors in the end. So, we saw it as a great opportunity for us to come together, and it was spearheaded by the vision of the mayor and the America Wetlands Discovery Center. We are fortunate they wanted to come and join forces with us,” Kidder said.
The project is on hold at the moment as the merger takes place and the designers do more research. They want to do some funding feasibility work and they want to go out and show some people who may be interested in funding the project to see if they would be interested in supporting it.

“We’ve hired a company to do the demand analysis and the financial feasibility work and to write a business plan for us that will help us update our master plan for the project that would include America’s Wetland Discovery Center,” said Kidder.

The center’s first phase will be a memorial project in Louisiana’s Southwest corner in Cameron. The larger museum and science center’s location is slated for the Lake Charles downtown and lakefront area along Interstate 10.

“We have often talked about the fact that the genesis for this project was the Audrey Memorial and we feel like there should be a memorial concept developed. Our Creole Nature Trail is what got this whole thing started and it runs through Calcasieu and Cameron Parish. We’ve always wanted to do something in both parishes. So we feel that if our research continues to come back and say that that is a viable option then that is what needs to happen and we certainly will do that,” Kidder said.

The completion date is not known at this time simply because the project is still in the planning stages.

“This is a big project and a long project. It’s going to take time,” said Kidder. “We’ll better know [the completion date] sometime after this research comes back and our business plan is complete, but at this point I’d hate to give any kind of indication of a completion date or even the size of it. We just really want to be careful and make the right decisions for the project.”
If you would like to view the artist renderings and watch the project as it unfolds through the online timeline, go to: www.nhmsc.org.

Lake Charles Welcomes Home Fort Polk Soldiers

By Tore Carlberg




Members of the W.B. Williamson, American Legion, Post Number One and Mayfield, Taylor, McClain Post Number 551, met the 500 members of the 46th Engineering Battalion based at Fort Polk, Louisiana as they returned from their duty in Afghanistan. The Battalion landed in Lake Charles at Millionaire Air Park on the Chennault Air Strip.

Units returning to Fort Polk from abroad would normally land at England Air Force Base near Alexandria, Louisiana. However, as the runway at England is under construction, the arrivals were switched to Lake Charles.


These Lake Charles landings should continue until the construction at England Air Force Base is completed. The Battalion arrived on August 29th, September 2nd and September 5th, 2009 during the early morning hours.

There was off and on rain for the early morning of the first land. Although suffering from a head cold, Lake Charles Mayor Randy Roach personally met that plane and said of the experience, “There is no greater honor for an elected official than to welcome the troops home from overseas.”

The soldiers, young men and women, were wearing their fatigue uniforms and carrying knapsacks and weapons on their arrival. They were tired after their fifty-five hour flight, but glad to be home. After processing and turning in their weapons, they boarded buses for the hour long trip back to Fort Polk, where their family and friends were awaiting their arrival. The Combat Veterans Motorcycle Association, as they do for every military arrival in this area, escorted the buses to Fort Polk.

The local American Legion Units had been alerted of the arrivals by Ms. Theresa Lawson with the Public Relation’s Department at Fort Polk. Although it was at the last minute the two Posts immediately put together the welcoming. One of those instrumental in organizing the three events was Jim Jackson, the First Vice Commander of Post One.

Wearing a standard American Legion hat and red Legion shirt, he was heard saying, “It sure wasn’t like this when I returned from Vietnam. There was no one to meet our plane and in fact, we were not allowed to travel in our military uniform. We were required to purchase civilian clothes for the trip.”

Another American Legion greeter, Stephen Rothermel, recounted, “Each and every one of those soldiers, grabbed my hand and looked me in the eye. They told me how grateful they were for us to be there for them and I left that morning with a proud feeling in my heart.”

The Landing: A Unique Experience

By Chaney Ferguson
Editor, The Times




When Josh Rogers envisioned The Landing he wanted it to be a place for families. He set out to create a restaurant like none other in the lake area.

It was almost five years ago when Rogers came to Lake Charles to operate O’Charley’s. Around that same time was when he fell in love with the building that is now The Landing.
“The building is amazing, it is so unique, one of a kind with the brick and wood and the waterfront. It was just like nothing else you could find anywhere,” said Rogers.

He remembers saying he had to get hold of this building when he saw all the potential. It is easy to imagine families coming in from the water for a delicious meal.

“The reason I opened this restaurant is the building and the scenery did everything for me. I came in and said ‘what do I want and how is this going to happen?’” said Rogers.

His goal was to have a restaurant with great food, reasonable prices and be kid friendly.
Rogers also wanted to have a family oriented menu that allowed for finer foods and wines. “I chose things you couldn’t get anywhere else, like marinated duck breast and New Zealand lamb. Things you typically can’t get when you have kids around. That was the idea behind it.”

The Landing offers an extensive wine list with wines ranging from very expensive to more affordable.

“We tried to make the atmosphere fun for the family, friendly, and affordable, but with some really unique items. Some creations are all my own, that you just can’t find anywhere else, like shrimp and okra hushpuppies or crab fondue. When you look through the menu you say ‘wow these are some really cool things I’ve never heard of.’”

In addition to the new creations, Rogers also brought back a few of the old classics like fried green tomatoes, New Orleans style BBQ shrimp, and other flavors of Louisiana.

Rogers grew up watching his dad work in the restaurant business and Rogers himself has worked all through Florida, Mississippi and Louisiana picking up local flavors and honing his skills.

Rogers’ hometown is Hattiesburg, Mississippi, where he watched his dad operate several Western Sizzlin restaurants.

“It sort of inspired me as a child. I started working at Shipley Do-Nuts when I was 14, mopping floors everyday and getting paid $50 a week.”

He moved up from mopping floors when he started working for a series of locally owned businesses before moving into work with a corporation.

“I worked for Brinker International which is Chili’s Restaurant for about two and a half years before I was recruited by O’Charley’s. I’ve been in restaurants everywhere from Lake Charles, Louisiana to Jacksonville, Florida and everywhere in between.”

Prior to The Landing, he worked for O’Charley’s for about ten years. The past four years were spent here at the Lake Charles franchise where he spent much of his time giving back to the community.

Rogers is very involved in local civic organizations and he enjoys taking advantage of all the opportunities he has had to help the area. He sits on the board for Contraband Days, and a member of the Better Business Bureau and the Lake Charles rotary club. He was citizen of the year in 2008, and a graduate of the chamber leadership committee.

When he was at O’Charley’s, he worked with area schools providing spaghetti dinners or hosting St. Louis soccer night at the restaurant.

He works with Barbe High School, Westlake athletics, St. Louis Catholic High School, SJ Welsh, and elementary schools like Prien Lake, Nelson and St. John.

“Working with the schools involves awarding students kid’s meals and prizes. I cooked for all of the fundraisers that all the schools do. Barbe cheerleaders had 2,000 plus ribeye dinners. We had programs where we would bring in students of the month or students of the year, and award kids with different coupons and prizes for reading goals.”

The list spans from cooking for teacher appreciation to allowing Barbe to have a carwash in the restaurant parking lot.

Rogers began his community service a few months after he arrived. He moved to Lake Charles in July of 2005.

His hometown was devastated by Hurricane Katrina and Rogers remained in Lake Charles during Rita and the aftermath.

“We were out in the restaurant parking lot cooking and donating food to over 260,000 people for over 19 days once Rita hit. I figured why not do something with the food. It was a good experience. After that our restaurant was a success and we were embedded in the community from that day on.”

Rogers believes that it is easy to make the choice to help people.

“It is not what leads you to do for people it is what keeps you from doing for people. In your heart you know what is right and the Lord leads you to help and you just go with it. You don’t not do it. You pay it forward.”

Rogers’ servant attitude has moved with him to The Landing. He encourages organizations to seek him out for whatever they need because the area supported him and his family when they arrived.

“Lake Charles wrapped itself around me for the past four years, and I was able to provide for the community when nobody else could provide for them. We really had the opportunity to reach out and touch the community, and I want that opportunity here.”

Now that Rogers has struck out on his own at The Landing, he hopes to have the same opportunities to help the area and give back some of the support he has received.

“I have now wrapped my arms around The Landing and the SWLA catering company which is located above the restaurant. It is a magnificent venue and holds about a 120 people. It has 35 ft. vaulted wood ceilings. It’s just amazing.”

The Landing opened July 23 and has become an all encompassing dining experience that offers more than just a good meal.

Rogers offers SWLA Catering service, live music featuring local bands for Rock the Dock, and a beautiful venue available for parties. Whether it’s a craving for something simple like a hamburger or a fine dining experience, check out The Landing. Josh would love to meet you.

The Times 2009 Women In Business

Becky Fuselier Owner of Becky’s Catering and Banquet Room
By Nancy Correro
The Times of SWLA

We all know a person who is an exceptional cook. We have probably told that person that they could go into business for themselves. Becky Fuselier is one those exceptional cooks, but she did go into business for herself.

“When my two boys were in high school they were very active in sports and they would always have their friends over and boys being boys, they eat. So we always had to cook large amounts Thursdays, Fridays, and Saturdays. My husband has a large family so getting together we would have to prepare a dish for 30 people. So I always cooked in large amounts,” Fuselier said.

She has been in business for about 5 years, but she’s been in her new building for about a month now. It’s formerly the Carlyss Lion’s Club, and Fuselier bought it and made some renovations. People can rent the room for weddings and receptions, banquets, meetings, reunions, holiday events, and parties.

“I always catered out of the house. I’ve always had to cater off-site because I didn’t have a location. Now that I have this room I can seat well over 200. If it is a reception that needs a dance floor we can still accommodate that and still seat 100 people. It’s very versatile and very accommodating for any type of event. So I can now cater on-site or off-site,” Fuselier said.
Right now, Fuselier offers plate lunches on Tuesdays and Wednesdays.

“I needed to do something until I get the rentals going. I don’t want to be a restaurant, but it’s just a little lagniappe kind of event those two days.

Fuselier’s menu consists of everything she has cooked in the past, but she is happy to take special requests.

“I am not limited to that. If someone has a special request then we can talk about a recipe and find out what they want and I can build it for them.”

Becky Fuselier describes her food as “Cajun home cooking.”

She also contributes helping St. Theresa’s Catholic Church as part of what helped build her business.

“I do a lot for St. Theresa’s Catholic Church here in Carlyss—helping out with the sacrament receptions—there were hundreds of people there and that helped build [the business] as well.”
Becky’s Catering is located at 5121 Lions Rd, Carlyss, LA. You can contact her at (337) 583-4063.

Healthy Image/Thrive
By Chaney Ferguson
Editor, The Times of SWLA

Healthy Image started out with three women who knew about marketing. Kristy Armand, Christine Fisher and Barbara VanGossen have been working together for over 20 years. Their friendship began while Armand and Fisher worked together at Memorial Hospital. VanGossen, a graphic designer, has always been involved on the graphics end.

“We work well together,” said Armand. “That doesn’t mean we see things from the same point of view every time, but we respect each other enough to adjust our view and see it from another angle. Often, the end result is a combination of ideas; better than if we’d have just done it individually, and our clients get the benefit of that collaboration.”

Their approach is to provide a comprehensive marketing and communications package for their clients. “Our scope includes advertising but also includes other forms of communication. We’ll help a client put together an event or seminar, make sure they have a quality trade show display and giveaways, write a speech, plan a news conference, or even work with them on their interior décor,” said Fisher.

They toyed with the idea of forming an agency, and when it became known that a local health care group was interested, they decided to make a presentation and got the account. One account quickly became several accounts and the growth has continued.

“Along the way, we’ve had many moments where we needed to chart our own way of doing things. We don’t follow a pre-determined script or formula. It all depends on what the client needs at that time and what kind of possibilities we can take advantage of or create for them,” said Fisher.

Armand and Fisher decided to concentrate on the work and not get side-tracked with the trappings of owning a business. “We didn’t need an office at first, so we didn’t weigh ourselves down with that expense; we just needed us, our ideas and our computers. We did that for a little while and we had 5 or 6 clients. It just kept growing because I think we really just hit a niche,” said Armand.

“We look at marketing as a whole – not just advertising, but anything that has to do with a company’s image. We truly try to function as their marketing department, being just as committed to their goals as they are. I think that means a lot to our clients – we are just as invested in their success as we are in our own.”

Eventually, the growing business required office space. “That was a great way to do it because I think so many small businesses run into problems because they have all this overhead and you can’t get out from all the stress of how to pay for everything and still do good work. We never had that. We were very confident in what we had to do as far as delivering what our clients needed. We took the necessary steps and grew slowly,” said Armand.

In 2007, VanGossen joined Healthy Image. “We’ve always felt Barbara was part of our success,” said Armand. “When the timing was right, she joined the agency as a third partner and we felt we finally had all the pieces of our puzzle in one place.” From her perspective, VanGossen said she watched as Healthy Image continued to grow. “It was exciting for me because I had an inside view during those first years. You never know how life is going to turn out, and when the opportunity was there, I felt right about joining,” VanGossen said.

Healthy Image isn’t the only venture these ladies have undertaken together. In 2003, they formed a separate company and began publishing Thrive magazine. It started out as a quarterly publication, grew to bi-monthly and is now a monthly magazine. Today, Armand and Fisher are among the team that provides the content, and VanGossen leads the creative team for layout and design.

“Thrive is a lifestyle magazine, with articles on a wide variety of topics, like finances, health, wellness, travel, parenting, home and gardening. It’s ‘how to live a better, balanced life’ approach,” Fisher said. “Just as we did with Healthy Image, we managed the growth and, over time, it has become what we envisioned from the beginning – a quality, full-color, magazine-style publication.”

Earlier this year, Healthy Image and Thrive magazine moved into new offices on University Drive. Coming from the beige cubicles of their first office, they took advantage of being able to design the space and decorate. The place is full of color and personality. Each person chose a quote for their office space; most are about creativity, design, going the extra mile and other motivating phrases. At the end of a long hallway an old door is propped up against the wall with this quote above: “If opportunity doesn’t knock, build a door.” VanGossen says this sums up their approach pretty well.

After talking with the women of Healthy Image and Thrive, it’s clear they have a positive outlook. “We feel fortunate to be able to do what we enjoy for a living,” said Fisher. “There are many days where we wonder how this all happened. On the rare occasion when we look back and see how far we’ve come, we are incredibly thankful. We probably wouldn’t have planned it this way, but we’re excited to be here.”

Today, their client base has grown to more than 70; most are local, others are regional and a couple are national. “I’ll never forget what it was like to see a health report we put together air on CNN, FOX News and other national and international networks,” said Fisher. “With so many of our projects, the background on that project is unbelievable. There are dozens of cases like that, and that’s what is so exciting about what we do.” They find they do their best work with service-type industries, like health care, finance, legal, industrial, realty or any other business that has a message to communicate.

The ladies are quick to point out that while owning and growing a business or two is a lot harder than any of them ever imagined, they have been fortunate to have strong support from family, friends, and business contacts. “We had a lot of people cheering us on, supporting us along the way,” said Armand. “Many of them probably don’t even realize it, but their encouraging email or word of advice helped us more than they will ever know.”

Armand says they are fortunate to have assembled a talented team of writers and designers for Healthy Image, as well as energetic sales people for Thrive. ?We expect a lot from our employees because we’ve set a high standard for ourselves and don’t ever want to disappoint a client.

Everyone here seems to have the same can-do attitude. The way may not be clear all the time, but we find a way to accomplish whatever is asked of us, and have fun doing it.”

By focusing on the details of their clients’ success, these women have achieved a level of success on their own that surprises even them. But it shouldn’t, because after all, everyone needs a healthy image.

Stacey Vezinot Owner of Stacey’s Armoire
By Nancy Correro
The Times of SWLA

There is a hip and chic shop off of W. College Street. Stacey Vezinot’s shop is inviting to browse in. It’s also a great place to pick-up those one-of-a-kind clothing items and accessories.

Vezinot opened Stacey’s Armoire October of 2006. Before that, Vezinot went to McNeese State University and got a degree in fashion merchandising.

“I started working retail about my third year in college and got my foot in the door and got a taste of it. It’s my passion. I just love retail. Owning my own business was the ultimate goal for me,” Vezinot said.

While still in college, she wanted to get some training. Vezinot worked for a locally owned company in town and worked her way up to store manager.

“When the mall was expanding and retail was kind of kicking off a little bit more in the mid to late 90’s, that’s when I really started getting my resume out to get with somebody bigger and I got on as a manager with Old Navy. I got a whole different perspective from that end of retail, with the “big box” and working for Gap, Inc.,” Vezinot said.

Right before Hurricane Rita, Vezinot decided she was going to step out on her own.
“I resigned the summer before Rita hit. So I’m almost at my three year mark. I tell everybody this is my third child. I have two daughters and this is my third child. That’s how I look at it,” Vezinot said.

Stacey Vezinot is passionate about her business. She is all about making the customer comfortable and helping in any way she can.

“It’s always been important to me that when someone comes in to the store no matter who they are or how they’re dressed, that is not important to me, that they feel comfortable in here.”
Vezinot is the staff at Stacey’s Armoire. She occasionally gets a little help from family and friends, but it will be Vezinot that will greet you when you enter her store.

“I really enjoy what I do and I’m here probably 95 percent of the time. I wouldn’t have done this if I wasn’t planning on being here myself. I have help on occasion but it’s important that I’m here.”

Stacey’s Armoire is a ladies apparel store. She has accessories, handbags and clothes.
“My main market is the younger missy look. My age market is roughly 30 to 70. It’s a working class age group.”

To get started in her business, Stacey turned to the Louisiana Small Business
Development Center at McNeese for assistance and they helped her with her business plan and marketing.

“They really played a big role in helping me get on track with my business plan and helped me look at the demographics and the areas to lease. It’s one of the best kept secrets in town. It’s a free resource.”

Vezinot has lived here her whole life. Her husband Matthew and children Meagan and Molly, and her Aunt Donna Mier, who owns Donna’s Lingerie and Swimwear, are a part of her support group.

“My husband, kids, family and friends are my rock and keep me going.”

Stacey’s Armoire is located at 201 W College St., Lake Charles. You can contact her at (337) 562-8191.


Denise Rau, Certified Financial Planner, President, Rau Financial Group
By Kristy Armand
Publisher, Thrive Magazine

When Denise Rau entered the financial field over 25 years ago, women were few and far between in the industry. She says at the time – the early 80s – women were just beginning to enter areas of business that were once considered “male-only” domains.

“We were told to act like men and dress like men if we wanted to be accepted. We wore pinstriped suits with big shoulder pads and bows tied at the neck,” said Rau. “It really was just a different era, and we spent a great deal of time worrying about being taken seriously in what was then a male-dominated field.”

Looking back, Rau says all the worries about being accepted were unnecessary. “My experience has been that women have every opportunity to succeed in the workplace. I have found throughout my career that the men I have worked for and with were very accepting of career women who were willing to put in the blood, sweat, and tears necessary to compete.

The whole women's rights movement had a purpose, and I believe that purpose has been fulfilled in most industries. If a competent woman wants to succeed, she has every opportunity to work hard and achieve success. But I don’t think any woman should expect a free ride based on her gender. You have to earn it and if you aren’t willing to work for it, there’s another woman – or man – behind you who is.”

Rau is originally from Lake Charles and received her undergraduate degree from Tulane University and an MBA from the University of Texas. She is a Certified Financial Planner and holds a variety of other certifications and licenses for insurance and securities.

After 20 years working her way up to the top levels of management at several area financial institutions, Rau decided to form her own company in 2005. “I wanted to create a company that allowed me to approach financial planning from a more personal perspective.

I see my role as helping people achieve financial serenity, so they don’t have to spend so much of their time worrying about their future. I want to help them not only save money through sound investments, but also to ensure their ability to meet their life goals without anxiety.”

“The first thing I do when I talk to clients is ask them to tell me what things are most important to them in their lives,” says Rau. “Then together we look at where they are spending their money. Very often, they will find that they are not actually spending the most money on the things they’ve said are most important to them.

They are not putting their money where their heart is, and that is why they are not happy with their financial situation. I work with them to get these elements aligned. Once that happens, they are on track for achieving not just their financial goals, but their life goals as well, and they feel much more confident about their financial security.”

Rau Financial Group has grown significantly in its short history. Rau’s staff now includes three additional financial advisors, Eva Abate, Mark Eckard and Denise Wilkinson.

Rau credits her success to hard work, certainly, but also to remaining focused on what is most important to her and her family. “I feel so blessed to have found a career that allows me to balance the demands of children with those of clients. After years of miserably failing all attempts to be the Super-Mom, I realized years ago that I had to define my own version of the word ‘successful,’ and that is one that allows me to determine the best way to adjust my home/work priorities. By doing so, I’ve been able to find my own balance, and carve out my own path to success.”


Wendy White McCown Signatures Salon
By Erin Cormier
Thrive Magazine

When Signatures opened as a 450-square-foot salon in 1996, owner Wendy White McCown worked as the hairstylist, office manager, receptionist, hair washer, and maid. Even though she was just 22 years old, a loyal clientele followed her to the little-salon-that-could, operated by a small-town Christian gal, and she multi-tasked constantly to make it work.

“When you’re that young, you’re not afraid of anything. You think, ‘I can own my own business, sure. Why not?’” McCown said. “I’ve grown up a lot since then and have learned so much in the process.”

McCown, the oldest of four girls, said she quickly learned that to own a business and oversee a staff meant that people would have to take her seriously, and as an unassuming female 20-something, that was difficult. Rather than let that deter her, she polished the adult skills that traditionally make for a successful businesswoman; skills like assertiveness tempered with respect, structure offset by creativity, and self-determination coupled with teamwork.

“When I got tired of renting and decided to buy, there were people in line ahead of me to get this new location on West McNeese Street, but I had already learned that I’d have to be persistent if I was going to be successful. I called every day, asking to buy it, and the seller kept telling me that he planned to sell it to someone else. I called anyway, asking ‘Did he give you the money yet? Because I have the money.’ Finally he said if I could be in the parking lot within thirty minutes, he’d sell it to me,” McCown said. “I made it.”

Signatures at 803 W. McNeese Street is now considered one of the premiere salons in the area. In 2009, it was named one of the top 50 businesses in Lake Charles.

McCown said she runs a structured work environment, but also believes that employees should have the freedom to express their ideas, thoughts, or concerns.

“When you’re in a supervisory position, there is a fine line between your relationships with your employees. You want them to respect you, but you want to respect them and think of your relationship as a friendship, too. It can be challenging, but we make it work. My business philosophy is that my staff needs to be successful first, because if they’re successful, it makes me successful,” McCown said.

She credits much of her success to her parents. “They taught me to have integrity in everything I do, to respect everyone, work hard, treat people the way I would want to be treated, and put the Lord first,” she said.

With a staff of 17 employees, McCown no longer has to book appointments or wash towels, so instead she spends her time figuring out how Signatures can stay on top of its game.
There are a lot of salons in this area, and they’re all trying to figure out how they can be the best, too,” McCown said. “You can’t stop evolving, learning, or growing, or someone else will pass you by.”

A Journey of Faith, Strength, and Humor

By Chaney Ferguson
Editor, The Times of SWLA




In June of 2006, Melissa Viator received the news she had been waiting for. It wasn’t unexpected, but it was dreaded. Viator had been going to doctors for months with the only diagnosis being that she had calcifications in her breasts.

“I kept going to the doctor and they kept telling me it wasn’t cancer.” But Viator knew something was wrong.

After insisting on a surgical biopsy since her tumors were too small for a needle biopsy, cancer was confirmed.

“When I got that call about my diagnosis I had a ton of boys at my house. I called my husband and said we can’t go home because we have all these kids at our house, where are we going to go? We need to talk about this.”

She remembers every detail of that day.

“I can tell you the music that was playing as we sat in the swing at our camp and cried, prayed and gave it to God in that moment,” said Viator.

The next ten months proved to be a journey that Viator never would have anticipated.

“When I finally got my diagnosis that is when I went to MD Anderson, and it was calcifications that had turned cancerous. They never grew. My type of cancer doesn’t grow into large tumors, and many women keep watching the tumor and if it isn’t growing from mammogram to mammogram then they feel like it isn’t cancer.”

In Viator’s case they weren’t growing large, but they were spreading. By the time she was diagnosed she was stage two and her lymph nodes were positive which changed the whole diagnosis.

“When I got to MD, they found the cancer in one breast and they wanted a biopsy in the other breast, but I told them forget the biopsy I wanted them both gone. So I did a double mastectomy, and actually that was the precancerous cells that had already gone into my other breast so I was thankful I did the double mastectomy.”

Viator also did reconstruction with the surgery at the same time which a lot of people don’t realize is possible.

She completed all of her treatment on March 29, her wedding anniversary.
“I told my husband I got new boobs for our anniversary.”

Throughout those ten months, life never stopped. Viator owns her own business, Threadworks, and she continues to be thankful for her workers dedication during her time of need. She admits only checking in a few times during her treatment and recovery.

“I would open up my Bible and with God leading me I found a verse talking about handing leadership over. At the time I had a girl who was 22 working for me, and she worked full-time. She stepped up to the plate, and everyone that worked for me was great.”

Viator says people sent her Bible verses all the time to help encourage her and give her strength.
“My daughter would send me a Bible verse every day and it would always pertain to that day. I would write them down and keep them on an index card in my back pocket and I would pull them out and read them all the time or be at a stop light and pull them out and read them. Without that I don’t know how I would have gotten through it.”

In the beginning of her diagnosis, Viator went to the Look Good Feel Good program put on by the American Cancer Society.

“They teach you about when you are going to lose your hair, how to tie the scarves and camouflage having no hair.”

Viator had ordered a few wigs to try when her hair started falling out. Once she tried on the wigs her son swayed her in a different direction.

“My son was so funny he told me I looked like Tina Turner and would say won’t you please just go bald. He was a freshman in high school and I was afraid I was going to embarrass him. I didn’t want him to be the one with the bald mom because he is the big football player.”

The program helped her tie the scarves around her head and apply makeup in the right way to create eyebrows and eyelashes.

“Along with that program, I met a lot of people that were going through it at the same time which was really important. It was somebody else to compare stories with. It is kind of scary to go at first because you feel awkward but it was a neat program and I met a lot of great people. You can bring somebody to the program with you so you are not walking in by yourself.”

Viator also received encouragement through two books she was reading. Praying Through Cancer by Susan Sorenesen and Uplift by Barbara Delinsky.

“The way the Sorenesen book is compiled, I think it goes along with you on your journey because so many times it ends up being what you need to hear that day.”

When Viator started to lose her hair the book said to shave it and take control of the situation.
“When it came time to shave my head I was wailing in the shower because it was coming out in clumps and my husband was outside the shower saying “you said you were going to shave it like the book said” I was like, “I know.” He kept telling me to quit pulling it out. I was in there just crying and pulling it out and he kept saying stop it, you promised. It was hard on him,” said Viator.

She said the book gave her so much insight, and that each of the stories let her know what each step held for her own journey.

“The night I shaved my head, it was scary. We took pictures. My sister came over and her husband shaved my head. Most of the time—once a woman actually shaves her head and they start going through that process—it is really the easiest thing even though going into it feels like the most difficult. I keep my bald pictures out around my house because I never want to forget what that was like.”

Viator says that shaving her head and even going through the chemo was not the most difficult aspects of the cancer.

“I was having a grandbaby and I couldn’t pick her up when she was born. I had just had my surgery and that was probably one of the hardest things. To watch my daughter have that baby and know I couldn’t help her and I couldn’t pick up the baby. It was things like that that was much harder for me than the chemo and losing the hair.”

Now after experiencing her journey through breast cancer, Viator spends much of her time talking with other women starting their own journey. She received so much encouragement from the books that she buys them in bulk to hand out to friends.

Viator says she wanted her store to be a place where women can find support.
“There are times when women get diagnosed and their friends will come and just write down their name and number and leave it at the store for me to contact them,” said Viator.

She calls the women to offer encouragement and even acts as a sort of guide for what they will be experiencing in the coming months. Viator knows that many women might not know what to ask or say, but she wants them to know she is always available to talk.

Viator says she learned so much through surviving breast cancer. It was a time to grow in her faith, spend time with her mother and it provided her with a story that will help others.

“It’s not a journey I would ever want to go through again, but it is not a journey I would ever want to give up.”

A Review of The Research Turtles Debut Full Length Album

By Nancy Correro
The Times of SWLA




Do you like the Beatles during their psychedelic Helter Skelter days? I do. And I frequently wish for the days we could bring them back. How about something better...something better than that? How about it’s a local band and they are so creative that you could ‘Get Carried Away’ and did I mention it was a local band? That is how it’s better and pretty chill. The Research Turtles look like the 60’s Beatles with their similar haircuts and ties, but this is your late 60’s Beatles on this song (thick guitar sound and all).

The Research Turtles are Jud Norman on bass and vocals, Joe Norman on guitar and vocals, Logan Fontenot on guitar, and Blake Thibodeaux on drums. The self titled album was produced by Justin Tocket and engineered by Korey Richey. The album was recorded at Dockside Studios in Maurice, LA and mastered by Andrew Mendelson at Georgetown Masters in Nashville, TN. Damn, Mission and Break My Fall were recorded at Jungle Room Studios in Los Angeles, CA and produced by Erik Eldenius and Dilana.

Damn. No, I mean Damn this song is good. Damn is the name of the second song. I can’t help but think these guys took out all of their parent’s albums and listened to them when they were tots. This song will remind you of The Cars’ Shake it Up, You’re Just What I Needed, and My Best Friends Girl all wrapped into one song.

Mission is a catchy tune with a clever 3-2-1 hook. Perhaps not as much appeal as the first two songs on the album.

Kiss Her Goodbye is a heavy, melancholy ballad.

Cement Floor has that hittin’ the road kind of feel. Get in your car and drive with this turned up really loud and I’m thinking all of your woes will disappear. There is a nice bridge in the middle of this song with some fine bass guitar work.

The Riff Song starts with that wonderfully excellent psychedelic guitar sound in the beginning. The vocal is put through some electronics to give it that trippy, in-the-can sound. Sit back with your favorite drink and enjoy.

Tomorrow is a very sunny, warm day song. It’s carefree, telling you that ‘tomorrow will be fine.’
Into A Hole is that do-wop love ballad you know you’ve heard, but can’t think of the name.
A Feeling has a heavy percussive and guitar driving sound. It’s only ‘A Feeling’ I get, but this song has got a catchy chorus with nice harmonies.

925 is a heavy driving song from the start with more of that thick psychedelic mix of fuzzy guitar work over snare drum and sixteen figure high hat work—Fast and furious and fun.

Break My Fall is possibly the catchiest song on this album. There are many elements on many levels that are nice about this recording. The lead vocal layered with the background vocals during the chorus are a nice touch. There is a break soon after the song begins with some driving guitar and percussive work then a heavy guitar solo all of which is reminiscent of some early Cream Strange Brew moments.

This is a solid album for The Research Turtles. These guys are going places. And just think Chuck, this band is from here. Everyone needs to go directly to The Research Turtles myspace page and check them out www.myspace.com/researchturtles.

I expect we will be hearing more from this group in the near future.

A Conversation With Switchfoot’s Drummer Chad Butler

By Nancy Correro
Editor, The Times of SWLA

Switchfoot

San Diego based band Switchfoot will be coming to L’Auberge Du Lac Casino to perform on August 13 at Party By The Pool, 7 pm.

Chad Butler, the drummer and one of the founding members of Switchfoot, called me from Seattle to talk about their tour, the band’s new album Hello Hurricane, and charities they are involved in.

“We are so excited to be playing the new songs. We’re trying them out. These shows are a chance for us to get out of the studio. This tour is actually before the record, the record comes out in the fall,” said Butler.

Switchfoot is Jon Foreman, lead vocals and guitar, Tim Foreman, bass, Jerome Fontamillas, Keyboards, guitar and vocals, Drew Shirley, guitar, and Chad Butler, Drums. If you aren’t familiar with their sound, think alternative, jam-band pop, with some funky, grungy mixed in.
The band has a strong presence online and they’re using the podcasts on YouTube to get some of their new music out to fans. If you search Switchfoot’s website you’ll discover the podcast link to YouTube, http://www.youtube.com/user/switchfootpodcast.

“You know this has been the biggest break between albums we’ve ever had so from the bands perspective we’re just itching to get this new stuff out there. We’ve been doing little sneak peaks on our website and YouTube page,” said Chad.

When asked whether or not he had a favorite song from the new record Butler was quick to respond.

“Yeah, there’s a song called “Mess Of Me” that is actually going to be the first single and it’s a song that really took a long time to record. We recorded maybe ten different versions of the song and different arrangements. It felt like a labor of love because it’s something we all believed in and it was a song that meant a lot to us on a heart level so it was worth all the blood, sweat, and tears we put into it. And we’ve been playing it live every night on the tour this summer and it’s gone over really well.”

The band has taken a couple of years to be creative and work on Hello Hurricane. The guys built their own studio in their home town of San Diego. To say they were productive is an understatement. According to Butler, the band recorded eighty songs. Yes, you read that correctly. I had to ask twice to be sure I understood him. Butler laughed as he explained their unbelievable productivity.

“You know as an independent band we had all the time in the world and all the freedom and then all of a sudden the horror becomes how do you define yourself? You’ve got all these different songs and different styles and different musical experimentations. It becomes a big mess, and that was the hard part you know?”

Switchfoot realized it was a challenge to then go through all of those songs, and yet it was an excellent opportunity to have plenty of time and plenty of material to create their record.

“About halfway through recording the record, we looked at each other and said what have we done? It was really fun and the dream was realized and hit this creative stride but then how do you make a statement and how do you define who you are and that’s when it came down to what are the songs saying and which ones mean the most to us?”

Jon Foreman, his bassist brother Tim, and drummer Chad Butler were surfing fanatics when they formed the group in 1996.

“Yeah, well I guess growing up in San Diego surfing is sort of second nature,” said Butler.
“Switchfoot” is a surfing term. It’s basically the switching of the feet on the surf board.

Since the band is so enthusiastic about surfing and giving their talent and time to causes, they have combined the two in the Bro-Am Surf Contest and Concert. The fifth-annual Switchfoot Bro-Am surf contest and concert, which was held at Moonlight Beach in Encinitas on Saturday, June 27, 2009, was created to give back to the San Diego community while also benefiting a local children’s charity.

This year’s event benefited San Diego’s StandUp For Kids.

“The whole Bro Am event benefits homeless kids in our hometown, San Diego, and it’s an incredible organization called “StandUp for kids” and it’s now actually nationwide but it was started in San Diego so it’s something that’s close to our hearts and our home.

The surf contest and benefit concert on the beach is all to raise awareness for that organization and we’ve been doing it for five years and it’s our favorite day of the year,” said Chad.

The band also finds time for several other organizations and charities like: Habitat For Humanity, To Write Love On Her Arms, and helping out their idols U2 with AIDS-in-Africa.

“We try to make a difference in local communities—something bigger than just rock n roll. We are really inspired by the people that come to our shows because they have really educated us on what they’re doing.

And people who are getting involved in their own backyards and building a house for Habitat for Humanity and To Write Love On Her Arms—helping kids that are dealing with depression, and suicide and things of that nature—I think those are real causes that don’t get enough support so we are definitely trying to spread the word.”

Since forming in 1996, Switchfoot has been rewarded and recognized for their Christian faith through their music. The band has headlined religious-music festivals, and scored a 2001 Grammy nomination for Best Rock Gospel Album of the Year, plus several Gospel Music Awards (GMA Dove awards) and ASCAP Awards.

Chad Butler is quick to say that they have never labeled themselves as a Christian band. He was very adamant to tell me that while they are Christians, they are so by choice and that their music is a separate entity.

“We’ve always just called ourselves “rock band” and we are Christian by faith and not by genre. I am a believer and as a believer your faith is going to be reflected in your art, and it is exciting when you look out at our audience and see all different kinds of people with all different ethnicities, and religious backgrounds and I think we make music for thinking people and I appreciate the support of anyone who has an open mind and connects with the music.”

Switchfoot has certainly moved beyond the label and boxing in that one might experience if you called yourself strictly a Christian band. It’s not too often that Christian groups are able to have solid crossover success with their material. Except for bands like Jars of Clay, P.O.D., and Creed, the labeling can sometimes box an artist into a particular category.

Not so with Switchfoot. They have had the good fortune to be on some successful Soundtracks. The Spiderman 2 CD, Import version only, contains their song “Meant To Live”. Chronicles of Narnia: Prince Caspian boasts their song “This is Home”. ‘Four of their songs are on A Walk to Remember, the '02 Mandy Moore film.

“Well, it’s definitely an honor when someone from films or the visual art forms find a meaning or a placement for your music. To see your song in someone else’s art it’s an honor you know to have a director call and say hey I really like this song and I think it would fit well with what I’m trying to do in a movie—you know that’s a huge honor,” said Butler.

Recently, the band covered Beyonce’s “Crazy in Love” and if you haven’t seen it, you should go online and check it out. It seems there is no putting this band into any kind of box when you watch the Beyonce cover. Chad laughed at the mention of the Beyonce cover. The band had fun covering the song.

“You know it’s funny, we pick our own songs very seriously, but we don’t take ourselves very seriously and I think if you watch enough of our podcast clips on YouTube you’ll figure that out very quickly. We’ve been covering that song this summer too.”

On the cusp of the release of their new album, Butler is introspective about their music and the up coming record Hello Hurricane.

“We are the same guys with the same goal of making the music we believe in. We’ve been doing this for over ten years now and that’s really what keeps us going. Really, what defines this new album is picking songs that we felt like had a hope. Because you turn on the TV this day and age and hope is hard to come by.”

On August 13 at L’Auberge’s Party By The Pool, Switchfoot will be playing the old favorites and their new, hopeful songs from the up-and-coming record Hello Hurricane, to be released in October.

“For me growing up, I looked to art and music when times were tough and I think there is a theme on this record of facing the storm head-on,” said Chad Butler.

Everyone around Lake Charles and the surrounding area certainly knows what it’s like to look into the eye of a hurricane. Switchfoot’s Hello Hurricane will be a welcoming storm.

For more information on Switchfoot you should check out these online locations:
http://switchfoot.com/
http://twitter.com/switchfoot
http://www.myspace.com/switchfoot
http://www.facebook.com/switchfoot