Recent promotions and new hires at Louisiana businesses | Business News

The following new hires and promotions were announced by south Louisiana businesses in recent weeks.

New Orleans

Ryan Gootee General Contractors promoted a pair of employees to new roles and added a trio of new staffers in recent months. Chris Perrier was promoted to senior superintendent, while Jake Hammant was promoted to project manager. Meanwhile, the Metairie-based firm hired Brandon Bourgeois and Noah Labrosse as assistant project superintendents and Kristina Miller as senior project manager.

Frank Cook has been appointed the new general manager of the DoubleTree by Hilton Hotel New Orleans, which is currently undergoing a $5 million renovation. Cook previously oversaw 19 hotels as vice president of operations for South Carolina-based Hospitality America. 

The New Orleans Regional Leadership Institute announced four new board members and a new staffer. Christine Briede, executive director of Jefferson Community Foundation; Amy Corcoan, CPA/shareholder of Corcoran & Bernard CPAs; Carmen Cummings, chief administrative officer at InclusivCare; and Adams & Reese partner William Wright IV joined the institute’s board, while Frances Love joined its staff as program and office manager.

The Port of New Orleans has appointed Adam Laurie as its new chief financial officer. Laurie, a former Navy officer, previously worked for Macquarie Infrastructure Corporation, where he managed the $2.7 billion sale of IMTT, and the local law firm Mouledoux, Bland, Legrand & Brackett, where he served as its first CFO.

Kean Miller announced the hiring of Haley Bible as an associate. Bible, who earned a law degree from Loyola University New Orleans in 2022, will focus her practice on commercial litigation cybersecurity and data privacy.

Zehnder Communications has promoted Katherine Simon to director of account strategy. Simon has 15 years of experience with the employee-owned advertising agency, where she leads clients in finance, consumer goods, education, health care, hospitality and travel sectors.

Breazeale, Sachse & Wilson has hired Kenneth Nilsson. Nilsson, a 2025 graduate of LSU’s Paul M. Hebert Law Center, will focus on labor, employment and commercial litigation.

Baton Rouge

Eric Clay has been hired as chief security officer for Franciscan Missionaries of Our Lady of Health System, where he will oversee safety and risk management systemwide. With experience with the Walt Disney Company and the U.S. Federal Air Marshal Service, Clay most recently was vice president of security services for Houston-based Memorial Hermann Health System.

Investar Bank promoted a trio of its executives to new roles. Jeff Blum went from being executive vice president and regional president for the bank’s western division to its chief banking officer. Another executive vice president, Jeffrey Martin, who had also been chief credit officer, was promoted to chief risk officer. And Corey Moore, the bank’s executive vice president and chief accounting officer, has been promoted to deputy chief financial officer.

Pelican Credit Union has promoted Sharon Collins to become vice president of facilities, property management and purchasing. Collins started with the company in 2000 as a teller and has been instrumental in the construction of the credit union’s locations in Houma, St. Landry and Mid City, as well as its corporate campus.

Kean Miller announced the hiring of four new attorneys. Hannah Grace Babin focuses on casualty and mass tort, Elizabeth Bueche focuses on employment and construction matters, Samantha Sharp is a title insurance agent who will focus on real estate law, Lorin Wales Staup focuses on energy and environmental law. All four graduated law school earlier this year. Sharp earned her law degree from Southern University Law Center while Babin, Bueche and Staup earned degrees from LSU Paul M. Hebert Law Center.

Do you have personnel changes to share or other ideas for our business coverage? Drop us a line at biztips@theadvocate.com.