Nehemiah Corporation of America
Nehemiah Corporation of America is a non-profit organization based in Sacramento, California specializing in homeownership, affordable housing and community development. It started in 1994 as a small organization, but grew to prominence later in the 1990s after it developed a program that allowed home buyers to make down payments on their purchases using funds that were derived from the home sellers. This program, the Nehemiah Program, became popular and was widely emulated, giving birth to what came to be known as the seller-funded down-payment assistance industry. The industry attracted criticism from U.S. federal agencies (particularly the Government Accountability Office and the Internal Revenue Service) and was ultimately shut down in 2008 by a change in federal law.
Eugene Wilton Frémaux
Frémaux started work when he was seven years of age selling newspapers while attending school. His first real job was in an accounting position with Acadia Iron Works in Crowley, Louisiana where he was employed for two and a half years. He then worked for the Morse Rice Mill and then the White Swan Rice Mill Corporation at Gueydon before moving to Alexandria in 1913. He worked briefly for Schwarzschild & Sulzberger Company of Louisiana, then became associated with L. A. Stafford Wholesale Grocer as an accountant for the Rapides grocery company. He filled the position of accountant and credit man for this company from 1913 until 1927. From 1915-1916 he successfully completed accounting courses from LaSalle Extension University's Department of Higher Accountancy. After his work at L. A. Stafford, he spent a year and a half with the Louisiana Public Utilities Company. In 1946 Louisiana Public Utilities Company eventually merged with Gulf Public Service Inc. In 1951 Gulf Public Service Inc. merged with Central Louisiana Electric Company, Inc., a company now known as CLECO Corporation. Frémaux played an important part in the business life of Alexandria. In 1931 he took over the Brown Hide Company in partnership with L. G. Stafford and became the sole owner in 1937. In 1942 he joined Alexandria Steam Laundry Company as Secretary-Treasurer. It was at this time that his son Wilton, the eventual sole owner of Alexandria Steam Laundry Company, served in the United States Army Air Forces during World War II. Frémaux was also a member of the Cosmopolitan Club, The Elks, and The Knights of Columbus.