Editor’s Note
Who Dat! I
think it took me a whole week after moving to New Orleans to have the courage to finally say to someone, “OK, enough already. I give up. Why on Earth does everyone keep saying ‘Who Dat?’” I was answered with a laugh and a look like wasn’t I just the cutest little kid inquiring about why the sky was blue. What followed next was a proud (and honestly, rather lengthy) explanation of the battle to, and ultimate victory of, the Saints’ Super Bowl journey just two years earlier. I grew up in San Diego, so of course we had an NFL team, the Chargers, but I wouldn’t say it was exactly a football town. San Diego was one of those places people moved to from somewhere else. Real locals were few and far between, so people tended to maintain their loyalty to their hometown teams. Plus, I suppose it didn’t help that the Chargers weren’t exactly stellar. This new city was like something I’d never seen, and five years later it still catches me off guard, even though, I too, have since joined the fold and outfitted my whole family with Saints gear. Our dog, my daughter recently pointed out, is even black-andgold—he’s a diehard. Football fan or not, the Saints are part of the culture here in New Orleans, as much as snoballs in the summer and those weird ladders with wooden box seats on them—another thing that required an explanation. This month, we honor the Saints as they prepare to celebrate their 50th anniversary. What a ride it has been. Happy Reading!
Kimberley@BizNewOrleans.com
CLARIFICATION A clarification in the July issue. Scott Wood is the owner, not co-owner, of Courtyard Brewery. We regret the error. 4
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AUGUST 2016 | volume 2 | issue 11
Publisher Todd Matherne Editorial Editor-in-chief Errol Laborde Managing Editor Kimberley Singletary Art Director Antoine Passelac Photographer Cheryl Gerber Web Editor Kelly Massicot Assoc. Multimedia News Editor Leslie T. Snadowsky Contributors Andrew Alexander, Robert Edgecombe, Steven Ellis, Suzanne Ferrara, Carolyn Heneghan, Sergy Odiduro, Chris Price, Peter Reichard, Kim Roberts, Jennifer Gibson Schecter, Keith Twitchell, Melanie Warner Spencer, Jaklyn Wrigley advertising Vice President of Sales Colleen Monaghan Colleen@myneworleans.com (504) 830-7215 Sales Manager Maegan O’Brien Maegan@BizNewOrleans.com (504) 830-7219 Senior Account Executive Caitlin Sistrunk Caitlin@BizNewOrleans.com (504) 830-7252 Account Executive Carly Goldman Carly@BizNewOrleans.com (504) 830-7225 PRODUCTION Production/Web Manager Staci McCarty Senior Production Designer Ali Sullivan Production Designer Monique DiPietro Traffic Coordinator Terra Durio administration Chief Executive Officer Todd Matherne President Alan Campell Executive Vice President Errol Laborde Vice President of Sales Colleen Monaghan Director of Marketing & Events Cheryl Lemoine Event Coordinator Margaret Strahan Administrative Assistant Denise Dean Distribution Manager John Holzer Subscription Manager Sara Kelemencky Subscription Assistant Mallary Matherne AABP 2016 Award of Excellence Best Feature Layout: Magazine | Bronze
110 Veterans Blvd., Suite 123, Metairie, LA 70005 (504) 828-1380 Biz New Orleans is published monthly by Renaissance Publishing, LLC, 110 Veterans Blvd., Suite 123, Metairie, LA 70005; (504) 828-1380. Subscription rate: one year $24.95, two year $39.95, three year $49.95 — foreign rates vary call for pricing. Postage paid at Metairie, LA, and additional mailing entry offices. POSTMASTER: Send address changes to Biz New Orleans, 110 Veterans Blvd., Suite 123, Metairie, LA 70005. Copyright 2016 Biz New Orleans. No part of this publication may be reproduced without the consent of the publisher. The trademark Biz New Orleans is registered. Biz New Orleans is not responsible for unsolicited manuscripts, photos and artwork, even if accompanied by a self-addressed stamped envelope. The opinions expressed in Biz New Orleans are those of the authors and do not necessarily reflect the views of the magazine or owner. 6
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Contents
84
50
40
Features
From the Lens
On the Cover
40 Saints are Golden
80 Great Offices
New Orleans celebrates 50 years of professional football.
50 Heading Up the Pack
84 Why Didn’t I Think of That?
The Who Dat Nation celebrates 50 years in business.
Local clinic Doctors Imaging breaks ground in brain injury detection.
Howard Hughes Outlet Collection at Riverwalk offices.
Tasc Performance — athletic apparel innovator.
96 Behind the Scenes OPA Signs & Graphics
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Contents
24
26 Columns
20 NOLA By the Numbers
The aging population — What does it mean?
22 Dining Biz
Do restaurant names affect their fate?
66
24 Tourism Biz
John Bukaty premieres new work at White Linen Night.
26 Sports Biz
Perspectives
News
28 Film Biz
62 Technology
18 Calendar
30 Entrepreneur Biz
66 Real Estate & Construction
36 Biz Bits
A look at the future of LSU Tigers
OPA Signs & Graphics’ role in film
Local farmers markets worth $4.76 million a year.
32 Biz Etiquette
Tips to stay looking professional as temps rise
34 Tech Biz
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How to align IT priorities with your business
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New weight loss options abound.
The art of architecture
70 Healthcare
Chronic pain is a $550 billion annual drain on the economy
76 Guest Viewpoint
Maintaining patient privacy in a digital world.
Upcoming events not to miss
Industry news
88
Q&A Billy Blatty, owner of Barcadia
94 Around Town – Events Industry gatherings
BizNewOrleans.com AUGUST 2016
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Publisher’s Note
Best of the Best
I
f you are friends with me on social media then on July 9th you saw the excitement as Renaissance Publishing’s editorial team of writers, editors, photographers, graphic artists and even cartoonist took home 32 Excellence in Journalism Awards from the Press Club of New Orleans. Our team won 10 first place trophies, as well as many second and third place awards. Our first place honors included: • Best Magazine – Louisiana Life • Best Layout and Design – Louisiana Life • Best Sports Blog – MyNewOrleans.com • Best Cartoon – New Orleans Magazine • Best Business Writing – Biz New Orleans • Best Column – New Orleans Magazine • Best Special Section – New Orleans Magazine • Best Email Update – BizNewOrleans.com • Best News Blog – MyNewOrleans.com • Best Business Broadcast – Biz New Orleans – Biz TV
Our staff works hard and to be recognized by your peers is great, but the real honor that evening was seeing my partner, Errol Laborde, the longest serving editor of New Orleans Magazine and the EVP of editorial for all of Renaissance Publishing products, receive the Lifetime Achievement Award from the Press Club. I met Errol in 1989 when he was hired to take the reigns of New Orleans Magazine, and this year he will celebrate the magazine’s 50th anniversary while achieving worthy honors from his peers. In 2013, Errol was honored nationally as Columnist of the Year for his Streetcar Column in New Orleans Magazine, and now in 2016, he is having another banner year. Congratulations to our entire editorial team and their leader, Errol Laborde — what a great Louisiana Saturday night it was. Todd Matherne 12
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Meet the Sales Staff
Maegan O’Brien Sales Manager (504) 830-7219 Maegan@BizNewOrleans.com
Caitlin Sistrunk Senior Sales Executive (504) 830-7252 Caitlin@BizNewOrleans.com
Carly Goldman Account Executive (504) 830-7225 Carly@BizNewOrleans.com
Colleen Monaghan Vice President of Sales (504) 830-7215 Colleen@BizNewOrleans.com
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Calendar
Friday, August 19 Committee for a Better New Orleans/
Tuesday, August 2
Metropolitan Area Committee 50th Anniversary Gala
St. Tammany West Chamber of Commerce SBDC Sponsored Seminar: Running Your Business by the Numbers 9 – 11 a.m. St. Tammany Parish Library – Madisonville Branch 1123 Main St.
6:30 p.m. patron party 7:30 p.m. dinner and gala Hyatt Regency Hotel 601 Loyola Ave., New Orleans CBNO.org
StTammanyChamber.org
Tuesday, August 23
Wednesday, August 3
St. Tammany West Chamber of Commerce
St. Tammany West Chamber of Commerce SBDC Sponsored Seminar: How to Company with the Federal Wage & Hour Law
SBDC Sponsored Seminar: Starting and Financing Your Business Idea 9 a.m. – 12 p.m.
9 – 11 a.m.
St. Tammany West Chamber of Commerce
St. Tammany West Chamber of Commerce
610 Hollycrest Blvd., Covington
610 Hollycrest Blvd., Covington
StTammanyChamber.org
StTammanyChamber.org
Tuesday, August 24
Thursday, August 4
New Orleans Chamber of Commerce
New Orleans Chamber of Commerce
Educational Seminar — Not Ya Mama’s Marketing: How to Create
2016 Women’s Business Alliance
Buzz & #Make News in the Digital Age
5 – 7 p.m.
11:30 a.m. – 1 p.m.
Hotel Monteleone
1515 Poydras St.
214 Royal Street
5th Floor Auditorium
NewOrleansChamber.org
NewOrleansChamber.org
Wednesday, August 10
Wednesday, August 24
Hispanic Chamber of Commerce of Louisiana
GEB University
Hispanic Business Conference and Trade Show
Insurance and Risk Management Series: D&O Insurance (Risks
9 a.m. – 1 p.m.
That Face Your Company’s Decision-Makers & How to Protect
Harrah’s New Orleans
Against Them)
228 Poydras St., New Orleans
9 – 10:30 a.m.
HCCL.biz
1615 Poydras St., Suite 700, New Orleans gillis.com/GEBUniversity
Tuesday, August 16 Wednesday, August 31
GEB University Insurance and Risk Management Series: Cyber Risks (Prevention & Mitigation in a Technological World)
Prosper Jefferson Seminar Series: Protect Your Business Assets
2 – 3:30 p.m. 1615 Poydras St., Suite 700, New Orleans gillis.com/GEBUniversity
Jefferson Chamber of Commerce 9 – 10:30 a.m. JEDCO Conference Center 700 Churchill Parkway Avondale, LA JeffersonChamber.org
We’d love to include your business-related event in next month’s calendar. Please email details to Editorial@BizNewOrleans.com.
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Columns | NOLA By The Numbers
Population of the New Orleans Metro Area
Key Aging Indicators for the United States
Age Group
2005
2014
Under 20
363,269
311,516
Year
20-34
259,848
266,137
1960 29.5
69.7
23.7
154,531
1970 28.1
70.8
18.4
73.7
15.9
35-44
190,038
Median Age
Life Expentancy
Births Per 1,000 Residents
45-54
196,502
175,381
1980 30.0
55-64
139,620
164,343
1990 32.8
75.4
16.7
65+
143,498
158,211
2000 35.3
76.8
14.4
2010 37.2
78.7
13.0
An Age-Old Question The aging population; what it means on a local level.
A
Robert Edgecombe is
an urban planner and consultant at GCR Inc. He advises a wide range of clients on market conditions, recovery strategies, and demographic and economic trends.
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ndy Rooney once summarized the dilemma of aging by quipping that “the idea of living a long life appeals to everyone, but the idea of getting old doesn’t appeal to anyone.” Appealing or not, our demographic patterns reveal that more people are living longer than ever — with potentially profound implications for our country and our region. We live in an unequivocally aging population, defined by demographers as one in which older residents constitute an increasing proportion of the total populace. The average life expectancy in the United States, according to the Centers for Disease Control, increased from 69.7 years to 78.7 years between 1960 and 2010. In 2010, roughly 40.2 million Americans—13 percent of the country’s population—were 65 or older, compared to 16.6 million (9 percent of the overall population) in 1960. The median age of the country’s population rose from
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29.5 in 1960 to 37.2 in 2010. In the period between 2000 and 2010 alone, the number of Americans 65 and over increased by 15 percent, or more than 5 million people; the number of residents ages 85 and older grew by 1.2 million, or 30 percent. By comparison, the overall population of the country grew by 10 percent, the number of residents under the age of 20 grew by 3 percent, between 20 and 35 by 6 percent, and between 35 and 55 by 4 percent. The general reasons for these trends are well understood. For one, the generation approaching and surpassing the 65-year threshold is historically large, products of the post-World War II surge in births. Secondly, advances in medicine and long-term care have extended life expectancy and lowered mortality rates. And finally, birth rates have, on the whole, declined consistently over the past 30 years, from just under 17 births per 1,000 residents in the early 1990s to 12.5 in 2014.
Statewide and locally, our recent population shifts have been complicated by Hurricane Katrina, but we still mirror the national landscape. Between 2000 and 2010, Louisiana’s population increased by 1 percent, whereas the population ages 65 and over grew by 8 percent and the population 85 and up rose by 12 percent. Conversely, the number of residents between the ages of 35 and 55 declined by 5 percent, and the under 20 population declined by 8 percent. In the New Orleans metro area, we have nearly 15,000 more residents ages 65 and older than prior to Katrina, an increase of 10 percent. Meanwhile, the number of residents in nearly every age grouping under 55 has decreased significantly, the exception being the fact that we have 16,000 (10 percent) more residents between the ages of 25 and 34 than before the storm. What do these trends mean for our country and our region? First, it is important to realize that nearly every country in the developed world has similar demographic trajectories, and that the United States actually fares better than many nations. The reason is that despite the fact that our birth rates are not robust enough to avoid overall population decline, our immigration rates provide valuable and meaningful replenishment of our working-age and younger populations. It is imperative that we maintain policies and employment opportunities, both nationally and regionally, which accommodate constructive numbers of new Americans. Secondly, political and business leaders must engage with one another to foster economic and workforce policies that account for these undeniable demographic circumstances. Many economists and think tanks have proposed thoughtful and diverse solutions—from phased retirement programs to trade policy adjustments to ensuring the viability of entitlement programs for the elderly—that merit consideration and implementation. Even as we address the economic and political problems that are often more immediate and more conspicuous, this longer-term and less obvious demographic reality requires exigent attention. n Source: United States Census Bureau, Centers for Disease Control
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Columns | Dining Biz
By Any Other Name Do the names of New Orleans restaurants affect their fate? BY Peter Reichard
W
hat’s in a name? There was a time when the owner’s name, followed by an apostrophe and an “s” was nearly universal. But restaurateurs should choose carefully, since the name could help determine their fate. Over the past decade-plus, there has been a strong trend toward using a singular, non-possessive noun. In some cases, the noun is a proper one and restaurants are named for places: Thus we have Balize, named for an old French settlement at the mouth of the Mississippi River; Borgne, named for the seafood-rich lake of John Besh’s youth; and Bayona, the former name of Dauphine Street. Bayona also falls into the restaurant-named-afterstreet category, along with Upperline and Annunciation. Most restaurants employing the nounas-name approach, however, just use a common noun: Cava, Root, Vessel. In some cases, I’m not sure whether they’re nouns or verbs (or commands): Butcher, Slice, Squeal. Some use a common noun, but in 22
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another language. This trend has given us Ancora, Cava and Mondo in Italian. In French it has given us Cochon and Coquette, Patois and Pêche (complete with the accent circonf lexe). And in Spanish: Cava, La Boca and two locations of El Gato Negro (Dos Gatos Negros?). Another trend is to put “restaurant” in front of the name, in a Frenchy inversion. This approach has given us Restaurant des Familles, Restaurant August and Restaurant Rebirth. It has also given us Restaurant R’evolution, which adds an apostrophe to invoke two different words, managing to simultaneously conjure both the Marquis de Lafayette and Charles Darwin. Of course, all of this is in contrast to the classic approach, whereby you simply gave the owner’s first or last name, followed by “‘s.” Therefore, if you didn’t like the food, you knew where to direct your complaints: to Antoine, Arnaud or Galatoire. It meant the restaurateur was putting his very name on the line. You have to like the accountability that
inspired. Guillaume Tujague had to be careful about the quality of his beef brisket, or he might lose customers and get dirty looks on the street. On the other hand, it no doubt has helped tremendously through the years that these restaurants had such poetic-sounding (French) names. Would Antoine’s or Galatoire’s have fared as well called Phil’s Place or Seymour’s Creole Restaurant? Some places need a salty name to convey the gravity of the undertaking. Charlie’s Steak House is a name that tells you they’re not going to shortchange you on the ounces. Crescent City Steak House goes similarly to the heart of the matter. Sometimes you get just the last name. A triumvirate of Uptown fine dining restaurants—Brigtsen’s, Clancy’s and Gautreau’s—go this route. Others signify multiple proprietors. When Pascal bought Manale Restaurant, he artfully changed it to Pascal’s Manale. Ditto Ruth with Chris. Still others leave absolutely no ambiguity as to who is responsible. For instance, Bobby Hebert’s Cajun Cannon could not possibly be more explicit as to proprietorship. Some restaurants do an excellent job of conveying what to expect when you walk in the door. Would anyone argue that Irish House fails to live up to its billing? The Steak Knife is equally candid. In some cases, the name focuses on location. Ralph’s on the Park is as accurate as can be, at the historic gate of City Park. Liuzza’s by the Track distinguishes it from “regular” Liuzza’s, but it also tells you where to go. Bourbon House and Maple Street Café are both pretty much where you’d expect them to be. Among the most memorable names, however, are those that don’t quite fit into any of the above categories. Mother’s, Five Happiness, Acme Oyster House, Ye Olde College Inn, Two Tony’s, Jacques-Imo’s and, ahem, Mo Pho come to mind. To what extent does a name determine a restaurant’s fate? It’s hard to say exactly. Food, service and location must play a bigger role. But can anyone doubt that the name “Commander’s Palace” was a stroke of 19th-century marketing genius? n Photo Thinkstock
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Columns | Tourism Biz
Dancing in His Bare Feet John Bukaty premieres new work for Whitney White Linen Night
T Jennifer Gibson Schecter was
once a tourist in New Orleans herself and is now proud to call NOLA home. Prior to New Orleans, she wrote for publications in the Midwest and New York City.
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he art gallery scene in New Orleans has grown each year, as has our annual celebration of easy-tostain-clothing, Whitney White Linen Night. On Saturday, August 6, stroll up Julia Street one block further than advertised to 841 Carondelet Street and you will be greeted with the work and personality of a huge talent. John Bukaty, who owns the eponymous John Bukaty Studio & Gallery, will be participating in Whitney White Linen Night for the third year by premiering the collection “Grit & Grace: meditation in colors,” which is an evolution in his “NOLA Rain” series. A NOLA resident for six years and a working artist and gallery owner for many years prior, Bukaty is known for live painting during concerts and
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music festivals. His idea for live painting originated while bartending and grew into invitations by musicians to capture their art through his. Constantly shifting his focus and building his repertoire of techniques, he has found success not only through his live paintings but also through his Ireland’s 33 collection, the pothole sculpture show, and his flag collection, where he interpreted the United States, Louisiana and Chicago flags, among others. The abstract paintings featured in this new series are created with a technique Bukaty has been working to perfect for years. His spirituality is expressed in the literal flow of his arm, brush and paint as the canvas is splattered to create the image. During this splatter process,
nothing comes into contact with the canvas but the paint. No brush or pen touches the canvas, making his timing, aim and paint viscosity all critical aspects to his technique. Also informing the process is the music he listens to while creating each piece. “The process of this fits in my artistic path because it is outside the box,” said Bukaty. “The drum beat is the rhythm of the paint brush. I’m in total time with the music. I’ll control the color and the composition, but I’m tapping into something higher than myself.” Based on viewing some of his sample work in preparation for the show, the pieces will balance color and line. They will range in size and each express something unique but in harmony with each other. The collection will include 13 paintings and one sculpture. The gallery will be open for Whitney White Linen Night from 6 p.m. to 10 p.m. If you can’t get to town for August 6, the collection will be on display through October 31. And a visit to this space is one to add to your itinerary. The location is truly a working studio and gallery, with Bukaty’s work area in view even when the walls are hung for a show. “There are no secrets here,” Bukaty said, “You watch me do it. You watch the rawness of the art. In my bare feet, I try to show the process to the finished creation. It’s like the open kitchen concept in a restaurant.” If you never lived with a painter during college or in an industrial loft with your best friends in your early 20s, you should really visit Bukaty’s space. To gain an appreciation for the final canvas, it is important to view the chaos that foreshadows the beauty. Bukaty offers a rare opportunity to see a fine artist at work — to smell the paint, hear the hammers and watch the metamorphosis. He employs one full-time and two parttime assistants to run the business and help with his artistic process. As a working studio, it is not open to the public during regular hours, but you can always email in advance to request their schedule or make an appointment. For more information on John Bukaty and his studio, visit johnbukaty.com. Details for Whitney White Linen Night can be found at cacno.org/wwln2016. n
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Columns | Sports Biz
Time is now, Tigers LSU is stacked, but can they capitalize on their potential?
C 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.
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an the Tigers change their stripes? Can they finally maximize their potential? Will there be any hangover from last year, when the thrill of victory and the agony of defeat were on stark display with LSU’s football team last season? LSU is facing several questions as it enters the 2016 season. With running back Leonard Fournette, the favorite to win the Heisman Trophy, leaving opposing defenses in his dust, the Tigers reeled off seven straight victories through October and climbed all the way to No. 2 in the College Football Playoff rankings. But things turned scary after a Halloween bye. LSU lost three straight games to division rivals Alabama, Arkansas and Ole Miss, and tumbled out of contention for the SEC title, much less a
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national championship, and all hell broke loose. Citing the collapse and the Tigers’ five-year losing streak to the Crimson Tide, a weeks-long mutiny arose. With seemingly hourly updates on Les Miles’ demise, it appeared the head coach was shown the door. However, in one of the strangest turns in college football history, during the last game of the season, a 19-7 win over Texas A&M, LSU ensured Miles was secure in his job. The team went on to beat Texas Tech 56-27 in the Texas Bowl, giving Tiger fans a positive feeling going forward. In the offseason, Miles extended offensive coordinator Cam Cameron’s contract and added Wisconsin defensive coordinator Dave Aranda in the same position at LSU. Former Auburn QB
Dameyune Craig and Jabbar Juluke were added to coach receivers and running backs, respectively. Ed Orgeron was also promoted to recruiting coordinator. The Tigers have a roster full of bluechip recruits and pro-level talent, as well as the expectations that go along with it. They will be led on offense by Fournette, quarterback Brandon Harris and receiver Malachi Dupre. Linebacker Kendell Beckwith will lead the defense, along with linemen Christian LaCouture and Lewis Neal, cornerback Tre’Davious White and safety Jamal Adams. In what is expected to be his last year at LSU before going pro, Fournette will once again be the star of the team, but can he carry it? Alabama’s Nick Saban proved why he’s a defensive guru when the Crimson Tide shut down the Tigers’ ground attack last year and LSU folded. If Fournette and LSU can juke Saban’s mojo, good things may be in store. LSU, of course, will need Harris, a true junior, to show an improved grasp and mastery of the offensive scheme. Although they say they take one game at a time, the Tigers will be out for retribution and looking to wipe clear memories of last year’s debacle with a three-game slate of Ole Miss, Alabama and Arkansas to end October and begin November. Other key games will be the season opener, Sept. 3, against Wisconsin at historic Lambeau Field in Green Bay, Wisconsin, and at Florida on Oct. 8. The true test for LSU will be how it responds in the face of adversity. They’ve already got pressure due to ever-increasing expectations, and it will only increase if things don’t go well. LSU hasn’t beaten Alabama in five years, and is 1-5 against Ole Miss, Alabama and Arkansas over the last two seasons. There is no doubt that Miles is on the hot seat, so if the Tigers slip, what will be the reaction of the fan base and administration? Chances are there will be reminders that LSU has lost three or more games a season and haven’t seemed to have the eye of the tiger since getting waxed, 21-0, by Alabama in the national title game following the 2011 season. But with experience, so much talent on their side, and ‘Bama and Ole Miss coming to Tiger Stadium this year, on paper, LSU should win double-digit games, Fournette should be invited to the Downtown Athletic Club in New York for the Heisman Trophy presentation, and the Tigers may well find themselves as finalists for the playoffs. n
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Columns | Film Biz One of OPA’s signs on set for “Jurassic World.”
Follow the Signs OPA Signs & Graphics has enjoyed a Hollywood South boost.
B Kimberley Singletary is the
managing editor of Biz New Orleans magazine. A 20-year Southern California veteran, she has been surrounded by the film industry for most of her life.
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ack in May, I talked about how one local business, Ricca’s Architectural Sales, has been affected by the film industry. Ricca’s credited the industry with sustaining the company during the postKatrina downturn before going on to make up about 40 percent of the family business’ clientele. As the fate of Hollywood South remains in question, I’d like to take this month to highlight another local name that also unexpectedly found itself in the movie business — OPA Signs & Graphics. Creators of everything from small, ubiquitous signage like “In Case of Fire Use Stairs,” to the gigantic sign welcoming visitors to the Ernest N. Morial Convention Center, OPA was introduced to a new challenge in late 2007 when a made-for-TV movie from TNT called “The Librarian III: The Curse of the Judas Chalice” starring Noah Wyle came calling.
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“It was like a lower budget version of ‘National Treasure,’” explains Mark Backus, sales and design with OPA Signs & Graphics. “They wanted us to create this decoder ring for them that would be used to open a treasure box. We’d never made a movie prop before but we dropped what we were doing to work with them and they were really happy with our work.” Backus says the small film was the company’s gateway into a whole new market. “People think of the film industry as really transient, but while one film will end and leave, the production company will bring in another and if they like the work you’ve done, they’ll keep you working,” he says. “Word really gets around.” After five or six years in film circles, OPA made a jump into the major Hollywood pictures with its work on “Ender’s Game” — a sci-fi film starring Harrison Ford with a $110 million-plus budget.
“We spent 18-hour days making black monitor film prints — it was a lot of spaceship scenes,” Backus says. “We also made Harrison Ford’s desk. That was probably the most challenging part of the project.” About that time, demand was reaching the point that OPA opened a second location inside Big Easy Studios to provide graphic work in-house. Next came 2014’s $235 million “Dawn of the Planet of the Apes.” “That one was supposed to take place in San Francisco but the city wouldn’t let the production close down Market Street so they came here and Landrieu let them have the downtown intersection of Common and University,” Backus says. “In about a month we recreated an overgrown Market Street with a few hundred yards of businesses and signage. We worked with that film for about six months.” The year 2014 was the biggest in film for OPA, with work on both “Terminator Genisys” and “Jurassic World.” “For Terminator, it was a lot of small pieces, including hundreds of computer servers for one of the scenes at the end of the movie,” he says. “But it still added up to about $75,000 in work. “Jurassic World really represented the peak of the peak for us,” he continues, explaining that since the film took place inside a theme park, signage needs were heavy for the set —located in the parking lot of the old Six Flags theme park in New Orleans East. “That one film made up about 10 percent of our year.” From 2011 to 2014, Backus estimates the film industry made up about 25 to 30 percent of the company’s sales. He says he was surprised at how quickly the phone stopped ringing right after the tax credit limit bill was passed last summer. “We were down about 25 percent last year and most of that was film industry loss,” he says. Backus says the company has since been restructuring to focus more on bids for lucrative projects like schools, but he says he’s hearing positive talk within the industry. “The word I’m getting is that Atlanta is becoming so inundated right now that people are arriving and there’s no room,” he says. “The feeling is that in about a year we’ll be back to 2010 levels of about 30 to 40 films a year. At the height we were doing about 60 to 70 so I think that’s going to coincide better with the $180 million cap.” n
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Columns | Entrepreneur Biz Crescent City Farmer’s Market includes four markets that operate weekly.
Edible Entrepreneurism Local farmers markets produce an economic impact of $4.76 million a year.
N 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 macrobusiness levels.
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ew Orleans is justifiably proud of its recent emergence as an entrepreneurial city, but there is another economic arena of which we have been at the forefront for over two decades. The Crescent City Farmers Market grew out of Loyola University’s Twomey Center for Peace Through Justice in 1995 and has been a leader of the national renaissance of public markets ever since. As farming in the United States has trended ever-larger in scale — with corporate farms mass-producing crops for sales to nationwide grocery chains — farmers markets have provided an entrepreneurial opportunity for smaller growers, fishers and producers. With four markets currently operating on a weekly basis—including the French Market, the historic prototype for such venues —the Crescent City Farmers Market offers a wide variety of vendors the opportunity to sell an even wider
AUGUST 2016 BizNewOrleans.com
variety of products. A recent visit to the Mid-City Market, held Thursdays in the parking lot of the American Can building, was a perfect illustration. Offerings included fresh fruits and vegetables, baked goods, eggs, sweets, pasta, jams, cheeses, and even fresh-made tofu, the last courtesy of the Vietnamese farmers co-op in eastern New Orleans. “Selling at the market helps generate additional income for our community,” explained Khai Nguyen of the Mary Queen of Vietnam CDC, which supports a 1.5-acre community farm. According to Nguyen, many Vietnamese-American residents grow food for their own tables, but benefit from selling the excess. “We have vendors from as far away as Alabama,” reported Wil Crary, market manager for Crescent City. “They come from all over the Northshore. And we have the urban farmers, like the
Vietnamese co-op and from the Westbank.” Heather Robertson of Johndale’s Farm in Ponchatoula grew up on a family farm, and sees the farmers markets as essential to continuing her way of life. She was one of the first vendors to participate, and has made numerous connections through the markets. “We connected with Commander’s Palace at the market,” she recalls, “and we have now been supplying them with strawberries for 21 years. We sell to other Brennan restaurants as well as the Rouses grocery stores. “A lot of chefs come to the markets. We see new restaurants every day, because they know this is where to come to get the freshest fruits and vegetables,” continues Robertson, adding that the market is still valuable for the direct-sales income as well as the additional contacts. All this adds up to substantial economic impact: an estimated $4.76 million annually, according to a 2015 study. More than 52,000 shoppers patronized the markets last year, and direct sales were in excess of $1.6 million. The health impacts may be even greater. The challenges of getting fresh produce in some parts of the city are well documented; the farmers markets are part of the solution. Not only do the markets accept SNAP (commonly known as food stamps), they will match up to $20 in SNAP credits per customer per visit. For economically struggling families, stretching their meal money while purchasing fresh, healthy foods is a tremendous opportunity. This helps explain the diversity of patrons at the Mid-City Market. Millennials and African-American grandmothers mingled with Mid-City middle-aged, middle-income residents and even the occasional tourist. Despite the differences, there was one thing clearly in common: some very happy taste buds. As a pioneer of the farmers market concept, Crescent City has been a laboratory of innovation and a mentor for public markets all over the country. But what the locals care about —vendors and customers alike—is an opportunity to reinvigorate this piece of New Orleans history and culture, enjoy friendly conversation, and most of all, share the best food in the world. n Photo Cheryl Gerber
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Columns | Biz Etiquette
Heat Emergency Keep your grooming cool at work as the temperatures rise, and rise, and rise.
L Melanie Warner Spencer is editor of
New Orleans Bride Magazine. Her writing has appeared in the Austin American-Statesman, the Houston Chronicle, the Chicago Tribune and Reuters. Spencer’s ever-expanding library of etiquette books is rivaled only by her everready stash of blank thank-you notes. Submit business etiquette questions to Melanie@ MyNewOrleans.com.
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ike many New Orleanians, I often have meetings or events to attend throughout the day in various locations all over the city. For most, I have to dress in business or business casual attire, so the usual summer clothing (shorts, light sundresses, sandals) aren’t an option. Compound that with difficult parking situations — especially in the French Quarter — that sometimes mean walking several blocks to the intended destination in the sweltering heat, and you’ll walk into that meeting looking like you just crawled out of the Mississippi. To combat these situations, I keep two “emergency kits” — one in my desk and one in the car — on hand at all times. Below are the items I recommend for staying well groomed, fresh and
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presentable even on the hottest Crescent City workday. n Hairapy: A brush or comb, travel-size hairspray, dry shampoo (Batiste and Dove make great ones with a fresh, pleasant fragrance) and — for those with long hair — hair ties and bobby pins will help you control the coiffure. For your car kit: Favor non-aerosol hairspray and dry shampoo to avoid exploding cans. For the latter, Klorane gets high marks and is available at Sephora. n Facing Forward: Blotting tissues are great for controlling shine. I also like to keep an Evian facial mister handy in my desk drawer kit to rehydrate my skin and revive makeup. Baby wipes are a great alternative for the car. Q-tips are a must-have for both kits because they have so many uses. For makeup wearers, the powder and lip gloss or stick
you likely keep in your purse will usually get you through, especially since you can use the latter as blush in a pinch. Be mindful of your mascara, however, and if it begins to run, you’ll be glad you have those Q-tips. Just moisten one with the mister or water, swab below your lash line and voilà! n Work: An extra antiperspirant or deodorant will become your best friend. Opt for a roll-on version for the car, because solid will melt (I found that out the hard way during my time in Texas) and again, because aerosol cans and heat do not mix. I also like to keep a light body spray, such as Le Couvent des Minimes “Botanical Cologne of the Morning,” or one of my favorite Bath & Body Works scents, both in the desk and the car. Hand lotion is also one of my essentials and I tend to always come back to travel sizes of Eucerin Intensive Repair. Vitamin E oil is a good substitute in a pinch and is also great for cuticles and to give your legs and arms a little extra sheen. n Minty Fresh: Dental f loss and mouthwash are essential for both kits, but you can probably get by with a toothbrush and toothpaste in the desk kit only. A tin of your favorite mints is also a good idea for those rushed moments when you don’t have time to slip away to the bathroom to use the more intensive tools. n Spotted: It’s not heat related, but a Tide To Go Pen will save your life over and over again, especially if coffee is as attracted to your clothing as it is to mine. I’ve become hugely popular at the office based on my willingness to share this particular item with coworkers. A couple of clear, plastic travel pouches should be all you need to contain this grooming arsenal. Keep the one for your car in the trunk, which shouldn’t get as hot as the interior of your vehicle. Do not perform any of these grooming duties at your desk, especially if you share an office. Five to seven minutes is usually all it takes, and it’s worth the effort to avoid those potential grooming disasters that we all become susceptible to when — as my dad says — it’s hotter outside than a billy goat with a blowtorch. n Thinkstock
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Columns | Tech Biz
Know Your Priorities The key to aligning IT with your business
G Steven Ellis
has spent the last 16 years working at the intersection of business and technology for Bellwether Technology in New Orleans, where he serves as the company’s vice president.
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iven the variety of approaches and number of choices available in IT for small businesses, a certain amount of strategic planning ensures that your business applies technology as well as it should. To be reasonably effective and applicable, strategic planning needs context, which means you should have a very good sense of your overall priorities before you can begin to think about how IT should fit in. At my company we have defined a set of nine IT-related priorities to help understand how our clients approach technology. We ask our clients to force rank the list and typically will guide them through that process. The result serves to align our recommendations with their businesses. Below is an alphabetical listing of the nine priorities with notes on how they might shape behavior and guidance. Before you
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make any new decisions about IT, if nothing else decide which of the nine are most important to you, and then use that understanding to guide your strategy. n Priority: Adaptability What it means: We expect our needs to change or grow, and our IT systems need to accommodate. What to do when it’s high: Favor flexible, typically cloudbasedsolutions over capital intensive ones. n Priority: Low Cost What it means: We consider a solid infrastructure and new technology developments important, but we primarily want to spend as little as possible on IT. What to do when it’s high: Stress importance of good foundation, but do not recommend many projects beyond the basics. n Priority: Predictable Cost What it means: Our organization has a specific budget for IT expenditures, and it is important
that our costs do not exceed it. What to do when it’s high: Put forth significant effort to create accurate and detailed annual budget. Track actual vs. budget and report back. n Priority: Productivity What it means: Our organization believes that technology can contribute meaningfully to our operation and give us an advantage over our competition. What to do when it’s high: Learn and understand client’s business processes, and recommend software applications and other technology that might improve or enhance them. n Priority: Regulatory Compliance What it means: Our organization is subject to government or industry regulations (i.e., FINRA, SOX, HIPAA, PCI, etc.); and it is very important to us that we strictly meet all requirements. What to do when it’s high: Understand all applicable requirements and recommend effective ways to meet them. n Priority: Security What it means: The confidentiality, integrity and availability of our systems is extremely important. We are willing to invest money and potentially sacrifice convenience to ensure them. What to do when it’s high: Recommend additional security measures beyond normal, responsible, best practices. Consider engaging 3rd party for security auditing. n Priority: Stability What it means: Our organization values consistency and stability in our operations. We only change the way we do things when there is a clear and compelling benefit. What to do when it’s high: Schedule project implementations carefully and infrequently. Carefully plan all changes well in advance. Recommend highavailability options for infrastructure. n Priority: State of the Art What it means: We consider ourselves to be early adopters and prefer the latest and greatest tools. It is important to evaluate new technology as soon as it becomes available. What to do when it’s high: Meet or phone regularly to keep client abreast of new developments in IT. Favor novel approaches as long as they’re realistic and supportable. n Thinkstock
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Biz Bits - Industry News Around town
Our main focus is to build capacity and opportunities for businesses growth through a variety of workshops, certifications, seminars. The Hispanic community is entrepreneurial, but we want to provide them with the tools for success. —Mayra Pineda, president and CEO of the Hispanic Chamber of Commerce of Louisiana, which is hosting the Hispanic Business Conference & Trade Show at Harrah’s New Orleans on August 10. The event is the premier venue for hispanic businesses to market their goods and services.
New Propeller Accelerator Graduates 15 Ventures — $55,000 Awarded Focused on solutions to local problems relating to food, water, health and education, 15 ventures graduated from Propeller’s three-month Growth Accelerator program, bringing the program total of supported ventures to over 100. Two for-profit ventures, Whetstone Education and eNre, each also received a $25,000 investment, where the non-profit Youth Rebuilding New Orleans received a $5,000 grant.
Where are Closing Costs Lowest in Louisiana? Source: SmartAsset
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Rank
County
Avg. Closing Costs
1
Saint Tammany
$3,317
$197,500
1.7%
88.29
2
Orleans
$3,248
$184,100
1.8%
87.25
3
Saint Charles
$3,233
$181,000
1.8%
86.98
4
Jefferson
$3,182
$171,100
1.9%
86.08
5
East Baton Rouge
$3,160
$166,800
1.9%
85.65
6
Ascension
$3,158
$166,300
1.9%
85.60
7
West Feliciana
$3,156
$166,000
1.9%
85.57
8
Lafayette
$3,145
$163,800
1.9%
85.34
9
Plaquemines
$3,124
$159,700
2.0%
84.90
10
Livingston
$3,081
$151,100
2.0%
83.89
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Median Home Value
Closing Costs as % of Home Value
Closing Costs Index
Tulane Launches Homeland Security Studies Program Enrollment is now open for Tulane School of Continuing Studies’ new Homeland Security Studies program. The online program is the first in the region to offer an online Master of Professional Studies degree (MPS) covering both homeland security and emergency management.
DDD dedicates $10,000 for Downtown Security Cameras Working with the New Orleans Police & Justice Foundation’s SafeCam Adopt-A-Block program, the Downtown Development District (DDD) has dedicated $10,000 to help add nearly 200 highdefinition surveillance cameras to crime hot spots. The first installation will be in the 100 block of Royal Street.
Recent Openings
Elmer Chocolate Le Creuset
Studio Arabi
Premium cookware retailer Le Creuset opened its newest store at the Outlet Collection at Riverwalk July 7. It is the first outlet to feature a fully operating demo kitchen.
On June 23, Elmer Chocolate celebrated the completion of a $40 million manufacturing expansion at its Ponchatoula facility. The expansion is expected to result in add 14 jobs to the current 164 at the now nearly 400,000-squarefoot plant.
Cosentino Center
Higherpower
Barre3
A global purveyor of natural stone, quartz and architectural surfacing, Cosentino opened a 20,000-square-foot warehouse and showroom June 16 at 5800 Jefferson Highway, Suite C&D, in Elmwood.
New Orleans’ first hybrid indoor cycling and yoga studio, Higherpower Cycle/Yoga/TRX, opened its second location at the Beacon at South Market District on July 7.
Ballet barre fitness studio, Barre3, opened its third New Orleans location at 600 Metairie Road July 11. In eight years, the franchise has grown from a single location in Portland, Oregon, to over 100 locations.
Encompassing a variety of venues along the 6600 and 6700 blocks of St. Claude Avenue, the new Studio Arabi arts campus opened June 25. Included in the campus are studios, galleries, artist residences and a theatre.
City Greens Locally developed healthy fast casual restaurant City Greens opened its third location in only four years on June 28 at 600 Metairie Road. The City Greens operation also includes a 63,000-square-foot hydroponic farm
Camp Bow Wow Mid-City Dog day and overnight care franchise Camp Bow Wow opened a new location in Mid-City June 28. The 10,000-square-foot facility includes 3,500-square-feet of outdoor play space and 11 luxury suites.
We’d love to include your business-related news in next month’s Biz Bits. Please email details to Editorial@BizNewOrleans.com. BizNewOrleans.com AUGUST 2016
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BizNewOrleans.com AUGUST 2016
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A look back at 50 years of New Orleans Pro Football
Saints Quarterback Archie Manning (8) led the team as they squared off against the Washington Redskins in the season opener in Washington on September 22, 1975.
Photo AP Photo/Charles Harrity
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n All Saints Day in 1966, the headline of The New Orleans States Item read, “N.O. GOES PRO!” Less than a year later, the New Orleans Saints began their first season with the best start imaginable when rookie John Gilliam returned the opening kickoff of the team’s first game 94 yards for a touchdown. With plans for an Olympic-quality, multipurpose domed stadium to house the new team, it appeared the National Football League’s newcomers and the city of New Orleans were on the fast track to success. Unfortunately, the team’s blessings ran out after that first play. In their history, the Saints have won about 44 percent of their regular season and playoff games. Still, from the team’s inception, they have been a mark of civic pride, bringing together every demographic across the city’s broad socioeconomic strata. The Saints made New Orleans a “big league” city. In turn, the Big Easy became one of the NFL’s favorite sites to hold the Super Bowl, playing host to the league championship a record 10 times and bringing in billions of dollars to the regional economy. “If the Saints were not here, New Orleans would be a completely, completely different city,” said Jay Cicero, president and CEO of the Greater New Orleans Sports Foundation, whose mission is to attract and manage sporting events that have a positive economic impact on Greater New Orleans. “If you don’t have the Saints, you don’t have Super Bowls, you don’t build the Superdome, so you don’t get college football championship games, Final Fours, concerts like the Rolling Stones, Essence Festival or any other mega-sporting events in the past 50 years that New Orleans has become familiar with hosting. It’s as simple as that.” 42
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1- On Nov. 1, 1966, NFL Commissioner Pete Rozelle, left, announced that New Orleans had been awarded the league’s 16th franchise during a news conference in New Orleans. Next to Rozelle is Louisiana Rep. Hale Boggs who helped push the pro-merger bill through the House, and at far right is Louisiana Gov. John McKeithen. 2- The Superdome opened August 3, 1975. Just three years later it hosted the first of seven Super Bowls to date.
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Photo AP Photo/NFL Photos
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The Business of Football For five decades, the Saints have played an instrumental part of the city’s economy, but the story of the growth of the team’s economic fortunes is one that mirrors the growth of sports, especially the NFL, as a dominant player in the draw for the nation’s entertainment dollars. While the economic numbers in sports were high relative to the average person in the late 1960s, they are minuscule compared to today. Consider this: The Saints’ initial ownership group paid an $8.5 million franchise fee for the team, roughly equal to $61.1 million today adjusted for inf lation. Today, Forbes magazine appraises the Saints’ value at $1.52 billion. Additionally, when the Saints began, the average NFL salary in 1967 was $15,000, while the minimum was $12,000. Playing professional football wasn’t considered a full-time job then, and, well into the 1980s, many players had offseason jobs to supplement their income. Now, professional sports are a yearround enterprise, and the pay ref lects the change. Last season, the average NFL salary was a cool $2.1 million ($860,000 median), while the minimum salary in 2015 was $435,000. The Saints are a private enterprise and do not release fiscal information as a matter of practice. The team declined comment for this article. However, the Saints made $70 million in operating income off $322 million in revenue in financial year 2014, according to Forbes’ most recent evaluation of NFL team values. A lone anomaly in American professional sports, the Green Bay Packers are a publicly held company and provide some insight into the NFL’s economic power. According to the team’s 2015 financial report, each of the league’s 32 franchises received $226.4 million as part of their share of the NFL’s $7.24 billion revenue, made mostly from broadcast deals with CBS, NBC, Fox, ABC, ESPN and the NFL Network, as well as licensing and sponsorships. NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell has said he wants to increase the league’s revenue to $25 billion by 2027. With the Rams’ return in Los Angeles — the nation’s second-largest media market — starting this season, the next set of broadcast, media and merchandising contracts will be exponentially higher and within reach of Goodell’s goal.
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3- New Orleans Saints Running Back John Gilliam (42) goes for a 94-yard touchdown on the opening play against the Los Angeles Rams on September 18, 1967. 4- Wide Receiver Dave Parks (83) in New Orleans circa 1960s. 5- New Orleans Saints Head Coach Tom Fears and Quarterback Gary Wood (19) in New Orleans in 1967. Photos AP Photo/NFL Photos
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Opening Play: The Political End Around In the early 1960s, the established NFL was suddenly competing with the upstart American Football League. Both leagues were looking to expand, and both were interested in New Orleans. In June 1966, the NFL absorbed the AFL, but before the merger could be approved, the league had to get an antitrust exemption from Congress. Inf luential Louisianians Rep. Hale Boggs and Sen. Russell Long worked with then-NFL Commissioner, Pete Rozelle, to get the exemption approved. They attached it to an anti-inf lation bill, which was passed and signed into law by LBJ. On Nov. 1, 1966, Rozelle and the politicians took to a podium in the Patio Room at the Pontchartrain Hotel to announce New Orleans had been awarded the NFL’s 25th franchise.
Between the hash marks For most of their first 20 years, the Saints were the definition of futility and one of the worst teams in sports. It took 25 years and a change of ownership before they enjoyed their first winning season and division crown. They didn’t win a playoff game until 2000, the team’s 33rd year in existence. While many locals thought they’d never see the Saints lift a trophy – and have faced the prospect that the franchise could move away, New Orleans loves its football team, remains doggedly dedicated and over the years consistently made Saints games one of the hottest tickets in town. The city’s faith has been rewarded 44
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with a regular contender in the last decade, culminating with the Saints winning Super Bowl XLIV in the 2009 season.
Economic Impact on NOLA “The Saints have provided an annual impact that is really immeasurable from the standpoint of both brand of the city, as well as economic activity, job creation and spending,” said Mark Romig, president and CEO of the New Orleans Tourism Marketing Corp. and Superdome game announcer. “I say it’s immeasurable in many ways because the brand of New Orleans was jump-started to an international level once the franchise was announced in the ’60s. You could literally say how much is spent on salaries, merchandise, concession supplies, things like that, and run a factor of whatever economists do to come up with a hard number. But the brand of New Orleans, when you consider the games, the television exposure, the constant attention that the media gives to the team, it’s meant a sustainable economic player for the city and the state. Then when you add in the Super Bowl, any community would want to have that.” Since the Sports Foundation was founded in 1998, an estimated $64.7 million investment from public and private sources has turned into more than $2 billion in economic impact for the city of New Orleans and state of Louisiana. The foundation claims Super Bowl XLVII alone generated an estimated $434 million economic impact, with $15.2 million in state tax dollars, when the game was played in the Superdome in 2013. Photo AP Photo/NFL Photos
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A Tale of Two Owners John Mecom Jr., 1967-1985
John Mecom Jr., a Texas oilman with an estimated $500 million fortune and family holdings of 750,000 Louisiana acres, was the Saints’ first majority owner. His sporting experience included owning the car that won the 1966 Indianapolis 500, but Mecom, just 27 years old when he purchased the club, led a revolving door of front office and coaching staff whose disorganization and unprofessionalism too often worked against the team’s best interests. Personnel decisions that would undermine his general managers and head coaches were frequent. Poor drafts dogged the team, which developed a penchant for trading valuable drafts picks for past-theirprime veterans who made little impact while wearing black and gold. Despite lack of success as an NFL owner, Mecom deserves credit for bringing two personalities to New Orleans that would forever impact the organization — Archie Manning and Bum Phillips. The Saints selected Ole Miss’ Manning with the second overall pick of the 1971 NFL draft. He was seen as “the Messiah who would finally lead the team to the promised land,” according to “The Saga of the Saints,” former Saints radio announcer Wayne Mack’s book on the 25th anniversary history of the team. While he never had a winning season as a Saint, Manning is a football icon. Renowned for his Southern Photos AP Photo/NFL Photos
6- John Mecom, the first majority owner of the Saints. 7- New Orleans Saints Head Coach Bum Phillips (1981-85) walks down the sideline during a game between the Saints and Los Angeles Rams in Anaheim, California on November 8, 1981 8- Archie Manning led the Saints as quarterback from 1971 to 1982.
manner, he maintained his residence in New Orleans, gave radio color commentary on Saints games for years, and became patriarch of the “first family of football,” in which two of his three sons are multiple Super bowl winners. Mecom hired Phillips as head coach ahead of the 1981 season. Although he, too, never had a winning season with the Saints—and committed the grave sin of orchestrating Manning’s trade to the Oilers —Phillips laid the groundwork for the team’s success in the late 1980s by overseeing the drafting of players that would provide a foundation for the team’s first winning seasons, including Rickey Jackson, Morten Andersen, Hoby Brenner, Jim Wilks and Frank Warren. Phillips must also be credited for acting as a stabilizing force when the team was sold. Smarting from the oil bust and lack of success as an NFL owner, Mecom threatened to move the Saints to Jacksonville, Florida, or sell them to a group who would. It was at this point that a native New Orleanian agreed to Mecom’s $70 million asking price and became the new owner of the Saints. BizNewOrleans.com AUGUST 2016
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Tom Benson 1985-present 11
Tom Benson danced into the city as a savior when he agreed to buy and keep the Saints in New Orleans. The car dealer and banker, then estimated to be worth $100 million, brought an immediate change in philosophy to the team’s management. Benson hired General Manager Jim Finks, who hired Head Coach Jim Mora. A strong chain of command was put in place, and the franchise took on a more corporate feel with strict schedules and focus. Within three years under Benson, the team made its first postseason appearance. The Mora years were filled with optimism as playoff fever hit the city for the first time, but four postseason losses in as many appearances, along with mounting frustration, led the coach to resign midway through the 1996 season. Two disasters flanked Jim Haslett’s tenure as head coach. The first was Mike Ditka, who made the infamous trade of all of the Saints’ 1999 draft picks, plus the first- and third-round picks the following year for Ricky Williams. The running back played three seasons in New Orleans, but the trade to get him wrecked the team for several years. Haslett had to make over almost the entire roster, but got the team their first postseason win over the defending Super Bowl champion St. Louis Rams. Haslett’s tenure fell apart when Hurricane Katrina’s floodwaters devastated the city in 2005. In the darkest period of the team’s history, the Saints couldn’t play home games in New Orleans, and it appeared they might relocate as a result. Following Katrina, the city, state and NFL fast-tracked the rebuilding of the Superdome to ensure the Saints could return home in 2006. Civic-minded fans who wanted to prove New Orleans remained a viable NFL city responded with the first of a decade-long run of season-ticket sellouts. Under the direction of general manager Mickey Loomis, new Head Coach Sean Payton and newly signed free agent quarterback Drew Brees, the Saints entered the most successful period in franchise history. Fans were rewarded with the team’s first appearance in the NFC championship game in 2006. Four years later, the Saints reached their pinnacle, ambushing the NFL on their way to winning Super Bowl XLIV on Feb. 7, 2010. 9- Tom and Gayle Benson 10- Head Coach Sean Payton 11- Quarterback Drew Brees
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Photos Courtesy of the Saints
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Emotional Impact on NOLA When the Saints play, the city stops to watch. The team has had a season-ticket sellout for 11 years. And those who can’t make it to the game are tuning in to see their “Who Dats” play. The Saints are consistently among the most-watched teams in the league. NFL teams average a 28.2 local Nielsen rating, which indicates the percentage of households with televisions tuned into a show. Saints games consistently measure around 50. During football season, the mood of the city hangs in the balance of the team’s scorecard. When they lose, the city goes quiet. Normally boisterous greetings become subdued hellos; chatter goes to quick exchanges. But when they win —oh, when they win – people are light and jovial. In a city known for partying, the biggest parties it has seen were the night the team won the Super Bowl and the night of the team’s championship parade. Few in New Orleans are as qualified to speak about the emotional connection the team has to the community like the
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Romig family. Mark has been the Superdome’s announcer since 2013. He took over for his father, Jerry, who called 446 consecutive Saints games over 44 years. His brother, Jay, has worked for the organization for 40 years, and his sister, Mary Beth, has worked as a spotter with her father and brother in the announcer’s booth. “It’s family,” Mark Romig said. “The team has meant family to my family. Our Sundays, we went to church and then we went to the Saints game. It was part of our life and continues to be.” Romig said his mother went to every game that his father announced. “So over 44 years, she went to 446 consecutive games too.” Now, the family’s connection to the Saints is eternal. When Jerry Romig passed away last year, his granddaughter Bailey gave her grandmother a teddy bear wearing a Saints’ uniform and helmet, with a recording of one of his signature expressions. “Now, anytime my mom wants to hear dad’s voice, all she has to do is press his paw and the bear says, ‘First down, Saints!’”n
Photo AP Photo/Paul Spinelli
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National Problem Local Answers Tackling the growing issue of sports concussions, Doctors Imaging in Metairie boasts the only program of its kind in the Gulf South. By Andrew Alexander
Using the 3.0T Siemens MRI system, Doctors Imaging in Metairie can examine 48 regions of the brain and take pictures from 65 different angles of each area. The team is able to see microscopic brain injuries previously undetectable.
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In 2010, about 2.5 million emergency room visits, hospitalizations or deaths were associated with traumatic brain injuries.
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o say that football has surpassed baseball as America’s new national pastime would be an understatement. This past fall, 26 of the top 27 most viewed programs were NFL broadcasts, with the top spot being claimed by a Seattle Seahawks—Dallas Cowboys tilt on Nov. 1 that drew 29.4 million viewers. Fox, CBS and NBC each averaged around 20 million viewers per week for the networks’ NFL broadcasts, with ESPN’s Monday Night Football averaging nearly 13 millions viewers. The trickle-down effect is easy to see: from August until February, football dominates the American cultural landscape. From high school prep talent playing under the Friday night lights, to collegiate stars gracing the gridiron each Saturday, football saturates the public consciousness. It seems America’s thirst for the game is insatiable. Yet the long-term health effects currently associated with America’s most common sport have many athletes, and parents, concerned. Dr. Frank Conidi, director of the Florida Center for Headache and Sports Neurology, presented study results earlier this spring to the American Academy of Neurology, which revealed more than 40 percent of retired NFL players had signs of traumatic brain injury (TBI). While most cases of TBI are the result of relatively mild concussions, the threat of post-concussion effects is a fearsome reality not to be taken lightly. The Mayo Clinic defines post-concussion syndrome as “a complex disorder in which various symptoms—such as headaches and dizziness—last for weeks and sometimes months after the injury that caused the concussion.” 52
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Numbers Don’t Lie Research and objective data are the only true measures doctors have in the fight to bring awareness to the public about the realities of concussions in the United States. And the numbers may surprise you. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, in 2010, about 2.5 million U.S. emergency department visits, hospitalizations or deaths were associated with TBI. Either alone or in combination with other injuries, TBI contributed to the deaths of more than 50,000 people that year. Research from the Sports Concussion Institute shows “football is the most common sport with concussion risk for males,” with a 75 percent chance of suffering a concussion. A professional football player will receive an estimated 900 to 1,500 blows to the head during a season, according to the SCI. While the NFL grabs most of the national headlines—and served as the bad guy in this past winter’s Will Smith drama, “Concussion,”— the risk of brain injury does not magically materialize when players reach the professional ranks. Throughout the country, thousands of young men strap on their helmets each week to play the game, risking injury in the pursuit of gridiron glory. In 2009 the CDC estimated “248,418 children (age 19 or younger) were treated in U.S. emergency departments for sports and recreationrelated injuries that included a diagnosis of concussion or TBI.
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Shea Soll, CEO, looks at images with Christopher Lane, a senior at Isidore Newman School who came to Doctors Imaging two years ago for evaluation.
The New Orleans Connection As concern about the effects of post-concussion syndrome increases across the nation—especially with how it relates to our athletes—one New Orleans medical clinic has created a program to help educate the public with objective, statistically backed data about mild traumatic brain injuries. Dr. Edward Soll, along with a team of MRI and other scientific experts, has developed a quantitative diffusion tensor imaging program (qDTI) at Doctors Imaging in Metairie. Currently the only program of its kind in the Gulf South region, Doctors Imaging’s qDTI procedure allows their team to see microscopic brain injuries previously undetectable. “Most people that get an MRI, the doctor says, ‘Maybe you’re a little forgetful—I’ll send you over for an MRI,’ and all they do is a regular MRI,” Dr. Soll explains. “It’s not going to show anything. It’s not going to tell anything about the integrity of the white matter.” Diffusion tensor imaging is a method used to watch how water moves along the nerves, or what is called FA or fractional anisotropy. If a disruption in the water pathway is detected, Dr. Soll and his staff know that there is an injury or damage in that specific area of the brain. With the help of MRI physicists and analytical and statistical PhDs from Harvard, UCLA and Johns Hopkins medical schools, Dr. Soll has devoted the past three years of his life to developing the qDTI program at Doctors Imaging. “My whole career as a radiologist changed from doing everything for urologists, pediatricians etc., to really focusing on just this one problem, which is the brain,” Dr. Soll says. “Whether it’s abnormal because 54
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Facts About Concussions in Youth Athletics 47 percent of all reported sports concussions occur during high school football n
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33 percent of all sports concussions happen at practice
33 percent of high school athletes who have a sports concussion report two or more in the same year. n
90 percent of most diagnosed concussions do not involve a loss of consciousness n
- Source: Head Case, a company whose product, the Head Health Management System, uses a sensor placed inside athletic headgear to measure head impacts, record data and provide diagnostic tools to detect potential concussions.
of an accident or Alzheimer’s or multiple sclerosis, we’re able to do all this study of the white matter, which is basically the electrical circuits of the brain.” Using the 3.0T Siemens MRI system at Doctors Imaging and FMRIB Software Library (FSL) from the University of Oxford in England to process the data, Dr. Soll examines all 48 regions of the brain, taking DTI pictures from 65 different angles of each area. From there, he evaluates white matter injury by determining if a patient’s individual fractional anisotropy (FA) deviates from a normal control group established at Doctors Imaging.
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According to the Sports Concussion Institute, football players have a 75 percent chance of suffering a concussion.
In two years of the program, Doctors Imaging has treated approximately 120 patients, with “very good results.” Although the clinic does not currently have any official partnerships with athletics associations, Doctors Imaging has treated some NFL alumni from the NFL Players Association trust, which evaluates players within 15 years of when they quit playing.
A Parent’s Worse Nightmare Doctors Imaging estimates that about 35 percent of the patients they work with are under the age of 18. Among those recently was Christopher Lane, a typical AllAmerican high schooler who has loved the game of football since he was a toddler. The rising Isidore Newman School senior, who grew up emulating Newman alumnus and current NFL superstar Odell Beckham Jr., plays wide receiver for the Greenies. But two years ago, his eyes were opened to the dangerous, often muddled world of post-concussion syndrome. As a sophomore in October 2014, Lane suffered a devastating concussion playing in a Saturday junior varsity game for Newman. He can still vividly recall the experience. “I get hit, and you always get back up as fast as you can,” Lane says. “That’s the weird part, you don’t really feel it.” Later that night while hanging out with some friends, Lane began to feel “terrible” and decided to return home. “The scary part about it all was when I was driving home, I had to pull over and throw up,” Lane says. Dizziness, nausea and pounding headaches were some of the symp56
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toms Lane would endure over the next few days. The doctor ordered him to sit in a dark room for two weeks, without television, computers, phones, tablets or even books. “It’s literally solitary confinement. It’s so boring,” he says. His injury meant Lane had to watch his teammates from the sidelines for the next three games while he recovered, but the on-field consequences were only the beginning. Lane was unable to complete his academic assignments for three weeks. He fell behind in school, and his grades suffered. Normally an outgoing person, Lane found himself battling depression, and skipping hanging out with his friends. “I didn’t have any pep in my step,” Lane explains. “You don’t feel yourself. It’s a weird feeling, and it’s scary, honestly.” Lane returned to the gridiron four weeks after his concussion for Newman’s last game of the season, but the normally self-assured wide receiver had lost confidence in his on-field abilities, a confidence he did not fully regain until his junior season last fall. “I feel like when you get a concussion, it’s a lot longer than two weeks to actually get back,” Lane says. “It’s really like a month or two to really know that you’re feeling well.”
Peace of Mind A family friend referred Lane’s mother, Mary Lucy, to Doctors Imaging soon after the concussion, and she immediately made an appointment for her son. “I just wanted to be safe,” she says. “You only get one brain.” What Mary Lucy and Christopher found at Doctors Imaging was peace of mind by viewing objective data revealed from the qDTI program.
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Newman senior Christopher Lane watches footage on a laptop at Doctors Imaging. An estimated 35 percent of the patients the clinic sees annually are under the age of 18.
“I studied [Christopher], and he had two areas of high FA, which meant that he had some impact,” Dr. Soll explains. “Those areas of high FA usually recover very quickly. I basically told his mom that he didn’t have any major areas of concern, and that if he wanted to play again, he could play again.” The results were music to the mother’s ears. “[Dr. Edward Soll] made me feel so much better,” she says. “I felt like he really cared about Christopher and making sure he was OK. Now I know he’s got a healthy brain.” This past June, Christopher suffered his second concussion playing summer-league football. Another trip to Doctors Imaging showed that Christopher’s brain currently looks healthy. This fall the athlete will take the field for his senior season on the Newman football team because he says the game is his passion, and his first sporting love.
More than Sports Injuries While the Doctors Imaging qDTI program serves patients who have suffered brain trauma from severe automobile accidents, sports injuries, electrocution and crush injuries, a portion of the clinic’s original financial model to begin the cutting-edge program was based on appealing to the New Orleans legal community. The technology has aided lawyers in objectively demonstrating their clients’ serious injuries within the confines of a courtroom or deposition. But after hearing about the work of neuroscientists in Europe, last summer Dr. Soll and his staff discovered a new use for their technology —aiding in the detection of early onset Alzheimer’s disease. 58
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“By using the very same techniques that I was using for trauma to the brain, [European scientists] found that there was white matter damage similar to FA abnormalities in certain areas of the brain that preceded the severe symptoms of Alzheimer’s,” Dr. Soll explains. Though Alzheimer’s is still without a cure, the early detection allows patients to properly prepare and adapt to their future lifestyle needs. “By finding out about it early, It helps them manage the disease and look at options for what they and their family and going to have to do in the future,” he says.
Limitless Future The brain is a complex human organ, and Dr. Soll admits his team has only scratched the surface of the potential research. “Each and every day, we learn more and more about the brain,” he says, “and we learn more and more about what we don’t know.” Already a trailblazer for the qDTI procedure in the Gulf South region, Shea Soll, chief executive officer of Doctors Imaging, hopes the clinic will become the “gold standard” for post-concussion protocol and imaging. “We want to continue to pioneer ways to help patients and their treating physicians so that they can provide the care that will really benefit those patients,” Shea says. “The more institutions in the region that can develop these programs and offer these procedures, the more legitimacy is provided to the procedures themselves, and it becomes more mainstream.” n
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Perspectives A closer look at hot topics in three southeast Louisiana industries
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Perspectives | Technology
The Sculpting Center of New Orleans at 4500 Clearview Parkway in Metairie uses a non-invasive method of freezing fat cells that the company claims reduces them by 20 to 25 percent.
Innovations in Weight Loss Local companies offer creative solutions for battling the bulge. By Kim Roberts
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eight loss can be a constant and ongoing struggle for many people, especially those that live in the Big Easy, where the food is delicious, the drinks are abundant and people are notoriously laid back. Let’s face it, the city is not typically known as being a fitness mecca. But surprisingly, New Orleans has kept up—and even led the pack—when it comes to the latest and greatest in weight loss technology and applications.
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Photo Cheryl Gerber
Freeze the Fat Two years ago, Metairie OB-Gyn Dr. Robin Bone opened the Sculpting Center of New Orleans. Newly affiliated with Ochsner, the center was created to offer a safe, permanent fat removal technology that actually works long term. “The science of CoolSculpting is amazing,” says Virginia Halligan, clinical supervisor at Sculpting Center. “Two Harvard scientists began researching this technology in 2009, and treatments started in 2011. Unlike most other methods of fat reduction, CoolSculpting does not use needles or entail a surgery, and there is literally no downtime for the patient. What makes this procedure different is its advanced cooling technology that targets and eliminates fat cells.” CoolSculpting works by means of a scientific principle called cryolipolysis. “During the procedure, a non-invasive applicator precisely cools a targeted area and eliminates fat cells in that specific area of the body,” Halligan explains. “When fat cells are exposed to extreme cooling during the CoolSculpting procedure, it triggers a process of natural removal, which gradually reduces the thickness of the fat layer. The result is a reduction in fat bulges that is visible in most patients in two to four months.” Ideal candidates for CoolSculpting are close to their ideal weight, or within 10 pounds, but have fat bulges they have not been able to get rid of through regular diet and exercise. These individuals want to reduce specific areas of fat, but do not necessarily want to undergo a surgical procedure. The company claims the procedure reduces fat cells by 20 to 25 percent. “The CoolSculpting procedure is not a way to lose weight or treat obesity, and it is not a substitute for invasive methods like liposuction—it is body contouring,” Halligan says. “During the first free consultation, the patient and physician will discuss whether
they are a good candidate for the procedure. It may not be ideal for one area of the body, but may be perfect for another area. The CoolSculpting applicators are like puzzle pieces and fit on the abdomen, back, arms and thighs, and as of last November, one is now available for the chin. “We are one of the few clinics in the world to have two machines on site that can be used simultaneously on a single patient during a visit, which drastically shortens the patient’s time having the procedure,” she adds. “During the one hour start-to-finish time, patients read, work on their laptops or just relax. Also, the treatment is safe and FDA-cleared and results in a natural look that is noticeable as early as three weeks following the treatment, with the most dramatic results after one to three months.” The CoolSculpting procedure is for non-invasive fat-layer reduction and is available in 52 countries with more than 780,000 treatments having been performed worldwide. Five hundred patients to date have been treated by the Sculpting Center of New Orleans. “A typical treatment is done at 10 degrees Celsius, and patients expect it to be intensely, unbearably cold, but most don’t feel overwhelmed by the cold mostly because they go numb after about eight minutes or so,” Halligan says. “There is no cap or limit on age of who can do this procedure, except we do not treat anyone under 18 years old. We are really excited about our new partnership with Ochsner and are looking forward to what they will bring to the table and all the possibilities for growth.” Unlike the other L.A., Halligan says The New Orleans market has been slow to react to the aesthetic world. “I think; because of our ‘fun’ culture we don’t really focus on our bodies,” Halligan says. “But we are finding that the awareness is here, and it is growing by leaps and bounds and people are seeking out weight-loss and body-contouring options.”
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Etre Cosmetic Dermatology and Laser Center at 1224 St. Charles Ave., offers multiple options for non-invasive body contouring.
The Power of Protein For those with more than a few targeted small trouble spots, Internal Medicine Specialists introduced its Ideal Protein weight loss method to the New Orleans market in 2013. To date, the company says that patients have lost more than 9,091 pounds with this physician-supervised program. “We started offering Ideal Protein to get patients healthier,” says Suzanne de Boisblanc Tyler, RDN, LDN, a nutrition counselor with Internal Medicine Specialists. “Three years ago, we started to notice patients were getting more and more obese, and we were treating many patients with diseases that were taking medications that could benefit from losing weight. So we introduced Ideal Protein, which is a treatment protocol and not a diet, to help patients live a healthier lifestyle and have the opportunity to reduce the amount of medication they take.” The Ideal Protein weight-loss approach was first introduced to the physicians at IMS by a nurse practitioner who had been researching the company and studying the protocol. The doctors were attracted to Ideal Protein because of its focus on achieving sustainable longterm weight management rather than short-term weight loss, which was the missing piece for their patients. “Our goal is to provide patients with life-long comprehensive health care, and we strongly believe that weight loss is one of the primary preventive cornerstones in medicine,” Tyler says. “Ideal Protein is a proven, four-part method that provides safe, rapid weight loss, coupled with a healthy lifestyle approach and a structured, evidence-based maintenance program to sustain weight loss success. The method is offered through preferred healthcare partners and 64
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trained coaches, and targets the root causes of weight gain by regulating insulin levels. “It is important to take and assess each individual where they are when they walk in and work with them from that point on,” she adds. “The key to Ideal Protein is education and understanding the weight loss program, which includes maintaining a healthier lifestyle and eating smarter throughout all four phases of the Ideal Protein method. Individuals are provided with one-on-one coaching, which includes a diet plan that promotes losing fat while maintaining lean muscle mass. The method teaches weight maintenance habits and balanced lifestyle choices.” Ideal Protein is available at more than 3,000 medical establishments in the United States and Canada.
Just Breathe Another weight loss clinic new to the market is Medi Weightloss on Houma Boulevard, which opened in March 2015. “We focus a lot on nutritional education and do not use prepackaged food. We deal in real life and help people make healthy choices that are based on real world situations,” says Shelly Minkin office manager at Medi Weightloss. “We teach them how, when and where to eat, as well as fitness options, and encourage them to journal each week.” The company says patients have collectively lost approximately 10,259 pounds in the year since the clinic has been open. Some individuals have lost in excess of 100 pounds. “We use the ReeVue machine to screen for abnormally low metabolic rates and pinpoint the precise caloric intake required for weight loss,
Etre says demand has really picked up for non-invasive cosmetic procedures even since the center’s opening last December.
maintenance, or weight gain,” Minkin explains. “Basically, individuals are hooked up for 10 minutes; they breathe into the machine and it tells us their calorie breakdown—specifically what they should eat— and it looks at how their body burns everything.” Not just for adults, the company also has a new adolescent program for 13 to 17-year-olds.
Demand for Non-Invasive Options Increasing According to Dr. Kyle Coleman, a dermatologist with the Etre Cosmetic Dermatology and Laser Center, as with most markets in the country, people in New Orleans are increasingly looking for treatments that are non-invasive but effective. “Since opening last December, Etre has seen growth in both the non-invasive and minimally invasive treatments we provide,” he says. “However, the non-invasive treatments are growing at a much faster pace. We have extensive experience in body-contouring techniques like liposuction, laser liposuction and Cellulaze, as well as noninvasive body contouring like Kybella.” Cellulaze is a minimally invasive treatment designed to create a long-lasting improvement in cellulite. It is almost entirely aimed at women since up to 95 percent of all women have some degree of cellulite. Cellulaze uses of a laser fiber placed under the skin to reduce cellulite; most patients experience swelling, bruising and tenderness for about one to two weeks. Kybella is a non-invasive injectable treatment for the long-lasting reduction of fat under the chin. It can be used on men or women of all ages to reduce fat and improve facial profiles. Kybella is injected into the fat under the chin and results in slight swelling of the area and some mild bruising or numbness. Both are outpatient procedures, with Cellulaze taking about three hours to administer and Kybella about 20 to 30 minutes per treatment. “Cellulaze has been available since 2012, and we have been personally performing the treatment at our practices for more than three years,” Coleman says. “Kybella is a newcomer to the market; it was approved by the FDA in 2015, and we have been involved in both the clinical trials, as well as serving as trainer for the product. “The most important thing to know about fat reduction and body-contouring procedures is that every person is different,” he adds. “There is no one-size-fits-all answer. Every patient should be evaluated as to what would be best for them. At Etre, we recommend that patents seek an opinion from a board-certified physician who performs both non-invasive, as well as invasive techniques; be wary of promises that are too good to be true and seek second opinions.” n
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Perspectives | Real Estate & Construction Demand continues to be seen for clean, minimalist design, as seen here with a condominium project on Oak Street in New Orleans by M2 Studio Architecture and Interior Design.
The Art of Architecture A look at the challenges and latest trends affecting the field. By Sergy Odiduro
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hen it comes to creating a successful project, teamwork is key, but it’s not always easy. “The better the working relationship between the contractor and the architect, the more likely the project will be successful,” says Charles J Neyrey, founder of M2 Studio Architecture and Interior Design. Michael Lachin, owner of Lachin Oubre & Associates, a Metairiebased architectural firm, agrees. “There has to be a degree of cohesion, cooperation and trust among the team players so that the project can move forward smoothly.” For most projects, the process begins with a dance between the two groups that is usually initiated after the initial designs are drawn up. The courtship is finalized after a bidding process takes place and 66
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then the two teams are joined together to execute the project. But like every successful marriage, communication is key to successfully navigate any challenges that the two may encounter. From the outset, it can be a bumpy road for all those involved. “The bidding process is combative between architects and contractors,” explains Bert Turner, principal architect at Mouton Long Turner. “It’s set up that way.” Tucker Crawford, director of commercial development for Hernandez Consulting & Construction/ H A design build, believes that it is important to actively discuss key concepts between the two groups from the very beginning. “Sometimes there is a barrier in communication between the architect and construction company when utilizing a traditional design and then bid for construction methodology.”
A Metairie lakefront house designed by M2 Studio Architecture and Interior Design.
All parties should strive for an open dialogue that should continue throughout all phases, he said. With so many moving parts and people involved, it’s easy to fall prey to miscommunication. “It’s like a living, breathing project,” says Crawford. “Construction firms sometimes go back and forth with the architect and sometimes the architect’s designs may not foresee what is actually being built.” Change orders or modifications to the project may need to be made. This in turn slows things down, grinding construction to a halt, and can present challenges to all those involved. “When both parties aren’t on the same page there is the potential for things to spiral out of control. If the two teams aren’t put back on course, things can quickly go downhill,” says Turner. “Then it’s a finger-pointing exercise. We like to skip the finger pointing. We consider contractors a valuable part of the team approach. It’s really advantageous to the owner for us to be on the same team.” While there is merit in tradition, another approach is to skip the elaborate courtship and elope straight away. Hernandez Consulting & Construction / H A design build and Albert Architecture & Urban Design have teamed up to offer an alternative to the traditional model. “We have an in-house integrated design-build approach, with the architects downstairs and the construction team upstairs,” explains Richard Albert, president of Albert Architecture & Urban Design. “It’s a one-stop shop,” adds Crawford. “We wanted a true design and build capability.” The two see their business partnership as mutually beneficial and also advantageous for the owner of a project. Albert points out that the benefits are substantial, especially when it comes to cost. Certain fees are eliminated from the outset. “Working closely with our construction estimators, we are able to get real-time cost data,” he says. “During the design phase, we bring in key subcontractors to understand material and labor costs. We get their input, and by getting their input we’re able to get to the owner the most cost-effective solutions to meet their goals. The architect hires consultant engineers in order to produce a complete set of construction document drawings. Typical design fees for bid build range in the 10 to 15 percent of construction costs. Most of these fees are paid prior to obtaining bids. With design build, an owner will pay much less to understand the cost of the building.” Crawford believes this last point is crucial. “In my opinion, design and build is a superior methodology because, from the beginning, you are collaborating on all of the elements that translate into a successful project,” he says. “Time is money in the development game.” BizNewOrleans.com AUGUST 2016
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1- “We wanted to wow people,” says Bert Turner, principal architect at Mouton Long Turner, of the firm’s work on a 12,400-square-foot Latin grocery store in Metairie called Ideal Market. 2- Hernandez Consulting & Construction / H A design build and Albert Architecture & Urban Design have an in-house integrated design-build approach where the architects and construction team share a building. Seen here is one of their mixed use projects on 3100 Banks St.
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development might not get a customer that they are promoting themselves to.” During the initial stages of the project, the firm’s first order of business was to explore the owner’s vision for the property. “They wanted a fresh new look for that location,” he says. Mouton Long Turner then started their research by looking for pictures, colors, anything that was reminiscent of Latin America. They came away with a smorgasbord of ideas that was then transferred onto the structure in methodical fashion.
Architecture as Sculpture Aesthetics can often play a key role during the artistic development of a project. Lachin says he believes that at the very least a building should be in harmony with its surroundings. “Architecture is a form of sculpture in which you’re dealing with space,” he says. “It serves to support the human condition.” Certain projects, Lachin says, are more attuned to expressions of art than others. “That is when it becomes unique and becomes a landmark of his own merit.” Of course not all buildings exist to pay homage to our senses and sensibilities. How a building looks and feels sometimes has to play second fiddle to functionality. This is the time, Lachin says, when design professionals can still shine while looking at the bottom line. “Therein lies the challenge for the design consultants,” he says. “There is an opportunity for a genuinely creative architect to express themselves within those limitations.”
In Search of the “Wow” Turner knows firsthand what it means to bridge functionality with beauty. When his team converted a 12,400-square-foot Latin grocery store on a property that once housed a retail pharmacy chain in Metairie, few could ignore the transformation. The stunning array of eye-popping colors used for the site was a bold addition to the neighborhood. One of the primary goals for its owners was to drum up business by being visually irresistible to their potential customer base. The site struck the ultimate balance between beauty and business use. “Ideal [Market] was a perfect case,” Turner says. “We wanted to wow people. Without a good look for today’s consumers, a retail 68
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Evidence-based Design Developers of hospitals and health centers have the option of proactively seeking visual features that are proven to improve one’s overall health. In other words, how something looks has a direct impact on how you feel. “It has to be aesthetically pleasing,” says Crawford. “There is a science and psychology behind how a person feels within an environment.” Albert agrees, explaining that applying these principles to architecture is called evidence-based design. “There have been quite a few studies that, for example, show that natural light will decrease the time that a patient is in hospital care,” Photos courtesy of Mouton Long Turner and Albert Architecture
3 An interior peak at Mouton Long Turner’s colorful Ideal Market in Metairie.
he says. “They found that patients that have windows in their room or a view of a garden spend less time in the hospital. What’s good for a patient is usually good for our clients, so if we know that natural light and garden views are qualities of a space that enhance living, we try to include that in most of the projects that we design.”
Designing Green Eco-friendly architectural designs are another trend that has consistently made an impact on the marketplace. “It’s huge,” says Lachin. “One of the more exciting things right now is that our buildings are opening up into healthier and more productive spaces.” With a keen understanding of how a building impacts an area, Lachin clearly appreciates the trend. “This is something I personally feel passionate about,” he says. “Everybody thinks about automobiles, but buildings far and away consume more energy. Every designer, every architect needs to be mindful of our environment. We are losing a football field of coastal wetlands every hour. We see incredulous changes in our environment, and I have no doubt that humans beings have a direct impact.”
Less is More When designers aren’t focusing on the impact of a structure, another trend clearly rules the order of the day. “Clients are looking for clean, minimalist designs, “says Neyrey. “It’s got to be sleek or ultramodern,” adds Turner. “We look at trends that are coming out of California and coming out of New York, but it’s got to be tailored to New Orleans.” For the rest of the country, new and upcoming trends may be a given, but it would be remiss for designers who work here to ignore traditions that hold onto the past, traditions that are clearly reflected in most of the city’s structural landscape. “We have the old and the new married to one another in very successful ways,” notes Lachin. “Living in New Orleans, we have an incredible opportunity to express ourselves in the midst of a historical fabric that New Orleans architecture provides us. It is an incredible puzzle that we as architects and design professionals are challenged to attend to every day.” n BizNewOrleans.com AUGUST 2016
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Perspectives | Healthcare
Pain in the Neck Chronic pain can be a real financial drain. A look at what your business can do to head off problems. By carolyn Heneghan
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550 billion—that’s the annual economic impact chronic pain has in the U.S. Acute and chronic pain can lead to lost productivity and focus, increased absenteeism, lost wages and increased costs of disability and workers compensation for businesses. And, after decades of using narcotics as a primary treatment method, those costs have increased to include opioid dependence and other complications. Today, physicians are exploring and implementing new ways to intervene or even prevent chronic pain and businesses are joining in to find ways to reduce their own costs and improve the health and wellbeing of their employees. 70
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A Worsening Problem Back and spinal pain tend to be the “bread and butter in pain management,” according to Eric Royster, MD, owner of Integrated Pain and Neuroscience. Lower back pain is second only behind the common cold as the top reason people schedule a doctor’s visit, according to healthcare consulting firm Advisory Board. An estimated 80 percent of Americans will suffer from lower back pain at some point in their lives, though it is most common for people ages 35 to 60. Neck and joint pain are also common, including a perceived rise in cases of shoulder pain even in people who are not overly active, Illustration Jrcasas
The Dangers of Sitting While it might seem like sitting all day would be less harmful to the body than standing, studies show that the opposite might be true. According to a 2015 study published in the Annals of Internal Medicine, the average person spends more than half of their waking hours sitting, and prolonged sitting was correlated with higher risks of dying from all causes. That was even among people who exercised regularly, though people who performed little to no exercise showed even more significant negative effects. Another study of older women, published in the American Journal of Preventive Medicine in 2014, found the same results. Why is prolonged sitting so harmful to the body? Dr. Dichiara offers a physiological explanation: “Muscle movement patterns are developed over time, the most common being if we’re sitting at a computer or desk all day long. Our shoulders tend to round forward just because of our posture. Then, as a result, the pecs and the anterior muscles contract and shrink. The upper back and neck have to work harder against those muscles, so an imbalance develops.” A study published in the Asian Spine Journal last year found that pressure on the lumbar spine is actually higher when sitting than standing, which Dr. Parr notes could lead to chronic lower back pain. “We just weren’t meant to sit eight hours a day at a desk,” says Dr. Royster, “and people pay for it.”
according to Benjamin Dichiara, DC, CCSP, sports chiropractor at Allied Chiropractic and Wellness. Physicians and pain management specialists point to two key reasons why chronic pain has become more common: longer lifespans and an increasingly sedentary lifestyle. Due to healthcare and technological advances, people are living longer, but if they don’t take proper care of themselves, people are starting to “outlive their mobility,” says Dr. Dichiara. Technological advances have also led to more jobs and leisure activities that revolve around televisions, computers and mobile devices, which means people are sitting for more hours of the day. Sitting causes pressure on the lumbar spine, which over time can turn into chronic pain, according to Allan T. Parr, MD, interventional pain management specialist at Premier Medical. “They talk about sitting being the new smoking,” says Dr. Parr. Illustration Jrcasas
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Chronic Pain Treatment Evolves While opiates have helped many chronic pain sufferers live a more normal life, the dramatic increase in opioid prescriptions in the past few decades have had dire consequences, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention: n Opioid use may have actually worsened pain and functioning for patients. n As many as 26 percent of patients prescribed opioids for chronic non-cancer pain become dependent on opioids. n One out of every 550 patients prescribed opioids died from opioid-related causes after a median of 2.6 years following their first prescription. “We’re getting some of the downsides of these opiates, whether it’s the respiratory problems, decreased immune system, increased risk of depression, or actually increased risk of pain without the improvement in function that we’re looking for,” says Dr. Eric Lonseth, interventional pain specialist at Lonseth Interventional Pain Centers. As a result, doctors and pain management specialists have begun exploring alternative, complementary, interventional, and holistic treatments for pain management. Many are low-risk and noninvasive and can be used in combination with each other or other treatment methods: n Alternative prescription medications, such as anti-depressants or anti-seizure drugs that can block pain reception; n Neuromodulation, such as spinal cord stimulation or deep brain stimulation; n Surgeries that require smaller incisions with less trauma and faster recoveries; n Acupuncture; n Chiropractic manipulative therapy; n Active release technique; n Therapeutic stretching; n Nerve entrapments; 72
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Joint injections; Epidural steroid injections; n Psychological and behavioral modification therapy; n Stem cell therapy, such as platelet rich plasma; and n Weight loss, which relieves pressure from the joints. “Pain management has gone from, ‘You have pain, just kind of live with it—here’s a bunch of pills to take,’ to now less invasive, highertechnology regenerative type of medicine to restore wellness and function,” says Chad Domangue, MD, manager of Cypress Pointe Hospital and manager of the Neuroscience and Pain Institute. “It’s looking at the body as a whole [and] that multi-disciplinary approach that makes the most sense.” n n
Pain Comes at a Cost Businesses bear a large brunt of that $550 billion cost. An Institute of Medicine report estimated the annual value of lost productivity due to pain in 2010 ranged between $297.4 billion and $335.5 billion. That total was based on three estimated factors: absenteeism ($11.6 to $12.7 billion); lost work hours ($95.2 to $96.5 billion); and lower wages ($190.6 billion to $226.3 billion). Chronic pain scenarios vary based on the nature of a business. Employees could develop acute or chronic pain from prolonged sitting, such as in office settings or for drivers; prolonged standing with few breaks, such as in service and retail industries; repetitive movements, such as in construction; or from lifting or operating heavy products or equipment, such as in manufacturing and delivery.
What Businesses Can Do Pain management and prevention programs may seem out of budget, but the potential costs businesses face due to chronic pain make the issue difficult to ignore. Businesses can partner with local hospitals and interventional Illustration Jrcasas
pain management facilities to assess working conditions and develop programs suited for their particular environment and operations. Being mindful of employees’ complaints related to pain, however minor, can clue management in to possible problem areas. Businesses commonly incentivize self-care to promote employee health, wellness, and productivity. For pain management and prevention, businesses can provide reminders or incentives for employees to take regular breaks, which allows them to stretch and change bodily positions. Or businesses can incentivize engagement in physical activities and movement, such as gym memberships or companywide outings or health challenges.
“You want to put the money on the front end and encourage your employees to do the proper things, because in the long run, you’re going to save money.” Chad Domangue, MD manager of Cypress Pointe Hospital and the Neuroscience and Pain Institute. Ergonomic specialists can assess workstation setups and office equipment, such as whether a computer monitor is at the right height to prevent strain on the neck. Some businesses have adopted standing desks or desks that employees can adjust in height to accommodate both sitting and standing. For employees engaged in heavy lifting, management can train the employees in proper body mechanics, offer weightlifting belts, or invest in forklifts, hand trucks, or other related equipment. Activity modification can also solve pain issues from repetitive movement, such as finding different ways to turn a wrench or taking regular breaks to stretch. “You want to put the money on the front end and encourage your employees to do the proper things, because in the long run, you’re going to save money,” says Dr. Domangue. Management can also encourage employees complaining of any type of pain to seek medical advice right away rather than allowing the pain to worsen over time and become chronic. That can be through the employee’s own healthcare providers or a pain management specialist who management brings into the office for an assessment. “I own a big business, I run a hospital, and I get it—you just don’t have the time,” says Dr. Domangue. “But until you have a couple of workers get injured and you see the amount of money that the lost wages and disability generate, it’s so much larger than anything you would do to prevent those things from happening.”
The Importance of Prevention To avoid the need for pain management altogether, prevention and addressing issues early on are critical. Both individuals and businesses can get involved in identifying and implementing measures for preventive care. Prevention reduces the likelihood of developing chronic pain over time or allowing an acute pain issue to become chronic. “A tremendous number of patients we see coming in with spine complaints are that 45-year-old who’s been letting themselves go for 20 years,” says Dr. Royster. “They’ve got a family, they work a lot, and all of a sudden, they’ve not been taking care of themselves, and things start to fall apart. […] I think we’ll start to realize that the longer we let these chronic pain problems go untreated, the more likely it is to become a long-term problem and a truly chronic condition.” n BizNewOrleans.com AUGUST 2016
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ADVERTISING
Fit-Friendly Worksites The American Heart Association would like to recognize the following companies in the Greater New Orleans area for achieving Fit-Friendly status. Designed to be a catalyst for positive change in American business, the Fit-Friendly Worksite Recognition Program recognizes employers who champion the health of their employees by creating physical activity programs within the workplace.
ADVERTISING
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tudies suggest that implementing a worksite physical activity program and promoting a culture of activity will help companies increase productivity, reduce absenteeism, lower turnover and reduce healthcare costs. Currently, American employers face increasing healthcare expenses and health-related losses in productivity that cost an estimated $225.8 billion a year. Many American adults spend most of their waking hours at sedentary jobs. Their lack of physical activity raises their risk for a host of medical problems, such as obesity, high blood pressure and diabetes.
Employers face $12.7 billion in annual medical expenses due to obesity alone. The Fit-Friendly Worksite Recognition Program helps change corporate cultures by motivating employees to start walking, which has the lowest dropout rate of any physical activity. The Fit-Friendly Worksite Program is helping to improve the health of Americans by focusing on an activity that is convenient, free and easy. For more information visit heart.org.
The Fit-Friendly worksites in New Orleans currently are: Children’s Hospital Medical Practice Corporation Chnola.org
Humana
Humana.com
Jones Walker, LLP
RAIN CII
Raincii.com
Sheraton New Orleans
Danos
Joneswalker.com
Sheratonneworleans.com
East Jefferson General Hospital
Lakeview Regional Medical Center
Sodexousa.com
Danos.com ejgh.org
Ellsworth Corporation
Ellsworthcorporation.com
Entergy New Orleans
Entergy.com
Franco’s Health Club and Spa
Francosmagazinest.com Francosmandeville.com
GE Capital Technology Center
GE.com
Lakeviewregional.com
Gillis.com
Folgerscoffee.com
Mele Printing
Touro.com
Lammico.com
Meleprinting.com
NASA Michoud Assembly Facility Nasa.gov
Gilsbar
Touro Infirmary
Tulane Lakeside Hospital for Women and Children Tulanelakeside.com
UnitedHealthcare
Peoples Health
UHC.com
Port of New Orleans
University Medical Center New Orleans
Portno.com
Gilsbar.com
The Folger Coffee Company
LAMMICO
Peopleshealth.com
Gillis, Ellis & Baker
Sodexo Remote Sites
Poydras Home
Poydrashome.com
UMCNO.org
West Jefferson Medical Center
WJMC.org
Insight From a Few of the Fit-Friendly Worksites East Jefferson General Hospital ejgh.org
We put our Team Members’ health at the center of everything we do. From tobaccofree programs to healthy vending machine options to discounted membership at our Wellness Center, we know if we make it a priority to care for our employees, then they are better equipped to care for others.
Gillis, Ellis & Baker, Inc. Gillis.com
GEB encourages employees to take responsibility for their health and lifestyle. We have an in-house fitness room, “workout Wednesday” classes and a points/ rewards-based health insurance program. This wellrounded approach means we have lower co pays and premiums, increased camaraderie and overall happy employees.
Humana
Humana.com
Humana is thriving as a leader in the health and well-being space, and it starts with our own associates. We’ve created a vibrant social movement inside the company, deeply rooted in a shared commitment to improving our own health. We are also committed to making a positive impact on the communities we serve.
Guest Viewpoint
Not So Fast Do you restrict recording devices in the workplace over HIPAA concerns? You may want to rethink that move.
T Jaklyn Wrigley is an attorney with the Gulfport office of national labor and employment law firm Fisher Phillips. She represents employers in state and federal courts, as well as claims pending with state and federal agencies. 76
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hose in the heavily regulated healthcare industry know that patient information is sacrosanct. And for good reason: Improper handling can result in hefty fines or criminal prosecution under the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA). Healthcare employers must often take intricate steps to safeguard protected health information (PHI), including ensuring compliance by the workforce. The federal agency that oversees Title II of HIPAA takes this responsibility seriously. As a result, enforcement actions are on the rise. Failure to comply can result in fines over $1 million and imprisonment for up to 10 years. Thus, it is prudent to make privacy a priority. As part of the overall effort to protect PHI, many— if not most—healthcare employers
prohibit their employees from using recording devices in the workplace. In light of the proliferation of smartphones (more than half of Americans are estimated to use them), it is not uncommon for employers to specify that the use of picture phones is likewise forbidden. If a healthcare employer fails to develop a policy of this nature, they are arguably inhibited in their ability to ensure the confidentiality and integrity of PHI, as required by HIPAA. Unfortunately, according to a recent opinion by the National Labor Relations Board (NRLB), this statutory requirement does not seem to justify an employer who wants to take any and all steps to prevent information leaking from the workplace. Photo Thinkstock
The NLRB Says Employers Are Going Too Far Many employers believe they have the absolute right to take any steps necessary to prohibit their workers from disclosing “confidential” information to certain parties. The NLRB disagrees, however, and has diligently worked to erode employers’ rights in this area. The practice of prohibiting the use of recording devices was recently challenged by a union attempting to organize at the workplace, which claimed that the handbook violated the National Labor Relations Act (NLRA). It’s important to note that the NLRA covers all workplaces, not just those that are unionized or engaged in an organizing drive. The NLRB ruled that enforcing the policy would actually chill the employees in the exercise of their rights. Rather than ruling that a ban on recordings would be in the employees’ best interests, the board ruled the opposite: that eliminating a blanket ban would best protect workers. This decision, in addition to other recent board decisions, indicates that employees have the absolute right to photograph and make recordings in furtherance of their rights under the NLRA. While the rights may be absolute, furthering them cannot be limitless where patient privacy is concerned.
A Confidentiality Crossroads: What Is The Takeaway? On the one hand, healthcare employers are obligated to comply with HIPA A and a host of other state and federal laws regarding privacy and confidentiality. On the other hand, employees have increasingly broad rights to engage in concerted activity under federal law. So where does this leave healthcare employers who might find themselves at a crossroads?
Photos Thinkstock
In short: n Employers should steer clear of total bans on recording devices in the workplace. n Employers should remember that protection of PHI is of critical importance. n The NLRB will view a total ban on recording devices as unlawful. Thus, healthcare employers should do the following: n Analyze your current recording device policy. n Analyze any other policy that may curtail the communication of confidential information. n Ensure compliance with the latest legal developments. n If your recording device policy includes a comprehensive ban, you should revise it. For example, you would avoid running afoul with the NLRB if your policies only preclude your employees from recording in areas dedicated to patient care, but left open the possibility of recording in areas where patient privacy concerns do not exist. To stay out of the NLRB’s crosshairs, a narrowly tailored policy is the best approach. For more information, contact the author at JWrigley@ fisherphillips.com or (228) 822-1440. n
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PUBLISHER’S NOTICE: All real estate advertised herein is subject to the Federal Fair Housing Ace and the Louisiana Open Housing Act, which make it illegal to advertise any preference, limitation, or discrimination because of race, color, religion, sex, handicap, familial status, or national origin, or intention to make any such preference, limitation, or discrimination. We will not knowingly accept any advertising for real estate which is in violation of the law. For more information, call the Louisiana Attorney General’s Office at 1-800-273-5718.
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Great Offices
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A formerly “cursed” space becomes a blessing in disguise for Riverwalk’s corporate offices. By melanie warner Spencer Photography by Cheryl Gerber
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Frank Quinn, general manager of Howard Hughes Corp., The Outlet Collection at Riverwalk, enjoys expansive views of the Mississippi River in his spacious office designed by Jennifer Kelly of Design Lab.
oward Hughes Corp. completed redevelopment of the Riverwalk shopping area in fall 2014, transforming it into the Outlet Collection at Riverwalk, the first upscale outlet center located in a downtown setting in the nation. Part of the expansive project included renovating and updating the company’s location-envy-inducing offices. “The offices, while outdated, were in good condition,” says Frank Quinn, general manager of the Howard Hughes Corp., The Outlet Collection at Riverwalk. “After a year of construction dust, grime, intermittent power and pluming outages [in the rest of the building], they went downhill.” Quinn worked with Jennifer Kelly of Design Lab for the project. Some of Design Lab’s previous projects include Tableau, Dickie Brennan’s restaurant on Jackson Square, as well as Crescent City Brewhouse and the Rice Mill Lofts. “They definitely wanted to have a slick, modern, up-to-date office that reflected what the Riverwalk would be,” says Kelly. Kelly drew inspiration for the overall theme from, as you might have guessed, the location. Playing off the expansive views of the Mississippi River, the color palette — once a dated, 1980s-style pink and green — is now serene shades of blue, gray and white. The office’s inspiring riverside locale and views came about in an unusual way. In 1996, a 763-foot, loaded bulk cargo ship, the Bright Field, lost power and slammed into the mall. Quinn says this informed the decision of placing the offices in the middle of the mall, due to the fact that none of the tenants wanted their businesses located in the “cursed” space damaged by the ship. This assumed curse, however, ended up being a blessing in disguise. Quinn says the tenants enjoy easy access to the leasing offices, not only for dealings with the staff, but also because they borrow the conference room for staff meetings, training and presentations.
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AT A GLANCE Company Name: Howard Hughes Outlet Collection at Riverwalk offices Address: 500 Port of New Orleans Place Office completed: 2014 Interior Designer: Jennifer Kelly of Design Lab Furnishings: Jennifer Kelly of Design Lab selected all items and purchased through A.O.S (Associated Office Systems). Main goal: To update the space, separate the kitchen and copy room and add storage for marketing materials. Biggest Challenge: Working while the entire mall was under construction. Standout Feature: The view of the river and the custom designed receptionist desk in the lobby.
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5 1- The welcoming reception area features a marble-toped desk fronted by wood veneer panels. The company’s logo is emblazoned on the wall and visible as visitors enter the suite through the glass door. 2- Designer Jennifer Kelly created a casual seating area in the reception area with oversized, low-slung white leather chairs. Eco-friendly Shaw carpet tiles were used throughout the space. 3- In the conference room, Kelly chose a custom conference table with charging and USB stations and hid the marker board inside a birch cabinet. Tenants often use the conference room for meetings and presentations, gaining access to the striking river view. 4- The break room used to serve also as a copy room. Kelly split the rooms, designing a dedicated kitchen with homey touches, such as the rustic farm-style table and bank of gray cabinets with a white, vertical subway-tile backsplash. 5- A photo in the hallway depicts the 1996 incident when the 763-foot, loaded Bright Field bulk cargo ship slammed into the mall.
The airy reception area sets the stage for visitors, with a marbletopped welcome desk, fronted by wood veneer panels. “We did a custom-designed entry, where you have a real sense of arrival,” says Kelly. “We put the logos and signage on the wall. [The main entry door] is clear glass and you see right into the wall with the logos.” The conference room is located to the side of the reception area. It features a wall of windows, taking advantage of that river view, and the custom conference table includes charging and USB stations. The marker board is hidden inside a sleek birch panel cabinet bearing the company’s logo. Kelly covered large windows between the conference room and reception area halfway up with a translucent patterned film to offer privacy during meetings and also allow the flow of light between the rooms. Prior to the renovation, the break room and copy room were one combined area. Kelly created a dedicated kitchen and separate copy area. The new kitchen has an ample bank of gray cabinets with a white, vertical subway-tile backsplash and siltstone-quartzite countertop, a rustic farm-style wood table, modern white chairs and a TV mounted to the wall.
Quinn, who has been the general manager since 2011, undoubtedly enjoys the largest office in the suite and one of the best views of the river in all of New Orleans. Here, Kelly created a casual seating area with a low-slung, white leather sectional and contrasting black ottomans that function as a coffee table. Quinn says that since the renovation, the office has welcomed many more visitors and he enjoys having the more casual seating area in his office for less formal meetings. “A few times a week we have cruise ships that dock outside our food court,” he says. “We see the massive cargo ships that come in and out of the Port of New Orleans and the cruise ships departing with people dancing on the deck.” Because the company has so much space, Quinn says corporate visitors from Howard Hughes’ branches all over the country often come and work during large city events, such as Carnival and the New Orleans Jazz and Heritage Festival. When asked about his favorite aspect of the design however, Quinn doesn’t hesitate with a response. “New Orleans will forever be tied to its location next to the Mississippi,” says Quinn. So few New Orleanians will ever get to see the river. I’m truly lucky to walk into an office and see it every day.” n BizNewOrleans.com AUGUST 2016
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Why Didn’t I Think of That? Creative Businesses Taking Hold in Southeast Louisiana
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no small
Local apparel innovator tasc Performance is changing the nature of athletic wear. By Suzanne Ferrara
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here’s a family in Uptown New Orleans taking on the “big guns” in athletic wear, and they’re doing it with bamboo. The Andrews family, owner and operator of tasc Performance, has been using bamboo from the Sichuan Province of China to make original fabrics for its line of performance/lifestyle apparel since 2009. “We were watching this whole polyester workout gear come out of nowhere and just take over the whole segment of the industry with UnderArmour and Nike,” says Al Andrews, co-founder and CEO of tasc Performance. “I heard about wick moisture and quick dry, which is great, but I found the bad side effects of it. It smelled awful if you really worked out hard, and it wasn’t comfortable on the body.” After two years of research and development, the family developed their own fabric, a mix of bamboo and organic cotton that is soft, breathable and wicks away moisture without the use of chemicals. The “bamboo from below sea level” company has since found great success. In 2015, tasc Performance made Inc. 5000’s list of America’s fastest growing private companies for the second year in a
row, posting sales of approximately $9 million. The company reports typical sales growth to be about 35 percent a year. Tasc’s more than 100 different products are sold in close to 700 retailers nationwide, including locally at stores including Perlis, Rubensteins, Iron Horse Clothier and Varsity Sports. While all production occurs inside an 80,000-square-foot facility in southern India, the 25,000-square-foot company headquarters —which includes 25 employees— is located off Earhart Boulevard in Metairie. “We wanted to do this in New Orleans, and everybody thought we were crazy because a lot of performance apparel companies are based in New York, California or Oregon. But our roots are here,” says Al’s son, Todd, co-founder and president of tasc Performance. “Our headquarters will always be in New Orleans,” adds Al. “It’s a charming and unbelievable place, and with this whole entrepreneurial movement taking hold, we find we can draw great talent from our universities here. Our motivation is to do things right and in New Orleans.”
The men behind the bamboo revolution—father and son team Al and Todd Andrews. co-founders of tasc Performance. BizNewOrleans.com AUGUST 2016
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A Marathon, Not a Sprint
A Tulane alum and former professional basketball player, 71-yearold Al Andrews has more than 68 years of garment design and manufacturing experience under his belt, including work with the founders of Nautica before he started his first venture — the Andrews Sport Co. And he did it all from New Orleans, a place that first captured the hearts of he and his wife, Cindy, back in college. Despite his in-depth experience in the textile and garment industry, helping corporations around the globe, his desire to have his own label never came about until the creation of tasc Performance. For much of Andrews’ career, the job usually meant replacing his garment labels with someone else’s brand. “We knew we weren’t developing a brand. And that has been both our dreams always to develop our own brand,” says Todd. Al remembers sitting with his sons and wife one day when inspiration struck. “I said if we could come out with a natural fabric —a fiber that could be lightweight, wick moisture, quick dry, a cleaner product — we could fill a niche that wasn’t being filled and create a brand and get big with it,” he says. “We all agreed to that, but it was easier said than done.” “We started looking for different fibers that were sort of new at the time,” explains Todd. Among those was a modal fabric made from beechwood fibers; they also tested soy and hemp, but that wasn’t good enough, either. The aha moment came when they discovered the “miracle” fiber. “I felt bamboo, and I was blown away,” he recalls. “And the more we researched it, the more we realized it had all these performance characteristics that were inherent to the bamboo fiber.” “Inherently it (bamboo fiber) wicks moisture, it is clean, extremely comfortable and is almost like wearing cashmere as we mixed it with organic cotton,” adds Al. It took the father and son team more than two years to identify the perfect formula for their original fabric. “We started working with it and blending it with other different fibers because bamboo in and of itself is not very stable, and it is very difficult to work with,” says Todd. 86
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They duo worked nonstop with a former colleague and textile engineer who owns a factory in India. “We had to decide on a specific rate where the spinner has to spin the yarn to remove all the excess fibers. All this was in preparation so that it would take the dye very crisply and deeply and last for the life of the garment,” continues Todd. They also used specific enzymes or softeners on the fabric to get it to the desired smoothness, without chemical enhancements, which is part of tasc Performance’s trade secret. Plus, the clothing had to be easy to care for and could go into a dryer for 55 minutes and come out ready to wear. “And, lo and behold, after doing so much work on it, we got it right, the right weight, the right everything!” exclaims Al. At that moment, tasc Performance was born. (The name tasc represents the first initials of each member of the Andrews family: Todd, Al, Scott and Cindy). Although the use of bamboo pulp for fabric has slowly taken off during the past decade, tasc Performance prides itself on the intricate details used in the creation process, which the founders say sets the company apart from its competition. For instance, their exclusive BamCo, a patent-pending fabric-finishing process, is one feature of the line. “No one else in the industry is doing the steps that we are doing in our finishing process,” says Todd. “We have identified our specific way of handling the bamboo and the fabric from beginning to end.”
New Orleans Proud
Al and Todd began marketing tasc Performance clothing by asking Tulane athletes and the school’s athletic director to try their product. Next, they reached out to country clubs in New Orleans and Baton Rouge, and then to luxury resorts across the country. Over the past seven years, the company has become a big player in individual sports and performance-lifestyle apparel. “Everything we are creating is very versatile and fits the modern active consumer,” adds Todd. “You can perform in it and also wear it to live in.” As a local company, tasc is dedicated to giving back to the community that helped them so much in the early years. Tasc Performance served
1/2- Cellulose bamboo fibers and organic cotton or merino wool fibers are spun into yarn using tasc Performances exact specifications. The yarn is ring spun to produce a smooth, ultra-soft and durable product. 3- The knitting process utilizes more fine needles per square inch than standard traditional knits to achieve the smoothest and most comfortable fabrics possible. 4- Professional climber and guide Melissa Arnot (tasc Performance athlete) and college senior Maddie Miller have set out to summit all 50 U.S. highpoints within 50 days. Seen here are the pair at Louisiana’s highest peak, Driskill Mountain.
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as the official apparel provider and sponsor for both the latest Louisiana Marathon and Crescent City Classic races, and worked with the French Quarter Festival this past year to create two custom production shirts, including the festival’s top-selling lineup tee. For many years now, the company has also being donating shirts to Team Gleason, the nonprofit organization named for former NFL Saints player Steve Gleason that aids those with neuromuscular diseases and injuries. During this year’s Jazz Festival, tasc Performance also sponsored local famed musician Trombone Shorty’s Shorty Fest and created a custom designed shirt with the help of local painter Frenchy.
Support is Climbing
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Far from just a local player, tasc Performance has also become the garment of choice of accomplished athletes including Melissa Arnot. Arnot set two world records summiting Mount Everest without supplemental oxygen wearing tasc Peformance’s signature MOSOmerino base layers during her climb. “For us it is gratifying that somebody at that level would trust our fabric for that type of expedition,” says Todd. Arnot says she likes the fact the product holds up to all conditions and feels comfortable against the body. Jeff Evans, who has served as the primary guide for blind climber Erik Weihenmayer on Mount Everest and adventure races all over the world, is also a huge supporter of the tasc brand. Todd recalls his conversation with Evans years ago. “He told me to send the product to him, and he would try it out. Two weeks later, he called me and said, ‘This stuff is unbelievable; I never felt anything like it. It does everything you said it would do: it wicks moisture, dries fast, has a UPF 50 and it doesn’t stink.’” Today, tasc Performance gives back to Evans’ charity, Warriors to the Summit, which is a part of No Barriers USA, an organization that helps the physically challenged overcome obstacles and enjoy the outdoors.
Future Plans
So what’s up tasc Performance’s sleeve in the near future? Todd says the company is constantly developing new fabrics, primarily around the bamboo performance technology. “We are expanding our platform of fabrics and launching two new fabrics this fall.” And next spring, the company will be using a seamless knitting process. “Not many people are able to do a seamless construction which we’ll be using with organic cotton, our bamboo, and a small percentage of nylon and lycra,” he adds. The goal, of course, is to become a household name like other major apparel brands. “We want to be known for developing original fabrics and having an authentic brand,” Todd says. “There are not many apparel companies out there developing their own fabric.” “We are growing rapidly and doing it the right way, and we try to do everything from an authentic and natural place,” adds Al. “We are still young and we just want to keep growing.” n
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d i K A in
Entrepreneur’s Clothing Barcadia owner Billy Blatty Lives to Mix Business with Pleasure By Kim Singletary Photography by Cheryl Gerber
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hen Southern Californian Billy Blatty went looking for a job during his first year at Tulane University, he knew exactly what he was looking for. “I’ve always been a night owl and I needed extra money,” he says. “What other industry could an 18-year-old work at night, earn good money and get to try out such a wide variety of roles — shortorder cook, doorman, sweeper, bar-back, bartender? For me the bar business ticked all my boxes.” Starting out at Fat Harry’s, Blatty continued to tick boxes, working at venues including the House of Blues, 735 Nightclub and Bar, and Whiskey Blue (the latter two are now closed). Soon he had played every role possible, except for owner. While working as a manager at the Whiskey Blue, inside the former W Hotel, Blatty was offered a rare opportunity — a 10 percent equity position along with a salaried position as the GM and promoter at a new club being built on Tulane Avenue at the turn of the millenium.
California transplant Billy Blatty has made a name for himself in New Orleans with Ampersand, Barcadia, Ohm Lounge and Belle’s Diner. BizNewOrleans.com AUGUST 2016
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“The majority owners had different visions of what Ampersand was supposed to be and we couldn’t agree,” he says. “So I was able to come in and buy it out 100 percent for basically pennies on the dollar six months after it opened, but I really had to work my ass off to make it sustainable.” Blatty did make it work, making Ampersand the place to party in New Orleans’ post-Katrina landscape. Capitalizing on the club’s success, his next move was to bring his own original bar concept to life with Barcadia. Mixing cocktails with oversized games and classic arcade options to create a kind of adults-only playground, Barcadia opened to great success in Dallas in 2007. It was followed by openings in Fort Worth in 2010, New Orleans in 2013 and Baton Rouge in 2015. Next up, says Blatty, is Nashville, which is expected to open sometime in the next 18 months. In the meantime, another Blatty vintage vision, Belle’s Diner — a late ’40s, early ’50s-style diner in the French Quarter — opened last fall and is already receiving rave reviews. On the heels of Tales from the Cocktail, Biz New Orleans took some time to chat with
Blatty about his adventures in New Orleans nightlife, his personal business philosophies, and what he sees for the future of the city that made him fall in love with the night. Biz New Orleans: When you first took over Ampersand in April 2001, what was your idea/vision? Billy Blatty: I wanted to create an environment that was difficult to replicate and do something nobody else was doing. I have to say, we barely made it those first few years. I was putting f liers on cars to advertise and bartending to pay my bills. If I ever made a dollar it went right back into the business. Every penny. Poetry nights and comedy shows helped fill the weekday rotation of events. At that time, electric music was really only heard publicly at raves or nightclubs in big markets like Miami, New York and Los Angeles. I introduced that sound to the local club scene and hired international DJs to play the guest slots. From 10 p.m. to 2 a.m. we pushed the international electronic music scene, and then from 2 a.m. to 6 a.m., I brought in local DJs which played underground localized house music. We were able to score a few phenomenal DJs from Baton Rouge and Lafayette that put out a CD called “Live at Ampersand,” and things really kicked off from there. We really made ourselves THE destination during that post-2 a.m. time slot. Biz: How did you keep things fresh? BB: Every couple of years I would totally reinvent the space. Nothing was ever stagnant. That’s really important, I think. I was also lucky with my staff. We were a big family. The same people worked there for years. Biz: How did you fare during Katrina? BB: We definitely had damage — four feet of it to be exact. I housed about 14 or 15 staff members at my house and together we worked hard to get back open — ripping up sheetrock, spraying antifungal solution in hazmat suits. But on Halloween weekend we reopened. I think we were basically the first nightclub to get back open, and we definitely benefited. The reopening was a smashing success. Locals had their Katrina checks and contractors were making money and looking for somewhere to spend it. Plus everyone was bored to death and looking for a release. Biz: What happened to Ampersand? BB: I brought in a partner in about 2011. Ultimately, the club closed in 2014 when Goodwill of America purchased the building and had other plans for the space. Biz: You had already moved on by then and were having success with Barcadia.
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What was the thought behind that concept? BB: Again, I wanted to create something with a real long-term value — something that represents what I find appealing, which is a place that celebrates simplicity, nostalgia and a sense of fun and innocence. Biz: So you decided to mix drinking and games? BB: Yes, Barcadia was really a pioneer in the giant-sized games you see now, like our 5-foot-tall Connect Four game and our Jenga that uses two-by-fours. Plus we have vintage arcade games and Skee-Ball. It’s meant to be
1 -Blatty’s latest creation, Belle’s Diner, opened at 1122 Decatur St. last fall. 2 -The Asian influenced Ohm Lounge plays host to events in a space behind Barcadia. 3 -Belle’s Diner is becoming known for its “Boozie’s” — hand spun milkshakes with alcohol. 4 and 5 - The New Orleans Barcadia location boasts a strong culinary focus. Everything is made from scratch. “We make our own dressing, bake our own bread and grind our own meat,” says Blatty.
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a place where adults can come and unwind and feel like a kid again. There’s no dress code, no cover, and all pets — including gators — are welcome. Biz: You’ve happily made your home base here in New Orleans; why did you go to Dallas to open the first Barcadia? BB: I actually meant to open in New Orleans, but then Katrina came and wrecked those plans. I had produced club shows and concerts in Dallas with my separate production company, Ampersand Events, and a good opportunity just came up there. I ended up buying and building out an old Laundromat in this crappy part of town for $450,000. We opened in the summer of 2007. Barcadia was a hit and more people started moving into that area and we knew we could maintain stability. Biz: Forth Worth was next to get a Barcadia in 2010 and then New Orleans finally followed in 2013. How was that process? BB: Not easy. I never stopped looking at locations in New Orleans, even while I was working on Dallas. I looked at a myriad of locations, including where Walk-Ons is now, and a spot next to Republic. I would get so close, but it never happened. Finally we signed a lease at our location in 2011. It was worth it. I couldn’t be happier. Biz: With the location in Baton Rouge too that opened last year, are all the locations the same? BB: No, they all have their own strengths. For New Orleans, we focused on the culinary side of the business to create longevity in to the business plan. Everything is made from scratch — there’s none of the frozen stuff you’ll see other places. We make our own dressing, bake our own bread, grind out own meat. We’re not just a bar, we’re a full-service restaurant from 11 a.m. to midnight. Biz: You also have the Ohm Lounge. BB: Yes, the original ran from 2008 to 2011, and then I reopened it in the back of Barcadia. Ohm is a contemporary, Asian-themed lounge with decor derived from Japanese and Chines inf luences. It was once a restaurant and lounge, but now it’s just a lounge, although we’ve been hosting some pop-up sushi events there that I’m uber excited about. Biz: Your latest venture is Belle’s Diner. How did that come about? BB: That was actually through one of the investors in Barcadia, a man named Rick El Jaouhari. He’s actually my landlord for Belle’s. He called me and said he had a property that was the Magnolia Grill and he didn’t know what to do with it, so he asked me to come look at it for a new concept. Upon viewing the space, I saw “diner,” and then the wistful part of me envisioned it adorned with bomber girls on their respective planes from W W2. Combine all that with scratch-made breakfast and lunch all day, comfort food and our take on New Orleans favorite cuisines — you find Belle’s. 92
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A popular downtown hangout, Barcadia is a kind of adults-only playground that mixes a vintage arcade with a full bar and full-service restaurant.
Plus, we do these hand-spun milkshakes with alcohol that we call “Boozie’s,” that just f ly out the door. Biz: I know you’re less than a year in, but how has business been? BB: Very good. We’re in a real touristy area — bordering the French Market — so that helps. Although, the audience I’m trying to target are the locals. I’d love the diner to be filled with familiar faces on a daily basis. Cliche, right? Biz: What have you found to be the biggest challenge in your industry? BB: I’d say retaining top talent and avoiding complacency. Anytime you have really great talent there are always those with bigger pockets pining to lure them away. Biz: What would you say have been the secrets behind your continued success? BB: Consistency. Team. You can never be passive in this industry as an owner. I’m handling every check approval, tasting every menu item, etc. There’s just so much competition out there right now that you can’t afford not to know your own business inside and out. Really, though, I think a lot of it has just been about being there when the opportunity hit. It’s been said, “I’d rather be lucky than talented,” and I back that 100 percent. Biz: How do you decide on the next project? BB: So much is about location. Besides the Nashville Barcadia coming up, I’m also working on a brick oven pizza joint in the Marigny in maybe the next six or nine months. I don’t want to share too much about it because I’m kind of superstitious when it comes to talking about things before they happen. I love this city and it’s so hot right now. When the right location pops up, you have to have a good concept ready, the team infrastructure to execute, and enough dough left over to operate if things don’t initially go in your favor. I’ve definitely got my radar on at all times. n
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Events United Way Annual Meeting and Live United Awards Wednesday, June 22
GEB University Insurance Seminar Thursday, June 23 Gillis, Ellis & Baker - Training Room
Audubon Tea Room United Way supporters joined to celebrate committed companies and dedicated volunteers at the annual meeting and Live United Awards ceremony, which featured a “State of the United Way” talk from Chairman of the Board, Todd Slack.
GEB’s latest seminar, entitled “The Sleeping Dragon: Understanding the Pollution and Environment Risks to Your Organization,” was presented by Jeff Howard and Michael Gill.
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1. Bob Kimbro, Rick Haase, Barbara Turner Windhorst and Steve Mohammed 2. Todd Slack 3. Michael Williamson, Joe Exnicios, Matt Faust and Louis Fitzmorris 94
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1. Cameron Barr, Karen Crouch and Lynn Labus 2. Michael Gill and Jeff Howard 3. Steve Griffih, Amanda Graves and Parke Ellis Photos by Cheryl Gerber
Slidell Memorial Hospital Lunch & Learn Series Thursday, June 24
ACG Louisiana July Luncheon Tuesday, July 12 Roosevelt Hotel - Blue Room
Slidell Memorial Founders Building In June, this monthly educational series focused on advanced care planning options and including presentations by SMH social worker Dominique Perez and attorney William J. Faustermann.
The July luncheon for the Association of Corporate Growth Louisiana focused on “Economic Development Opportunities in Louisiana’s New Tax Environment.”
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1. George McCain, Stephanie Daniels and Edward Andres 2. Dominique Perez 3. Christian Craft, Michael Marrero, Jamie Murphey, Tayana McCoy and Frances Matthews Photos by Cheryl Gerber
1. Allison Plaisance, Hank Wolf and Jennie Diemont 2. Quentin Messier, James Chappell and Kristian Garrets 3. Matt Hart, Jim Class, Ben Louviere and Ronald LeCompte BizNewOrleans.com AUGUST 2016
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Behind the Scenes
Letter by Letter For over 35 years, OPA Signs & Graphics has been serving the promotional needs of the Gulf South. Approximately 95 percent of all projects are completed inside the company’s 40,000-square-foot facility at 2300 Earhart Blvd., including over 1,000 different jobs a year that range from simple banners to the signage for some of the most recognizable landmarks in the region. OPASigns.com 96
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Photo by Jeff Johnston