Crest Industries enjoys fruitful partnership with Louisiana Tech
Founded in 1958, Crest Industries is the parent company for a family of businesses specializing in electric power delivery, industrial services, distribution, specialty chemicals, and natural resources.
For decades, Crest has grown and evolved by embracing new ideas, seeking continuous improvement, and rising to challenges. At its heart, Crest remains focused on its employees who drive the company’s success — many of whom are Louisiana Tech alumni.
“Crest is involved in many industries, but at its core, we’re truly in the people business,” said Paul Bordelon, chief financial officer at Crest and Louisiana Tech alumnus. “We challenge our teams and enable them to grow beyond what they believe is possible while providing meaningful careers.”
In 2021, the company recognized a need to build a talent pipeline and ramp up its internship program. To accomplish this, Crest became a tenant company at Louisiana Tech’s Innovation Enterprise and began taking advantage of the model to engage student and faculty resources.
“Initially, we started with a finance intern,” recalled Bordelon. “It was a great success and opened the door for our business units to get involved.”
What began with a single intern in a 400-square-foot office in Tech Pointe I has grown into a thriving program. Crest and its subsidiary companies now occupy approximately 3,900 square feet of space with a dozen interns across disciplines, including engineering, business, and computer science. Many of these interns — such as Adam Cundiff, Daylon Bozeman, and Joshua Nelson — have transitioned into full-time roles after graduation.
Cundiff, who earned a bachelor’s in 2023 and MBA in 2024, first connected with Crest at a College of Business employer reception before joining as an intern.
“Being able to connect what I was doing in class to my work not only made me a better intern, but also a better student,” said Cundiff, now a financial analyst with Crest. “I saw how much trust and respect they gave me from day one as an intern, and I knew it was the place I wanted to be a part of long term.”
Bozeman, a 2022 graduate in Computer Science who now serves in IT security at Crest, echoed that sentiment and said, “The internship gave me real-world experience, mentorship, and the opportunity to apply what I learned in the classroom to impactful, high-value work.”
For Nelson, walking from class to a professional environment where he could use his knowledge to drive real results was a valuable experience.
“Starting as an intern and growing into a full-time role at Crest was a huge benefit of working at Tech Pointe,” said Nelson, a 2023 graduate in Computer Information Systems who now works as a systems analyst at Crest. “The partnership allowed me to start my career early while still finishing my degree.”
Starting as an intern and growing into a full-time role at Crest was a huge benefit of working at Tech Pointe. The partnership allowed me to start my career early while still finishing my degree.”
– JOSHUA NELSON
In addition to introducing the company to talented students, the Innovation Enterprise connects Crest with resources to solve pressing challenges. Earlier this year, faculty and student teams worked with a Crest business unit to help map information systems, diagram data flows, and identify areas for increased efficiencies. Some of the students who worked on the project received job offers from the company. Additional projects are expected in the future that will strengthen the collaboration between Crest and the Innovation Enterprise.
“We’ve partnered with the College of Business and the College of Engineering and Science on projects that include our business unit leaders, students, and faculty,” said James Evans, chief information and systems officer at Crest. “These projects help us solve real business problems, giving students and faculty the opportunity to take their knowledge and apply it practically.”
Evans credits the Innovation Enterprise for making the connection seamless, citing their ability to find the right match of students that align with the company’s projects and goals as a competitive advantage.
“The Innovation Enterprise is designed to help companies like Crest build strong talent pipelines by connecting their diverse needs with the wide range of expertise available on campus,” said Dr. Donna Gallacher, Tech’s chief innovation officer. “We support everything from entrepreneurial development and venture startup to business growth and expansion by bringing together student and faculty resources across disciplines.”
Bordelon and Evans remain impressed with the quality of students at the University.
“It’s great to interact with the students and see the energy they bring,” said Bordelon. “If you give them the guidance, tools, and resources, they can take off.”
The commitment to empowering students is at the heart of Crest’s vision for the partnership.
For us, it’s about building a talent pipeline and developing leadership. We believe having the right talent will make us successful in the long term, and our partnership with the Innovation Enterprise helps us get there. ”
– PAUL BORDELON
As Crest has proven in its nearly seven-decade history, innovation isn’t just about ideas — it’s about people.