Biz New Orleans December 2022

Master Your Money: Top financial tips for year-end P. 24

Have You Heard? Big wins in tourism you may have missed P. 16

Cautiously Optimistic: Local execs share their thoughts on 2023 P. 10

60 WHY DIDN’T I THINK OF THAT?

Blue Book Barkeeps is a unique business that’s proving to be a win-win for party patrons and local bartenders alike.

64 NEW ORLEANS 500

Mayra Piñeda, President & CEO of the Hispanic Chamber of Commerce of Louisiana

REAL ESTATE + CONSTRUCTION

In many ways, the Superdome serves as a great metaphor for the city: It’s historic. It’s iconic. It’s been through a lot, and it needs a lot of work.

BIZ

When Warren Leruth opened the iconic LeRuth’s in 1966, a new culinary era began in New Orleans.

Highlights from the past year in New Orleans tourism

SPORTS Pelicans drumming up excitement for “golden era” in the Big Easy

BANKING + FINANCE Top financial tips and advice for the end of the year

As we hit the midpoint of the school year, local educators share their thoughts on what’s working.

A local doctor’s wine distributorship is aiming to make New Orleans a nationally recognized wine destination.

GUEST Making financial coaching available to those who need it benefits us all.

GREAT WORKSPACES

The Louisiana Workers’ Compensation Corporation in Baton Rouge put wellness at the heart of its newly renovated headquarters.

Feeling Pollyanna-ish

his is my favorite time of the year. Actually, it starts in October, (because cooler weather and Halloween!) but it continues to the end of the year. Festival season starts ramping up in the fall and calendars quickly get packed with activities which, along with the presence of two major holidays, creates the feeling that time is moving quicker, but in a good way.

I’m a list person, a planner, and a goal setter, and to that end this time of year brings me extra joy because it’s a natural time to take stock in what has happened and make plans for the future. I’m maybe one of the last people on the planet that has a physical planner and calendar and I love to sit down with it and page back over the weeks and months and remember the year. (It’s basically the grown-up version of the diary I used to keep when I was 6 years old, but with much less complaining about my little brother and much more doctor and dentist appointments).

All year things move at such a pace that it’s easy to lose track of accomplishments and chal lenges and good memories that have been made. And as the years continue to move quicker, that feels extra important.

I delight in looking back, but I get energized looking forward. Every writer knows what it’s like to look at a blank page and feel over whelmed and intimidated, even a bit of dread, but that time just before something begins is also where the greatest possibility lies. May your coming year be full of possibilities, and may you embrace them to their fullest.

Thank you for reading.

KIMBERLEY SINGLETARY

Managing Editor Kimberley@BizNewOrleans.com

Correction: In the November issue article on succession planning, the co-owner of Command Construction Indus tries is Kelly Commander, not Kathleen.

Publisher Todd Matherne

EDITORIAL

Managing Editor Kimberley Singletary

Art Director Sarah George

Digital Media Editor Kelly Massicot

Associate News Editor Rich Collins

Perspective Writer Drew Hawkins

Contributors Ashley McLellan, Chris Price, Brandon Rapp, Jennifer Gibson Schecter, Melanie Warner Spencer, Poppy Tooker, Keith Twitchell

ADVERTISING

Senior Account Executive Jessica Jaycox Mahl (504) 830-7255 JessicaJ@BizNewOrleans.com

Senior Account Executive Meghan Schmitt (504) 830-7246 Meghan@BizNewOrleans.com

Sponsored Content Coordinator/Copywriter Eliza Fillo

RENAISSANCE

Arostegui

Subscriptions Jessica Armand

John Holzer ADMINISTRATION Office Manager Mallary Wolfe VP of Sales and Marketing Kate Henry Chief Executive Officer Todd Matherne

For subscriptions, call (504) 830-7231

Biz New Orleans is published monthly by Renaissance Publishing, LLC, 110 Veterans Memorial Blvd., Suite 123, Metairie, LA 70005; (504) 828-1380. Subscription rate: three year $49.95, no foreign subscriptions. Postage paid at Metairie, LA, and additional mailing entry offices. POSTMASTER: Send address changes to Biz New Orleans, 110 Veterans Memorial Blvd., Suite 123, Metairie, LA 70005. Copyright 2022 Biz New Orleans. No part of this publication may be reproduced without the consent of the publisher. The trademark Biz New Orleans is registered. Biz New Orleans is not responsible for unsolicited manuscripts, photos and artwork, even if accompanied by a self-addressed stamped envelope. The opinions expressed in Biz New Orleans are those of the authors and do not necessarily reflect the views of the magazine or owner.

Thinking Outside P&L

As the year comes to an end and we look back to measure the year’s success, I asked some fellow busi ness owners what they look for in their companies as successful benchmarks other than revenue and profits. Everyone can measure a year by numbers, but success is not always measured by a statistic. Sometimes success is a feeling of winning at an opportunity.

Across the board, I received so many great ways to value a company’s year as a success. One business owner opened a new division with product lines, spending capital for growth, while another hired a new employee who is making a difference in the company with improved productivity. Every one of them could point to opportunities that presented them selves and later became a measurable success that wasn’t tied to a number or statistic.

At Renaissance Publishing, we had great opportunities presented to us as well, and we are focusing in on those long-term successes. Whether it was a new custom publishing title coming on board, a redesigned magazine, a well-deserved promotion, a new digital product in development or a new hire excelling at their position, all these and so many other successes made for a great year.

This year, success was also measured in industry accolades, via awards for the content in our magazines. Once again, our editorial team across the company won local, national

and international editorial awards showcasing their excellent talents in writing, photography and layout and design. This marks 16 years in a row, since the formation of Renaissance Publishing in 2006, that our editorial team has taken home awards. They have never missed a year without a gold award for their excellent work, and we are so proud of them.

So, as the year closes out, I invite you to inves tigate your company and make a success list, a list of those opportunities that were presented to you that became great wins for the future.

Merry Christmas and Happy New Year.

KATE HENRY

VP of Sales and Marketing (504) 830-7216

Kate@BizNewOrleans.com

TODD MATHERNE

CEO and Publisher

Renaissance Publishing

JESSICA JAYCOX MAHL

Senior Account Executive (504) 830-7255

JessicaJ@BizNewOrleans.com

MEGHAN SCHMITT

Senior Account Executive (504) 830-7246

Meghan@BizNewOrleans.com

ON THE WEB BIZNEWORLEANS.COM

it has been the most engaging and exciting process of my political career, and we have withstood a battering at our community events. When I say hundreds of people have been yelling at us, I mean that literally, and we’ve stayed and listened.

BIZ TALKS PODCAST

EPISODE 125

Dolliole shares his thoughts on how the airport weathered the pandemic — and a very chaotic summer — and looks ahead to exciting new additions. Along with added flight options, travelers will be seeing a new offering at the airport that he said was the result of an unexpected consumer behavior change during the pandemic.

EPISODE 124

Commander’s Palace “Wine Guy” Talks “Sips of Autumn” and Holiday Pairings

Dan Davis — the sommelier, better known as the “Wine Guy” at Commander’s Palace — is talking wine. Davis shares how the restaurant used wine to bring in extra revenue, and sanity, during the pandemic. He also shares the details of a must-attend event for any wine lover this month and offers some fun insight into the world of wine, including his top pics for your table this holiday season.

The latest from MSY with Director of Aviation Kevin Dolliole

THE BUSINESS COMMUNITY IS TALKING ON BIZNEWORLEANS.COM Catch all the latest news, plus original reporting, people on the move, videos, weekly podcast and blogs, digital editions of the magazines and daily Morning Biz and afternoon newsletters. If it’s important to business in southeast Louisiana, it’s at BizNewOrleans.com.

The process has been a difficult one, but

Cynthia Lee Sheng, Jefferson Parish president, speaking at the Oct. 13 State of Jefferson event hosted by the Jefferson Chamber about her plans to rethink how the parish uses six of its 27 playgrounds. Among her goals are to increase access to high quality sports training for all.

Marty Mayer, Stirling president and CEO, speaking about the challenging road to securing the space for a new, smaller than usual Target store that opened Oct. 23 at 3450 Highway 190 in Mandeville.

NEWS FROM THE TOP Each month, we ask the top business professionals featured in the New Orleans 500 to weigh in on issues impacting the New Orleans business community. Have an idea for a survey question for the New Orleans 500? Email rich@bizneworleans.com.

Executives Cautiously Optimistic About 2023

For many, 2022 was a year of growth.

BY RICH COLLINS

Despite inflation, rising interest rates, workforce shortages and supply chain problems, 70% of respon dents to a November survey of Biz 500 members said their 2022 revenue was up year-over-year. That same percentage expects 2023 earnings to be even better, especially those in the construction industry.

“The industry seems busier than ever,” said Jordan Gurren Rose, co-owner of GoodWood NOLA, a New Orleans-based design and build firm specializing in custom furniture and architectural fabrication. “As long as large commercial projects stay on track, the outlook for 2023 looks promising.”

Anne Teague Landis, CEO of Landis Construction, seconds that notion, but urges caution.

“While we expect to see revenue growth in 2023, it will be a very tricky market envi

ronment,” she said. “So, while managing our growth, risk management will be more important than ever.”

Meanwhile, both Michael Holly of Holly & Smith Architects and Gwendolyn Sanders, president of Eustis Engineering, remain hopeful while factoring a recession into their business plans.

“While we know there is a recession predicted for 2023, our sources say it will be shallow and short-lived,” said Holly.

“We are prepared for 2023 and what it will present and are looking forward to 2024. Our attitude is quite positive for this region.”

“Our 2022 revenues have only trended upward in the last few months as a result of federal projects funded by the Infrastruc ture Investment and Jobs Act,” said Sanders. “However, this upward trend may only last for part of 2023. As federal spending decreases after the election and the country enters into a recession, we anticipate the later part of 2023 to be down.” T

Poultry costs have gone up more than the inflation rate due to shortages caused by the pandemic, and many processing plants [have converted] to deboning plants due to the high demand for boneless breast meat. This has caused tenders and bone-in chicken to be in short supply. We are moving from three chicken processing plants to five in 2023 to help mitigate the shortages and cost.

TORIE KRANZE

As a nonprofit, our leadership team studies market trends and their effect on our investment income, as well as changes in corporate philanthropic giving as a result of a younger generation rising to C-Suite leadership positions. … It’s difficult to project income/expenses with these moving targets.

Empower Your Cents has won two grants that are allowing us to provide financial literacy to the New Orleans community. MSC Financial Services is expanding its services for bookkeeping, taxes and strategic coaching.

CEO National Kidney Foundation of Louisiana

LORI JACKSON

Founder MSC Financial Services

Dan Shapiro, CEO at Krispy Krunchy Foods

IN THE BIZ

DINING

When Warren Leruth opened the iconic LeRuth’s in 1966, a new culinary era began in New Orleans.

TOURISM Highlights from the past year in New Orleans tourism

ENTREPRENEUR

A local doctor’s wine distributorship is aiming to make New Orleans a nationally recognized wine destination.

SPORTS Pelicans drumming up excitement for “golden era” in the Big Easy

The Leruth Legacy

When Warren Leruth opened the iconic LeRuth’s in 1966, a new culinary era began in New Orleans that continues today with LeRuth’s Gourmet Foods.

BY POPPY TOOKER

An inquisitive mind fueled by unquenchable curiosity set Leruth apart from other chefs. Early in his career, the brilliant research chef was credited with creating Green Goddess salad dressing for Seven Seas and later, Popeyes’ legendary biscuits and red beans and rice. As common place as oyster-artichoke soup or a fried softs hell crab topped with jumbo lump crabmeat

POPPY TOOKER has spent her life devoted to the cultural essence that food brings to Louisiana, a topic she explores weekly on her NPR-affiliated radio show, Louisiana Eats! From farmers markets to the homes and restaurants where our culinary traditions are revered and renewed, Poppy lends the voice of an insider to interested readers everywhere.

may seem today, both made their debut appear ance on LeRuth’s menu.

Larry Leruth recalled watching his father’s inquisitive mind at work.

“He was always teaching us something,” he said. “Every summer, Dad would close the restaurant and we’d go to Europe for a month. He carried little notebooks, where he’d record the menu for each of our meals along with tasting notes and drawings of dishes.”

Warren knew that his recipes and formulas were his treasure.

“He was highly secretive about his food,” Larry said. “All the cooks had to sign a nondisclosure agreement before working in the LeRuth kitchen. They weren’t ever allowed to leave the restau rant with anything written.” Warren premixed seasoning blends that he brought into the restau rant kitchen, ensuring his flavors’ secrecy.

When LeRuth’s closed in 1991, the father-son team formed a consulting firm specializing in food and flavor research, which they operated successfully together for decades.

“Dad was meticulous in his record keeping. He would say, ‘Date it, son,’ ensuring we could track information back that way.” His files included handwritten recipes and notes dating back to the early 1950s. “In his lifetime,” Larry chuckled, “Dad wrote to the moon and back a couple of times by hand.”

Warren passed away in 2001, leaving his estate to Larry’s mother, Marie. For 17 years, Warren’s meticulous records remained stored in a back building on Larry’s mother’s property.

Larry’s only child, Jacques, was 12 when his grandfather died.

Jacques met his future wife, Emilie Tutiaux, at a Mardi Gras party in 2017. Emilie, a native of Reims, France, was living in New Orleans, working for a small French wine producer. The two immediately bonded over a shared love of French food and wine. Emilie gleaned an

inkling of the Leruth legacy during the first dinner at her future father-in-law’s home.

“Immediately I realized that these people were really involved in food, my greatest life’s passion,” she said. “Every time we ate at Larry’s, the food was different than anything I’d experienced.”

The couple married in Oct. 2019, and after Emilie became pregnant in the fall of 2020, she and Larry found themselves clearing out his mother’s home following her death. Once they reached Warren’s file cabinets, Emile was stunned, and her business wheels began to turn.

“I wasn’t going to be able to travel anymore once the baby arrived,” she said. “I [had] told Jacques, ‘I can’t work for your dad forever!’”

Emilie assembled a business proposal, researching everything from legality to prof itability and putting it all together in a Power Point presentation.

“When Jacques and Emile asked to come talk with me, I thought they were going to ask for money,” Larry laughed. What the young couple actually wanted was access to the priceless Leruth legacy — Warren’s files.

“Potage LeRuth” was Warren’s original oyster artichoke soup. LeRuth’s Gourmet Foods initial offerings included the soup base, LeRuth’s Vanilla Flavor and Warren’s cookbook, Front Door, Back Door. The products were quickly welcomed onto grocery store shelves.

When Emile and Jacques set up at the Gretna Farmers Market, St. Francis sauce is added to the lineup, allowing shoppers to replicate LeRuth’s famed appetizer, Crab meat St. Francis. For Jacques, the best part is watching shoppers sample their products.

Catch Poppy Tooker on her radio show, “Louisiana Eats!” Saturdays at 3 p.m. and Mondays at 8 p.m. on WWNO 89.9 FM.

“Their face lights up and they say, ‘Oh my God! It’s just like I remember…” The Leruth legacy is priceless, exactly because of taste memories like that! T

IN THE BIZ TOURISM

A Look Back

Highlights from the past year in New Orleans tourism

BY JENNIFER GIBSON SCHECTER

Seasons New Orleans and Hotel Saint Vincent have been named to the Travel + Leisure It List 2022, the 100 Best New Hotels in the World.

The New Orleans Ernest N. Morial Conven tion Center made major strides in environmen tally sustainable operations by achieving its first Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) Gold certification. According to the Convention Center, this designation makes it the largest LEED-certified project in Loui siana, the largest convention center project in the U.S. certified under LEED v4.1 Operations and Maintenance, and the first convention center in the world to be awarded initial certifi cation under AnchorLEED v4.1 O+M.

nights in the market, generate $122 million in new direct spending, support 1,100 new jobs and contribute over $14 million in new hotel, sales and property taxes.

As we close another year in the tourism industry, we have much to be thankful for. Medical advancements and industry coor dination have allowed for travel and large-scale events to return safely while we continue to deal with the COVID-19 pandemic.

In New Orleans in 2022, we have benefited from a series of major events, beginning at the new year with the Allstate Sugar Bowl, followed by Mardi Gras, NCAA Men’s Final Four, Zurich Classic, French Quarter Fest, Jazz Fest and Essence Festival of Culture, to not mention the regional festivals that made their returns. Here are a few high lights from the past year.

New Orleans achieved new accolades to add to a long list. It is now ranked No. 2 on the Top 10 U.S. Cities list for Travel + Leisure; No. 7 on the Top 50 U.S. Destinations list in Conference Direct Meeting Mentor Magazine; No. 3 desti nation in the U.S. for City Lovers in Tripadvi sor’s Travelers’ Choice; and was named the No. 2 happiest travel destination in North America by Club Med. The Windsor Court Hotel was voted the No. 1 hotel in New Orleans by Travel + Leisure World’s Best Awards and the Four

“Earning LEED certification shows that our convention center is not just a major economic driver for the region but also a responsible envi ronmental leader in the state,” said Michael J. Sawaya, Morial Convention Center president, in a statement. “Being recognized as a LEED Gold certified facility under the most current quali fying standards is confirmation that the many energy-saving investments, building upgrades, and green initiatives we have implemented are helping to reduce our carbon footprint while also making the facility better for our guests, employees and neighbors.”

Additionally, the convention center made major strides toward redevelopment upriver. In August, the Ernest N. Morial New Orleans Exhibition Hall Authority Board, which over sees the convention center, adopted a master development agreement with its development partner, River District Neighborhood Inves tors LLC, approving the terms for a mixed-use development of 39-acres of land adjacent to the convention center.

It also completed a new hotel market study by HVS Convention, Sports & Entertainment to determine the viability of a proposed Conven tion Center Headquarters Hotel. According to the convention center, the study assumed the hotel would open in 2027 and concluded that a 600-room hotel is the most viable and would be an important addition to the lodging market. After the hotel’s stabilization in 2030, annually, it is expected to induce 96,000 net new room

The Louis Armstrong New Orleans Inter national Airport (MSY) continues to be an industry leader, this year receiving Best Airport in North America (5 to 15 million passengers per year) and Best Hygiene Measures in North America from the Airports Council Interna tional (ACI) World’s 2021 Airport Service Quality (ASQ) program. This is the second year in a row that MSY, which touts more than 4,000 airport workers, earned the Best Hygiene Measures in North America, an award created in response to COVID-19 safety measures intro duced at airports worldwide.

“The people have spoken—the Louis Armstrong International Airport is the best in the business. This is yet another piece of recognition demonstrating our commitment to providing the best possible experience for our passengers,” said Judge Michael Bagneris, chair of the New Orleans Aviation Board, in a statement. “We will continue to make strides in ensuring the best first and last impression for residents and visitors of the Greater New Orleans Region.”

From the skies to the river, the cruise industry in New Orleans is seeing a resurgence. New Orleans is the sixth-largest cruise port in the U.S. and has reported it is back to pre-pan demic numbers.

At her State of the Port address in September, Port NOLA President and CEO Brandy Christian said, “Our cruise business is a vital economic engine that contributes to the local tourism and hospitality industry. Every time a cruise ship docks at our Erato or Julia Street terminals, it’s like a mini convention pulling into town. All this activity creates jobs and injects money into the local and state economy.”

Port NOLA is currently served by Carnival, Norwegian, Disney and Royal Caribbean cruise lines, as well as riverine lines American Cruise Lines and American Queen Steamboat Company. Viking is scheduled to begin in January 2023. T

JENNIFER GIBSON SCHECTER was once a tourist in New Orleans herself and is now proud to call NOLA home.

IN THE BIZ SPORTS

We Have Liftoff!

Pelicans drumming up excitement for “golden era” in the Big Easy

BY CHRIS PRICE

It wasn’t long ago that the Pelicans were questioned about being the “little brother” to their next-door neighbors the Saints in New Orleans’ sports land scape. But major changes within both franchises have hushed the talk of the Pels being second fiddle. In recent seasons, the Saints have lost quarterback Drew Brees and head coach Sean Payton, major pillars of their success over the past two decades. Without them, the Saints have seemingly lost their edge and slipped into mediocrity in the NFL. That’s cracked the door for the Pelicans to emerge, and they’re responding by kicking the door wide open.

The team started the 2021-2022 season without superstar power forward Zion Williamson — who would miss the entire campaign due to injury and stumbled to a 1-12 start under then-first-year head coach Willie Green. Shooting guard Brandon Ingram emerged as the team’s leader and was bolstered by a mid-season trade for point guard C.J. McCollum. Together with rookie small forward Herbert Jones and center Jonas Valanciunas, the Pels battled to a 36-46 record, 10 games under .500, but good enough to finish ninth in the Western Conference and qualify for the NBA’s postseason play-in tournament. There,

they eliminated the San Antonio Spurs and Los Angeles Clippers to advance to the postseason for the first time since 2018 before taking the top-seeded Phoenix Suns to six games in the first round of the playoffs.

With the Saints struggling start to the 2022 season, sports fans are turning their atten tion and excitement to the Pelicans. Despite Williamson — the top overall draft pick in 2019 — only playing in 85 of 226 games in his three seasons, in July, the Pelicans signed him to a fiveyear maximum rookie extension worth at least $193 million, with a chance for that number to jump as high as $231 million. He’s been working with athletic trainers to stay healthy and has a chef to ensure he is eating right. Finally healthy, the 22-year-old is ready to expand on his career average of 25.7 points on 60.4% shooting with 7 rebounds and 3.2 assists per game.

With Ingram, who averaged 22.7 points, 5.6 assists and 5.2 rebounds per game, and McCo llum, who averaged 24.3 points and 5.8 assists, the team has a “big three” that can not only compete with but also best the core players of most other teams in the NBA. Add in the talent of Valanciunas; second-year players Jones, Jose Alvarado and Trey Murphy III, and the eighth overall pick from the 2022 NBA draft Dyson Daniels, and the Pels have positioned them

selves as a team to be reckoned with right now and for seasons to come.

It’s quite a turnaround from the days when superstars like point guard Chris Paul and power forward Anthony Davis felt like they had to leave the Crescent City to compete with a playoff-caliber team.

Watching the Saints, New Orleans fans know that injuries can disrupt best-laid plans, but if the Pelicans can stay healthy, league prognos ticators believe the team is entering its “golden era” and will be a force in the conference and post-season for seasons to come. With their amazing turnaround and post-season expe rience without their top player last season, this team knows it has a ton of potential with Williamson on the court again.

It may take some time for this young, talentloaded team to come together, but by the midseason All-Star break, the Pelicans have the potential to be an offensive juggernaut and the talk of the league.

The NBA and its partners are taking note of the Pelicans’ potential, too. The team has 11 nationally televised games this regular season and will likely get more in the postseason.

New Orleans is and will, likely, always be a football-first city, but the Pelicans have taken flight. Instead of fans turning their attention to the team after the Saints’ season ends, the Pels have snatched attention from the tipoff of their season, and they hope to hold it through the upcoming festival season and into early summer.

Season-ticket sales are up more than 25% compared to this time last year, a Pelicans spokesperson told The Times-Picayune. All floor seats are sold out, and the team is on pace to sell more suites than it ever has before.

It has been more than a decade since the franchise made the playoffs in consecutive years. That will likely come to an end this season, and there will be a lot of fans who will want to be in that number when the Pels go marching in. T

CHRIS PRICE is an award-winning journalist and public relations principal. When he’s not writing, he’s avid about music, the outdoors, and Saints, Ole Miss and Chelsea football.

New Orleans 500

Influential, Involved and Inspiring Executives

The New Orleans 500, an annual publication from Biz New Orleans magazine, profiles the business leaders who are driving the greater New Orleans economy today and making decisions that will shape the region’s future. The book is overflowing with details about regional CEOs, presidents, managing partners, entrepreneurs and other executives who are as devoted to their professions as they are to civic affairs. It’s a diverse group that includes fourth- and fifth-generation owners of family businesses as well as young, social media-savvy entrepreneurs building their brands one like or follow at a time.

IN THE BIZ ENTREPRENEUR

The Wine Doctor

A local doctor’s wine distributorship is aiming to make New Orleans a nationally recognized wine destination.

BY KEITH TWITCHELL

On the one hand, Dr. James Moises could hardly be more prototypi cally New Orleans: born and raised in Mid-City, graduated from Jesuit High School, then from LSU and LSU medical school.

On the other, he is a first-gen eration Lebanese-American who reached the top of the emergency medicine field and then decided to become a winemaker, a wine importer and an advocate for making New Orleans a top national wine destination.

While Moises remains on the faculty of Tulane School of Medicine and still sees a few patients, he found that “in medicine I felt a little stifled. It’s so scientific and structured. You encounter a problem, you know how to fix it, you do that.”

While winemaking is also a process, Moises loves what he calls “the magic of wine. It starts with a cluster of grapes, and if you do things right, it transforms into this amazing beverage.”

Moises was introduced to viniculture by a medical school friend from Oregon whose family was one of the first to plant wine grapes in that state back in the 1970s. Moises joined

his friend in planting some new vines in 2002 and made his first wine in 2006.

While the whole thing started as a hobby, Moises’ considerable entrepreneurial spirit soon kicked in, and in 2009 he started a wine distributorship, Bizou Wines.

“Originally I was planning just to represent Oregon wines,” he recalled, “since they had so little presence in New Orleans.”

This was when the family background aspect kicked in.

“Lebanon is a wonderful country with an incredible history of winemaking,” Moises said, noting that references to Lebanese wines occur in the Old Testament, and that the famed Temple of Bacchus was built there. “They were reviving the wine industry in the early 2000s, and I wanted to be part of that. Now we import more Lebanese wines than any importer in the United States.”

Not that his Bizou Wines port folio is limited in any way; Moises imports selections from around 400 small vineyards from all over the world.

“We buy directly from small, family-owned wineries,” he

explained. “Some of them are only producing a few hundred cases a year. To me, it’s about keeping it personal. You get great quality from people who have been making wine for genera tions. Those wines are a lot more special.”

Moises’ own products, which hail from the southern part of Oregon’s Willamette Valley, include pinot gris, rose, and his highly regarded pinot noir. Nothing makes him happier than being out at a local restaurant and seeing people sharing one of his bottles with family and friends.

Yet Moises has realized that depending on restaurants for the bulk of his sales, as most distributors do, is a risky model in the not-quitepost-pandemic world. Thus, one of his next proj ects is working to make New Orleans a nationally recognized wine destination. He is working on a campaign of short videos designed to showcase the entire New Orleans experience in the context of the great wines, and wine-drinking locations, available here.

Moises is driven in part by the need to sustain his business, a term he applies in a variety of ways. Having purchased a warehouse along the Lafitte Greenway — fulfilling his desire to return to his Mid-City routes — Moises is nearly done making the building completely energy-independent.

“I want to send the message that in New Orleans we can be forward-thinking,” he said. “It’s the right thing to do, and it ties into the wineries we represent, many of which are organic and biodynamic.”

As always with Moises, it all leads back to the wines and the winemakers.

“I love the romance of wine, the special relationships, the creativity of what they can do with these berries,” he reflected. “That’s why humans have been doing this for thousands of years, because it’s such a fascinating beverage.” T

KEITH TWITCHELL spent 16 years running his own business before becoming president of the Committee for a Better New Orleans. He has observed, supported and participated in entrepreneurial ventures at the street, neighborhood, nonprofit, micro- and macro-business levels.

Keith Twitchell’s blog, “Neighborhood Biz,” appears every Thursday at BizNewOrleans.com.

PERSPECTIVES

BANKING + FINANCE

Top financial tips and advice for the end of the year

26

EDUCATION

As we hit the midpoint of the school year, local educators share their thoughts on what’s working.

32

GUEST

Making financial coaching available to those who need it benefits us all.

REAL ESTATE + CONSTRUCTION

In many ways, the Superdome serves as a great metaphor for the city: It’s historic.

It’s iconic. It’s been through a lot, and it needs a lot of work.

What are your top financial tips or advice for the end of the year?

MEGHAN L. DONELON

The past few months of interest rate hikes, coupled with a possible recession, are good reminders to maintain a strong relationship with your local banker. Open and honest conversations about finances can be uncomfortable, but having those discussions now will provide you with the confidence and tools to continue to operate your business and manage your personal finances long after we weather this storm. It’s also important to stay financially disciplined during the holiday season. Many retailers are overinventoried and will entice consumers with holiday sales; however, the prices of gas, food, and housing should remain high for the foreseeable future. Keep the lines of communication open with your local bank and stay disciplined with spending.

My best consumer financial tip for the end of the year is to not put yourself in debt with holiday spending. It’s easy to get caught in a giftbuying frenzy, but if you have to go in debt to do it, it’s a mistake and a pitfall to avoid.

One popular payment feature right now is buy now, pay later. Unlike the old layaway plans, this purchase option allows you to leave with your purchase immediately and not have a payment due or have a reduced payment for a specified period of time.

While this can be a great interest saving benefit for tho-e who can pay off the item during the grace period, most people do not make substantial payments during the grace period. This can result in interest due and often a hefty monthly payment, which can cause more hardship for the consumer.

Make it a priority to get financially fit in 2023. Start with an emergency fund. If you haven’t already, save up to $1,500 in an account that you can access for unforeseen events like car repairs. Review your subscriptions. Americans spend upwards of $100 per month in subscriptions, many of which they don’t use. Learn what your credit score is and how to improve it. At OnPath, we have an app called Savvy Money that gives members access to credit education and tips. The more you know, the better your financial decisions will be.

JARRETT COHEN

Principal and Chief Investment Officer JECohen & Co

INVESTING

Financial markets, especially the U.S. stock markets, are incredibly volatile and uncertain, but they always are. Shelby Davis, an investing legend, famously said, “You make most of your money during a bear market. You just don’t realize it at the time.” Now is that time. We’re advising our clients to stay the course, and more importantly, encouraging them to dig up the backyard to invest more. As such, our proprietary strategies are fully invested as we’re finding very compelling opportunities today.

FINANCIAL PLANNING

Ignore tax loss harvesting hoopla and other bogus financialplanning ideas that financial advisors bestow to appear intelligent. Most times, doing nothing is in fact the best decision to make. However, one should reassess as regularly as one’s gut will allow.

INFLATION

Eggs are $4 a dozen today; I doubt they’re going down to $1. Inflation is a compounding mechanism. Thus, the Fed’s sentiments about getting back to 2% inflation is misleading because the 2% will compound on the recent 8% figures. Investing in high-quality stocks is by far the best way to maintain your purchasing power over time. Investors should think about this going into year-end as their cash compounds increasingly negative real rates of return.

GLOBAL ECONOMY

Financial markets and economies are often negatively uncorrelated. The U.S. economy is performing very strong on many accounts today, yet we find U.S. stocks in a bear market. The U.S. economy was propped up by the Fed the past 15 years, but the U.S. stock market continually set new highs. I’d wager that the U.S. stock market will surprise many people in the near term but not without heightened volatility — not risk of permanent loss of capital.

Jared Freeman, President and CEO of OnPath Federal Credit Union

New Orleans Market President Red River Bank

CHRIS FERRIS

President & CEO Fidelity Bank and NOLA Lending

PERSPECTIVES EDUCATION

Halfway Through

As we hit the midpoint of the school year, local educators share their thoughts on what’s working.

BY DREW HAWKINS

For most, December marks the end of the year, but for those in education, it’s only the halfway point of the school year.

For educators, the end of the calendar year presents an opportunity to find out what’s been working and see if any lessons can be applied to the future. This is especially true this year, the first “normal” school year since the COVID-19 pandemic shut down in-person classes in March 2020.

Local educator Sam Kane, creative writing teacher and chair of the English department at Frederick Douglass High School, said he’s altered the way he delivers his lessons to his students.

“Students must be taught in the manner in which they receive information,” Kane said. “For this generation, they receive short, bite-sized chunks via social media and news apps (where they only read the headlines, let’s be honest), so my teaching must also be divided into individual sections and checks or understanding.”

Kane said he’s also seen phone usage among his students as almost an addiction, especially after the pandemic.

“Young people were separated from their peers during their most social years, with only technology to keep them connected,” Kane said, “so it makes sense that they

are having a hard time letting it go for in-person school.”

Tony Cook, director of communications, marketing and public relations at Delgado Community College, echoed Kane’s reflections.

“The pandemic taught me, and many others working in higher education, that we must ensure that students are provided an opportunity to learn in the environment that best fits their personal goals and lifestyle,” he said. “That might be a completely online class, a class taught completely in person, or a hybrid of these delivery methods.”

That realization is part of the reason why Delgado now offers 25 associate degree and certificate programs entirely online — everything from accounting to criminal justice to website design — while still teaching in-person classes at their seven campuses in the New Orleans region daily, including evenings and weekends.

And that commitment is what Cook said keeps him excited about the job.

“Many times, students enroll in college not fully comprehending the vast array of educational and career opportunities avail able to them,” he said. “Seeing them gain the self-awareness and self-confidence that come with succeeding in coursework related to their personal interests makes me feel great.” T

Don’t forget the moment during the pandemic when parents realized just how much work it is being a teacher. Especially during parent-teacher conferences.

I would like to see more people taking advantage of the opportunities higher education provides. I’m a living example of what Delgado and college in general can do for an individual who is motivated to learn and grow.

Starting this fall semester without a COVID surge and a hurricane is a welcome opportunity for the University of Holy Cross to move forward with key strategic initiatives to meet the needs of students and the community in healthcare, education, business, mental health counseling and food science.

SAM KANE

Creative Writing Teacher and Chair of the English Department

Frederick Douglass High School

Dr. Stanton McNeely, presi dent, University of Holy Cross

TONY COOK Director of Communications, Marketing and Public Relations

Delgado Community College

REAL ESTATE + CONSTRUCTION

On Nov. 30, 1972, Louisiana’s $129.5 million Superdome was taking shape in New Orleans. The center crown of the 72, 000-seat stadium is seen here under construction, set to be completed in 1974.

A DREAM AND A DOME

In many ways, the Superdome serves as a great metaphor for the city: It’s historic. It’s iconic. It’s been through a lot, and it needs a lot of work.

BY DREW HAWKINS

Legend has it that when Dave Dixon — businessman and chairman of the city’s municipal sports commission — proposed the idea of the Super dome to then-Gov. John J. McKei then in 1963, the normally folksy and passionate McKeithen was stone silent as he studied a scale model of the domed stadium and listened to Dixon’s vision.

Suddenly, McKeithen slammed his fist on his solid wooden desk.

“My God, that would be the greatest building in the history of mankind,” he roared. “We’ll build that sucker.”

DID YOU KNOW? The Superdome is the largest fixed dome structure in the world.

Dixon was fiercely focused on bringing a professional football team to the Big Easy, but after a rain-soaked exhibition double-header, he realized a domed stadium would be crucial if he was going to persuade a professional franchise to stay in New Orleans.

He believed Saints spectators would have to be protected from the elements if a team was going to succeed in the region’s tropical climate. Dixon was able to gather support from city officials, and now he had a supporter in McKeithen.

But it wouldn’t be easy. After Louisiana voters approved a constitutional amendment that would make the dome’s construction possible in 1966, the project’s progress ebbed and flowed for years. For starters, there were disputes as to where to build it.

Initially, the dome was set to be built on 125 acres of land on Paris Road in New Orleans East, which would have provided interstate access and plenty of elbow room for the stadium, with parking for more than 20,000 cars. There were even dreams of a Disneyland-style amusement park being built on the site.

But the New Orleans Chamber of Commerce made a strong case for a central location, arguing it would bring in more tourists and more money to downtown businesses and the nearby French Quarter, and convinced Dixon and McKeithen.

But by the middle of 1970, construction had yet to begin, and locals started to ques tion whether the Superdome was worth it—or whether it would ever be built. Despite delays, setbacks and going over budget, the project moved forward with city and state funding, opening its doors on Aug. 3, 1975.

Every New Orleanian remembers the first time they walked into the Superdome and looked across the field. It gives one the sense of what it must have felt like to be in a Roman arena. And, like The Colosseum, the Superdome is an iconic landmark — it’s a part of the city.

Over the last 47 years, the dome has weath ered its fair share of storms, literally. Many recall the stadium being used as a shelter of last resort during Hurricane Katrina in 2005, which also tore off a large section of the outer covering.

And while the hole in the roof was repaired, the dome has been long overdue for some much-needed TLC. An example of that was made obvious at the 2013 Super Bowl, when a power outage in the stadium turned out the lights and halted the game for 34 minutes.

”

Brad McWhirter, partner at Trahan Architects

Anyone who’s ever had to navigate the narrow, labyrinthine system of escalators to grab a snack or a drink will be happy to hear that. On that note, the project also includes a complete transformation of the food-and-bev erage program.

“Due to the iconic nature of the exterior of the Superdome, cooking capabilities were limited in the original design,” McWhirter said. “Current technology and systems allow us to create satellite cooking capabilities throughout all building levels to provide patrons with an enhanced food-and-beverage experience.”

That means more options and a series of new “grab-and-go” markets throughout the dome to make concession runs faster and more efficient.

These renovations have been ongoing since 2020, and adding to the challenges the design and construction team faced was maintaining an operational, functional and safe building throughout phased construction.

“It was important to the state and the Saints to allow as many scheduled events as possible to continue throughout construction,” McWhirter said.

To date, Broadmoor — the construction company working to put Trahan Architects’s plans into action — has installed four new stair wells that allow vertical movement from the 100 to 500 levels, along with two new freight elevators and eight new standing-room viewing decks.

And because the Caesars Superdome (as it is now known) is historic, it’s important that any renovations are done with care and attention. The architect for the current upgrades — a five-year, $450 million endeavor — is Trahan Architects. The firm has been charged with upgrading the facility without sacrificing its iconic architecture.

That includes the Superdome’s complete transformation of the traffic flow. In the past, the volume of the dome’s interior was shielded from visitors until they entered the main arena.

“Visitors experienced low floor-to-floor heights and tight concourses from the entrance to the seats,” said Brad McWhirter, partner at Trahan Architects. “The [new] design carves three large corners and two large sideline atrium voids vertically through all levels to create enhanced pathways for new escalators and elevators, allowing patrons to move quickly through the building to new amenities.”

Broadmoor has also completed construction on newly added north endzone clubrooms and north end zone field level suites, new high school and college football locker rooms, a new NFL visitors locker room, new Saints locker room, and a new Saints team store.

They’ve also been hard at work on the less flashy but critically important revitalization of the facility’s infrastructure, with projects such as relocating major electrical rooms from the ground level up to the 550 level, installing two new emergency generators, adding enhanced fire alarm systems, and building a new kitchen and commissary on the ground level.

For Broadmoor, it’s the project of a lifetime. “It’s an opportunity to transform the most iconic building in the city of New Orleans,” said Ryan Mouledous, the company’s president and CEO. “This project puts the dome in contention for hosting future events such as the Super Bowl, Final Four and College National Championships.” T

“

The [new] design carves three large corners and two large sideline atrium voids vertically through all levels to create enhanced pathways for new escalators and elevators, allowing patrons to move quickly through the building to new amenities.

PERSPECTIVE GUEST

It Takes a Financial Village

Making financial coaching available to those who need it benefits us all.

BY BRANDON RAPP

One in two households in Louisiana is unable to afford basic expenses or save for emergencies, according to the 2020 United Way ALICE Report for Louisiana. With finan cial shocks more prevalent due to increasing natural disasters and the cost of living rising because of inflation, expanding financial services and coaching strategies is essential to strengthen the financial health of Louisianans. Financial coaching presents our neighbors, and more specifically, communities most vulnerable to financial hardship, an opportunity to achieve better financial health.

FINANCIAL COACHING IS A PROVEN STRATEGY. The approach helps clients who receive finan cial coaching services develop the financial understanding and awareness to reach their financial goals. As indicated in our Asset Funders Network Brief, financial coaching “creates measurable gains for low- and moder ate-income clients in the areas of money management, savings, debt levels, credit scores, financial confidence and financial well-being.”

As a result, pairing coaching with a client’s ability to build financial know-how improves client financial health overall.

Of course, those who seek to improve their financial health are not monolithic in

experiences and needs. Our financial health is dependent on our medical health, work status, housing needs, education attainment goals and family priorities, for example. These inter secting factors shift without notice, and many of our neighbors may experience financial hard ships at various moments throughout their lives. From the young leader balancing child care and student loan debt to the baby boomer planning for retirement to the formerly incarcerated managing reentry into the workforce, each person should have the opportunity to work with a financial coach to address their needs. The “coach” provides one-on-one support to meet individuals and families where they are.

One major access point to financial coaching is employer financial wellness programs. Often, employer wellness programs are an avenue for employees to access financial coaching services. Eighty-six percent of employees are somewhat or very likely to participate in an employer finan cial wellness program if offered. Unfortunately, employees are often not aware of financial coaching benefits and are more likely to only seek these programs in times of financial hard ship. Increasing employer wellness programs and improving the delivery of those programs will serve to grow access to financial coaching services.

As employers seek to provide access to finan cial coaching, nonprofits and philanthropic

organizations are vital in supporting the financial coaching ecosystem. Asset funders, including philanthropies, Community Devel opment Financial Institutions, and banks can invest needed funding for nonprofit organiza tions to plan, implement, and expand financial services for employees and individuals.

In October 2022, the Louisiana Asset Funders Network announced $1 million to invest in nonprofit organizations to boost financial coaching in the region. Our corporations and philanthropies share a responsibility to invest in resources and to partner with nonprofit organi zations that expand financial coaching access to those who are seeking these services.

As access to financial coaching scales, funders, employers and nprofits must consider racial equity in its approach. For people of color — who are impacted by structural racism as demonstrated by the existing wealth gap and income inequities in the United States — a racial equity lens is integral in explaining root causes of one’s financial health, especially for people of color. AFN defines structural racism as the institutional, interpersonal, and historical dynamics across systems that dispro portionately advantage White individuals and create adverse outcomes for people of color. Employer wellness programs and funders can invest in racial equity training for coaches to increase equitable outcomes for all.

Louisiana asset funders and philanthropies, employers, and nonprofits are key stakeholders to support the investment that will make financial coaching accessible. Our neighbors — especially those from minority and low-income communities — deserve an opportunity to access financial coaching and to be on a pathway to attain financial freedom. The payoff for Loui sianans is increased productivity, lower financial stress, and improved financial health for our neighbors and for those who need it most. T

BRANDON RAPP is the Louisiana program officer at the Asset Funders Network, the leading grantmaker membership organization focused on advancing equitable wealth building. For more information, visit AssetFunders.org. Brandon can be reached at Brandon@assetfunders.org.

LUXURY REAL ESTATE

PUBLISHER’S

NOTICE: All real estate advertised herein is subject to the Federal Fair Housing Ace and the Louisiana Open Housing Act, which make it illegal to advertise any preference, limitation, or discrimination because of race, color, religion, sex, handicap, familial status, or national origin, or intention to make any such preference, limitation, or discrimination. We will not knowingly accept any advertising for real estate which is in violation of the law. For more information, call the Louisiana Attorney General’s Office at 1-800-273-5718.

When the editorial team sat down this year (virtually, because we’re still living in a semi-post-pandemic world) to discuss our contenders for the top stories of the year, the first thing on everyone’s mind was the natural choice for No. 1: crime. Whether Mayor LaToya Cantrell chooses to “embrace it” or not, the fact is that New Orleans claimed the terrible title of “Murder Capital of the Country” this year thanks to achieving the highest rate of per capita homicides in the nation, and the highest New Orleans has seen in almost 30 years. Crime has risen in many metropolitan areas during the pandemic, but we are a standout, and we are all feeling the effects every day.

It’s not just that our streets have become deadlier, they’ve become scarier all around thanks to steep increases in carjackings and theft. Just in October, multiple small businesses on Freret Street were victims of break-ins and Starbucks closed its flagship store in New Orleans on Canal Street citing security concerns.

And while we were fortunate not to be hit by any hurricanes this year, both flood and homeowners’ insurance rates skyrocketed, greatly affecting affordability for existing and potential citizens. Instead of too much water, we face the opposite problem this year as the Mississippi River sits at historically low levels, impacting shipping and water quality.

So that’s the bad news, but the good news is that a vast majority of our Top 10 Stories are ones of growth. Just a few include the announcement of multiple new endeavors in New Orleans East, the return of festivals, and the long-awaited reopening of Avondale Shipyard under a new iden tity: Avondale Global Gateway. In an exciting move toward further diver sifying our economy, things are also moving forward with a $50 million partnership to create a clean hydrogen cluster in South Louisiana.

Yet again, we look back upon a year that brought great problems, but yet again we saw some big wins and a solid sense of optimism among busi nesses continues. That optimism is what will push us forward, what will energize us to tackle the issues that are to come and find the opportunity that lies within them.

By

By

Keith Twitchell, Owen Racer, Rich Collins and Kim Singletary

Rich Collins, Kimberley Singletary, Keith Twitchell and Xxxxx

01 CRIME TAKES OVER

homicides, the murder rate is calculated based on population. As of September, the number of homicides per 100,000 New Orleanians was 52, substantially higher than cities like Chicago (18) and New York City (3.5). As of summer, the city’s murder rate was 141% what it was in 2019.

Frustrated and concerned with the rise in violence, citizens and businesses gathered to take action in July with the launch of NOLA Coalition. The group announced its formation and plans at a July 12 press conference at the Youth Empowerment Project headquarters in Central City. At the time, the 200-member alliance proposed a two-part plan to “create a safer and more prosperous New Orleans for all residents” that includes urging city leaders to implement crime-fighting strategies and raise funds for a $15 million investment in social services. Funds raised by the coalition for youth services are being distributed through the United Way.

Now up to more than 400 members — including local nonprofits, civic organizations and businesses — the NOLA Coalition released a 60-day report on Sept. 12. In its summary, it reported the following wins: “Mayor Cantrell has called for major support for NOPD. The

An investigator walks past a handgun and an evidence marker at the crime scene of a shooting at Xavier University in New Orleans, Tuesday, May 31, 2022. A shooting killed an 80-year-old woman who had come to a university arena to see her grandson graduate from high school.

While there have been multiple big economic wins over the past year, one issue has dominated not only head lines both locally and nationally, but the thoughts of all that live in New Orleans this past year: crime.

Prior to the pandemic in 2019, New Orleans’s murder rate hit a 50-year low of 121 for the year. As of Oct. 2, that number was up to 220. The number of shootings in the city at that time had reached 534 and armed robberies were up to 417 for the year.

Headlines proclaiming New Orleans the “Murder Capital of the United States” have spread around the country and even interna tionally. Although other cities like St. Louis and Baltimore may have higher numbers of

City Council has taken a range of action, from funding for recruiting, to a revised technology ordinance, to raises for our officers. And the community has responded, with nearly $3.5 million donated for support of youth services, to be provided by community-based organiza tions from within the City’s Youth Master Plan.”

Although the report included multiple mentions of actions by Mayor LaToya Cantrell — including a three-year, $80 million plan to beef up the police force — efforts to recall Cantrell, began in August when former Demo cratic mayoral candidate Belden “Noonie Man” Batiste and one of Cantrell’s ex-staffers, Eileen Carter, filed a petition to recall the mayor. The group needs 20% of the city’s population, or 63,000 people to sign the petition by Feb. 22, 2023. If that happens, the city will hold a vote on recalling the mayor.

In addition to the city’s insufficient attempts to stem crime and support the New Orleans Police Department — whose numbers have fallen to under 1,000 officers, the lowest staffing level in decades — the group points to the disrepair of local streets and ongoing garbage collection problems as justification for the recall. — KS

Insurance Costs Drown Homeowners and the Housing Market

private companies and must have adequate rein surance to protect state taxpayers from being on the hook for paying claims.

Faced with absorbing tens of thousands of additional policies, as well as soaring reinsur ance costs, Louisiana Citizens announced that as of January 1, 2023, its rates would increase by 63%. For some homeowners who previously had private insurance, the cost of property insurance will come close to doubling.

02The entire situation is so dire that Gov. John Bel Edwards and other state leaders, while on a trip to England, met with international insur ance giant Lloyd’s of London to discuss ways to lower reinsurance costs, attract more private insurers to Louisiana and generally try to ease at least some of the burden.

LCMC Health Acquiring Tulane Med Center

ON OCT. 10, LCMC Health announced plans to purchase Tulane Medical Center in New Orleans, Tulane Lakeside Hospital in Metairie, Louisiana and Lakeview Regional Medical Center in Covington, Louisiana, for $150 million. They will join LCMC Health system’s current list of six hospitals.

The deal will mean the Greater New Orleans area will be served by only two major health care operators: LCMC and Ochsner Health System. The two organizations hope the agreement will be finalized late this year or early next year, pending regulatory and governance approvals with transition planning and activities to follow.

For property owners across South Louisiana, 2022 brought a flood of bad news regarding insurance policies and payments.

Due to multiple hurricanes in the two previous years, more than 600,000 claims were made on property insurance policies. Payments to residential property owners alone totaled more than $11 billion.

Unsurprisingly, some smaller insurance companies were unable to absorb this kind of cash outlay. While all insurers are required to have reinsurance to protect themselves against unexpectedly high payouts, that was not enough to keep some companies solvent. Consequently, at least nine insurers underwriting properties in Louisiana failed completely over the course of 2022, and 11 others announced they would stop doing busi ness in the state.

To protect property owners in this situa tion, Louisiana has its own property insurer, Louisiana Citizens. This highly regulated entity is required to charge at least 10% more than

Compounding the problem, the National Flood Insurance Program announced a major revision of its underwriting approach, in the face of being more than $20 million dollars in debt. This program only provides insurance for flooding, while regular property insurance protects against threats like wind and falling trees. Property owners in designated floodprone areas are required to have both; for Southeast Louisiana, estimates are that the changes could cause flood insurance premiums to rise for some half-million homeowners.

How much? FEMA, which manages the program, has tried to downplay the potential for large increases. However, there have been estimates that upwards of half of Louisiana policy holders will see their rates more than double in the next 10 years.

Not only is this incredibly threatening for existing homeowners, one ripple effect has been to stifle housing sales, as the higher insurance rates create substantial increases in property costs.

Housing affordability has been an increasing issue in the region for several years, and substan tial jumps in insurance costs that began in 2022 are making the problem much worse. — KT

“Together with LCMC Health, we can combine our strengths to expand worldclass academic medicine in the greater New Orleans area,” said Tulane University President Michael A. Fitts. “Academic medical centers provide the most complex and high-quality care and are the birthplace of new treatments and technologies. This partnership will help drive clinical, educa tional and economic innovation and growth that improves the quality of life across our entire region.”

The plan calls for the majority of services provided at Tulane Medical Center’s downtown hospital to move to East Jefferson General Hospital and University Medical Center New Orleans over the next two years. Tulane Medical Center will then eventually be home to a 200-student nursing program as part of a $600 million project directed toward revitalizing Tulane’s Downtown presence. That plan also includes reno vating the Charity Hospital building, which closed after Hurricane Katrina in 2005. By 2025, it will serve as the new home of the Tulane School of Public Health and Tropical Medicine. Employees of both HCA and LCMC will be retained.

LCMC Health said it will make an initial capital investment of $220 million at East Jefferson General Hospital, Lakeview Regional Medical Center and Tulane Lakeside Hospital. The funds will help “maintain the standards of care and patient experience, invest in new equipment and facilities as well as ensure these facilities attract the best and brightest medical providers,” according to a spokesperson.

Not everyone is in favor of the deal, however. In late October, the largest union of registered nurses in the nation, National Nurses United, submitted a letter to Attorney General Jeff Landry, whose approval is needed for the acquisition to go through. The letter states that the resultant duopoly will lead to “further consolidation, higher health care prices and cuts to vital services.” — KS

The Party is Back: Festivals Return by the Hundreds Post-Pandemic

Its move to Lakeshore Drive made it the first Lakefront event of its size since pre-Katrina days.

Pent-up demand for festivities resulted in record participation at some events in 2022. While quantifying the crowd at French Quarter Festival is always a challenge, organizers announced atten dance of more than 800,000. Hogs For The Cause raised a record $2.6 million for charity at its 2022 event, while Bayou Boogaloo — held on the banks of Bayou St. John — had to impose new safety measures to keep partygoers afloat.

Just in case there was a tiny gap somewhere in the festival calendar, several newcomers

sprang up in 2022. One example was the New Orleans Book Festival, which made its pandem ic-delayed debut at Tulane University. For tech heads, the Fresh Mint Fest brought technology to the streets of the French Quarter.

Gathering to celebrate everything our region has to offer, from Abita to zydeco, is part of the very fabric of Southeast Louisiana. Festivals are also major contributors to the regional economy, supporting chefs, musicians, technicians, crafts people, construction workers, and of course the tourism and hospitality industries. Seeing them return in full force is worthy of celebration. — KT

New

Our local festivals bring out the best of every thing New Orleans: great food, music, crafts, cultural displays and people. The two-year hiatus caused by the pandemic not only was damaging to the celebratory spirit of the region, it also caused substantial economic losses.

The festival scene roared back to life in 2022, celebrating everything from fried chicken to books, chamber music to tomatoes. A quick review of several festival calendars indicated that the Greater New Orleans region hosted upwards of 1,000 such events over the course of the year.

In terms of size and economic impact, no festival tops Jazz Fest. After its two-year hiatus — the first time it canceled in its 50-year history — nearly half a million music lovers flocked to the Fair Grounds for the seven-day event. Not only does the festival provide a paying gig for local musicians, it showcases them in front of new audiences from all over the world, creating new booking opportunities.

With an estimated $400 million impact, the return of Jazz Fest also meant filled hotel rooms, restaurants and clubs; orders for all the suppliers and vendors; work for all the setup and sound crews; and funds for the nonprofits that benefit from the Jazz and Heritage Foundation grants.

Some other re-emerging festivals turned up in new locations, like the Fried Chicken Festival.

Big Plans for Hydrogen Cluster Start to Take Root

IN EARLY SEPTEMBER, it was announced that the U.S. Economic Development Administration had awarded a $50 million federal grant to H2theFuture, a 25-organization partnership that plans to develop a new offshore wind-powered hydrogen energy industry cluster in South Louisiana.

Orleanian Robert Gale, left, dances with Fredda Siedenbaum, of New York, as Steve Riley & the Mamou Playboys perform at the New Orleans Jazz & Heritage Festival in New Orleans on Friday, April 29, 2022.

With 85,000 residents, New Orleans East is the most populated area of the city — yet it is also among the most economically underdeveloped sections of New Orleans. That may be changing at last, as 2022 saw a flurry of new investment and projects, along with implementation of a focused business growth strategy.

Investment sources ranged from local monies to foundation grants to interna tional corporations; industries ranged from manufacturing to movies to technology. Among the highlights:

• Spanish conglomerate Calucem announced a $35 million cement manufacturing facility to be built along the Industrial Canal. Expected to open in early 2023, the project will generate 70 direct jobs and another 158 indirect jobs, according to the company, which cited the availability of trans portation options, raw materials and a qualified workforce in selecting the location.

• Actor Anthony Mackie, perhaps better known as Captain America, is reportedly planning a 20-acre film studio. The New Orleans native and

INVESTMENT CONTINUES IN NEW ORLEANS EAST

NOCCA graduate’s star power and industry connections would bring a positive spotlight to New Orleans East.

• Food lovers will be delighted to hear that the Dagostino Pasta Company will be returning from Baton Rouge to its New Orleans roots. Now owned by local food services leader L.H. Hayward & Company, the new facility will focus on providing pasta for wholesale and home delivery.

• Joining his brother Anthony, Dr. Calvin Mackie, founder and CEO of STEM NOLA, announced plans to establish an Innovation Center on Plaza Drive. The Ochsnerowned building has been shuttered since it sustained damage in Hurricane Katrina and was donated by the hospital giant to STEM NOLA. The build-out — supported by a $1.25 million grant from the Kellogg Foundation — will create labs, classrooms and meeting rooms. Programs will have a special focus on providing opportunities for underserved children of color and on STEM-based profes sional development for educators.

• International investment is also coming from Iriapak, an Italian packaging manufacturer. The company is building a $7 million packing film production plant in the New Orleans Regional Business Park that is expected to generate 25 direct jobs and 28 indirect jobs. Iriapak noted transit and labor access as attractions for locating in the region.

Underpinning all of this, in 2022 the New Orleans Business Alliance (NOLABA) imple mented a targeted economic growth strategy for New Orleans East. The strategy has dual focuses of attracting new businesses and invest ment, while highlighting and promoting existing enterprises.

In its press release announcing the strategy, NOLABA described New Orleans East as “well-positioned for accelerated economic expansion.” Despite the continued delays in redeveloping the old Jazzland site, 2022 saw important initial steps toward realizing that optimistic vision. — KT

The proposal – led by nonprofit business booster Greater New Orleans Inc. – was one of only 21 winners out of more than 500 entries in the EDA’s Build Back Better Challenge. GNO Inc. said the plan “creates a roadmap for decarbonizing Louisiana’s manufacturing sector while creating new energy jobs.”

As part of the $50 million grant from the U.S. Economic Development Administration, the New Energy Center of the U.S. will be established at The Beach at University of New Orleans. A $10 million federal award from the Build Back Better Regional Challenge will be matched by $5 million in state funds. Known as

NEXUS, the new center will serve as the physical and programmatic hub for a range of clean energy initiatives.

“This positions the University of New Orleans and The Beach at UNO to be catalysts in the burgeoning sector of renewable energy,” said UNO President John Nicklow in a press release. “This is a critical time for our region as we take our existing expertise and infrastructure and apply them to solving our long-term energy challenges. NEXUS will be at the center of what could be a transformational era of investment and technological advancement.”

Located on 30 acres adjacent to the University of New Orleans, The

Beach at UNO is a research and tech nology park that houses more than 30 tenants from government, nonprofits and the private sector.

“The New Energy Center of the U.S. at UNO is the latest in a series of transformational projects in the New Orleans area and across Louisiana that are putting Louisiana at the forefront of the global energy transition,” said Gov. John Bel Edwards. “Louisiana is committed to diversifying our economy and leveraging our world-class higher education system to become leaders in the good-paying clean energy jobs of the future. H2theFuture should play a significant role in moving Louisiana

toward our goal of net zero-carbon emissions by 2050.”

Green hydrogen is different from traditional “gray” hydrogen in that it is made from water, as opposed to natural gas. The hydrogen is extracted from water by an “electrolyzer,” which is powered by offshore wind-gen erated electricity. The result is a hydrogen molecule that is chemically identical to one made from gray hydrogen, but with zero-carbon footprint. This hydrogen is then used as a feedstock for the production of ammonia for fertilizer, refining oil and steel, and other processes. It can also be used for fuel. — RC

Avondale Shipyard Returns Under a New Name

THE FORMER AVONDALE SHIPYARD was officially rechristened Avondale Global Gateway on Oct. 7.

Since 2018, when T. Parker Host acquired the site — which includes 254 acres available for development on or near the shores of the Mississippi River and 1.5 million square feet of convertible warehouse or manufacturing space — the company has invested over $100 million in the redevelopment of the site and faced challenges including high water levels, the pandemic and Hurricane Ida, which caused about $15 million in damage. Up to $1 billion in capital investments is expected by the company and its tenants, according to a recent economic impact study released by Dr. Stephen Barnes, director of the Kathleen Babineaux Blanco Public Policy Center.

According to Adam Anderson, CEO of T. Parker Host, Avondale Global Gateway is now a “working, world-class multi-modal terminal with fully operating docks, working buildings and rail access at the site for the first time in half a century.”

Opened in 1938 as Avondale Marine Ways, Inc. — a repair and barge construction company — the shipyard was once the largest employer in the state, employing approximately 26,000 people thanks to a long history of government contracts. The site had been shuttered for four years before the T. Parker Host purchase.

Avondale Global Gateway now offers access to regional and interstate highway systems, features four active berths, three ship-to-shore cranes, Foreign Trade Zone designation and is positioned at the interchange of six Class I railroads

Since cargo operations began again in 2020, more than a million tons of cargo have passed through the facility. The company stated it expects to employ 350 people on-site by the end of 2022.

“The next phase of our redevelopment is to bring on anchor tenants that add value to Avondale,” said Anderson. “Now that we are open and fully capable of handling cargo with our cranes, docks and transportation connections we are looking to the future and how we can add value to the region in the form of jobs and economic development.”— KS

Mississippi River Drops to Record Low Levels

the environmental research institute focused on coastlines and rivers of the United States.

More than half of the upper basin of the Mississippi River is experiencing a drought, which means less water is flowing down to the lower basin of the river, 90% of which is in a drought. The result has been barges slowed, delayed and forced to carry less cargo.

Although he doesn’t predict the state of the river will improve during the winter — an opinion shared by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration — Sabo said this is not the new normal, but rather the new normal is the alterna tion between extreme weather.

“It wouldn’t be surprising to me to see a flood in the winter,” he said of the volatile Mississippi, regarding the summer’s floods in Yellowstone and Kentucky that aren’t out of the picture to repeat in the Mississippi.

Long considered the cardiovascular system of the United States, the 2,300+ mile Mississippi River is no exception to climate-induced weather extremes, as it is enduring near-unprecedented low water levels and draining 32 states.

In early October 2022, the Mississippi River had reached its lowest point in a decade, resulting in local and global economic impacts, furthering pre-existing climate and food supply issues. Louisiana officials have called for more dredging to help with the low water levels.

“The cause of the lowering Mississippi is ‘completely a supply issue’ with its only true solution being rainfall in any form, specifically up north in the form of snowmelt,” said John Sabo, director of Tulane University’s ByWater Institute,

Just under half (47%) of all grain is moved by barge, according to the USDA, and 60% of the nation’s foreign-bound corn and soybeans travel along the Mississippi, which is why food export is the No. 1 worry. The situation is exacerbating an already global problem with the food supply as a result of the war in Ukraine.

While Civil War relics are being uncovered as the Mississippi lowers, more serious impacts could reach into critical utilities producing safe drinking water for New Orleanians, an impact that has already been felt along other parts of the river. In mid-October, a dredging company began construction on an underwater levee just north of the Alliance Refinery in Belle Chasse. The 1,500food levee will hopefully block saltwater from reaching public and industrial water supply intakes in Plaquemines Parish and New Orleans. — OR

A Carrollton gauge shows abnormally low water levels along the Mississippi River in New Orleans on Thursday, Oct. 27, 2022.

Nursing Program Options Expand to Fill Demand

AMIDST A WIDELY KNOWN global and local nursing shortage, height ened by the COVID-19 pandemic, New Orleans-based organizations have their hands extended to aid the industry and those it serves by filling the nursing demand.

Just in the past year:

• Delgado Community College announced it would open its Ochsner Center for Nursing and Allied Health building in January 2023 near City Park.

• In October, Loyola University unveiled its Loyola-Ochsner Nursing Simulation-lab and announced a new accelerated Bachelor of Science in nursing degree.

• LSU Health New Orleans School of

Nursing is set to expand in North Louisiana this January.

• Dillard University’s College of Nursing announced it will offer a Master of Science in nursing beginning in fall 2023. It will be the university’s first-ever master’s degree program in 153 years of operation,

These efforts are all to address the existing nursing shortage and prevent further shortages. Predictions are that by 2025 the supply of registered nurses will reach 2.4 million, while demand will call for 2.8 million. The result will be a 10% to 20% nursing gap.

“There has always been a nursing shortage and there always will be to an extent; the pandemic just greatly exacerbated the demand,” said Sylvia

Hartmann, Ochsner’s director of nursing academics.

Although an aging nursing population and retirement is the No. 1 threat to the industry’s talent pipeline, the state of Louisiana denies nearly 1,000 qualified students every year from attending nursing school due to a lack of capacity. This is a main reason Ochsner is partnering to open the Loyola and Delgado nursing programs. To incentivize graduating nurses to remain in-state, Ochsner offers a scholarship program in which they cover the cost of tuition for students if they agree to remain in the state, and within the Ochsner system, post-graduation. Ochsner has invested $4.6 million in the scholar ship program for 2023. — OR

SURPRISE RULING CAUSES CHAOS FOR NEW ORLEANS SHORTTERM RENTALS

Since the surge in popularity of shortterm rental platforms (Airbnb, VRBO), New Orleans city officials have strug gled with how to regulate and tax the “gig economy” industry, and how to prevent the spread of whole-house rentals that threaten the quality of life in residential neighborhoods that are popular draws for out-of-town visitors. The “shiny, happy” side of the platform is a homeowner renting out a spare room or apartment in his/her home to help cover rising housing and insur ance costs. The dark side is something alto gether different: investors buying up several houses in downtown neighborhoods and turning them into poorly supervised tourist party pads that drive up property costs and push full-time residents out of neighborhoods.

In an effort to get a handle on all this, the city created its first set of STR rules in 2016. Then, in 2019, as part of an overhaul, the New Orleans City Council passed an ordinance that limited residen tial short-term rental licenses to homeowners renting out space in their primary residence. (Licensing and regulating STRs in commercially zoned buildings are wholly different.)

All’s well that ends well … until it doesn’t.

In August, the 5th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals issued a surprise ruling that said the provision limiting STR licenses to homeowners with homestead exemptions unconstitutionally restricts interstate commerce.

Local officials believe the 5th Circuit’s deci sion renders New Orleans’ STR regulations in residential neighborhoods unenforceable, so they are going back to the drawing board to come up with a new set of rules. As part of the process, the City Council decided to halt all STR license applications and renewals until March 2023.

This means many homeowners who use the platform to make ends meet have been caught in the crossfire and are unsure if they’ll be able to keep renting out space in their home. In response, these people have been advocating for their cause at City Council meetings and in other public forums.

Residential permit holders must live on the properties they rent while commercial owners are able to group units in larger complexes to form hotel-like complexes, per a 5th Circuit law provision. Nearly 1,300 residential shortterm rentals with valid permits will phase out without renewal if the moratorium maintains its yearlong track.

“Our mistake was assuming we weren’t the target,” said one short-term rental operator in a recent Facebook post. “That the big guys were. The guys with multiple properties. This makes me both angry and sad. Sad that a city who values its community leaders doesn’t value how they make ends meet.”

For now, STR operators big and small — and neighborhood advocates — await the council’s next move. – RC AND OR

WHEN GIVING GIVES BACK

By Eliza Fillo Portrait by Adrienne Battistella

What began simply as the beautification of Jefferson Parish’s parks, roadways and neutral grounds has matured into a 53-year, award-winning philanthropic career for William Henry Shane Jr. Late this past October, Shane was honored by the Jefferson Community Foundation with its inaugural Jefferson First Philan thropy Award – an award which recognizes an individual who has made significant strides in improving the Jefferson Parish commu nity by way of philanthropic giving, service, dedication and actions.

A native New Orleanian, Shane attended De La Salle High School and graduated from Tulane University where he earned a Master of Architecture. Co-founding the architecture firm Favrot & Shane soon after graduating, Shane has since made a name for himself in the Louisiana business arena as one of the state’s largest owners of multi-family residential real estate – about 9,500 apartment units to be exact. Though Shane’s entrepreneur ship and real estate portfolio are by all means impressive, his long-standing commitment to bettering his community can be felt in almost all facets of parish life.

“In the early years I was involved in the beautification of Jefferson Parish’s roadsides and later served on the Foundation Board of Lafreniere Park. I took part in its concept and planning, even planting trees and paving pathways,” Shane said.

Following the collapse of the oil industry in 1983, Shane, who has called Jefferson Parish home for decades, witnessed firsthand the relocation of the local oil industry and its related jobs. Without a Jefferson Parish chamber of commerce at the time, Shane along with a group of his counterparts spearheaded the formation of Jefferson Edge, a committee that would later be known as Jefferson Economic Development Commission (JEDCO).

“JEDCO set up a relationship between elected officials and the business community that hadn’t previously existed in Jefferson Parish, and it still continues today,” Shane said. “After forming JEDCO we began thinking, ‘Could we do something similar on a broader scale for the greater community?’”

Soon after, Shane became one of three founding members of Greater New Orleans Inc. – an economic development alliance that serves the region of Southeast Louisiana’s 10 parishes to this day. His motivation to uplift Jefferson Parish unceasing, Shane played an integral role in the founding of Jefferson Community Foundation.

While Shane’s philanthropic interests had been gravitating towards economic development, he found the lack of quality public schools in Kenner at the time a contributing factor in population decreases. Spotting an opportunity to reform access to quality public education while cultivating the next generation of Jefferson Parish healthcare workers, Shane and a group of friends established Kenner Discovery Health Science Academy in 2013.

“We knew forming and operating a free, open enrollment charter school for the city of Kenner wouldn’t educate every child, but we hoped the rest of Kenner’s public schools would rise to the occasion, and they have,” said Shane.

Shane has remained steadfast in his beautification efforts over the years by donating countless works of art to the commu nity – the most notable of which being the beloved “Blue Dog” sculpture on Veterans Memorial Boulevard. Beyond improving Jefferson Parish’s academic, artistic and economic standings, he and his wife Pat host a myriad of charitable events, are involved in countless social and cultural contributions and offer Shane’s “Cars of Yesteryear” venue as a charitable event space.

The award’s voting process excluded the Jefferson Commu nity Foundation’s board, which Shane sits on, and instead enlisted various agencies and organizations from around the parish to cast their votes. While Shane was immensely honored by the recognition, his community-minded nature couldn’t help but shine through.

“I could give you a litany of people who have done unbelievably great things for the parish,” said Shane. “I look forward to seeing these civic leaders recognized in the future for their notable work.”

Shane’s contributions to Jefferson Parish represent a compre hensive approach to philanthropy. Over the years, he has managed to make tangible improvements in the parish's beauty, economy, education, arts and its culture. Though he’s taken many routes to benefit his community, and oftentimes paved them himself, his motivation for doing so has been unwavering since day one.

“I want to leave Jefferson Parish a better place than when I first began here,” said Shane. “A lot of the progress that’s made was born out of necessity, but it resulted in a team effort mentality that allows us to make changes and solve problems faster.” P

Henry Shane receives Jefferson Community Foundation’s inaugural Jefferson First Philanthropy Award.

WI want to leave Jefferson Parish a better place than when I first began here.

Every December, Biz New Orleans closes out the year with a look at some top local businesses in a wide variety of industries. We invite you to learn more about these industry standouts making their mark in Greater New Orleans.

2022 INDUSTRY LEADERS

ACCENT New Orleans, Inc.

Bezou Financial Planning Group

Athena Real Estate

Greater New Orleans Foundation

Lambeth House

PSA Grant Management, LLC and PSA Training & Consulting, LLC Susco Solutions

REAL ESTATE Athena Real Estate

SStacie Carubba is a native New Orleanian with deep roots in the city. Since Stacie earned her real estate license in 2015, she has produced over $70 million in sales. Contributing to her community through hard work and dedication has earned Stacie the ranking of Top 1% in her field by Marquis’ Who’s Who in America and a Top 10 Real Estate Influencer by Biz New Orleans in 2021, along with numerous other accolades and professional achievements.

When she’s not building lasting relationships with her clients, Stacie focuses on delivering results, not excuses, through proactive communication and attention to detail. Whether she’s working with first-time buyers, luxury listings or larger commercial properties, Stacie exceeds her clients’ expectations in every transaction. She uses her keen sense of perception and innate ability to connect with others to deliver the best results for her clients.

Stacie’s years of vast experience, coupled with her expert ability to guide her clients through a stressful process, is what makes her an industry leader in New Orleans. With cutting-edge marketing and technology at her fingertips, she goes the extra mile and ensures her clients receive the best service by being responsive, savvy, and prudent. In an industry where the barrier to entry is inherently low, Stacie stands out as an experienced, trusted resource with real insight and sensible advice for clients.

As Stacie looks ahead to the coming year, she plans to continue growing her presence and casting a wider net across Greater New Orleans with optimized processes and her unmistakable level of client service.

118 W. Harrison Ave., #301 • New Orleans 504-507-8331 (O) • 504-434-SOLD (C) staciecarubba.com

Pictured: Stacie Carubba

DON’T MISS OUT

Subscribe to Biz New Orleans magazine to read award-winning features, profiles and columns about all the executives, companies, deals, developments and business trends you need to know about to stay competitive. Visit BizNewOrleans.com and subscribe to two daily email newsletters to stay current on breaking business news. Listen to the Biz Talks podcast to hear directly from the business leaders who are making headlines and shaping the city’s future. Get your copy of the New Orleans 500 to read profiles of influential, involved and inspirational business leaders.

FROM THE LENS

60

WHY DIDN’T I THINK OF THAT?

Blue Book Barkeeps is a unique business that’s proving to be a win-win for party patrons and local bartenders alike.

64 NEW ORLEANS 500

GREAT WORKSPACES

The Louisiana Workers’ Compensation Corporation in Baton Rouge put wellness at the heart of its newly renovated headquarters.

Mayra Piñeda, president and CEO of the Hispanic Chamber of Commerce of Louisiana

WORKING AND LIVING WELL

The Louisiana Workers’ Compensation Corporation in Baton Rouge put wellness at the heart of its newly renovated headquarters

BY MELANIE WARNER SPENCER PHOTOS BY SARA ESSEX BRADLEY

LWCC 2237 S. Acadian Thruway, Baton Rouge lwcc.com // facebook.com/LWCC.LA

Louisiana Workers’ Compensation Corporation leadership worked with New Orleans-based architectural and interior design firm EskewDumezRipple to renovate its 130,467-squarefoot Baton Rouge headquarters.

In 2021, the Louisiana Workers’ Compensation Corporation completed a renovation of its Baton Rouge head quarters. Working with New Orleans architectural and interior design firm EskewDumezRipple, LWCC Senior Vice President and CFO Gretchen Hofeling said the company set out to reimagine the space with environmen tally aware practices at its core, so that it could positively impact not only its employees, but also the surrounding community. Hofeling took time out recently to share a few details on the renovation.

FROM THE LENS GREAT WORKSPACES

“Each floor is developed to horizontally connect departments, allowing for a user to reach a department located on the same floor seamlessly, and internal stairs allow for quick access to a floor above or below,” said LWCC Senior Vice President and CFO Gretchen Hofeling.

“The integration of flow between floors encourages collaboration between departments and promotes a key quality of LWCC — health and wellness — among employees.”

What were your goals for the design and why?

Gretchen Hofeling: While we wanted an open, collaborative workspace to see us through decades to come, we were mindful to make selections that honored the company’s history and purpose. Throughout the space, we balanced a modern look, filled with innovative technology, with subtle touches of Louisiana, which can be found in the color palette and textures, natural wood elements, and artwork.

What was the biggest design challenge and how was it overcome?

Hofeling: The biggest challenge of the reno vation project was that LWCC employees remained in the building during construction. The renovation process was completed in phases to allow for sufficient space to be avail able to employees.

What is the standout feature of the design?

Hofeling: Continuous connection between floors. Each floor is developed to horizontally connect departments allowing for a user to reach a department located on the same floor seamlessly, and internal stairs allow for quick access to a floor above or below. The integra tion of flow between floors encourages collab oration between departments and promotes a key quality of LWCC — health and wellness — among employees.

How would you describe LWCC to someone unfamiliar with your work?

Hofeling: LWCC is a model single-state, private mutual workers’ comp provider and a champion of Louisiana dedicated to excellence in execu tion from underwriting to the compassionate care of an injured worker. Together with our agent partners and other key stakeholders, we

celebrate and elevate Louisiana through our core business functions and innovative new initiatives. We are ‘Louisiana Loyal,’ always.

How do you set yourselves apart from organizations doing similar work?

Hofeling: ‘Louisiana Loyal’ … is more than our tagline, it is a movement we launched, and continue to lead, to celebrate and elevate Loui siana. This movement guides us in the pursuit of our purpose, vision, and mission and comes to fruition through our core business and inno vative initiatives. LWCC is committed to setting a strong and clear example of what it means to be — ‘Louisiana Loyal.’ But we know we can’t do this alone. Our vision calls us to be a catalyst, inspiring and engaging others in the Louisiana Loyal movement alongside us.

The design features modern, open and airy spaces with a focus on collaboration and innovation. A sense of place is achieved via the interior materials and décor, such as artwork and natural wood.

How do you promote a positive work atmo sphere for the staff?

Hofeling: LWCC’s newly renovated building is a driving force in LWCC’s corporate culture. Not only does it provide a bright, modern and collaborative work environment, [but also] it is the foundation for our corporate wellness program, LiveWell. The safety, health and well ness of LWCC employees is critical. The on-site, staffed fitness center and central café with healthy lunch opportunities provide tangible health resources, among many other program offerings.

What are your biggest challenges?

Hofeling: Internally, LWCC is constantly balancing our employees’ need for both flex ibility and collaboration to provide the best experience for all stakeholders, including our agent partners, policyholders, injured work ers,and providers.

What goals are you looking to meet in the next 12 months?

Hofeling: LWCC’s mission is to better Loui siana one business and one worker at a time. This starts with our stakeholders. In 2023, we are committed to further enhancing the customer experience utilizing human-cen tered design and customer feedback to launch improvements and new resources. We also will continue to build on our vision to be a catalyst to elevate Louisiana’s position in America by engaging other private businesses. As a state, Louisiana needs more businesses actively working to celebrate and elevate Louisiana by leveraging their expertise, resources and core business functions. T

“The safety, health and wellness of LWCC employees is critical,” said Hofeling. “The on-site, staffed fitness center and central café, which offers healthy lunch opportunities, provide tangible health resources, among many other program offerings.”

QUICK LOOK

Years in Operation 30

Renovation Completion Late 2021

Square footage 130,467 square feet

Number of Employees Over 200

Persons in charge Gretchen Hofeling, Senior Vice President and CFO Architecture EskewDumezRipple

Interior Design EskewDumezRipple

Furnishings and art AOS Interior Environments and Ty Larkin Interiors

TOP SHELF BUSINESS

Blue Book Barkeeps is a unique business that’s proving to be a win-win for party patrons and local bartenders alike.

BY ASHLEY MCLELLAN PHOTOS BY EDMUND D. FOUNTAIN

Mobile bartending has risen in popularity across the country in the aftermath of the COVID-19 pandemic lockdowns.

“As demand for private events services increases, cocktail catering has become a growing business,” explained a February 2022 article by MarketWatchMag.com, “especially during the Covid-19 pandemic when consumers looked for new ways to enjoy social experiences outside of traditional bars and restaurants.”

Businesses from New York City, Washington, D.C., and now New Orleans have popped up, featuring mobile bar setups, classic cocktails

BLUE BOOK BARKEEPS Bluebookbarkeeps.com

Emily Starr and Nate Usrey launched Blue Book Barkeeps as a way to navigate the new way of entertaining and doing business during COVID-19.

Blue Book Barkeeps was launched near the beginning of the pandemic and has already proven to be a success, hosting events from a few people to hundreds.

and specialty drinks for both outdoor and indoor events.

Blue Book Barkeeps was launched in New Orleans in 2020 by partners Emily Starr (presi dent) and Nate Usrey (executive director) as a means of survival.

“When the pandemic hit, I had been bartending for 15 years, and Emily was working as a visiting assistant professor of sociology at Tulane,” said Usrey. “We have two kids who were 3 years old and 4 months old at the time. I lost my employ ment overnight, and Emily became the primary breadwinner for the family.”

The couple were able to take advantage of unemployment but, like so many people — especially service and hospitality people — they said aid was hard to get and the uncertainty was extraordinarily stressful.

“Bluebook Barkeeps was born during this time from long conversations on our porch after the kids were asleep, planning our future, feeling the harsh precarity of service work, and talking with our friends who had also suddenly lost their live lihoods with no end in sight,” said Usrey.

Instead of maintaining a permanent staff, Blue Book Barkeeps matches experienced bartenders with special event opportunities, and in the process, helps some who may not have been able to continue to work due to everyday life constraints.

“It’s more a network than a staff,” Usrey said. “We have dozens of experienced bartenders that we draw from all over the city. Most are already employed at many of the finest establishments in the city and enjoy the change of scenery and the extra money. Some have moved on from the profession. They still love bartending, but the physicality of the job four or five nights a week is no longer desirable. Some are busy raising

BARTENDER’S EMERGENCY

FundBluebookbarkeeps.com/charity

“Rent and cost-of-living increases have far outpaced wage increases — much of the service industry still earns $2.13(per) hour before tips. Many people, especially service industry people who make up such a huge demographic of New Orleanians, are still in recovery mode on many levels –financially, emotionally, professionally. We not only lost our livelihoods, we lost our identities and sense of community in the pandemic.” — Nate Usrey, co-owner of Blue Book Barkeeps, on the reason behind starting the Bartender’s Emergency Fund.

kids and the flexibility of taking a gig on their time and terms is ideal.”

Usrey said the company plans to employ fulltime bartenders with full benefits as a core staff once it has grown in scale.

Offering more than just drink service, the company prides itself on its work to educate patrons on cocktail history and provide how-to lessons, as well as bespoke cocktails.

Everything is different about this cocktail expe rience, including the way the bartenders dress.

“We don’t wear all-black bistro wear or tuxedo shirts with a bow tie,” said Usrey. “This simple attire is meant for service staff to blend into the background. We dress sharp, with that nod to the classic age of New Orleans cocktails … We hark back to Storyville and the golden age of New Orleans cocktails in everything we do.”

The custom experience is proving popular.

“Each weekend we are doing three to four events, ranging in size from a 20-person in-home dinner to an 800-person charity gala,”

Personalized touches, vintageinspired recipes and custom cocktail menus, paired with expert mixologists, are the hallmarks of Blue Book Barkeeps business philosophy.

Usrey said. “We’re introducing ourselves to the city event by event.”

While the company is seeing growth and success, Usrey and Starr keep in mind the needs of their pool of bartenders, and as such have also created the Bartender’s Emergency Fund, a 501 (c) 3 entity.

“We always knew there would be a social-aid component to the business. We are just wired that way,” Usrey said… “You can work for fickle and petty managers, deal with erratic scheduling, seasonal lows of tip-based income, workplace harassment, no medical benefits or parental leave, and on and on. Not to mention the incredible physical and emotional toll that the job can take on you day in and day out… And these issues were all rampant before the industry was ravaged by the pandemic closures.”

To help others in their field, the Bartender’s Emergency Fund provides timely, low-barrier aid to those in need. Donations to the fund are accepted at BlueBookBarkeeps.com, as are applications for assistance.

Usrey said the secret to the company’s success lies in its priorities.

“We are bartender-centric,” he said. “All of our focus is on the people who make it happen. That brings a level of knowledge and skill into your home — or wherever you care to hold an event — that is lacking in this city outside of commercial bars and restaurants.” T

TOP FALL AND WINTER 2022-2023 COCKTAIL AND DRINK TRENDS

’90s Nostalgia — Cosmos, Manhattans, White Russians are back

Ready-to-drink cans — wine, sake, cocktails to go Flavored American whiskey — Fireball, peanut butter Skrewball and others

Zero-proof cocktails — sophisticated nonalcoholic options

Orange wine can be considered the new rosé

Party bars — high quality cocktails and dancing

*SOURCE: PunchDrink.com

“

It’s more a network than a staff. We have dozens of experienced bartenders that we draw from all over the city.

FROM

Mayra Piñeda

President & CEO of the Hispanic Chamber of Commerce of Louisiana

PHOTO BY MIKE LIRETTE

DID YOU KNOW?

Go-to Restaurant: Galatoire’s

Best Fest: Jazz & Heritage Festival

Hidden Gem: Baru Latin Bistro

On the Horizon: We are very excited about our growth resulting in taking steps to purchase our own building to establish our headquarters.

Advice: Take risks and step outside your comfort zone.

Hobbies/Passions: Traveling and cooking

Best Part of the Job: The opportunity to change lives

ADDITIONAL Q+A ONLINE AT BIZNEWORLEANS.COM

Stuff your stockings with these culinary creations from Renaissance Publishing

The Essential New Orleans Cookbook

Creole or Cajun? Pompano or trout? Red sauce or brown gravy? Pasta or rice? This book helps by offering recipes from the kitchen of Dale Curry, the city’s senior culinary writer, who has served as food editor for The Times-Picayune and then New Orleans Magazine

Adding spice to the mix is the splendid work of veteran photographer Eugenia Uhl, who captures the colors and textures of grand meals. Enjoy the experience with a book that is good for cookin’ and great for lookin’.

The Essential Louisiana Seafood Cookbook

A collection of 50 traditional and contemporary recipes where top-notch ingredients are paired with fresh seafood. The easy-to-follow recipes emphasize Louisiana seafood and quality, local ingredients. Inspired, innovative and delicious, the seafood dishes in this collection are sure to become favorites in your kitchen.

Culinary Louisiana Calendar

In Louisiana, we love to eat and celebrate, and no matter the season or time of year there’s always a special occasion to mark with food, family and friends. We have put together some of our favorite recipes from past issues of Louisiana Life featuring the culinary creations of food writer Stanley Dry, along with full color photos from food stylish and photographer Eugenia Uhl. This 15-month calendar of Louisiana’s finest cooking highlights a recipe for each month, plus plenty of lagniappe, including cooking tips, pantry ideas, fun facts and some of our favorite new cookbooks to add to your collection.

Scan and get yours today or visit renaissance-publishing.myshopify.com