By Norm Miller, Louisiana College communications PINEVILLE (LCNews) -“School up.” Those two words of advice from Susan Broussard to a roomful of students summarize the Cleco exec’s hour-long chat in a public relations class at Louisiana College. The 1992 LC alumna -- a journalism/public relations double major -- oversees human resources and public relations for Cleco, a privately owned electric utility company headquartered in Pineville. “You must be able to communicate by the written word and verbally,” she said. “If you can’t execute an email without grammatical errors, or if you can’t express your thoughts and ideas, people will judge you on that. In many careers, if you can’t write you’re done for. You’ve go to be able to write.” Broussard advised students to leverage every opportunity to build a portfolio whether through volunteer or paid positions, and to not rely solely on classroom education. “A degree is just not enough any more,” she said. “It’s just not.” “You can get that piece of paper; but if you’re going to apply for a job with me, I want to see what you can do. I want to see what you’re made of. You must demonstrate your ability.” Broussard said her student portfolio helped launch her … [Read more...]

By Holly Jo Linzay, Regional Correspondent WOODWORTH –In the truest biblical sense, Cecil Gassiott, a general contractor in Alexandria, is a blessed man because he believes in “giving back,” and his actions show his giving spirit is real. Gassiott’s generous donation of equipment use and manpower saved multiple thousands of dollars in the construction of the Georgia Barnette Conference Center on the grounds of Tall Timbers in Forest Hill. Robert Woods, missions’ builder strategist for Louisiana Baptists, said Gassiott’s gracious giving and willingness to serve has made a significant impact. “Cecil Gassiott has probably saved us more than $150,000 on this project. He has been a godsend,” Woods said. “If we had to get our own volunteers, it would have taken us another three to four more months to complete this job.” The construction of the 8,400-square-foot center is almost complete, and will be dedicated during the Sept. 27 ribbon-cutting ceremony at the Louisiana Baptist Convention Executive Board fall meeting at Tall Timbers. Even this week Gassiott has had his crew on site finishing up the concrete work, sidewalks and curbing in the asphalt parking lot. “Over the last month, Cecil has had anywhere from five … [Read more...]