Savoie Answers The Call of Duty

Louisiana Corporate President/CEO David Savoie hasn't been in the office much over the last year and his board and employees couldn't be more proud of him. Savoie has been at the Pentagon since December of last year serving in the United States Naval Reserves. Savoie, in the reserves since 1996, was called to active duty on Nov. 18 of last year. After a few weeks of training and briefings in Pensacola, Florida, he got in his car and drove to the Pentagon. Savoie is serving as Intelligence Officer First Class on the Joint Intelligence Task Force, combating terrorism as a member of the Joint Chiefs Pentagon Terrorism Briefing Team under Operating Noble Eagle and Operation Enduring Freedom. "I joined the Naval Reserves because I wanted the experience of serving in the military, and wanted to give back something for all the opportunities that I have been fortunate to have. It's also a great change of pace from the corporate routine and helps recharge my batteries once a month," he said. Savoie is leaning heavily on his management staff to keep the corporate running smoothly, however he is in touch with the corporate on a daily basis whether it be e-mail or phone calls. He also tries to get to the office at least once every six weeks. "It's been challenging at times, but overall, it's been much smoother than I expected because I am privileged to serve with a great, dedicated corporate staff and work for a very supportive board. Our staff always goes beyond the call of duty to take care of the members, and that makes my job a lot easier," said Savoie. Erin Garvey, VP of Operations for Louisiana Corporate, is one of those tasked with picking up the slack in Savoie's absence – a job she relishes. "Obviously we feel what David has accomplished this past year is beyond description and we are extremely proud and honored to have him as our CEO," she said. -pgentile@cutimes.com