It feels good for St. Charles Parish native Tommy Faucheux to be working in the industry that has supported his family for generations.
That’s why jumped at the chance to intern at Dow Chemical Co. while attending Loyola University. He was also attracted by the stability of a large corporation, and he knew the industrial market offered him one of the best opportunities for advancement.
A few years after graduation, he found his way back to Dow in a communications and community relations role. From there, his responsibilities grew until he ultimately transitioned into a regional government affairs position for the southeastern U.S. in 2012. He also provided strategic public affairs support to Dow Louisiana facilities.
That’s where he stayed until January, when the Louisiana Mid-Continent Oil and Gas Association appointed him as its next president. Faucheux looks forward to the
challenges of his new role. “I truly believe in the value that industry provides, because multiple generations of my family have benefitted from that work,” he says. “That makes it a lot easier to get up and fight for industry, when you feel you have a huge stake in that industry.”
WHAT DO YOU FEEL HAVE BEEN THE MOST IMPORTANT MILESTONES, OR HIGH POINTS, OF YOUR CAREER?
Joining Dow in 2007 was a big moment because I was joining this large company doing the work I loved to do, and I was able to do it in a community that was mine. It now has even greater significance, because that is what propelled me to all of the successes I’ve had.
While at Dow, I developed some 15 years of relationships, and many of my former co-workers are like family. I worked for tremendous people, met people from around the world, and learned about the industry. All these big companies are constantly evolving, so I also learned a lot about leadership, both good and bad.
I can’t overstate how much Dow has prepared me, professionally, for this position. They allowed me to be very active around the state and we were very involved in Greater New Orleans Inc. I was on the GNO Inc. board for many years and chair of the board a few years ago. That’s where I got my first real look into what a successful organization looks like.
ANY SIGNIFICANT LOW POINTS YOU’D LIKE TO SHARE?
I feel the low points are when we go through tough situations, like we did recently with Hurricane Ida. I live in Luling and we got hit pretty hard. Our community was devastated, and in talking with those impacted by the hurricanes in Lake Charles, and hearing what they’re still going through, I wonder what will happen if we have another storm this season. What will be the lasting impacts?
WHAT ARE THE BIGGEST CHALLENGES AHEAD FOR INDUSTRY, AND FOR LMOGA?
As an industry, we’re in unknown, uncharted waters. The oil and gas industry is changing. There is a transition underway and a lot of companies are exploring what other opportunities are out there for them, other than their traditional oil and gas businesses.
Everyone is looking at what’s next and responding to pressures from the U.S. government and around the world to reduce carbon emissions.
The expectations are high for our industry, so the challenge for LMOGA is how do we best support them? How do we create an environment in Louisiana that allows them to be creative and achieve their company’s goals so that the work can take place here?
WHAT ARE YOUR GOALS FOR THE FUTURE OF LMOGA?
The organization has undergone a lot of transition this last year. But the talent on our staff is strong, and we will definitely be making some additions in the future to round out the team.
Looking ahead, we’re getting ready for the next political season, which will have some long-lasting impacts on our industry—we hope for the good. I want to make sure that the organization stays ahead of the issues and is more vocal in celebrating the industry, but at the same time I think we should also advocate for the industry in some of the smaller towns outside of Baton Rouge.
I’m passionate about getting more engaged outside of Baton Rouge, because I think there’s a lot we can do. I’m really pushing my team to understand all those communities that might be a neighbor to a LMOGA member, and let’s go talk to them and understand what their needs are.
WHAT ARE YOUR PASSIONS OUTSIDE OF WORK?
My wife, kids and family, in general, are my first passions. My faith is very important, too.
I have two small kids—an 11-year-old and a 9-year-old—so that takes up a lot of my spare time. I love being on the soccer field with my son. We’re out three or four days a week, and I carpool my daughter to dance class.
We’re also big NASCAR fans—this is the first year in a while we haven’t been to the Daytona 500. And we’re huge Saints fans, too. There’s not much time for anything else.
