In 1903, Lamartine Bouanchaud began the L. Bouanchaud Agency in New to serve the insurance needs of people and businesses in Pointe Coupee Parish. Beginning with a few major insurance companies, Lamartine quickly earned the respect to represent continually more national insurance companies.
In 1946 Lamartine's daughter, Elizabeth and her husband, J.O. "Boo" Smith, became the owners of the agency. “Boo” further established the agency as a reliable and trusted source for local insurance needs, growing the client base and the number of companies represented. In the 1970s, Boo’s three oldest sons (Olivier, Charles, and Dodd) joined the agency.
In 1977 a second agency name, the J. O. Smith Agency, was added with the addition of Allstate Insurance. After Boo's retirement in 1986, Olivier was a driving force in the growth of both agencies for the next 23 years until his death in 2009.
In 2016, our name was changed to Smith-LBA Insurance. Today, the agency is led by Charles Bouanchaud Smith, President and by Scott Adrian Smith, Vice President. Charles entered the family business after college graduation and 6 years working as both a personal lines and commercial lines underwriter with national companies. In 1996, he earned the premier designation in the insurance industry of Chartered Property and Casualty Underwriter (CPCU). Scott came aboard in 2012. He finished college in finance before accumulating a wealth of knowledge and experience during 22 years as a property, casualty, life and health agent.
Theresa Nolan joined our team in 2013 after 14 years as an insurance agent. April LeJeune first worked in the financial sector after college graduation before joining us in 2017 and obtaining her agent’s license. Donna Jarreau worked for 30 years as a licensed agent, specializing in commercial lines, before joining Smith-LBA in 2019. Our former co-owner and agent, Dodd Smith, is our part time accountant. Emily Smith handles our website and other office management tasks.
For more than a century, our hometown agency has continued to responsibly serve our local community's changing insurance needs.
