William Schwing Patout, III (October 15, 1932 – August 5, 2017), also known as Billy Patout, was a sugar baron from New Iberia, Louisiana. Background Patout was the oldest son of William S. Patout, Jr. (1908–1991), and the former Hester Catherine Bernadas (1911–1982). When Patout was eight years of age , his family moved to Patoutville in Iberia Parish, where he developed his interest in the sugar industry , as had his family for nearly two centuries earlier. In his autobiography entitled Now You Know, he describes some of the childhood adventures that occurred while he lived on a sugar plantation. While the book is disjointed, contrived from letters that Patout wrote, certain sections transport the reader back to a different time. An excerpt:%DIFDELCMD < %DIFDELCMD < %%% Personal life From 1954 to 1955, Patout served in the United States Navy. He married Susan Ann Crawford of Indiana in 1971, and together they reared seven children: William Schwing, IV, Rivers Martin, Avrill Elizabeth, Catherine Josephine, Hester Caroline, Susan Anne Marie, and Simeon Crawford. There are seventeen grandchildren and three great grandchildren. His main hobby was aviation. He died at the age of 84 on August 5, 2017. A Roman Catholic, he is entombed at St. Nicholas Cemetery in Patoutville. Business%DIFDELCMD < %DIFDELCMD < %%% After studying Agricultural Engineering at Louisiana State University in Baton Rouge and sugar technology and business management in Hawaii  , Patout began his career with the M. A. Patout Company in 1956. He worked there as an assistant engineer for three years before moving on to become an engineer for Brewer & Co. in Honolulu , Hawaii, from 1959 to 1960. He moved from company to company to gain work experience before settling back with his family's company from 1970 until 2001. He started as an assistant general manager and worked his way up to president and chief executive officer /general manager . The years between 1960 and 1970 he spent in the following positions: 1960–1961: chief engineer of Olokele Sugar Company, C. Brewer Co., Kauai, Hawaii 1961–1962: associate, Vought Consulting Engineers, Paincourtville in Assumption Parish 1962–1963: project engineer, Cinclare Sugar Factory, Brusly in West Baton Rouge Parish, Louisiana 1963–1965: administrative agricultural engineer, M.A. Patout , Patoutville, Louisiana 1965–1969: chief engineer, Grove Farm, Kauai, Hawaii 1969–1970: assistant general manager, Haitian American Sugar, Port-au-Prince, Haiti. Patout is credited with having kept M. A. Patout afloat during his tenure : despite drought, crop disease, hurricanes, freezes, low sugar prices, and the loss of land because of pressure from residential and commercial developments, Patout was able to expand the company. He acquired Sterling Sugars, Inc., from former Governor Mike Foster and Raceland Sugars. He increased the sugar-growing acreage from 12,000 to 56,000. Perhaps Patout's greatest accomplishment was leading his flagship factory , the Enterprise mill in Patoutville , to become the first and only factory to mill two million tons of cane and be the only cane diffuser operating in North America. Patout sat on the board of M. A. Patout and was a consultant for sugar businesses around the world. He advised many nations, including the People's Republic of China, the United States Department of Commerce, and private companies in Jamaica and Mexico. Patout saw the following changes occur in the sugar industry since 1956: Steam turbines replaced steam engines on the milling tandems Diffusers replaced milling tandems Continuous vacuum pans replaced batch pans Shredders replaced two-roll crushers New vertical crystallizers replaced horizontal crystallizers. Patout argued that biomass, bioplastic, renewable energy and cellulose ethanol could boost the U.S. sugar industry. M. A. Patout In addition to M. A. Patout, Patout was involved with: American Sugar Cane League, an interest group which seeks to direct agricultural and manufacturing research and impact legislation in Louisiana and in Washington D.C.; director, 1974–1999, and past president, 1997–1999 Western Sugar Producers (represented Bayou Teche sugar factories): past president, 1974–1975; received the league's President's Award in 2000. Sugar Processing Research Institute (worked with United States Department of Agriculture): member, 1990–2001; past president, 1999–2001 Agro-Flex (non-profit whose goal was to bring more agricultural business to Louisiana): past president, 1975–1975 In 1997, he became a board member of the First National Bank of Jeanerette   .
William Schwing Patout, III (October 15, 1932 – August 5, 2017), was an American businessman and agricultural engineer from New Iberia, Louisiana. Early life and education Patout was the oldest son of William S. Patout, Jr. (1908–1991), and the former Hester Catherine Bernadas (1911–1982). When Patout was eight years old , his family moved to Patoutville in Iberia Parish, where he developed his interest in the sugar industry %DIFDELCMD < %DIFDELCMD < %%% %DIFDELCMD < %DIFDELCMD < %%% . Patout earned a Bachelor of Science degree in Agricultural Engineering from Louisiana State University . Career After graduating from college , Patout began his career with the M. A. Patout Company in 1956. He worked there as an assistant engineer for three years before moving on to become an engineer for Brewer & Co. in Honolulu from 1959 to 1960. He moved from company to company to gain work experience before rejoining his family's company in 1970. He started as an assistant general manager and worked his way up to president and chief executive officer . Patout is credited with having kept M. A. Patout afloat during his tenure . Despite drought, crop disease, hurricanes, freezes, low sugar prices, and the loss of land because of pressure from residential and commercial developments, Patout was able to expand the company. He acquired Sterling Sugars, Inc., from former Governor Mike Foster and Raceland Sugars. He increased the sugar-growing acreage from 12,000 to 56,000. Under Patout's leadership , the Enterprise mill in Patoutville became the first and only factory to mill two million tons of cane , and was the only cane diffuser operating in North America. Patout sat on the board of M. A. Patout and was a consultant for sugar businesses around the world. He advised China on the country's sugar industry and was also served as an advisor to the United States Department of Commerce, in addition to private companies in Jamaica and Mexico. M. A. Patout In addition to M. A. Patout, Patout was involved with: American Sugar Cane League, an interest group which seeks to direct agricultural and manufacturing research and impact legislation in Louisiana and in Washington D.C.; director, 1974–1999, and past president, 1997–1999 Western Sugar Producers (represented Bayou Teche sugar factories): past president, 1974–1975; received the league's President's Award in 2000. Sugar Processing Research Institute (worked with United States Department of Agriculture): member, 1990–2001; past president, 1999–2001 Agro-Flex (non-profit whose goal was to bring more agricultural business to Louisiana): past president, 1975–1975 In 1997, he became a board member of the First National Bank of Jeanerette . Personal life From 1954 to 1955, Patout served in the United States Navy. He married Susan Ann Crawford of Indiana in 1971, and the couple had seven children. At the time of his death, Patout had seventeen grandchildren and three great-grandchildren. Patout died in Lafayette, Louisiana at the age of 84 on August 5, 2017. A Roman Catholic, he is entombed at St. Nicholas Cemetery in Patoutville .
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Personal life From 1954 to 1955, Patout served in the United States Navy. He married Susan Ann Crawford of Indiana in 1971, and together they reared seven children: William Schwing, IV, Rivers Martin, Avrill Elizabeth, Catherine Josephine, Hester Caroline, Susan Anne Marie, and Simeon Crawford. There are seventeen grandchildren and three great grandchildren. His main hobby was aviation. He died at the age of 84 on August 5, 2017. A Roman Catholic, he is entombed at St. Nicholas Cemetery in Patoutville.
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Patout saw the following changes occur in the sugar industry since 1956: Steam turbines replaced steam engines on the milling tandems Diffusers replaced milling tandems Continuous vacuum pans replaced batch pans Shredders replaced two-roll crushers New vertical crystallizers replaced horizontal crystallizers.
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Patout argued that biomass, bioplastic, renewable energy and cellulose ethanol could boost the U.S. sugar industry.
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Personal life From 1954 to 1955, Patout served in the United States Navy. He married Susan Ann Crawford of Indiana in 1971, and the couple had seven children. At the time of his death, Patout had seventeen grandchildren and three great-grandchildren. Patout died in Lafayette, Louisiana at the age of 84 on August 5, 2017. A Roman Catholic, he is entombed at St. Nicholas Cemetery in Patoutville