Harold Callais

BS Electrical Engineering – 1959
Chairman – Louisiana State Board of Regents for Higher Education
Founder – Callais Cablevision
Owner – Abdon Callais Offshore
Founder – Solid Waste Disposal, Inc.
Chairman – Community Bank

Harold was a first generation college student who worked his way through college and the first Eagle Scout from his area, earning him national recognition. He graduated with a bachelor’s degree in electrical engineering from then Southwestern Louisiana Institute (now UL Lafayette) and began working in electronics for Chevron Oil Company.

An entrepreneur at heart, Harold started an electronics business providing radio equipment to fishing vessels. In 1968, on the forefront of the cable TV industry, he founded Callais Cablevision, building the company in phases, offering services to residents throughout Southeast Louisiana. Harold also successfully grew his father’s offshore boat business from a three-boat fleet to a 30-vessel fleet. He later founded the Solid Waste Disposal Company, which became the largest independent solid waste contractor in Louisiana.

Harold was appointed to the Louisiana State Board of Regents. He was a philanthropist who privately supported higher education institutions as well as religious, civic and social organizations. Harold was passionate about preserving his Cajun heritage, loved to travel and, later in life, enjoyed scuba diving.

Harold and his businesses received numerous awards, most notably: Pioneer of the Year Award by the local Chamber of Commerce; Top Small Business Person for Congressional District Three; two Congressional District VI SBA Awards; Inc. 500’s award for the nation’s fastest growing businesses; and the Ernst & Young Entrepreneur Regional Award. The National Cable TV Cooperative, Inc. named Harold “Cablevision Member of the Year” and he received the Nichols State University Alumni Corporate Mark of Honor in 1999. In 2004, UL Lafayette dedicated one of its residence halls in Legacy Park to the family, naming it Callais Hall.