2003 Outstanding Alumnus of the Year

Paul Candies

Mr. Candies graduated with a bachelor’s degree in business administration from Southeastern
in 1962. He is a well-respected businessman among his peers and serves as president
and chief operating officer of Otto Candies, LLC. He joined the company in 1962 and
worked in numerous positions before being named president in 1991. Otto Candies, LLC
is a marine transportation company with more than 100 vessels. They serve the offshore
oil and gas industry worldwide including offices in Mexico and Argentina. He was known
as the first to transport an oil production platform from Houston to the United Kingdom
drilling area in the North Sea. His  company is known for its emergency response to
the Exxon Valdez oil spill in Alaska. Several of his customers are members of the
Fortune 500. The company is privately held by Mr. Candies and his two brothers.

In 2002, Mr. Candies was nominated to serve on Hibernia Bank’s board of directors,
a Forbes 500 company. He had previously been a member of the board of directors for
Argent Bank for 30 years.

He is a native of Des Allemands, LA. He and his wife Rita are the parents of two sons
Brett Candies and Paul B. Candies II. He has taken an interest in both Southeastern
and Nicholls State University providing generous support of educational programs.

His hobby is drag racing and the Candies’ team became the first two-car team to race
each other in the final round at the National Hot Rod Association’s U.S. Nationals
in 1976. For 25 years worth of accomplishments – The team of Paul Candies and Leonard
Huges was inducted in the International Drag Racing Hall of Fame.