J.L. Andrus

JL is the founder and patriarch of J. L. Andrus and Company.  He started developing real estate in the late 1960’s. His big break came in the early 1970’s with Dresser Atlas’s Broussard facility, where he showed his forward vision and was one of the pioneers to develop and invest in what would become the Highway 90 East Broussard “Energy Corridor”, a suburb of Lafayette, LA and gateway to the Gulf of Mexico.  He also was one of the first investors in that area to design, build, and lease commercial industrial facilities to the oil and gas industry.  JL expanded his development depth with industrial, retail, and residential subdivisions to his credit, including projects of 46 and 60 acres and a retail center over 60,000 square feet across from the Acadiana Mall in Lafayette.  JL has built a career and a reputation in the industry that few have matched over his 50 years in depth and scale spanning from Lafayette, Louisiana to Houston, Texas.

JL came to Lafayette as a college professor in Mechanical Engineering at the University of Louisiana Lafayette and soon met and married his wife and partner of over 50 years Janice Bodin.  Prior to teaching JL had earned a degree in Mechanical Engineering from the University of Louisiana Lafayette and then a Masters in Engineering Mechanics from Louisiana State University.  He also spent time working at Boeing, Olin Chemical and Southern Pipe Inspection.  JL and Janice started out as most entrepreneurs at the kitchen table and have enjoyed a career that has spanned over 50 years and left an indelible mark on the community and friends they have been associated.