2020 Terrebonne Young Achiever | Ryan Page

By Heidi Guidry

“One key quality of all global achievers is that they keep improving day after day. They set standards that they keep surpassing year after year.” – Israelmore Ayivor

The Terrebonne Young Achiever Award, sponsored by b1Bank, recognizes young professionals in our community based on their outstanding career achievements, community service impact, and their future vision for Terrebonne Parish. 

First awarded in 2014, the Chamber was actively searching for an avenue to encourage more young entrepreneurs and professionals to recognize the need to get involved in improving our community. This award was created as a way to highlight and show appreciation for their efforts.

Nominees had to be over the age of 21 and under the age of 40 as of Dec. 31, 2020 while also living in Terrebonne Parish. 

Congratulations to Ryan Page, 2020’s Terrebonne Young Achiever, and all of this year’s nominees. 

2020 Terrebonne Young Achiever

Ryan Page, Page Insurance Agency

Ryan Page was born and raised in Houma and is a proud graduate of Vandebilt Catholic High School. During his high school years, he helped bring home the State Championship in men’s soccer his senior year. In addition to his athletic achievement, he accomplished the highest achievement attainable by the Boy Scouts of America program by earning the rank of Eagle Scout, for which he demonstrated Scout Spirit, and ideal attitude based upon the Scout Oath and Law, service, and leadership skills. Ryan’s project was to build a rock-climbing wall at Bayou Cane Fire Department for training purposes. During his final year of scouts in 2005, Hurricane Katrina hit our area, which caused a number of scouts in his troop to become inactive during that time. Despite the obstacles, Ryan was determined to achieve his goal. With the help of a few other Scout members, the project was completed, which allowed Ryan the honor of receiving the rank of Eagle Scout. Only the top 4 percent of Boy Scouts earn this rank.

Ryan attended the University of Louisiana at Lafayette, obtaining his Bachelor of Fine Arts Degree with a concentration in graphic design. While in college, he became a member of Kappa Sigma fraternity, eventually serving as Chapter President. He also spearheaded several philanthropic events throughout his college career such as organizing a TOMS shoe drop with TOMS founder and Chief Shoe Giver, Blake Mycoskie, along with Robin Roberts of ABC News. The shoe drop helped deliver hundreds of pairs of shoes to the New Orleans community after Katrina. Ryan reached out to Blake personally and told him the great need within the community, and the next thing he knew, Blake had replied with saying, “We are coming down South, can you head up this project?” Ryan did so without hesitation. 

While in college, Ryan met his wife Lauren Landry Page from Lafayette. They recently celebrated their 10-year wedding anniversary. Early in their marriage, they moved to New Orleans, both working in the advertising and marketing industry.

Early in his career, Ryan worked his way up to head graphic designer at Naked Pizza. He went on to work at Peter Mayer, the Gulf South’s largest advertising agency as a Senior Studio Designer. They loved their life in New Orleans, but decided to move back home once starting a family.

Upon his return to Houma, Ryan decided to follow in his father’s footsteps at Page Insurance. He now proudly serves as a part of the 4th generation to carry on the family business. He obtained his insurance license on the first try and has been providing quality service and coverage to the wonderful people of South Louisiana for the past six years. He has fully immersed himself into his profession, becoming an active member of the Professional Insurance Agents (PIA) and the Young Professionals (YIPS). Ryan has served on the YIPs Board of Directors since 2017 and will fulfill his next duty as President in 2021.

Ryan has actively been involved with volunteering his time. His nominator said “As the director of this association, I have been able to witness first-hand how successful Ryan is with everything he signs up for, which is a rare quality in most of today’s volunteers. Few actually follow-through when it comes to implementation.” 

More recently, Ryan helped orchestrate two community events for the residents of Southwest Louisiana after the devastation of Hurricane Laura. Because of Ryan’s ability to help partner up with resources, they were able to serve over 3,400 plates of hot food and provide supplies to those in need. Instead of doing a smaller food drive , Ryan took the lead and reached out to connect the dots with other groups to join forces for one big, successful event. 

Ryan is also an active Board Member of the Coastal Conservation Association’s Bayou Chapter, a Board Member of the Terrebonne Parish Recreation District 2/3 and is part of Leadership Terrebonne’s 2020 class. 

He says his favorite thing about Terrebonne Parish is the unique location that provides for an abundance of coastal fishing as well as a diverse culture of food, family, and friends.

When he’s not volunteering, the 33-year-old enjoys spending time with his wife and their two girls, Landry (6) and Lillian (4).

Nominees

Britnie Massey, Fletcher Technical Community College

Britnie Massey is the Human Resources Generalist for Fletcher Technical Community College. She is a Central Lafourche High School graduate, has earned a Bachelor of Sciences with a concentration in Family and Child Services from University of Phoenix, and has an MBA with a concentration in Human Resources Management from LSU. Britnie is described as able to do her job at an exemplary level and demonstrates an extraordinary commitment to her college community as well as to the general public. 

Britnie began her career at Fletcher as a temporary Administrative Assistant for the Finance & Administration division and was quickly promoted to her current position in less than a year! Her community involvement is just as impressive. She’s always willing to pitch in for the good of the community regardless of the mission. She is a court-appointed special advocate for CASA and followed her case through to adoption. She taught with VIPKid helping Chinese children learn English while in grad school. She also manages her own health and wellness groups to empower women and men in the community! 

“Britnie has made a difference at our college, exemplified the mission of the college, and has positively impacted the people of our state. Her skill, knowledge, willingness to help others, and dedication to our college and the community make her our 2020 Terrebonne Young Achievers Award nominee.” 

Sherry & Cherry Wilmore, Everybody’s Favorite Twins

Everybody’s Favorite Twins, Sherry and Cherry Wilmore, are known for their incredible story and passion for the community. Cherry is an Ellender Memorial graduate while Sherry graduated from South Terrebonne. They have a BA in Government with a minor in Criminal Justice. They have done remarkable work within our community, and their natural affinity to connect with others have propelled their volunteerism and positive impacts even further. They work with the local foster care system, in which they have provided all Region-3 Class of 2020 High School graduates with laptops and jumpstart packages to begin their new journeys. They are a voice in our community by advocating for the under-served, providing cultural awareness, and bridging community gaps, along with ensuring that even the smallest voice has been heard. They are actively serving on the Terrebonne Parish Consolidated Government subcommittees for the Diversity and Inclusion Task Force: Law and Judicial and Communication. They are active Houma-Terrebonne Chamber of Commerce members and serve on multiple committees. They are familiar faces in our communities, assisting others with personal development and goal achievements, and have been extremely instrumental in voter engagement, mobilization, and education in the community. “The twins are so much more than what you read on paper- they are truly gifted in the area of connectedness and will no doubt make a lastly impression with those they touch and connect with.” 

Sherman Naquin, b1BANK

Sherman Naquin is a South Terrebonne graduate who has earned his Masters of Business Administration from Nicholls State University. He is the Banking Center Manager at the East Houma location and has proven his love for our community by being a local football and t-ball coach, a member of The Rotary of Houma, helping local organizations and events such as TFAE, Relay for Life, cooking benefits, and most recently assisted victims of Hurricane Laura in Lake Charles. Sherman’s most important accomplishment was being crowned the 2019 Chamber of Commerce Cornhole Champion. The 2019 Cornhole Champion is described as a team leader, an encouragement to others to help local youth, and he “has the motivation to get the job done.” •