This article is brought to you by Cox Business.

On a recent summer morning, crews were hard at work on a series of new homes on Olivier Street. Once they are completed, three local families will become the latest in Lafayette to move into such residences thanks to Habitat for Humanity.

Since 1992, Lafayette Habitat for Humanity has built more than 125 homes. That number is expected to reach more than 140 completed houses in the next year. Most of the homes are in Lafayette Parish, although the organization has also built some in Vermilion Parish.

The houses are occupied by families who cannot qualify for conventional home financing but have a regular reliable income and the ability to make monthly mortgage payments. That population has grown dramatically in recent years, particularly as home prices have risen.

“Last year, 25% of households in this area were cost burdened, meaning they are paying 30% or more of their monthly income for housing,” said Melinda Taylor, executive director of Lafayette Habitat for Humanity. “Renters are paying at least 50% of their income for housing, which makes them extremely cost burdened.”

Taylor said the Lafayette area is experiencing an “absolute crisis” when it comes to affordable housing. Rental rates are unaffordable for many and some rental properties have poor living conditions. Meanwhile, Taylor said starter homes in Lafayette usually are $180,000 or more, putting them out of financial reach for many individuals and families.

“There are no homes that are affordable to the majority of people who make 80% or below of the area median income,” she said. “Until there is a move to increase that capacity, people will either be stuck renting in sometimes substandard conditions or moving from place to place. The good news is that we can get somebody in a home for less than they are paying for rent.”

A Habitat for Humanity home is not simply a giveaway, though. The family that will move in must put in a certain amount of work hours, known as sweat equity. They also work closely with Habitat for Humanity on every aspect of the process, from securing financing and payment schedules to choosing design elements for their house. “This is an opportunity for someone to put in a lot of hard work,” Taylor said. “Our homeowners are better informed than the average homeowner. They know what goes

into building a house more than most other first-time home buyers. The majority of them end up staying in their homes permanently. We’ve had some folks sell, but a lot of times people say the homes fit with their lifestyle and income, so they choose to live there for several years.”

Although Habitat for Humanity’s core mission is to help families achieve homeownership, that work in Lafayette is being done in close collaboration with neighborhood leaders and residents, especially in the McComb-Veazey, LaPlace and Truman areas where Habitat for Humanity has been particularly active. Taylor noted that the Lafayette office has an entire community development department that is dedicated to engaging with neighborhoods to find out what residents need and want to see in their areas. The organization then uses that feedback to design homes that fit the existing aesthetic and culture.

“In McComb-Veazey, you’ll see homes that are similar to a Craftsman-style cottage. In LaPlace, we’ll be building next to a private developer who has a more contemporary style, so we’re going to work with that,” Taylor said. “We pay attention to the context, and most especially, the human context. We really do focus on both the neighborhood and the individual families and what their needs and desires are. But, we work within a tight budget, so that’s also important.”

Continuing that community development work is a key part of Lafayette Habitat for Humanity’s strategic plan. In addition to building new homes, Taylor said the organization hopes to do targeted repairs to residences near new Habitat houses in an effort to improve the entire neighborhood. They are also exploring new home options besides single-family residences, which may include duplexes, townhomes or cottages.

In addition, Taylor said Habitat for Humanity may expand its work by joining with other organizations to provide resources such as job training, financial literacy and more.

A recent $2.5 million gift from philanthropist MacKenzie Scott will be used to help develop many of these initiatives. However, Taylor noted that the community’s need for affordable housing isn’t going away anytime soon, so both financial support and volunteerism will be needed. The organization halted volunteer work for several months because of the pandemic, but is now back to organizing group and individual work sessions on a regular basis.

“The support Lafayette has shown us over the years has been pretty amazing,” Taylor said. “This community really supports its own and I think really understands the need for people to have decent, secure, affordable housing. People here are generous and understand how foundational a home is to someone’s ongoing success and security. We’re very grateful and we’re excited to have more volunteer groups back at our sites.”

To volunteer, make a donation or learn more about Lafayette Habitat for Humanity,
visit www.habitatlafayette.org.

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On a recent afternoon, kids excitedly hurried off a Lafayette school bus at the Jackie Unit of the Boys and Girls Clubs of Acadiana. Some headed straight for the basketball court, eager to spend time outside after being in class all day. Others went inside, where they were greeted by smiling staff members and settled in for homework, games and snacks.

For hundreds of Acadiana children, the Boys and Girls Clubs are a safe haven, a place where they know that staff and volunteers will help them meet their basic needs while providing them with academic support, healthy lifestyle tips and lessons in good character and citizenship.

“We hear stories every day about how the Clubs were there for kids when no else was, or they needed a meal and their local Club was there to feed them,” said Rhyan Wheeler, chief executive officer of Boys and Girls Clubs of Acadiana. “The Club has been the support system for a lot of kids who needed us, and many of them have gone on to great success. They have excelled in school, gone on to post-secondary education and/or entered the workforce and become productive citizens in our communities.”

Most Boys and Girls Clubs programs are geared towards kids ages six to 12, although Wheeler said they continue to expand programming for teens. When a child arrives at a Club unit, they start off by doing homework or an enrichment activity, then move on to programming. A wide variety of programs are offered, including physical activity, Kids in the Kitchen, which teaches about healthy eating; activities focused on science, technology, engineering and math; artwork and more. In addition, children have access to computers to complete schoolwork or become more familiar with technology. Boys & Girls Clubs play a vital role in closing the digital divide for students without access to technology.

“A lot of people think we are a babysitting service, but we are far from that,” Wheeler said. “We are actually part of a national organization and the programs that we use are evidence based. We know they result in positive outcomes. When kids come here, they are able to have fun in a safe environment, but are also given the opportunity to have a great and bright future.”

The Boys and Girls Clubs also provide a needed outlet for kids who are struggling with social and emotional issues. Wheeler said that local staff members noticed the impact that the pandemic was having on kids, especially since they missed in-person engagement with others and were struggling with other impacts of the virus. In response, Acadiana staff have been trained in trauma-informed care and ways to integrate emotional wellness into all of their programs.

“We check in with kids each day to see how they are doing, what they need and how we can help if needed,” Wheeler said. “When you see these kids all the time, you can tell when a kid is having an off day. Our staff is incredible in the way they will pull a child aside and ask them what’s going on. Most likely, a kid will open up about challenges they are having, and our staff is trained to help them work through those emotions.”

Local staff have discovered that art and drama is a popular way for kids to express themselves and have become more committed to making sure that creativity is a part of their days. For example, the Jackie Unit is filled with drawings made by kids, with their work showcased on posters and ceiling tiles. Wheeler said that one afternoon in the spring, many kids came out of their shells as they acted out scenes from the Disney move “Encanto.”

“When you think about social and emotional wellness, art is a way for them to have an outlet to express their feelings and connect with the other kids,” she said.

“We check in with kids each day to see how they are doing, what they need and how we can help if needed,” Wheeler said. “When you see these kids all the time, you can tell when a kid is having an off day. Our staff is incredible in the way they will pull a child aside and ask them what’s going on. Most likely, a kid will open up about challenges they are having, and our staff is trained to help them work through those emotions.”

Local staff have discovered that art and drama is a popular way for kids to express themselves and have become more committed to making sure that creativity is a part of their days. For example, the Jackie Unit is filled with drawings made by kids, with their work showcased on posters and ceiling tiles. Wheeler said that one afternoon in the spring, many kids came out of their shells as they acted out scenes from the Disney move “Encanto.”

“When you think about social and emotional wellness, art is a way for them to have an outlet to express their feelings and connect with the other kids,” she said.

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An innovative and integrated technology platform from Cox Communications has the potential to help hospitals and medical facilities become more efficient, improve patient care and keep  employees safe.

The platform, Cox Prosight, allows hospital staff to track and locate devices and call for security by touching their employee badge if a situation arises. In addition, visitors can use Cox Prosight to help navigate their way through large hospitals with multiple floors and offices.

“The ultimate goal is to create a much better experience for patients, caregivers and families in the hospital,” said George Valentine, executive director of new growth and development for Cox  Communications.

Valentine said a key component of Cox Prosight is device tracking. Each device is equipped with a digital tag. Using the platform, hospital staff can use that tag to locate the device to within a few feet of its actual location.

“A nurse can spend up to 30 minutes or more on a shift looking for equipment,” Valentine said. “They would rather spend that time caring for patients instead of looking for assets. That’s a big driver of why we are doing this.”

Valentine said the tracking can also result in significant cost savings for a hospital, meaning those funds can instead go toward patient care.

“An average 150-bed hospital loses about $700,000 a year in medical equipment,” he noted. “Sometimes it’s left in an ambulance or with a patient. Sometimes things get stolen or lost. That number could easily be over a million dollars for a larger hospital. We want to help them try to save that money by helping them know exactly where their assets are at all times.”

Lafayette hospital sees immediate success

Ochsner Lafayette General became the first major hospital to implement Cox Prosight when it began using the system in early August. Within just two months, clinicians there have noticed they are saving time by using device tracking to locate equipment, rather than walking through multiple floors and rooms to find what a patient needs.

“Instead of searching for devices for 45 minutes to an hour, they are able to find the device and have it brought to where it is needed in five or 10 minutes,” said Michael Dozier, Vice President for Ochsner Lafayette General. “That means more time for clinicians to be at a patient’s beside or in the nursing unit.”

Dozier said the hospital has seen particular success with locating IV pumps, which are needed for many patients and cost about $10,000 each. In addition, nurses have been able to more easily locate bed lifts when a patient needs one.

“We only have a handful of those in the facility, so before we were using Cox Prosight, people were having to call every unit and search rooms and hallways,” Dozier said. “Now we have tags on them that allow us to find the bed lift they need within five feet of where it is. That’s been incredibly useful for our nurses and biomed team.”

Valentine said the digital tagging can also help hospitals ensure that all equipment follows the appropriate maintenance and cleaning schedules and is stored in the proper locations.

“They can optimize a device’s route through the facility,” he said. “We can alert the biomed staff that there is equipment that needs to be cleaned so they can actively start doing preventative maintenance and cleaning versus waiting on someone to tell them that equipment needs service.”

Valentine added that Cox Prosight can give hospital leaders better insight into how many specific devices they have on hand and their locations. This can help them decide whether they need to  order more devices or reallocate them more efficiently.

“A health care system may often feel like they need to buy more equipment. Sometimes, that is the case, and sometimes they have plenty of it but can’t get it to the right unit,” he said. “With the data we have, we bring clarity to those decisions.”

Alert system gives staff quicker access to security

Another key component of Cox Prosight is the ability to equip employee badges with a small button that can be pressed when that employee is in duress. Valentine said the idea was prompted by the fact that as many as 75% of nurses across the country experience physical or verbal abuse on the job each year.

“We want them to be able to get the support and security they need when a situation is beginning to escalate,” Valentine said. “I think it will give a lot of peace of mind to staff who are worried about these types of issues.”

Dozier said Ochsner Lafayette General plans to roll out this portion of Cox Prosight in November and December. The button will let security know the employee’s exact location in the hospital, meaning they will be able to receive help in just a few minutes. Without such a system, Dozier said it’s possible that security may not learn about a problem for several minutes, or perhaps not at all.

“Every hospital in the country has seen problems with violence and behavioral health issues,” Dozier said. “We’re really excited about the opportunity to keep our employees and our patients safer. This will allow us to have wall-to-wall coverage anywhere in our facility because when someone pushes that button, it will let security identify their location within 10 feet. I think this is something that every hospital is going to have to adopt in the future to promote safety and security.”

Future Uses

Cox Prosight also includes a wayfinding feature to help patients navigate large buildings that may be unfamiliar to them. Using indoor GPS and a mobile-friendly design, the feature lets patients pin their current location, then gives them turn-by-turn directions to the office or unit they need to visit. Valentine noted that Prosight was designed with end users in mind, so the system is as easy as possible to use.

“We built our solution to be mobile-optimized on day one,” he said, noting that most people have a smartphone, tablet or other mobile device in hand. “We want everything to have a consistent look and feel. Making it accessible for everyone and using real-time location services was huge for us.”

Valentine said the company is in talks with hospitals across the country about implementing Cox Prosight in their facilities. But he also believes the platform could eventually be used in places like surgery centers, nursing homes and rehabilitation centers.

“All of these facilities are looking to get more efficient and produce better patient experiences, and we think we enable both of those things,” he said.

Dozier said Ochsner Lafayette General is open to using Cox Prosight at its other locations. But based on the initial feedback and improved efficiency, he believes the platform is poised to be a long term success for Ochsner Lafayette General and other health systems across the nation.

“Just in terms of the device tracking, the amount of money that is wasted through lost equipment and not being able to find equipment is staggering for any health system,” Dozier said. “We believe it is going to save us several hundred thousand dollars a year. Those are dollars we are going to be able to reinvest toward patient care. Other health systems likely have the same problems, so they should realize those are lost dollars that they could be using elsewhere.”

For more information on Cox Prosight, visit www.coxprosight.com.

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Although her parents owned and operated one of Acadiana’s largest vehicle dealerships, Christa Billeaud first opted for a different career path. When she graduated from high school, she immediately followed her passion to become a nurse.

The career was fulfilling for several years, but after her mother’s death in 2004, her father, Adrian Vega, asked her to join Acadiana Automotive Group as the vice president.

“Since then, I’ve been involved in the business regularly, either in governance or day-to-day operations or a combination of both,” Billeaud said. “I didn’t  think I would ever be running an automotive dealership, but God surprises you and opens doors. I feel very blessed.”

Both Adrian and Rita Vega have passed away, but Billeaud is proud to  continue their legacy with her husband and her siblings. Although it did require a career change, Billeaud said one of the biggest surprises has been the similarities she has found between being a registered nurse and operating a vehicle dealership.

“As a nurse, you are taught to keep a cool head, assess the situation, know your resources, know your strengths and weaknesses and formulate a plan quickly,” she said. “Those same lessons apply in business. I still feel like I’m taking care of people. It was not a hard transition. My nursing experience put me in a mindset of service and I still feel like I’m in the business of taking care of people.”

This year, Acadiana Dodge Chrysler Jeep Ram, the flagship dealership across from the Lafayette Regional Airport, is celebrating 30 years in business. The Acadiana Automotive Group also includes Acadiana Mazda in Lafayette as well as Acadiana Dodge Chrysler Jeep Ram Fiat South in historic Abbeville.

Billeaud attributes much of the success to longtime employees who are committed to quality and service. To this day, she remembers how her father taught her that everyone’s job is important and every employee plays a vital role in helping the business achieve its goals.

“Whether someone is working in an office or in our service shop, everyone is important and needs my respect,” Billeaud said. “My dad was always extremely respectful of people who maybe ordinarily would not have been noticed. I still remember my mom and dad would say ‘yes ma’am and ‘no, sir’ to employees. They both recognized  people’s value and wanted to respect them.”

Billeaud said she also keeps in mind her parents’ devotion to community and the view that customers are not only people who purchase vehicles and service, but who are also friends and  neighbors.

“As a family-owned business, that’s really special to me because we live here and my parents lived here,” she said. “I went to school here. I’ve really seen how important it is to support the community. It is part of carrying on the legacy. My dad came to the States as a Cuban immigrant. He and my mom were humble and worked hard and wanted to do right by people. It’s my  responsibility to be a good steward of that. It’s truly a gift.”

The flagship dealership and Acadiana Mazda are located at 1700 Southwest Evangeline Thruway in Lafayette. The South dealership is at 2110 Veterans Memorial Drive in Abbeville

For more information,
visit www.acadianadodge.com, www.acadianadodgesouth.com or www.acadianamazda.com.

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By Amanda McElfresh, amcelfresh@theadvocate.com

This article is brought to you by Cox Business.

It didn’t take long for Edward J. Krampe to put his sons to work. When E.J. and Chris were still in their youth, they could often be found making milkshakes or working the ice cream machines at some of the dozens of McDonald’s locations across Louisiana. They might have made a mess from time to time, but along the way, the boys were learning lessons that still serve them today.

E.J. and Chris Krampe are proud to build on the foundation their father, Edward Krampe, established in south Louisiana. E.J. is now the MacLaff president and chief executive officer while Chris is the chief people officer.

“My father always said that whatever you do in business, the team you assemble and work with will be the most important part of that business,” E.J. said. “You have to work hard to find and develop quality team members. To me, that is the biggest reason we have had success in our business. We really focus on our teams and people. We have a really dynamic team.”

For almost 50 years, the Krampe family has been the owner-operators of most of the McDonald’s locations in Acadiana through their MacLaff, Inc. business. In 2018, they acquired many locations in the Baton Rouge area. Today, led by E.J. Krampe asPresident andChief Executive Officer, MacLaff operates 44 locations, with a 45th under construction in Ascension Parish. Chris Krampe works alongside his brother as the Chief People Officer.

“We’re actually one of the only sibling partnerships in the McDonald’s corporation in the United States,” E.J. said. “I think a few others have done it since we’ve been successful, but there are still not very many partnerships like ours.”

The brothers are proud to follow in the footsteps of their father, who passed away in 2015. But for E.J., it took a bit of time to get there. In the 1980s, he moved away and eventually worked in public accounting in Louisville, Kentucky. It wasn’t long before he got the itch to return home. At the time, MacLaff was operating eight restaurants. Edward Krampe assured his son that the number was going to grow in the future.

The Krampe family has owned and operated local McDonald's restaurants for almost 50 years. This
1972 photos shows one of the original locations.

“At that point, I had been working a lot with entrepreneurs and people who had their own businesses, and it just became apparent to me that I really wanted to be an entrepreneur,” E.J. said. “When my dad said things were about to grow, that opportunity motivated me to come home. Plus, I love South Louisiana. I liked Louisville, but this is home.”

In the years since, McDonald’s has indeed grown and expanded, something E.J. attributed to the company’s willingness to adapt with the times. He noted that there have been menu changes to match people’s tastes, including a new chicken sandwichthat launched in late February. Many McDonald’s locations, including those in South Louisiana, now have two drive-thru lanes to better accommodate customers.

But like any business, MacLaff has had to overcome numerous challenges over the years. After Hurricanes Katrina and Rita hit Louisiana within weeks of each other in 2005, there was physical devastation followed by trouble finding enough employees, E.J. said. An economic downturn affected business in the late 2000s. Following Edward Krampe’s death in 2015, the family spent months working through a succession.

“We had that to deal with, and then we really had to work with the McDonald’s Corporation to establish a sibling partnership,” E.J. said. “At the time, they would not accept that, so that was a huge obstacle to overcome.”

Community involvement has always been important to the Krampe family. They have long contributed
to local organizations and participated in local events, including the Games of Acadiana.

Then, in 2018, MacLaff “basically doubled in size in one night” when it acquired half of the Baton Rouge market. It was a daunting move that involved dozens of new restaurant operations, hundreds of additional employees and more.

“It was quite an undertaking,” E.J. said. “We never anticipated that two years after that, we would be dealing with a pandemic. I never put that into my planning. It’s been an interesting couple of years for sure.”

Through it all, E.J. and Chris have relied on their father’s lessons about the importance of a positive attitude, open communication, and honesty in all aspects of life.

“Those are the things we really try to make sure we are doing at all times,” E.J. said. “If things get difficult, we are going to sit down and figure out how to move forward as a team. It’s never about just one person. That’s the key.”

The Krampes said their employees are the key to their longevity. Edward Krampe always taught his sons that "you are only as good as your people."

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This article is brought to you by Cox Business.

Stacey Frederick still remembers one of the first patients she visited as a home nurse.

Frederick was in her 20s and already had hospital nursing experience, but she was new to the world of home health care. As she assessed the patient and discussed her condition, she realized the patient, who suffered from arthritis, needed a walker to help her get around the house.

“I was able to help her get that and it made such a difference in her life,” Frederick recalled. “She was able to get out of her bedroom and go to her kitchen and living room, which she was not able to do before. Just seeing those little things make a big difference is something that is still rewarding to me.”

Back then, the idea of patients receiving nursing care at home was still a new concept, but Frederick saw potential in it. In the mid-1990s, she seized an opportunity to become the CEO at Lafayette-based Nursing Specialties. Since then, Nursing Specialties has grown to include locations in Lafayette, Eunice, New Iberia and Breaux Bridge, as well as a hospice service based in Lafayette.

“I think we are one of the more progressive agencies when it comes to technology,” Frederick said. “We’ve developed protocols to keep patients out of the hospital. We can do so many things in the home. We can do X-rays, EKGs, IV therapy, speech therapy, social work. The list goes on. We find that the patient outcomes are better when people are in their home environment because they are more comfortable. If they do need to go to a hospital, we can facilitate that.”

Most Nursing Specialties patients are 65 or older, although the agency does treat younger adults, most of whom have a chronic condition or who have suffered a traumatic injury, such as in a car crash.

Overall, the care provided by Nursing Specialties stands out. The agency has a five-star rating from Medicare, which puts it in the highest-rated tier of home health agencies. On average, Louisiana agencies earn 3.5 stars and those across the country earn three stars. The ratings are based on measures such as managing daily activity, treating symptoms, preventing harm, preventing unplanned hospital care and value of care.

In general, the desire for home health care has increased in 2020 amid people’s fears about the novel coronavirus. Frederick said Nursing Specialties continues to treat both COVID-positive patients and people who did not contract the virus.

“We had all of our PPE before this happened, so we were prepared to go out to the homes,” she said. “On any given day, we had 120 or more clinicians in the field seeing patients. So far, not one of our employees has tested positive for COVID. I think we did a good job of educating them, preparing them and preparing our patients.”

At times, the demand for services has been so great that Frederick has done home visits herself. As the CEO, she always has to closely monitor the business and financial aspects of the company, but her nursing background still influences her decisions as well.

“I never ask somebody to do something I am not willing to do myself,” she said. “I’m out there seeing patients and following the same precautions and guidelines as everyone else. Being able to be in the field is always a good reminder that we are here to treat people.”

It’s a lesson that Frederick continues to pass on to her employees. Over the years, she has learned that hiring people with good character and strong morals leads to the best results. Experience will come with time and training, but Frederick said having a team with the right values is critical to the company’s success and positive patient outcomes.

“I always tell people, especially my younger employees, to think about what they would do if that patient was their mother or grandmother,” she said. “When a patient calls, they are calling for a reason and we need to be here to respond. It does take a different work ethic, so that’s something we always look for in people. I’m very proud of the team we have. They are great people and a great staff.”

Nursing Specialties has offices at 1025 Camellia Boulevard in Lafayette; 250 East Laurel Street, Suite C, in Eunice; 609 Jefferson Terrace, Suite 200, in New Iberia and 123 East Bridge Street in Breaux Bridge. For more information, visit www.nursingspecialties.com or call 866-665-8937.

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This article is brought to you by Cox Business.

On January 17, 2020, Star Williams fulfilled a longtime dream when she opened her own business, Star’s Bakeshop in Lafayette. Little did she know that in less than three months, she would have to quickly adapt and get creative in order to keep her dream alive.
“When I originally opened, I was going to do mainly sweets,” Star said. “Then the pandemic happened. Things got a little slow, but I refused to close. I told myself that I needed to adjust and figure out the best way to approach this.”

Star’s solution was to add a wide range of savory breakfast and lunch items to her menu. Those items include seafood and chicken quesadillas, crawfish grilled cheese sandwiches, grilled chicken sandwiches, croissant club sandwiches, croissant chicken salad sandwiches, homemade biscuits, breakfast sandwiches and more.
“Everybody loves the food now,” Star said with a laugh. “It was a blessing in disguise.”

The new items are an addition to an already robust sweets menu that includes cakes, cheesecakes, cookies, cupcakes and other desserts. Popular cake and cupcake flavors include almond, chocolate, lemon, red velvet, vanilla, cookies and cream and more. The options for fillings include Bavarian cream, raspberry, lemon, white buttercream, salted caramel and more.
One of the most popular offerings at Star’s Bakeshop has been the custom cakes. The bakery has created cakes that are exact replicas of items such as Amazon boxes, wristwatches, video games, shoes, purses, airplanes and more.

Growing up in Memphis, Tenn., Star hadn’t seriously considered a career in the food industry. But when she moved to New Orleans, she needed a job and ended up working in room service at a New Orleans hotel. Later, she was hired in the hotel’s restaurant. That sparked a career of more than 10 years working in restaurants, hotels and casinos. Along the way, she honed her skills with formal training, including classes at the Louisiana Culinary Institute.

“I ended up loving it,” she said. “You’re always meeting new people, and I love to talk and get to know people, so it was a good fit for me. It’s so fast-paced, which is something else that I love about it. You never know what will come up.”

When Hurricane Katrina destroyed Star’s New Orleans home in 2005, she ended up relocating to Lafayette. Initially, Star worried about how she would fit in as an outsider moving to town for the first time, with no family or connections. But she soon discovered a community that has been welcoming and supportive through her career journey and now with her own business.
“My customers are amazing,” she said. “I cannot thank them enough. We have loyal customers who come in every week, sometimes twice a week. If it was not for their loyalty and the support of our community, we would not have survived. I’m so grateful. People come in here and buy something, then they share it with others and word spreads. They have really helped my business survive.”

With the most difficult months hopefully behind her, Star is “super-optimistic” about the upcoming holiday season, which will be her first as an entrepreneur. She’s already preparing by making sure she has enough supplies on order and has made arrangements to ship items to outside locations.
“This will be our first time going through Halloween, Thanksgiving and Christmas as a business. I’m super-excited for it,” Star said. “I think it’s going to be very busy and I’ve got a feeling it will be an amazing season.”

Star’s Bakeshop is located at 300 Youngsville Highway, Suite 100, Lafayette. For information on menu items, custom cakes or ordering, visit www.iluvstarsbakeshop.com or call 337-252-7317.

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