WORD ON THE STREET

WORD ON THE STREET NEW ORLEANS 500 SURVEY

CRIME FIGHTERS

What needs to be done? The business community shares their thoughts.

BY RICH COLLINS

NEWS FROM THE TOP Each month, we ask the top business

professionals featured in the New Orleans 500 to weigh in on issues impacting the New Orleans business community. Have an idea for a survey question for the New Orleans 500? Email rich@bizneworleans.com.

In early February, Biz New Orleans asked members of the “New Orleans 500” what needs to be done to stop the recent rise in violent crime, and how the business community can help.

To address the immediate crisis, respondents suggested that city leaders request help from state police, boost cash rewards for anonymous tips, increase neighborhood watch activity, install more crime cameras, initiate a temporary citywide curfew and launch a firearms buyback program. One survey taker proposed putting a policy in place that holds parents accountable for their underage children’s criminal behavior. But most respondents also said the problem is a longstanding and complex one and, as such, will require sophisticated solutions that address root causes of crime, grow the ranks of the New Orleans Police Department and increase efficiencies throughout the criminal justice system.

Jim Cook, general manager of the Sheraton New Orleans Hotel, said city leaders need to invest in technology, implement a strategic planning process for all criminal justice agencies and fund programs that provide youth and family services, as well as victim and witness trauma support.

“The city needs to develop a sustainable strategy to reduce violent crime that includes intelligence-based, data-driven policing,” said Cook. “We must grow the New Orleans Police Department through robust recruitment, retention, human resources and training policies. We can accept as many as 50 recruits in an academy class. This would provide 200 potential officers per year and give us a chance to net 120 officers after attrition.”

Many respondents said increasing the ranks of the NOPD by boosting salaries, recruiting efforts and training are top priorities — and they offered different ways to get the job done.

David Sherman of Chehardy Sherman Williams law firm and Lacey Osborne of the St. Tammany Chamber both suggested taking a cue from neighboring Slidell by creating a foundation to fund incentives for police officers. Others suggested raising funds through the Business Council of New Orleans, the New Orleans Police and Justice Foundation, and other existing organizations. Still others suggested finding more funding for NOPD via increased tax revenue.

Several respondents, meanwhile, warned that increased funding won’t be a cure-all.

“I’m not sure if money is the solution,” said Kristi App, vice president of business development at J.W. Allen & Company. “But I believe the business community would be open to discussions. How would the money be safe guarded? There is so much distrust of City Hall to use money as directed and there is a business community that is tired of paying higher taxes with no return on investment.”

Many respondents expressed frustration with Mayor LaToya Cantrell, District Attorney Jason Williams and city government in general, but just as many said the New Orleans crime problem is everyone’s responsibility. And the first step is identifying the causes.

Asali DeVan Ecclesiastes of the Ashé Cultural Arts Center said efforts to fight systemic inequality will address violent crime as well. Christine Briede of the Jefferson Community Foundation said “strengthening education and workforce development, while also addressing mental illness and substance abuse, will lead to a reduction in crime.” And Urban South Brewery Founder Jacob Landry said the biggest cause of crime is “systemic trauma.”

“We will never address crime until as a society we can tackle the underlying impact of poverty, access to quality education, access to proper nutrition and healthcare,” said Landry. “The crime we are experiencing today is simply a symptom of these underlying issues.” T

IN THE BIZ

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DINING SoFab’s new Gumbo Kitchen adds yet another space for budding chefs to find a foothold

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TOURISM How NOLA dining is attracting vegan and vegetarian visitors

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ENTREPRENEUR An inventive look at entrepreneurism throughout history

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SPORTS

New Saints head coach has a big job ahead of him

IN THE BIZ DINING

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.

Cooking Up Successful Startups

SoFab’s new Gumbo Kitchen adds yet another space for budding chefs to find a foothold

BY POPPY TOOKER

On a busy Central City corner, a culinary economic incubator is quietly making a mark on New Orleans’ gastronomic scene.

The Southern Food and Beverage Museum, (dubbed SoFab for short) was founded in 2004 by Elizabeth Williams with a mission to advance the study of food and culture in the region. Located on the corner of Oretha Castle Haley and Martin Luther King boulevards, the 17,000-square-foot facility is housed in the former Dryades Market, one of the last city market sites still standing.

Inside the museum, 15 Southern states and the District of Columbia are represented in displays that include rare and unusual artifacts and signage illustrating each state’s edible contributions. In a dramatic departure from most museums, visitors are encouraged to imbibe a cocktail from the historic Brunswick bar or enjoy a nibble during their self-guided tour.

In SoFab’s two, fully outfitted kitchen spaces — perfect for classes, catering and food production — budding entrepreneurs also strive to create their own history. Thanks to funding from the Gustaf W. McIlhenny Family Foundation, SoFab offers commissary space for food production startups like Jamboree Jams, a small-batch preserve company Sarah Levasseur launched from SoFab’s kitchen.

“In my first four years, SoFab provided much more than just functional production space at a reasonable price,” said Levasseur. “My products were promoted in their newsletter and featured in the museum’s shop. They helped connect me with important buyers, opening doors like the airport’s gift shop.” Today, Jamboree Jams has successfully graduated to its own brick-andmortar location on St. Claude Avenue.

When SoFab’s program expanded in 2017, it added an annual scholarship for culinary entrepreneurs. Benefits included free use of the kitchen along with formal business mentorship. The first recipient was Chef Dwyneha “Dee” Lavigne of Dee’s Deelightful Cupcakes. When the scholarship ended, Lavigne continued to use the museum’s kitchens as her home base. Her association with the museum also yielded a regular weekly TV spot. On Feb. 1, Deelightful Cupcakes officially morphed into the Deelightful Roux School of Cooking, a joint venture with SoFab that offers weekly Creole-cooking classes. The scholarship program also allowed Chef Serigne Mbaye to introduce his Senegalese food to new audiences through classes at SoFab. Those classes then evolved into Dakar NOLA, a pop-up restaurant that explores the ties between Senegal and New Orleans. “SoFab gave me a voice and allowed me to showcase West African food and tell my story,” Mbaye said. “They will always be family to me.” SoFab’s latest family members are Camille Staub and Colleen Allerton-Hollier of catering pop-up Luncheon, and Bronwyn Wyatt of Bayou Saint Cake. Both pandemic-born businesses worked from the same commissary and were desperate to find a home. After Luncheon successfully catered an event at the museum, SoFab President Brent Rosen reached out to offer its owners a culinary residency; they then brought Bayou Saint Cake into the mix. As Rosen sees it, “Our goal is to always enhance and elevate the visitor’s experience. We aren’t a dry, dusty museum. We’re an active food community. Having our chefs in residence creates another way to connect with guests.” The museum’s new outdoor “Gumbo Garden” — opened in fall 2021 — features a full working kitchen with a large, covered area for hosting groups. Staub and Allerton-Hollier are excited about using that space for crawfish boils and sausage-making demonstrations. “I’m dreaming of cake slices to be enjoyed in the garden,” said Wyatt. For Rosen, supporting the next generation of area chefs is about preservation.

Catch Poppy “If we don’t support and train Tooker on her radio new talent, we are in danger of show, “Louisiana Eats!” Saturdays losing our food culture,” he said. at 3 p.m. and “We will always be rooted in history, Mondays at 8 p.m. but our eyes are firmly focused on on WWNO 89.9 FM. the future.” T

IN THE BIZ TOURISM

Eats Without Meats

How NOLA dining is attracting vegan and vegetarian visitors

BY JENNIFER GIBSON SCHECTER

The lure and lore of the New Orleans food scene draws millions of visitors annually. Our iconic seafood dishes, roast beef poorboys and delicate beignets rival our music festivals for fame — they’ve become food festivals of their own accord. But what about attracting tourists with a different perspective on food? Can vegans satiate their appetites in the Big Easy?

A 2018 Gallup poll reported 5% of Americans are vegetarian and 3% are vegan, or do not eat any animal products including meat, dairy and eggs. More recently, Gallup found nearly 25% of Americans reduced the amount of meat they had eaten in the previous year, the majority of whom cited health and environmental concerns as reasons they cut back.

As the lifestyles of both locals and tourists change, our old-guard restaurants and young upstarts, lauded for tradition and ingenuity, are creating new menus and hiring chefs with sensitivity to plant-based lifestyles. At the forefront of preparing the chefs of the future is

JENNIFER GIBSON SCHECTER was once a tourist in New

Orleans herself and is now proud to call NOLA home.

the New Orleans Culinary & Hospitality Institute (NOCHI). The nonprofit culinary school implements the latest curriculum to sustain an ever-evolving hospitality industry. I asked Leah Sarris, NOCHI’s executive director, for her thoughts on vegan and vegetarian dining in New Orleans. a proliferation of international cuisines – Ethiopian, Japanese, Vietnamese, Peruvian, Israeli, Mexican... plus vegan soul food, menus centering on seafood and local produce, all making it so much more exciting to eat vegetarian or vegan whether or not you’ve made that a lifestyle choice.

Why is it important for NOCHI to include plant-forward cuisine in its curriculum?

We established NOCHI with a vision of creating innovative, world-class training for the next generation of culinary leaders. That means keeping a finger to the pulse of evolving trends, consumer demands, nutritional and environmental issues, cultural identity... Food is at the intersection of so many things. In the same way that we devote a large portion of our curriculum to the cuisines of the world, we feature a heavy plant focus to meet the needs of both diners and chefs. Increasingly, guests want to know where their meals are coming from, and chefs are equally focused on their ingredients. As a modern culinary school, we’ve designed our curriculum to reflect that.

What role do you see vegetarian/vegan menus playing in the New Orleans dining scene?

New Orleans is a city founded on hospitality, and the first part of hospitality is making everyone feel welcome — taking care of everyone. Our city’s growing offerings of (and demand for!) vegetarian and vegan cuisine reflect a shifting focus to how we care for each other. It’s not just about nutrition; it’s about cultivating a more dynamic, modern and worldly culinary scene where all diners can have an incredible experience. And just as important, it’s about nurturing relationships with local farmers and growers.

How have you seen vegetarian/vegan restaurants and menu options grow in New Orleans?

It’s exciting to see the paradigm shift from the “old guard” (delicious and classic for a reason!) to make space for so much more. We’ve seen

Do you think vegetarian/vegan tourism can thrive in New Orleans?

Vegetarian/vegan tourism can absolutely thrive in New Orleans. Some refer to New Orleans as the northernmost city of the Caribbean, so it’s no coincidence that our tropical climate lends itself to amazing produce 12 months of the year. How many other cities get fresh local strawberries in January? The African, Vietnamese and indigenous foodways that have had such a strong influence on New Orleans cuisine all offer incredibly flavorful, colorful and unique contributions that put plants at the center of the table.

Final thoughts?

I just think it’s really exciting to see the culinary scene evolve in New Orleans, and to see us embrace fresh, nutritious and delicious plant-forward options across the city. I don’t think this is a trend that is going away; sustainability, health and supporting our local agriculture is at the forefront of a lot of peoples’ minds, and rightfully so.

To support vegan and vegetarian visitors, New Orleans & Company, the city’s destination marketing organization, offers an online restaurant guide that identifies nearly 100 restaurants that are either entirely vegan or offer vegan options. Eater New Orleans frequently curates a map-based list of vegan restaurants; the most recent was compiled in January and features 16 incredible options. Whether locals or visitors are going meatless for Mondays, meatless for Lent or adopting a meatless lifestyle, dining options are delicious and growing. Learn more at the following websites: nochi.org, neworleans.com/things-to-do/recreation/healthyliving/vegan/, and nola.eater.com/maps/bestvegan-food-restaurants-new-orleans-nola. T

IN THE BIZ SPORTS

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.

A New Era Begins

New Saints head coach has a big job ahead of him

BY CHRIS PRICE

The NFL’s 2022 League Year officially kicks off March 16 at 3 p.m., New Orleans time, but the city’s beloved Saints have already been working diligently on building for the coming season.

In late January, Head Coach Sean Payton surprisingly announced he was stepping away from the team after 16 years at the helm (including the 2012 season, when he was suspended for running a bounty program). In that time, he helped to completely transform the franchise. Since the team began play in 1967, only two Saints head coaches have posted a winning record — Payton (152-89) and Jim Mora (9481) and only two have won playoff games — Payton won nine, Jim Haslett won one. Payton (7), Mora (1) and Haslett (1) are the only coaches to lead the Saints to division titles. Payton stands alone as the only coach to take the team to the NFC Championship (1-2) and the Super Bowl (1-0).

At his retirement press conference, Payton, 58, admitted he considered retiring after the 2020 season, the year quarterback Drew Brees retired, but he decided to stick around for another year. Now, he said he is interested in possibly becoming a network TV analyst, but coaching in 2022 is “not where my heart is right now.” Still, he added that “retirement is not the right word” for his situation. Within days of his announcement, he said two teams contacted him to see if he would return to the sideline.

While there is speculation that he will coach again — many believe the Dallas Cowboys are the likeliest destination — he has three years remaining on his contract with the Saints. The team would have to agree to trade him if he chooses to coach before the 2025 season and would receive compensation if he goes to another team. When the Tampa Bay Buccaneers wanted Oakland Raiders Head Coach Jon Gruden 20 years ago, they gave up their 2002 and 2003 first-round draft picks, 2002 and 2004 second-round draft picks, and $8 million in cash.

Saints Owner Gayle Benson, Team President Dennis Lauscha, and General Manager Mickey Loomis immediately began identifying candidates to replace Payton. The Saints were among nine NFL teams – almost a third of the league — looking for a new head coach for the coming season. The team looked at nine potential replacements and interviewed seven, including Defensive Coordinator Dennis Allen, Special Teams Coordinator Darren Rizzi, former head coaches Brian Flores (Dolphins) and Doug Pederson (Eagles), Kansas City Chiefs Offensive Coordinator Eric Bieniemy, Lions Defensive Coordinator Aaron Glenn, and Bills Offensive Coordinator Brian Daboll. Interestingly, Saints Offensive Coordinator Pete Carmichael, Jr., and Buccaneers Offensive Coordinator Byron Leftwich declined opportunities to interview.

The Saints like consistency and promoted Allen, who will have to hit the ground running. The Saints finished the 2021 season ranked No. 28 in total offense (304.5 yards/game) and No. 19 in points per game (21.4) and No. 7 in total defense (318.2 yards/game) and No. 4 in points/game (19.7). Resurrecting the offense will be a top priority.

The team has to figure out who will play quarterback this year. Without Payton, talk of the high-profile QBs, including Aaron Rodgers and Russell Wilson — who reportedly showed interest in coming to New Orleans — has gone quiet. There is talk that 2021 starting QB Jameis Winston, who suffered a torn ACL and damaged MCL in his left knee in Week 8, may go back to Tampa after Tom Brady announced his retirement after two years with the Bucs. It will be interesting to see how the team, which is more than $70 million over the salary cap addresses the position.

Additionally, Allen will have to deal with the potential repercussions of running back Alvin Kamara’s arrest after the Pro Bowl. Arguably the face of the franchise, the 26-year-old Kamara was booked for alleged battery resulting in substantial bodily harm from a fight inside a Las Vegas club the night before the all-star game.

If that weren’t enough, the Saints only have two wide receivers under contract — Michael Thomas and Marquez Callaway. Thomas led the league in receptions in both the 2018 and 2019 seasons, and led the league in yardage in the 2019 season. But the budding star suffered an ankle injury Week 1 of the 2020 season. He returned for the Saints two-game playoff run, but the lingering injury forced him to miss the entire 2021 regular season.

The team will look to again add potential starters and depth in the draft and free agency. The Scouting Combine will take place March 1-7. Free agency begins on March 16. The Saints will be able to start offseason workouts April 4, and the draft will be held April 28-30. T

IN THE BIZ ENTREPRENEUR

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.

Have Fire, Need Business Plan

An inventive look at entrepreneurism throughout history

BY KEITH TWITCHELL

The history of humanity is also the history of entrepreneurism. The very evolution of our species was propelled by entrepreneurs.

While many significant discoveries and inventions did not initially contain entrepreneurial elements, once the entrepreneurs stepped in, important advances and refinements took place. For instance, let’s start our exploration of this subject with two of mankind’s most vital early developments: fire and the wheel.

It was less the discovery of fire itself than someone figuring out how to control fire that was critical to early humans (and obviously this remains on ongoing process). Fire led to cooking, which led to two more things: First, nutrients released by heating foods expanded the mental and physical capacities of our evolving species. Second, cookbooks became popular; the first one known to anthropologists appears on a cave wall in France and is called “Mrs. Oog’s Guide to Caveman Cuisine.” Researchers speculate that Mrs. Oog monetized her work by charging admission to her cave; the large number of chicken bones found in the cave suggest a poultry-based entry fee.

Over time, demand grew to create fire and an unusual entrepreneur stepped in: Satan himself, known firemaster. The first matches were called “lucifers,” presumably a reference to the product designer. Matches led to lighters. There are rumors that a new flame-producing technology will debut soon, but the devil is in the details.

Unlike fire, the wheel was clearly a human invention. Many anthropologists attribute the first to an early man named Foord, who not only developed the product but also a method of reproducing them in large quantities. Advances in the wheel led wealthier cavepeople to upgrade every three years, while the less affluent settled for purchasing theirs from Honest Thag’s Used Wheels.

Surprisingly, there is a considerable time gap between the invention of the wheel and the invention of roads, which did not appear on a large scale until early Roman times. This development was monetized promptly by the invention of the tollbooth.

Language was another key propellant of human advancement. While most scholars believe that language simply evolved in most early societies, another school of thought suggests that at least some languages were invented. As an example, researchers cite French, whose inventor appears to have been paid by the letter — hence the vast number of silent characters in the typical French word. Similarly, the inventor of German was apparently paid by the syllable. As more and more languages surfaced, certain entrepreneurial individuals figured out that learning more than one language could lead to income opportunities translating between the two tongues. The fine art of interpretation is how world leaders today can hold postsummit news conferences and claim completely different results from the same conversation. As entrepreneurism and commerce became more embedded in human society, simple bartering for goods and services became less tenable, and the concept of “money” emerged. Early forms of currency included shells, seeds, beans and beads. Everything from salt to cattle was used for money, though making change became a new challenge. Eventually this led to coinage, which led promptly to counterfeiting — ancient fakes have been dated back more than 2,000 years, and I am actually not joking! Advances in financial instruments led from money to checks to credit cards to cryptocurrency. There are now approximately 2,000 forms of cryptocurrency and making change between them is a lot like making change between cattle and salt. All this commerce required transportation in order to move goods. Seafaring merchants, trading via their sturdy ships, became some of early history’s wealthiest individuals. Among the most popular seagoing commodities were grains, metals and wine. The latter cargo, unfortunately, also caused quite a few shipwrecks, as evidenced by the large number of empty wine amphorae discovered among the ruins of virtually all ancient wrecks. As our species continues to evolve (hopefully), entrepreneurs will undoubtedly play

Writer Keith vital roles with new inventions,

Twitchell’s blog, “Neighborhood Biz,” appears services and connectors. From the first wheel to landing on Mars, every Thursday on the road goes on! T

BizNewOrleans.com.

PERSPECTIVES

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HEALTHCARE How do local healthcare facilities use technology to provide a more personalized patient experience?

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BANKING+FINANCE How do banks expect to be impacted by rising interest rates?

36

GUEST It’s clear we can build successful startups, but our work is far from over.

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REAL ESTATE + CONSTRUCTION

Four developments under construction worth getting excited over

PERSPECTIVES HEALTHCARE

How does your healthcare facility use technology to provide a more personalized patient experience?

DR. LANA JOSEPH-FORD

President High Level Speech and Hearing Center

We are committed to improving patients’ hearing, so when we began hearing complaints about earbuds, our team was adamant about doing something. Typical earbud brands such as AirPods, in-ear Beats, Nuraphones, and Ultimate Ears, claim to offer high-quality sound. However, these devices fall out of your ears and do not deliver clear sound at safe volume levels. This causes listeners to constantly increase the volume, which also increases the risk for noise-induced hearing loss (NIHL), an incurable hearing disorder. On Jan. 1, 2022, we launched Jrumz Ear Wear — luxury, hearing healthconscious earphones that considerably improve the listening experience. Jrumz can be customized to the shape of the user’s ears, enabling them to fit perfectly and not fall out. DR. JOHN J. HUTCHINGS

Associate Professor of Clinical Medicine, Director of Clinical Operations LSU Health Sciences Center New Orleans

In conjunction with our community partners, we are using technology to transform care as patients are becoming more tech savvy and self-reliant. Virtual appointments via telemedicine have revolutionized medicine, allowing for convenient access that promotes more efficient patient-doctor interactions. These services, combined with recently adopted electronic health records (EHRs), now allow for portability of previously difficult to share items such as test results, progress notes and high-resolution imaging across the healthcare spectrum. Once a clinical encounter is completed, the digital dispensation of prescriptions has significantly been streamlined as well. Since the pandemic started, my clinic rapidly shifted to using telemedicine in lieu of live in-person visits. This has been an incredible boon for us as our no-show rate has virtually been eliminated, and our patient satisfaction has never been higher. I am able to see patients now without them having to take time off of work! Furthermore, as a physician treating people living with HIV, keeping my clients safe by reducing the amount of time they travel out of the house, especially to wait in a waiting room with other potentially sick people, has also been a reason why we are continuing to keep our telemedicine model.

MarkAlain Déry, Infectious

Disease Physician/ Epidemiologist, Access Health Louisiana

WARNER THOMAS

President and CEO Ochsner Health

Our website is now an interactive platform where patients can chat with live agents to quickly get questions answered. Our providers see patients virtually for many specialties, which has allowed healthcare to continue without disruption. About 80% of our patients use MyOchsner to connect with their care teams, refill prescriptions, schedule appointments and chat with live agents for support. Nearly 1.3 million appointments were scheduled via MyOchsner last year alone.

DR. THOMAS W. CARTON

Chief Data Officer LPHI Executive Director GNOHIE

GNOHIE members receive real-time hospital encounter notifications and analytics reports on patients, equipping organizations with actionable data to advance high-quality, patient-centered care that enables providers to have helpful information prior to and during appointments. The network has 50 participating organizations across 160 locations in Southeast Louisiana, including primary care, hospitals, behavioral health correctional health, and social services.

Joan Coffman

President and CEO St. Tammany Health System

From our website, chatbot, mobile apps and self-scheduling modules, to robotic surgical intervention and inroom communication devices, all the way to HIPAA-compliant text messaging, virtual visits and a broad spectrum of at-home digital follow-up, we use technology to keep connected to our patients. We see technology enabling highly personalized interactions between patients and providers in the hospital, throughout the health system and out in the world at patients’ convenience.

PERSPECTIVES REAL ESTATE+CONSTRUCTION

COMING SOON TO A STREET NEAR YOU

Four developments under construction worth getting excited over

BY DREW HAWKINS

Despite all of last year’s challenges, the pandemic didn’t managed not to rain on the parade of construction projects in the region. The Convention Center’s Linear Park, the Thibodeaux Regional Health System, and the Hotel St. Vincent are but a few of the undertakings that were completed in 2021.

So, what’s next? Plenty. The momentum behind the boom in development doesn’t show any signs of slowing down, and it isn’t limited to just one or two industries.

DID YOU KNOW? While working on

Clearview City Center, last June The Richards Collection — led by CEO Thomas Richards — launched another shopping experience, The Shops at 1200 West in Mandeville.

In November 2021, Tulane University announced plans to sign a longterm lease on the 350,000-squarefoot building that formerly served as Charity Hospital.

CAESARS SET TO ADD MORE ENTERTAINMENT OPTIONS In the world of hospitality and entertainment, last year Harrah’s New Orleans broke ground to transform its award-winning property into Caesars New Orleans. It’s part of a whopping $325 million renovation and construction project that’s scheduled to be completed by 2024 and includes an all-new 340-room hotel tower above the existing casino’s valet porte cochère, new culinary and hospitality offerings within the casino, and full exterior and interior architectural and design enhancements.

Additionally, Caesars New Orleans is bringing in the world-renowned Nobu Hospitality brand, known for its signature blend of modern, cool luxury and minimalist Japanese tradition. That means we can look forward to a Nobu hotel and restaurant in the near future.

But they aren’t stopping there. Caesars is also partnering with Spiegelworld, the Las Vegas-based entertainment trailblazer, which will create an all-new live entertainment experience on the second floor of the existing casino. Among its featured promotions is “Absinthe,” an adult circus-comedy show billed as a “fantastical blend of carnival and spectacle.”

THE CONVENTION CENTER AIMS TO COMPETE Before the pandemic, New Orleans was a hotspot for events, conferences and conventions, and to stay competitive, the New Orleans Ernest N. Morial Convention Center launched a $557 million five-year plan designed to completely overhaul the facility, which was built in 1985, and update it for more modern needs. Despite a yearlong halt in 2020, the plan continues to move forward.

“Immediate work includes $40 million to replace the aging roof on the 40-acre building, and upwards of $5 million to overhaul the technology,” said Michael Sawaya, president and general manager of convention center.

Additional plans include design and renovation of the 140 meeting rooms and adding a multi-purpose room that comes with sweeping views of the Mississippi River.

“As the tourism economy is ramping up to recover from the pandemic, reimagining our convention center, the sixth largest in the country, is key and critical to our competitiveness in the future,” said Sawaya.

While some work has been completed, there remains an estimated $300 million more to be done. It’s estimated that the annual economic impact from activity at the convention center produces around $2 billion for the local economy. “ As the tourism economy is ramping up to recover from the pandemic, reimagining our convention center — the sixth largest in the country — is

”key and critical to our competitiveness in the future.

Michael Sawaya, president and general manager of the New Orleans Ernest N. Morial Convention Center

MORE THAN A MALL — CLEARVIEW CITY CENTER But visitors can’t just gamble, stay in their hotel, or mingle in convention centers all day long, no matter how wild or extravagant the entertainment is. They also need places to shop and explore, such as Clearview City Center, a new live-work-play concept being developed at what was formeraly called Clearview Mall.

The mixed-use development will ultimately feature more than 1 million square feet of residential, office, retail, grocery, hotel and entertainment space. Over $100 million is being invested to spur buy-in and participation from major transformative users and prospective tenants.

“There is no concept like this in the region,” said Thomas Richards, Clearview City Center managing member. “It will significantly improve quality of life for those who live, work and play in Greater New Orleans.”

Greater New Orleans, Inc. (GNO Inc) recently conducted an economic impact analysis for the redevelopment that reported the project will create 1,608 total jobs and $123 million in economic impact during construction alone. By the summer of 2023, when all phases of the project are expected to be complete, the development is estimated to support 420 total jobs and deliver $26 million in annual economic impact.

The project was originally announced in December 2019, which would seem like terrible and unfortunate timing. But Richards said there were some surprising benefits to it.

“The pandemic actually fast-tracked what we knew and saw several years ago in the movement away from traditional shopping malls that rely on heavy foot traffic coming to a place specifically to shop,” he said. “The fact that we were able to get out ahead of this trend has meant all the world to our project and development, where we are years ahead of where other shopping malls around the country are attempting to go.”

Richards, whose family has owned and operated the facility since 1968, said he has no intention to be part of the trend he’s seeing with large retail management companies coming in and acquiring local malls, extracting value from them and turning them into a piece of real estate whose owners are thousands of miles away.

“We are heavily focused on local impact,” he said, “recognizing how integral this project will be, and already is, in driving our regional economy and place our family continues to call home.”

TULANE MAKES A MOVE TO CHARITY HOSPITAL In November 2021, Tulane University announced plans to sign a long-term lease and occupy the 350,000-square-foot building that formerly served as Charity Hospital. The move is part of the university’s plan to expand its downtown campus as it continues to develop its work in the field of biomedical research.

“I view this as a magical moment for the city,” said Tulane President Michael Fitts. “Research has been exploding at Tulane. We’ve had it go up about 50% in the last four or five years and we expect it to go up another 50%. We’re in the middle of a biomedical revolution right now.”

Fitts said the choice to move to this wellknown city landmark was also influenced by the university’s desire to conduct its research in a place where it’ll benefit the city. Choosing Charity Hospital places the university smack dab in an innovation zone where the research can ultimately be turned into companies or biomedical innovation going forward.

Demolition and abatement are scheduled to begin this year, and the developers (1532 Tulane Parnters) have a year to finalize financing before beginning the base build-out construction, which includes renovation of interior walls, floors and common hallways, but nothing specific to the use of the spaces. Tulane will design and construct the operation-specific spaces like labs, classrooms and administration space. The goal is to occupy the building by 2025.

Of course, I had to ask Fitts the most important question related to the hospital: Is it haunted? Much to my relief, he promised ghosts would not be tenants.

“I have been assured that it will not be haunted when it opens up,” he said with a laugh. T

PERSPECTIVES BANKING+FINANCE

Interest Rate Increases are Coming

How do banks in the region expect to be impacted?

BY DREW HAWKINS

Remember when people were scrambling for toilet paper at the beginning of the pandemic, back in March 2020? Almost two years later, that shift in scarcity of one bathroom item has now spread to a shortage in houses. The supply of homes for sale has hit a five-year low, leaving potential homebuyers in a tough market to find one that’s affordable.

Change may be on the horizon, however, as the word is that the Federal Reserve plans to raise the historically low interest rates it set back in February 2020.

“We expect interest rates to increase beginning in March,” said Guy Williams, CEO of Gulf Coast Bank & Trust. “Short-term rates will be higher at year-end by at least 50 basis points (.5%), possibly more.”

The Fed’s goal in raising interest rates is to combat inflation, which is currently the highest it’s been in more than 40 years. But those low rates directly contributed to lower mortgage rates—the pair are often closely tied to one another. So, while housing prices are going up, so is the cost of borrowing money to buy a house. On top of that, if you took out a mortgage to buy your home, your monthly repayment fee — your house note — may rise as interest rates go up.

On the surface, it might seem like banks can’t lose here. After all, if interest rates are higher, people pay higher fees on their loans, so doesn’t that mean banks make more money?

Chris Ferris, president and CEO of Fidelity Bank, said it’s not quite that simple.

“As interest rates rise, banks tend to benefit because it increases their interest income which is normally a financial institution’s largest source of revenue,” Ferris said. “However, if rates rise too high, it may impact a business or individual’s desire to borrow, as the cost to the borrower becomes too great.” Additionally, banks have to fund their investments, and higher market rates can mean higher funding costs.

Still, banks do stand to gain as rates rise. Even a small increase could lead to billions of dollars in revenue for the nation’s largest banks. Plus, things that generate liquidity, like stimulus payments and quantities easing, have led to stockpiles of cash that some bankers may redeploy into investments like securities.

“There remains a lot of liquidity in the market, so many of our clients, as well as the bank, have cash reserves,” said John J. Zollinger IV, director of commercial banking at Home Bank.

Zollinger said the impending increase may also spur some action. “In the face of rising costs, we may see a pickup in activity with decision makers choosing to act now, due to increasing rates and rising prices on goods.” T “Savers will benefit from higher deposit rates, and mortgage rates will trend upwards as well, which will slow the real estate market. Short-term certificates of deposit will begin to pay higher interest rates, as will money market accounts and savings. These rates will lag behind the federal rate increases due to a lot of excess liquidity in the system from the stimulus payments and the Fed’s quantities easing.”

Guy Williams

CEO Gulf Coast Bank & Trust

CHRIS FERRIS

President and CEO Fidelity Bank

Banks in our region will probably see some increase in earnings thanks to higher rates, but they will see a significant slowdown in mortgage banking revenues as refinances will, and already have to an extent, slow down dramatically.

JOHN J. ZOLLINGER IV

Director of Commercial Banking Home Bank

Our business clients who are planning to make investments in their companies will have to decide whether to borrow or use their savings. Decisions will depend on the expense of borrowing, and some may opt to use more of their reserves to offset loan costs.

PERSPECTIVE GUEST

The Next Step

It’s clear we can build successful startups, but our work is far from over.

BY JON ATKINSON

Eight friends walk into a bar….

Sounds like the clichéd start to an old joke. But when it came to New Orleans’ future, the result of eight friends getting together in a CBD bar 20 years ago was anything but.

On that night, a desire to create a bright economic future for New Orleans yielded a commitment to entrepreneurship. The friends, worried about the lack of good jobs, homegrown companies and exposure to a technology boom that could pass New Orleans by, decided to launch a business plan contest. The winner would receive $10,000.

Four weeks later, more than 70 entrepreneurs had dropped off their business plans in a front porch cardboard box. The Idea Village was born.

Since then, we’ve accelerated 286 startups and helped almost 15,0000 entrepreneurs. In 2021, seven companies connected to The Idea Village were acquired for more than $2 billion, bringing outside investment, publicly traded companies and the potential for more wellpaying professional jobs to New Orleans.

JON ATKINSON is CEO of The Idea Village, a New Orleans-

based nonprofit that supports regional startups. Atkinson was previously founding director for the Loyola University Center for Entrepreneurship and Community Development and a visiting assistant professor of management and entrepreneurship at Loyola University New Orleans.

So how did it happen? How did an idea for a business plan contest seed the vibrant entrepreneurial community that now exists in New Orleans?

1Civic Support of the Vision City Hall was one of the first believers in entrepreneurship and The Idea Village. The Mayor’s Office of Economic Development prioritized entrepreneurship and funded programs to specifically identify and develop homegrown companies.

2Buy-In of the Business Community Established businesses answered the call to pledge services and financial support to entrepreneurs.

3Birth of a Vibrant Ecosystem New Orleans has fostered a vibrant ecosystem that supports entrepreneurs with different goals at different stages of development. Unique support combined with unparalleled connectivity has created an environment in which risk taking is now embraced and entrepreneurs can thrive.

4Unique Connectivity New Orleans Entrepreneur Week was founded in 2010 as a way to connect and elevate our entrepreneurial ecosystem. The weeklong event brings together business leaders, journalists and leading innovators to share ideas, network and inspire local startups.

5Culture that Celebrates Wins When a local startup is acquired, or sold, to a larger company, it indicates good things are coming to New Orleans. These “exits” mean global players see value in what New Orleans is building, represent wealth created in our community, and signal more jobs, investment and new startups. Each successful startup means more confidence in New Orleans as a hub of innovation.

These outcomes represent the combined efforts of our community and a sustained, deliberate, investment over 20-plus years. Today we are working to define what the next 20 years will look like. So, where are we headed?Repeatability.

If the goal is to make New Orleans more successful, our economy more resilient and our community more inclusive, we must repeat the processes that created our recent successes.

We have proven we can build highly innovative, repeatable and scalable new companies with the potential to become new industry leaders. What makes New Orleans exceptional is our ability to do this over and over again without losing our authenticity, diversity or what makes us unique.

In the past year, we have seen the power of “startup” businesses to create transformational change. Growing startups create hundreds of jobs per year, generate wealth, and lead to a more dynamic and resilient economy. Companies that experience acquisitions, or “exits,” bring global leaders, stability and more jobs. The model works and now we need to scale it.

Building the entrepreneurial ecosystem was step one. Startups thrive as part of a system that both feeds and feeds off of increasing quantities of talent, capital, new ideas and customers. The next step is to build a world-class startup community at the heart of that ecosystem.

Organizations like The Idea Village help anchor, perpetuate and mobilize the resources that ultimately provide the building blocks of a startup community. We work to grow the number of companies entering the ecosystem, improve the odds of success for each individual company, and democratize access to resources that help make the overall system more equitable and repeatable.

Together, we are working to define the culture and brand of startups that will give New Orleans an identity within innovation and to link our startup community to our existing economic assets.

What we do next matters. Let’s leverage this one hard-earned turn of the flywheel into the moment when New Orleans gained momentum.

Only in New Orleans can eight friends walk into a bar and alter the trajectory of one of America’s great cities. T

THE Goal

THE

DOUG WALNER HAS SPENT THE PAST FEW YEARS LEADING A LOCAL TECH STARTUP TO RAISE MILLIONS IN CAPITAL AND REACH A GLOBAL AUDIENCE. HE ALSO HELPED NOLA BREWING FIND FIRMER FINANCIAL GROUND, EVEN IN THE MIDST OF THE PANDEMIC. HE SAYS THE SECRET TO SUCCESS IN ANY INDUSTRY CAN BE FOUND WITH SOLID PLANNING AND A LITTLE HELP FROM THE RIGHT TECHNOLOGY.

By Keith Twitchell Portraits by Greg Miles

Goal GUY

DDOUG WALNER is used to splitting his time — both between coasts and between industries. Walner has built a bicoastal career running, and mostly growing, businesses in California and Louisiana and is currently involved with two very different local enterprises, serving as CEO of Align — a New Orleans tech startup founded in 2012 that uses a proprietary suite of software tools to help thousands of teams in over 72 countries achieve their goals — and as the owner and executive chairman of NOLA Brewing, which on its founding in 2008 was the only operating craft brewery in New Orleans.

“How I got here, I don’t know,” he said laughing. “I’m in two very different businesses. I like to say I spend 100% of my time on the Align business, and I spend 98% of my time at night on the brewery business, so it’s a night job. I don’t sleep that well anyway, so that’s a good thing.”

Walner’s more than two and a half decades in the tech industry began with a company called Ex Machina in New York, one of the first wireless communications companies.

“It was cutting edge at the time in that it was sending out alpha-numeric text to alpha-numeric pagers,” he explained, “which ultimately became SMS messaging.”

Other highlights included work for a company out of California to help build Southwest Airlines live TV product and a position as co-CEO of Stamps.com, where he helped tackle unique issues in the company’s early days that came with printing what is considered U.S. legal tender.

Whatever he does and wherever he does it, however, Walner’s passion is the same: helping companies create a collective vision and then combine technology and capital to develop the plans and strategies to realize that vision.

Recently he sat down at NOLA Brewing and shared his advice for companies in all stages of business, including the one thing he’s shocked most budding entrepreneurs don’t have but should.

Most entrepreneurs seem to stick to one industry, but not you. How did you get involved with such different companies?

When I came here, I got involved with The Idea Village. I was an Executive in Residence for two years. I then got infused into the business community post-Katrina, which is how I met the founder of NOLA Brewing, Kirk Coco. Subsequent to the end of the program, I came in as a minority investor here and eventually ended up taking over the company.

With Align, I also knew of Amith Nagarajan — one of the company’s two founders — through The Idea Village. They were looking for someone to run the business, and he asked me if I knew anybody that would be good. I think he was looking for somebody a little younger, but I was like, ‘Hey, I’m not doing anything, and I know the space.’ What appealed to me most is the business process that Align promotes. The technology focuses on the alignment of the organization, and that’s how I implemented a lot of the structure and processes of my businesses.

You’ve said Align is goal management software. What is that exactly?

There’s this new category called work management, it’s very encompassing, it’s project management, performance management, culture and HR software. It’s a big category, and inside that is another category called goal management. All those others are for working IN your business, and I like to think of goal management as working ON your business.

What kinds of questions should entrepreneurs be asking themselves as they’re working ON their business?

Where do I want to be in 20 years? What’s my plan? Do I want to exit? Do I want to grow this to be a business that provides for me and my family? You have to ask those four essential questions. So then how do we get there? How do we set our priorities? It’s okay to stop thinking about chasing fires on a daily basis and dedicate time to working on your business.

There’s a lot of focus at Align on the four foundational pillars of success, which are planning, execution, communication and culture. And you have to have all four. Then you gotta take bite-sized chunks and break that down. If you want to here at the end of the year, what do you want to get done in Q1? This is about getting alignment between your goals and your quarterly priorities and getting alignment from those priorities all the way down to every employee in your organization. If everybody’s hitting their goals, then everything is aligned, and the company is going to hit its goals. You have to have good cadences and rhythms in meetings, pull

those goals into the meetings, pull that data into the meetings, to make sure you’re being efficient in your meetings.

What does Align’s software do?

The software itself holds people accountable for doing what they signed up to do. And these priorities should be on the employees’ scorecard if you’re going to try to measure somebody’s success. Instead of these subjective reviews at the end of the year, this is objective. Each quarter we assigned you these priorities, you either did or you didn’t meet these goals, the data’s there, and now we can measure you. We call it continuous performance management, and it’s for companies of all sizes.

With both Align and NOLA Brewing, you were not a founder but came in with a focus on solving business problems using technology. Within these companies, what are some of the problems you found, and how did you solve them?

“It’s okay to stop thinking about chasing fires on a daily basis and dedicate time to working on your business.”

With Align, I had to build the company. Align was a side project for the two founders, and it had one employee in it, and it had revenues, but there was no company. So, it was really like we had to create a startup for the first year and a half.

The first thing we had to do was raise capital. We raised a little more than $2.2 million to build the company. We had to build a development team in-house, and we’re having good success right now — we had 54% year-over-year growth.

With NOLA Brewing, it had been here for a while. They had different challenges when I got here. Great people, great product, great brand, great market presence, but what it didn’t have was a great balance sheet. I provided an infusion of capital, thereby solving a lot of the balance sheet issues. But some of that was just done by smart decisions. For instance, we were spending too much on leasing the kegs, so we just bought our own because now we had the capital to do that. We worked on various aspects of the business, cleaned up a lot of stuff.

Working with these two very different businesses, what kinds of similarities do you see?

They are very different, and this [NOLA Brewing] is a tough business, this is a highly regulated sales model. We don’t control our sales. It’s a three-tiered distribution system. We sell to the distributor, but by law, we are not allowed to sell to the end customers. It’s very strange, it’s not anything like software, where we’re selling directly to consumers, there’s nothing between me and the end customer, and we’re not regulated. From that perspective, they’re very, very different. What’s similar are the basic business facts, which really gets you to Align and what we do at Align. Every business needs to plan, and every business needs to set priorities, and every business needs to have process and structure and communications and all this stuff. I actually use Align here at the brewery.

Do you find many people are still intimidated by technology in business, and how do you help them get past that?

I think they are, and I think they are not just intimidated, they are inundated by it now. That’s the other problem that they’re

having, choosing which applications you really need. I think that a lot of businesses haven’t dealt with a lot of technology, and that’s what I love about what we do, we’re not just selling to tech companies, we’re selling to all kinds of businesses. We spend time with the customers to make sure they are trained on the software, and they understand how to use it.

We tell them not to take on too much, because in addition to the software, they’re changing how they do processes internally, and sometimes you get friction inside an organization when you do that. That friction can be a death knell for us, so we try to roll it out in chunks, you know, let’s deal with changing your communications, let’s focus on that first. Once we get them communicating better, we can talk about how you set your priorities for the next quarter, and we can go from there.

When someone is starting a business, or in the early scaling-up stages, what should they be focusing on?

Simple: Who’s your customer? It all starts with the customer. Who is the customer, what are they trying to do? Then, if this is the product that we need to deliver, what does that mean in terms of all the other aspects? You have to go to each department and look at, say, ‘What does the marketing and messaging have to be? What is the sales strategy going to be? There’s a lot that goes into that. But I think a customer-centric organization is going to win all day long. If you’re not satisfying that customer, what are you doing this for?

Here’s one thing I would tell startups specifically: When I worked at The Idea Village, everyone came in with an idea and some people came in with a plan, but no one came in with a pro forma. I don’t imagine how you can even start a business if you haven’t figured out a three-to five-year pro forma. A pro forma is going to tell you how you grow this company from a financial perspective, and more than just figuring out the financial viability of the business, what it does for an entrepreneur is it helps them paint the vision of the business. You have to work through so many issues, you have to think about in month 48, how many employees am I going to need? And you start to

“You don’t always have the best plan, but any plan is good, and you figure it out, you solve for it, make it better along the way.”

build this image of what your company looks like. What’s my rent going to be? If I have that many employees, how much square footage do I need? Now I start to envision what my space is going to look like. And you constantly work on your pro forma, you’re updating it, you’re tweaking it, you’re getting your actuals, it’s helping you think about the business. It’s an exercise in visualization that I think every entrepreneur should do.

But you shouldn’t just visualize things, right?

I think the No. 1 thing you need in business is the ability to get shit done, have an execution orientation. You can talk about doing things, and you can put PowerPoints together about doing things, but you gotta go do things. You don’t always have the best plan, but any plan is good, and you figure it out, you solve for it, make it better along the way. For startups that’s really important, that they just go do it.

Switching gears to the NOLA Brewing side, just how bad was COVID-19 for small breweries?

It was terrible. People don’t understand the intricacies of a craft brewery business model. It breaks down to retail and wholesale. You’re sitting in the retail space right now, where we sell our highest-profit product. We make beer in the back and sell it here for six bucks for a 16-ounce glass. In the wholesale business you have two halves. The keg business is higher margin.

What COVID did to craft breweries is it killed the most profitable part of our wholesale business, the keg business to restaurants and bars. When you go to the convenience stores and groceries, that’s your lowest margin product, and that was the one that was selling. And people say, “Well, everybody was drinking like crazy during COVID!” but we were also in a massive recession, and people weren’t buying $9 six-packs, they were buying Bud Light, Natty Light. We were shut down here on the retail side for many, many months, so we couldn’t even do that. And layer on to that the mask requirement, and the vaccination requirement, that kept more customers away.

So business was off, and our restaurant and bar customers are dealing with this too. Their behaviors have changed, how they order product and stock product. At any time, they could be asked to shut down again and they know that, so their buying behavior has changed dramatically.

What do you see in the near horizon, in terms of tech, that business owners should be aware of, good and bad?

I think one of the more interesting things is AI [artificial intelligence]. I think AI is really going to change software products, and how people use software. I can see Align incorporating AI. I think we’ll be able to garner insights from all the data in our system and make recommendations to customers about their past goals and how they can set better goals going forward. I think that will lead to better and smarter products for owners.

I think the biggest thing business owners need to be careful of is the risk associated with personal privacy information. With every business doing online marketing, social media marketing, taking customer names and taking customer information, companies are taking on a lot more risk. Cyber liability insurance is going to be a big part of every company’s future. I think a lot of mainstream businesses underestimate that privacy issue, and they need to protect themselves. T

MARCH 2022 BEHIND THE

A look at the construction challenges that threatened

BY KIM SINGLETARY

to stand in the way of bringing some of 2021’s biggest commercial projects to fruition and how they were conquered.

a global pandemic, a category 4 hurricane, supply chain struggles

— these are all challenges essentially every business and endeavor has had to battle over the past few years. But when it comes to some of last year’s most notable completed commercial construction projects, they were only part of the story. Biz New Orleans talked to key players in five of last year’s big standouts to find out a little about the bumps they faced along the road before handing over the keys.

LITERALLY BUILDING AROUND HEALTHCARE NEEDS

For DonahueFavret Contractors, constructing Thibodaux Regional Health System’s new state-ofthe-art cancer center was a labor of love that ended up having a uniquely challenging delivery. To begin with, the demolition of the current one-story center had to be conducted while the center’s two linear accelerators (large machines used to treat cancer with radiation) remained in operation.

“For two years we constructed a four-story building on top of these active linear accelerators while they were treating patients,” said Bryan Hodnett, vice president of business development for DonahueFavret. “That meant, among other things, building temporary tunnels to allow safe access while we erected structural steel 50 to 60 feet in the air.”

About a year later, in the midst of the pandemic, the team was again asked to pivot to prioritize healthcare needs.

“During the middle of the cancer center project, the hospital was anticipating a new wave of patients from COVID and told us they needed 30 new ICU beds to meet that demand built in 60 days,” Hodnett said. “That kind of project would typically take eight to nine months… We got the call from the CEO on a Thursday, met with our architecture partner, WHLC Architecture, on Friday and were given a preliminary floorplan. We worked through the weekend with the design team and our trade partners, met with the client on Monday to present the cost and schedule, and mobilized on Tuesday. We completed the project four days ahead of schedule by working 24

THIBODAUX REGIONAL CANCER CENTER Address: 602 N. Acadia Rd., Thibodaux Owner: Thibodaux Regional Health System General Contractor: DonahueFavret Contractors Architect: WHLC Architecture Cost: $39.2 million Size: 80,000 square feet Construction time: Sept. 2019 – Dec. 2021

hours a day, seven days a week, while still working on the ongoing cancer center project, and of course still battling supply chain issues.”

Then, just when the project was about 95% complete, Hurricane Ida hit, bringing extensive damage to the region.

“That was a really scary time, but we were very fortunate,” said Hodnett. “Aside from a couple of roof tiles, the building was unharmed. We were very impressed by how the building performed.”

Hodnett said the finished product features a level of attention to detail that makes him proud.

“It’s truly a one-of-a-kind building in terms of the materials and finishes and the use of natural light throughout is really breathtaking.”

He said that during an early project meeting the hospital’s CEO talked about his experience with a family member battling cancer and the effects that he saw natural light have on her healing process.

“At our jobsite meetings, the CEO would constantly bring up the importance that the project will have on the community and would reiterate the impact cancer can have on our friends and families. His vision was to ensure that the new cancer center was a beacon of hope to the community and to any cancer patients receiving treatment. Our entire project team, from the site managers down to the laborers, understood the importance, and it truly motivated the entire team. It drove us to complete the project on time, even with the global pandemic and devastating hurricane.”

DonahueFavret’s work with Thibodaux Regional has continued. As of early February, the company was wrapping up on the second phase of a sportsand-wellness complex for the health system and had broken ground on an expansion for an operating room.

DID YOU KNOW?

Formed in 1930, Thibodaux Regional Health System serves the parishes of Lafourche, Terrebonne, Assumption, St. Mary and St. James. In addition to a cancer institute and wellness center, the system includes a wide array of almost 20 different care centers focusing on issues including sleep disorders, weight management, pain, diabetes management and sports medicine.

Thinking OUTSIDE the Box on Linear Park

NEW ORLEANS’ CONVENTION CENTER is in the midst of a $557 million, five-year renovation that includes not just the building, but its surroundings, as well as the construction of a new hotel. The welcome mat to what will be the building’s reinvention was officially laid out with the completion of a 7.5-acre pedestrian park that runs the length of the convention center.

Landis Construction was the winning bid on the project, which involved transforming four lanes of traffic into two lanes and creating a pedestrian-friendly environment, all while the convention center continued to host gatherings and events.

“This was a true team effort, a highly collaborative project,” explained Jeremy Atkinson, site project manager for Landis Construction. “For one, in tearing up the street we had to relocate over a mile of utilities and when we dug in, we found 300 years’ worth of construction, including cobblestone streets and old railroad tracks that used to lead to an old stamp factory. We worked very successfully with Entergy to relocate what is a main power district for the city, and all of this within what felt like a never-ending high river season, which involved us working hand in hand with the Army Corps of Engineers.”

Atkinson said Landis’ secret weapon in combating such a complicated project — and delivering it ahead of schedule and on budget — lies in the use of something called Lean Construction.

According to LeanConstruction.org, “Lean Construction is a respect- and relationship-oriented production management-based approach to project delivery — a new and transformational way to design and build capital facilities.”

A main idea of Lean Construction is respect for all the members working on a project in an effort to maximize value and minimize waste.

“The Lean principles and techniques employed on the linear project directly resulted in the project’s success,” said Atkinson. “While statistically, Lean projects are proven to be built ahead of schedule and

ERNEST N. MORIAL CONVENTION CENTER LINEAR PARK

Address: 900 Convention Center Blvd., New Orleans Owner: Ernest N. Morial Convention Center New Orleans Exhibition

Hall Authority

General Contractor: Landis Construction Architect: Manning Architects/Eskew+Dumez+Ripple, Joint Venture Cost: Contract Value: Approx. $51 million Size: 34,084 square feet Construction time: August 2018 — October 202048 BIZ NEW ORLEANS MARCH22

on-budget, according to Dodge analytical reports, it’s important to remember that Lean is about ‘building people to build better.’ Landis has picked up these Lean principles because it fits in so well with our culture.”

Atkinson said he has personally experienced the benefits of Lean Construction for about five years and is excited to be part of NOLA Lean, a local community of volunteers from several local construction companies “dedicated to making our industry better.”

The group will be hosting the 24th Lean Construction Institute Congress in New Orleans from Oct. 18-21. More information is available at LCICongress.org.

Transforming an Historic Former Orphanage into a High-End Hotel

The large red brick building at the corner of Magazine and Race streets in the Lower Garden District started its life in 1861 as a refuge for orphaned children called the Saint Vincent’s Infant Asylum. The orphanage was founded by a native of Ireland named Margaret Haughery — a statue of whom can be found just six blocks east of the building in Margaret Place Park — and served as a haven to those in need until the 1990s.

One hundred and sixty years later, Saint Vincent’s has been reimagined into a different kind of haven — one for travelers looking for a unique boutique experience.The high-end hotel belongs to Kupperman Companies, a real estate development and investment firm whose other local hotel projects include The Drifter, The Catahoula and The Frenchmen.

“It was really an informal selection process,” said Nick Moldaner, chief operating officer of Impetus, the construction company for the project, about receiving the job. “We had an early conversation with Zach Kupperman and that basically rolled into a very intensive design process. We worked for a year on pre-construction with all the different partners.” HOTEL SAINT VINCENT Moldaner said the first issue that had to be tackled was the condition of the existing five Address: 1507 Magazine historic buildings. Street, New Orleans “It was a long process to Owner: Kupperman understand the condition of the Companies buildings and then bring them up to a suitable shell for us to General Contractor: Impetus, A Palmisano Company use,” he said. “We completely gutted all the interiors. And then of course you have to Architect: MetroStudio coordinate things like new Cost: $22.5 million electrical and plumbing systems Size: 71,000 square feet to fit within the constraints of a historic building … Basically, Construction time: the pre-con never stopped, it September 17, 2019 — just bled into the construction March 11, 2021 process.” The finished Hotel Saint Vincent features 74 guest rooms, a pool, restaurant, café, courtyard, cocktail lounge, and a fashion and lifestyle boutique housed within six buildings — the renovated five historic buildings and one new construction building that serves as a modern event space and includes one of two new kitchens.

WAGING A BATTLE ON MANY FRONTS TO BRING IN A NEW LEVEL OF LUXURY

meant we had to put together a construction team large enough to manage and address everything. On a given day we’d have 500 to 700 people working on site.”

Flower said he is particularly proud that the hotel’s construction needs could be met primarily with local subcontractors.

“Well over 40% of our subs were disadvantaged business enterprises (DBEs) — something I don’t think any other local construction project can come close to saying — and only maybe 15% or less were national companies, and even then, they were usually combined with a local contractor.”

Just as the foundation was being completed in 2019, the Mississippi River was reaching record-breaking heights, causing the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers to temporarily halt construction on the project.

After three years of construction, the 34-story building officially opened as New Orleans’ only five-star hotel. In addition to 342 rooms and suites, 92 private residences, two restaurants led by acclaimed local chefs and 8,000 square feet of enclosed gardens, 75-foot swimming pool and hot tub, the hotel is set to open two new attractions in early March. The first is what Flower called “the largest and most comprehensive spa in Louisiana and perhaps beyond” and the second is Vue Orleans, an interactive cultural experience spanning three floors of the building that Flower said “has to be experienced to be believed” and is estimated to draw around 500,000 visitors a year.

With all its enormous demands and frustrating setbacks, Flower said the finished product has proven well worth the fight.

“The hotel hosted a Four Seasons company board meeting that included Issy Sharp, the founder of the Four Seasons, and the comments that we kept hearing were that you could take our building and put it in London or Paris or Dubai or anywhere in the world,ß and it could compete at the top of the market,” said Flower. “This hotel is a real selling tool for New Orleans & Company and an asset for our city as a whole.”

A

veteran of the construction industry with over 50 years of experience, Paul Flower, CEO of Woodward since 1987, has led the construction efforts on countless projects across the Gulf South, but his passion for the recent Four Seasons Hotel makes it evident that this project is particularly special for him.

Flower has served as the lead development partner for the project, managing the design and construction activities on behalf of the ownership team.

“The main goal of this project was to take the World Trade Center — an unbelievably good site — and transform it into a high-end hotel experience the likes of which we did not have in this city,” he said.

Unfortunately, the project’s challenges began before construction could even start with a highly publicized lawsuit that was eventually dismissed, but not before setting construction back two years.

The lawsuit, however, was only the first of the hotel’s challenges.

“Securing the equity and investors for a $500 million endeavor in a second-tier city was not easy,” he said. “The size of the project also

FOUR SEASONS HOTEL NEW ORLEANS Address: 2 Canal Street Owner: Two Canal, LLC General Contractor: Woodward-AECOM Tishman Joint Venture Design Architect: CambridgeSeven Collaborating Architect: Woodward Design+Build,LLC Historic Architect: Cost: $465 million Size: 780,000 square feet Construction time: July 2018 — July 2021

Bringing A Idea BIG to a Space small

VIRGIN HOTELS NEW ORLEANS

Address: 550 Baronne Street, New Orleans Owner: The Buccini/ Pollin Group and Virgin Hotels

WHEN BRITISH BILLIONAIRE RICHARD BRANSON is involved with something, you know it will be big. The entrepreneur founded Virgin Group in the 1970s and it has since become a multinational venture capital conglomerate that controls more than 400 companies, with subsidiaries including Virgin Mobile and Virgin Atlantic airlines.

So, when Virgin Hotels — the lifestyle hotel brand managed by Virgin Group that celebrated its 10th year in 2021 — decided to build a hotel in New Orleans, the focus was to deliver a big splash — even within a not-so-big footprint.

“One of the main challenges to this project was the size of the site and small adjacent roadways, which is also located in a residential neighborhood,” said Brian Vega — project executive with Broadmoor, the construction company that built the hotel — of the property that sits on the riverside corner of Baronne and Lafayette streets in New Orleans’ Central Business District. “It adds complexity in every step of the process where every detail must be planned in advanced and included in coordination efforts. A large amount of that success is attributable to our commitment to Lean Construction practices and the Last Planner ® System, (a collaborative planning system that is part of the Lean Construction method of building) meaning each trade partner took part in building the plan to success.”

As part of its commitment to take a more innovative approach to building, Broadmoor also used various technologies to move the hotel along.

“This and all Broadmoor projects are committed to staying on the front line of technology,” said Vega. “By using innovative imaging and scheduling tools, we are able to monitor the installation of our work real time against the schedule and quality expectations. In turn, we were able to maximize pre-fabrication to minimize on-site waste, which was critical due to our space constraints.

The completed 14-story hotel features 238 rooms ranging in size from 294 square feet to the 1,097-square-foot “Richard’s Penthouse Flat,” which features floor-to-ceiling windows overlooking downtown New Orleans.

Virgin Hotels New Orleans is the brand’s sixth hotel, and while its design features were carefully crafted to give a nod to New Orleans’ unique culture, it also shares standard features of every Virgin Hotels property, such as the inclusion of a Commons Club dining experience, Funny Library Coffee Shop and The Pool Club.

But while the brand promotes a lively party atmosphere, relaxation was also taken seriously.

“The hotel brand had very specific sound transmission requirements, which in turn required very intricate assemblies to ‘buffer’ the sound transmission from the several public and rooftop spaces from the guestrooms,” said Vega, who added, “the attention to every detail for a one-ofa-kind experience is what makes this hotel stand out in our market.” T

Design-Builder: Broadmoor, LLC Architect: Mathes Brierre Architects / Callison RTKL Cost: $50-$60 million

Size: approximately 185,000 square feet

Construction time: July 2019 — August 2021

FROM THE LENS

54

WORKSPACES Citizens Bank & Trust in Baton Rouge transforms a 30-year-old space into its flagship branch

64

NEW ORLEANS 500 Gregoire Tillery, owner of We Dat’s Chicken & Shrimp

58

WHY DIDN’T I THINK OF THAT?

A new non-alcoholic drink is quickly being embraced by both consumers and New Orleans’ food and beverage community

FROM THE LENS GREAT WORKSPACES

LONG-TERM INVESTMENT

CITIZENS BANK & TRUST Bocage

Branch // 7646 Jefferson Hwy // Baton Rouge //CitizensBankAndTrust.com

Citizens Bank & Trust in Baton Rouge transforms a 30-year-old space into its flagship branch

BY MELANIE WARNER SPENCER PHOTOS BY SARA ESSEX BRADLEY

Citizens Bank & Trust was established in Plaquemine in 1916. The newly remodeled Bocage branch in Baton Rouge celebrates the company’s roots while forging it’s path to the future.

In 1991, Citizens Bank & Trust opened a branch in Baton Rouge on Jefferson Highway, that, until recently hadn’t changed much. Last year, however, the branch received a makeover, transforming it into a flagship branch for the company. For the transformation, the company worked with Ritter Maher Architects.

“It was a collaborative effort with [interior designer] Samantha Bastion of Ritter Maher taking the lead,” said Citizens Bank & Trust Vice President Ryan Elliott. Included in the collaboration was AOS Interior Environments, who handled the furnishings, and art and accessories from Rogers & McDaniel. Recently, Elliott and Bastion shared details about the striking renovation.

Biz New Orleans: What were your (or the design team’s) goals for the design and why?

Ryan Elliott: We felt a facelift was well overdue. Our desire was to create a flagship branch for the Citizens Bank & Trust brand in the Baton Rouge market and create more usable space so we could house more staff at this location. Currently, we have six branch staff members downstairs and five lenders upstairs. We also have a state-ofthe-art conference room to hold meetings, trainings and occasional board meetings.

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

Samantha Bastion: The biggest design challenge we encountered was completely reworking the program of the existing space to engage the customer and provide more offices and meeting spaces. Elliott: As a busy branch location, we also struggled with how to operate our branch while construction was taking place. We origi-

Interior designer Samantha Bastion of Ritter Maher said the most challenging aspect of the renovation was reworking the existing space to accommodate the needs of both the clients and the employees.

QUICK LOOK

Location:

7646 Jefferson Hwy., Baton Rouge

Number of years in business:

106

Style of building’s architecture:

Exterior is Southern vernacular architecture, and the interior is transitional.

Square footage:

6,000

Move-in date:

Reopening after remodel was July 6, 2021

nally planned to operate at the same site while construction was simultaneously taking place around us, but we quickly realized this would be a logistical nightmare and possible safety hazard. Fortunately, we were able to rent a former bank location within a stone’s throw from our permanent branch, which freed up the contractors to work in full force on the project site.

What is the standout feature of the design?

Elliott: There are so many design features that I like about this location, but my favorite is the glass atrium on the second floor that overlooks the branch lobby, which includes several attractive design features, such as a retro Citizens Bank & Trust logo and the large chandelier. Bastion: Citizens Bank is customer-focused and they wanted the interiors to reflect that. The coffee bar, with its inviting color palette and warm tones, encourages the client to come relax for just a moment and have a cup of coffee while they recharge from our fast-paced world. Another feature I want to point out is the commissioned artwork from Lauren Barksdale Hill. This triptych canvas depicts the Port Allen Locks, which is a nod to the original branch in Port Allen. It is important to reflect on where we began so we can appreciate how far we have come.

How would you describe your company and its core clientele?

Elliott: Our core clientele are the citizens of Iberville, East Baton Rouge and the surrounding parishes who understand and appreciate the greatest advantage a community bank has to offer — personal service.

How do you offer something different or set yourselves apart from similar businesses in South Louisiana?

Elliott: I believe it is a common misconception that banks have a lot of money to spend. In reality banks operate on tight margins, and we

“There are so many design features that I like about this location,” said Citizens Bank & Trust Vice President Ryan Elliott, “but my favorite is the glass atrium on the second floor that overlooks the branch lobby, which includes several attractive design features, such as a retro Citizens Bank & Trust logo and large chandelier.”

all prioritize where we spend money. For our bank, we believe it is important to provide an atmosphere that evokes the feeling of professionalism, confidence and strength. We also want to create work environments that are enjoyable for the guest and employees alike, along with creating efficient workspaces. For these reasons, we believe it is important to invest in our bank facilities, and our Bocage branch is our latest one.

How do you promote a positive work atmosphere?

Elliott: Our bank has been around for 106 years, and we have some of the longest-tenured employees you will find anywhere. This is a testament to our culture, which was created long before my arrival and the arrival of the management team. We are simply the torch bearers of what has been passed down to us, and we continue to make this a bank centered around its employees so they can provide exceptional customer service today and for the years to come.

What are your biggest business challenges?

Elliott: This a strange time to be alive. There are so many things that are affecting our personal and work environments. Banks are flush with cash/liquidity at this moment and are looking for ways to deploy this money, good loans being the preferred method. Because we all have excess liquidity, competition is very tight, which keeps the rates down. With talk that the Federal Reserve will soon start raising rates, combined with the excess liquidity that most banks are experiencing, we could see where loan rates for good-quality commercial loans may lag (behind) the rate increases the Fed may make. We will just have to wait and see how this all shakes out, but this could be a challenge in the months to come.

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

Elliott: The last two years were exceptional ones for our bank. This success was largely in part due to our participation in the PPP loan program. We were able to impact over 500 small business customers during the height of the pandemic, which was hard work, but very gratifying. Now that PPP is in the rearview mirror, we are planning for a great year, albeit not like 2020 and 2021. T

The chapel houses a chandelier by Australian designer Christopher Boots. “We wanted to celebrate the true beauty of the chapel by stripping it down to its original form and let lighting showcase its beautiful simplicity,” said Kendall Winingder. “A halo of light covered in beautiful crystals radiates positive, loving energy, perfectly complementing the space.”

Elliott said the company focuses on its employees so they can provide the best possible customer service. “Our bank has been around for 106 years, and we have some of the longest-tenured employees you will find anywhere,” he said. “This is a testament to our culture, which was created long before my arrival and the arrival of the management team.”

“Citizens Bank is customer-focused and they wanted the interiors to reflect that. The coffee bar — with its inviting color palette and warm tones — encourages the client to come relax for just a moment and have a cup of coffee while they

”recharge from our fast-paced world. Samantha Bastion, Interior Designer at Ritter Maher

FROM THE LENS WHY DIDN’T I THINK OF THAT?

CONNECT WITH MOCKLY DrinkMockly.com

Instagram: @drinkmockly

THE CRAFT WITHOUT THE BOOZE

A new non-alcoholic drink is quickly being embraced by both consumers and New Orleans’ food and beverage community

BY ASHLEY MCLELLAN PHOTOS BY EDMUND D. FOUNTAIN

Mockly, a carefullycurated, nonalcoholic beverage, can be found in local markets and groceries, as well as select restaurants and bars across New Orleans and beyond.

In a city where “laissez les bons temps rouler” often includes alcohol, how popular could a canned mocktail beverage be?

Apparently, pretty popular.

Literally first cooked up in the home kitchen of Tarik and Aimée Sedky, the first cans of Mockly — a zero-alcohol, low-carb canned beverage — came on to the market in 2020. In just four months, the company sold out its initial run of 12,000 cans— a success they said came as the result of reaching out for a little help early on.

“After a few rounds that were decent but far from exceptional, we agreed: Surely there is someone in New Orleans who knows what they’re doing here,” said Aimée Sedky.

The Sedkys found the help they needed in New Orleans-based mixologist Jesse Carr, who joined the team to develop the signature blend of flavors in the products. The partnership with Carr proved integral in creating a product that Aimée Sedky said goes way beyond one-note sodas or mixers already available in stores.

“It was important that we developed a product that wasn’t simply a booze-free replica of existing cocktails, but something that could stand on its own as a unique, delicious option with or without alcohol,” added Sedky. “We wanted our mocktails to have the depth and ingenuity of a craft cocktail, as well as an option

that was low on sugar. We worked with Jesse to develop three complex, delicious mocktails that each had its own spin on what a mocktail should taste like.”

Currently, Mockly retails for $9.99 for four 250-ml cans and is available online, in more than 30 local restaurants and bars, and in 20 grocery stores and markets such as Rouses, Canseco’s, Robert Fresh Market and Breaux Mart.

Capitalizing on the close-knit nature of the New Orleans business community, the Sedkys relied on their professional backgrounds in communications and marketing to launch the Mockly brand, as well as to forge connections with distributors. The relationship with Crescent Crown — the exclusive off-premise distributor of Mockly to grocery stores in Southern Louisiana — grew out of a chance encounter at a cocktail party.

“When we got our first true production samples just over a year ago, we had, like, six cans of each flavor but we didn’t have any investors, customers or commitments, said Tarik Sedky. “Aimée had recently met someone who knows a lot about the cocktail business at a party and said, ‘Let’s get his advice.’ So, we packed a can of each flavor in a cooler and brought some plastic cups to [Sazerac Company owner] Jeff Goldring’s office. Unbeknownst to us, he had invited Nick Hazard from Crescent Crown to join the tasting. While we were going through our presentation about the category, the product and our aspirations for growth, Jeff saw the projections and asked, ‘Why do you have it taking so long to get big?’ We told him since we didn’t have any distribution, we assumed it’d take a while to get traction. Nick, who had just finished his third sample, looked at us and said, ‘These are delicious. When can we get ’em?’”

The couple connected in a similar fashion with Neat Wines, which distributes to on-premise locations in Louisiana. This relationship led to Mockly’s availability at several local restaurants.

“We were introduced to Neat Wines through an intermediary — BRG Hospitality, the owners of Shaya, Willa Jean, Luke and others,” he said. “I had done some advertising work for them a year earlier. As we were validating the Mockly concept, I asked BRG’s co-owner, Octavio Mantilla, what he thought of the idea. Octavio thought it made sense and said he’d serve it at one of his restaurants if it tasted good. Sure enough, Shaya was our first restaurant customer, and Mockly has been flying off the shelf there ever since we launched. Their director of operations, Maria

A few years ago, Mockly creators Tarik and Aimée Sedky cooked up the idea for a complex, flavorforward, zeroalcohol beverage designed to appeal to both alcohol consumers and non-drinkers. The cocktail-inspired canned beverages can now be found in more than 30 local restaurants and bars, as well as 20 grocery stores and markets.

MOCKLY FLAVORS

Eye Opener

tangerine, lemon, peach, basil, lemongrass

Love Bite

pomegranate, ginger, lemon, apple, rosemary, tonic water

Baron Von Blue

blueberry, mint, rose, soda water

Zissis, is a huge Mockly fan and just added it to the menus at Willa Jean and Cho Thai.”

According to the company, Mockly’s success has revolved around two unexpected matrixes: “sales velocity and repeat purchases. Repeat purchase has been very strong, with 90% of bars, restaurants and markets that take an initial delivery continuing to repurchase Mockly in ever-greater quantities over time. Online sales are growing as well, with month-over-month sales increasing 40% into year end.”

But for the cocktail-heavy culture of the Crescent City, how can a zero-alcohol product compete? The Sedkys said Mockly beverages provide an exciting alternative for times when imbibing may not be an option or for those looking to take a break from drinking, a concept that reaches far beyond New Orleans.

“It’s no secret New Orleanians love to drink, but there are plenty of exceptions to that rule — pregnant women and designated drivers, for example,” Aimée Sedky said. “But if you still enjoy socializing with a drink in your hand, Mockly fits right in. Maybe you’re sober or sober-curious. Some people stay away from alcohol for health reasons or because they need to be at their absolute best for an important meeting the next morning. Maybe you’re just taking a break from booze after the holidays or for Lent. Whatever your reasons, we’re just excited to give locals a new option. Mockly mocktails are alcohol-free, but they’re also delicious — an indulgence, not a sacrifice.”

Mockly is indeed riding a tsunami of interest in non-alcoholic beverage alternatives, mostly led by younger millennial and Zoomer consumers nationwide. According to a November 2021 Business Insider report, “Non-alcoholic beverage sales increased 33% to $331 million over the last 52 weeks, according to data from Nielsen. The products have done especially well in e-commerce, as Nielsen found a 315% increase in online non-alcoholic and low-alcoholic beverage dollar sales during the same time.”

According to Aimée Sedky, Mockly fits right in with those making a lifestyle change or are merely curious about alternatives.

“We cater to people who are looking to have a good time while sober or sober curious, or just “It was important that we developed a product that wasn’t simply a booze-free replica of ”existing cocktails, but something that could stand on its own as a unique, delicious option with or without alcohol.

taking a break — whether that’s a few days a week, or a few weeks a year. Mockly is also a great alternative for people who just don’t function well with hangovers. They love to socialize, but not if they have to pay for it the next day.” Mockly also offers an alternative for those looking to recreate happy hour at home, a big plus during the pandemic quarantine. “Some of our customers use Mockly beverages as mixers, adding in their favorite spirits, for a delicious, quick cocktail,” said Aimée Sedky. “Because they were crafted by an expert mixologist, we’re finding that at-home and amateur mixologists who like to experiment with different ingredients are inspired by our flavors. And then there are those who serve Mockly at parties instead of hiring a bartender. You don’t have to leave a tip for a can.” While Mockly is headquartered in New Orleans, the product is produced and co-packed in Philadelphia and Athens, Georgia. Tarik and Aimée said they see themselves playing a unique role alongside other local brewers, beverage producers and bartenders. “We see ourselves as a complement to them,” Tarik said. “We actually tried to use local brewers to produce Mockly but they couldn’t produce our product, mostly because of the pasteurization requirements and the size of our can. We’re in an 8.4 ounce can, not the standard 12-ounce beer can. One of the most encouraging signs for us in the trade is that bartenders really like Mockly. Not only do they appreciate the basic mixology — the flavor, the NON-ALCOHOLIC DOESN’T ALWAYS MEAN ZERO nose, the combination of familiar International Wines and Spirits Record (IWSR) defines and more obscure ingredients, non-alcoholic beer, cider, wine, spirits, RTDs and alcohol replacements as products that contain less than 0.5% ABV. the effervescence and whatnot — Low-alcohol beers and ciders contain between 0.5% ABV and bartenders also know that making 3.5% ABV, while low-alcohol wines check-in under 7.5% ABV mocktails can be kind of a pain, so having something that their customers love but is easy to make and delivers a good margin, is a win for them.”

While Mockly is just getting off the ground in a big way locally, Tarik Sedky said the company is poised to expand regionally in the next few months.

“Our distribution deal with Crescent Crown actually covers the entire southern Louisiana region, so Mockly is heading into grocery stores in Baton Rouge, Lafayette and elsewhere in the state,” he said. “Also, based on our early success at bars and restaurants in New Orleans, we’ve just begun expanding into Austin, Nashville and Atlanta. We plan to close our second round of financing in the next 60 days to further expand Mockly’s distribution and sales throughout the Southeast, and plan to continue raising capital as the business scales nationally. We also plan to continue a strong online presence. In fact, our online sales are seeing month over month sales increasing 40% into year end.”

The Sedkys see Mockly brand’s expansion as a way to transform the profile of New Orleans as a destination for great cocktails and mocktails.

“Our goal is to make Mockly the authority and first choice in the non-alcoholic space in New Orleans and across the Southeast region,” Aimée Sedky said. “And we want New Orleans to become a leader in embracing mocktails as the fun, booze-free cocktail alternative. We‘re looking for ways to move production to the New Orleans area. We’re also developing three new flavors for our next production run. We just came back from a tasting in Los Angeles and they’re coming along great. This next set will feature some unexpected ingredients, like Earl Grey Tea, chili peppers and cinnamon.” T

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REAL ESTATE

FROM THE LENS NEW ORLEANS 500

Gregoire Tillery

Owner of We Dat’s Chicken & Shrimp

BY RICH COLLINS PORTRAIT BY

ADRIENNE BATTISTELLA

DID YOU KNOW? Tillery started We Dat’s Chicken & Shrimp in 2013, when he cashed in his 401(k) to buy a food truck. Almost a decade (and 262,000 Instagram followers) later, the company boasts four locations and a national reputation for its “Wuzzam” wings and philanthropic efforts. We Dat’s purple and gold color scheme is an homage to Tillery’s alma mater, Edna Karr High School.

What’s the best advice you’ve received?

“Never give up … and tuition isn’t free.”

If you weren’t doing what you’re doing now, what would your dream

career be? Sports agent

What’s your hidden

talent? “I’m pretty good at guessing what’s going to happen next in movies, LOL.”

Favorite parade? Trucks