Back in 2008, Nicole Waguespack’s family founded Martin Ecosystems, a coastal restoration and protection company based in Baton Rouge. Waguespack, who worked in medical sales at the time, decided to pivot her career toward the family business, which gave her more free time and allowed her to embrace her passion of life in the marsh.
“Being in the marsh will never feel like work to me,” she tells Business Report in the latest Executive Spotlight feature from the new issue. “It is a place of relaxation and peace and a place to simply ‘be’ without distraction.”
As Louisiana’s coastline continues to erode—it’s disappearing at a rate of 16.57 square miles per year, according to the U.S. Geological Survey—Martin Ecosystems’ work is never ending.
“As a small business with six employees, we all wear multiple hats,” she says. “In the last couple of months, I’ve worked on filing a patent for a new product, written a grant application, and met with the Department of Commerce representatives in New Orleans on international exporting, all of which have been new for me.” Read the full executive spotlight Q&A.
