BP-supported businesses not booming as much as many think

As the results of the BP oil spill and its subsequent cleanup efforts begin to become more and more apparent, many local businesses are scrambling to stay alive.

Due to the close proximity to Fourchon where a great deal of cleanup work is taking place, BP and its contracted workers have been making purchases from Tri-parish retailers by buying their supplies or sleeping in their rooms.

According to many local business owners, these purchases have created the illusion to some that certain business are booming in sales since the oil spill.

But that’s not the case, according to Boudreaux’s Motel owner Lanny Boudreaux, because even though his Leeville motel is currently close to full occupancy with BP contracted workers, he would normally have little vacancy during this time of year anyway.

“The motel I have caters 100 percent to fishermen. Since they can’t fish, if it wouldn’t be for the BP workers staying, then it would be zero [occupancy],” said Boudreaux. “That has supplemented and made up the difference we would have lost.”

Even though his motel is currently breaking even, Boudreaux is afraid his business will quickly decline as soon as the BP contracted work stops in lower Lafourche.

“It’s nothing to throw your hat about, because when all the cleanup workers are gone, I’ll still be faced with [no fishing areas open],” said Boudreaux. “As long as the fishing won’t be right, I might as well just close the doors.”

But what Boudreaux said hurts him the most is having to turn away 20 or even 30-year customers looking for another summer of fishing fun in Leeville.

“We have a long-term relationship with our clientele, and it just breaks your heart,” said Boudreaux. “It’s like family asking, ‘Can I stay?’ Well, what are you going to stay for? There’s nothing to do but sit in the room and watch the news. That’s the most disheartening part for me, that it totally demolishes our clientele.”

But motels aren’t the only industry thought to be doing well since the oil spill. Hardware and supply companies were thought to be profiting from the spill, according to some local officials, but representatives from Callais Office Supplies in Cut Off and Kief Hardware in Galliano say that’s not the case, and they expect a sharp decline in business when the clean-up work ceases.

“Parts of our business have done well, but we have a huge hunting-fishing business that this has killed, so things have equaled out for the time being,” said Kief Hardware manager Dan Cabirac. “But once things are done with, I’m sure things will slow down.”

Cabirac said Kief Hardware has seen an increase in the sales of outdoor items like ice chests, duct tape, paper suits and shovels to BP contracted workers, and Reed Callais, manager of Callais Office Supplies, said the BP Claims Office in Cut Off has bought quite a bit of office supplies from the company over the past few weeks.

“We’re not where we normally would be sales-wise, but we’re relatively OK,” said Callais. “I’m not burning the highway up in extra sales because of this situation. We’re holding our own.”

And even though many feel local car rental companies would be booming since the spill, a Houma Avis Rental Car representative who spoke on the condition of anonymity said the company’s increase in business is a normal summer occurrence, and rentals have been made to “regular customers,” not BP workers or contractors.

Stocked with U.S. Coast Guard-authorized clean-up supplies, locals may think Kief Hardware & Outdoors is seeing a booming business these days. * Photo by RICHARD FISCHER