Discover Lafayette

By: Jan Swift
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  • Summary

  • The Gateway to South Louisiana
    Discover Lafayette©
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Episodes
  • NOMAD Music Festival – Seth Ransonet

    NOMAD Music Festival – Seth Ransonet
    Sep 13 2024
    Seth Ransonet joins Discover Lafayette to discuss the third annual NOMAD Music Festival to be held on September 21, 2024 at Warehouse 535. NOMAD is a wholesome music event emphasizing family-friendly values and aiming to promote truth, goodness, and beauty through music. It's mission is to glorify God and inspire people to find their true home, spiritually and emotionally, through the power of music and community. The name "NOMAD" was selected because the event strives to inspire all wanderers to find their true home. A graduate of UL-Lafayette and a theology teacher at Teurlings Catholic High School, Seth Ransonet co-founded the NOMAD Music Festival with Jude Lecompte. The two were roommates when they attended a performance in Houston by Caamp, an American folk band from Ohio, which Seth calls a "top 10" band. They had so much fun it inspired them to start their own music festival here in Lafayette LA. Seth recalled Jude saying, "We need to start an event that's wholesome, family-friendly, and a nice hang out." The young men were 22 and 23 years old at the time of NOMAD's inception. The third annual NOMAD Music Festival will be held on September 21, 11:00 a.m to 9 p.m. at Warehouse 535 in Lafayette, and features a variety of local and visiting artists, providing them with a platform to grow and reach a wider audience. Working to create a vibrant community experience, the event kicks off with a Catholic mass which is open to the people of all faiths. Games for the kids will be provided and anyone who loves dancing is sure to enjoy NOMAD. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8eLZLYAhwms&t=64s The headliner band is Happy Landing, and NOMAD 2024 also includes artists such as Zach Edwards and the Medicine, Kaleb Oliver, Swampland Stringband, Amis Du Teche, Mia Montero, Crosby & Ellender, Gabe Parsons, and Eden. General admission tickets are $39.99 (with family discounts provided to families attending with their children) and food trucks will be onsite offering meals for purchase. Parking is available onsite. To find out more, visit https://www.nomadmusicfest.com/. Discover Lafayette would like to thank Seth Ransonet, as well as NOMAD co-founder Jude LeCompte, for endeavoring to bring wholesome family entertainment to Acadiana. Seth is now only 24 years old and has taken on not only full-time teaching at Teurlings Catholic High School, but learning entrepreneurship as a festival organizer trying to break even, if not make a profit. An eagle scout who grew up singing Irish folk songs around the campfire, Seth has always been a person of faith who wanted to serve his Catholic church. Best wishes on a successful 2024 NOMAD Music Festival!
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    38 mins
  • Michael Soileau – Director of LUS Fiber

    Michael Soileau – Director of LUS Fiber
    Sep 6 2024
    Michael Soileau, Director of LUS Fiber, joins us to discuss his vision for the organization. A native of Mamou, Michael graduated from Mamou High, and then earned a degree in International Business from UT in Austin and an MBA from LSU - Shreveport. He took over the reins at LUS Fiber in May 2024. Before this appointment, Michael had worked exclusively in private enterprise. His past employers include Comcast NBCUniversal, specializing in the broadband and cable television business, as well as Toffler Associates, O3, Viya, Comcast Cable, AT&T Broadband, and Optel. He's a proven business leader in sales, business development, and strategic planning in the telecommunication and fiber-optic industry. Michael's first work experiences in broadband came about through his work with Optel. The company was first acquired by AT&T Broadband, which was then acquired by Comcast Corporation, making it the largest broadband and cable subscription business provider in the U. S. Then, Comcast purchased 49% ownership of NBC, and several years later bought the remaining ownership in the broadcast network. These mergers resulted in Michael moving into the entertainment and distribution side of the business. "I worked with Comcast NBC Universal for twenty years, in every operational role you can imagine....sales, marketing, finance, strategic planning on how to grow the business. With the Time Warner acquisition, affordabiIity came up. We started off offering programs for low-income households, and expanded it to sectors such as seniors, Veterans, students...different sectors of the community that can find broadband expensive. I learned so much." Advocate staff photo by Leslie Westbrook. Michael retired from Comcast and then dedicated his life to studies, earning an MBA from LSU. "I admit to being a lifelong learner. When I retired from Comcast, I went to school to get my Master's degree. I had considered working in academia as I had guest lectured at UT for a while. I earned the degree to gain the needed credibility to lecture on international business. But I was reinvigorated by school to get back into the 'business of the business.'" He then spent a year and a half as CEO of O3, a digital experience consultancy based in Philadelphia. At O3, he focused on digital customer experience, strategy, and innovation, bringing the organization a fresh set of eyes on how to position it to tap into new markets and create innovative solutions. Michael had maintained a residence in Lafayette in order to be close to his parents who still reside in Mamou. One day, his neighbor was visiting and they started talking about the open position at LUS Fiber. Rachel Godeaux, LCG's Chief Administrative Officer, met with him and Michael then met with Lafayette Mayor Monique Boulet, who inspired him with her vision for Lafayette and the role fiber could play in attracting companies and driving economic development. "Her overarching belief in the importance of transparency in government was compelling." He wasn't looking for a position, but couldn't say no. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iYsXM71kDIw "I love the business of broadband. I've seen the power of broadband and what it does to change communities across the country, so I was excited about the opportunity to come back." Familiar with the history of LUS Fiber, having watched it from its inception back in 2005 when the citizens of Lafayette voted to make it a reality, he remembers having a conversation with the President of Comcast's cable division, saying at the time, "This is a model that will hurt us because it drives community engagement and loyalty with in the community." He further added during our interview, "Those are the values that we are all a part of by living here in Lafayette." "LUS Fiber has had 17 years of operations. We have the opportunity to rethink our marketing and ask what do we stand for, what is our brand, what is our promise to the community,
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    57 mins
  • Frank Randol – Randol’s Restaurant in Breaux Bridge

    Frank Randol – Randol’s Restaurant in Breaux Bridge
    Aug 30 2024
    Frank Randol of Randol’s Restaurant in Breaux Bridge, joins Discover Lafayette in partnership with Eat Lafayette, a yearlong celebration of our locally owned restaurants, to share news of the revival of his unique Cajun restaurant and dancehall concept, a longtime staple in Lafayette. Breaux Bridge is only 15 minutes from Lafayette and is part of a corridor surrounding Lafayette Parish that is ripe for growth. And Frank is a young 78 years old, an Army veteran of the Vietnam War who still exudes energy and a passion for being a changemaker. Frank is a force of nature who works nonstop to promote the beauty of our local culture. Frank has been in the seafood business for 53 years, and is renowned for his contribution to sustaining and promoting our Cajun culture. As part of that dedication, Frank currently serves as Secretary of the Gulf Seafood Foundation and has always been an avid supporter of Eat Lafayette. He focuses on wild-caught seafood with no additives, only South Louisiana seafood, with a bent toward crawfish, softshell crab, and other seasonal specialties. Hamburger steak is also a popular dish craved by Randol's longtime patrons. His experience in the seafood business defines Frank Randol. In 1971, he opened a seafood processing facility in Henderson and operated it for nine years before opening the original Randol's Restaurant in 1980 when he moved operations to his family property on Kaliste Saloom Road. Over the years, he welcomed thousands of visitors from around the world to his restaurant and dancehall who were looking to experience authentic Cajun culture. To learn more about Frank's historic career, please listen to our original interview on Discover Lafayette here. In 2021, the owners of Superior Grill offered Frank a price for his Kaliste Saloom property that he couldn't refuse. The money afforded him the opportunity to take off two years to consider his future, and he kept his general manager, Jimmy LaGrange, employed alongside him as they contemplated their next move. "It takes two people to do nothing well for two years," Frank jokes. But in reality, Frank had not only wealth in money, but also wealth in ideas, creativity, love of Cajun food and culture, and a desire to continue in the restaurant business. "When you throw yourself into something for so many decades, you can't just go cold turkey. People need to embrace the Cajun Culture. It's already branded and known worldwide." Randol's menu is patterned after the former Randol's choices, repurposed and retested to ensure perfection for today's market. A mini-market for fresh seafood purchases is in the works and will be open soon. Today, the restaurant's success is Frank's main priority. Not one to stay retired, Frank envisioned a revival of his original Randol's concept, and purchased the land where the former Mulate's Restaurant was located at 325 W. Mills Avenue, Breaux Bridge, Louisiana, resurrecting his successful Cajun food/Dance Hall concept enjoyed by people for so many decades. Frank says, "Mulate's was the perfect spot. It needed work, but it polished up well! The building is 80 years old on high ground and survived the storms in May of this year. We patterned the bathrooms after the high end facilities at Superior Grill, with glass walls that you can't see through, with 400 square feet of space." Many of acclaimed mural artist Robert Dafford's works are on the walls at Randol's, and Frank says "It's a historical setting where you can feel the spirit of our culture. It's alive." Frank Randol is just as passionate about sharing his love of Cajun food and culture as he when he took his “Cajun Fest” on the road across the U. S. so many years ago. The World’s Fair held in New Orleans in 1984 ignited an interest in all things Cajun and Frank Randol ensured that accurate information on its heritage was shared. Frank was glowingly written up by the Chicago Tribune on October 25, 1989,
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    Less than 1 minute
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