FIRST QUARTER 2022

Louisiana Cat is always looking for good people, and you can help! The Employee Referral Program (ERP) is used to provide an incentive to employees who refer talented employees to the Company. The ERP will grant an eligible employee $2,500 and 2 Paid Time Off (PTO) days for the referral of a quality 

Service Technician.

Eligibility and Exclusions:

• Paid Time Off (PTO) days are 8 regular-time hours.
• All full-time employees of Louisiana Cat are eligible to participate in the ERP with the exception of service supervisors and HR personnel.
• The referred employee must be hired in as a Service Technician.
• Former employees, temporary employees and temporary employees who convert to full-time employees are ineligible to be considered as referred applicants.
• The new hire must indicate on their application the name of the employee who referred them.
• The PTO days will be granted and referral bonus paid on the first paycheck following the completion of the referred employee's 6 month anniversary. 
• HR is the administrator of the ERP and has sole authority to cancel, modify and interpret the program.

If  you know someone who is interested in a Service Technician position, 

please contact Devin Branch at 985-536-0411.

Brandon Giroir, Technician in Morgan City, passed away Thursday, February 3rd, at the age of 46. 

Brandon had been employed with Louisiana Cat for 10 years. 

Brandon grew up as a happy child who loved to quietly play and take things apart to see how they worked. Those traits continued into his service career in the U.S. Navy as an EN1. His career after the service as a diesel mechanic was a continuation of that passion. 

Brandon loved football, movies, video games, traveling and food, but he was most content when 

spending time with his family. He was a big guy with an even bigger heart. His smile and laughter were 

contagious to anyone. 

Our thoughts and prayers are with Brandon's family. He will be greatly missed by all.

 Congratulations to the following employees on their new positions!

Mike Cain has transitioned from Rental Division Manager to Director of Business Development. Mike has held a variety of positions in his almost 21 year career with the company, giving him a well-rounded insight into each area of the business. As we continue to evolve and grow with our customer base, he will be a vital part in the building strategies and helping each of the divisions in execution. 

Steve Brown has joined our team as the Rental Division Manager, reporting to Davis Webb. Steve spent 15 years with Caterpillar within the Rental and Used division. Prior to joining Caterpillar, Steve led divisions within both NES Rentals as well as Sunbelt Rentals. Steve's understanding of the Caterpillar business model, as well as his national rental house mentality, will provide Louisiana Cat a competitive edge that we are extremely excited to put into action.

Arnold Rezac has accepted the role of Rental Operations Manager. In this role, Arnold will be responsible for the Louisiana Rents  business operations focusing on the execution of strategic initiatives to drive continuous improvement and operational excellence. Arnold's many years of experience and deep functional experience in rental operations make him an exceptional fit for this role. All rental branch managers will report directly to Arnold.

Amy Trepagnier has accepted the role of Rental Fleet Manager. In this role, Amy will be responsible for the overall optimization and date integrity of the Louisiana Rents fleet assets as well as other key processes supporting the growth of the business. Amy's 27 years of experience with the dealership, and understanding of numerous systems and processes make her a great addition to the team. 

Thomas Dedwith has joined our team as the Product Support Excellence Manager to help us better align for excellence growth. Thomas started with Caterpillar in 2011 and held various positions in technical roles and most recently the Product Support Operations Rep in the Minneapolis District. His technical knowledge will most certainly elevate us into the next level in Product Support. 

Joining our Finance Department is Jesse Pizzolato. Jesse joined Louisiana Cat as a Staff Accountant in January 2016. After 18 months on our accounting team, Jesse was promoted to Sales Operations Manager of our Power Systems Division in New Iberia. Jesse managed the financial operations and our project management team. Jesse has transitioned into the role of Director of Finance and Credit in Reserve.

Effective March 14th, Ron Barrett has taken over the duties from Jesse in New Iberia as the Sales Operations Manager of our Power Systems Division. He will also be responsible for our Power Systems ISO 9001 and Quality Assurance Programs. Ron has most recently served as our General Service Manager and previously held the positions of Director of HS&E and Engine Parts and Service Manager in Bossier City. Prior to joining Louisiana Cat in June 2019, Ron worked for Tidewater Marine as the Sr. Director of Supply Chain Management and IT, and served as the Global Growth Innovative Leader for General Electric Aero Derivatives (GE.)

Vincent Maggiore has accepted the role of Director of IT, reporting to Davis Webb. Vincent will have responsibility of our IT Department and office in Reserve. 

Brett Parker has accepted the role of Regional Sales Manager for the Bossier City and Monroe territories. He will have total machine sales responsibilities for both areas.  

Achille Fairchild has added the territory of Alexandria to his responsibility of Regional Sales Manager. He will have total machine sales responsibilities for Alexandria, Lafayette and Lake Charles.

Allie Dyer has transitioned into the Service Manager role at our Hammond Branch. Allie joined Louisiana Cat in 2019 as a service coordinator in Reserve. From there, she became our ISR Manager, leading the way for our newly established ISR program. Given Allie's high level of customer service, she has established herself to lead our service team in Hammond. 

Nick Harper has transitioned into the Parts Manager role at our Hammond Branch. Nick began his career at Louisiana Cat in 2016, with his most recent role as our Condition Monitoring Manager for our Product Health Center in Reserve. Nick brings a unique skill set with him given his technical background.

Louisiana Cat came in 1st place in the Commercial Engines Extended Service Coverage (ESC) Renewal Rate category. This percentage is calculated by ESC Contracts renewed vs. opportunity in territory. The ESC contracts that our Sales and Parts and Service reps secure lead to further Services growth: capture SOS and inspections, performing maintenance work, signing up CVAs, winning overhauls and growing customer satisfaction and loyalty. Louisiana Cat will receive a check in the amount of $5,000 for placing first!

Congratulations to our Power Systems team!

On February 14, Caterpillar held a virtual ceremony to celebrate the 2021 Jim Umpleby CI Services Growth Award Winners. Louisiana Cat is one of 46 dealers worldwide to achieve year-over-year double-digit growth in CI services. Our service strategy is to deliver a superior customer experience focused on value-added offerings, with an emphasis on growing Cat® branded part sales. Our services set us apart from the competition and make our customers more successful with our products and services than they can be with any competitor. 

Thank you to our Parts and Service teams for continuing to aid in our success!

Congratulations to Don Emerson, SLD Program Manager, on winning On-Highway Truck Top Dealer for Louisiana Cat in 2021! Louisiana Cat won in the Truck Engine Parts & Service (TEPS) Sales category for achieving plan in the 4th Quarter and for the highest overall points for combined categories for 2021.

Amanda Breaud, Employment Coordinator in Reserve and Kailey King, Inside Sales Rep in Covington, attended Southeastern Louisiana University's annual Professional Sales Competition in mid-February.  The Professional Sales Competition is an opportunity for students to compete in sales role-plays and meet with sales professionals who are looking for fresh talent to fill sales positions. The competition allows students to show off their professional sales skills in an intense, head-to-head competition with peers. The students that win the event go on to compete in the regional event at Nicholls University and then nationals in Atlanta, Georgia. Louisiana Cat has been proud to sponsor this competition since 2019.

Fun Fact: Kailey was recruited by Amanda at this very event in 2021.

The Product Support team recently hosted a Cat® Certified Rebuild Lunch & Learn at our Monroe facility. Womack & Sons Construction Group shared the above post on their social media pages after the event!

January Service Anniversaries:

Tonya Moran...............10 years

Damien Norman...............15 years

Gregory Scheufens...............15 years

Tim Leger...............15 years

Russ McLin...............20 years

Marvin Williams...............20 years

Michelle Vidrine...............20 years

Bruce Cassel...............30 years

February Service Anniversaries:

Genato Samson...............10 years

Brian Rivet...............10 years

Jon Magee...............10 years

Donovan Brevelle...............15 years

Mark McElroy...............15 years

Ben Trosclair...............15 years

Robert Gisclair...............15 years

March Service Anniversaries: 

Michael Davidson...............5 years 

Jordan Babin...............10 years

Brent Landry...............15 years