Ville Platte Rotary Club welcomes recent guests

July 8, Meeting
Rotarian Glenn Darnell invited Glenn Fontenot, chemical engineer with Methanex, to address the July 8, meeting of the Ville Platte Rotary Club. A resident of Baton Rouge and native of Ville Platte, Fontenot discussed his role as plant manager in Geismar. He joined the Methanex team after many years with Georgia Gulf when he was selected to lead the manufacturing team in Geismar. Fontenot noted there is currently a great global economic reversal in the industry. He discussed the new technique of hydraulic fracturing with horizontal drilling, noting this process stimulates production from both new and existing oil and gas wells. He said Methanex, which is headquartered in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada, is a mid-size company that is publicly traded. The company had five locations in New Zealand, Chile, Alberta, Canada, Trinidad, Egypt and now Geismar. One of the plants from Chile has been relocated to Geismar and was brought over by ship and reassembled in the same layout. Fontenot added that a second plant from Chile is in the process of being relocated to Geismar. Each transfer takes three phases to complete, dismantling, shipping and being putting back together. Each plant’s move takes a total of 12 shipments and 7,500 miles to its new location. He stated he was the first person hired and was responsible for the hiring chart for each plant. He said Geismar One has 120 employees and Geismar Two will have 37 employees. Fontenot closed by stating that Methanex is socially responsible and involved in its local communities through United Way and other organizations.
July 15, Meeting
Rotarian Kermit Miller’s guest speakers for the July 15, meeting of the Ville Platte Rotary Club were unable to attend the meeting, so Miller shared a little history of American Inn and Jack Miller’s Barbecue Sauce. He stated that American Inn Inc. will celebrate 73 years this year and Jack Miller’s will celebrate 59 years. Miller noted that there are only five employees in the entire company, with four in production. The company moved to its current location in 1980 and currently packages 2,000 to 3,000 bottles per day. He said the Jack Miller’s sauces and seasonings are sold and distributed to stores throughout Louisiana. Miller noted they partner with the McIlhenny Company to market a Louisiana style, Tobasco brand barbecue sauce.
July 22, Meeting
Rotarian Jeremy Ortego welcomed Richard Fontenot, President of the Evangeline Parish Farm Bureau, to address the July 22, meeting of the Ville Platte Rotary Club. Fontenot, a fifth generation farmer in Evangeline Parish, also serves on Farm Bureau’s Mutual Board and is a District Five Board Member representing our area on a national level. Farm Bureau is an organization that is considered the voice of Louisiana agriculture. Fontenot stated that rice is the number one crop in Evangeline Parish, followed by horses, cattle production and forestry. He added that statewide, forestry production is number one, and 10 percent of the rice crop in the state is produced right here in Evangeline Parish. He praised State Representative Bernard LeBas for his leadership in helping the rice industry through the check off program. Fontenot noted the new farm bill is not friendly to Louisiana producers because it removes all direct payments and relies more on crop insurance. Fontenot said that rice crops will be good this year, soybeans will be average to above average and cattle prices will surge. Fontenot stated it is very difficult to get financing to enter agriculture production, noting the high costs for equipment and land is prohibitive for many people.