Central’s Entrepreneurs of the Year

By Woody Jenkins.

CENTRAL — The 2nd Annual Central Business Awards ceremonies drew a packed house, as 24 Central businesses and individuals were honored for their service to the people of Central.  The event, sponsored by the Central City News, was held at Elegant Memories and catered by Travis Spinosa and Debbie Cooper.  Central Drug Store was named Central’s Business of the Year.  Owner Claud Derbes accepted the award.  Entrepreneur of the Year honors were shared by Gil Matherne and Stacey Lancaster.   Both Matherne and Lancaster started with nothing — or less than nothing — and have built successful regional businesses.

Councilman Wayne Messina praised Matherne and recalled that Matherne quit his job as a high school coach, because he couldn’t pay the bills for his growing family.

He started in business digging ditches — with a borrowed shovel!  Fortunately, he was able to get a loan to buy a used pickup truck, but that plan immediately ran into trouble.  “I had to borrow enough money from a friend to make the first month’s note!” he laughed.

Times were tough but there was hope. “We lived on prayer,” he said.  He literally had to dig his way out of poverty!

Today, Gil and his wife Michelle own GM Cable, one of the state’s leading telecommunications contractors with scores of employees.  He has provided cable and fiber services to private industry, state government, and most state universities.  GM Cable laid the fiber for the Zachary Community School System, which made Zachary the first city in Louisiana to have citywide fiber optics.  Today Matherne is still digging ditches but in a grander way!

For Stacey Lancaster, it all began in 1999 when her husband Charlie brought home a pile of old cypress fencing that his plant was discarding.  Charlie thought it would make a good fence but Stacey, who was a public school teacher, had other ideas.  “My dad and I began making birdhouses and trellises.  I made a truckload of birdhouses using recycled door knobs and iron fleur de lis and brought them to Lezard Rouge in Baton Rouge. I sold the whole truckload!  Thus began our new business!”

Today, Stacey Lancaster has a business based here in Central that spans the world.  She has designed more than 3,000 home decor products and bid them out to be manufactured in places like China and India.  She has a wholesale business with hundreds of retail stores as her clients and she has a large retail home decor business.  Her 12,000-square foot showroom in the Central City Shopping Center at Hooper and Sullivan roads provides Central with employment, sales tax revenue, and a great place to shop.

This year’s Businesses of the Year for Central are:

• Central’s Business of the Year — Central Drug Store

• New Business of the Year — Sammy’s Grill

• Professional Practice of the Year — Central Physical Therapy

• Small Business of the Year — Cooper Café

• Mid-Sized Business of the Year — Romero’s Food Mart

• Large Business of the Year — Oak Point Fresh Market

• Servant Leadership Award — Blackie Bell and Dr. Tony and Judy LoBue

• Entrepreneur of the Year — Stacey Lancaster and Gil Matherne

• Development of the Year — Village at Magnolia Square

• Contractor of the Year — Steve Rabalais

• Central’s Most Valuable Business Award — DEMCO

Every December, the Central City News honors Central’s Man of the Year.  The winners, Mayor Pro-Tem Ralph Washington and school board member Will Easley, were recognized during the ceremonies.