Richard Zuschlag, local civic leader and longtime president and CEO Acadian Companies, has died at 76, the company announced in statement Wednesday. Zuschlag was battling cancer.
Zuschlag grew the upstart Acadian Ambulance, which he co-founded in 1971, into a powerful emergency services enterprise with six divisions. Still headquartered in Lafayette, the company remains an economic crown jewel for the region Zuschlag, a Pennsylvania native, adopted as his home.
“The lives he affected through his vision, generosity, inspiration, and leadership are countless. Whether a friend, employee, peer or patient, all of our lives were changed due to his undeniable determination to make a difference.
He developed strong relationships with politicos of all stripes and was inducted into the Louisiana Political Hall of Fame in 2019. A philanthropist and active civic leader, he won the Lafayette Civic Cup in 1996.