Congratulations to the 2024 Louisiana Young Banker Impact Award Recipients!

The Louisiana Bankers Education Council is excited to present the recipients of the fourth annual Louisiana Young Banker Impact Award. This award honors Louisiana bankers who are 45 years old or younger for their contribution to their bank and/or the banking industry. 

“Congratulations to all the 2024 Louisiana Young Banker Impact Award recipients! We are so proud of you and look forward to your continued successes far into the future,” said LBA CEO Ginger Laurent. 

This year’s recipients will be recognized at an awards luncheon held in during the IMPACT Conference on Jan. 29 at the Hilton New Orleans Airport. Click here for more information.  

Rusty Bourg, Vice President of Operations of Synergy Bank

Excerpt from nomination, "We call Rusty our 'mountain mover.' He has worked as the lead for two core conversions and has led the implementation of a new teller lock system for four remote branches. He is currently working as the project lead for converting the bank over to FINBOA to increase efficiency in how the bank processes customer fraud claims. In addition, Rusty consistently works towards building a team mentality. He has been the go-to for reporting writing across multiple areas, willing to research and provide reports to make the job easier. He previously established a macro-enabled Excel program for our tuition program that fed consistent letters, loan documents and postings to ledger across multiple schools. This is the current catalyst for how we track, sign up and book tuition loans for 12 schools. Our region received a direct hit from Hurricane Ida, and in post hurricane and pandemic scenarios, he strived to ensure as much normalcy as possible for staff. Rusty does not accept the status quo. He is constantly looking for ways to increase efficiency, which in turn creates an improved work environment. Plainly noted, he makes people, especially our younger generation, want to be a banker.”

Excerpt from nomination, "Jacques plays a critical role in growing our Louisiana-based community bank. Since becoming the youngest publicly-traded bank chief financial officer in the country, he’s guided Catalyst Bank through the early years of being publicly-traded, from ensuring compliance with the Securities and Exchange Commission to enhancing internal controls to helping colleagues enhance their skills. He is an incredibly quick learner who has a thirst for gathering knowledge from more seasoned bankers. He also has the humility to admit his mistakes and grow from them. He played a key role in re-branding our bank and converting our core system, which has allowed us to significantly enhance our reporting capabilities, efficiency and product offerings. As our asset-liability management leader, he has guided us through a challenging interest rate environment by restructuring our investment securities portfolio and optimizing our secondary funding sources. He does a great job representing the bank in community organizations and, through it all, he has remained committed to being a wonderful husband and incredible father.”

Wesley Martin, President & CEO of Bank of Oak Ridge

Excerpt from nomination, "Wesley has been instrumental in setting and executing Bank of Oak Ridge’s strategic plan over the last nine years. Not only is he one of the finest commercial lenders in our state, but he has a deep understanding of the complexities of all aspects of banking. Wesley has helped double the bank's asset size, grow into two new markets and create jobs in our communities. Wesley has always been heavily involved in our community through serving on the Louisiana Policy Institute for Children Board of Directors, serving on the Louisiana Purchase Council Board of Directors, chairing the United Way Steamboat Society, serving on the Monroe Chamber of Commerce Government Advocacy Board of Directors, serving on the University of Louisiana at Monroe Athletic Foundation Board of Trustees and receiving the honor of Northeast Louisiana's Top 20 under 40. Wesley is an integral part of our community and is committed to continuing to grow our bank and all community banks in our area.” 

Mike Nizzo, Regional President of b1BANK

Excerpt from nomination, "Mike is a career-long community banker who began his career at b1BANK in 2006 as part of the original Baton Rouge office. Mike has since grown within the organization through various roles including his current role as southwest Louisiana regional president. He is responsible for commercial production in our Capitol, Lafayette and Lake Charles markets. Mike is an exceptional candidate to be considered for this award because of his service to, and passion for, community banking. He has been a huge advocate, not only for b1BANK, but for community banking in general and has been able to share his talents and passions for the industry in various forms throughout the years. Some of these include opportunities to speak to high school seniors during 365 to Rich bank shadow days, college students at the Commercial Banking Students at LSU, as well as numerous newspaper and radio interviews throughout the years. Mike is uniquely talented in developing client relationships as well as mentoring young bankers and managing a group of seasoned bankers. We are truly lucky to have Mike on the team at b1BANK.”

Jason Shields, Chief Operating Officer of Gulf Coast Bank & Trust

Excerpt from nomination, "Jason blends the traits that you’d expect of a geeky, techy, IT guy with the backbone understanding of bank and loan operations, regulatory compliance and all the other critical items it takes to make a bank run smoothly so it can fully focus on serving the community. When you add in his approachable demeanor—always engaging with leadership to find quick-win, practical solutions and supporting the growth and development of the next generation at this bank—you have someone who has given over a decade to Gulf Coast Bank laying the operational and system foundations that have allowed the bank to more than triple in size. Yet, for all the projects Jason has led and the accomplishments he has achieved, what I appreciate about Jason the most is the sense of optimism and positivity he brings to every interaction at the bank. Where others see a roadblock, Jason sees an opportunity to implement new creative solutions. Jason truly lives and breathes the bank’s values and can often be seen sporting it’s colors on his sneakers as well. He is always willing to give someone a few minutes to offer advice, share his perspective or just give a quick word of encouragement. The bank would not have had the success it has had or be positioned to do even more good in the years to come without Jason’s hours of sacrifice and strong leadership.”