Cleco honored for leadership during Hurricane Francine

Yesterday, the Board of Commissioners for Recreation District #1 of St. Tammany Parish (Pelican Park) honored Cleco and Cleco employee, Gary Guidroz, for leadership and communication efforts during Hurricane Francine.

Hurricane Francine made landfall on Sept. 11 as a Category 2 storm, causing power outages for approximately 37,000 Cleco customers. Cleco's hardest hit parishes included St. Tammany, Iberia and St. Mary.

Ahead of Hurricane Francine's landfall, Cleco set up 11 staging areas across the state to prepare for storm-related outages. The Pelican Park staging area was managed by Guidroz, an energy efficiency program manager at Cleco.

The recognition celebrated Cleco's "clear communication, effective planning and unwavering commitment" to St. Tammany Parish, as well as Guidroz's "demonstrated exceptional leadership and responsiveness before, during and after Hurricane Francine."

"We are immensely grateful to Gary Guidroz and Cleco for their outstanding partnership with Pelican Park, especially during Hurricane Francine," said Suzanne Reeder, executive director of Recreation District #1 of St. Tammany Parish (Pelican Park). "Their swift and coordinated response, coupled with their dedication to the safety and well-being of our community, made a significant difference during a challenging time. The relationship we have built with Cleco is invaluable, and their commitment to supporting Pelican Park and the greater community is truly commendable. We are proud to recognize their efforts and look forward to continuing this strong partnership for years to come."

Members of Cleco's Business Development & Customer Solutions and Energy Efficiency teams were also in attendance for the announcement.

"It means so much to us to have Gary Guidroz recognized, as well as the entire Cleco team, for their hard work during Hurricane Francine," said Paul Gitz, manager of distribution operations at Cleco's St. Tammany Service Center. "We are committed to providing the best quality service both to our community and to our community partners."