Helping The Grove Recovery Center succeed means ensuring future support for those who fight addiction.
Families with loved ones facing the grueling cycle of addiction know that a well-run treatment facility is a game changer—the kind of resource that can finally restore hope and the promise of a renewed future.
Bank of St. Francisville customer The Grove Recovery Center is exactly that, a multi-site facility with campuses in Baton Rouge and Sorrento, that offers clients a comprehensive, carefully developed continuum of care. The Grove opened in 2016 and provides a range of services for those struggling to escape the grip of drugs or alcohol, says co-owner and clinical director Denise Thibodeaux.
“We help our clients every step of the way with a long-term treatment process that goes way beyond your average 28 days,” said Denise Thibodeaux, a former teacher who entered recovery herself 16 years ago. “We work with clients through each phase, and we’re with them from six months to a year.”
As her own recovery progressed, Denise went back to school to become an addiction counselor. She worked for several other treatment facilities, before launching The Grove in Baton Rouge eight years ago. Later, she joined forces with business partner, Cody Gautreaux, expanding the fast-growing center to serve patients in Ascension Parish, too.
Searching for a local bank capable of providing one-on-one personal service and business guidance to help maximize growth potential, the partners shifted their banking to Bank of St. Francisville.
"We were looking for a more personal relationship with our banker. The bank we had been working with was a large national entity, and all I had was an 800 number. We wanted something with a more personal touch, and somebody we could call on their cell phone if we needed to.” - Denise Thibodeaux
The partners found champions in Baton Rouge branch Market President Douglas Dupont and Vice President Whitney Boyd, who have provided The Grove with everyday banking services, and mortgage loans to purchase several sober living houses that the recovery center had formerly been renting. Owning real estate holdings was part of The Grove’s long-term strategy for growth and stability, Denise says.
“This is part of our mission as a business, to own the buildings where we provide services,” Denise said. “We want to be in a position to continue offering services to clients over the long term. There is such a need for what we do.”
Douglas and Whitney took a deep dive on The Grove’s goals and developed a tailored approach to address the recovery center’s needs.
“We like to sit down and get to know our customers and what they want to accomplish,” Douglas said. “We really try to create a dynamic that helps a business to thrive.”
Douglas and Whitney helped The Grove’s partners secure favorable rates on real estate loans to purchase five of the 10 sober living houses they presently operate. The bank also helped The Grove develop a plan to purchase property in the Baton Rouge medical corridor near Our Lady of the Lake Regional Medical Center, enabling the treatment center to expand its intensive outpatient services.
Whitney says that the bank helped The Grove integrate mobile banking technology, including online portal access, mobile banking app, and on-premises check scanning capability to streamline everyday banking operations.
“We’ve been very pleased with our relationship with Bank of St. Francisville,” Denise said. “They’ve been a breath of fresh air.”
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