THIBODAUX, La. — Morgan City restaurateurs Brenda and Gregory Hamer, Sr. have donated $100,000 to Nicholls State University Athletics which will be used to support the more than 350 student-athletes on campus.
As a thank you for their generous support, Nicholls Athletics is naming the Tight Ends Meeting Room after their grandson and former Nicholls Football player, Garret LeBlanc, and their business, B&G Enterprises. The official name is pending approval from the University of Louisiana System Board of Supervisors.
Greg Hamer said he and his wife were happy to support Nicholls, and have plenty of good reasons to do so.
“We have one grandson who played for the football team, and we have another who plays for them now. We also have businesses in Morgan City, Thibodaux, Houma and Matthews. It just makes sense for us to support Nicholls,” he said. “We’ve been proud to support this university for years, and we’re happy to be able to help them with this incredible facility.”
The Hamers created B&G Food Enterprises in 1982 when they opened their first Taco Bell in Morgan City. Today, B&G operates more than 150 Taco Bell restaurants across Louisiana, Mississippi and Texas. They are the largest Taco Bell franchisee in Louisiana. In 2021, the Hamers donated $50,000 to the Chef John Folse Culinary Institute.
Announced in 2020, the naming campaign for the Boucvalt Family Athletic Complex is raising money to provide for current and future needs within Nicholls Athletics. The goal of the campaign will be to name all areas of the new facility, which opened last year, in an effort to raise funds. This will allow Nicholls Athletics to invest a portion into an endowment and use the other funds for upkeep and maintenance within the department.
“Every student-athlete benefits from this,” said Nicholls Athletic Director Jonathan Terrell. “For them to be able to give from the heart is incredible because of how many people it’s going to help. We have this excellent new building, and with these dollars will be able to keep it in the best shape possible.”
Each new room or area of the Boucvalt Family Athletic Complex may be named after an individual, family or business as per guidelines set forth by the state of Louisiana, Nicholls State University and the Donor Gifts Agreement. The opportunity will allow donors to pay off their investment over five years, and the naming rights to the space for 15 years.
“As the lowest funded school in the Southland Conference, donor dollars allow Nicholls Athletics to compete on the same or higher level than our peer institutions,” said Hillary Charpentier, director of the CAA. “Support like this has a direct impact on all student-athletes here at Nicholls. Our student-athletes must receive the support they need to compete and succeed at the highest level both on and off the field.”