Biz New Orleans June 2018

Overserved?: Just how many restaurants can we sustain? pg. 62 Christmas in July:

Cash in on some cool incentives by booking holiday events now pg. 42

It’s Good to Have an Ego: Ego’s

Gentlemen Spa offers men the royal treatment pg. 76 Michael Sawaya, president and general manager of the Ernest N. Morial Convention Center

conventional wisdom Newcomer michael sawaya has big plans for the morial center

june 2018

2 / Biz New Orleans / june 2018

Publisher Todd Matherne

Editorial Editor-in-Chief Errol Laborde Managing Editor Kimberley Singletary Art Directors Sarah George, Tiffani R. Amedeo Digital Media Editor Kelly Massicot Associate News Editor Alexa Harrison Social Media Assistant Becca Miller Multimedia Blogger Leslie T. Snadowsky

Contributors Julia Carcamo, Ray Lewis, Keith Loria, Pamela Marquis, Ashley McLellan, Chris Price, Kim Roberts, Jessica Rosgaard, Jennifer Gibson Schecter, Poppy Tooker, Keith Twitchell, Melanie Warner Spencer

Advertising Vice President of Sales Colleen Monaghan (504) 830-7215 Colleen@BizNewOrleans.com Sales Manager Maegan O’Brien (504) 830-7219 Maegan@BizNewOrleans.com Senior Account Executive Caitlin Sistrunk (504) 830-7252 Caitlin@BizNewOrleans.com Senior Account Executive Carly Goldman (504) 830-7225 Carly@BizNewOrleans.com Account Executive Jessica Jaycox (504) 830-7255 JessicaJ@BizNewOrleans.com

Marketing Director of Marketing & Events Cheryl Lemoine Event Coordinator Whitney Weathers Digital Media Associate Mallary Matherne For event information, call (504) 830-7264

Production Production Manager Jessica DeBold Traffic Manager Topher Balfer Production Designers Emily Andras, Demi Schaffer, Kendall Woods

Administration Chief Executive Officer Todd Matherne President Alan Campell Executive Vice President Errol Laborde Office Manager Mallary Matherne Distribution Manager John Holzer Subscription Manager Brittanie Bryant For subscriptions, call (504) 830-7231 AABP 2016 Bronze: Best Feature Layout AABP 2017 Bronze: Best Daily Email AABP 2017 Silver: Best Recurring Feature 110 Veterans Blvd., Suite 123 Metairie, LA 70005 (504) 828-1380 Biz New Orleans is published monthly by Renaissance Publishing, LLC, 110 Veterans Blvd., Suite 123, Metairie, LA 70005; (504) 828-1380. Subscription rate: one year $24.95, two year $39.95, three year $49.95 — foreign rates vary call for pricing. Postage paid at Metairie, LA, and additional mailing entry offices. POSTMASTER: Send address changes to Biz New Orleans, 110 Veterans Blvd., Suite 123, Metairie, LA 70005. Copyright 2018 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.

4 / Biz New Orleans / june 2018

top stories this month

features

ABOVE: Opened in May 2016, Bar Frances, a wine bar on Freret Street, was the first component in the street’s wave of new residential and retail development.

56

62

Conventional Wisdom

Will Our Plates Ever Be Too Full?

Fresh from taking San Antonio’s convention center into the future, Michael Sawaya, the new president and general manager of the New Orleans Ernest N. Morial Convention Center, shares his plans for a “decade of delivery.”

By jennifer Gibson schecter Photographs by greg miles

While retail brick and mortars have taken a hit nationwide, the restaurant scene in Southeast Louisiana continues to thrive. The question is, how much can we sustain?

By Ashley mclellan photographs by cheryl gerber

june 2018 / Volume 4 / Issue 9

contents 10 / Editor’s note

Going Green 12 / publisher’s note

It’s Time 16 / Calendar 18 / industry news 20 / recent openings 22 / Events

in the biz 26 / dining

Another Pontchartrain Rebirth: Goodbye Caribbean Room.

Hello Jack Rose.

28 / tourism

Two-Stepping with Evangeline: Louisiana CajunZydeco Festival brings big names and driving rhythms to New Orleans 30 / sports

The Whole World is Watching: Despite U.S. absence, World

Cup still the biggest sporting event of the summer

perspectives 42 / dining & entertainment

32 / entertainment

Summering in Hollywood: Tulane’s Contemporary Film Industry Program offers students the chance to spend the first part of their summer making connections.

34 / entrepreneurship

NOEW 2018: A grand experiment with mixed results

Christmas in July?: Booking holiday events now allows companies to reap an array of benefits.

46 / insurance

Marine Insurance Facing Rough Seas: Premium price wars have reduced income as much as 50 percent.

50 / healthcare

Alzheimer’s: What you need to know: A new case develops in the U.S. every 65 seconds.

36 / etiquette

Curb Your Enthusiasm: Tips for channeling excitement for your new job to ensure a smooth transition 38 / marketing

A Question For You: What if I said you’d have no more new customers?

from the lens 70 / great workspaces

A Little Bit of Europe on the Corner: CBD neighborhood wine merchants John and Aimee Keife drew inspiration from old apothecaries and their world travels to create Keife & Co. 76 / why didn’t i think of that?

on the cover Michael Sawaya, the new president and general manager of the New Orleans Ernest N. Morial Convention Center. Photo by Greg Miles.

New Orleans’ First Male Day Spa: Opened in February, Ego’s Gentlemen Spa invites men to enjoy the royal treatment.

54 / guest viewpoint

Is Your Website Disability Friendly?: An estimated 814 accessibility lawsuits were filed last year alone.

82 / making a match: businesses and nonprofits

Conquering Cancer: Local professionals compete for the title of this year’s Leukemia & Lymphoma Society Mississippi/ Louisiana Chapter’s Man and Woman of the Year.

88 / on the job

Port Orleans Brewing Co.

Editor’s Note

Going Green We’re very honored and excited to have the new president and general manager of the Ernest

N. Morial Convention Center on our cover this month, especially since he’s only been on the job since the end of February. Mr. Sawaya attended one of Biz’s publisher’s luncheons recently and I have to say that his enthusiasm for the future of this important resource for our region is infectious. I’m excited to see what he accomplishes.

I admit, I don’t often go to our convention center — typically just once a year for NOLA ChristmasFest — but this past week I made the journey down to attend MJBizCon Next (May 9-11), the largest conference focused on business opportunities available in the growing cannabis industry. I figured with Louisiana making the move into this marketplace by legalizing marijuana for restricted medical use — the first of which may be available by September — I should take a look at what could be our future.

It was an extremely eye-opening experience. More than 275 exhibitors were in attendance promoting businesses that ranged from specialized packaging and labeling, to help with HR, banking, accounting and personnel services, to grow light systems, dehumidifying systems, temperature control systems, water filtration systems, extraction systems and lab testing equipment. Everything looked so streamlined, so professional.

Even KISS frontman Gene Simmons — who spoke to an excited crowd about branding — was wearing a suit and pocket square.

There’s clearly opportunity and money to be made — Simmons threw out that he was paid $2.5 million plus stock to rep for Invictus, a Canadian supplier who was present at the convention — and I spoke with a member of one worldwide company worth over $3.5 billion who had jumped into the industry.

On a recent trip to Colorado I was surprised at the number of dispensaries, not just in Denver, but up into the small mountain towns that barely had a grocery store. What I admit I didn’t think about, however, were all the ancillary businesses associated with this newly commercialized commodity, businesses like I saw at this convention. It will be interesting to see where Louisiana’s path goes. I can say, however, that my mom is definitely sold on CBD cream for aches and pains.

Happy Reading!

Kimberley Singletary Managing Editor Kimberley@BizNewOrleans.com

10 / Biz New Orleans / june 2018

Publisher’s Note

It’s Time For the past year, I have focused on

getting healthy—well, as much as I can tolerate.

In five months I will turn 50, and in six months I walk my first daughter down the aisle, so I have set goals to attain before these two lifechanging events.

I have always been the person that focuses on the journey and not the destination, as it is the journey to get somewhere that is satisfying and makes the arrival—or in these cases, the events—all that much sweeter.

So, since last year, I have focused on losing weight and right now I am moving into working out with a trainer. (I need a coach or it will never happen.) I mentioned the words “tolerate” and “getting healthy” together because the working out part is the worst. There is nothing about exercising I enjoy, just ask Russell (my trainer).

I remind him weekly how much I do not enjoy seeing him, but I know it is essential.

I write this because I look back now and see that I had been only working on my mind and spirit for the past 25 years and missed the body part. Beginning a workout program at 50 is tough, but I am determined to build strength and shrink my waistline.

So, for those of you that are young and growing your professional career and family, take my advice and don’t forget to focus on your health.

Trust me, your body will thank you for it.

Happy exercising.

Todd Matherne

12 / Biz New Orleans / june 2018

Meet the Sales Team

Maegan O’Brien Sales Manager (504) 830-7219 Maegan@BizNewOrleans.com

Caitlin Sistrunk Senior Account Executive (504) 830-7252 Caitlin@BizNewOrleans.com

Carly Goldman

Senior Account Executive (504) 830-7225 Carly@BizNewOrleans.com

Jessica Jaycox Account Executive

(504) 830-7255 JessicaJ@BizNewOrleans.com

Colleen Monaghan Vice President of Sales (504) 830-7215 Colleen@BizNewOrleans.com 14 / Biz New Orleans / june 2018

Calendar

June 5

New Orleans Chamber of Commerce Power Breakfast 8 to 9:30 a.m.

1515 Poydras St. 5th Floor Auditorium NewOrleansChamber.org

5

Grow St. Bernard Spring Series Small Business Panel 8:30 to 10 a.m.

Location T.B.A. SBEDF.org

6

Propeller Workshop Series “Equity Investments: Your Next Steps 5:30 to 7 p.m.

Propeller Incubator 4035 Washington Ave., New Orleans GoPropeller.org

7

Women’s Business Alliance Ask an Expert: Hot Topics with Iconic Women 5 to 7 p.m.

Springhill & Towneplace Suites 1600 Canal St New Orleans NewOrleansChamber.org

12

Professional Women of St. Tammany Annual Scholarship Award Luncheon 11:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m.

2 Pinecrest Dr. Covington Pwst.rocks

13

New Orleans Chamber of Commerce Second Quarter Luncheon With Walt Leger III, Louisiana House of Representatives Speaker Pro Tempore 11 a.m. to 1 p.m.

Hyatt Regency New Orleans Empire Ballroom 601 Loyola Ave. NewOrleansChamber.org

14

New Orleans Chamber of Commerce Educational Seminar with NOLA SHRM (Society for Human Resource Management): HR 101 for Small Businesses 11:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m.

1515 Poydras St. 5th Floor Auditorium NewOrleansChamber.org

19

New Orleans Chamber of Commerce Young Professionals Networking Event 5:30 to 7:30 p.m.

Flamingo A-Go-Go 869 Magazine St. NewOrleansChamber.org

16 / Biz New Orleans / june 2018

19

Grow St. Bernard Spring Series Planning for the Future: challenges, opportunities and realities of operating a business 8:30 to 10 a.m.

Location T.B.A. SBEDF.org

18-22

Jefferson Chamber of Commerce ROI Certification Hancock Whitney UNO Training Facility 2285 Lakeshore Dr. New Orleans JeffersonChamber.org

20

New Orleans Chamber of Commerce Chamber After 5 5:30 to 7:30 p.m.

Fogo de Chao Churrascaria 614 Canal St. NewOrleansChamber.org

21

Hispanic Chamber of Commerce of Louisiana Networking Evening Celebrating HYPLA (Hispanic Young Professionals of Louisiana) 5:30 to 7:30 p.m.

Mannings Sports Bar 519 Fulton St., New Orleans HCCL.biz

21-24

FestiGals Women’s Weekend Experience Jung Hotel and Residences of the New Orleans Hotel Collection Festigals.org

22

Jefferson Chamber of Commerce Business & Breakfast 7:45 to 9:30 a.m.

Wyndham Garden New Orleans Airport 6401 Veterans Memorial Blvd., Metairie JeffersonChamber.org

27

Jefferson Chamber of Commerce Prosper Jefferson 8:30 to 10:30 a.m.

Entergy Offices 4809 Jefferson Hwy., Jefferson JeffersonChamber.org

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Bringing a sense of occasion to the French Quarter and excitement to Royal Street, Curio is an experience beyond compare - a place where flavor is the main attraction. Provoking curiosity with its unique take on New Orleans dining, Curio entices the public with its creative spin on classic craft cocktails and Cajun cuisine. Open daily for lunch and dinner. Weekend brunch featuring bottomless mimosas, rosé, or Bloody Marys. Balcony dining available.

SWEGS Kitchen

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bizneworleans.com / 17

Industry News

AWARDS

FINANCial

Port Honors Top Shippers and Ocean Carriers

Best Business Credit Cards & Bank Accounts Best Business Credit Card Overall: Capital One Spark Cash for Business– $500 cash bonus and 2 percent cash back

The Port of New Orleans (Port NOLA) honored the top 10 shippers and ocean carriers that have contributed to the port’s success over the years during the 10th anniversary of the Cargo Connections Conference (CCC) on April 9.

The top 10 list was calculated based on the average overall tonnage of cargo moved through Port NOLA over the past three years.

Top 10 shippers include: 1. Shintech 2. The Dow Chemical Company 3. ExxonMobil 4. Monsanto 5. Dak Americas 6. Unitcargo 7. Chemours 8. Folgers 9. MTS Logistics 10. CSN

Top 10 ocean carriers include: 1. Mediterranean Shipping Company

Best Business Credit Card Bonus: Ink Business Preferred Card – $1,000 travel bonus Bank of America continues to be the most small business-friendly credit card company, followed

by TD Bank, which recently extended all of the key CARD Act protections to its business cards Best Business Bank Account Overall: BofI Federal Bank Business Interest Checking – 0.80 percent APY and easily avoidable monthly fee Source: WalletHub

EDUCATION

Tulane Awards Four Honorary Degrees At Tulane University’s commencement ceremonies this year — held May 19 in the Mercedes-Benz Superdome — the university gave out four honorary degrees.

“Each of these individuals reflect the best of humanity through their achievements, their triumphs over adversity and their service to others,” said Tulane President Mike Fitts in a press release.

Among the honorees was James H. Clark, co-founder of Netscape, one of the internet’s first browsers. The former Tulane student has also co-founded online medical records technology company Healtheon, and Hollywood visual effects company Silicon Graphics Inc. The other three honorees were medical anthropologist and physician — and founding director of the nonprofit Partners In Health — Dr. Paul E. Farmer; “The Soul Queen of New Orleans,” Grammy award-winning singer Irma Thomas; and former New Orleans Saints player and recent nominee for the Congressional Gold Medal, Steve Gleason.

2. Hapag-Lloyd

TRENDS

Small Businesses Profit Trends Break Records Driven by reports of improved profits that were the highest in the NFIB Small Business Economic Trends Survey’s 45-year history, the Small Business Optimism Index increased to 104.8 in April, sustaining record-high levels. April was the 17th consecutive month of historically high readings.

“Our members here in Louisiana say they’re ready to replace old equipment and hire new workers,” said NFIB State Director Dawn Starns. “They wouldn’t make that kind of commitment unless they believed the economy was good and likely to stay that way for the foreseeable future.”

Increases seen in April 2018 Nationwide Capital outlays — up 3 points to 61 percent Business expenditures on new equipment— up 4 points to 43 percent Businesses acquiring vehicles — up 3 points to 27 percent Small business owners hiring or trying to hire — up 4 points to 57 percent,

“Given the history of St. James Parish, this will be the largest industry ever welcomed.

This plant alone will almost double the present tax base.”

St. James Parish President Timmy Roussel speaking at the April 23 announcement that Formosa Petrochemical Corp. will be constructing a $9.4 billion chemical manufacturing complex on a 2,400-acre site along the west bank of the Mississippi River.

The complex will create over 1,200 new direct jobs, paying an average of $84,500, plus benefits.

Production will support a range of plastic goods, from sports equipment and food packaging, to clothing and healthcare, to technology products.

Owners planning to create jobs — 16 percent

3. CMA CGM 4. PACC Line 5. Seaboard Marine 6. SK Shipping

ENTREPRENEURISM

7. ZIM Integrated Shipping Services

New Orleans Startup Wins National Innovation Award

8. Toko Line 9. Maersk Line 10. Hamburg Sud

18 / Biz New Orleans / june 2018

Beyond the Equator, a retail food brand launched in New Orleans last year, has earned a Best New Productsofi™ Award from the Specialty Food Association for its innovative 5 Seed Butter, a low sugar, allergen-friendly peanut butter alternative. A national panel of specialty food experts selected the product from more than 3,000 entries across 39 awards categories. Beyond the Equator’s 5 Seed Butter launched in December 2017 and is now in 30 locations across Southern Louisiana with plans to be in hundreds of stores by the end of the year.

Recent Openings

COMING SOON

iMerit Indian digital data services company iMerit has announced its first U.S. delivery center will be located in downtown New Orleans. iMerit provides English and Spanish natural language processing, image transcription, and US-based customer service to a broad client list that includes eBay, Microsoft and TripAdvisor. The center will provide an estimated 100 jobs targeting underserved populations. iMerit also plans to expand its existing U.S. staff of solutions architects and sales and marketing executives in New Orleans.

Heritage Bank

The Eliza Jane Hotel Named for Eliza Jane Nicholson, publisher of The Daily Picayune in the late 1800s and the first woman publisher of a major metropolitan newspaper in the United States, The Eliza Jane, a 196-room hotel by Rockbridge and HRI Properties, LLC opened April 23 at 315 Magazine Street. The newest addition to The Unbound Collection

by Hyatt brand will feature 50 suites, including 12 signature suites, a fitness center, garden courtyard and food and beverage offerings by Makeready, including a locally inspired restaurant and a lobby bar. It will also feature more than 1,700 square feet of multi-purpose event space, as well as an alfresco patio adjacent to the restaurant.

River Place Behavioral Health

Computrols In order to accommodate its continued expansion, local tech company Computrols moved into a 44,000 squarefoot facility at 2520 Belle Chasse Highway in Gretna in April, investing $2 million into the project. The new headquarters features a state-ofthe-art manufacturing facility, office space, and a training center.

Founded in 1983, Computrols designs, manufactures, installs and services intelligent systems that make buildings smart, secure, healthy and energy efficient. The company currently employs 52 people and is in the process of hiring additional staff.

Heritage Bank of St. Tammany has opened their newest branch at 707 Main Street in Madisonville. To celebrate, a grand opening will be held in conjunction with the Madisonville Chamber of Commerce After-Hours Event on June 5 from 5 to 7:00 p.m. The event will include food, entertainment and prizes.

PJ’s Coffee On April 19, PJ’s Coffee of New Orleans re-opened its location at 70456 Hwy. 21 in Covington after undergoing renovations. The grand re-opening is the first remodel with the company’s new brand identity.

20 / Biz New Orleans / june 2018

On April 24, Ochsner Health System and Acadia Healthcare (Acadia) announced the opening of River Place Behavioral Health, an 82-bed inpatient behavioral health facility in LaPlace. Through a joint venture, Ochsner partnered with Acadia, a national leader in behavioral healthcare services, to repurpose the existing River Parishes Hospital building to provide mental healthcare services to residents across the state and region.

COMING SOON

Saltgrass Steak House Stirling Properties commercial real estate company will soon begin construction on Saltgrass Steak House at Pinnacle Nord du Lac shopping center in Covington, Louisiana. The Texas-themed steak restaurant will occupy approximately 8,000 square feet of space. It will be the seventh location of the restaurant in Louisiana and second on the Northshore.

LSU Health Fitness and Wellness Center On April 20 Gov. John Bel Edwards helped celebrate the grand opening of the new LSU Health Fitness and Wellness Center at 2220 Constitution Street. The center represents LSU Health’s first expansion into Algiers. The 45,000-square-foot center was funded by the state of Louisiana and the Algiers Development District.

bizneworleans.com / 21

Events 1

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2

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3

25th Annual CID Achievement Awards

HCCL Town Hall Roundtable and Luncheon

Friday, April 13 | Audubon Tea Room

Thursday, April 5 | Hyatt Regency

The Commercial Investiment Division of the New Orleans Metropolitan Association of Realtors (CID) gathered to celebrate the best and brightest in the industry. Top awards included “Commercial Rising Stars” Matt Eaton, CCIM and Matthew Pittman, and Overall Top Office Producer and F. Poche Waguespack Award-winner Gaines Seaman of Stirling Properties.

Mayor Latoya Cantrell provided the welcoming remarks for this year’s Hispanic Chamber of Commerce of Louisiana Town Hall Roundtable and Business Luncheon. Cantrell was followed by keynote speaker Don Salazar, chairman of the United States Hispanic Chamber of Commerce.

1. Cres Gardner, Jessica Foreman, Gaines Seaman and Barry Spizer 2. Mat Eaton, Ben Derbes and Joe Gorman 3.Paul Richard, Jennifer Lanasa-Evans and Ryan Pearce

1. Brenda Murphy, Eliza Hernandez, Jacqueline Brettner, Alice Rodriguez and Mayra Pineda 2. Karman Hornsby, Phil Gunn and Brandy Smith 3. Kelvin Gipson, Courtney Reynolds, Don Lawhorn and Mark Samuel

22 / Biz New Orleans / june 2018

photographs by cheryl gerber

Biz columnist s spe ak out

in the biz DINING / TOURISM / SPORTS / ENTERTAINMENT / ENTREPRENEURSHIP / ETIQUETTE / MARKETING

c h e r y l g e r b e r p h oto g r a p h

The Jazz & Heritage Foundation’s Louisiana CajunZydeco Festival takes the stage June 23-24.

In The Biz dining

Another Pontchartrain Rebirth Goodbye Caribbean Room. Hello Jack Rose.

by Poppy Tooker

26 / Biz New Orleans / june 2018

the Pontchartrain Hotel’s Caribbean Room in the hands of Chef John Besh’s then rapidly expanding empire was big news.

At the time, many of the original classic dishes were “re-invented” in a lighter way and the “jackets only” rule was reinstated.

In March 2018, the Caribbean Room served its last crabmeat Remick and trout Veronique.

Luckily, two members of New Orleans’ new guard were already envisioning a future for the grand space. Emery Whalen and Brian Landry had served as leaders of Besh’s hotel division “Our House Hospitality,” formed in fall 2016 to manage food and beverage operations at both the Pontchartrain and a new Nashville hotel called the Thompson. Following sexual harassment allegations against Besh in October 2017, Whalen and Landry purchased the outstanding contracts for both properties from Besh’s organization, creating QED Hospitality.

While the Caribbean Room languished, Hot Tin, the Pontchartrain’s new rooftop bar, was an immediate sensation. With a view never previously seen from New Orleans’ Garden District, framed by the city’s most risqué window dressings, Hot Tin drew the most diverse crowd ever seen at the venerable hotel. Red velvet ropes contained eager guests, who often waited in line for over an hour to take the coveted elevator ride to the roof.

The Caribbean Room is no more and the Hot Tin line has disappeared. Now, while awaiting a rooftop spot, visitors while away the time at Jack Rose. The new concept takes its name from a 1920s-era applejack cocktail of the same name. Here it is reimagined with Calvados and apple cider, frothy with egg white and topped with a stenciled rose, an homage to Tennessee Williams’ play “The Rose Tattoo.”

Jack Rose has the feel of an eccentric aunt’s elegant avenue home, where there are no rules and a party is always about to spontaneously break out. All the fun begins in the Living Room, where comfortable sofas invite conversation and cocktails.

Just outside the windowed walls, a rose garden beckons.

In the Dining Room, there is a visually delightful joke everywhere you look. The restaurant is composed of three adjoining rooms, each layered with amusing detail.

The Club Room is dedicated to the Pontchartrain Hotel’s beloved Mile High Pie, the only culinary holdover from the Caribbean Room. The dark wood-paneled room sports a wallpapered ceiling where towering slices of the mammoth dessert float in space on a pink metallic background.

Jack Rose’s menu, however, is no laughing matter. Landry and executive chef David Whitmore collaborated to deliciously reinterpret New Orleans favorites. Small plates include crawfish bread and “popcorn” sweetbreads. Steak tartare is prepared tableside, served with freshly baked hot onion rolls. Panéed veal, pompano en papillote and wagyu daube round out the dinner options.

While the Caribbean Room struggled in New Orleans, the food and beverage business at Nashville’s Thompson flourished. Without constraints of tradition previously mandated at the Caribbean Room, Whalen and Landry are determined to put their Tennessee success to work at the Pontchartrain.

Much of the Nashville buzz has centered around pastry phenom Lisa White. White oversees all baking operations at the Thompson, supplying a bustling coffeehouse, restaurant and rooftop bar. Under her creative direction, flights of doughnuts with fanciful flavors like s’mores and cannoli are the rage at brunch and her inventive ice cream sandwiches have developed a cult-like following.

Now, pastry chef Erin Swanson has the same creative freedom with the Pontchartrain’s baking program. Although Mile High Pie and blueberry muffins remain sacrosanct, Swanson’s pastry counter at the Silver Whistle Café tempts with a constantly changing selection, freshly baked in-house from morning till afternoon.

During late evenings in Jack Rose’s Living Room, couples linger over sinfully delicious cake for two. But don’t worry! If dessert is too dreamy, an elegant Pontchartrain suite is always steps away. n

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.

i l lu st r at i o n by To n y H e a l e y

A native New Orleanian, 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.

Two summers ago, the rebirth of

bizneworleans.com / 27

In The Biz to u r i s m

Two-Stepping with Evangeline Louisiana Cajun-Zydeco Festival brings big names and driving rhythms to New Orleans

by Jennifer Gibson Schecter

28 / Biz New Orleans / june 2018

tion, Bruce Daigrepont, Les Freres Michot and Grammy Award-winners Lost Bayou Ramblers, round out an incredible schedule of performers.

The Louisiana Cajun-Zydeco Festival is the only festival in New Orleans that exclusively features these styles of music.

Festival-goers arrive from international locations and across the United States to experience the vibrant rural music by day, and more urban jazz standards by night.

Aiges pointed out that jazz, Cajun and zydeco all emerged at roughly the same time — the late 19th and early 20th centuries – with jazz in New Orleans and Cajun and zydeco developing in the prairies of Southwest Louisiana.

“Both were a sort of folk or vernacular music that people of modest means used as a way to lift their spirits,” said Aiges.

“It’s all dance music. Cajun and zydeco are very closely linked, musically and geographically. Jazz is not closely related, musically. But it’s all music that comes from the people, and it demonstrates the resilience of folks trying to make their way amid difficult circumstances.”

That resiliency and tendency to celebrate life even in hard times is intrinsic to the spirit of the people of Louisiana. It’s little wonder that the music styles originating here express that “glass half full” outlook on life. We turn to music and dancing to commemorate births, deaths and the possible hurricane that will impact us in between.

Our musicians serve as ambassadors to the world, sharing that perspective, and the Jazz & Heritage Foundation plays an important role in supporting our culture bearers. It channels the annual economic impact of more than $300 million generated by its namesake festival, the New Orleans Jazz & Heritage Festival presented by Shell, into free, year-round programs, grants, festivals and opportunities for food and art vendors to benefit, as well as musicians.

“It is important to us that the musicians who perform are well paid, and that the food and craft vendors use our events as opportunities to generate revenue for their businesses,” said Aiges. “So we keep the cost to participate very low for our vendors, and we pay the bands what they ask.”

To learn more about the foundation and the Louisiana Cajun-Zydeco Festival, visit at jazzandheritage.org/cajun-zydeco. n

i l lu st r at i o n by To n y H e a l e y

Jennifer Gibson Schecter was once a tourist in New Orleans herself and is now proud to call NOLA home. She also writes the Wednesday Tourism Blog on BizNewOrleans.com.

When you hear the squeeze of the

accordion and the zip of the washboard, you may feel you’ve traveled deep into Louisiana Cajun and Creole country. But when you look around and see the statue of Louis Armstrong and the architecture of the French Quarter, it is evident you are still in the confines of cosmopolitan New Orleans.

How can this be?

One special weekend each year the traditional music of the southwestern parishes is celebrated during the Jazz & Heritage Foundation’s Louisiana CajunZydeco Festival, scheduled this year for June 23-24.

This free weekend festival gives locals and tourists alike the opportunity to dance along with some of the most talented musicians of these genres without that pesky drive west along Interstate 10. From 11:30 a.m. to 6:30 p.m. on both days, Louis Armstrong Park will be filled with some of the biggest names in Cajun and zydeco, tempting food and creative artisans.

The festival has grown in its 12 years, with increasing attendance expected to attract 9,000 people this year. Additions will include a dessert oasis in Congo Square, an oral history interview stage and a special focus on “trail ride” music.

“We think it’s great that younger audiences and artists are keeping the zydeco tradition going and updating it with contemporary influences,” explained Scott Aiges, director of programs, marketing and communications for the New Orleans Jazz & Heritage Foundation. “It’s interesting that while the traditional zydeco dance halls of southwest Louisiana are disappearing, young audiences are keeping the music and the dancing going with parties that they have at the end of horse rides, or trail rides. It’s an awesome spin on a historic tradition. Every year we look for a new twist or angle to keep the festival from getting stale, and we thought this would be a good year to bring some attention to the growing popularity of trail rides that feature zydeco music.”

Popular “trail ride” circuit zydeco artists in the festival’s lineup include Li’l Nathan & the Zydeco Big Timers, Chris Ardoin & NuStep, and Corey Ledet & His Zydeco Band.

A big name in zydeco, Grammy-nominated Dwayne Dopsie & the Zydeco Hellraisers will close out the festival on Sunday. On the Cajun side of the French-music tradi-

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In The Biz s po r t s

The Whole World is Watching Despite U.S. absence, World Cup still the biggest sporting event of the summer by chris price

After participating in every FIFA

World Cup since 1986, the U.S. failed to qualify for the 21st edition of the quadrennial tournament in Russia, kicking off June 14 and running through the championship match in Moscow on July 15.

The yanks missing the World Cup was a shock and a hit in the wallet for the team’s broadcast partners and sponsors. In 2011, FOX bid $425 million to air Englishspeaking broadcast rights – nearly four times the previous contract with ESPN – and Telemundo paid $600 million for the Spanish broadcast of the 2018 and 2022 tournaments, according to Bloomberg. This will be FOX’s first time to host the World Cup, and there is worry that without the U.S. team, which drew 16.5 million viewers in 2014, the tournament will not attract casual fans who get caught up in the fun and patriotism involved in the month-long event. But even without the stars and stripes, there will still be immense interest in the 2018 World Cup. Americans have bought more World Cup tickets than any other nation other than Russia, the host.

Expect large crowds at our own major soccer gathering places, including Finn McCool’s, Henry’s, The Bayou Beer Garden and the Deutsches Haus.

World Cup Favorites

30 / Biz New Orleans / june 2018

Who To Root For

The U.S. isn’t the only surprise to miss this year’s World Cup. Four-time champion Italy and three-time runner-up the Netherlands are out, too.

To hedge their bet on the World Cup, FOX has gone all in on promoting Mexico.

Ole! Still, rooting for the yanks’ archrival may come hard for many U.S. fans. The network is also suggesting fans support teams in their family heritage, something most fans already do.

Still looking for a rooting interest?

Iceland is the underdog of the tourney.

This is their first time in the tournament, they are the smallest nation by population (about 330,000) to ever qualify for the World Cup, and they have 200:1 odds to win. They’re playing among the best nations in the world, and their SKOL chant (since adopted by the Minnesota Vikings) is a hair-raising experience. n

World Cup Prize Money The 32 national teams participating in the 2018 World Cup will split $400 million in prize money. Each team is guaranteed $8 million, with the champion earning $38 million.

Position Winnings Champions $38 million Runners-up $28 million Third place $24 million Fourth place $22 million 5th – 8th place $16 million 9th –16th place $12 million 17th – 32nd place $8 million Total $400 million Source: FIFA

i l lu st r at i o n by To n y H e a l e y

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. Price also authors the Friday Sports Column at BizNewOrleans.com.

Germany is looking for its fifth championship.

“Die Mannschaft” plays with a machine-like efficiency, is stacked with talent, and have been given 9:2 odds by dabblebet, a United Kingdom-based soccer betting website. The Germans have dominated world soccer since 2014 and enter as the favorite.

Brazil is the world’s sentimental favorite and have 9:2 odds, but the “Selecao” had a poor showing at home in 2014 that included a 7-1 thrashing by the Germans and star player Neymar is recovering from an ankle sprain and broken bone in his right foot that has sidelined him since Feb. 25. There is concern he might not be in top form, and that could hinder Brazil’s hopes of winning their sixth championship.

France has a talented side and 11:2 odds, but “Les Bleus” have underperformed on the world stage recently.

Spain’s “La Furia Roja” dominated world soccer from 2008 to 2012, winning a World Cup and two European Championships

with a silky-smooth style. “Los Toros” have 6:1 odds. If they can play together they may charge to another tournament win.

Messi can cement his place as the greatest player in the history of the game by lifting the World Cup. Argentina’s Football Association is a disaster, yet Messi’s magic helped the Argentines qualify and earn 9:1 odds.

Belgium is in the midst of a golden generation of players, including Kevin De Bruyne, Eden Hazard and Romelu Lukaku.

The Red Devils have a lot of talent and 11:1 odds to match.

bizneworleans.com / 31

In The Biz e n t e r ta i n m e n t

Summering in Hollywood Tulane’s Contemporary Film Industry Program offers students the chance to spend the first part of their summer making connections.

by Kim Singletary

32 / Biz New Orleans / june 2018

one of relationships, where who you know can be as important as what you know. And when it comes to industry contacts, Tulane University is stronger than you’d guess.

“The president of NBC is a Tulane alum, same with the president of Sony Pictures and Columbia Pictures,” says Dr. Mary Blue, Ph.D., the director of Tulane University’s Digital Media Production program. “Tulane has some serious cachet in the industry.”

It is this cachet — both locally and in Hollywood — that led to the creation of the university’s Contemporary Film Industry Program five years ago. This year’s program began May 29 and runs through June 29, and includes a week spent in Hollywood.

“The program is designed to be a low-cost intro to the film industry,” says Blue. “The program is open to enrolled sophomores through seniors — 10 students this year — who want to learn more about the industry and see if it’s a fit for them.”

In addition to learning about contemporary film production — including the difference between the Hollywood and Louisiana models — the $6,500 program includes a chance to make invaluable industry connections and visit local studios and post-production facilities, including Second Line Stages and the Metairie warehouse where filming occurs for the Oprah Winfrey Network’s hit drama series, “Queen Sugar,” which just premiered its third season.

For aspiring writers, directors and producers, however, the Hollywood portion of the program is particularly valuable.

“There’s no writers’ rooms here, no director’s guild, no internships in those things,” says Blue. “So I tell my students if they want to get started in those fields, they’re going to have to go out there.”

For many students in Tulane’s Digital Media Production program, a California trip is a trip home.

“California is the No. 1 place where we get students,” says Blue. “California, then New York, then Louisiana.”

Students in the summer program will be staying at the University of Southern California, thanks, again, to a Tulane connection. The dean of USC’s School of

Cinematic Arts is a Newcomb College grad.

How does Tulane’s program compare with USC? “Ours is a 30-hour major within a liberal arts college, while they’re a film school,” she says. “We are what is called a coordinate major, which means our students get a broad exposure to the liberal arts where they can take classes in a wide array of things like art, music and English. I think having a broad education is very beneficial.”

Tulane’s summer program also includes an opportunity for each student to spend a day shadowing someone in the field where their interest lies.

“That’s really unique, actually, because it’s a hard thing to accomplish,” says Blue. “There are so many different kinds of careers in the industry, but we do it!”

When it comes to the film and TV industry in this “LA,” Blue says things are going strong.

“It’s crazy how much production is going on here right now,” she says. “There’s so much that I’m hearing people are struggling to find crews.”

She says she currently has more internships available than students to fill them, and mentioned the program’s great relationship with one particular TV series.

“I have seven students right now interning at NCIS: New Orleans, plus four others working full-time as crew and two that are graduating and about to start full-time,” she says. “Television productions are so great because they’re more steady work.”

She says she wasn’t surprised Louisiana instituted a cap on tax credits.

“Every state legislature has to know how much they’re going to be spending,” she says. “People heard ‘cap’ and they ran, but ours isn’t really even a cap because the money can rollover. Plus they set [the cap] at the most the state had ever spent.

Eventually everyone has to do it. Georgia is actually about to impose a cap, so that should be interesting.” n

i l lu st r at i o n by To n y H e a l e y

Kimberley Singletary is the managing editor of Biz New Orleans magazine. A 20-year Southern California veteran, she has been surrounded by the film industry for most of her life.

The film and TV industry is definitely

bizneworleans.com / 33

In The Biz e n t r e pr e n eu r s h i p

NOEW 2018 A Grand Experiment With Mixed Results by keith twitchell

34 / Biz New Orleans / june 2018

to take something successful and risk making substantial changes to it, they deserve a world of credit. When the purpose of the change is to engage more and different people, even greater credit is due.

As every entrepreneur knows, there is no success without taking risks, but taking risks is no guarantee of success.

Which leads us to the latest version of New Orleans Entrepreneur Week (NOEW).

For 2018, the Idea Village made a very conscious and laudable effort to make NOEW more of a community event. Instead of having most activities take place around a central location, this year NOEW events were scattered over eight different neighborhoods. In particular, most of the pitch contests were spread far and wide.

“Entrepreneurship doesn’t just take place downtown, it happens in neighborhoods all over our community,” said NOEW executive producer Victoria Adams Phipps earlier this year, “so we are really trying to embody that, and allow you to attend NOEW in your neighborhood.”

A more worthwhile goal is hard to imagine. The results, however, were mixed.

According to data from the Idea Village, total attendance saw a precipitous decline and so did cash and in-kind prizes, which amounted to $482,975 last year while this year’s press release announced that “$330,000 in funding and services was awarded.”

From an experiential standpoint, the energy levels at much of NOEW were down. In particular, when activity did re-centralize at the “NOEW Summit” at the Contemporary Arts Center for the last two days, the networking, conversations, stimulation and excitement that have characterized NOEW in the recent past just never really materialized.

There were exceptions; one attendee at the Water Challenge pitch at Propeller described it as “a full and enthusiastic house of people engaged in the green and water sectors.” However, the energy at this specialized event did not translate to Entrepreneur Week in general Clearly, there has to be a critical mass of people, events and activities to generate

that entrepreneurial vibe that has made NOEW as a whole so unique and wonderful.

Such a mass was not truly attained this year.

Equally clearly, there were positive outcomes. According to the Idea Village, 47 percent of the companies that participated in NOEW 2018 were women-owned businesses. Observing attendees at some of the community-based events, a greater variety of people definitely were engaged.

By no means was the experiment some terrible failure.

What does this mean for NOEW going forward? The goals of diversity and inclusion are key to making New Orleans a more equitable city, and the Idea Village should be supported 100 percent in striving for them.

Executive producer Phipps indicated that the organization may move toward having NOEW-type activities in satellite locations throughout the year; perhaps this approach should be accelerated. Engagement and participation around multiple communities over a period of months could channel energy and people toward NOEW. As one community partner put it, “More promotions within the neighborhoods would go a long way.”

Speaking for myself, I would definitely encourage at least a partial return to the more centralized approach. There is just no substitute for bringing large numbers of people together in a stimulating, thoughtprovoking environment with opportunity in the air and a focus on entrepreneurism in its many forms. Rather than fanning events out around the city, there could be an investment in bringing community members engaged throughout the year to the central NOEW location and activities.

The Idea Village truly should be applauded for its willingness to take a risk. Something else every entrepreneur knows is that the path to success has many steps; hopefully NOEW 2018 will prove to be a step to future entrepreneur weeks that are both vibrant and inclusive.n

i l lu st r at i o n by To n y H e a l e y

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.

Any time an organization is willing

bizneworleans.com / 35

In The Biz etiquet te

Curb Your Enthusiasm Tips for channeling excitement for your new job to ensure a smooth transition

by Melanie Warner Spencer

36 / Biz New Orleans / june 2018

focus, someone can be overzealous and perceived as a braggart. Unsolicited monologues about past accomplishments and rattling off the countless things we are so very good at either excessively or in general conversation is not the best way to self-promote. However, it is important to “toot your own horn,” so get in the habit of doing it and doing it the right way.

For example, track your progress, and when your boss asks, or during regular check-ins, offer up a list of wins. Include how those wins positively affect the company and also be sure to share the good work of other people on your team.

If and when you do share these wins with your coworkers, focus on celebrating the success and how it benefits the company, and not on how great you are, because the latter will most assuredly come off as boasting.

If all your attempts at self-control and patience fail, and you realize that you’ve overstepped, a quick apology will usually do the trick and get things back on track.

It might sound something like this: “In my excitement at this new job and due to my desire to assist and contribute, I’m afraid I may have stepped into your lane.

Please accept my sincere apology. I’m still learning the way things work here and despite my best intentions I sometimes get ahead of myself.”

Sincerity and humility can go a long way towards damage control. Your colleague will likely appreciate your candor and soon enough you’ll be laughing heartily together about the ordeal during the next office happy hour. n

i l lu st r at i o n by To n y H e a l e y

Melanie Warner Spencer is editor of New Orleans Bride and New Orleans Homes & Lifestyles and managing editor of Louisiana Life and Acadiana Profile. Spencer’s ever-expanding library of etiquette books is rivaled only by her ever-ready stash of blank thank-you notes. Submit business etiquette questions to Melanie@MyNewOrleans.com.

Landing that first job after college, or the big job you’ve been interviewing for, is always exciting and sometimes also a little frightening. Often, our excitement and enthusiasm is overflowing to the point that we can barely contain it. Contain it you must, however. Otherwise, you can send the wrong message and get started on the wrong foot with your new colleagues and bosses.

With a little patience and restraint, however, you can smoothly and easily transition from newbie to superstar in no time. Here are a few things to consider when settling into your first or a new job.

First, it’s natural that you are bubbling over with fresh ideas. Also, your new employer certainly wants to hear from you and values your perspective and opinions; otherwise they wouldn’t have hired you.

That said, it’s always important, especially in the beginning, to spend more time listening than talking and to devote the first few months getting to know your job, the company, its culture, your colleagues, the office hierarchy and politics, and just generally get a handle on who does what and how things work. When you do speak up, such as in meetings, be prepared and keep it brief.

Next, often new employees have a fresh perspective — or in some cases a more recent education — which can translate to great ideas on better, more efficient processes, software systems and a host of other problem-solving techniques or new ways of getting the job done. Tread lightly, however, when it comes to making suggestions or proposing changes, because even the most well-meaning suggestions can rub some people the wrong way, especially if it’s presented in haste or without the proper tact. Do your research and find out why the person or company follows a certain procedure, then wait for the right moment. Simply asking, “Do you mind if I make a suggestion?” or “Have you considered X,Y and Z?” can be a way to get buy-in from the other party and help you avoid being viewed as a know-it-all.

Sometimes in eagerness to be noticed and considered an expert in an area of

bizneworleans.com / 37

In The Biz marketing

A Question For You What if I said you’d have no more new customers?

by Julia carcamo

As marketers, we’re always looking

to “fill the funnel” with new customers, but what if I told you the last new customer you would get just walked in your door? How would you change your business? What would you do to get back the customers who tried you once or twice but ultimately chose to go elsewhere?

We know how to get new customers — advertising and discounts. But how are we nurturing existing client relationships?

There is much research that says getting a new customer costs you five times (some even say 10 times) more than keeping a customer. So, for the sake of low cost and deeper brand engagement, let’s turn our attention to the customers who are already within our grasp and find ways to generate more business from them. Those relationships are waiting to be nurtured and cultivated and, in many cases, you may already have the tools within your grasp.

EMPLOYEES

38 / Biz New Orleans / june 2018

There is gold in that there customer database! The customers who visited you once before and have either declined in their visits and purchases or completely stopped may be your best source of revenue. Ask yourself, “How much revenue can I bring in if I get only 1 percent of those customers back?” What if you could get 2 percent?

Five percent? Ten percent? (This will take time and will absolutely be where the patience of your executives is tested).

There are two pieces to this puzzle: The first is understanding the needs and wants of your customers. A robust CRM system can turn a customer from an account number and sales history to a person with wants, needs and desires.

Long-lasting customer relationships must be defined by the person rather than a sum of their purchases.

Next, you’ll need to do an internal audit of your offerings, services, facilities and staff...honestly. Then, audit your competitors. You must identify both the improvements you have made since your customers’ last visit(s) and the improvements you can make now. This should be done before you start any outreach. Understanding the new story along with your enhanced CRM system should lead to improvement.

My entire career has been in marketing and has included years of finance directors telling me that all I know how to do is spend money. Don’t get me wrong, I can spend money, but I can also make money by getting to know the tools I have available and the customers I have, then finding a way to match them up. When you look inside (instead of outside) for marketing redemption, you’ll find more ways to generate business. n

i l lu st r at i o n by To n y H e a l e y

Julia Carcamo is president and chief brand strategist at J Carcamo & Associates, specializing in brand and marketing strategy. She is also the co-founder of espNOLA, a Hispanic marketing and engagement agency. Learn more at jcarcamoassociates.com and espnola.com.

While most would expect me to turn to advertising and communications first, I always like to start with employees.

Customer relationships take people. How we treat and reward our people will determine how our people treat our relationships.

Call centers are a great example of a waste of people power. Operators are rewarded for resolving calls quickly. Faster resolution equals higher call volume per shift, which equals lower cost per call. But what if we placed the emphasis on the cost per relationship rather than cost per call?

Of course, what if you don’t have a call center? Do you have lines forming elsewhere? Do you have a payment location where people stand around waiting to give you money? You most certainly want the line to move quickly, but does a couple of extra seconds spent giving a customer a smile, perhaps welcoming them back or wishing them a good day really drive your costs or are they driving your relationships? Operating successfully for the long term most certainly requires a delicate balance of efficiency and effectiveness. Just remember that it is a balance and not all about efficiency.

CUSTOMER DATABASE

bizneworleans.com / 39

hot topics in southe a st Louisiana industries

perspectives dining & entertainment / insurance / healthcare / GUEST VIEWPOINT

Summer can be packed with incentives for companies that book their holiday festivities in advance.

Perspectives d i n i n g & e n t e r ta i n m e n t

Booking An Event:

Things To Consider Lisa Larsen, director of sales at Galatoire’s, says people should consider three main things when booking an event. The first is the kitchen need.

“At Galatoire’s we have four kitchens, so whatever’s going on in this building is not going to affect your event, because your event is going to have its own dedicated kitchen,” Larsen says. Ask your event planner if your event will have its own kitchen, and if the restaurant volume might affect your event.”

Second, consider your location relative to options after your party.

“You want to make sure you’re postured for the after-party, because nobody stops when the event is over,” Larsen says. It’s good to have nearby options where people can continue socializing and celebrating.”

Finally, consider interactive options and trends – chef stations, festive cocktails, a photo booth with themed props, live music or even entertainment from local buskers – think card readers and on-site poetry writers.

Christmas in July?

Booking holiday events now allows companies to reap an array of benefits.

by Jessica Rosgaard

New Orleans has over 1,000 restaurants and event spaces, but don’t let an abundance of options make you think you can leave holiday planning until the last minute. From getting your choice of venue, to getting the ear of your event planner, the slow summer months provide a perfect time for companies to get a jump on planning holiday events.

The Early Bird Gets the Worm

First and foremost – if you book early, you’re more likely to get your choice of time and place. High-demand New Orleans institutions like Galatoire’s see their holiday calendar fill up fast. Lisa Larsen is the director of sales at the fine-dining establishment.

42 / Biz New Orleans / june 2018

“A lot of dates will book a year out, some even further than that – particularly Friday lunches,” Larsen says, “but it’s still possible to reach out to us during the summer and get some good dates.”

Creole Cuisine Restaurant Concepts manages 20 restaurants and venues in the city, ranging from upscale to casual-dining options. Director of sales Valerie Landry says holiday events often have to compete for space with other large events.

“I have people that call me for venues like Marché and Tommy’s – really large venues for 200 people – but those venues will book a year in advance because of our wedding business,” Landry says.

Fleming’s in Metairie and Briquette in the Warehouse

“Remember, do something, says Laura Ponoroff, event and sales manager at The Parlor. “Corporate parties book somewhere and have food and drinks and there’s nothing else to it. Make your event memorable, make it fun, make it so people want to go.”

It’s also important to keep people’s schedules in mind when booking your holiday events. For instance, if you’re hosting a party on a weekday, consider that people might be coming straight from the office.

“A lot of people are having holiday parties from 5-8 p.m., or 4-7 p.m., where it’s after work but it’s still a fun party – not a whole late-night event,” says Valerie Landry, director of sales for Creole Cuisine Restaurant Concepts.

You also want to make sure to plan adequate food for the time of any event.

“If you have a party at 7 o’clock on a Friday after your employees worked all day, probably rushed home to change, took care of kids, whatever they had to do, and all your party offers are small bites and a bar, people will be hungry,” Landry says.

bizneworleans.com / 43

A Few Options for Holiday Events

From old establishments to new venues, traditional New Orleans fare to modern cuisine, area restaurants offer a wide range of options for your company holiday event.

1. Briquette is housed in an old molasses refinery in the Warehouse District but offers a contemporary experience with a modern approach to classic New Orleans favorites. The restaurant’s open floor plan allows every seat a view of the kitchen, and two large communal tables provide a social atmosphere. The venue doesn’t have any private space, so most events are total buyouts, but Briquette does offer semi-private events, cocktail receptions and large seated events.

District are both newer restaurants in the area that opened last fall, right on the cusp of the holiday event season.

Most companies had booked their parties by the time Briquette opened its doors October 5, 2017. “We did get a few last-minute parties,” said restaurateur Anna Tusa, “but hopefully this year we’ll get a strong push of people wanting to book early.”

Fleming’s was facing holiday crunch time when the restaurant opened in November 2017. Private-dining director Kelsey McClary says the late start didn’t hurt business.

“A lot of people left it to the last minute, but we were able to accommodate them,” McClary says. “We opened up not knowing what to expect, so this year we definitely have a lot more time...to plan menus and to offer those extra holiday enhancements that we might not have been able to offer last year.”

Both restaurants offer incentives for companies that

“Summer is historically a little less hectic for restaurants,” says Kyle Barnett at Carrabba’s Italian Grill. “This will ensure the staff and leadership will be able to better prepare for, and devote more time to, your event.”

“The summer is a really good time that businesses can connect with people and really get the information they need before restaurants get into busy season — dealing with weddings, corporate events and all the conventions that come in,” says Valerie Landry at Creole Cuisine. “It gives businesses a lot of time to actually research, and the sales team is typically slower, so you tend to get a lot more one-on-one time with different vendors to see exactly what you want for your party.”

The biggest factor taking a salesperson’s time away from planning your event is actually running someone else’s.

“Events take precedence over our time,” says Laura Ponoroff, event and sales manager at The Parlor. “Even though we want to work forward with our other clients,

book early.

“We offer an upgraded bar package as an incentive for people to get their parties booked early,” says Anna Tusa.

“If you buy the call bar, we upgrade you to premium. If you buy the house bar, we upgrade you to call.”

McClary says Fleming’s always offers a promotion to incentivize early bookings. “In the past, we’ve offered free champagne toasts, or $100 back for every $500 spent, or complimentary cocktail receptions with dinner,” she says.

we can’t respond to an email within minutes if there’s an event taking place.”

Planners say it’s wise to avoid the fall rush.

“In my experience, the majority of companies start looking to set up a holiday event sometime around October,” adds Barnett. “That coincides with a lot of other fall events for charities and schools that may lead to a little bit fuller schedules for restaurants and caterers. You may not get the undivided attention you would by booking earlier.”

Schedules also tend to just be more flexible in the summer.

“You have a lot of time to go do site surveys during the week and meet with people – I don’t want it to sound like we’re too busy to talk to anybody in the fall, but summer is definitely a slower time,” says Landry. n

2. Boasting a menu composed of Italian food made from scratch plus seafood and steaks, Carrabba’s Italian Grill can provide off-site catering or delivery if an event is being hosted at a venue without a kitchen. The restaurant also utilizes a trailer with a portable grill and stove for on-site cooking. Both catering packages and a la carte options are available, along with private dining for up to 100 people on weekdays at their Metairie location.

3. Creole Cuisine Restaurant Concepts has a wide range of restaurants in the French Quarter, from upscale dining to casual bar options. The company’s various properties can accommodate anywhere from 25 to 700 guests, with menus focusing on authentic New Orleans cuisine that incorporates current dining trends.

4. Fleming’s is Metairie’s newest fine-dining concept, featuring a contemporary art-inspired restaurant, bar and convertible open-air patio. The restaurant’s menu offers hand-cut aged prime steaks and premium wine pairings.

It has two private-dining options (with capacity from 25-70 people) and a semi-private option for up to 30 people.

5. The Parlor at the Pontchartrain Hotel is a 2,790-square-foot venue with exposed brick walls and crystal chandeliers that can accommodate anywhere from 100 to 250 guests. Event catering is provided on-site by QED Hospitality, with a customizable food and beverage menu specializing in traditional New Orleans cuisine and seafood.

44 / Biz New Orleans / june 2018

Personal Touch

Beyond enjoying your choice of date and venue, and early-bird incentives, planning holiday events during the slow summer period means businesses are likely to get more personal attention from an event planner.

bizneworleans.com / 45

Perspectives insur ance

Marine Insurance Facing Rough Seas Premium price wars have reduced income as much as 50 percent.

by Chris Price

With one in five Louisiana jobs tied to

the maritime industry, managing risk on the ships, boats, barges and ports, shipyards and offshore oil rigs that serve our region has a major impact on the state’s economy.

The potential for catastrophic losses is high, and combined with reduced oil prices, the implementation of tariffs and the increased potential

46 / Biz New Orleans / june 2018

for trade wars, has left many in the maritime industry doing what they can to survive. That is especially true in the marine insurance industry, which has seen an influx of new, unseasoned competition enter the market in the last decade.

The result has been pricing wars that have caused premiums to drop as much as 50 percent in the last three years, said Dieter Max Hugel, president and

chairman of Gulf Coast Marine, a Metairie-based marine underwriter.

“In 2014, Gulf Coast Marine was transacting $50 million in premiums a year. Now we’re doing $25 million,” Hugel said. “That’s a significant reduction.”

A wakeup call came last year when hurricanes Harvey, Irma, Nate and Maria, paired with wildfires in California and additional major international

bizneworleans.com / 47

Breaking it down

Who needs marine insurance?

If an organization does business on the water, it needs marine insurance.

In general, this includes port authorities and dockside terminal operators, shipyards, vessel owners and operators, vessel brokers and dealers, and cargo owners. In Louisiana, that impacts several lines of business, including ports, terminals and marinas; boat builders, brokers and dealers; offshore oil and gas crew and supply boats; construction and maintenance vessels; coastal and inland barges, tugs and dredges; pilot boats, ferries, commercial fishing vessels, dive boats and yachts.

Marine insurance coverage comes in several forms to cover different risks. The major lines of coverage include protections for workers, vessels and the environment, including: Marine general liability: the most common and provides legal protection for most sectors of marine businesses.

Hull and machinery: covers damage to or the loss of a vessel and its machinery and onboard equipment.

Protection and indemnity liability: protects owners and operators against employee injury and third-party damage.

Maritime employer’s liability: defends employee accidents on vessels and docks not owned by the holder’s company.

Marine builder’s risk: covers any damage to a vessel under construction, repair, remodel, or retrofitting.

Pollution coverage: protects the company from any environmentalrelated damage.

weather events led to the worst natural catastrophe losses in history for the property and casualty insurance sector.

As a result, the International Union of Marine Insurance (IUMI) has warned marine insurers to be cautious. That has led some local underwriters to question the overall health of the marine insurance industry.

“It’s a market in flux,” said Elder Brown Jr., chairman of Covington-based Continental Underwriters Ltd. “Last year was a brutal year for most insurers who are involved in property and any kind of marine business. I think that’s going to take a heavy toll on some of the players in the market. It already has on the yacht side, and we’re going to see it on the commercial side eventually.”

There’s also the issue that too many underwriters without extensive experience in marine insurance have entered the market with underpriced premiums that expose them to too much risk. Just insuring one cargo ship may leave a company with tens to hundreds of millions of dollars in risk not covered by the premiums they charge.

“They see big money coming in, but when claims come in and they have to pay out large amounts, they can’t,” he said. “The margins between profit and loss are very slim – a few percentage points. If you get it wrong, your losses are going to be huge.”

Local Impact

With several deep-water ports that connect the Mississippi River and its tributaries to the world, south Louisiana is intrinsically affected by global factors that impact the economy. This means that when the price of oil goes down and exploration ceases in the Gulf of Mexico, it causes a profound domino effect on commercial and personal income and spending habits. That was evident when the price of a barrel of crude dropped from $65 to $25 in 2014. Since then, there has been a downturn in oilfield activity and related jobs.

“On average, only about 40 percent of oil vessels are

“If you’re going to underwrite in the Gulf of Mexico you might as well go find another line of business because it’s pretty dead.”

Elder Brown Jr., chairman of Covingtonbased Continental Underwriters Ltd.

Outlook: Caution

At the IUMI’s spring conference in March in Hamburg, Germany, the organization urged the global marine insurance sector to remain cautious. Hull protection insurance was a major concern for the IUMI due to the rate of serious accidents, including sinkings and groundings.

While the organization acknowledged improvements in marine safety, regulation, and naval architecture and marine engineering, it expressed concern that ship crews are not being adequately trained on managing newer technology incorporated in modern vessels.

“All hull markets acknowledge the severe volatility inherent in a typical international hull portfolio,” said IUMI Ocean Hull Committee chair Mark Edmondson.

“The rate of serious casualties such as sinkings and groundings has grown since 2014, but was found to be stable in 2016-2017. Although the financial impact of major casualties was modest recently, increasing values of single risks bear the potential risk of new record losses, and attritional losses are a growing concern.”

While the stabilization of vessel damage claims was good news, the cargo insurance market suffered due to numerous weather-related events that caused physical damage and shipping delays at major ports, including Houston and Tampa. There is concern that the highly competitive market for this type of insurance could lead some businesses to overlook proper coverage in exchange for the lowest-priced premiums, which may leave them underwater should tragedy strike.

In potential good news for the local economy, the union believes that continued increases in oil prices will lead to more offshore exploration, which will increase insurance demand.

48 / Biz New Orleans / june 2018

working,” Hugel said. “Some small operators may not have any work. They’re just sitting there.”

Hugel said that Gulf Coast Marine has been able to ride the storm by holding onto its core clients. “We may not be making as much money as we did 10 years ago, but we’re still turning a small profit.”

Continental Underwriters has diversified its offerings by opening locations in New York, Chicago and Houston, and offering new product lines related to the maritime industry. Brown said it’s a necessary step to survive.

“If you’re going to underwrite in the Gulf of Mexico you might as well go find another line of business because it’s pretty dead,” he said. “Quite frankly, in the United States, we’re in a depression within the maritime industry. The near term, I think, is pretty bleak. I don’t see a lot of opportunity offshore. The strong will survive, so we’re holding on for better days.”

Hugel believes those better days may be at hand.

“We think the soft market ended at the end of 2017,” he said. “We don’t think more (premium) reductions will happen. We’ve seen a hardening of the market since the beginning of the year.”

He also noted that oil prices have been increasing since the beginning of the year. If they continue to climb, he said, oilfield activity in the Gulf should increase, as well.

“That’s good for everyone,” Hugel said. “If people have money, they’ll spend it.” n

bizneworleans.com / 49

Perspectives h e a lt hc a r e

Alzheimer’s: What you need to know

FATAL FACTS Alzheimer’s is deadly and on the rise.

Alzheimer’s disease is the sixth-leading cause of death in the United States, and the fifth-leading cause of death among those age 65 and older. It is also a leading cause of disability and poor health.

A new case develops in the U.S. every 65 seconds.

Although deaths from other major causes have decreased significantly, official records indicate that deaths from Alzheimer’s disease have increased significantly. Between 2000 and 2015, deaths from Alzheimer’s disease (as recorded on death certificates) increased 123 percent, while deaths from the No. 1 cause of death, heart disease, decreased 11 percent.

By Kim Roberts

June is Alzheimer’s and Brain Awareness

month. On June 21, 2018, the longest day of the year as well as the summer solstice, thousands of people will join together locally and nationally to honor those affected by Alzheimer’s disease.

The Alzheimer’s Association reports that as the number of older Americans grows rapidly, so too will the numbers of new and existing cases of Alzheimer’s. As it stands now, someone in the United States develops Alzheimer’s every 65 seconds. The disease kills more people than breast cancer and prostate cancer combined and is the only top 10 cause of death in the United States that cannot be prevented, cured or even slowed.

One of the most recognizable symptoms of Alzheimer’s is forgetfulness. But not all forgetfulness is created equal, so when should you seek help for yourself or someone you love?

“Cognitive change due to aging, such as forgetting names, is normal and not necessarily a reason to worry,” says Dr. Edward Soll, radiologist and advisor at Doctor’s Imaging.

“While your brain does change as you age, it’s important to know the signs and what part of the brain should be intact at each age. In addition to normal aging, medications, sleep problems, depression, anxiety and alcohol can also alter someone’s memory.”

50 / Biz New Orleans / june 2018

Among people age 70, 61 percent of those with Alzheimer’s are expected to die before the age of 80 compared with 30 percent of people without Alzheimer’s.

Source: The Alzheimer’s Association

New Technology Assisting With Diagnosis

Doctor’s Imaging in Metairie helps patients determine if their memory losses are due to Alzheimer’s or other factors in part with NeuroQuant analysis technology — FDA cleared software that is part of the routine MRI protocol Doctor’s Imaging uses to evaluate the brain micro-structure.

“We use the NeuroQuant analysis when making clinical assessments of memory change and memory loss which may be caused by changes in brain anatomy,” Dr. Soll said. “This technology aids in the diagnosis of non-Alzheimer’s dementia and when Alzheimer’s is ruled out, it lets doctors look for what is causing the memory loss.”

What are the signs of Alzheimer’s? Dr. John Freiberg, neurologist with the Tulane Center for Clinical Neurosciences, says that recurring shortterm memory loss is a red flag, along with making mistakes that are not normally made – for example, mistakes while paying bills, balancing a

bizneworleans.com / 51

check book or successfully completing recipes.

Other concerns can be a limiting of activities or loss of activity level, behavior changes, depression, and loss of hygiene routine and physical upkeep.

“People with Alzheimer’s demonstrate symptoms like forgetfulness that lead to things such as problem-solving difficulties, multitasking issues, struggles to use regular household items, becoming easily distracted and personality changes,” says Colleen Knoop, nurse practitioner at Ochsner Medical Center’s department of neurology.

“Generally speaking, these symptoms won’t start showing up until 65 years or older, but someone can have early onset dementia that can lead to Alzheimer’s.”

Local Resources

If a person is diagnosed with Alzheimer’s, an array of resources are available, among them The New Orleans Jewish Community Center, which hosts an Alzheimer’s Care and Enrichment Program three days a week from 10 a.m. to noon.

“The program offers these individuals a community of their own and a place to engage with one another,” says program director Allison Freeman.

“We try to enrich their experience with a wide range of activities, such as coffee time, exercise, music therapy, group activities like making lunch together, arts and crafts, and board games. We also consider family members to be part of the effort, so this program gives them a chance to breathe, take some time for themselves and just take a break from caregiving for a few hours.”

The JCC program is designed to be an intimate setting, and as such is limited to 12 people at a time who receive individualized, attentive care.

“We have both staff members and volunteers on site and are a social model instead of a medical model,” Freeman says. “We try to incorporate arts into the program as much as we can through music and poetry because this is a good way to connect with Alzheimer’s patients in that it provides a way for them to express themselves without words.”

Staying active is also important with those afflicted by the disease.

“Exercise has shown to be beneficial for those with Alzheimer’s because it slows cognitive decline,” says Dr. Freiberg. “Also, a good diet and proper nutrition can be beneficial as well as avoiding alcohol and drugs and keeping a regular sleep schedule.”

Ochsner Medical Center is also fostering a new program through its Brain Health and Cognitive Disorders Program, which is being tailored to Alzheimer’s patients.

“Our program is for the patient, as well as the caregiver,” Knoop said. “We provide tips on how to deal with the patient, have representatives

52 / Biz New Orleans / june 2018

What are Your Chances?

According to the Alzheimer’s Association (ALZ.org), an estimated 5.7 million Americans of all ages are living with Alzheimer’s dementia in 2018. This number includes an estimated 5.5 million people age 65 and older and approximately 200,000 individuals under age 65 who have younger-onset Alzheimer’s.

One in 10 people age 65 and older (10 percent) has Alzheimer’s dementia.

Almost two-thirds of Americans with Alzheimer’s are women.

Older African-Americans are about twice as likely to have Alzheimer’s or other dementia as older whites.

Hispanics are about one and one-half times as likely to have Alzheimer’s or other dementia as older whites.

from the Alzheimer’s Association come and talk, and basically offer resources on what comes next for the family. We are currently running two to three times a month. It has been so helpful to have this time for the families and help them to not feel so alone.”

Caregivers Need Care Too

Alzheimer’s can take a toll on the entire family of any person diagnosed with the disease. The Alzheimer’s Association cites that compared with caregivers of people without dementia, twice as many caregivers of those with dementia indicate substantial emotional, financial and physical difficulties. Approximately 83 percent of the help provided to older adults in the United States comes from family members, friends or other unpaid caregivers.

Nearly half of all caregivers who provide help to older adults do so for someone with Alzheimer’s or

another dementia.

“When dealing with a loved one with Alzheimer’s, it’s a good idea to be flexible, respectful and remain as calm as possible,” Knoop said. “Try not to take anything personally. Remember it is the disease, not the person, that may be acting out.”

“It’s a good idea to look for a great day care or assisted facility so as a caregiver you can get some time to relax and be mentally rested,” says Dr. Soll. “It’s a difficult time for the family, the later stages can be heartbreaking and there can be anger in the early stages.”

“Some insurance carriers might cover respite for the caregiver and allow for admitting the loved one into a facility for a week or two or for support groups,” adds Dr. Freiberg. n

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Perspectives guest viewpoint

Is Your Website Disability Friendly?

An estimated 814 website accessibility lawsuits were filed last year alone.

by Ray Lewis

Much like everything else in

our modern society, Americans with Disabilities Act (“ADA”) litigation has moved to the Internet. Last year saw a surge of website accessibility lawsuits in federal and state courts. Visual- and hearing-impaired plaintiffs filed an estimated 814 ADA Title III lawsuits alleging that business websites were not accessible to individuals with disabilities.

The ADA’s non-discrimination mandate requires that “public accommodations” provide qualified individuals with disabilities equal access to their programs, services or activities unless doing so would fundamentally alter the nature of their programs, services or activities, or would impose an undue burden.

This Likely Means You

54 / Biz New Orleans / june 2018

What is Equal Access?

It’s Unclear.

For business owners and web designers there is a dearth of guidance or regulation on website accessibility. Businesses are navigating a body of laws enacted in 1990 when the Internet was not the omnipresent force it is today. In fact, the oncepromised and much-anticipated guidance and regulation were recently withdrawn.

In 2010, the Department of Justice (DOJ), the federal agency responsible for administering and enforcing Title III of the ADA, started the rulemaking process for regulations applicable to websites of public accommodations. In January 2017, after years of waiting, the U.S. Architectural and Transportation Barriers Compliance Board (the Access Board) announced a final rule requiring that websites of federal agencies conform to the Web Content Accessibility Guidelines 2.0 Levels A and AA (WCAG 2.0 AA) within one year. Many considered it a foregone conclusion that the DOJ would similarly adopt WCAG 2.0 AA for public accommodations.

Despite promising regulation by mid-2018, in December 2017 the DOJ officially withdrew its intent to issue rules and guidelines. Keeping pace with the current administration’s de-regulation goals, the DOJ stated that it is “evaluating whether promulgating regulations about the accessibility of Web information and

services is necessary and appropriate.”

The DOJ’s abandonment of technical guidance for website access is an unfortunate development for the disability community and covered businesses alike. The lack of clear rules means the disability community faces no continuity or consistency in the websites it visits, nor can it expect a baseline set of services or content on those websites that have sought to be compliant.

Instead of having clear rules to follow, businesses are left with following an often inconsistent and ever-changing patchwork of decisions coming out of the courts. Meanwhile, as businesses try to determine what equal access to their websites means and how to provide it, the threat of and number of website accessibility lawsuits increases.

What Should You Do?

Until more direct guidance is given by the courts or DOJ, businesses

A p p h oto/ E va n Vucc i

Businesses that provide goods or services to the public almost always qualify as “public accommodations” under the ADA, regardless of their size. Examples include restaurants, hotels, theaters, retail stores, shopping malls, service establishments, property management companies,

dry cleaners, pharmacies, doctors’ and dentists’ offices, museums, libraries, zoos, parks and bowling alleys.

While the ADA was traditionally intended to cover physical buildings, locations and spaces for these public accommodations, its general accessibility mandate now extends to websites. Where a website is heavily integrated with physical locations and operates as a gateway to them, the courts have typically found that the website is a service of a public accommodation covered by the ADA.

and public accommodations should comply with WCAG 2.0 AA or ensure the web design professional it has retained is preparing a website that is compliant. However, ensuring that the website complies with WCAG 2.0 AA will not necessarily insulate the business from threat of litigation or liability.

One of the first trials in a website accessibility lawsuit took place in 2017 and did not go well for the business.

In Florida, a federal court concluded that grocer Winn-Dixie was a public accommodation and violated the ADA by having an inaccessible website.

The judge found Winn-Dixie violated the ADA by offering coupons, other prescriptions and store location options on its website, but failed to make sure the website was compatible with the screen reader software used by the visually impaired plaintiff. The judge ordered Winn-Dixie to make its website conform to the WCAG 2.0 AA, which the judge identified as the “industry standard” for website accessibility. It was also found that the $250,000 cost to remediate WinnDixie’s website was not an “undue burden.”

the current number of hearing- or visually impaired Americans over the next 15-30 years.

These figures do not count the significantly higher number of people who favor accessibility, i.e. interest group members, socially conscious persons, and friends and family members of those 8 million sightimpaired individuals. It makes good business sense to have an accessible website so that as many people as possible can use your services. Doing so also shows the larger public that you understand the needs of the disabled community and want to implement policies that best serve them.

It’s also worthy to note that many search engines expect accessibility to be a primary goal in website development. Google rewards WCAG 2.0 AA-compliant sites with higher rankings. Having a more accessible website now may significantly benefit your search-engine optimization (SEO) and ranking potential without you having to devote marketing budget dollars to an SEO marketing campaign. n

Accessibility is Just Good Business Sense

Aside from decreasing the risk of ADA litigation, having a WCAG 2.0 AA compliant website is just good business sense.

One day – during this administration or the next – the DOJ will likely issue ADA website accessibility compliance regulations. If you have an accessible website, you will already meet those standards and be ahead of the curve.

Your company’s website is a primary marketing and communications tool. Your clients and customer (past, present and future) are coming to you from all kinds of backgrounds and circumstances. Conservative estimates place the sight-impaired community at roughly 8 million people. Other studies suggest that aging baby boomers will double

Ray Lewis is a partner in Deutsch Kerrigan LLP’s civil litigation department whose practice centers primarily in the areas of complex commercial and business litigation, insurance defense and appellate work. He has successfully litigated complex commercial disputes for local and national clients involving multimillion dollar claims for breach of contract, product liability and transportation casualty.

bizneworleans.com / 55

56 / Biz New Orleans / april 2018

Fresh from taking San Antonio’s convention center into the future, Michael Sawaya, the new president and general manager of the New Orleans Ernest N. Morial Convention Center, shares his plans for a “decade of delivery.”

conventional wisdom

by By Jennifer Gibson Schecter portraits by Greg Miles

T

houghts of conventions bring myriad ideas to mind. For some, they are an opportunity to network and grow as professionals. For others, they are obligations that guarantee rubber chicken luncheons and lumpy hotel beds. But for Michael Sawaya, the new president and general manager of the convention center, conventions mean prosperity and the potential to make New Orleans a tier 1 destination.

There’s no denying the intrinsic role the convention center plays in the tourism and hospitality industry in our region. In 2016 alone, the most recent figures show it held 128 conventions and trade shows, brought in 616,234 out-of-town guests, and generated a total economic impact of $2 billion, a 6-percent increase over the previous year.

In 2016 the convention center was also responsible for 437 direct jobs, 19,734 indirect jobs, $158.4 million in tax revenue for state and local governments, and 11 percent of the city of New Orleans’ total general revenue fund.

After 33 years, the convention center is poised for change, with new leadership at the helm. Sawaya, a 40-year veteran of the hospitality industry and certified hotel administrator, brings his experience and energy to New Orleans from San Antonio, Texas, where he recently oversaw a major redevelopment project for its convention center.

Biz New Orleans had the opportunity to speak with Sawaya in April. Only two months into the job, he was already busy with the convention center's initiatives.

the International Association of Exhibit Managers, the International Association of Exhibition Executives or any number of places where our customers are. We’ll go to those shows and set up a booth, just like our customers do here in our buildings, and we’ll have appointments or meet with clients and tell them about our facilities. That’s what every destination does.

In addition to that, the New Orleans Tourism and Marketing Association (NOTMC) and the New Orleans Convention and Visitors Bureau (NOCVB) market for conventions on our behalf. We partner a lot on that effort.

They’ll do everything from trade association magazines to online web advertising to international trade shows as well. They do a lot of international marketing, and national marketing of course. And in our case, we are more focused and targeted, but they are the main marketing entity for the convention center.

How do you see the convention center working with the new mayoral administration? We’ve met with [Mayor]

Cantrell and we’ve found she is very supportive. She certainly appreciates the economic impact and importance of the tourism industry to New Orleans. She’s told us that she wants to work collaboratively with the stakeholders in the industry so that we get the best overall result. We’re all very encouraged by her comments and we’re looking forward to her new administration and working as a team.

How important are conventions to New Orleans and Louisiana? How would you describe their impact economically? It’s extremely important. When you think about how

Can you share some details about the vision plan for the Convention Center District Development and Linear Park Project? One of the things that attracted me to New Orleans

we welcome people from all over the world from all different walks of life, whether it’s captains of industry or attendees who are attending different-interest events, the fact that we are a world-renowned destination gives us an opportunity to really have a lot of exposure to many different interest groups and individuals through the course of a year.

About 700,000 visitors a year come to the convention center, and our total economic impact is about $2 billion.

That supports 20,000 jobs and tax collections are about $94 million and local collections about $64 million. So we represent about 11 percent of the city’s general fund. We’re just a great economic engine, not only for the hospitality community, but for New Orleans overall at large.

was this opportunity to really reposition our convention center for success in the future. The first order of business is to have a true headquarter hotel that is in close proximity, and in this case attached, to the convention center. That’s something that is prevalent throughout the country, and most tier 1 destinations, and it’s something we are lacking, so we’re going to address that right off the bat. We’re looking for a 1,200-room hotel to be a headquarters for the conventions to come to New Orleans.

But the first project for that really is a linear park project because first and foremost, we have to provide a safe, attractive destination for our attendees. This project was envisioned several years ago and planned, and now it’s ready to come to fruition. Basically, we have a very long, linear building — it’s actually about a mile long — and it can be monotonous from an attendee’s perspective. We need to address that.

When we do the linear park, we have to first create a multimodal area where we can do bus dropoffs and rideshare before we can close Convention Center Boulevard.

We’ll also have a structure that shelters people who are coming in to the building from that multimodal area, and then we’ll have to have an entrance lobby as well. Our intention would be to have an entrance lobby on that end of the building that is complimentary to the new hotel, and attached to the new hotel.

I came here from San Antonio where we just completed a $325 million expansion and San Antonio now has the most modern building in the country. We need to make sure

How does our convention center rank nationally? There’s

a common comparison measure of convention centers across the country and that is prime contiguous exhibit space. That means it’s the same quality and it’s connected on one level. From that measure and perspective, we’re the largest in the United States at just over 969,000 square feet.

From a standpoint of total sellable space — where we’re talking about the exhibit halls, the ballrooms, the meeting rooms — we are the sixth-largest in the United States…and the best destination in the country.

How does the convention center market itself? Several

different ways. Mainly we target and focus on customers who exhibit at trade shows. We’ll go to shows where we have attendees like Meeting Planners International,

[ favo r i t e s ]

Favorite book?

I’m a real history buff and currently reading “The General vs. The President,”

by H.W. Brands. It’s about the relationship between General Douglas MacArthur and President Harry Truman.

Favorite TV Show? “American Idol.”

Who do you look up to?

I literally look up to my 6-foot, 6-inch-tall son, Miles. He’s heading to dental school at the University of Tennessee in Memphis and I am very proud of him, and his brother, Meade, who will be a senior at the University of Texas.

They are the guys I want to be when I grow up!

Biggest life lesson learned?

Man plans; God laughs! The secret to success and happiness is having a healthy balance in your life. Faith, family, health, career and social/recreational balance is what’s most important. Any time things get out of balance, happiness and well-being are sacrificed.

that our facilities in New Orleans are as competitive as we can possibly be. We were originally built in 1984 for the World’s Fair and over the course of time we added to it, so we need some modernizing, not only on the exterior, but on the interior. Our plan is to really change our image to be a modern, convenient and contemporary center that meeting planners will, now and in the future, consider to be a tier 1 destination. That includes technology as well as aesthetic improvements in the meeting rooms and public spaces.

Last, but not least, there is the upriver project.

We have separated out the hotel project from the bigger master plan of creating a neighborhood and a destination upriver. We own 47 acres on the river next to the convention center, and part of that will be used to build the hotel, but the surrounding area is going to be an entertainment district and a neighborhood, a mixed-use development that will

bring not only residents of New Orleans, but also tourists, together.

With your experience in San Antonio with the convention center expansion and Alamodome renovation, how will that inform your approach to our convention center expansion project? We

spent 10 years studying what a convention center that’s built for the future is all about, including the types of amenities and services, and the design that it would need for it to be ultimately competitive.

We got input from our customers, stakeholders and users of the building. In our planning here in New Orleans, we’ve done the same. We had a roadshow where we actually went to Washington, D.C., and Chicago, and we asked our clients what things were important to them and then we came back and made informed decisions on that.

Having been through that process, I got to operate

the new building (in San Antonio) for a little over a year and it was encouraging to see that we got those things right. Our intention would be (to) follow that same plan here. The types of meeting rooms, the locations, the aesthetics, the technology, the equipment that we use, all of those types of things will go into our future plan to redevelop our convention center.

You have worked in the hospitality sector in markets around the country in states such as Texas, Indiana, South Carolina and Mississippi. What do you see as our strengths? There’s no place like New

Orleans: Everybody wants to go to New Orleans.

The history, the culture, the friendliness of the people, the convenience of the tourist zone, I call it, how tight-knit everything is. It’s easy to maneuver when you’re an attendee for a convention here.

So there are those things that are just inherent to what we built here over all these 300 years that make it attractive, that make people want to be here. It’s just one of those world-class dynamic destinations that will always have appeal. There’s nothing like it. That’s why I’m here.

What do you see as our primary challenges? We’re

going to be under construction for a while. We have to renovate meeting rooms and we need to find the best way to do that with the least amount of business impact. We’re working on a plan for that right now, but it’s something we do have to overcome. Because we are such a busy convention center, it’s very difficult to take it offline to renovate without interrupting the flow. So we’re focused on that and we intend to come up with a plan that limits that interruption. It’s one of our highest priorities.

Closing Convention Center Boulevard, that’s going to create some stress because it’s change and it’s different, and people are going to have to get accustomed to that. The result is going to be fairly quick — we are looking at probably two years with construction. What’s important is people will see it as it develops, and they’ll be excited about what the result’s going to be.

And, of course, the other thing is that we have to get a hotel up and running, and we have to know when we can sell it. Conventions book so far in the future, you have to track that and then determine which groups you target and what year that it’s going to be open so you can start booking it right out of the gate. We still have to have a development deal that we approve of. We have to get into negotiations with a private developer on that and make sure that we get the best deal for the city and state, and then get the construction done and have it open in time to host some of our dynamic events in the future.

What’s your hope for that? Until we see the design,

60 / Biz New Orleans / april 2018

it’s difficult to say. I would hope that we could be open for the 2023 NCAA Final Four. That would be a nice target.

But again, I don’t want to be unrealistic, and not knowing what they’re going to build and not knowing what their schedule would be, it’s difficult to say. There’s always a big event in New Orleans that we can target to be open for, so it’s a little too preliminary to say that yet, but our intention would be to award a contract to a developer no later than end of May and open negotiations so that that can be under construction this summer.

How do you think hotels and the convention center can work best together? When we’re bidding on a major confer-

ence, the hoteliers have to come together to commit the blocks that we need. Having a headquarter hotel where we have a room blocking agreement as well will help us to put together the blocking using fewer hotels in order to make up what the meeting planner needs with rooms that are in close proximity to the building.

It really is about coming together as a team to make sure that we can be successful in booking major conferences throughout the course of the year.

Who is our competition? A number of cities: I would say

San Diego, Atlanta, Orlando, Chicago, San Antonio and San Francisco, along with some new competition from Nashville and Anaheim because they have done new facilities and expanded their facilities as well.

How is the convention center funded? I know there’s a balance in operating revenues and tax revenues. Do you anticipate any of that changing? We get a percentage of the

hotel occupancy tax as part of the Convention and Visitors Bureau. We also get a percentage of the restaurant tax through the participating restaurants here locally. A percentage of RTA (New Orleans Regional Transit Authority) goes to the center as well. There are some other minor sources, but that’s what makes up the majority of our funding. And then there are the revenues from the convention center of course, from our rentals, catering, concessions, audio-visual (and) ticket sales.

The budgets from 2015 to 2018 seem to be relatively stable.

Of course, you are about to have major capital expenditures, but are you anticipating a pretty steady revenue line or are you anticipating a drop in revenue from having to close some of your meeting rooms because of construction? Our

intention is not to close any meeting rooms. Our intention is to get the renovations done without any impact to that, and there’s plenty of opportunity to do that when they’re not in use or during move-out. Our intention is to never have any of the facilities offline. So we’re not anticipating from that perspective any negative booking trends. Our expectation is that revenues will continue to grow. And of course once the hotel is open, even more so.

With your background in hotel management, what have you observed about the hotel industry in New Orleans?

We’re very fortunate that we have a diverse group of hotels and somewhat unique in that we have a lot of independent hotels that are very unique in their design, and historic, but well maintained.

What convention planners are looking for more than anything is they’re looking for not only the number of rooms at different properties, but the distribution of them.

They’re looking for different price points as well. The difference between a luxury hotel brand and even a select service hotel, they need that in order to make it work for their group. We’re fortunate that we have not only a great inventory of rooms — close to 50,000 in the region — but we have different price points, and we have specialty hotels that covers almost every segment of the market, whether it’s ultra-luxury or select service.

How would you describe your leadership style? I would

say that I am overwhelmingly a participative leader. I have a great team here at the convention center, people who have been here a long time and have done a great job historically.

I’ll say that our operations are solid. Of course, we’ll make some tweaks to it that will reflect some of my experiences, but I’m participative from that perspective.

There are times when I have to be a little more autocratic. If I have experiences that are more than others' in a particular setting, then I’ll tend to be more directive. But overwhelmingly, if I’m not the one who knows the most about a situation, then I like to say that I’ll use my delegator style and depend on those with more experience and expertise in that area in order to take the lead on a project.

What do you see as some national convention business trends? There’s a lot of things you have to track with the

trends. I don’t see convention activity going down. I actually see it improving. This next generation tends to place a lot of value on being together. They also need technology to work in the buildings, which puts demands on buildings to make sure that you have enough backbone to support the devices that people carry with them. That requires a big investment on the building’s part.

The other thing, of course, is people are looking for a unique, authentic experience and you have to bring that into your building when you’re hosting a convention. It can’t just be a sterile building that could be a convention center anywhere; it has to be reflective of where you are.

They want food from the area. It has to be plentiful. It has to well-prepared, and it has to be affordable and varietal. It certainly needs to reflect the culture of the city that we’re in.

People are looking for that and they’re looking for unique spaces, whether it’s meetings that are outside or meetings that are in public areas instead of being in a traditional meeting room with four walls.

When we redo meeting rooms, we’re going to take the meeting planner of today and tomorrow into account. In San Antonio, we actually built a meeting room called “The Meeting Room of the Future.” We gathered a group of young architects to tell us what a learning environment for their generation looked like, and it was vastly different than the traditional meeting room. We used those things to design that room there. We’ll take the same approach here in New Orleans.

[ favo r i t e s ]

Best advice ever received?

In marriage — or in most any successful relationship — you can be right or you can be happy, but you can’t be both!

Favorite New Orleans food (so far)?

Andouille-encrusted sheepshead at Palace Café. Oh, man!

Hobbies?

Golf, tennis, yoga, cycling, wining and dining.

Daily habits?

5 a.m. gym time, four cups of dark roast coffee, morning prayers, meeting and greeting internal and external customers, a robust and challenging work agenda and a quiet, sensible dinner with my soulmate, Leslie.

Pet peeve(s)?

Poor communication skills, meetings that don’t start on time, negative attitudes and gossip.

What are you most looking forward to in the next year?

Becoming a true New Orleanian and delivering on the great transformational plans that we have for the convention center.

If you liked the success we have had in the past, you’re going to really love our future. For the Ernest N. Morial Convention Center, it’s the Decade of Delivery!

Will Our Plates Ever Be Too Full?

by Ashley McLellan photographed by Cheryl Gerber

62 / Biz New Orleans / april 2018

i

n the years post-Katrina, the popularity and rise of restaurants as retail anchors has become big business for New Orleans. While the city has long been known for eating, drinking and good times, New Orleans has experienced a flood of positive press on this front recently, not least of which was The New York Times naming New Orleans its top travel destination of 2018, particularly calling out the city’s full roster of restaurants and eateries as a big part of why visitors should make the trip.

And why wouldn’t people come for the food? New Orleans consistently ranks at the top in this category. Last year alone, the city topped lists by Travel and Leisure (No. 1), U.S. News & World Report (No. 2), and The Washington Post (No. 4) — among many others — as a top city for foodies.

This past April, an episode of “The Simpsons” even showcased the city via a love letter montage of recognizable restaurants and New Orleans cuisine that have made the city a food destination and that has translated into big dollars. Tourism and hospitality is the city’s largest industry, with numbers consistently breaking records, reaching nearly 11 million visitors in 2017.

While retail brick and mortars have taken a hit nationwide, the restaurant scene in Southeast Louisiana continues to thrive. The question is, how much can we sustain?

Amazon-proof Business

In the midst of a changing economic landscape in which retail nationwide is struggling thanks to buyer preferences moving more and more to online shopping, what makes the restaurant business a bulletproof industry for the city, according to developer Jack Eglé of Beau Box Realty, is the perfect recipe of the intangible experience that dining provides mixed with a higher profit margin for landlords, topped off by synergistic relationships with other retail businesses in the area.

“Both locals and visitors enjoy our restaurant industry and come here to enjoy it,” said Eglé. “Restaurants are Amazon-proof businesses. You can order a pair of shoes online, but you can’t have a dining experience that way.”

Beau Box currently has several restaurant developments under construction or in the planning stages all along the Magazine Street corridor, an area that Eglé said is drawing investors from larger metropolitan areas.

“We are seeing investors who are looking at New Orleans and seeking out local restaurant partners,” he said. “They are seeing opportunity here. The potential for growth and profit is on par with a city such as, say, Boston, but the rents are much less, so why wouldn’t they look to invest here?”

Egle noted that having a restaurant tenant as part of a larger build-out is crucial for other retail.

“Restaurants drive retail and serve as an anchor,” he said. “Something that we work on for all of our developments is good synergy. That means a space may have a retail space, a restaurant and office spaces that feed off of one another. Tenant spaces will interact at different times throughout the day.”

While, for example, one development may include four or more different retail spaces, he said, it might also include a café, a yoga studio, a wine bar, a restaurant and office space on the second floor in order to provide consistent traffic in the early morning, throughout the day and into the evening. The result is the maximum use of space for both tenants and the landlord.

Unique city, unique challenges

In a historic city celebrating its 300th birthday, the unique list of challenges for developers and restaurateurs can be long and range from fragile infrastructure to renovations to older buildings to finding reliable staff to navigate City Hall and work within the constraints of the HDLC (Historic District Landmarks Commission).

“It is so important to find a good architect, a good kitchen planner, a good landlord.

Eglé said. “If you do your due diligence, then all these factors will come together to make a space that is well planned and will work,” he said. “The small details are what make a space work for a restaurant. Planning on where the trash pick up and storage will be. Planning for plumbing, exhaust and vents. From a landlord’s perspective, you don’t want a lot of turnover, so it’s better bizneworleans.com / 63

Old School vs. New School Restaurant owner Mark Latter straddles the line between old and new. Latter owns Tujague's Restaurant, an oldschool institution that opened in the French Quarter in 1856 (the city’s secondoldest), and Bar Frances, a new wine bar and eatery that took its place on the revived Freret Street in 2016.

Being at the helm of two very different restaurants can be a challenge, but it’s one that has its rewards on both sides.

“It’s very different having a brand new restaurant and a very old-school restaurant,” he said. “At Tujague’s, you can’t really play with the menu, which I call ‘Creole Old School.’ It’s not what people want when they come to Tujague's. At Bar Frances, it’s the complete opposite. The chef can play with the menu; anything is possible. If our chef sees some great fresh lamb, for example, we can just add it to the menu.

We print the menu at least once a week.

It’s always changing.”

The surrounding neighborhoods and the people that live and work in each play a big part in the tradition of and feel of both restaurants, and it’s the regulars that make each one unique.

While many New Orleanians have faced the problem of the influx of Airbnb, and the possibility of short-term rentals changing the face and nature of the city’s beloved old neighborhoods, Latter has not seen an impact on his restaurants.

“Airbnb has not been a problem for Tujague's because they aren’t allowed in the French Quarter,” he said. “For Bar Frances, Airbnb has actually helped, and I have seen that at many Uptown restaurants. Before, people would only have been staying downtown. They might have never been to restaurants Uptown, so having some in the neighborhood has actually been good for us. We’ve seen a big uptick in out-of-town customers.”

When asked about other challenges, Latter notes that for every challenge, the city’s restaurant scene maintains a resilient response.

“The biggest concern has been competition, but there’s always a lot of competition in New Orleans,” he said.

“We may have already hit the bubble, so to speak. There were a lot of restaurants that closed last year. But for every two restaurants that close, four more open up in their place. New Orleans is the No. 1 destination. New Orleans is the place to be these days.”

64 / Biz New Orleans / april 2018

Did You Know?

Restaurants/Hospitality By the Numbers.

10.45 million visitors

In 2016, New Orleans “was host to a record 10.45 million visitors, who spent an additional 12 percent on the city’s famous restaurant scene than the previous year.”

Source: March 2018 Eater.com article

3,350 new positions

Leisure and Hospitality gained 3,350 new positions over the last year — the highest of any industry in the New Orleans metro area.

Source: UNO Hospitality Research Center April 2015 Metropolitan Report

to be well planned.”

Stan Harris, president and CEO of the Louisiana Restaurant Association (LRA), agrees that planning and time are part of the best preparation for both local restaurateurs and outside investors who may not be familiar with the particular rules and regulations of New Orleans.

“Someone seeking to develop a restaurant in New Orleans needs to spend a little time understanding the somewhat unique challenges and the timelines to develop a restaurant here,” he said. “The Comprehensive Zoning Ordinance (CZO) addresses many questions. However, if one seeks to serve alcohol there may be neighborhood meetings required or if it is a quick-service operation, an overlay district may prohibit drivethrough windows. There are also rules

specific to performance of live music.

In the Vieux Carré area, the Vieux Carré Commission may be another approval step to navigate."

Harris noted that other cities with historic areas can have similar challenges and New Orleans processes are far from insurmountable, but they do require understanding the steps and patience during the approval process.

In addition to building, renovation and development challenges, Harris also sees the challenge of staffing as an even bigger and more complicated issue that restaurateurs consistently face.

“Finding qualified people at all levels [is the biggest challenge],” he said. While wages, he said, have “grown significantly,” the city still struggles with having a workforce that is “work-ready.” As a result, the

LRA is working with statewide officials and the New Orleans Culinary and Hospitality Institute (NOCHI), currently in development, to help with staffing and the issues restaurateurs face each day. NOCHI will provide training to restaurant and hospitality workers on all levels and is set to open in early 2019.

“We are hopeful that NOCHI will help to fill some of the workforce development challenges with the support of the governor’s office, the New Orleans Convention Center and the Louisiana Workforce Commission,” said Harris.

“While competition and access to capital have always challenged industry growth, today’s need for quality staff at all levels, including management, is limiting financial opportunity.”

Restaurant growth has ballooned in the years post-Katrina, despite a

population that is still building back.

The number of restaurants has grown from nearly 800 in 2006 to the current 1,550, according to online food and restaurant editor Tom Fitzmorris’ New Orleans Menu statistics. This increase is in contrast with a population that still has not recovered to its pre-Katrina numbers – 484,674 before the storm, versus 407,940 in 2017.

Will the bubble burst?

A common question among developers, restaurateurs and investors remains: How much growth can the New Orleans dining and hospitality industry sustain?

For Harris, the answer is not easy.

“When you consider the number of visitors to New Orleans, this helps to support many of our better-known restaurants including those in the traditional tourist areas,” he said. bizneworleans.com / 65

Fast Casual On the Rise City Greens has created its own New Orleans niche, providing healthy, locally sourced ingredients with an emphasis on convenience and flavor since 2012. Three locations later, co-founder Abhi Bhansali credits good business practices with the company’s success.

“We came back to New Orleans a couple of years after Katrina because we wanted to be part of the renaissance,” he said. “Much of what we have built comes from taking a look at best practices from our experiences living in New Orleans, New York and Washington D.C.” Fast casual provides prepared to order food, with few frozen ingredients and counter service for convenience and speed. New Orleans, with its growing group of young professionals and tech businesses, was a good fit, according to Bhansali.

“We noticed that there was a void of healthy foods. If people wanted healthy food, they would have to wait; if they wanted convenient food, they often had to sacrifice healthy. We wanted to bridge that gap,” he said.

Success for City Greens was a combination of good business and timing, with a menu of fresh ingredients grown in Florida specifically for its restaurants.

“We provide well-sourced, natural food with a focus on transparency, using best practices,” Bhansali said. “There was a wave of post-Katrina people coming that brought their tastes and trends with them. The demand was for healthy food, but that must be convenient.”

As the flagship location became successful, Bhansali and his business partner looked at expansion. With growth, the next challenge for City Greens was one that was unexpected, yet vital – creating a consistent business practice that would translate from one location to the next.

“When we built our first restaurant, the process was organic. Our team came together, our food was consistent, we made everything in-house,” Bhansali said.

“As you scale up, you begin working with different teams in different locations, and growing can become a challenge.

You want the overall experience to be consistent from location to location. We had to learn how to take that organic experience and make it procedure, without overthinking it and losing all the fun. Our dining experience should be consistent from one place to the next for our customers.”

In the end, City Greens’ success hinges on providing healthy food that tastes great and is convenient.

“Health and convenience go hand-inhand these days,” Bhansali said. “Time is the resource we’re trying to put back in people’s pockets.”

66 / Biz New Orleans / april 2018

But what about the smaller, neighborhood-centric establishments?

“As neighborhoods have grown, opportunities to create restaurants closer to where the community lives have developed,” Harris said. “And while there may be zoning or other considerations, customers appear to be increasingly frequenting dining areas where they find the location most convenient.”

Neighborhood restaurants that provide that intangible experience have long been standard to the character of the various locations in New Orleans. From the French Quarter, Garden District and Uptown, Mid-City to Lakeview, locals love the little restaurant, whether fine-dining or café, that they can call their own.

While the CBD and Warehouse Districts both have traditionally had restaurants that have catered to New Orleanians working in the area, a new wave of residential renovations have drawn young professionals looking for their own neighborhood joint in the area.

“Nationally, I think we are seeing a trend of people moving toward the center of cities,” Eglé said. “A new influx of professionals and tech jobs have people moving into the downtown area. People want to be able to walk or bike to work and play. Rents are higher Uptown, and lower downtown. I am seeing the Warehouse District take off as people are moving downtown. There is so much potential and growth and opportunity.”

Beau Box is currently investing in that new professional group, focusing on a stretch of Magazine Street that has been overlooked for some time commercially. The Kalorama development will soon anchor the corner of Girod and Magazine streets with retail and restaurants, providing new neighborhood experiences and shopping opportunities for people living nearby.

Harris said a bubble appears to have formed in the past five years, and, yet, the city continues to support growth, noting the seasonal financial struggle that restaurants face as a decisive factor of whether or not that business succeeds.

“It appears that our current level has stayed somewhat consistent for the past few years,” he said. “It is doubtful we will ever see the growth that occurred post-Katrina, however it isn’t impossible.”

LeBlanc + Smith’s roster of restaurants and bars — which includes Meauxbar, Barrel Proof, Sylvain and Cavan — continues to grow, with the newest offering, Longway Tavern, set to open on Toulouse Street later this year.

“In my opinion the restaurant business is doing OK,” said owner Robért LeBlanc.

“We’ve been talking about and reading about how the bubble is about to burst. But I still hear about more restaurants opening rather than closing.”

LeBlanc does note that the business of opening a restaurant has changed in the past decade, with the point of return coming later than in the days just after Katrina, adding a note of caution for new restaurateurs to stay the course with patience. There has been a paradigm shift with so many restaurants opening,” he said. “There is more competition. We need to pay restaurant workers more, and we should. We need to be more patient [when opening a new restaurant.]

It used to be with Sylvain and restaurants after Katrina, from say 2005 to 2010, you could recoup your investment in a year and a half. Now it just may take a little longer.”

On a positive note, LeBlanc looks ahead at the long game. New Orleanians and visitors alike love to dine out, and if you take your time, create a neighborhood place for people to celebrate, the investment can pay off.

“The good thing is that New Orleans is a long-term prospect,” he said. “People get to know your restaurant better, you gain patronage. Not to sound cliché, but you have to let it age like a fine wine. It only will get better with time.”

Setting the Scene Restaurant design can be as important as cuisine in creating an experience worth coming back for.

Robért LeBlanc, owner of LeBlanc + Smith restaurant group, has helped to design some of New Orleans favorite neighborhood taverns, including Cavan, Sylvain, Barrel Proof and Meauxbar. For LeBlanc, creating a mood and selecting the right environment go hand-in-hand in forming a restaurant experience that will bring diners back night after night.

“We design a setting that makes people feel excited, something that they might not see at home, and yet, at the same time we want people to feel like they are at home,” he said. “We find great old buildings and we don’t get in the way of it being magical. We want an environment that feels a little bit lived in. We want people to be comfortable, not be afraid to laugh too loudly, to drink their whiskey, whatever it is.”

LeBlanc says the tradition of restaurant building in the city is long and storied, with an emphasis on good times.

“The old-guard restaurant approach in New Orleans — places like Galatoire’s, Commander’s, Clancy’s — is that dining should be fun,” he said.

Approaching dining as an experience is the key to bringing customers back, not only to the restaurant itself, but also to the city, creating a food destination that visitors refer to again and again.

“Not all cities approach dining in that way,” he noted. “In many places, people go out to have fun somewhere else, say a comedy show or the theater, and then dine. In New Orleans, we expect our dining to be the main event. It’s an experience that maybe we all take for granted because that’s the way it is here.”

LeBlanc + Smith has built a unique resume of restaurants, all of which the team approached somewhat backward.

“Everything for us starts with the building,” LeBlanc said. “We never start out with a plan, we just keep getting presented with these great spaces. We never decide, ‘We’re going to have an Italian restaurant.’ We find a space and decide what fits with the building.”

While the historic nature of renovating a restaurant in New Orleans is appealing, the endeavor itself, said LeBlanc, is complicated.

“You have to keep in mind what you’re getting with an older building. The more beautiful the building, the more maintenance there usually is,” he said. “The history of the building is the starting point and the most important part in the beginning. We start with the history of the building — what stories were told there. We don’t see it as an effort. We want to honor the building, but in a 21st-century way that New Orleanians can enjoy.”

bizneworleans.com / 67

Southe a st louisiana businesses in full color

from the lens GREAT WORKSPACES / WHY DIDN’T I THINK OF THAT? / MAKING A MATCH / ON THE JOB

John and Aimee Keife have created a shop with a decidedly European flair in the Central Business District.

From The Lens g r e at wo r k s pac e s

A Little Bit of Europe on the Corner CBD neighborhood wine merchants John and Aimee Keife drew inspiration from old apothecaries and their world travels to create Keife & Co.

by Melanie Warner Spencer photos by Sara Essex Bradley

If it seems as though the wine and liquor

store in the corner space of the early-to-mid1900s-era building at 801 Howard Ave. has always been there, that’s because it was designed to appear that way.

The two-story, triangular building has served many purposes over the years. According to neighbors, an auto garage first occupied the well-lit, 1,200 square feet before Kinko’s moved in for a spell in the ’80s. Prior to the current incarnation, it was used as offices.

In 2010, John and Aimee Keife acquired the space, which a year and a half later was transformed into Keife & Co., a wine, liquor and specialty food shop. For the design, the couple drew inspiration from their European travels, and in particular, the bath and body shop Rose & Co., in West

John and Aimee Keife purchased former office space at 801 Howard Ave. in 2010 and have since transformed it into Keife & Co., a wine, liquor and specialty food shop.

70 / Biz New Orleans / june 2018

bizneworleans.com / 71

In addition to wine and spirits, Keife & Co. offers a selection of fine Italian tomatoes and sauces, along with pasta by Martelli, bread from local Bellegarde Bakery, and chocolates, honey, cheeses, meats, spreads and other accoutrements.

72 / Biz New Orleans / june 2018

John Keife shows off some of the shops offerings. Gift baskets and picnic baskets are also available upon request.

Yorkshire, England.

“We would see really cool wine stores and boutiques and we wanted to sort of have that apothecary look,” says John.

The vintage look is employed throughout the space, from the shop’s signage to the dark stained, floor-to-ceiling shelving (made by carpenter Dragan Segvic), and up to the dropped, pressed tin ceiling and eye-catching French Imperial-style chandelier.

The pièce de résistance is an L-shaped, bar-style cash wrap where customers can pull up a stool and, in 1920 speakeasy slang, hand over a few clams for some giggle juice.

To design a wine and liquor store after an apothecary is especially fitting in New Orleans. The city was home to apothecary owner M. Antoine Peychaud, who most people in the know credit with inventing the Sazerac — the city’s official cocktail—in the 1830s, the recipe for which included (and still does) his famous bitters.

During Prohibition, J. Marion Legendre continued to sell his herb-infused “medicinal” spirits from the family’s Baronne Street pharmacy. The concoction was later branded Legendre Herbsaint and used as a legal substitute for absinthe in drinks such as, you guessed it, the Sazerac.

bizneworleans.com / 73

Keife & Co. offers wine and Champagne from small producers, and “medicinal” spirits like whiskey, rum, tequila, mezcal, gin and vodka from popular and artisanal producers.

A surprising European inclusion, however, is the shop’s selection of fine Italian tomatoes and sauces, along with pasta by Martelli, bread from local Bellegarde Bakery, and chocolates, honey, cheeses, meats, spreads and other accoutrements. The shop can create custom cheese and charcuterie platters and boards and will put together picnic or gift baskets on request.

“Our ambiance can seem sort of fancy, but we have something for everyone,” says John Keife. “There’s a range of products for really any price point — good producers, small producers, things with a story. We want to sell everyday wine as well as special occasion.”

Now, Keife & Co.’s 1,000-square-foot retail area is overflowing, but Aimee Keife says that wasn’t always the case.

“We opened in 2012, right before Tales of the Cocktail,” she says. “We didn’t have much product.”

To fill the empty space, the couple actually arranged empty boxes to help flesh out the look.

“Now we are running out of space,” says John Keife.

Being stocked to the gills isn’t the only thing that has changed since the store first opened; several of the nearby buildings in the Central Business District were unoccupied at the time.

Next year, the New Orleans Culinary and Hospitality Institute (NOCHI) will open across the street — a natural complement to a wine and specialty food shop. The area is now decidedly more residential as well, and as a response, nearby restaurants, bars and other businesses have sprung up to cater to the people who live in the neighborhood, which is exactly what the Keifes strive to do.

“It’s nice to go into [the shops in Europe] and the wine guy is there, and he opens a bottle and says, ‘Here, have some.’ It’s so welcoming,” says John Keife.

When asked if he feels the shop has achieved that atmosphere, he says, “I overhear people here all the time saying, ‘It feels like we are in France again.’”

Surely the Keifes’ “forefathers,” Peychaud and Legendre, would agree. n

74 / Biz New Orleans / june 2018

By offering items at every price point, the shop has become a part of the now more residential neighborhood, bringing a little European flair to the community.

bizneworleans.com / 75

From The Lens w h y d i d n ’ t i t h i n k o f t h at ?

New Orleans’ First Male Day Spa Opened in February, Ego’s Gentlemen Spa invites men to enjoy the royal treatment.

by Ashley McLellan photos by sara essex bradley

Located on historic Bayou Road, Ego’s

Gentlemen Spa is not a barbershop, although the salon has a lineup of expert barbers, stylists and estheticians. Instead Ego’s has zeroed in on taking care of the specific needs of male customers (women are always welcome), through a wholly unique and spiritual approach, with a wide array of treatments for the mind and body.

Co-owners Brandon Mitchell and Ashlea Unique opened Ego’s on Feb. 3 with the goal of reaching clients who might have hesitated to ask for salon and spa treatments before.

Mitchell, who has been in the hair care business for more than 25 years, and Unique, a licensed and experienced esthetician, said they recognized the need for something a little different after observing male clients at more traditional salons.

“We definitely saw a need for a place dedicated to men’s wellness and self-care needs,” Unique said.

“I have been in the spa business for eight years and have worked in all kinds of spa environments.

What many men were telling us was that the spas were either very feminine or neutral. When men would come in, they would only come in during certain times, mostly at the slowest times. They never wanted to be there when there were lots of women or other people.”

Statistics support Mitchell and Unique. Many men avoid spas, nearly 40 percent according to an International Spa Association (ISPA) report,

76 / Biz New Orleans / june 2018

Co-owner Brandon Mitchell has more than 25 years of experience cutting hair and providing salon treatments.

bizneworleans.com / 77

78 / Biz New Orleans / june 2018

because they aren’t familiar with the etiquette or think spas are mainly designed for women’s needs.

Ego’s is on trend with a move to make spa spaces more accessible to men by incorporating more masculine colors and décor, using different lighting and providing products with scents that appeal more to a man’s taste. Other changes can be as simple as changing the reading materials and music selections.

Mitchell and Unique focused on creating an enjoyable salon and spa experience that brings clients in for a classic cut or shave and keeps them coming back for additional services, (think manicures, pedicures, alternative therapy and acupuncture) that they will then talk about with others.

“Right now, our most popular service is haircuts,” Unique said. “Brandon has so much experience, he has a large following, so many men come in for that. Most are under the impression that this is a barbershop, but when they see the long list of services we offer, they are baffled and impressed.

It’s unfamiliar territory, but they have been eager to try new things.”

Male clients trend toward wanting immediate, tangible results when they walk out of a salon, and often tend to bundle multiple treatments at one time or in one visit. Mitchell said word of mouth is the spa’s most powerful tool for getting new clients.

“Once the men come in [for a cut] and see the services, they are interested in getting a manicure or a pedicure. The other service that is really unique to us is our ear candling therapy. It’s something they can’t find other places and all of the benefits really interest our clients,” he said.

“Our typical customers right now are gentlemen between the ages of 25 to 45,” Unique said. “They find us via word of mouth or they walk in off the street because they see us and are curious. The ear candling’s main benefit is the removal of the hard wax buildup that cannot be reached by home remedies. It can help improve things for people with frequent sinus infections. It really helps people that have hearing loss due to wax buildup or pressure in the face and head. It is

“The most exciting thing about opening Ego’s has been the feeling that we did everything ourselves. It was a lot of work, but we see the accomplishment of opening our own business.

We know that this is just the beginning.”

The spa offers alternative treatments, such as ear candling, organic styling products and sage smudges for a twist on the traditional spa.

Brandon Mitchell

Ego’s Gentlemen Spa, located at 2509 Bayou Road, uses masculine design and color schemes to make its male clients feel comfortable in a spa setting.

bizneworleans.com / 79

extremely relaxing.”

Additional perks, such as offering alcoholic beverages, also add to the appeal for male clients.

Ego’s currently offers a happy-hour beverage each Tuesday from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. for each client.

Holistic products, massage and special treatments round out the menu of selections that continue to draw new customers.

Located on Bayou Road just off Broad Street, Ego’s Gentlemen Spa also embraces the spirit of New Orleans and is proud of being a business located in a traditionally black business zone.

“This location on Bayou Road is historic, with a long tradition of being a trading ground to indigenous people,” Unique said. “It was, in fact, the first paved road in the city. There is so much good energy here. This block in particular is a place were people come to experience black businesses, take a stroll and see something that is unique to the city.”

For Mitchell, the appeal of the spa’s location is the inspiration from the history of New Orleans and the people the city draws, a feeling he hopes Ego’s will cultivate and grow into other locations.

“New Orleans is a place for artists,” he said.

“People come to New Orleans to capture that feeling of being an artist and being a part of something. We are also artists. It’s an art to make people feel great about themselves. We want to spread that New Orleans feeling to other places.”

While Ego’s continues to expand and provide more services to more clientele, Unique and Mitchell are determined not to limit the business to just male customers.

“We are currently in the process of expanding our creative team. We want Ego’s to become not only a household name in New Orleans and in the United States, but also around the world,” Unique said. “But, we want people to know, a common misconception is that because this is a gentlemen’s spa, it is only for men. That is not true.

We want women to know, everyone to know, that we welcome them as well. We may have a more masculine feel, but we are open for everyone to come experience our services.” n

80 / Biz New Orleans / june 2018

Did you know?

More Men are Hitting Spas According to a recent report from International Spa Association, 49 percent of spa customers are men — up from 29 percent in 2005.

Reasons Men Visit a Spa: 1. The desire to look younger and be more competitive both in the job market and socially 2. To relieve pain due to aging or sports-related activities 3. Stress relief due to working long hours 4. To help stay physically fit overall 5. To connect socially or through an event, such as a bachelor party, especially when alcoholic refreshments are served

Co-owners Brandon Mitchell and Ashlea Unique have seen many skeptical clients become devoted spagoers after receiving their first manicure, pedicure or massage treatments. In addition to traditional hair cuts, the spa offers a full menu of treatments and wellness products for both men and women.

statistics

male spa-goers The average male spa goer: Is 25-44 years old; Holds a management position; Makes at least $50,000 per year; and Places a high premium on ambiance, amenities, expertise of staff and cleanliness.

Source:Â ISPA

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From The Lens m a k i n g a m atc h: b u s i n e s s e s a n d n o n pro fi t s

Conquering Cancer Local professionals compete for the title of this year’s Leukemia & Lymphoma Society Mississippi/ Louisiana Chapter’s Man and Woman of the Year.

by Pamela Marquis

Benny Cousins is a thriving, healthy 10-year

old boy living a happy and carefree life. But back in 2011, his life was far from carefree — it was full of fear, pain and long anxious hospital stays.

Cousins had acute lymphocytic leukemia, and then in 2016, was diagnosed with renal carcinoma.

“He’s a trooper,” says his mother, Kim Cousins.

“We had such support from friends, our family and the Leukemia Society. I was out of work for almost a year. If it wasn’t for the financial resources we got from them we could have lost our house.”

Camille Reynolds is a 9-year-old girl who loves to sing, dance, play soccer and is perfectly and joyously normal. As a baby, however, she was diagnosed with acute myeloid leukemia, or AML, a type of blood cancer.

“We couldn’t have made it through the first two months after her initial diagnosis without the help of LLS (the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society),” her mother, Stacie Reynolds said. “They reached out financially and offered a variety of resources.”

Her friends and family call Camille “the little philanthropist,” because she truly enjoys raising awareness and funds for blood cancer patients, especially the younger ones.

“I like helping kids realize how many people

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care for them,” Camille said. “And I want people to know no matter how young you are, you can still help. I try to help others the way others helped me. It’s important to give back.”

This year, Cousins and Reynolds are the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society Mississippi/Louisiana Chapter’s (LLS) Boy and Girl of the Year, and dedicated local men and woman are raising money for both these

Benny Cousins and Camille Reynolds are this year’s Leukemia & Lymphoma Society Mississippi/Louisiana Chapter’s Boy and Girl of the Year.

In the Running

Introducing the Contenders for LLS Mississippi/Louisiana Man and Woman of the Year 2018 Brittney Ankersen: Associate of Courington, Kiefer and Sommers Law firm. The firm is owned by Kaye Courington, the 2017 Woman of the Year and new LLS board member.

Sissy Blewster: Realtor with Keller Williams New Orleans John Bukaty: Nationally known artist based in New Orleans Frank Deus: CMO of Peoples Health and AML survivor Katye Fayard: New development director for the Preservation Resource Center of New Orleans Karl Hoefer: Lousiana president of IBERIABANK Mike Hollis: CEO of Hollis Companies and past king of Argus Scott Hutcheson: City of New Orleans Juliana Mazza: Anchor for WDSU

Last year’s Man and Woman of the Year event at The National WWII Museum was the largest first-year event in the history of the Leukemia and Lymphoma society, raising $829,036.

children and LLS through the Man and Woman of the Year campaign.

The fundraising event is a philanthropic competition to support blood cancer research among a group of motivated and dedicated individuals in communities across the United States. Candidates form powerful fundraising teams to compete in honor of two local children who are blood cancer survivors.

Last year’s inaugural Man and Woman of the Year

by LLS’s Louisiana and Mississippi Chapter claimed the honor of the largest first-year event in LLS history by raising $829,036.

“Starting after Mardi Gras, our committee made up of volunteers submitted names of possible candidates,” said Adam Eversole, LLS’s senior campaign manager.

“Then we whittle that list of 300 to 400 people down to create our very diverse list.”

This year the candidates in the Louisiana/Mississippi chapter range from realtors to successful bar owners who have been ardently raising funds since early April.

The man and woman who raise the most money in a 10-week period will win the prestigious titles of Man and Woman of the Year at the organization’s celebration June 14. They will then go on to compete nationally for National Man and Woman of the Year.

Through events such as this, LLS has invested more than $1 billion in research to advance breakthrough therapies. In fact, nearly 40 percent of new cancer therapies approved by the FDA since 2000 were first approved for a blood cancer and LLS helped advance most of them. Two experimental drugs, for example, helped in Cousins’ recovery.

LLS supports the full spectrum of research from bench to bedside – that is, from basic, laboratory-based research to large-scale clinical trials. In 2017, it supported a total of 227 research grants, a $211 million multiyear commitment.

“Approximately every three minutes one person in the United States is diagnosed with a blood cancer,” said Eversole. “New cases of leukemia, lymphoma and myeloma are expected to account for 10.2 percent of the estimated 1,688,780 new cancer cases diagnosed in the U.S. last year.”

At a small office in Metairie, Eversole says even with a lean staff the chapter still gets a lot accomplished thanks to volunteers. The organization has several

Parke McEnery: COO of the McEnery company, a commercial real estate developer and brokerage Peter Moss III: Specialist at ChapterSpot: he is the son of Peter Moss Jr., owner of Moss Antiques on Royal Street.

Ayesha Motwani: Co-owner of AKM Holdings with her husband, Aaron Ivan Neville: Scion of the well-known musical Neville family Darryl Reginelli: Co-owner of Reginelli’s Pizza Skylar Souyoul: Dermatologist with Lupo Center Jason Stearman: Owner and CEO of Costal Development Karen Tipton: VP with Resource Bank Steve Watson: Owner of Kingpin Bar and Midway Pizza Laura Wilt: VP of technology for Ochsner Health System John Young: Former Jefferson Parish president

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other successful events, including Light the Night — which includes a walk, retail campaign and random “Acts of Lights” — and the Leukemia Cup Regatta.

Recognizing that every dollar makes a difference in pioneering cancer cures, the organization also encourages volunteers to create their own events. With the program LLS Lifestyle, volunteers can turn any activity or event into a way to support the organization, from soccer games to dance-a-thons.

Eversole says he lost his grandparents to leukemia, so he jumped at the opportunity to give back.

“I’d been working in politics and just became jaded,” he said. “This job is really more like a personal calling and it’s a perfect fit.”

Sidney Torres, last year’s Man of the Year, not only raised the most money, he also offered a ride in his plane during the event’s silent auction and says he plans to do the same this year.

“Our goal for 2018 is to continue to raise more funds for blood cancer patients and research,” said Eversole. “The more we raise, the more we can give back. Over 77 percent of the funds we raised in fiscal year 2017 went to our mission, and much of that money went back into the local community where it was raised. We used it to help the patients and their families because we do it all for them.”

THE BASICS

Mission: The mission of The Leukemia & Lymphoma Society (LLS) is: Cure leukemia, lymphoma, Hodgkin’s disease and myeloma, and improve the quality of life of patients and their families.

LLS exists to find cures and ensure access to treatments for blood cancer patients. It is the voice for all blood cancer patients and works to ensure access to treatments for all.

Website: lls.org/msla Location: 3636 S. I-10 Service Rd. W Ste. 304 Metairie Phone: (504) 758-3210 Annual Budget: $2.9 million Current Needs: Volunteers to stuff envelopes and answer phones, help run events, serve on committees, or be a candidate for Man and Woman of the Year

SUCCESS OF SERVICES

From 2016 to 2017, LLS provided over $1.6 million for local patient support and millions more in cutting-edge research.

A Good match

FOR COMPANIES WHO… want to help cure cancer! The organization has teams and events of all sizes. To get involved, contact Adam.Eversole@lls.org

LLS has invested more than $1.2 billion in research since its inception 68 years ago.

Major Fundraising Event: June 14 — The 2018 Man and Woman of the Year will be named for 2018 at The National World War II Museum in a grand finale gala emceed by Mark Romig, president and CEO of New Orleans Tourism Marketing Corp.

Other Upcoming LLS events: November 8 — Light the Night Walk at Lafreniere Park Student Series: A year-round campaign in schools throughout Mississippi and Louisiana

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TOP: This year’s contenders for the 2018 Leukemia & Lymphoma Society Mississippi/ Louisiana Chapter’s Man and Woman of the Year.

BOTTOM: Boy of the Year, 10-year-old Benny Cousins (bottom left) with his family.

The organization dedicated $42 million to support scientific grants, including 83 new grants awarded in 2017 alone to researchers across eight countries.

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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.

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From The Lens ON THE JOB

Hoppy to be Here photo by cheryl gerber

Since opening last May at 4124 Tchoupitoulas St., Port Orleans Brewing Co. has been crafting canned and draft beers led by a team of owners that includes former Saints’ offensive tackle, Zach Strief, and Ricky Thomas, owner of Blue Runner Foods. (There’s even a beer named for New Orleans Saints Head Coach called Sean Payton’s Pale Ale.) Beer veteran and brew master, Brian Allen, strives to create beers that are balanced, flavorful, and drinkable that can be enjoyed in the brewery’s kid-friendly tasting room or on the dog-friendly patio. Proud to be “Brewed Below Sea Level,” Port Orleans is happy to be a member of the local brewing community. n

Danny Hollier hopping Port Orleans Storyville IPA.

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