Waguespack, the now-President of the Louisiana Association of Business and Industry has stepped into the hefty pair, once worn, by the now-retired, Dan Juneau- the long-time voice of business interests in Louisiana.

LABI, under Juneau, has helped make many reforms within state government, has supported and opposed many initiatives by a string of Louisiana governors and legislators.  Perhaps the greatest show of political domination came this spring when he opposed Governor Jindal’s tax swap plan, which came to a sudden halt the first day of the legislative session.

Now, it is Waguespack’s turn to wield the bat.

So, who is Stephen Waguespack?

We know he is a former Jones-Walker attorney.   Prior to that, he sat in some of the most powerful positions in Louisiana state government during his stint with the Bobby Jindal administration.

Waguespack served in a variety of key roles including Chief of Staff and a high Executive Counsel position to the governor.

His nomination to replace Juneau raised some eyebrows because of his former relationship with the Jindal administration.  Juneau rose from the ranks of business organizations, Waguespack from government.

However, the role of the President of LABI is to help navigate the business community through the mazes of the legislatures and governments and Waguespack’s broad credentials surely serve that need.

On Thursday, I had the opportunity to engage in a roughly seventeen-minute Google Hangout with Waguespack.   My goal was to understand better who Waguespack is, what his plans are for this powerful organization, how he plans to achieve them and how might he make a difference in an ever-changing global economy.

In part one of the hangout interview, I asked Waguespack about his stepping into the Juneau shoes and his moving out from the reach of the Jindal administration.

Part II: Monday