Hamer is king of Washington, D.C. Mardi Gras

Morgan City businessman Greg Hamer will be the king of the Washington, D.C., Mardi Gras this weekend.
Hamer, CEO of B&G Food Enterprises LLC, will be joined in his reign by Queen Madeline Noble of Lake Charles.
Hamer and Noble were chosen by U.S. Rep. Clay Higgins, R-Port Barre, who serves as chairman of the 72nd Washington, D.C., Mardi Gras.
The captain of the Mystick Krewe of Louisianians is U.S. Rep. Steve Scalise, R-Metairie.
This year’s events include Louisiana Alive! on Thursday, featuring Louisiana food and music to honor the state’s congressional delegation; the Friday Festival; and the Mardi Gras Ball on Saturday.
Hamer and wife Brenda, who met at Morgan City High School, who were married in 1967, created B&G in 1982 with a Taco Bell in Morgan City. The company has grown to employ nearly 3,000 people and operate more than 140 restaurants in Louisiana, Texas and Mississippi.
The B&G corporate headquarters remain in Morgan City.
After graduating from LSU, Hamer was active in the oilfield service industry for 25 years and served in elective and appointed government posts. He has served on the LSU Board of Trustees.
In 2014, Hamer was inducted into the E.J. Ourso College of Business Hall of Distinction and has served on the dean’s advisory council for that college.
He is an emeritus director of the National Restaurant Association and the 2017 Chairman of the National Restaurant Association Education Foundation. He is a longtime member of the Louisiana Restaurant Association, which he served as president in 2000. He’s a member of the LRA Hall of Fame, Active Member of the Year, and Chapter President of the Year.
Hamer is a member of the Community Foundation of Acadiana board and a member of the Krewe of Hephaestus.
In 2017, Hamer was the St. Mary Chamber’s Parish Citizen of the Year and in 2019 was the Morgan City Rotary Citizen of the Year.
B&G has created a scholarship fund and a charity that matches donations to help the needy.
Noble, 21, is the daughter of Lucinda and Dr. John W. Noble Jr. of Lake Charles. She is a BBA scholar in the Cox School of Business at Southern Methodist University in Dallas. She will be receiving a Bachelor’s Degree in Business Administration and Finance in May. She is a member of Chi Omega Sorority and Delta Sigma Pi Business Fraternity.
In summer 2019, Noble served as an intern in the Commercial Banking Division of the Bank of Texas. She has studied abroad and also had the opportunity to intern at FinTech Global, a financial technology firm, in London.