There are 13 businesses that have been BBB Accredited with us since 1963.  As the Better Business Bureau celebrates 50 years of serving Southeast Texas in 2013, we will feature one of our charter Accredited Businesses each month in the e-Torch Report.

Alexander Broussard was born in 1861 on Taylor’s Bayou, south of Beaumont to Sevenne and Belzire Broussard.  The Broussards had moved to southeast Texas in the 1840’s, and had established ranching operations in Jefferson and Chambers Counties.  Alexander’s keen sense of livestock led him to open A. Broussard Livery Stable, and in the late 1800's began providing undertaking services.  In the early 1890’s, he opened the first dedicated funeral parlor in Southeast Texas and began a five generation tradition of caring and service to the area.

That first wood framed parlor on Fannin Street in downtown Beaumont was replaced in 1903 by a large brick facility which still stands today.  In 1928, the family firm moved to a stately home at the corner of Calder Avenue and Forest Street. In 1958, they moved to one of their present locations in a quiet neighborhood on McFaddin Avenue at Fourth Street in Beaumont.  As more families have relied on their care, there are now several facilities that serve much of southeast Texas.

Alex Broussard was succeeded in the family business by his son, Dale. In the fifties, the founder's grandsons, Alex Broussard and James Broussard joined the firm. By the early 1980's, the family vocation was in its fourth generation when Jim Broussard and Tom Broussard joined the company.  Today, Blue Broussard and Jayme Broussard Toeppich, great-great grandchildren of the founder have now established the fifth generation of Broussard's service to southeast Texas families.

The family’s leadership in their profession led them to be a part of the fledgling Texas Funeral Directors Association in the early 1900’s, and to carry some of the first licenses of the Texas Undertakers and Embalmers.  In 1950, Broussard’s was invited to membership in to what is now Selected Independent Funeral Homes, an organization whose membership is based on the highest standards of excellence in their profession.  In 1998, their family firm was presented the inaugural Torch Award for Marketplace Ethics by the Better Business Bureau of Southeast Texas. Their firm was also selected as an Outstanding Texas Family Business by Baylor University.

Professional recognitions for the Broussard family and staff include two Governor Appointments and Presidencies of the Texas Funeral Service Commission; Board Members and Officers, including two Presidencies of Selected Independent Funeral Homes, Texas Funeral Directors Association, and the Southeast Texas Funeral Directors Association including three Funeral Director of the Year accolades; the Federal Emergency Management Agency’s Regional Disaster Mortuary Team appreciation for outstanding performance immediately following the Oklahoma City bombing; and numerous resolutions commending service to the area following Hurricane Rita.

As proud southeast Texans, the Broussards are still committed to serve our area through community service and stewardship.  They continue to aid southeast Texas through numerous service and charitable organizations as they have for generations.  The American Red Cross, local Chambers of Commerce, historical preservation groups, Catholic Charities, local children's programs, Rotary Clubs, veteran's and civic groups, Young Men's Business League are just a few of the countless organizations the Broussard family has given their time and leadership to over the generations.  Broussard's is also a charter accredited business of the Better Business Bureau.  Alex Broussard served on the Rotary committee that established the BBB in southeast Texas, and Jim Broussard is a past Chairman of the organization.