League elects new officers

The American Sugar Cane League selected a White Castle sugar mill operator as president of the organization at the group’s annual meeting at the Doubletree by Hilton Hotel February 7.

Charles Schudmak of Cora Texas Manufacturing Company will serve two years as president of the 95-year-old organization. He previously served as the League’s vice president. He holds a Master of Science degree in mechanical engineering from Louisiana State University and a Master of Business Administration from the University of Louisiana at Lafayette. He is the fourth generation of his family involved in the Louisiana sugarcane industry.

Other officers elected are vice president Gregory Gravois of Vacherie, secretary Randall Romero of Jeanerette and treasurer Bryan Simon of Maurice.

Gravois served a League director for seven years before assuming the vice presidency. He has been farming for 39 years and manages the 3,500 acre Blackberry Farms on the west bank River Road in St. James Parish. He received a Bachelor of Science in agri-business from Nicholls State University.

Romero, a Youngsville native, has been in the sugar industry for 24 years and is the chief executive officer of M. A. Patout & Son, a sugar manufacturer. He earned a B.S. accounting degree from ULL in 1981 and is a certified public accountant.

Simon manages 3,100 acres of sugarcane for Cane Incorporated and 550 acres for Simon Farms in Vermilion Parish and has been farming for 28 years. He previously served as a League director. He has a Bachelor of Science degree from ULL.

The American Sugar Cane League of the U.S.A., Inc. is a non-profit organization of Louisiana sugarcane growers and processors dedicated to supporting the Louisiana sugar industry through research, legislation, product promotion, education and public relations.