Meet Your MBA Colleagues

Brett Bourgeois

What’s up? I don’t really know where to start, so I guess I’ll start all the way from as far back as I can remember… It all started on a pleasant, warm and breezy Tuesday June 9th, 1987 at approximately 6:18 p.m. when my mother popped me out and brought me into this world at Ochsner Hospital on the west bank. My parents couldn’t choose whether my name should be Todd or Brett, so they flipped a coin. Todd won, but right after my mom decided she liked Brett better. Thus was the beginning of Brett Nations Bourgeois.

I am the youngest of five boys and have hunted and fished as long as I can remember (4 or 5 yrs old maybe). I grew up with an appreciation and respect for nature, wildlife, and firearms and how important they are to the future of our country.

Since I loved the outdoors, I decided to join the boy scouts where I was camping at least once a month. Some of my best memories have been while backpacking for two weeks in the Rocky Mountains and while camping in the snow in the Rock Mountains on another trip. It is such a liberating feeling when you realize that everything you really need to survive can be carried on your back, and that you can go and live anywhere you want with just your pack and desire to go (travel) (for adventure).

I am from the New Orleans area. All my life I have lived on the west bank which is the best bank! When I was 9 or 10 my family moved from Gretna to Belle Chasse (technically I live south of Belle Chasse) in Plaquemines Parish which has the best tasting citrus in the world!

I went to Jesuit High School. I was in MAT, played Rugby, and many other activities, including fencing (I know it’s an odd combination, but I wanted to try everything).

After I graduated, I decide to go to LSU for my undergraduate. It was the only place for me, having lived my whole life in Louisiana and being an LSU fan. I wasn’t sure what I wanted to do in life (which still holds true), so I started out as Pre-med then I moved to Mechanical Engineering then I finally found my niche in Marketing. I graduated in May 2009, and started with my MBA right away. A few reasons I started right away is that once I started working I would not want to go back to school, I didn’t want to be in the real world yet since the job market is horrible, I just didn’t want to grow up yet, and I was unsuccessful at bull riding. Right now I’m specializing in Finance and Entrepreneurship, but I’m not exactly sure what I want to do when I graduate. Luckily I have another year.

During summers I have had many different jobs that I think will all help me in any future endeavors. One year I worked on an elk farm and realized that I do not like manual labor in the summer in South Louisiana. One summer I worked for Lockheed Martin in the HR department at the Michoud facility in New Orleans East. It is where they build the external fuel tanks (large orange tanks) for the space shuttles. It is pretty cool standing next to something that large (153 ft long, 27 ft diameter)and knowing that it is going into space. Another summer I was working sales at Lipsey’s, a firearm wholesaler, which made me fall in love with the industry (which I had grown up enjoying) more than I already was. Last summer I drove out to California (36 hours) by myself to work for Lockheed Martin (again) in subcontracts on $3 billion proposals for military spy satellites. At that same facility they also build defense missiles. While working on these projects, you feel like you are a part of something much larger than yourself. I’m going back there again this summer, but this time I will be doing more negotiations and finance work.

I’m all about having a good time and trying new things. I want my grandkids to think, “There is nothing Grandpa didn’t do.” If you have the same ideas, let me know and we shall conquer the world of excitement and adventure!