Spreading Mardi Gras Magic – February 2024

The multi-generational company Houma Floats Sales & Rentals has been designing, building, and upkeeping custom floats for Mardi Gras celebrations across Louisiana and the Gulf Coast for almost 40 years, and has no plans to stop their momentum as an integral part of so many parades.

Houma Floats Sales & Rentals was founded in 1985 by Homer McGee, and has been run by Homer’s grandson John Poiencot for the last decade and a half. “I took over the company in 2009, but I have been involved basically my whole life,” explained John. “In the late 70’s and early 80’s, my grandfather was a parade captain for the Krewe of Terreanians, which is where he got his inspiration for Houma Floats. He learned how to build and decorate floats through his time with the krewe, and what he specialized in was taking the older floats that people didn’t want anymore and fixing them up so people could ride them.”

Homer was a ‘jack of all trades,’ as John explained-the local business owner was also formerly a plumber, owned a series of convenience stores, and a lumber yard, but found a love for building and refurbishing these local floats. “As time passed, my grandfather figured out that he could rent these floats that he was refurbishing and started working for other krewes around the late 80’s,” explained John. “He got into the niche of not only refurbishing, but renting as well, and things really began to snowball after that.”

John explained that Houma Floats Sales & Rentals has continued to grow exponentially across the community since Homer began the company. “We have tripled the amount of floats that we rent, we have tripled in business and contract work in general,” said John. “We are doing renovations, remodels, painting, props, and more, and it just keeps getting bigger. Our work creating signature and custom floats, alongside our rental business, has really exploded. People are so excited about what we offer.”

The incredible hand-made process of creating such massive floats for parades across the Gulf Coast is something Houma Floats Sales & Rentals has prided themselves on over their four-decade history. The team of builders, designers, and artists include Prop Sculptor and Float Painter Chance Cenac, who has been with the company for seven years and is in charge of creating props and painting designs on the floats; Chief Designer Mark Olivier, who completes all the sketches, designs, and layouts for the hand-sculpted signature floats; Prop/ Headpiece Painter and Flower Designer Katie David, who paints the intricate designs on the headpieces and props found on the floats; and Nick LeBlanc, John’s right-hand-man. John himself, owner of the company, helps to craft and build the floats, alongside running the business aspect of this operation.

With a strong team of artists and builders, Houma Floats Sales & Rentals currently owns 48 floats which they rent out to various krewes across the Gulf Coast, and this past year, has completed five custom-built floats, two of which were signature floats. John explained that signature floats, which are often higherend and more special than a typical float, can take up to”four months to create. Regular riding floats, however, can be finished in around one to two months.

The painstaking work of creating these moving works of art is something that has not gone unnoticed, however, as Houma Float Sales & Rentals is beginning to gain national attention. “It seems like with each passing year, more and more people in the nation are beginning to recognize Mardi Gras,” said John. “We are building floats for people as far out as Alabama, and we are also currently waiting on a contract to come back from Michigan. The excitement and interest is there, and people from all over the place are calling and asking how far out we can rent a float.” Alongside garnering this national attention, Houma Float Sales & Rentals is contracted by the majority of krewes in Houma, as well as Thibodaux, and even further down the bayou in Larose.

However, the company is not without its share of challenges– as COVID-19 brought an unprecedented turn of events for the business. “Never in a million years did I think there would be something that canceled Mardi Gras,” reflected John. “That has been the biggest hurdle for us over the last several years which was a major eye opener for us, but we were able to get through it. I let God take the wheel and pray heavily about every Mardi Gras, and He really looks out for us every year.” Despite the difficulty COVID-19 brought to Houma Float Sales & Rentals, John did not let this stop the business from growing, and explained that he and his team are preparing to expand the business widely over the next few years, particularly their work making custom signature floats. “Every ounce of energy we have put into this company is towards its future. We have not even opened the floodgates yet,” explained John. “I am still a full-time firefighter with Bayou Cane, but the way my schedule is set up allows me to still run this company. However, I will retire from firefighting in three years-and as soon as I retire, we are hitting the ground running.” John is currently shopping for property to expand into several locations, and is beginning to accept more work creating props year-round. The Houma Float Sales & Rentals team just recently created a project in conjunction with Leadership Terrebonne, where they sculpted human-sized gingerbread men, sleighs, and more to decorate the new Rotary Centennial Plaza for Christmas. John is also planning to launch a website following his retirement and heavily invest in marketing to get the word out about their ability to make custom floats, which is of major interest to people out-of-state who are not close enough to rent from the company.

As John guides this local business to new heights, his family’s legacy is never far from his mind-particularly his grandfather, who passed away in March of 2023. “As a family business, it is really tough to fill my grandfather’s shoes. He was a truly iconic man,” said John. “He taught me everything in life. How to treat people, how to talk to people, how to do business with people, and that doing right by people always comes back to you tenfold. That’s truly the legacy that I want to leave in Terrebonne Parish as we prepare to add our contribution to Mardi Gras celebrations for years to come.”