Broadmoor LLC of New Orleans was awarded the Commander's Letter of Commendation in recognition of the firm's outstanding performance in repairing Hurricane Ivan damages to the Naval Air Technical Training Center's (NATTC) primary training facility in Pensacola, Fla.

Broadmoor engineers repaired extensive exterior and interior damage to the 750,000-sq.-ft. building and completed the $36.8 million job in 90 days.

R.B. Raines, captain of the U.S. Navy and commander of the Naval Facilities Engineering Command, Southern Division, complimented Broadmoor in his commendation.

"In spite of scarce resources, in both manpower and material, you exceeded the Navy's greatest expectations," Bained said.

"We have come a long way since 100 days ago when we were sitting in the dark using our cell phones," Capt. Lloyd Callis, commanding officer of the NATTC said during the ribbon cutting ceremony. "What should have been a 14- to 18-month process was completed in 90 days."

Chevalier Hall, the primary training facility of the NATTC in Pensacola, lost its entire roof system in the storm when Hurricane Ivan hit in September 2004, resulting in severe water damage throughout the complex.

The renovation required repairing 450,000 sq. ft. of roofing, replacing 470,000 sq. ft. of drywall, 446,000 sq. ft. of acoustical ceiling tile and 13,000 yds. of carpeting, painting 1.15 million sq. ft. of interior wall finishes and significantly repairing mechanical and electrical systems throughout the complex. Work was completed on Jan. 13.

Broadmoor relied on many New Orleans-area subcontractors to complete the renovation, including M. Natal Construction Inc., Gallo Mechanical Contractors Inc., High-Tech Electric Inc. and King and Company.

Pennington Biomedical Research Center unveils plan

Dr. Claude Bouchard, executive director of Pennington Biomedical Research Center, recently received approval for a five-year master plan he outlined to the Board of Supervisors of the Louisiana State University System. The plan calls for the center to grow by 50 percent, build new clinical research facilities and pour $350 million into the economy along the way.

"I think this is an outstanding plan, exactly what the flagship agenda needs. It's aggressive and achievable," said Stewart Slack, systems chairman, explaining his support of the plan.

Called Vision 2010, the plan's 10 immediately effective priorities include establishing a sixth division of nutrition and the brain (one of the three priorities dedicated to the Center's Basic Science Programs); expanding community and professional education efforts; advancing the postdoctoral program; securing additional funding from the National Institutes of Health; and pursuing partnerships to build a research-based wellness center.

Bouchard noted great success and considerable growth following Vision 2005 - the center's first ever goal-oriented strategic plan released five years ago. Under the plan, the center has nearly doubled total personnel from 350 to 600, created a Division of Education, expanded the operating budget from $22 million to about $40 million and enhanced recruitment of potential key faculty members after completing a 180,000 sq. ft. Basic Science Laboratory Building.

Pennington Biomedical Research Center is a campus of the Louisiana State University System and conducts both clinical and basic research. It is the largest academically based nutrition research center in the world.

Andress-Walsh opens new Geismar branch

The Andress-Walsh Company recently announced that a new branch in Geismar is open to service southeast Louisiana. The new facility adds to service capabilities. Andress-Walsh already offers the area from Texas locations in Houston, Beaumont, Clute and La Marque.

The branch is located at 5240 Gateway Drive just off Highway 30.

Slater Blanchard, the new branch manager for the Baton Rouge location, comes to Andress-Walsh with eight years of experience in industrial sales. Blanchard is originally from Pierre Part and has covered southeast Louisiana for more than 10 years.

Andress-Walsh is a 21-year-old pump rental company.