STANANDLOU MARKETING/ADVERTISING

After spending a year working in Houston, Michelle was ready to return to her life in New Orleans. But oh, how plans change. In October, Michelle and Lou entered into an equal partnership when Michelle purchased a 50% stake in STANANDLOU, for an undisclosed sum, of course. (Rumor has it, however, that Lou did lose a mean game of foosball to Michelle just prior to her purchase of half the company).

Now STANANDLOU is steered with care by the creatively crafty Lou and the strategically savvy Michelle. We don’t know who is the Yin and who is the Yang.

It doesn’t really matter. They are quite the team.

Look forward to more great things from STANANDLOU. And in 20 years, you’ll get 20 more emails, assuming email is still the dominant form of communication.

When Hurricane Katrina devastated the Louisiana and Mississippi coasts, Houston stepped up and gave those were displaced from the Hurricane a place to go. Lou followed suit and gave Michelle Reed a place to work.

Michelle was working at Keating-Magee Marketing in New Orleans when the storm forced her evacuation. Lou offered her free office space, and Michelle offered to take some of the business-type work off of Lou, who had been running the company by himself for a few years.

It was soon clear that there was something special in this new working relationship, something that would grow and be bolstered by proximity, necessity and vodka martinis.

To mark the significance of Lou having been on Earth for half a century, the gang at STANANDLOU decided to pull one over on “the bearded one.” Bill Penczak, then No.2 in command, took Lou to an “emergency meeting” with a client, claiming that the agency was suddenly under review and had to present immediately. After a well-setup ‘grilling’ over lunch, Lou and Bill returned to the agency, which was now packed with clients, vendors and friends waiting to surprise Lou upon his return.

And “Lou-a-Palooza” was a raving success. Lou was very impressed with his party, but, of course, STANANDLOU staffers were severely reprimanded shortly thereafter for spending too much company time working on a non-client project.

In a moment that can only be compared with the movie, “The Day the Earth Stood Still,” (not the remake) Lou joins the Democratic Party only to be very bummed to find out there was no beer. Undaunted, Lou was elected chairman of the Houston Ad Federation.

Now, little Lou, the boy kids made fun of in gym class would have real power and his enemies would cower in fear!

Lou’s first decision as “Grande Jefe” — introducing karaoke at the monthly board meetings.