Kodi Guillory knew it was time. As the head of Sustainable Design Solutions, LLC, a civil engineering firm, she had offices in Shreveport, Atlanta, and Baton Rouge—but now she wanted something permanent, and closer to home.
Raised in Baker, and an alumna of both St. Joseph’s Academy and LSU, Kodi has more than sixteen years’ experience in civil engineering, from water and sewage systems to coastal restoration. She has worked in private industry practice, and held a position with the Coastal Protection and Restoration Authority for the state of Louisiana before launching her own firm in 2019. This year, Kodi is being recognized as one of Baton Rouge Business Report’s Influential Women in Business in 2025. She will be honored during the 2025 Women’s Leadership Symposium, taking place on May 20 at Baton Rouge’s Crowne Plaza.
Sustainable Design Solutions specializes in civil and environmental projects. Kodi describes civil engineering as taking care of the vital, behind-the-scenes processes that most of us take for granted.
"Raised in Baker, and an alumna of St. Joseph's Academy and LSU, Kodi Guillory has more than sixteen years' experience in civil engineering. Recognized as one of Baton Rouge Business Report's Influential Women in Business for 2025, she will be honored during the 2025 Women's Leadership Symposium, taking place on May 20 at Baton Rouge's Crowne Plaza."
“We’re responsible for all the things that help you function daily in your life,” she said. “No one really thinks about or cares about the sewer system or water system or roads until there’s traffic, or sewers are backed up in your house, or you don’t have clean drinking water. The things we do are so important.”
Although Kodi had been working from a Baton Rouge base since 2019, she had been leasing different spaces for several years and wanted something she truly owned—a headquarters she could make her own.
Enter Bank of St. Francisville. Through word of mouth and a connection with a BSF employee, Kodi found her way to the bank within the last couple of years. “I really wanted to find a permanent building for us we could grow into,” she said.
It wasn’t long before Kodi zeroed in on an office in Baton Rouge’s thriving Mid-City area. She loved the building, but it needed work to help flesh out its “good bones.” BSF was integral in helping her secure the loans and financing she needed to purchase and renovate the building, creating the sleek and modern office space she had envisioned.
Sustainable Design Solutions moved in last November, with eleven employees working out of the location. The new look includes a more aesthetically-pleasing interior with new floors, a new conference room, new workstations, glass doors, and wrought iron fencing in the front.
“They’re very accessible,” Kodi said about working with BSF. “Even when they’re not in the office—which you can’t say that about a lot of people.”
For her part, Whitney Boyd, BSF’s vice president, said Kodi was “such a pleasure to deal with.”
“She’s extremely smart and innovative,” Boyd said, adding that she was excited to help Kodi both professionally and personally, by bringing her family into the BSF fold. “I love being able to help these customers grow all the way around, full-picture, full-circle.”
And helping Baton Rouge grow, Boyd pointed out, includes helping to revitalize existing buildings and neighborhoods, increasing business activity and adding to a robust and healthy regional economy. With that kind of reach, and with strong client relationships, BSF hopes to continue the vital work of supporting small and locally-owned businesses.
“I don’t know very many people who can text their banker,” Kodi added. “Just that relationship of knowing they’re going to be there, be responsive. You’re not going to have to dial nine to speak to the operator—and that is really one of the biggest things for a small business owner.”
To learn more about how Bank of St. Francisville is helping small business clients put down roots, click HERE.
