Tri-Parish Times turns 15

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The date was May 5, 1997.

The startup publication, a tabloid-sized weekly titled “South Louisiana BusinssNews,” promised to spotlight business-related matters in Terrebonne, Lafourche and St. Mary parishes. Boasting a readership of nearly 6,000


CEOs, managers and professionals, the BusinessNews offered a fresh perspective on local moneymakers and served as the region’s lone business journal.


“We knew there was a growing business community in the Tri-parish area and a thirst for news,” said Darrin Guidry, who together with his wife, Pam, founded the newspaper.

It was that thirst for news, together with a demand for fair and balanced reporting, which led to the expansion of the periodical. Fifteen years later, the focus – along with the publication’s size and number of readers – has grown dramatically.


Today, the Tri-Parish Times & BusinessNews boasts over 23,000 readers and an ever-growing circulation base.


“When we started out, the BusinessNews was mailed free to every business in Terrebonne, Lafourche and St. Mary parishes,”

Guidry explained. “Over the years, the publication has transformed into a paid-circulated, multi-section newspaper. However, we are still able to offer three-year, free subscriptions to new subscribers – thanks to generous contributions from Trapp Chevrolet and Terrebonne General Medical Center.”


In 2001, the news coverage in the Business-News was expanded well beyond just business after the Guidrys purchased the South Lafourche-based weekly sports newspaper SportsNet.

“SportNet became our sports section, BusinessNews became our business section and Tri-Parish Times was our general news section,” Guidry said. “The name was also changed to the Tri-Parish Times & BusinessNews.”

The Louisiana Press Association has named the publication “Newspaper of the Year” among state papers its size four consecutive years.

Among the cover stories in the first edition of the BusinessNews in 1997, was a feature on the upcoming oil and gas boom in deep-waters of the Gulf of Mexico – a boom that continues to this day. Other stories included the increasing use of Hispanic workers to fill the labor gap at area shipyards and pending changes at Thibodaux’s KXOR-FM following the death of its owner.

Deep-water exploration, foreign laborers post-Katrina and ownership changes in the Thibodaux radio market – this time at KTIBAM – remain in the forefront in 2009.

Inside the first edition, an article titled “Specialty vessels become big business for ECO,” touted progress at Edison Chouest Offshore, while another described an effort by then-Congressman Billy Tauzin to end federal income tax by the beginning of the 21st century.

The inaugural BusinessNews closed with an article by L.W. Shell, a professor of management at Nicholls State at the time, urging local businesses to look to the Web to create a global company presence.

Thirteen years later, most businesses would be severely hobbled without the ‘Net, proving Shell was on target with his theories.

“We’re excited about our growth and the strides we’ve made as a reliable news source,” Guidry said. “And, we all feel the best is yet to come.”