Lou-Con Inc.

Lou-Con Inc. (Lou-Con) has been the name that private industries, as well as local, state and federal institutions have trusted for critical infrastructure maintenance for nearly 54 years. The New Orleans-based company specializes in the construction, installation and maintenance of mechanical components, ranging from local water and waste management plants to NASA’s space and environmental initiatives.

“My father and several partners founded the business in 1959,” recalls Michael Carson, president of Lou-Con. “His primary focus was industrial piping and modest property maintenance, but over the years Lou-Con has evolved into large-scale facility maintenance and capital project construction for public works, cities and parishes on the Gulf Coast.”

For half a century, the company’s pride and joy have been strong family ownership and its New Orleans heritage; however, Lou-Con has grown significantly over the past couple of years. “We mainly serve a 50- to 75-mile radius of southeast Louisiana and southwest Mississippi,” explains Michael. “Today, we regularly provide mechanical construction and service for factories, institutions and other facilities well beyond the New Orleans city limit. We’ve also served international clients in Russia, China and South America.”

Maintaining Essential Service

Although the company has expanded its reach, New Orleans remains Lou-Con’s main market. Post-Hurricane Katrina, Lou-Con played a vital role in maintaining and protecting critical infrastructure. “We’re working with the city and surrounding communities to improve infrastructure and build smarter for the future,” shares Michael. “It’s unfortunately too expensive to implement brand-new systems; we need to maintain and improve what we have to get by. By building smarter we can help ensure that essential facilities, such as hospitals and sewage plants, remain up and running.”

Lou-Con is building smarter by installing generators and secondary power grids on protected, raised platforms. “When the main power goes out, the secondary grid needs to be able to kick in to keep facilities and city services running,” details Michael. “We’re trying to help avoid the hazards in the first place.”

The company has several small maintenance contracts with the Chalmette and Murphy oil refineries, which have also assisted in Hurricane Katrina recovery. “We’ve kept a longstanding maintenance contract with the NASA-Michoud facility, as well,” adds Michael.

Building for Big Industry

Lou-Con builds for big industries. Over the course of five decades the company has provided mechanical construction for private and public clients alike, maintaining standards that surpass the norm. From industrial water pumps to custom-made fitted pumps and pump bases, rotating industrial equipment to turbine equipment, mechanical seals to custom industrial equipment for petrochemical plants, water treatment plants, sewage systems and laboratories across the board. The company also offers several exclusive services from specialty welding and equipment installation to cryogenic piping, designed to match any industrial application.

Michael admits its Lou-Con’s ideal size that allows the company to provide a wide range of specialized service and expertise. “We don’t do it all,” he says. “We have a wide range of services, but we specialize in basic infrastructure needs; we’re not trying to be something we’re not.”

Of course, Michael and the team recognize what is important. “We’re very client-centered,” he continues. “We’re not so specialized that there’s only one thing we do, but we’re not so broad that we’re impossible to work with. What it comes down to is the client provides the need, and we do the constructive solutions.”

Another key to Lou-Con’s success is upholding quality at all levels. “The key to our success, both abroad and in our home city, is our commitment to quality service,” explains Michael. “Our specialists maintain a discipline of continuous education that allows them to apply cutting-edge technical innovation to all aspects of production and maintenance.”

Michael reveals that the majority of Lou-Con’s employees are experienced industry veterans, having been with the company for the long haul. “Over 50 percent of our employees have been here for years, if not decades,” he shares.

Lou-Con continues to foster long-lasting employees through family ownership. “I started helping my dad way back in 1977 as a kid, because I wanted to earn some Christmas money; the rest is history,” says Michael. “We have a certain way we do things around here and we’re not willing to sacrifice that. We’re going to keep the family tradition going. We use a word around here, and it means many things… we call it: Louconite.” For 54 years Lou-Con Inc. has supported its home city and surrounding areas, providing crucial infrastructure repair and support backed by quality, family-oriented service.

For more information about Lou-Con Inc., please visit: www.louconincno.com.