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Falbaum Named Samaritan of the YearRand H. Falbaum was recently named Samaritan of the Year for the Shreveport - Bossier City area. Falbaum was awarded this prestigious honor by The Samaritan Counseling Center (SCC), which has recently celebrated its 25th Anniversary as an inter-faith ministry staffed by professional counselors, medical professionals and pastoral consultants. The Samaritan of the Year award is presented annually to that individual who has most significantly contributed to the enrichment and improvement of his or her community through both their personal actions and their professional life. According to the SCC, Falbaum was selected for this award not because of his business accomplishments (of which there are many), but of the manner in which he has given of himself to his community. Among those organizations who have benefited from Falbaum’s leadership are the Sci-Port Discovery Center, the Bio-Med Research Foundation, the Holy Angels Association, the Public Affairs Research Council, and the Greater Bossier Economic Development Foundation. Widely recognized as owner, manager and mentor to over 50 businesses, Falbaum is an active, hands-on, participating investor in both The PELICAN Security Network and its various Member Companies. He graduated from Captain Shreve High School in 1976, and then went on to earn a BBA degree in Marketing from Texas A&M University in 1980 and a MBA degree in Finance from the University of Texas at Austin in 1982. He earned his Certified Public Accountant’s (CPA) license in 1984. At First National / InterFirst, he held several banking officer positions in the real estate, special assets, and venture capital divisions in Dallas before returning to his return home to Shreveport in 1985. Development & Expansion of Gordon, Inc.: In 1985, Falbaum was elected President of Gordon, Inc., at that time a small, family-owned-and-operated manufacturer of commercial ceiling and building products located today in a 265,000 square foot facility in Bossier City, LA. Over the last 25 years, Falbaum spearheaded the growth and expansion of this firm to include cleanroom building products, acoustical panels, and correctional ceilings. In additional, additional growth was realized as a result of the acquisition of compatible companies located in Syracuse, NY, New Orleans, LA, and Nashua, NH. Following the development of several key executives over the last ten years – and the recent successful sale of this company to his employees through the formation of an ESOP – Falbaum then expanded his business interests to more actively pursue the ownership, management and mentoring of a number of local and regional businesses. He is a co-owner of Sound Fighter Systems, a local manufacturer of highway sound barriers sold throughout the United States, and the recipient of the Shreveport Chamber of Commerce’s “Small Business of the Year” Award in 2006. Falbaum is also a co-owner of CRM Studios, a full-service media production company that offers a diverse range of film, video, digital and high definition production services from a state-of-the-art 48,000 square foot facility in Las Colinas, Texas and an office in Shreveport. He is co-owner of the Shreveport/Bossier and Wichita, Kansas franchises of PODS (portable on demand storage). He is co-owner of the DirectBuy (home improvement buyer’s clubs) franchises in Shreveport-Bossier, Baton Rouge, Little Rock, Dallas, Memphis, Orlando and Huntsville, AL. In addition, he is the co-owner of Versa Finance, Inc., a nationwide consumer finance company. He was also awarded “Samaritan of the Year” in 2011 by the Samaritan Center of Shreveport/Bossier; and the “Outstanding Philanthopist” in 2011 by the Association of Fundraising Professionals North Louisiana Chapter. Falbaum serves on several private boards including Argent Trust, a regional Trust Services Company and Louisiana Companies, a regional life insurance company. He is past Chairman of the Louisiana Chapter of the Young Presidents Association (YPO) and served on the Executive Committee of the Western Area Board of YPO. He is a recently retired board member of two industry trade associations, both the Association of Walls and Ceilings Industry (AWCI) and the Ceilings and Interiors Construction Association (CISCA). Falbaum has become very involved with the community serving as Past Chairman of Sci-Port Discovery Center, member of the Willis Knighton Hospital Board of Trustees, past board member of the Committee of 100, member of the Louisiana State Committee of 100, past board member of the Public Affairs Research Council, past Chairman of the Greater Bossier Economic Development Foundation, Trust Advisor for the Zita Trust to benefit Holy Angels Residential Facility for the mentally retarded, past Chairman of the Biomedical Research Foundation, and current Chairman of Cohabitat of Shreveport/Bossier. He has also served on the business advisory board for Centenary College, board member of the Robinson Film Center and as past president of the Shreveport-Bossier Manufacturers Managers Council. Married to his high school sweetheart Susan Adams since 1981, they have two children, Erin, who graduated from Emory University in Atlanta and has a Masters in Rehabilitation Counseling from Georgia State University, is a Mental Health Therapist at Ridgeview Institute in Atlanta; and Evan, who graduated from The University of Alabama Birmingham and is the Multimedia Designer for the Robinson Film Center in Shreveport. Mr. Falbaum is also a licensed pilot with Flight Instructor, Commercial and Airline Transport Pilot ratings and enjoys traveling as pilot of his own airplane.
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