Dionne Chouest Austin: Balancing work and family

Dionne Chouest Austin’s father made sure his children knew the important role boats have played in their lives.

Gary Chouest regularly brought her to see the boats and reinforced what their existence provided for the family. But it was not until high school that Austin decided to pursue a law career and presumed she would go into the family business, Edison Chouest Offshore.

“Dad enjoyed the family business, and I wanted to be involved,” she said. While Austin clerked for a federal judge after graduation from Tulane Law School and gained some valuable and interesting experiences as the judge ruled on some very important criminal cases, she turned to the family business after a few months. As one of three in-house attorneys, she reviews contracts for time charters. But Austin also has taken charge of keeping the Human Resources Department compliant with the law and fair for the company’s 9,350 employees.

“It’s such a minefield,” she said, and the Galliano headquarters is the source of guidance for all the company’s human resource offices across the country n from Tampa, Fla., to Alaska. If the human resource professionals are not kept updated on new laws, practices and requirements, that’s a huge liability for the company. “It can keep you up at night,” she said, but “I love it. I enjoy it.”

“I know no one would ever think a little company down the bayou would have 10,000 employees,” a mark Austin said she expects will be crossed fairly soon. “It’s just amazing how far we’ve come” from when her grandfather, Edison Chouest, purchased a steel-hull vessel and gave up shrimping for transport operations. “Cajun people are hard working and have common sense. That’s something we rely on. Dad always says he’d put a shipyard here against any in China anytime,” she said.

Being a woman in the industry, Austin said, can be awkward and challenging.

“When you’re walking aboard a vessel (to discuss investigate a legal issue or conduct other business), it can be a little intimidating. But when the guys see you mean business, they act accordingly,” she said.

Working at the family business means being surrounded by relatives n father Gary Chouest is at the helm, but brothers Dino, Damon and Ross are also in various positions around the company.

“We don’t always disagree on issues, but we work it out,” Austin said. “Work carries into family gatherings. Everyone has areas of expertise, and we all contribute to make the company grow and be successful.”

What does Austin find most challenging in her position? Expanding the business into other countries n adapting to their cultures and getting acclimated to their laws.

“But as Dad says, ‘if it’s going to be easy, everyone will be doing it,’” Austin said, adding that she’s adopted her father’s strategy of hiring experts and letting them do their jobs.

While Austin has been involved in some community organizations n for example, she just finished a three-year term on the South Central Industrial Association board n Austin believes now is not the time for her to be extremely active in the community.

“I strongly believe in getting involved in community, not just sitting on the sofa,” Austin said. “But I feel I have to put my children first while they’re young.” This thinking is probably colored, she admitted, by the fact that her second pregnancy was for twins, and she lost one of them. It helps her to keep a balance in her life between work and family.

“I’m so lucky. I feel like I have the best job in the world,” she said. Working with the family company and having flexible hours, she can take care of her children and be engaged in their lives. The job is also where she met her husband of two years, Clint, who works in operations.

Living close to the company headquarters, using her father’s condo in Houma to be close to the children’s private school and having a nanny helps Austin to manage her time and fulfill her responsibilities to both work and family. But finding that balance between home and work is an ongoing challenge n a good support system is needed. Austin admits she’s also lucky in that regard.

“That phrase I’m becoming my mother, I chuckle over that. It’s happening more and more every day,” Austin said. But she’s enjoying each stage of her children’s lives. She loved being with them as infants and toddlers, likes seeing them active in school and enjoys the activity when her stepchildren come to visit.

NAME: Dionne Chouest Austin

TITLE: General Counsel

COMPANY: Edison Chouest Offshore

ESTABLISHED: 1960

ADDRESS: 16201 East Main Street in Cut Office

TELEPHONE: 985-601-4444

AGE: 44

EDUCATION: Juris Doctorate from Tulane University (1992) and Bachelor of Science in Accounting from Nicholls State University

FAMILY: Husband Clint, son Dante, 10, daughter Mia, 8, stepdaughter Amara, 15, and stepson Garrett, 11

FIRST JOB: Answering 12 phone lines coming in to Edison Chouest Offshore while in college

GREATEST ACCOMPLISHMENT: Being part of a Cajun company that has grown into a world-wide operator based on the quality of its assets and knowledge of its people.

ONE WORD TO DESCRIBE SELF: Perfectionist n “but at some point you have to let go”

ADVICE TO OTHERS: “Find a job you love and you’ll never work a

day in your life.”

WOMAN IN BUSINESS YOU ADMIRE: Good friend Regina Thibodaux, a self-employed hair stylist who is active in her church and focused on raising her children. She’s found a balance between her professional and personal lives.