Raising Cane

 

 

Some successes are sweeter than others, and for the Levert family, keeping its sugar cane farm in business is the sweetest success of all--even if it has meant diversifying.

 

Company President Louis Michael "Andy" Andolsek oversees the long-standing family tradition of sugar cane farming. Andolsek's father married a Levert. The Leverts are one of the oldest sugar cane families in Louisiana. In fact, the Levert plantations have been around since the end of the Civil War, when the land was bought by family patriarch John Batiste Levert. In 1919, Levert incorporated his holdings, including approximately 20,000 acres of land.

 

The sugar cane farm has endured hardships over the years. Growing sugar cane is labor intensive and expensive, Andolsek explains. The business also has to deal with the rising costs of labor and agricultural inputs such as fuel, fertilizer, and chemicals. In addition, Louisiana has had its share of natural disasters, including hurricanes, disease, droughts, and floods. 

 

To stay competitive, the Levert family uses some of its land in other ways. Through the J.B. Levert Land Co., the family owns and manages more than 30 buildings containing 600,000 square feet of commercial and residential properties. It also leases land. "If we relied just on sugar, we wouldn't be able to make it," says Andolsek.

 

A separate company, Levert-St. John Inc., owns and manages approximately nine off-site commercial properties in south Louisiana and in Memphis, Tennessee, totaling 300,000 square feet. It also leases approximately half of its 11,000 acres to tenant farmers and grows sugar cane on the rest.

 

"We had a slowdown on our housing side, but the commercial real estate has kept us where we could withstand the adversity," Andolske explains. "We have the luxury of having  property located near urban fringes, and we were able to do some development. We do small projects with gradual phase-ins so that we can withstand the slowdowns and bumps. We always figure that even when things are good, we've got to be prepared in case the market slows down."

 

The four Levert-St. John plantations produced 42 million pounds of sugar for processing and refining during the 2007 three-month harvest period. "It's a labor of love, but one which the family is dedicated to," Andolsek says, speaking for his uncle and cousin, "Boo" and Charlie Levert, respectively, who manage the companies' farming operation, and the 125 Levert family members who are shareholders in the two companies.

 

To share your Success InSight, e-mail Greg Galdabini at ggaldabi@uschamber.com or call 202-463-5563.