Business First Bank names Troy Cloutier President of Lafayette Market; Andre Fruge Director of Correspondent Banking

BATON ROUGE, La., June 28, 2017 /PRNewswire/ -- Jude Melville, President and Chief Executive Officer of Business First Bank, today announced Troy Cloutier is joining the bank as President of the Lafayette market. Current market President Andre Fruge will become the bank's Director of Correspondent Banking, responsible for fostering relationships with community banks around the region.

"We are very excited to add Troy to our team. His deep roots in the Acadiana region mesh perfectly with our community-oriented focus," said Melville. "The larger we grow, the more important actively embracing our local ties becomes, and we look forward to working with Troy to expand our presence in and commitment to an area at the heart of our state's economic and cultural vitality."

"Andre has been a part of our company for a number of years," Melville continued, "and active in the industry for a number of decades, not only as a community banker but as President of a Certified Development Company that worked closely with community bankers across the state. Bringing Troy on to grow relationships in the Lafayette Market allows us to use Andre in a broader capacity representing Business First with other bankers. We've always focused on partnering with other institutions to better serve our clients, but we've grown to the point ourselves that we need someone of Andre's background and skill set to focus full-time if we're going to maximize the opportunity."

Cloutier brings nearly 25 years of community banking experience to his new role. He is active on the boards of One Acadiana, South Louisiana Chamber of Commerce, United Way of South Louisiana and Operation Hope. He also served as President of Louisiana Young Bankers and is a board member of the Independent Community Bankers of America. Troy attended the University of Louisiana at Lafayette, Leadership Lafayette and Leadership Terrebonne.

Fruge has over 20 years of banking experience, most recently as President of Business First's Lafayette market. Before joining Business First, he was the President and CEO of Louisiana Capital CDC, served on the board of the National Association of Development Companies, and as Chairman of the Louisiana Board of Commerce and Industry.

About Business First Bank
Business First Bank operates 19 offices, including 16 banking centers, two loan production offices and one wealth solutions office in markets across Louisiana and Texas. Business First Bank provides commercial and personal banking, treasury management and wealth solutions services to private businesses and their owners, operators, executives and employees. It was chosen as one of American Banker magazine's Top 40 Banks to Work For in 2014. Business First Bank was also chosen as one of Baton Rouge Business Report's Top Companies to Work for in 2014 and 2015.

Forward-Looking Statements
Certain statements contained in this news release may not be based on historical facts and are "forward-looking statements" within the meaning of Section 27A of the Securities Act of 1933, as amended, and Section 21E of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended. These forward-looking statements may be identified by their reference to a future period or periods or by the use of forward-looking terminology such as "anticipate," "believe," "estimate," "expect," "may," "might," "will," "would," "could," or "intend." We caution you not to place undue reliance on the forward-looking statements contained in this news release, in that actual results could differ materially from those indicated in such forward-looking statements as a result of a variety of factors. We undertake no obligation to update these forward-looking statements to reflect events or circumstances that occur after the date of this news release.

SOURCE Business First Bank