One of the things you hear from people who visit Southwest Louisiana is that we’ve got our priorities right. What they mean by that is, we know there’s more to life than work. It doesn’t mean we don’t like to work. Quite the opposite. We have the most dedicated and industrious workforce you’ll find anywhere. But we like to play as hard as we work.

Sometimes that play is, as you’d expect, dancing and eating. But it comes in many other creative and unique forms as well. Peter’s guests on Out to Lunch are people who have found a way to lead two – or more! – entire lives at the same time.

Trey Hayes is a musician and an industrial machinist. Or you could say he’s an industrial machinist and a musician. Trey plays saxophone regularly with five or six different bands. He has a machine shop business, called Diversified Manufacturing. And if that’s not enough to fill up an average day, Trey combines his two occupations by designing and manufacturing a unique new style of saxophone mouthpiece, under the name Pfantom Sound. 

Paul Pettefer is the owner of Laundry World and Laundry World Equipment and Services. Paul has 4 laundromat locations in Lake Charles. His previous background in the financial sector has given him the skills to make these businesses very successful. But it’s more than profit that drives Paul. He’s equally dedicated to making a difference in his community. And improving the lives of people who don’t have the benefit of his skills and good fortune.

Paul is the driving force behind a movement called The City Should Be Different – an outreach program to help people getting out of jail find a job.  And an organization called Employment Is Better. This takes young men at risk and gets them training and mentoring so they can get hired on in unskilled labor positions on the new industrial construction projects in Southwest Louisiana.

And last but far from least, there’s Crowley’s inimitable Audie Hanks.

Audie is an electrical contractor, the owner of a company called H&H Electrical. Whenever he’s not working on wires, Audie’s working on a way to get out in the woods, hunting.  As a result, he’s become adept at communicating with geese. He’s designed and manufactures a new goose call called Deep South Custom Calls. And in the spare time he has between leading those two lives he manufactures Cajun seasonings.

Meet three unique Acadiens who are grabbing life and business by the horns and wrestling it to the ground.

Photos at Pete’s Family Sports Grill by Gwen Aucoin.