With the success and hard work he achieves every day, Dwayne Guidry, owner of a Kona Ice of Acadiana, continues to give back to those in need.

“We give back 25 percent of our profits to the schools that they can use for supplies and things like that,” Guidry said.

The Kona Ice company as a whole, Guidry said, has given back over $50 million during the past 10 years, which was one of the motivating factors for his decision to join its ranks.

“The whole idea of the company is that they are very big in givebacks,” Guidry said.

Guidry said Kona Ice of Acadiana helps cater numerous events like school and athletic events, church events, youth camps, company picnics and parties and festivals.

Guidry, 69, worked for his own company, DJ Guidry’s Transport for 25 years, but became interested in his current job while vacationing one year.

“So it just happened, July 4 of 2012, we were vacationing in Destin and came across one of the Kona Ice Company trucks and it caught my eye,” Guidry said.

Kona Ice specializes in the relatively new trend of shaved ice. Shaved ice is different from snowcones in how it’s made, according to Guidry.

“For snowballs, you would jam blocks of ice and it would get chopped and it would come out in pieces,” Guidry said. “The new stuff, which they call ‘shaved ice,’ the machine actually spins the block of ice in a hopper and as it spins, there is a 360-degree blade that goes against the ice.”

Guidry said the ice hits the blade and it comes out like snow, similar to a cheese hitting a cheese grater.

As a man who was constantly on the road, Guidry knew the Kona Ice company was something different than the usual.

“I said, ‘Man, I never seen anything like this before,’” Guidry said.

Because Lafayette always has something to offer, according to Guidry, he knew he couldn’t envision working anywhere but there, and the UL Lafayette Athletics Department offered him an opportunity to expand his business.

“We catered and tailgated at the football games,” Guidry said. “They’re looking for a fundraiser of any kind.”

Guidry said he’s out there helping people with their causes, adding it’s a great feeling for him.

“I’ve been living in Lafayette all my life and UL Lafayette has always been a part of my life,” Guidry said. “It’s just an opportunity for me to grow and at the same time, we’re helping out these groups with a fundraiser.”

Guidry can be contacted at 344-9415 or by email at dguidry@kona-ice.com.