William “Billy” S. Patout, III, the former president and chief executive officer of M.A. Patout, has been named Sugar Man of the Year – 2007, and received the coveted Dyer Memorial Award for the Sugar Man honor at a ceremony at the Yale Club in New York City recently.

Patout, a resident of Patoutville, is only the fourth Louisiana resident to receive the award in its 50-year history. The honor is given to an individual making a significant and meritorious contribution to the sugar industry in the U.S.

 He is the 50th recipient of the prestigious award, which is given annually by B.W. Dyer & Co., a brokerage company in sweeteners and foods.

Advertisement

A veteran of more than 50 years in the sugar industry, Patout’s contributions to all phases of the sugar industry from the field to the factory have been unique and farsighted.

Under his leadership, Patout grew his family business from a small company with one sugar mill into the largest sugar company in Louisiana, owning and operating three of the largest sugar mills in the state.

The company’s mills account for 25 percent of Louisiana’s sugar production. In addition, Patout has made numerous contributions to the sugar industry as a consultant, technological innovator, and leader in industry groups.

Patout received a degree in agricultural engineering from LSU, and began a life-long career in the sugar industry in 1956. He worked as an assistant and chief engineer and as an assistant general manager at sugar companies in Kauai, Hawaii; Brusly, Louisiana; and Port-au-Prince, Haiti.

 In 1970, he returned to his family’s business, M.A. Patout and Sons, as assistant general manager, and played a major role in the company’s growth over the next 30 years. He moved up to become general manager, and then president and chief executive officer, a position he held for 15 years. He remains a member of the company board of directors.

While growing the company and adding land holdings to its assets, Patout also served as a consultant on sugar matters for government and private sectors around the world, including Belize, China, Costa Rica, Grenada, Jamaica, Mexico, St. Kitts and St. Vincent. He has served as director and president of the American Sugar Cane League, is a past president of the Western Sugar Producers, an organization of Bayou Teche sugar factories; and he has been an active voice in sugar policy affairs on a national level.

Under his leadership, Patout Co. advanced technology to produce fertilizer from agricultural and sugar mill wastes. He is also a board member of an engineering company that builds beet sugar factories and agricultural equipment. He also served as president, director, and executive committee member of the Sugar Processing Research Institute, which is supported by the international sugar producing and refining industries and their suppliers in cooperation with the U.S. Department of Agriculture.

Patout previously was named King Sucrose at the Louisiana Sugar Cane Festival, and received the prestigious Chairman’s Award from the American Sugar Cane League.