by Megan Wyatt
At a glance, Leonard Louvierre might not be the kind of person you’d expect Junior Achievement of Acadiana to name Business Person of the Year.
You won’t find him in a suit-and-tie working 9-to-5 in an office. Instead, you’ll find him working weekends until 2 a.m. at Zea Rotisserie & Grill in a simple logo polo.
“I could tell you 100 names of people who deserve this, but I never would think of me,” Louvierre said. “You think of Richard Zuschlag and Matt Stuller and all of these big names, but I just run a restaurant. It’s humbling and honoring to know that people think of me in this way.”
Louvierre became a partner for Zea about 16 years ago, bringing the third location of the New Orleans-based restaurant to Lafayette. He now serves as the general manager of the Lafayette location and a partner in each of the seven Zea locations that has opened since.
His business sense isn’t what stands out to those who work closest with Louvierre. It’s his ability to inspire others to become the best they can be, on and off the job.
“He’s one of those guys that you don’t ever want to disappoint, not because he’d get upset, but just because he’s Leonard,” said Andy Boagni, Louvierre’s catering and sales manager. “Leonard is the epitome of ‘do the right thing,’ especially when nobody is looking. He cares about the people in his life.”
