Bertrand Receives Top Chamber Honor
BOBBY ARDOIN
St. Landry Now.com Editor
A standing ovation and deafening applause filled the Evangeline Downs Events Center on Thursday night as longtime St. Landry Chamber of Commerce president and CEO Frankie Bertrand was presented with a lifetime achievement award.
Bertrand, who served as the chief chamber executive for 26 years, accepted the highlighted award during the annual Chamber-sponsored Horses and Harmony event.
Current Chamber president and CEO Lori Dupuis headlined the presentations at the sold out event which provided awards to several businesses and non-profit organizations.
Daniel Lyons, president of the St. Landry Cattleman’s Association, honored Bertrand with another award for helping start the series of annual cookoffs which assist funding for a number of charity events.
Other recipients of the yearly Chamber awards included Acadiana Practitioners, Community Partner Of The Year; Hospice of Acadiana, Non-Profit Of The Year; Pelican Credit Union, Small Business Of The Year; Catalyst Bank, Mid-Sized Business Of The Year; Evangeline Downs, Large Business Of The Year; St. Landry Bank, Excellence In Business Award; Joel Savoy, Musician Of The Year and Perry Fontenot, Horseman Of The Year.
Chamber member Angela Cassimere told the attendees that Bertrand, who announced her Chamber retirement in 2014, produced an enormous resume related to promoting economic development and parish commerce.
“(Bertrand) did so much for our city, our parish and with our state. If you look up the definition of hard work in the dictionary, you will see the name of Frankie Bertand,” said Cassimere.
Lyons remembered when he was approached by Bertrand about sponsoring a cookoff event using chickens as the meat ingredient.
“I’m in the cattle business, so I thought about it and decided if we were going to have any kind of cookoff, it was going to be a beef cookoff,” Lyons said.
Lyons said that for 44 years, the parish cattlemen have sponsored a beef cookoff.
“If not for Miss Frankie who saw the future in having these cookoff events, there would not be a Cattleman’s Beef Cookoff or any of these other cookoff events which provide help for individuals in need,” Lyons said.
Central St. Landry Economic District chairman Buddy Helton said that Fontenot has used horse training as a way of assisting children and adults.
“I’ve seen (Fontenot) do wonderful work with horses. He has been at it for 11 years and he has become very invested. (Fontenot) has helped children and everyone become better with horses. He has really stepped up to the plate,” Helton said.
.
