By Kimberly Hopson
L’Observateur

LAPLACE – Paul Aucoin, the new executive director of the Port of South Louisiana, said he is “lucky” to be chosen for the position, but prefers not to focus on himself during his administration.
“It’s not about me anyway. It’s about the Port,” he said.
The Vacherie native replaced Joel T. Chaisson, who recently stepped down from the position. Aucoin, who formerly served as the Port’s legal counsel, was reportedly selected by a unanimous vote of the Port’s Board of Commissioners. He commended the other candidates who applied for the position, saying it was a difficult decision.
“Three good candidates. I’m very honored to be the one they selected,” said Aucoin.
When asked why he was motivated to step into the position, Aucoin expounded on the Port’s crucial hand in industry.
“This port is so important to our region, our state and our nation. We’re the largest tonnage port in the Western Hemisphere. One in eight jobs in the nation is port related. It’s an integral part of our region,”
The new director said he might just make “Support your port” a bumper sticker in the future.
Aucoin also mentioned that his hobby appears to be serving on boards — he is also chairman of the St. James Economic Development Board and an associate of the Board of Supervisors for the University of Louisiana System and the Louisiana Housing and Community Development Corporation. He earned a Juris Doctor Degree from Loyola University Law School.
Though he has only been on the job for five days, Aucoin said working with the port has been great so far.
“There has been a lot of support from Judge Chaisson and the staff. I guess so far, I feel like I’ve already started laying the groundwork for doing what I can to make this port even more successful. That’s my goal,” he said.
Aucoin revealed tentative plans for his administration, saying that he plans to work to increase the Port’s revenue, maintain a safe environment for employees and continue to foster the amicable relationship between the three parish governments and business communities. Aucoin also said one of his main goals is to get all Port employees under one roof by building centralized office.
Aucoin said he is confident he can achieve his plans with the support of legislators and by working together with the neighboring parishes.
“Half the staff works here, and half the staff works at the Globalplex. If we hire somebody else over here, they’re going to have to put the desk out in the parking lot,” he said, with a laugh.
“I’m confident that I can do that. Our legislators are very supportive, and you need that, because a lot of things we do require financial assistance from the state. We have a strong group of legislators who work very hard to see that we get the funding that we need. We’re very fortunate that we work together as a region, and people know that we work together as a region,” he said.