Derenda Grubb

Governor Bobby Jindal had to love his trip to Lake Charles on Tuesday! He was here to help officially announce that a $100 million manufacturing plant will soon be built in Lake Charles.

The facility, to be located on Port property off Big Lake Road not far from Trunkline LNG, will be the first nuclear-module manufacturing facility in the United States! A few bullet points:

• The project is a joint venture between Westinghouse and The Shaw Group, a fortune 500 construction firm based in Baton Rouge, LA
• The plant will create 1400 jobs in Lake Charles
• The combined Shaw and Westinghouse venture will generate 2,900 new jobs throughout the state
• The purpose of the plant is to to assemble building modules
• No radioactive material will be involved locally
• After assembly, the buildings will be shipped to their intended destination
• One-third of the new nuclear power plants will be built at the Shaw-Westinghouse facility in Lake Charles

Deep-water access, transportation, and availability of a skilled work force were a few of the reasons Lake Charles was selected. Of course, the state's competitive incentive package played a major role in what is expected to generate $43 million in tax revenue alone in the coming decade.

From the Chamber Southwest to the State Department of Economic development, congratulations and thanks to all involved.

Links of interest:

New Release on Shaw Group website

Bayou Buzz coverage

Times-Picayune Article

Employment opportunities

Friday, July 11, 2008, our world lost a true icon in the world of medicine and more important a true Humanitarian.

Lake Charles Native Son Michael DeBakey passed from our world. I wish I could take credit for the coining of the phrase “King of Hearts”, but I must report that I read this in the very first of many multiple full page tributes printed in the Lake Charles American Press.

These pages allowed those whose lives he had touched to express their gratitude and love. I could fill many blog post if I were to attempt to convey all the reports of generosity, humor, kindness, genius, and sheer exceptional energy of this man.

One story that stood out in my memory was retold by a gentleman on behalf of his Father who had since passed. Dr. DeBakey had completed surgery on his Father and the bills that ensued reached a point the man could not repay without refinancing his home. Dr DeBakey found out about this, called the man, and said “No man would jeopardize his family’s home to pay him. His bill was paid as of that day.” There were so many stories similar to this story that it became evident that this man truly lived to improve the life of others.

He tackled every day in a run to see how many people he could help that day. What a wonderful world this would be if we all tried to do the same. We can’t all be doctors, King of Hearts, but we each have our talents that could help our neighbors.

What if we tackled life like DeBakey; each day trying to help as many of our neighbors as we know and introducing ourselves to those we don’t know.

There were also stories related by those who had worked with or under DeBakey over the years. All held the man in awe with total respect for his ability and drive.

DeBakey was a perfectionist, intolerant of incompetence, sloppy thinking, and laziness. A DeBakey quote taken from the New York Times goes as follows: “If you were on the operating table would you want a perfectionist or somebody who cared little for details?”

Some of his residents reported difficulty keeping up with him, even in his progressing years. It seems that the patient may have had the better end of the deal at times. After all, it was always for the patient that everyone was in the room or the knowledge that would be attained for the next patient.

Lake Charles City Council passed a resolution on August 20, 2008 to change the name of South Ryan Street to Dr. Michael DeBakey Drive. This street runs through one of the densest medical areas in our city.

I would like to think this would bring a smile to his face. All who knew him knew he still loved his Cajun roots and food. I would like to think he would be pleased to know that in our hearts he will always be the King of Hearts.

Michael Ellis DeBakey died Friday, July 11th of natural causes. One of the 20th century's great pioneers of cardiovascular surgery.

Amon a host of other things, DeBakey was:

-Chancellor emeritus of Baylor College of Medicine in Houston

-Director of The Methodist DeBakey Heart & Vascular Center

-Senior attending surgeon of The Methodist Hospital in Houston

Yes, it is a state park, but those who reside in Moss Bluff consider this beautiful park as an extension of their neighborhoods.

Like the good neighbors Moss Bluff residents are, they happily share the park with year-round visitors and campers from across the globe.

Be sure to reserve time for relaxing when you go to visit Sam Houston Jones State Park, in Moss Bluff, Louisiana. This wonderful little jewel along the Calcasieu River provides biking and hiking trails for those who wish to explore great distances. When it is time to relax you can return to your cabin, or bring your own RV since they do provide parking facilities, and enjoy a good nights rest.

If a day trip is more to your plans, there are plenty of picnic areas and playground equipment. There is something for everyone to enjoy and the grounds are manned by State Park Rangers who are familiar with our area and conduct classes periodically on various aspects of our local natural habitats.

Our last overnight RV visit to the park featured a night trip led by the Rangers to investigate the night life of the park with flash lights. This was a HUGE hit with the Kids. As you can see, the deer, ducks, etc. are nice enough to share their territory with those who are pleasant to them.

Yes, we live less than 20 miles away, but take the RV there with our Grand Children. Once you are in the park, you feel as though you are miles away from home and the smores and hot dogs over the campfire are just as good as if we had spent $hundreds traveling a long distance.

Put this on your must see list when you visit Southwest Louisiana. For more information visit these these websites:

Sam Houston Jones State Park

Moss Bluff on Derenda.com

I've written before about Calcasieu Parish's new, beautiful Prien Lake Park.

Recently, the Southwest Louisiana Association of REALTORS held what I hope will be our first annual picnic and Bar B Que at this wonderful facility.

A busy bunch, we REALTORS! We work hard, and sometimes do not take time to play.

We know the value of getting to know each other, but seldom are afforded the opportuntiy to do so.

And, we all need to spend more time with our families!

Armed with this knowledge, the entertainment committee of our local board put together a function that would satisfy each of these issues, including the competitive nature of our members who entered the "Cook Off" contest.

Pictured here is my company, CENTURY 21 Bessette's BBQ rig. As you can see, we took the competition in stride, while showing our support of our LSU Tigers.

Hopeully, board members will be able to spend time in a similar fashion next year. Did I hear someone mention "Crawfish at Prien" for next year?

Regardless, if you are new to the Lake Area, or live here but have not had time to see the park for yourself, it is worth the time. My cautionary comments are that when you arrive, you'll want to take a stroll along Prien Lake. So, take time!