Company History

Broussard, LA- Diversification is the key to any successful business.  In fact, an old business theory suggest that “the moment you limit your services or your clientele is the moment you limit your income.”Michael and Cindy Pothier of Advanced Safety & training Management, Inc. (ASTM) couldn’t agree more.

The Pothier’s started their business in 1998 to provide professional safety consultation and services to oilfield service companies in the Acadiana area.Five years later, ASTM has not only broadened its service area, but it’s also expanded the array of its clientele.In fact, 70% of their clients are non-oilfield.

ASTM has clients throughout Louisiana.From New Orleans to Shreveport, Michael and his staff will go anywhere to inspect a location or train personnel.Several of ASTM’S clients reside outside of Louisiana.“Texas is a big market for us,” says Michael.“And thanks to word-of-mouth advertising, we have clients in Arkansas, Mississippi, Texas, and Colorado.”

The number of services that ASTM offers has also increased.Besides safety inspections and safety program reviews, ASTM trainers are certified in over 50 areas of training.ASTM is certified by Comtrain for fall protection and vertical rescue, PEC, National Center for Construction Education and Research (NCCER), Medic First Aid, and American Red Cross.

OSHA requires all employers whose workers are at risk of falling to develop a comprehensive plan for fall protection.OSHA also requires that companies have a rescue plan in the event that a climber cannot get down on his/her own.

We recognized that there was a lack of vertical rescue training available not only in Lafayette, but in this region.We knew that local companies in the communication tower work, oilfield service work, construction work and a variety of other industries needed someone to train their employees locally, but we did not realize how big this market could be, says Michael.To meet the demand for fall protection and vertical rescue, ASTM erected a 60 foot tower at their Broussard office.

Despite the meandering economy, ASTM has thrived.Rather than waiting it out like so many organizations have had to do over the past two years, ASTM has invested in themselves in the form of more employees, better training equipment, and office technology.“We are in the process of introducing many of our services on the Internet,” say Michael.Utilizing ASTM’s web site, clients will be able to review their training records and even print out training certificates.

Before going out on jobs, our clients will be able to review their employees’ training and certification records.They will be able to see what training each employee has and when they need to reschedule training.This training program will allow the company to have pictured ID and safety information on-line with their customers if needed.

Like Lafayette, ASTM started out in the Oilfield and has expanded out into many other industries to become successful.ASTM has found its niche in companies wanting quality training, when and wherever needed.

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