Danos brothers claim top SCIA honors

South Central Industrial Association’s President’s Award was given to two recipients at the organization’s annual Awards Banquet last week, and Edward Bouterie, the banquet committee’s chairman, was given SCIA’s prestigious Tillman Esteve Award.

The June 3 ceremony in Gray was emceed by Louisiana Supreme Court Associate Justice John Weimer, a Thibodaux native.

Keynote speaker Mark Hurley, president of Shell Pipeline since 2005, said the Bayou Region is important to the company, a subsidiary of Shell Oil based in Houston.

Hurley oversees pipeline operations and road transport for Shell Oil Products in North America. He is also the chairman of America’s Energy Coast Industry Council, part of the coastal restoration group America’s WETLAND.

A native of Maryland, Hurley first used his chemical engineering degree as a refinery process engineer at Shell’s plant in Norco, La., before moving to jobs with the company elsewhere in the U.S. and internationally.

Hurley said the Bayou Region should continue to do well despite the national economic downturn.

“This area’s going to make it,” he said. “Offshore Louisiana provides the cheapest energy you can possibly get.”

He said America’s WETLAND brings together politicians, businessmen and environmentalists – groups that frequently point fingers at one another – to find common areas of interest, like offshore oil and gas revenue sharing and improvements to La. Highway 1.

“I appreciate groups like this (SCIA),” Hurley said. “Get active. Wetlands are disappearing. It’s wonderful to see industry groups come together like this.”

Allen and Hank Danos, with the Larose-based worldwide oilfield services firm Danos & Curole, won SCIA’s President’s Award as outstanding businessmen and community leaders.

Their father, Allen, founded the tugboat business along with Syriaque Curole in 1947, providing transportation for the oil and gas industry.

The younger Allen joined in 1970 after his father’s death – gaining a crash course in running the business – and retired in 2006.

“He had little experience in business, little education, no money,” Danos said about his father. “He had to borrow. It shows there were risks taken. He had drive, a fire in the belly.”

Danos said his father worked seven days on boats, then seven days handling business. He worked virtually all the time and had limited time for his sons, but his actions demonstrated a strong work ethic.

Their father also ensured that his sons attended college. Allen and Hank graduated from LSU, receiving degrees in economics and business administration, respectively. The family has endowed several scholarships and professorships at Nicholls State University.

The Danoses eventually bought out the Curoles and expanded the business to include other oilfield related work like consulting, construction and fabrication, blasting and painting, and numerous skilled labor jobs.

The company has offices in Houston, Lafayette, Nigeria and South Africa.

Danos said the highlight of his career was his stay in Nigeria. “We went toe to toe with the big boys,” he said.

Future generations of Danoses will operate the company. “If they use the fire in their belly like our father, they will be successful,” he said.

Hank Danos joined the company in 1971 and is the current president and CEO. He credited good fortune and adhering to values and principles for allowing the business to flourish.

“We offer continuous improvement, continuous training,” he said. “When we went to communities and offered jobs, they embraced us.”

He said his relationship with Allen is built on respect and trust.

Weimer, pointing to Danos & Curole’s origin at the dawn of the oil era, said the company is international but is still true to its Louisiana roots.

Bouterie, a certified public accountant and director of the Houma office of Bourgeois Bennett CPAs and Consultants, received the Tillman Esteve Award for his service to SCIA and the community.

Bouterie joined SCIA a year after its founding in 1997. He has served on the finance committee and all the banquet committees, chairing them three times.

The banquet’s sponsorship program has raised more than $100,000 for scholarships, the wetlands preservation group Restore or Retreat, and the LA 1 Coalition.

Bouterie has also been a board member of United Way for South Louisiana since 1983 and has served as United Way campaign chairman, treasurer and board president. He called SCIA a dynamic organization, saying he’s made lasting friendships as banquet committee chair.

Allen and Hank Danos (standing) received the South Central Industrial Association’s President’s Award as outstanding businessmen and community leaders at the group’s annual Awards Banquet. * Photo by KEYON K. JEFF