Dr. Donald Ayo, University President, was recently awarded The Louisiana Industrial Development Executives Association 2001 Volunteer of the Year Award. Vic Lafont, executive director of South Louisiana Economic Council, nominated Ayo for the award.

“Every year LIDEA chooses to honor a member of our society here in Louisiana who contributes to the field of economic development,” Lafont said.

The criteria says the person cannot have a full-time career in economic development, but should participate, contribute or be responsible for projects or events that do contribute to economic development, he said.

“Dr. Ayo was cited for his role as a college president through the university in recruiting the New Orleans Saints summer training camp from Lacrosse, Wisconsin, back to Louisiana,” Lafont said.

Lafont said evidence of Ayo’s accomplishments that he helped create the SLEC agency housed on Nicholls property, which he envisioned in 1984.

“In essence, he is recognized as a man who is a little bit ahead of his time when it comes to what is happening right now with state mandates, and what the state is encouraging us all to do,” Lafont said.

Ayo received the award three weeks ago.

“It is certainly a wonderful honor, and I have to share that honor with a lot of people over the years who have worked with me on these projects,” Ayo said.

Seventeen states from the southern region were represented at a meeting in Kansas City, Missouri, Sept. 25 to receive the award and a crystal desk set.

“It was really nice to meet so many people who had done so much for their respected states. To be very honest, I was kind of humbled with some of the company I was keeping,” Ayo said.

“There were some really outstanding CEO’s of some of the major companies who had also been very active in economic development.”

This is the first time Ayo has been nominated for the award.

Ayo said receiving the award reflects well on Nicholls.

“When I first became president, this is when the area was so depressed when the oil crash had come down, and several business people and myself kind of brainstormed on what we can do to actually do something in this particular area,” Ayo said.

Ayo said most economic development at that time was done on a town, city or parish level, and he was looking for a regional concept.

“That was when we came up with the idea of really getting several parishes together,” Ayo said.

It was decided to house the facilities at Nicholls because it was a neutral position, and there were resource people who could work with the staff, he said.

“It has evolved into something very positive. The staff has been very instrumental in hunting out a lot of tax advantages or tax breaks for many of the corporate citizens in this area,” Ayo said.

“Having Nicholls here is also very important because we are training the work force for the business and professional community in this area.”

Ayo also said Lafont has provided the council with excellent leadership which leads the council to be recognized as one of the top economic councils in the state by the governor.

“We are proud that it evolved from a simple concept 18 years ago when we wanted to try to help our businesses, not only to attract new businesses, but also to help the existing businesses in our area,” Ayo said.

Ayo said he has always had the philosophy that a regional university should be involved in economic development.

He said this translates into positive benefits for the University.

“If you train people and you graduate students, you have to be involved with where they are going to work, you have to make sure there are job opportunities for your graduates,” Ayo said.

Ayo said he thinks by having a partnership between the University and the council helped him stand out as a candidate.

“It is rather unique in this country, and this is getting to be a major agenda. It is almost being mandated to regional universities,” Ayo said.

The concept of the University working with the business community made Nicholls seem ahead and also a model for other universities, Ayo said.

Ayo has been asked to address the state group in December specifically about the concept that he helped to form 18 years ago to begin the council.

“Nicholls is being recognized as a pioneer and one of the leaders in economic development. That is very important. That translates certainly into attracting additional students but it also helps attract additional contributions from business and industry both, from the stand point of scholarships for our students, for chairs,” Ayo said.

Ayo said he feels he has grown into this being a native of the area.

“I was always very heavily involved in organizations that had a thrust of improving the quality of life for the people in this area,” he said.

The area has wonderful qualities, a University, medical complex, reasonable cost of living, a safe area and all of this helps with marketing the area, Ayo said.

“We are hoping to really look at retirement villages and intergenerational centers so that we can actually attract additional people into this area,” Ayo said.

He said the Houma-Thibodaux area has wonderful potential to really market the area as a wonderful place to have a business, to retire and live in.

The city is fortunate to have people help spearhead things in fisheries, fabrications, agriculture and many other things, Ayo said.

“I was always very heavily involved with volunteer organizations, Boy Scouts, Girl Scouts, cystic fibrosis, cancer society. I feel that you need to give something back to your area. The area has been very good to me. That is one of the reasons I came back to Nicholls, because it gave me the opportunity to give something back to the area in a positive manner,” Ayo said.