How Culture Drives Business in Louisiana with LFT Fiber’s Michael D. Soileau

Written by

Charles Kergaravat

Michael D. Soileau of LFT Fiber discusses how Louisiana's culture drives business, community investment and economic connections with Brittany.

In Louisiana, culture is more than music, food and festivals. It is also a driving force behind economic development, entrepreneurship and community investment. For businesses rooted in the region, preserving local identity and supporting economic growth often go hand in hand.

One example is LFT Fiber, a municipally owned telecommunications provider based in Lafayette, Louisiana. Under the leadership of Michael D. Soileau, the company is expanding its fiber network while maintaining a strong commitment to the communities it serves.

At the 2026 Interceltic Business Forum in Lorient, Brittany, Michael traveled from Louisiana to share his perspective on how culture drives business. His visit also highlighted the similarities between two regions with strong cultural identities, a tradition of entrepreneurship and a shared belief in the importance of community.

In this interview, Michael discusses the story behind LFT Fiber, the role of culture in economic development, his experience at the Interceltic Business Forum and the opportunities for greater collaboration between Louisiana, Brittany and the wider Celtic community.

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Could you start by telling us a little about yourself, your background, and what led you to your current role at LFT Fiber?

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I have spent 22 years in telecommunications – most at Comcast NBC Universal where I retired with 20 years of service. I was responsible for all operational roles over that time but the last 10 were focused on creating operational strategies for all the residential product lines. This meant involvement in economic development, community outreach, education, and planning, as well as work in the non profit space. 18 months after retirement, I joined O3 World, a digital customer experience company as their CEO.

I retired from there for a whole 2 weeks before I met with the Mayor President of Lafayette, La and decided to join her administration as the head of LFT Fiber where I focus on expansion, economic development opportunities and community building.

For those unfamiliar with LFT Fiber, could you explain what the company does, how it got started, and how it has evolved over the years?

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LFTfiber is the only municipally owned fiber to the home provider in Louisiana. It was voted on by the citizens of Lafayette 22 years ago with just a handful of employees building out a network that has grown now to service 7 parishes in Louisiana.

It is headquartered in downtown Lafayette supports approximately 276 jobs and provides 101 direct jobs with an economic impact of $276m dollars.

At this summer’s Interceltic Business Forum in Lorient, you spoke about how culture drives business in Louisiana. How has Lafayette’s unique cultural identity influenced LFT Fiber’s development, values, and relationship with the local community?

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The cultural economy is a significant part of our overall economic outlook and it is a culture that is embedded in us all.

Because of that and the fact that we are a local company, LFT Fiber supports the majority of our cultural and music festivals, encourages our employees to support and volunteer at local organizations and is always a part of our decision making process for investment, expansion, support and involvement in our local communities.

You traveled from Louisiana to Brittany to participate in the Interceltic Business Forum. What were your impressions of the event, and what stood out to you about the people and businesses you met?

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The people were certainly my initial impression – the fact that they were so open and friendly – everywhere I went. They were curious, excitied and certainly supportive of all that was happening in their city. The Forum itself was so impressive. From the content, to the attendees to the speakers. Everyone was so invested in the topic of driving economic development amongst the regions represented.

And they were all open to sharing best practices as well as things tried that just didn’t work. It was the perfect example of regional and cultural collaboration.

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Having experienced the Interceltic Business Forum and Festival Interceltique de Lorient this summer, what similarities did you notice between Brittany and Louisiana? Are there lessons these regions could learn from each other?

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The similarities between the people and cultural were surprising to me at first – until I came to really understand the history. And the fact that we are all in this together approach. I think because of that, there is a natural pathway for Governments to support this type of effort. Showcasing regional talent that is buildt on common connection and cultural values is the right type of investment for Government because there is so much more known about the intention and the capabilities of the people involved.

I identified several government peers that are interested in coming to Lafayette to discover ways to drive common economic value and discover assets that are transferable and replicable.

Creating space for relationship building is critical in defining partnerships and investing in those relationships. The regions certainly share a passion for entrepreneurship, smart growth, harnessing compaission for the betterment of the whole community and supporting one another in ways that make good sense both economically and politically.

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