Errol Broussard was at his father’s funeral when a human resources representative from a carbon black plant in Ivanhoe, Louisiana, offered him a job. His father had worked there and always wanted Errol to follow in his footsteps — so he did.
Five decades later, he’s still at the plant, now owned by Orion S.A. The 77-year-old Errol is proud of his long career and has no plans to retire anytime soon from his role as a maintenance technician. He still has an extraordinary amount of energy – both on the job and in his many pursuits outside of work.
“My wife tells me all the time, ‘You’re not normal. I don’t know where you get your energy from,” he said.
Cars, records and hockey
Errol has raced cars, driving a ‘57 Chevy panel wagon nicknamed the “Rat Wagon.” He once had a side gig spinning records as a DJ. He parasails and rides motocross. As a grandfather, he even learned how to play ice hockey and helped his team win five championships.
“I was skating with my grandkids, and this guy walked up to me and said, ‘You play hockey?’” Errol said. “I said, ‘No,’ so he asked if I wanted to. I looked at my wife and she said, ‘I don’t care.’ He told me what equipment I needed to buy, and I met him that Wednesday.”
Errol’s size got him noticed on the ice. He wasn’t just big. He was cut and chiseled after years of bodybuilding – perhaps his life’s most impressive accomplishment. Errol is a two-time Mr. Louisiana along with two national championships and many other honors in the sport.
Pumping iron
He started lifting weights to give himself an edge in another one of his endeavors – participating in “old-timer” track-and-field meets.
“I was doing really well and didn’t want to compete in my age group because they were too slow,” Errol said. “So I’d compete with the younger guys.”
He was weak in the javelin and shot-put events, so he began lifting weights in a garage with his cousin. When they needed heavier weights, they joined a gym, where they would train a couple of hours after work each day with other bodybuilders.
“Once I started competing and winning,” he said, “other gyms wanted me to train at their place at different times to help out with memberships. I didn’t have to pay for memberships anywhere.’
He has been crowned Mr. Louisiana and in 1988 was the heavyweight winner in the Masters division at an Amateur Nationals event organized by the National Physique Committee.
“When they see some of my pictures, the grandkids tease me and say, “You’re in your underwear in front of everybody!’” he laughed. “That’s just what it was all about.”
Lots of chicken, fish and rice
At the peak of his bodybuilding career, Errol would wake up at 4 a.m. and ride his stationary bike for an hour. He would take a shower and go to work at 7 a.m. The rest of the day he would consume a meal every two hours.
“I was eating a lot of chicken, fish and rice,” he said, adding that carb-phobic people might wonder why he was consuming the grains. “It doesn’t matter what rice you are eating. It’s what you put on the rice that makes you fat.”
He was tempted to turn professional but decided to remain an amateur. That eventually led him to retire from the sport when he was 43, competing against guys his son’s age. In his last show, Errol said he was basically told he wouldn’t be allowed to win because he was doing it as a hobby and not as a career.
Big muscles, bad health
Ironically, when bodybuilders are in peak condition, they are not healthy, Errol said. “When you diet down and go from 240 pounds to 198 pounds in four months, you’re not healthy.”
Working all day in a carbon black plant can be enough exercise for many people. Once the workday is over, it’s extremely tempting to go home, crack open a beer and spend the rest of the evening on the sofa.
Errol said people often ask him how he mustered up the motivation to go to the gym and work out for four hours after work. He said he has always had an incredible drive to be the best at whatever he is doing. And most importantly, he enjoyed training. It was fun.
How play improves work
Bodybuilding helped make him better at his job at the plant. “It taught me focus,” he said. “It helped me stay sharp at work and in life.”
He had to be a lifelong learner, keeping up with the science, technique and equipment. This transferred perfectly to his work, which he’s as passionate as ever about.
“You know, a lot of people ask, ‘How can you be in maintenance and do the same thing every day?’” Errol said. “I tell them you’re not doing everything the same every day. It’s troubleshooting and, you know, keeping the plant running.”
Randy Turner, the plant manager at Ivanhoe, said Errol is a driving force behind improving the reliability of the plant. He praised Errol’s constant attention to detail involving oil levels, greasing frequencies and equipment inspections.
“He knows the fastest way to identify problems, get to the root, repair and get the equipment back in service,” Randy said.
Errol prefers to advise and give hints to the younger, less-experienced guys as he believes learning on their own has a stronger impact on their knowledge than just telling them how to do it, Randy said.
“He is a true mentor to others, and he is very well respected by his fellow technicians and by the entire management staff at Ivanhoe,” Randy added.
Life advice
Reflecting on his bodybuilding and career success, Errol said his best life advice is that it is never too late to start doing something.
“Don’t put off what you can do today because tomorrow might not come,” he said. “So that’s what I try to do every day, like it’s my last day. Just enjoying life.”
