In Louisiana, family means everything. On any given weekend, you can find multigenerational gatherings filled with food, laughter and lots of love. Grandparents, aunts and uncles cheer on their loved ones at school events and athletic competitions. It isn’t uncommon to hear of ongoing group texts that allow extended families to keep up with each other’s daily lives.

That spirit extends into Louisiana’s business world as well. Our region is the proud home of many family-owned companies that have stood the test of time, often evolving over the course of many decades to meet customers’ needs. The original founders may be gone, but the lessons they taught still resonate with the current generation.

Whether the family-owned business is a flower shop, a clothing store, a vehicle dealership, a plumbing company, a chain of restaurants, or an arts and entertainment studio, the core principles that continue to drive their success remain the same. It’s all about a  commitment to high quality, a dedication to customer service, treating employees like family and doing the best you can to make your community a better place for all.

We have been honored to  share six of these families’ stories over the last several weeks. As fellow family-owned businesses, The Advocate | The Times-Picayune and Cox Business continue to be inspired by their  combination of adhering to longstanding values while adapting to change with the times. Most of these companies have dealt with numerous challenges over the years, but have worked hard to  overcome and thrive. That’s something we can all be proud of.

As you shop for products and services in the coming months, we encourage you to support family-owned businesses in Acadiana, Baton Rouge and New Orleans. It makes a difference, not only for the Louisiana economy, but for families just like ours.

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The Heroman family can trace its roots in the floral business all the way back to the 1800s. That was when Fred William Heroman opened a store at the corner of Fourth and Main Streets in Baton Rouge, selling only religious items. As a community service, he began landscaping the four corners at Fourth and Main with flowers provided by the Heroman family. The service became so  popular that Fred William purchased flowers from local gardens and sold them to the public. As time passed, the store became known for its flowers, and Fred William shifted gears to focus his own store on flowers and plants.

The store eventually closed and members of the Heroman family pursued other business interests, including horticulture. But in September 1955, Billy Heroman, then selling real estate, was pulled back into the floral business. With financial support from his family and a local bank, Billy and his wife Janet opened the first location of Billy Heroman’s Flowerland at 3923 Perkins Road. In August 1960, the store moved to 1946 Perkins Road.

Today, the company has grown so much that there are four Billy Heroman’s locations in Baton Rouge. Buzzy Heroman, who now runs the business, said much of that success comes from strong relationships. “The two most valuable things we have are our team members and our customers,” Buzzy said. “We try to treat everyone the same. My grandfather and my dad told me all my life to treat people the way you want to be treated. That’s one of our company core values. We tell our employees to take care of people. It’s simple, but it goes a long way.”

At Billy Heroman’s, there is a longstanding commitment to quality. The company has its  own greenhouses and only stocks products from the best floral breeders around the world. Buzzy said staff members are trained on how to maintain and handle the flowers and plants so that they last as long as possible. “We only buy the highest quality flowers, and we buy them direct from farms that take three or four steps in what is called the Chain of Life,” Buzzy said. “Then, we get the flowers and take three or four more steps here. That makes a big difference.”

That commitment to exceptional quality is another one of the core values at Billy Heroman’s. The company stresses providing outstanding customer service with a 100% satisfaction guarantee, working efficiently, working as a team and paying attention to detail in every task, job or situation.

“There is definitely a strong sense of pride in the legacy and history of the business,” said Robert Heroman, a fourth generation family member who also works at the company alongside his father Buzzy, his brother, Ben and his cousin, Todd McBride. “Our family has always stepped up to make sure our customers were taken care of, as well as our longtime team members. That’s something I’ve always learned and lived by – it’s always about taking care of people.”

In the past year, the team at Billy Heroman’s has had to change how they take care of people. The retail stores were closed for two months in 2020, but the company continued to take phone and online orders and expanded its delivery area. There was a decline in the company’s interior plantscaping business as many of those locations, including hotels, banks and malls, were closed or cut costs during the pandemic. However, Buzzy said things are steadily improving and the company is optimistic that its solid reputation and relationships with customers will help them grow despite the the recent challenges.

“Our business has grown this past year. The holidays were really big for us. I think that’s because our customers trust us. They know we are going to offer and deliver the best product possible,” Buzzy said. “The future is bright for us. We stand on a firm foundation in a great industry with a wonderful and talented team. Our goals include further expanding our service offerings throughout Louisiana and expanding our product offerings into business segments that fulfill the needs of our customers.”

Billy Heroman’s has four locations in Baton Rouge, at 10812 North Harrell’s Ferry Road, 13726 Perkins Road, 1946 Perkins Road and 132 Lee Drive. For more information, visit www.billyheromans.com.

Article: https://www.theadvocate.com/sponsored/baton_rouge/cox_business/article_c4825eb4-be31-11eb-8429-973cfe6f10d9.html

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By Amanda McElfresh, amcelfresh@theadvocate.com

This article is brought to you by Cox Business.

Becky DeJohn, Louis DeJohn and their daughter Kim Vince celebrate Louis becoming a 50-year member of the UA Local 198 Plumbers and Steamfitters Union in 2020.

Since it first opened in 1960, Louis Mechanical Contractors has always been a family operation as it handles a wide variety of plumbing needs across the Baton Rouge area, from small faucet fixes to major construction projects.

When original founder Louis DeJohn and his wife Katherine began the company, two of the first plumbers were Louis’ cousins and a third plumber was Katherine’s cousin. Louis and Katherine’s son, Louis DeJohn Jr., originally considered becoming a doctor, but after spending three years as a pre-med student, he decided to change gears and join the family business.

“I have no regrets,” DeJohn said. “My mom and my dad were great teachers. They worked together as a team. My dad taught me the value of hard work from a young age. My mom taught me about the business side. She had gone to business school, and she and my dad were just great partners. I learned so much from both of them.”

For more than six decades, Louis Mechanical Contractors has handled plumbing problems of all sizes in the Baton Rouge area. The team is pictured here in 2008.

Today, the family tradition continues. DeJohn is the director of Louis Mechanical Contractors. His daughter, Kim Vince, is the company president. Kim’s husband, Tommy Vince, her sister, Jennifer DeJohn, and her son, Kameron Langlois, also all have key roles with the company. Previously, Louis DeJohn’s sister, Rose Marie Fife, handled the company’s finances and accounting until her retirement in 2012.

“I think honesty has a lot to do with our success,” DeJohn said. “We try to do quality work at a fair price and treat our people well. Our biggest asset and our pride and joy are the people who work for us. Without them, we would be nothing.”

Even though they may not be related by blood, many Louis Mechanical team members feel like family. Drew Clement began working at the company in college. He has now been there for over 25 years and is the company’s vice-president.

“I came from a big family in New Orleans, but I didn’t have any close family in Baton Rouge,” Clement said. “They really adopted me here and made me feel like one of them. I love it. I’ve never wanted to be anywhere else.”

Kim Vince said the feeling is mutual and that the DeJohns now consider Clement a true family member.

“I didn’t know him until he started working here, but he just fit right in,” she said. “He’s just like a brother to me.”

Along with other family members, Vince worked at the company as a teen, taking care of any tasks that were needed. Vince attended LSU and graduated with a degree in management, but didn’t expect life to take her back to the family business.

Founder Louis “Scobie” DeJohn Sr., far left, is pictured in the early 1950s with fellow laborers. DeJohn Sr. would go on to open Louis Mechanical Contractors.

“After I graduated, I lived and worked elsewhere. When I had my son, I decided to come back to Baton Rouge,” she explained. “My grandfather had died and I had moved back here and somehow it just felt like coming to the business was the right thing to do.”

Over the past 60 years, the family has guided Louis Mechanical through various ups and downs. Vince said the COVID-19 pandemic “affected our business greatly.” DeJohn said finding qualified and motivated employees is an ongoing challenge, making him even more grateful for the strong team in place. That was a key reason why Louis Mechanical was able to service many residential and commercial customers who faced plumbing issues during and after the February freeze event.

“We just thank all of our customers from the bottom of our heart,” DeJohn said. “Hopefully, through the years, we have done a job that is worthy of your continued support. We have a lot of long-lasting customers who have supported us. We try to produce quality work, and I think people recognize that.”

Louis Mechanical Contractors is located at 9634 Mammoth Avenue in Baton Rouge. For more information, call 225-927-6520 or visit www.lmcbr.com.

Louis DeJohn, Jr. with longtime LMC employee Amos Robvais, his father Louis “Scobie” DeJohn and other employees are pictured in the late 1980s.

Louis Mechanical Contractors Vice President Drew Clement, President Kim Vince and Director Louis DeJohn, Jr.

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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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By Amanda McElfresh, amcelfresh@theadvocate.com

This article is brought to you by Cox Business.

For the past 82 years, the Perlis family has relied on creativity and ingenuity to help its clothing business prosper.

In the years after original founder Rogers Perlis first opened the store in 1939, he would work in his shop, selling new clothes to customers Mondays through Saturdays. In the meantime, he would collect unwanted clothes from more affluent customers and friends. On Sundays, he headed to lower income New Orleans neighborhoods to sell those clothes out of his car.

“He would do more business on Sundays in those first couple of years than he did during the rest of the week,” said David W. Perlis, Rogers’ grandson and one of the current store owners. “His Sunday work is really what allowed him to make the money to live on while he reinvested what he made Mondays through Saturdays back into the business.”

The business continued to grow as both New Orleans locals and tourists gravitated to its selection of classic Southern clothing. But in the late 1970s, things began to look rough. The owners of Izod Lacoste, then one of the world’s most popular shirt businesses, pulled its American licenses, meaning that Perlis and other stores could no longer sell those products. A new company, Polo Ralph Lauren, entered the market around the same time, but Perlis couldn’t reach an agreement with them to sell Polo products.

David’s father, David G. Perlis, who was running the business by then, decided it was time to create his own products. He worked with a local artist to create a unique crawfish design that was then incorporated into shirts sold at Perlis. It was an instant hit and now, more than 40 years later, remains one of Perlis’ best sellers.

“It really came out of a scary time for the business,” David W. Perlis said. “It was successful quickly. I think the people of South Louisiana relished having something of their own on a shirt rather than something that was a bit more generic.”

Through the years, some of the most popular items at Perlis have been shirts with the iconic crawfish design as well as Mardi Gras-themed shirts and dresses, especially ones with a rugby design. They’ve been especially popular with tourists, but Perlis expects at least a 50 percent drop in his first quarter revenue in 2021 because of the cancellation of parades and balls.

“It’s not about profit and loss right now,” Perlis said. “It’s really about managing our inventory and our expenses and understanding that it’s going to take a while. I’m fortunate to lead a business with a great staff and resources that have been left in the business by previous generations. My grandfather really built a sound financial structure. My father appreciated that and learned from him and he’s passed that down to me. But there is no doubt that it is a challenge.”

Today, David W. Perlis is thinking more about how his father and grandfather adapted as he navigates the rapidly changing world of retail. There is a renewed focus on online sales as more people prefer websites over physical stores. Perlis said that before the pandemic, online sales accounted for about 7 percent of the store’s business. Now, online sales make up about 13 to 14 percent of all sales, meaning Perlis and other store leaders are working to make the online shopping experience as enjoyable and easy as possible.

In addition, Perlis said he is taking a closer look at the store’s inventory and talking to his employees, especially those in the younger generation, about fashion trends and customer needs.

“We’ve always benefited from being in this region, where some restaurants ask you to have a jacket on or people want to dress up for events, fundraisers and balls,” he said. “Those things aren’t happening right now. We look forward to them happening again, but even when they do, we expect people will want to dress more casually. We want to make sure we right-size our inventory and focus on what customers are actually wearing.”

Even with those changes, Perlis said there are some things that never go out of style. His grandfather and father both taught him the value of treating employees well and listening to their feedback. Today, many Perlis employees have been with the store for 15 years or more. That helps create stronger relationships with customers, something Perlis knows is key to any business’ success.

“It’s about taking care of people so that they choose to build a relationship with us and become a regular customer,” he said. “My grandfather and father really showed me how important it is to become a part of the fabric of someone’s life. It’s become harder now because some people are not used to that sense of familiarity and they want to engage in a different way. We have to roll with it and learn how to adapt.”

Perlis currently has stores at 6070 Magazine Street in New Orleans, 600 Decatur Street in New Orleans, 8366 Jefferson Highway in Baton Rouge and 1281 North Causeway Boulevard on the North Shore. For more information, visit www.perlis.com.

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This article is brought to you by Cox Business.

Six Louisiana businesses that have stood the test of time will be featured in The Advocate this spring through a partnership with Cox Business.

Each company is a multi-generational, family-owned operation that continues to thrive thanks to a willingness to adapt to customer needs while putting service and commitment at the forefront.

“We applaud all multi-generational businesses. It’s not easy to stay in business for so many years and through so many generations,” said Leigh King, vice president of Cox Business Louisiana. “We believe people want to live and raise families in communities that have a vibrant business sector, and family-owned businesses are a huge part of that. That’s why we invest so much to make sure they succeed.”

The project is especially meaningful for Cox, which is itself a family-owned company that was originally founded in 1898 by Governor James M. Cox. Today, the fourth generation of the family leads the company.

“Our company has a rich legacy of focusing on entrepreneurship and businesses that have deep roots in the community,” King said. “Multi-generational businesses typically have strong ties in their communities, much like Cox does. They want to see their business and community do well, and that’s part of our Cox culture as well.”

The businesses that will be featured represent many sectors, including entertainment, automotive, apparel, food, household services and more. In each story, readers will hear more about what business lessons have been passed down through the years, how they have adapted to new consumer trends and how they have overcome challenges, including the COVID-19 pandemic.

King said Cox Business has also had to make adjustments to the way it serves its customers, but that despite recent challenges, the company is thankful for the continued support of customers throughout the region.

“We are certainly blessed and appreciative,” he said. “We want to pay it forward so that businesses know we can help them grow and sustain their own businesses for generations to come. We think that is what makes great communities.”

The stories will appear in both print and digital edition of The Advocate, The Acadiana Advocate and The New Orleans Advocate | The Times-Picayune. The first story will appear next Sunday. The series will continue through May.

For more information on Cox Business services, visit www.cox.com/business.

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