If you ask Sylvia Scineaux-Richard and her husband Alvin Richard, Jr. about the secret behind their entrepreneurial success, they’ll quickly tell you that it comes from a desire to give back.
“We’re both committed to seeing how we can make a better life for a lot of people, not only ourselves,” says Alvin.
The husband-wife duo have demonstrated that commitment on multiple levels. Alvin is the founder and owner of waste management service Richard’s Disposal, which he established in 1992. Sylvia is an experienced real estate agent who promoted legislation to create the East New Orleans Neighborhood Advisory Commission (ENONAC), an organization that involves residents in the decision-making process for the future of Eastern New Orleans.
“I always wanted to have my own company,” Alvin says. “I wanted to make a difference in not only my own life and my family life, but the lives of others. It’s about seeing what I could do for the community.”
In the 1970s, Alvin left a successful career in aerospace so that he could serve Eastern New Orleans. “I was on the team that wired the prototype for the Lunar Rover,” he says. “We received a Silver Snoopy for that work.”
But Alvin knew he could make a difference in his community by creating opportunities for locals while providing an essential service. “With my own business, I could supply jobs,” he says. “I was able to help some of my guys send their kids to school, get housing and transportation.”
Starting with only a few trucks and a dedicated team, Richard’s Disposal has since grown into a multimillion-dollar company with a fleet of 128 vehicles and 125 employees who provide contract disposal services for multiple cities in Louisiana.
“I’m very proud of the fact that we’re still a strong business after 42 years,” Alvin says.
Over the years, Richard’s Disposal has teamed up with Sylvia Scineaux-Richard’s community efforts, providing free cleanup in the area, sponsoring neighborhood projects and playgrounds, and even granting four-year scholarships to send kids to St. Augustine High School.
“We’re doing everything that we possibly can to assist the community,” Alvin says. “We want to help others achieve the goals that they have, especially young children.”
For her part, longtime-resident Sylvia has seen many changes to Eastern New Orleans over the years. That’s why she wants to make sure that the residents have a say in future development.
“We want Eastern New Orleans to grow in the right direction, adding value to the community,” says Sylvia. “ENONAC is a platform for neighborhoods and subdivisions to vent their concerns. We wanted the city to bring proposals to the community before the decisions were made, not after.”
ENONAC is the civic organization of East New Orleans subdivisions, and Sylvia served as President for thirteen years. She believes that residents were happier when they were included in the development that was taking place in the area and sought to restore that sense of community involvement.
“It’s a volunteer role, and it gives the community a voice in the development of Eastern New Orleans,” Sylvia says. “We needed to make sure that we had a say in what was being developed. Prior to ENONAC, we did not know what was being built until the pilings were driven in.”
Since its creation, ENONAC has provided a platform for residents to both voice their concerns and steer conversations about economic development in the region, which has a direct impact on quality-of-life initiatives like housing and beautification.
“We have a say in the types of businesses that are brought to the East, the quality of new housing developments, and the reduction of blight,” Sylvia says. “I’m proud of the fact that we have people from the most expensive and least expensive subdivisions all working together and participating in the decision-making process.”
She describes the development of Cypress Parc, a family housing community in the East, as one of ENONAC’s success stories.
“We were part of the planning and ribbon cutting of Cypress Parc,” Sylvia says. “ENONAC ensured that the things the community wanted—fencing and safety, parking for tenants, a place for the kids to play, a minimum size for apartments—that those needs were met.”
ENONAC has been successful at forging a bond between businesses and residents, a relationship which Sylvia says is beneficial for everyone involved.
“If residents are part of the process, they’re more likely to take care of the development, embrace it, and want to protect it,” Sylvia says, adding that attracting quality businesses is the next step. “Residents want businesses that add value to the community, with healthy foods and a variety of goods and services.”
The work isn’t always easy, but there’s no end in sight to Alvin’s and Sylvia’s joint efforts to promote family values and establish long-term prosperity for the Eastern New Orleans community. They continue to lead by example for their children and grandchildren, and maintain active involvement in the community and St. Maria Goretti Church.
“Eastern New Orleans is a mecca for growth,” Sylvia says. “We have the land, we have the people, and we have the potential.”
