BizNewOrleans.com February 2015
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Editor’s Note
It’s Mardi Gras. It’s Valentine’s Day. It’s Oscar time.
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ebruary is a big month for parties and good times. And it also happens to be American Heart Month. It’s a lot, but we’ve got it all covered. For Carnival-goers, we introduce you to a must-have app that has you covered when nature inevitably comes calling - Airpnp. Check it out. Download it. Breathe a sigh of relief - and maybe kick yourself a little for not thinking of it yourself. And when it comes to romance, we’ve got you there too. Getting engaged? We’ve got the story behind one of the most in-demand vendors in weddings today – the live painter. This is one you’re going to want to book right away. Just looking for a romantic night out? How about booking a limo or black car service right off your phone? With prices competitive with a cab, why not? Or maybe you’re thinking bigger – perhaps of escaping the insanity of Carnival and heading out on the open seas. Lucky you, we happen to have one of the top ports in the nation just out our front door which is now home to the largest ship ever to call New Orleans home. On February 22, though, you may want to curl up in front of the TV for the 87th annual Academy Awards. True, Hollywood South is not going to come near dominating the awards like last year, but locally-shot “Dawn of the Planet of the Apes” is up this year for best visual effects, so there’s still a chance to root for the home team. As they say, there’s always next year, and the film industry continues to boom here – just looking at the next two months is enough to prove that. Finally, there’s the matter of the heart – the real, four chambers, beating kind. We’re honored to have the New Orleans heart man himself, Dr. John Ochsner, on our cover this month. His innovative institute is just one of many local resources battling heart disease and stroke every day – both top killers in this region. Of course as much as we work to pack all we can into each issue, there’s never enough room to come close to covering all that’s going on, which is why we have our website and daily newsletter. Make sure to check us out at BizNewOrleans.com and sign up for the free newsletter. And, as always, feel free to keep us posted. Do you have a story that needs to be told? A business professional we should profile? An opening we should announce? Send it over to Editorial@ BizNewOrleans.com. We’re here to serve you. Happy celebrating!
Kimberley Singletary
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February 2015 BizNewOrleans.com
BizNewOrleans.com February 2015
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febrUARY 2015 | volume 1 | issue 5
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 Phil McCausland, Lucie Monk, Andrew Paul, Chris Price, Margaret Quilter, Peter Reichard, Erin Shaw, Melanie Spencer, Keith Twitchell, Bonnie Warren advertising Vice President of Sales Colleen Monaghan Sales Manager Maegan O’Brien Maegan@BizNewOrleans.com (504) 830-7219 Account Executives Melissa Rehage Quijano Melissa@BizNewOrleans.com (504) 830-7225 Caitlin Sistrunk Caitlin@BizNewOrleans.com (504) 830-7252 PRODUCTION Production/Web Manager Staci McCarty Production Designers Monique DiPietro, Ali Sullivan Traffic Manager Erin Duhe 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 Administrative Assistant Denise Dean Distribution Manager John Holzer Subscriptions Manager Sara Kelemencky
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. 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 2015 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
February 2015 BizNewOrleans.com
Contents
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32
Features
From the Lens
32 The Business of the Heart
A look at how area hospitals are meeting this healthcare demand.
64 Great Offices
By Chris Price
72 Driven by Technology
40 Now We’re Cruising
Business is booming for the cruise industry in New Orleans. By Lucie Monk
Port of New Orleans President and CEO Gary LaGrange
Limousine Livery’s Aaron Dirks discusses how he’s boosting business.
76 Why Didn’t I Think of That?
Live paintings – the latest “must-have” for weddings.
80 Behind the Scenes
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February 2015 BizNewOrleans.com
Bevolo Gas & Electric Lights keeps it local.
On the Cover Dr. John Ochsner stands in the heart and vascular institute that bears his name holding the SynCardia Total Artificial Heart. The institute was the first in the Gulf South to offer the synthetic heart. Photo by Greg Miles
Contents
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22
68
Columns
Perspectives
News
18 Dining Biz
Ways restaurateurs can make the Web
48 Legal
16 Calendar
work for them
54 Hotels & Hospitality
30 Biz Bits
20 Tourism Biz
Locally created app Airpnp is a must for Carnival season.
22 Sports Biz
New Orleans needs a new stadium.
24 Film Biz
Springtime in Hollywood South is full of activity.
26 Entrepreneur Biz
Latino-owned businesses are gaining ground.
28 Biz Etiquette
10
The do’s and don’ts of references and recommendations
February 2015 BizNewOrleans.com
Is your business covered?
Hotels turn to renovations to stay competitive.
58 Real Estate
The status on New Orleans Regional Business Park
Upcoming events not to miss
Industry news
68 Biz Person of the Month
Q&A with Yvonne LaFleur, owner of Yvonne LaFleur boutique.
79 Around Town – Events
Industry gatherings
BizNewOrleans.com February 2015
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Publisher’s Note
Oh well, it’s Carnival Time…
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ew Orleans is celebrating, business is put on hold, and the rest of the country is envious.
I just ended a conference call discussing an upcoming round table conference with fellow publishers from around the country. We discussed how the start of 2015 is affecting our businesses and what the first quarter is going to look like. I explained that our company’s March issues wrap up early during Mardi Gras this year, so we are on an accelerated schedule. That got me thinking - I wonder what February is like in other cities. As the region gears up for Mardi Gras and the two-week stretch of Carnival Season, I want to know how your company gets things done. How do you run your business with the added distractions of Mardi Gras and the upcoming festival season? What accommodations do you have to make, not only for local clients, but for those you have nationally who will not be affected by Carnival season? I would love to hear from you, so drop me a note - Todd@BizNewOrleans.com - and as Al “Carnival Time” Johnson says,
...And everybody’s havin’ fun.”
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February 2015 BizNewOrleans.com
Photo Aaron Hogan
BizNewOrleans.com February 2015
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Meet the Sales Staff Colleen Monaghan Vice President of Sales Colleen Monaghan is a seventh-generation New Orleanian and member of the Mayflower Society, who loves her city with a passion. She is a UNO alum who has more than 30 years of experience in both publishing and the nonprofit sector. Colleen enjoys art collecting, traveling the world and living life to its fullest. She has been known to organize fabulous events, both for herself and many charities in the New Orleans and San Francisco areas. You can reach Colleen at (504) 830-7215 or Colleen@BizNewOrleans.com.
Maegan O’Brien Sales Manager, Biz New Orleans Maegan O’Brien was born in New Orleans and raised on the Northshore in Mandeville, La. She graduated from Louisiana State University in 2010 with a bachelor’s degree in finance, but marketing and advertising are her true callings. She currently lives in Old Metairie and loves traveling, wining and dining, and spending time with family and great friends. You can reach Maegan at (504) 830-7219 or Maegan@BizNewOrleans.com.
Melissa Rehage Quijano Account Executive, Biz New Orleans Melissa Rehage Quijano was born and raised in New Orleans. She graduated from St. Mary’s Dominican, attended both LSU and UNO, and received a paralegal degree in 1996. She worked for 10 years as a paralegal in various law firms in New Orleans and then operated her own successful wedding photography business for 11 years. In addition to being on the Biz New Orleans team, she enjoys spending time with her two teenage children, cooking, the beach, 30A, laughing with friends, dancing every day and music. She has a love for shoes and lipstick. Her heart and soul is her children and everything New Orleans. You can reach Melissa at (504) 830-7225 or Melissa@BizNewOrleans.com.
Caitlin Sistrunk Account Executive, Biz New Orleans Caitlin Sistrunk was born in New Orleans and raised in Covington, La. She graduated from Louisiana State University with a bachelor’s degree in marketing. While attending LSU, Caitlin fell in love with both marketing and advertising. She is ecstatic to begin her career as a sales associate with our new magazine. Caitlin loves painting, hanging with friends and cooking. You can reach Caitlin at (504) 830-7252 or Caitlin@BizNewOrleans.com. 14
February 2015 BizNewOrleans.com
Check OUT OUR BIZ VIDEOS!
BIZ VIDEOS Every day, Biz video blogger Leslie Snadowsky
delivers New Orleans’ first video Biz-Cast, highlighting top business stories and local events.
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Calendar Tuesday, February 3, 2015 Baton Rouge Area Chamber Monthly Lunch Featuring Andrew Maas, Director of OIPCD 11:30 a.m. – 1 p.m. East Baton Rouge Parish Library 7711 Goodwood Blvd. Contact Mandi Magill Mandi@brac.org (225) 381-7135
Thursday, February 5, 2015 ABWA Crescent City Connections Monthly Luncheon featuring Barbara Alleman 11 a.m. – 1 p.m. Heritage Grill by Ralph Brennan 111 Veterans Memorial Blvd., Metairie Register at abwanola.eventbrite.com Or contact abwanola@gmail.com
Friday, February 20, 2015 LifeCity New Orleans and the New Orleans Chamber 2015 Green Seminar – State of the Impact Economy 11:30 a.m. - 1 p.m. Chamber of Commerce Conference Room 1515 Poydras St., 5th Floor NewOrleansChamber.com
Friday, February 27, 2015 St. Tammany West Chamber of Commerce New Member Orientation 8 a.m. – 9 a.m. Chamber Office 610 Hollycrest Blvd., Covington (985) 273-3008
Thursday, March 12, 2015
Tuesday, February 10, 2015 Jefferson Chamber of Commerce Young Professionals Mentor Series 11 a.m. – 1 p.m. Location TBD Free to Young Professional members of the Chamber Contact Brittany@jeffersonchamber.org
Wednesday, February 11, 2015 ABWA Crescent City Connections Monthly Luncheon featuring Simone Bruni (Demo Diva) 11 a.m. – 1 p.m. Heritage Grill by Ralph Brennan 111 Veterans Memorial Blvd., Metairie Register at abwanola.eventbrite.com Or contact abwanola@gmail.com
Friday, March 13, 2015 Jefferson Chamber Annual Gala Jefferson Chamber Night with New Orleans Friends of Music and the Danish String Quartet 8 p.m. – 10 p.m. Tulane University’s Dixon Hall FriendsOfMusic.org
7:30 p.m. – 11 p.m. New Orleans Saints Indoor Training Facility 5800 Airline Drive, Metairie RSVP to Katie Ivory Katie@JeffersonChamber.org (504) 835-3880
Photo by Caroline Bittencourt
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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February 2015 BizNewOrleans.com
BizNewOrleans.com February 2015
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Columns | Dining Biz
Setting the Table Online Restaurateurs can make the Web work for them.
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Peter Reichard is a native New Orleanian who has written about the life and times of the city for more than 20 years, including as a former newspaper editor and business journalist.
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ho are you? Where are you? When are you open? These are the three questions anybody visiting a restaurant’s website ought to be able to answer immediately. Take it from Peter Bodenheimer. He likes to eat out, and he often finds himself frustrated combing a restaurant’s website looking for this most basic information. By the way, he’s also a seasoned web developer, a veteran of the advertising business and a partner with the international app development company Flatstack. To boot, his brother is a restaurateur and craft-cocktail bar proprietor (Cane & Table, Bellocq, Cure). Some restaurants wow you with flash galleries and animations. But often, “it’s just clutter,” Bodenheimer says. “If
February 2015 BizNewOrleans.com
(restaurateurs) would just start to think, ‘What do people want from our website?’ that would be a big step forward.” To that end, Bodenheimer advises clearly establishing goals for a website before beginning design. No matter what the goals, however, the answers to the big three questions need to be front and center, and the design should respond well to all methods of access – whether via desktop, tablet or smart phone. Beyond that, a website should convey what is unique about a restaurant. Bodenheimer strongly recommends posting a menu. If the menu changes every day, he advises posting a sample menu. “A well-written menu will draw people through the door,” Bodenheimer says. Now you’d expect an app developer to say, “Oh, yes, every
restaurant must have an app.” But at the end of the day, Bodenheimer says, an app is “just a tool.” Basically, if all you’re doing is hammering nails, you don’t need a screwdriver. For instance, having an app for ordering can be beneficial, if that’s a big part of a restaurant’s business. And the app must offer enough value for customers to want to download it. Bodenheimer gives the example of City Greens, whose app ties the QR code to the customer’s credit card. Just add tip. The conventional wisdom tells business owners, “Get a Twitter account,” and “Well, ya gotta be on Facebook.” But Bodenheimer says it depends on whether you’re up for the commitment. “The whole idea of social media is conversation,” he says. Facebook requires regular updates. It requires engaging customers by responding to them and by posting items to which customers might respond. For those who are up to this commitment, Bodenheimer recommends posting, for instance, the “sandwich of the day.” He also recommends posting (or re-tweeting, as the case may be) the successes of competitors. “It’s a positive reflection on the business,” he says. One of the challenges new to today’s restaurants are crowd-sourced review websites like Yelp. Such sites can be double-edged swords. They can help promote positive word of mouth, but they can also serve as a forum through which one customer’s bad experience becomes part of a public narrative about a restaurant. Bodenheimer advises avoiding any arguments with gripers. “The first rule of social media: Don’t feed the trolls,” he says. In the end, the reviews should balance out. “You rely on the law of averages.” n Photo Thinkstock WeArt
BizNewOrleans.com February 2015
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Columns | Tourism Biz
Airpnp Just May Save You A local app has you covered when you’re on the go and have to go this Carnival season.
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Margaret Quilter is an Australian expat whose tales of adventures abroad have been published in international magazines. Check out her weekly blog, “Tourism Biz” at BizNewOrleans. com.
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hen you’ve got to go, you’ve got to go, and it is not always at the most convenient times and places. New Orleans native Travis Laurendine has taken this unfortunate reality and capitalized on it by co-founding - along with Max Gaudin and Brian Berlin - an app called Airpnp. In response to the ban on private portable toilets on public property that went into effect just prior to Carnival season in January 2014, Laurendine partnered with Gaudin and Berlin and together they launched a website called Airpnp in one weekend. The first bathroom listed was at Gaudin’s office at local company Launch Pad. The website quickly became a free app that now allows users to quickly find a private restroom no matter where they are - think popular accommodation rental site, Airbnb, but for bathrooms. About 100 toilets are currently listed in New Orleans,
February 2015 BizNewOrleans.com
with the main concentration of them being along the St. Charles Avenue parade route. Owners of homes and businesses can list their facility on Airpnp. Some listings include photos, others detailed features, even down to what kind of soap will be offered. Users then get an interactive map detailing the options within their area. Some restrooms are free, but the majority charge a fee, usually between $1 and $10. Though created in New Orleans, the app works in a variety of locations around the globe, with toilets listed on every continent. “Belgium is our most popular country, and Antwerp is our most popular city, we still don’t know why,” Laurendine says. “Antwerp has 300-something bathrooms, and they are actually being used.” From the outset, Airpnp was generating money through ad sales and charging a small percentage from each facilitated
interaction. “The business was profitable from the very beginning, when we had a couple of people buy ads,” says Laurendine. “All of our costs were covered, and we weren’t having to invest money in it. It was paying for itself.” Bouncing off the website’s success, Airpnp switched to an app platform within months. It now serves a purpose beyond public events: People in transit, particularly in Europe, are high users of the app. “They create a daily routine with people on their walk to the bus stop or train station,” Laurendine explains. With its re-launch in the New Orleans market this Carnival season, Airpnp has quickly become a useful tool. It solves a long-running issue for parade-goers, who often are forced to either hold it or risk being caught urinating in public, which is illegal. “Having our police actually worrying about controlling violence and the things that are important and not having people peeing on things, it makes New Orleans a better place to be,” says Laurendine. “I am just happy to be in a situation where something that started as a joke ended up making New Orleans a better place.” n
Photo Thinkstock
BizNewOrleans.com February 2015
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Columns | Sports Biz
Done With the Dome New Orleans needs a new stadium.
F 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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ifteen years ago, the state of Louisiana was busy with negotiations over building a half-billion-dollar stadium Downtown in order to keep the New Orleans Saints in the Crescent City. Hurricane Katrina and a refurbished Superdome scrubbed those plans. But in the wake of New Orleans missing out in the latest round of bidding on hosting rights to one of American sports’ “Big 3” – the Super Bowl, College Football Championship Game and NCAA Final Four – it may be time for city, state and local business leaders to dust off those shelved plans and start considering up to a $1 billion investment. It may be the only way to keep New Orleans one of the nation’s premier sporting destinations. Before you die-hards get too worked up, let me start by saying I love the Superdome and am thrilled the city, state and federal governments put so much effort into reopening it so quickly after the hurricane. It was truly a beacon of hope. As the return of the Saints came to symbolize the beginning of the return of the city, the reopening of the
February 2015 BizNewOrleans.com
Superdome served as a sort of communal homecoming. The Superdome will forever have a place in my heart and mind. And that’s where it needs to go. A decade after Hurricane Katrina, however, the nation has moved on from New Orleans’ recovery story. Gone is the feeling of sentimentality or, dare I say it, charity, from organizations who may have brought their major events to the city to help it get back on its feet. There is no doubt that, despite recent upgrades, the Superdome
hasn’t aged gracefully. It is difficult to move around the concessions areas, more restrooms are needed, and exiting after a game often resembles a mob scene. The Saints’ current lease with the state runs through 2025, at which time the building will be 50 years old. All of the cities in the current rotation for the “Big 3” have stadiums that have recently opened or are set to open in the next few years. None of them are known for being a better host, and none can compete with New Orleans’ geography, which may be its greatest asset - with an array of sporting venues, entertainment districts, and hotels within just a walk or very short cab ride. The bid process for landing major sporting events is a citywide effort involving every major sports organization in town, including Tulane University, the University of New Orleans, the Allstate Sugar Bowl, the Greater New Orleans Sports Foundation, the New Orleans Saints and Pelicans, the Sun Belt Conference, the New Orleans Metropolitan Convention and Visitors Bureau, and SMG, the Superdome and Smoothie King Center’s management company. But at this point, it needs to be a statewide endeavor. Katrina knocked New Orleans down, and we’ve gotten the city back on its feet. Now it’s time to move forward. n Make sure to check out The Pennant Chase’s blog post every Friday at BizNewOrleans.com for more on the business side of southeast Louisiana sports.
If you build it… American sports’ “Big 3” – the Super Bowl, College Football Championship Game and NCAA Final Four – are currently scheduled to be played in cities that have recently opened or will open stadiums in the next few years. NFL Super Bowl
College Football NCAA National Championship Final Four
2015 Phoenix 2016 San Francisco 2017 Houston 2018 Minneapolis 2019 * 2020 * 2021 *
Dallas Phoenix Tampa * * * *
Indianapolis Houston Phoenix San Antonio Minneapolis Atlanta Indianapolis
* Not awarded yet. New Orleans cannot host the 2018 National Championship because the Sugar Bowl is already scheduled to host a semifinal.
BizNewOrleans.com February 2015
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Columns | Film Biz meeting in the White House, which culminated in Nixon making the rock-n-roller an Honorary Federal Agent-at-Large. Astronaut Wives Club Wraps Feb. 17 A new TV drama for ABC based on the 2013 best-selling novel “The Astronaut Wives Club: A True Story,” by Lily Koppel is designed to be limited to 10 episodes. It will follow the lives of the women behind the astronauts during the space race of the 1960s. The series will begin with the wives behind the Mercury astronauts, and gradually expand to include Gemini and Apollo. The series is expected to debut this spring.
That’s a Wrap! A look at the next few months of local filming
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ith the holidays behind us, it’s now time to look ahead to spring. And when it comes to new beginnings, Louisiana’s entertainment industry is hopping. First, let’s look at a few movies wrapping this month:
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 and is thrilled to be covering its emersion in her newly adopted home.
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February 2015 BizNewOrleans.com
Daddy’s Home Wraps Feb. 3 The latest comedy starring Will Ferrell and Mark Wahlberg, “Daddy’s Home” stars Ferrell as a mild mannered radio executive who finds himself vying for the affections of his stepchildren after his wife’s exhusband, played by Wahlberg, comes back into the picture. Wahlberg’s role was originally set to be played by Vince Vaughn. Ferrell and Wahlberg last teamed up in another comedy – the buddycop flick “The Other Guys” in 2010. The movie was filmed in New York
and directed by Adam McKay - one of the writers of “Daddy’s Home.” “Daddy’s Home” was directed by John Morris and Sean Anders, the latter of whom also spent 2014 directing “Horrible Bosses 2” and co-writing “Dumb and Dumber Too”. Principal photography began Nov. 17, 2014, and included two days of filming at Edward Hynes Charter School in late November. Elvis & Nixon Wraps Feb. 12 Two-time Oscar winner Kevin Spacey stars as President Richard Nixon alongside Michael Shannan (supporting actor nominee for 2008’s “Revolutionary Road,” starring Kate Winslet and Leonardo DiCaprio). Shannan is also known for his role on the HBO series “Boardwalk Empire.” Written by actor Cary Elwes and ex-husband and wife Hanala and Joey Sagal, the film details the week surrounding the unusual pair’s 1970
Geostorm Wraps Feb. 20 This science fiction flick stars Gerard Butler as a satellite designer forced to save the world when climate control satellites begin to fail – and of course there’s also a plot to assassinate the President of the United States. The film also features big names Ed Harris and Andy Garcia and will serve as the big-screen directorial debut of Dean Devlin, whose credits include co-producing the 1996 action flick “Independence Day.” “Geostorm” is scheduled for an Oct. 21, 2016 release. And now for the new beginnings. Shooting is set to begin in March for the following feature films: “The Free State of Jones” Begins March 2 Civil War drama starring Matthew McConaughey “The Long Night” Begins March 30 Feature by Summit Films. Also filming currently : Feature film “When the Bough Breaks” – (begins Feb. 2) CBS series “Zoo” – (shooting since Jan. 26) “NCIS: New Orleans,” which was picked up for a second season, has been filming since July 26, 2014, and is scheduled to continue through April 30. n
Photo Thinkstock
BizNewOrleans.com February 2015
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Columns | Entrepreneur Biz Ofelia Posas, owner of Posas Beauty Consulting
Accion Louisiana offers loans and technical resources to new and existing small businesses. Contact Lindsey Navarro, director of business support, at (504) 410-6162, or lnavarro@accionlouisiana.org Puentes New Orleans offers training and technical assistance for new and existing small businesses. Contact Lisa Reyes, small business program coordinator, at (504) 821-7228, or lisa.reyes@puentesno.org. The Hispanic Chamber of Commerce of Louisiana, located in New Orleans, is a network of Latino-operated businesses and offers many business support services. Call (504) 885-4262 or email president@hccl.biz.
Emprendimiento Entrepreneurism in New Orleans is a many-cultured thing.
L 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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atinos are New Orleans’ fastest-growing population group – and Latino-owned businesses are beginning to grow at a similar rate. While Hispanic entrepreneurs may remain constrained by a lack of access to resources - specifically access to business information and capital - and since language and cultural barriers serve as additional hurdles, two local organizations are reaching out to help entrepreneurial Latinos launch their dreams. Accion Louisiana, an extension of Accion Texas Inc., the nation’s largest microlender, has partnered with Hispanic community service leader Puentes New Orleans to increase access to capital for emerging entrepreneurs. Over the past year, Accion Louisiana has lent more than $260,000 to Latino-owned businesses in Greater New Orleans. “These business owners face many challenges, beyond limited access to entrepreneurial
February 2015 BizNewOrleans.com
resources,” explains Lindsey Navarro, director of business support for Accion Louisiana. “There is a huge language barrier. Even the most basic information, such as how to register a business, or even apply for an occupational license or basic permit, is not readily available in Spanish.” Navarro says that most business owners want to operate legitimately, but don’t know what the first steps should be. “We often find ourselves educating the community about the differences in the way businesses are formalized and operated in the U.S. compared to how it is done in Latin America,” she says. Similarly, Puentes’ “Fuerza Economica” small business program focuses on providing technical support and education to startups, as well as existing Latino-owned businesses. This support includes one-on-one technical assistance, trainings and industry-specific workshops.
Ofelia Posas emigrated from Honduras in 2009, and after six months of living in New Orleans, she began offering services as a beauty consultant. “Without the financial support and training Accion gave me, I could not have achieved my business goals,” she says. “I just received my third loan, which I used to purchase inventory. As a result of having access to these resources, my sales have increased, and my team is steadily growing.” Posas now leads a team of 50 beauty consultants. Like many of her fellow Latino entrepreneurs, she is providing significant work opportunities for her community. Local Latino-operated businesses run the gamut from micro-enterprises like food trucks to major corporate players like Pan-American Life Insurance Group. In addition to their cultural heritage, the common thread they seem to share is reliability: according to Accion’s Navarro, only one of their 40-plus loans has defaulted. Like the city itself, business in New Orleans has always reflected a unique mix of cultures. Now we can add Latino emprendedores to the many flavors of our economic gumbo. n
Photo courtesy of Accion Louisiana
BizNewOrleans.com February 2015
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Columns | Biz Etiquette
Be Careful What You Ask For Requesting references and recommendations is risky business.
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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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ithin the past year, I’ve been asked by two former colleagues to write graduate school recommendation letters. Both these people are a credit to their respective professions - one is a journalist, and the other is in marketing and communications - so I was happy to oblige and felt honored to have been asked. There are, however, times when a not-so-professional or downright dreadful current or former colleague requests a job reference or a letter of recommendation. Or, after giving a reference or recommendation, the requester doesn’t follow up with a thank you, handwritten or otherwise. In the professional setting, both are tricky situations that, if not properly handled on both sides, can breed resentment and frustration. The first step in requesting a reference or letter of recommendation is to make an honest
February 2015 BizNewOrleans.com
assessment of your working relationship with the other party. If there is any doubt about how they feel about your work ethic or the quality of your work, scratch them off the short list. Asking the wrong person might not only result in a bad recommendation, but also awkwardness. If you ask a coworker or manager who knows they aren’t able to say good things about your performance, they now have to figure out how to tactfully excuse themselves from the situation. Preventing the uncomfortable scenario in the first place is well within your grasp. Know thyself. Next, always give a heads-up to anyone you’ve listed as a reference or potential candidate for a recommendation letter, even if it’s an ongoing, reciprocal agreement. If you don’t see them very often, they may need a reminder of who you are and time to pull your files. Your mom was right
when she said the world doesn’t revolve around you - people have short memories, so help them help you. Once you’ve gotten the green light on using the other party as a reference or recommendation, give your colleague some insight into the job or program to which you are applying. A bullet list of key points can be helpful, so offer it up as a starting point. That said, keep in mind that the other party is not beholden to your preferred list of accolades, accomplishments and abilities and can say or write whatever he or she feels is suitable. It’s out of your hands. After the reference is given or letter submitted, follow up with a thank you - either in person, on the phone or via email. A handwritten thank-you note is always welcome and a small token of appreciation, such as a gift card, a thank-you lunch, or a small tailored gift, are all great ideas. Hooking them up with high-quality baked goods also doesn’t hurt. Unless you have a casual relationship or a friendship outside of work with the other party, avoid texting your gratitude and stick with one of the more formal approaches. Keep it professional. This is especially important if the other person is a current or former manager. Finally, the people who gave that solid reference or wrote a spectacularly favorable recommendation letter should be among the first to hear when you are offered the job or acceptance into the program to which you’ve applied. Getting the news via social media or through the grapevine when they played a role in the success of the campaign can breed hurt feelings, so share the news as soon as possible. The same applies if you don’t get the job or are declined entry into the program or workshop. In the case of the latter, thank them for their help and accept the condolences, pats on the back for trying and encouragement to keep at it, because a little sympathy will help ease the pain. As with any relationship, communication is key. If you remember that and proceed with honesty and integrity, colleagues past, present and future will clamor to recommend you throughout your career. n Photo Thinkstock
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Biz Bits - Industry News Around town
We are thrilled that we are finally realizing the vision and objective that Mayor Moon Landrieu, creator of the DDD, and one of our first chairs, Joe Canizaro, had 40 years ago. This is evident in the kudos from our stakeholders and the over $6 billion in investment in Downtown today.
Kurt Weigle, president and CEO of the Downtown Development District - created by the Louisiana Legislature in 1974 as the nation’s first assessment-based business improvement district (BID). The DDD celebrates 40 years this year.
Downtown New Orleans – At A Glance n
Received $6 billion in investment since 2005
Received $800 million in real estate development assisted by LA Historic Tax Credit, one of the DDD’s hallmark initiatives n
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43 national retailers were added in the last 12 months, including Neiman Marcus, Tiffany & Co., and The Art of Shaving
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142,764 people are Downtown on an average weekday
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The area features 176 restaurants and 32 sidewalk cafes
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Almost 20% of “Vacant and Underutilized Properties” were either redeveloped or under development in the last year
n There are 5,100 residents in the Downtown core and 40,000 in the Greater Downtown area n Downtown features 3,571 residential units, with 2,000 units in the pipeline n
Existing units are at 98% residential occupancy
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Rents are rising past $2.00 per square foot
Port of New Orleans Hits Cruise Milestone For the first time in its history, the Port of New Orleans cruise terminals handled more than 1 million cruise passengers in one year. In 2014, embarkations and disembarkations totaled 1,014,325, an increase of more than 2.6 percent over 2013, and a fourth straight record year for the Port. “This is a great milestone for the Port of New Orleans,” says Port President and CEO Gary LaGrange. “The total represents a 180-percent increase in cruise passengers since 2001 – the year the Port began in earnest marketing itself as a premier cruise destination.” According to Cruise Lines International Association, direct industry expenditures in Louisiana totaled $406 million, supported 8,129 jobs and accounted for $323 million in total income last year alone.
- Source: Downtown Development District
We’d love to include your business-related news in next month’s Biz Bits. Please email details to Editorial@BizNewOrleans.com. 30
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Recent Openings
Allegiant Air Expands to New Orleans Beginning Feb. 4, Allegiant Air, a Las Vegas-based, all-jet passenger airline, will begin offering nonstop service to and from Cincinnati/Northern Kentucky International Airport, Indianapolis, Columbus and Orlando Sanford International Airport. According to airline spokesperson Justin Ralenkotter, the introduction of service was specifically timed to capitalize on Mardi Gras. In 2014, Aviation Week magazine ranked Allegiant its “Top-Performing Airline in North America” for the third consecutive year.
New Orleans Creole Cookery Opens in French Quarter On Jan. 12, New Orleans Creole Cookery opened at 510 Toulouse St. The restaurant was created by A.J. Tusa, whose father opened the original Messina’s restaurant on the corner of Chartres and Iberville streets in 1945. The restaurant features a white-tablecloth, fine-dining space called “Toulouse Lautrec,” as well as an oyster bar, courtyard, and bar with a full menu of handcrafted cocktails that includes “The Ghost Trilogy,” - a drink with three shots named in honor of the building’s resident ghosts. New Orleans Creole Cookery is open daily from 11:00 a.m. until 10:00 p.m.
The Outlet Collection at Riverwalk Going Strong From its grand opening in May 2014 through the end of the year, The Outlet Collection at Riverwalk welcomed more than 2.5 million visitors. The mall is now officially 100 percent committed with retailers. Basic Demographic Info of Riverwalk Shoppers 58% of shoppers at The Riverwalk live in the New Orleans area (locals).
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n 84% of non-local shoppers are from the U.S. n More than 65% of all shoppers are women.
Retailer-specific Stats (at 6 months): Coach has had to remodel its store to accommodate demand. n
Smoothie King has served more than 33,562 smoothies. n
n CROCS – more than 15,000 pairs of shoes sold
Photo The Outlet Collection at Riverwalk
n Fat Tuesday – more than 53,000 frozen daiquiris sold n
Relax Center – 2,468 massages sold
Sunglass Hut – 4,836 sunglasses sold n
Tommy Bahama – sold 13,676 Hawaiian-style shirts (both men’s and women’s) and 2,722 pieces of swimwear. n
Famous Footwear n
19,157 customers
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23,319 pairs of shoes sold
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38,877 accessories sold
ZukaBaby Parenting Boutique Expands to Metairie ZukaBaby, a natural-parenting boutique located in Uptown New Orleans since 2009, opened its second location at 3248 Severn Ave., in Metairie with a baby shower-themed grand opening Saturday, Jan. 24. During the day of the opening, a portion of the sales from both ZukaBaby locations were donated to the Greater New Orleans Breastfeeding Awareness Coalition (GNOBAC), which promotes awareness of the benefits of breastfeeding in the lives of mothers, children and families, and promotes breastfeeding as the standard for optimal infant health and development. In addition to ongoing natural-parenting classes and a cloth diaper exchange, the store’s new Metairie location features its own new addition - the “Nola Nesting Nursing Lounge” - a space that co-functions as a baby shower and private event venue. BizNewOrleans.com February 2015
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Photo by Glade Bilby III
Business of the Heart Lo ca l h o s p i ta ls o f f er t he la t e st a dvan cemen ts i n ca rd i o v a s c u la r t r ea t me nt s. By Chris Price
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rom sugary king cakes to salty seafood boils, and deep fried foods to free-flowing libations, it’s easy to understand why New Orleans was known as “The City That Care Forgot” long before it was called “The Big Easy.” Not surprisingly, heart-related injury is one of the leading killers of Louisianians and is expected to affect up to every other person in the state. This February, amid Carnival and St. Valentine’s Day, cardiologists across south Louisiana are trying to break through the myriad distractions of festival season with a reminder – enjoy our “let the good times roll” lifestyle, but do it in moderation. “Louisiana has a reputation for ranking among the top states in the nation with the highest prevalence for heart disease and death,” says Ochsner Health System Cardiologist Richard Milani, MD, FACC, FAHA. “Unfortunately, heart attacks are the leading cause of death, and stroke is the fourth-leading cause of death in Louisiana, which is why there is such a large focus on heart health within this region.”
local heart help According to the American Heart Association, more than 5 million Americans will rush to a hospital emergency room this year with chest pain. More than 600,000 will die a heart-related death. In addition, on average, someone in the United States suffers a stroke every 45 seconds, with a stroke-related death every three minutes. Fortunately, our region’s medical professionals have long been
LEFT: Hard at work, Tod Engelhardt, a cardiovascular-thoracic surgeon at East Jefferson General Hospital’s Institute of Heart and Vascular Medicine, says the hospital’s new hybrid surgical and catheterization laboratory, opened in April 2014, “allows for more complex procedures, many of which are not open surgeries, with superior imaging capability. It’s easier on and better overall for the patient.” Photo by Greg Miles
among the world’s leaders in advancing cardiovascular care. With increasing competition in the local health care market, organizations are doing all they can to improve quality, services and facilities. Below are just a sample of the cardiovascular-related advances happening at New Orleans-area hospitals.
The John Ochsner Heart and Vascular Institute Heart failure affects approximately 5.7 million people in the United States, with 670,000 new cases diagnosed annually. For people who progress to end-stage heart failure affecting both sides of the heart (biventricular failure), there are two treatment options – an immediate transplant with a donated donor organ, or placement of an artificial heart. According to the U.S. Department of Health & Human Services, about 4,000 people are waiting for a donor heart transplant on any given day, while only about 2,300 donor hearts become available annually. Ochsner performs more than 20 heart transplants per year, and in
ABOVE: A closeup look at the SynCardia Total Artificial Heart. In 2013, The John Ochsner Heart and Vascular Institute became the first hospital in the Gulf South - and one of only 40 certified centers in the United States - to offer this lifesaving option designed to keep a patient alive until a heart transplant can be performed.
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Photos courtesy of Tulane Medical Center
2013, became the first hospital in the Gulf South - and one of only 40 certified centers in the United States - to offer the SynCardia Total Artificial Heart, the only device that eliminates the symptoms and source of
“Ochsner has a history of innovation...it’s a testimony to what we do. Over the past 60 years, we have embraced evolving technology and innovation to bring the highest quality of care that our patients deserve. We strive to be a pioneer in leading, cutting-edge procedures not only in heart and vascular disease, but across all fields of medicine.” -John Ochsner, MD, Emeritus Chief of Surgery for Ochsner Health System. end-stage heart failure. It is the only FDAapproved total artificial heart for transplanteligible patients at risk of imminent death from heart failure. Similar to a heart transplant, it replaces both failing heart ventricles and the four heart valves. According to company data, one-third of all current SynCardia Artificial Heart patients have been supported by the device for more than a year. The longest patient lived on the device for 1,374 days - nearly four years before a successful heart transplant. Since the first artificial heart appeared in 1969, about 1,400 have been implanted worldwide. Of that number, nearly 500 SynCardia hearts, including two at Ochsner, have been LEFT PAGE TOP AND BOTTOM: Views of the hybrid surgical and catheterization laboratory at Tulane Medical Center’s Heart and Vascular Institute. RIGHT: Opened in February 2008, the Touro Infirmary Heart and Vascular Center operates three cardiac cath labs and a heart and vascular care unit.
Photo courtesy of Touro Infirmary
implanted since the most-recent device was introduced in 2010. “Thanks to modern technology, the artificial heart is a lifesaver and a viable option for the patient while waiting for a heart transplant,” says Hector Ventura, MD, Ochsner’s head of Heart Failure and Transplantation. “We are extremely proud to offer this technology to patients suffering from end-stage heart failure.”
East Jefferson General Hospital’s Institute of Heart and Vascular Medicine East Jefferson General Hospital’s hybrid surgical and catheterization laboratory opened in April 2014. It is one of the newest in the region and features diagnostic imaging equipment used simultaneously with catheterizations. The lab has three suites and a seven-bed area for patients to be monitored before and after procedures. Physicians perform coronary, peripheral vascular and carotid diagnostics and interventional procedures on blockages, including stent placement. Dr. Tod Engelhardt, a cardiovascularthoracic surgeon at EJGH’s Institute of Heart and Vascular Medicine, says the unit’s hybrid laboratory and advanced imaging services have revolutionized the way medicine is practiced at the hospital. “It allows for more complex procedures, many of which are not open surgeries, with superior imaging capability,” he says. “It’s easier on and better overall for the patient.” East Jefferson invested in the hybrid lab’s state-of-the-art equipment due to recent cardiovascular-related successes. In 2009, a patient arrived at East Jefferson in cardiogenic shock with chest pain and severe shortness of breath just two weeks following coronary artery bypass surgery. He was diagnosed with a massive pulmonary embolism - a blood clot that blocked blood flow to the lungs and extended into his right ventricle and right atrium. Engelhardt suggested a treatment using the previous lab’s imaging equipment and a special vibrating catheter to directly deliver a safe dose of a blood clot-busting drug directly to the embolism without affecting his prior surgery. The patient’s symptoms began to improve within minutes, and he became stable two hours later. The New Orleans native and Brother Martin alum has performed more than 110 similar procedures since. The technique has been written about in medical journals and presented at medical conferences in Europe,
Asia, South America and throughout North America. “It gives you a good feeling to know that you are addressing an unmet need for those with life-threatening conditions,” Engelhardt says. “It’s satisfying, and at the same time humbling, to know that your education and work has helped to cure someone.”
Louisiana Heart Hospital With nearly 700,000 Americans experiencing a new or recurrent stroke every year, the Louisiana Heart Hospital in Lacombe is paying special interest to stroke prevention. In 2014, The Joint Commission, in conjunction with The American Heart Association
and American Stroke Association, awarded LHH the advanced certification as a Primary Stroke Center, adding to its previous designation as an accredited chest pain center by the Society of Cardiovascular Patient Care. “Louisiana Heart Hospital is the only hospital in the North Shore area to become accredited as both a Chest Pain and Primary Stroke Center,” says LHH CEO Roy Wright. Louisiana Heart Hospital is home to three state-of-the-art catheterization labs, which help physicians diagnose and treat cardiovascular disease. One lab is dedicated to the diagnosis of vascular disease, which includes the carotid arteries (which, when diseased, can cause strokes), renal arteries, aorta, and the vessels of the legs. The labs feature
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Phillips imaging equipment and a lower X-ray radiation dose to both the patient and medical staff. Digital equipment eliminates the need for film and processing, which lowers the cost of the procedure for patients.
FaceTime or Skype,” Huber-Koppen says. “The doctors and nurses can make their assessments and confer with a brain specialist for advice and input on the patient’s treatment.”
Heart failure affects approximately 5.7 million people in the United States, with 670,000 new cases diagnosed annually. The John Ochsner Heart and Vascular Institute performs more than 20 heart transplants each year.
West Jefferson Medical Center Tulane Medical Center’s Heart & Vascular Institute In addition to cardiology services, diagnostic testing, cardiovascular surgery and cardiac transplant procedures, Tulane Medical Center’s Heart & Vascular Institute is focusing on advancing stroke care to Louisiana’s rural areas. “When facing a heart attack, the quicker we can get blood flowing, the better chance to preserve heart tissue. The same applies to stroke,” says Cindy Huber-Koppen, vice president of Tulane Medical Center’s Cardiology Program. Tulane is working on a “tele-stroke” outreach program with hospitals in rural areas to increase the quality of care where neurologists aren’t readily available or affordable. “The program will allow emergency medical staff at rural hospitals to connect with a Tulane specialist via a program similar to 36
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West Jefferson Medical Center, along with other hospitals in the region, is using mobile technology to gain use of every second when time is most essential. Emergency Medical Services (EMS) are utilizing field EKGs, which allow them to send real-time, accurate readings of their patient’s heart functions from an ambulance to physicians in the emergency department so they can begin to coordinate the patient’s care while in transit to the hospital. “The mobile EKG saves 20 to 30 minutes in determining a diagnosis,” says Christy Kareokowsky, RN, director of West Jeff’s cardiology service line. “The technology allows Emergency Medical Technicians (EMTs) to do an EKG and transmit it to the emergency department so physicians can make a diagnosis on whether the patient is having an acute heart attack. If they are, we can get the ball rolling, have the necessary team members in
place and the cath lab ready as soon as they get here.”
Touro Infirmary Heart and Vascular Center Touro’s Heart and Vascular Center offers comprehensive services ranging from routine check-ups to advanced therapies and diagnostics. Opened in February 2008, the center operates three cardiac cath labs and a heart and vascular care unit. Touro provides a full spectrum of cardiac care, from prevention and diagnosis to treatment, rehabilitation, advanced cardiac interventions, pacemakers/ICD implantations, peripheral vascular studies and intervention. Last year, Touro treated more than 1,700 patients in its cath labs and performed more than 11,000 ultrasound studies, 21,000 EKGs and 1,200 stress tests. n
Photo courtesy of Ochsner Medical Center
think the risk for heart disease/heart attack is small when in fact, it is just as high as in men. As a result, women are more likely to ignore their symptoms. It is extremely important that women understand the severity of this disease amongst their gender and take the same precautions as their spouse, brother, father or other important male figures in their life.”
2) Technology Can be Key
Heart Disease: What You Should Know 1) Gender Doesn’t Matter While it doesn’t have nearly the exposure as breast cancer awareness, heart disease claims the lives of more women than breast cancer and lung cancer combined. Women are making up more of the local percentage of heart patients than ever, yet there is an ongoing perception that heart disease is a male-dominant condition. “It’s a myth, a total misconception, that heart disease is more of a problem for men and that women are not prone to it,” says Gregory Tilton, MD, a cardiologist at East Jefferson General Hospital. “Generally, females have less typical symptoms, which means less testing and fewer confirmations. In addition, where men usually experience
increased instances of chest pain, heart attack and coronary artery disease in their 50s and 60s, women see an onset more into their 70s.” Although both genders are susceptible to the same risk factors (obesity, diabetes, high blood pressure, smoking, etc.), women do not present the same symptoms generally associated with heart-related issues. Women are somewhat more likely than men to have some of the other common symptoms, particularly shortness of breath, nausea/vomiting, and back or jaw pain. “There is a large disconnect between women and heart disease,” says Ochsner Health System Cardiologist Richard Milani, MD, FACC, FAHA. “For women, there is an awareness difference, where they tend to
Imagine using your smart phone to help your physician monitor your heart health. It’s not a glimpse into the future. It’s in practice today. Local hospitals are utilizing innovation and technology to enhance the patient experience by offering monitors, including a wireless blood pressure cuff that can plug into your phone, and scales that email daily results directly to your physician. “These offerings allow patients with chronic diseases to monitor their levels in the comfort of their home, allowing physicians to receive this data in real time so they can monitor for any warning signals or adjust medications as needed,” Milani says.
3) Time is of the Essence If symptoms appear, especially more than one at a time, the patient needs immediate emergency medical attention. Clot-busting drugs and other artery-opening treatments work best to stop a heart attack or stroke if given within one hour of the start of symptoms. If there are two or more heart attack or stroke warning signs, don’t wait more than 5 minutes at most to call 9-1-1 for emergency medical services (EMS).
Create A Heart-Friendly Workplace According to the 2014 Health Benefits Survey by The Henry J. Kaiser Family Foundation, last year average annual premiums for employersponsored health insurance was $6,025 for single coverage and $16,834 for family coverage – representing a 2 percent and 3 percent rise, respectively, over 2013. Since healthier employees can mean lower premiums, better attendance and greater productivity, the new year could be a good time for businesses to start their own healthy resolutions. As part of its Million Hearts initiative to prevent 1 million heart attacks and strokes by 2017, the Department of Health and Human Services suggests the following actions for employers: n Provide nutrition and sodium education during new employee orientations.
Photo courtesy of Ochsner Medical Center
n Create a smoke-free workplace via a written policy banning tobacco use on-site.
Offer behavioral counseling and pharmacotherapy to employees at no or low cost. n
n Provide health insurance coverage with no or low out-of-pocket costs for hypertension or cholesterol medications, home blood pressure-monitoring devices with clinical support, and prescription tobacco cessation medications and FDA- approved over-the-counter nicotine-replacement products. n Provide one-on-one or group lifestyle counseling and follow-up monitoring for employees with high blood pressure, pre-hypertension, and high cholesterol.
Source: Health and Human Services’ Million Hearts Initiative – millionhearts.hhs.gov BizNewOrleans.com February 2015
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Greg Abry, Abry Brothers Nicolas Bazan, LSU Neuroscience Center John Blancher, Rock-N-Bowl Yvonne Blount, Antoine’s Philip Brooks, Brooks Investments, Inc. William Burk, Burk Property Investments Joseph C. Canizaro, Chairman, First Bank and Trust, Founder Ralph Capitelli, Capitelli and Wicker Law Firm Joseph Carrere, Merlin Candies, Inc. Emmett Chapital, Chapital Cardiology Clinic LLC, Past President Mason Couvillon, Dardis Couvillon & Associates John Dardis, Dardis Couvillon & Associates Brandt Dufrene, First National Bank, USA Bill Ellsworth, Ellsworth, LeBlanc, & Ellsworth George Fowler, Fowler Rodriguez Frank France, Kehoe-France, Inc., Director David Gallo, Gallo Mechanical Contractors William Hines, Jones, Walker Steven Hubbell, Stokes & Hubbell Capital Mgt., Inc. Dan Jacob, N.O. Medical Mission Jack Jensen, TCI Trucking & Warehousing Services Ronald Karcher, Ronald L. Karcher Construction Co. Thomas Kitchen, Stewart Enterprise Victor Kurzweg, Consolidated Companies Mel Lagarde, HCA Delta Div. James Lewis, Landis Construction CO, LLC James LaPorte, Ericksen, Krentel & LaPorte, LLP, Vice President Robert Lupo, Lupo Enterprises Todd Matherne, Renaissance Publishing Robert Menard, P.A. Menard Inc.
Larry Merington, Stewart Enterprise, Membership Chair David Mutter, Doerr Furniture Jane Nalty, Director Michael Nolan, Fifth District Savings and Loan Assn. Larry Oney, Risk Technology Institute/ Hammerman & Gainer Inc. A.J. Palermo, Canteen Corp. James Pellerin, Pellerin Milnor Claiborne Perrilliat, Packard Truck Lines, Inc. Leon PochĂŠ, Riomar Agencies, Inc., Program Chair Peter Quirk, Walk Haydel & Associates, Inc., Director Louis Rodriguez, TCI Packaging Stanton Salathe, Salathe Oil Company, Director Jack Scariano, Scariano Brothers Dominick Sciortino, St. Bernard Drugs, Inc., President Henry Shane, Favrot and Shane Co., Inc. M. Gordon Stevens, New Orleans Steamboat Co. Frank Stewart, Stewart Capital, LLC Matthew Ungarino, Ungarino and Eckert, LLC Michael Vales, Vales Management, Inc. Scott Whittaker, Stone Pigman Joseph Wink, Wink, Incorporated/Universal Consolidated Services Robert Wooderson, Gibbs Construction
Chaplains: Monsignor Andrew Taormina Very Reverend Joseph Doyle Very Reverend Neal McDermott
Join these Catholic leaders and their spouses each month for Mass, dinner and a great Catholic speaker.
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Photo courtesy of Carnival Cruise Lines
Shall We Cruise? In the midst of what is already a record-breaking winter, the Port of New Orleans points its bow toward the future. By Lucie Monk
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ven in muggy Louisiana, winter finds a way. It chills. It frosts. It forces a statewide hibernation. So venture down to the Port of New Orleans, pick your ocean liner, and cruise away to sunshine and freedom. You won’t be alone. Prime season for cruise lines is recognized as November through April. In its 2014 U.S. Editors’ Picks, review site Cruise Critic (which boasts 3 million readers – the largest community of cruise-goers in the world) named New Orleans its “Best North American Homeport.” Porthole Cruise Magazine also extended accolades, bestowing the city with its “Friendliest Homeport” honors in its 2014 Editor-in-Chief Awards.
This recent recognition for New Orleans accompanies overall growth in the cruise industry. Though the 2008 economic crisis prompted many budget-conscious travelers to opt for “staycations,” a 2013 Business Research and Economic Advisors study prepared for the Cruise Lines International Association (CLIA) shows a promising rebound since 2010, with ships becoming increasingly larger and more numerous. The Port of New Orleans’ 2014-2015 winter cruise season welcomed 33,000 passengers through the riverfront terminals in the first weekend - a record for the port. Among the six ships arriving to the city within the first five days, Norwegian Cruise Line’s Norwegian Dawn and Royal Caribbean
Cruise Line’s Serenade of the Seas embarked on their seasonal itineraries from the Julia Street Terminal November 21 and 22. Each will sail seven-day itineraries until April. Year-round ships came calling as well. Issued from Carnival Cruise Lines, the Carnival Elation and Carnival Dream continued their own itineraries at the Erato Street Terminal. And still the riverfront finds room for smaller vessels, with ships from The Great American Steamboat Co., American Cruise Lines, Travel Dynamics International, and Blount Small Ship Adventures, offering tours on the Mississippi River, as well as along the Gulf Coast.
In April 2014, the Carnival Dream became the Port of New Orleans’ largest ship, with room for 3,646 passengers. It replaced the Carnival Sunshine, which held 3,006 passengers and is now based out of Cape Canaveral, Fla. BizNewOrleans.com February 2015
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A Big, Easy Choice Whether departing or arriving, cruise passengers have taken special note of New Orleans, not just for brief shore excursions, but as a destination itself. The 2013 CLIA study found that 60 percent of the city’s visiting cruise passengers spend an average of two nights in New Orleans either before or after their scheduled cruises, indulging in the city’s many attractions and amenities. “We sell it as two vacations in one,” says Port President and CEO Gary LaGrange. In a prepared statement, he added: “Come for the cuisine, live music and museums and then [embark] on a great Caribbean cruise.” New Orleans’ local economy benefits from the curious travelers too. The 2013 study showed that cruise passengers and crew spent $78.4 million while enjoying the city in 2012; $27.5 million went toward lodging expenses and $8.3 million toward food and beverage. “The average cruise passenger will spend about $95 a day out of pocket,” says LaGrange. “When they come to New Orleans, they spend $332 a day. They’re having fun.” Terry Thornton, senior vice president of Carnival Cruise Lines, cites New Orleans’ central location in the South as another reason for the port’s popularity. “It’s got great population bases within a 42
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relatively short distance,” says Thornton, “only about five or so hours away.” Another plus, he says, is the Southern hospitality. “We get such great support from Gary LaGrange and his team. I can’t say enough nice things.” Norwegian Renews its Contract In December 2014, the Port of New Orleans renewed a successful relationship with Norwegian Cruise Line. Preceding the announcement, the Norwegian Dawn launched from the Port of New Orleans Nov. 21. The ship makes Caribbean voyages throughout the winter, a popular vacation choice as the temperatures dip. The Norwegian Dawn holds 2,340 passengers and offers a variety of entertainment to each vacationer, with a fitness center and spa, pools, a casino, 12 lounges and bars, and 14 dining options. Guests can choose from Brazilian steakhouse Moderno, authentic Italian at La Cucina, the ship’s main dining room, The Venetian, or a late-night snack at the 24-hour food court, among a dozen other options. The range of accommodations befits the single nomad, the sprawling family, and every traveler and budget in between. The Norwegian Dawn sails to Cozumel, Mexico;
Belize City, Belize; Roatan Bay Islands, Honduras; and Costa Maya, Mexico. Norwegian Cruise Line has sailed from New Orleans since 2003, previously channeling its Norwegian Jewel through the port. The new contract extends until 2018—with one-year options available up to 2021. Carnival Goes Big Carnival Cruise Lines has expanded its local investment as well. In fact, the July 2014 contract overlaps with a three-year extension signed in 2013. The latest agreement keeps at least two Carnival ships sailing in and out of New Orleans until 2019, with the possibility to renew until 2022. The line currently operates two ships out of New Orleans - the Dream and Elation - and annually brings over 400,000 passengers through the Port. In April 2014, the Carnival Dream became the Port of New Orleans’ largest ship, with room for 3,646 tourists. It replaced the Carnival Sunshine, which held 3,006 passengers and now has its homeport in Cape Canaveral, Fla. “It’s the first of its kind,” says Terry Thornton of the Carnival Dream. “It’s the largest ship that’s been to the Port and it’s certainly the largest to operate year-round from there.” The Carnival Dream is the debut Photography courtesy of Carnival Cruise Lines and Norwegian Cruise Line
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vessel from Carnival’s Dream Class Line; its little sisters include the Carnival Magic out of Galveston and the Miami-based Carnival Breeze. What should a passenger expect aboard a Dream Class cruise ship? Along with the allinclusive food and entertainment options key to any popular cruise, the Carnival Dream contains the WaterWorks park (which features a 300-foot twister water slide), the Cloud 9 Spa, and an array of outdoor activites, including the chance to enjoy a beverage at the RedFrog Rum Bar and BlueIguana Tequila Bar. “We put together a whole new area of the ship called Ocean Plaza,” explains Thornton. “It’s an indoor space where there’s some level of entertainment and booths available, and in the outdoor space we’ve got spas that cantilever over the ship.” The success of the Dream’s new features inspired the company to update the Carnival Magic and Carnival Breeze even further. “The Carnival Dream was really the launching point,” Thornton says. The 1,004-foot liner makes three different West Caribbean cruises: a route through the Bahamas and Florida stopping at Key West, Freeport, and Nassau; another through Montego Bay, Jamaica, Cozumel, Mexico and Grand Cayman; and a third itinerary targetPhoto courtesy of Norwegian Cruise Line
ing Mahogany Bay’s Isla Roatan, Belize, and Cozumel. The company’s other New Orleans ship, the Elation, handles four- and five-day itineraries to both Progreso and Cozumel, Mexico.
1: Carnival Cruise lines operates two ships out of New Orleans - Dream (seen here) and Elation. 2: Norwegian Cruise Lines renewed its contract with the port December 2014. The new contract extends until 2018. 3: Entertainment options aboard the Carnival Dream include mini gulf, a spa and a water park. 4: The Port of New Orleans is the sixth largest port in the country. In 2013, cruise operators spent an estimated $406 million in Louisiana, and the industry generated 8,129 jobs.
Royal Caribbean Bids Adieu – For Now Royal Caribbean International announced in June 2014 that it will not renew its contract with the Port when it expires after the 2014-2015 season. “We’re going to lose Royal Caribbean for at least one year,” says LaGrange. “They’re trying out some new possibilities. We hope to get them back in 2016.”
489,000 embarkations (up from 488,000 in 2012 and 369,000 in 2011). In 2014 the growth, while no longer as dramatic, kept its upward trend.
Big Ships Bring Big Bucks Carnival and other cruise operators spent upward of $399 million in Louisiana in 2012 and $406 million in 2013. In a 2014 mid-year status update by the CLIA, the Port of New Orleans was ranked the sixth-largest port in the country. Miami, Port Everglades, and Port Canaveral occupy the top three spots. In 2012 alone, the industry generated 7,548 Louisiana jobs and $294 million in personal income. In 2013, those numbers rose even higher to 8,129 jobs and $323 million in personal income. Last year, the Port of New Orleans handled
structural changes It would be hard not to notice the arrival of a 130,000-ton ship. So it comes as no surprise that news of the Carnival Dream joining the Port of New Orleans last spring prompted a $2.3 million renovation of the Erato Street Terminal. Terminal improvements sought to maximize flow for the expected increase in passengers by relocating embarkation counters, installing more X-rays and screening machines, and expanding the Captain’s Lounge to triple its former size. The Port even relocated the gangway of BizNewOrleans.com February 2015
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the Julia Street Terminal (first constructed in 2011) to Erato Street, because it matches the configuration of Carnival’s Dream Class lifeboats. Other changes to Erato Street included painting touch-ups inside the terminal, and the addition of top-of-the-line audio and video navigation aids and information systems. In part because of these renovations, the Port of New Orleans’ website boasts that the Erato Street Terminal is “the easiest terminal in North America from which to embark and disembark.” And not just the terminals have been spruced up as a result of the additional activity. This past May, what was formerly known as the Riverwalk Marketplace underwent an $80 million rejuvenation at the hands of the Howard Hughes Corp. Now known as The Outlet Collection at Riverwalk, the shopping mall celebrated its grand opening on Memorial Day Weekend with five days of festivities culminating in fireworks over the Mississippi River. The upscale outlet center is the first establishment of its kind in the nation to be situated in a downtown setting. In October, the Port will open yet another terminal on Poland Avenue, and is currently 44
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in search of cruise lines to call the new space home—or even just pay a visit. “We’re marketing and promoting ports of call, as well as homeports here,” says LaGrange. As a port of call, New Orleans welcomes visiting ships for a day before they venture south to the Caribbean. “We’ve got a German ship that’s going to be here four different times over a 12-day period.” The Competition “Surprisingly, it’s not other cruise lines,” says Thornton of Carnival’s main opponents. The company focuses the majority of its energy and strategizing against land-based resorts. “Last year the whole cruise industry in North America generated about 12 million passengers,” said Thornton. “But at the resorts in Las Vegas and Orlando, they had around 90 million people.” Catching up with the resorts is a lofty goal, but the cruise lines have a few cards to play. Carnival has shifted focus from the national markets down to a regional level. “Ten or 15 years ago, we were running 30-second network television spots,” Thornton says. Now the company sponsors local marching band contests and partners on promo-
tional events with the New Orleans Saints and the Pelicans. “It’s about giving back to the community too,” he adds. “We’re not interested in just coming in and taking advantage of a place.” In targeting a regional audience, Carnival puts the spotlight on homeports, with the thought that if you live within driving distance of a terminal, your cruise vacation becomes that much more affordable and accessible. New Orleans is high on the list of these homeports, capturing multiple major cities within a sensibly small radius, as well as offering a range of nearby indulgences and activities for the usually transient tourists. “People have the opportunity to walk just a few blocks and they’re in the Quarter,” says LaGrange of the city’s tourist appeal. “Plus it’s one of the most European areas—if not the most—in the United States.” Next Stop Cuba? In December 2014, President Barack Obama announced intentions to end the long-running embargo with Cuba. The ensuing media forecast focused on cigars, commerce and travel. But Carnival Cruise Lines isn’t making Photo courtesy of Norwegian Cruise Line
Left Page: Cruise-goers don’t just spend money onboard. A recent study found 60 percent of passengers that come through New Orleans spend an average of two nights in the city. In 2012, this resulted in passengers and crew spending an estimated $78.4 million. right page: It remains to be seen whether the Cuban embargo will be lifted for cruise ships.
FAST FACTS n
80% of cruise passengers in New Orleans are from out-of-state
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60% stay an average of two nights in New Orleans before or after a cruise The biggest cruise ship to call New Orleans home is the current 1,004-foot, 130,000-ton Carnival Dream, which holds 3,646 passengers. More locals than out-of-towners take cruises out of New Orleans during Carnival season.
Source: 2013 Business Research and Economic Advisors study
Top Motivators to Cruise n
Value/price: 86.6%
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Destination/itineraries: 77.7%
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Cruise brand reputation: 76%
Source: CLIA Travel Agent Survey
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firm decisions just yet. “It’s impossible to do much planning,” says Thornton. “I’ve been hearing that it’ll open up for 15 years.” “Until the embargo is actually lifted there’s not much we can do,” agrees LaGrange. “But we’d love to see homeported ships heading to Cuba.” While there’s no word yet on Cuba, Thornton shares Carnival’s more concrete prospects. Along with constructing ports in Haiti and the Dominican Republic for its South Florida vessels, the cruise line will extend its trips out of New Orleans, offering 10- and 11-day itineraries to new destinations such as San Juan, Aruba and Bermuda. “When those new itineraries open up, I intend to be one of the first passengers,” says LaGrange. It’s a wider world for New Orleans cruise veterans. For novices, the increased territory offers another incentive to climb aboard. As passenger numbers grow, large ships are required to handle the demands for capacity. The greater the capacity, the more opportunities are afforded to the cruise industry. And the growth continues.
Why Cruise? “You mean people do other vacations than cruises?” jokes Thornton. Of all the tourists opting for a vacation on the seas, the United States has claimed 51.7 percent of the total passengers so far this year, according to CLIA’s 2014 State of Cruise Industry Report. Even for those who’d rather venture against the grain, the cruise industry makes a solid and tempting case for winning your business. Top trends for 2014 included technological enhancements, the rise of millennials as independent tourists, and a spike in multigenerational travel. “Bringing new people to cruising is important,” says Thornton. “But once they try it, they do it for a long time.” Let’s hope so. A good chunk of New Orleans’ economy is counting on it. n
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Perspectives A closer look at hot topics in three southeast Louisiana industries
48 Legal
54 Hotels & Hospitality 58 Real Estate BizNewOrleans.com February 2015
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Perspectives | Legal
Size Matters What legal acts apply to your business? It all depends on your payroll. By Phil McCausland
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ew business is good news for New Orleans, and it’s beginning to boom in the Crescent City. With startups springing up seemingly on a daily basis, the “Silicon Bayou” is living up to its namesake. But as a burgeoning entrepreneur takes that next step to develop his/her great idea into a small business, there are a few legal matters that need to be addressed. Failure to cover all the bases can be costly further down the road.
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“Don’t be afraid to talk to a lawyer,” warns E. Howell Crosby, partner at Chaffe McCall, L.L.P. “Look at it like your doctor. You need a lawyer - even if it’s just a general practitioner - who you trust, who you know that if you have an issue, he or she is going to help you or refer you to the right person.”
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Tips for New Entrepreneurs Amanda Bourgeois, associate at Kean Miller L.L.P., advises that budding business owners spend the time to perfect their legal documents as early as possible. “It’s important, on all aspects, to spend the time, and sometimes a little more money, to think about things and deal with them before they become issues,” Bourgeois says. “It will save a lot of headaches and money down the road in legal fees.” First and foremost, an entrepreneur needs to decide on the right legal structure. Will the company be a corporation, a limited liability corporation, a sole proprietorship? In addition to deciding on the entity, it’s important to think about who’s going to be a shareholder and what their rights are.
“It’s important, on all aspects, to spend the time, and sometimes a little more money, to think about things and deal with them before they become issues.” -Amanda Bourgeois, associate at Kean Miller L.L.P. Help on this front can be found online at the Louisiana Secretary of State’s office (sos.la.gov) which is also the place to register a trademark. Bourgeois says this latter step is a prudent one that is commonly overlooked. “Are you going to have any intellectual property needs that you need to have protected? Is the nature of your business something that you’re going to need to register a trademark or a service mark or a trade name?” she asks. Both Bourgeois and Crosby agree that having clear human resource guidelines for employees is of the utmost importance, as an BizNewOrleans.com February 2015
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Perspectives | Legal unaware employee can become a huge liability, costing the business money and possibly a leak of information to competitors. “You need to make sure your employees know what you expect from them,” Crosby says, “and that can be anything from personal use of Internet at work, to holidays, to how they can be fired or quit if it doesn’t work out, etc.” Both also emphasize that clear organizational documents can be a saving grace, especially if a company has more than one owner. This, they say, should be done when the company is formed. “This is where I see most issues arise,” Bourgeois says. “In those organizational documents you can spell out everything to where if one of you dies, does your stock go to your kids or does the other owner have the option to buy you out? If one of you wants to sell, does the other owner get the option to buy your shares so you don’t have a third party come in? It can be a little uncomfortable talking about these issues, but if you spend a little more time on the front end you’re dealing with it before the issue arises,
Of the three, worker’s compensation is the simplest; all it really requires is that you buy the insurance.
“Many people start businesses and think, ‘I’m going to pay everybody a salary and I’m not going to have to pay anyone overtime. And that’s not how the law works” -Ed Harold, partner at Fisher & Phillips L.L.P. so usually people are more levelheaded.” Company size is also an important variable in these discussions. There are legal distinctions that are created as the size of a company changes. Businesses that have fewer than 15 employees have to comply with fewer employment laws than those that have more than 50. For example, whether acts like Title VII of the Civil Rights Act, the Age Discrimination Employment Act, American with Disabilities Act, The Family and Medical Leave Act and Affordable Care Act apply to a company depends upon how many people are on the payroll. Fewer than 15 employees If a business has fewer than 15 employees, there are three important employment laws that need to be considered: The Fair Labor Standards Act, worker compensation laws and employee payroll tax laws. 50
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Payroll taxes - which include unemployment compensation, Social Security and income taxes - are next in line. Payroll taxes can be taken care of by a business owner, but Ed Harold, partner at Fisher & Phillips L.L.P., warns that small businesses might want to consider getting a little help. “You can learn how to do it and do it yourself,” he says, “but often, particularly for small businesses, it is more efficient and cost effective to have a payroll service that calculates all of those taxes for you.” Of the three most important employment laws to keep in mind, Harold warns to pay particular attention to the Fair Labor Standards Act – an act that applies to businesses that make at least $500,000 a year. Some businesses get in trouble, he says, when they don’t understand the differences between nonexempt status, which is what most people think of as hourly employees, and exempt status, or salaried employees.
“Many people start businesses and think, ‘I’m going to pay everybody a salary and I’m not going to have to pay anyone overtime,’” Harold says. “And that’s not how the law works. A small business needs to be aware that a salary is only half the equation. To have somebody that you don’t have to pay overtime to, they have to fit into a certain level of duties: management duties, administrative duties, basically people that exercise discretion and judgment in the operation of the business. For small businesses, that’s a very limited set of people.” 15 to 50 employees Businesses with more than 15 employees have the same legal liabilities as their smaller counterparts, as well as a few additional laws - including most employment discrimination laws. Title VII, which prohibits discrimination based on race, color, religion, sex, or national origin, applies, as well as the Age Discrimination Employment Act and the Americans with Disabilities Act, both prohibit discrimination because of age, physical or mental disabilities. “Now two things become significantly important,” Harold says. “The first is very practical, and that is you might want to consider purchasing Employment Practices Liability Insurance to help cover the cost of the defense if you do get sued. The second is you have to start documenting personnel actions and keep records of promotions, raises and discipline notices. Because once you’re in an environment where you’re subject to litigation, if someone says you were being discriminatory you’re going to have to produce the evidence that shows you’re not.” More than 50 employees With 50 employees, all the aforementioned laws apply and two more are triggered - the Family and Medical Leave Act and the Affordable Care Act. FMLA provides employees with certain rights relative to taking time off from work, which can be tough for some businesses. If a business just hits the 50-employee mark, for example, losing a key employee for 12 weeks can be difficult. “There’s a lot of paperwork with the FMLA,” Harold says. “You have to fill out forms, you have to give the employee particular forms, and it becomes a very timeconsuming process.” Finally, the Affordable Care Act - a new legal obligation that requires employers
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to provide affordable healthcare coverage to their employees – is definitely a factor for businesses that hit the 50 employee mark. Unlike smaller businesses, they can be fined for not providing health insurance to their employees. There are many different plans on the market, and a legal professional can be of great help in this situation. Remain Vigilant For all companies, there are also state laws to be aware of, and it is important to check in with the Secretary of State’s office in order to ensure compliance and keep abreast of new laws. Crosby also recommends getting legal documents reviewed annually; they might require updating as a business grows or changes. He warns not to be lulled into a false sense of security. Good business and legal coverage requires vigilance. “Once you do get your documents in place,” he says, “it’s like going to the doctor. You want to get them checked out every year or so to make sure that as you grow, the sophistication of your documents and the coverage that it is providing for you is adjusted to take that into account. It’s not just something you do at the startup phase and then put it on the shelf and don’t worry about it.” n
Required Compliance by Size 15 or fewer employees Fair Labor Standards Act Workers compensation laws Payroll tax laws 15-50 employees Title VII Age Discrimination Equality Act Americans with Disabilities Act 50 or more employees Family and Medical Leave Act Affordable Care Act
Legal Advice Checklist Decide on legal structure Register trademark Create clear human resource guidelines Obtain business licenses and permits Protect any website databases Refrain from speaking ill of competitors When taking on investors, create investor and shareholder agreements Prepare clear organizational documents in case company dissolves
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Perspectives | Hotels & Hospitality
NOLA Hotel Group purchased the Hotel St. Pierre at 911 Burgundy St. in January 2013. The boutique hotel features 11 separate buildings – including the former New Orleans Jazz Museum – with 76 guestrooms, six courtyards and two pools.
Spending Money to Make Money Local hotels bet big on renovations to attract business By Margaret Quilter
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ith more than 37,000 guestrooms in New Orleans - ranging from corporate towers to boutique-style hotels – visitors have plenty of options to choose from. But while choice is great for travelers, it also means there is plenty of competition, and constant pressure for local hotels to look and perform at their best. As such, renovations are commonplace – from knocking down walls to creating larger lobby areas, to redesigning guestrooms, and in some cases, gutting out and repurposing areas. NOLA Hotel Group, the InterContinental 54
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New Orleans and the Hyatt French Quarter have all recently undergone major renovations – ultimately changing guests’ experiences from the instant they step into the foyer of these hotels. NOLA HOTEL GROUP Composed of four uniquely different boutique-style hotels; NOLA Hotel Group formed three years ago when 12 lawyers from One Shell Square – with no previous experience in the hotel industry – were approached about investing in the Blake Hotel, at 500 St. Charles Ave. Since stepping
into the industry, the group has continued to expand their portfolio, with a purpose. “We are dedicated to rebuilding boutique,” says Andy Le Bouef, area director of sales and marketing for NOLA Hotel Group. “What we do is take these smaller historic hotels that have become tired and worn out and we bring them back to their former glory.” After acquiring the former Parc St. Charles Hotel in August 2011, the NOLA Hotel Group gave it a $4.3 million makeover and renamed it the Blake. Completed toward the end of 2013, the contemporary, Photo courtesy of NOLA Hotel Group
“We are dedicated to rebuilding boutique. What we do is take these smaller historic hotels that have become tired and worn out and we bring them back to their former glory.” -Andy Le Bouef, area director of sales and marketing for NOLA Hotel Group 11-story hotel now boasts 122 guestrooms, a lobby area, “Café at the Square” restaurant and 1,275 square feet of meeting space. The amenities and location of the hotel have traditionally appealed to corporate Photo courtesy of InterContinental New Orleans
travelers and travel groups, and although these markets remain a core focus, the Blake Hotel is honing in on the smaller meeting sector. “The return on investment has been 100 percent,” Le Bouef says. “When we acquired the hotel they really weren’t producing anything. Now the Blake and the St. James are our two most producing properties.” The St. James Hotel, at 330 Magazine St., was the second hotel to join NOLA Hotel Group’s portfolio in July 2012. The building has a long history in the Caribbean sugar and coffee trade, a fact to which the new renovations pay homage. To date, approximately $2.7 million has been spent on rejuvenating the entire property, enlarging the intimate lobby area to a grander space, and remodeling its 86 highend French Quarter-style guestrooms and boardroom so as to attract the small meeting market. Renovations are expected to be completed by this spring.
Last month the InterContinental New Orleans officially completed its $26 million renovation. Work included moving the lobby, restaurant and bar from the second floor to the first floor.
“The Blake and St. James Hotel get a mix of all markets because of their locations,” Le Bouef says. “We have a good mix of leisure and corporate travelers, and at the St. James we get a ton of weddings because it is located right next door to the Board of Trade.” In the depths of the French Quarter lies one of the two newest properties acquired by NOLA Hotel Group. The Hotel St. Pierre, located at 911 Burgundy St., is an intimate boutique hotel purchased in January 2013, with 11 buildings – including the former New Orleans Jazz Museum – 76 guestrooms, six courtyards and two pools. “The property is unique as it is not your typical hotel,” Le Bouef says. “It is French Quarter style, complete with the carriage houses, and we also have cottages across the street.” BizNewOrleans.com February 2015
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Le Bouef explains that renovations, which to date have cost approximately $2.3 million, are expected to wrap up by this summer. “The entire lobby is brand new from the studs,” he says. “They got rid of rooms to expand the lobby, but we made up those rooms elsewhere. All the guestrooms have been renovated as well. They are very spacious - some have 15-foot ceilings, most have exposed features - every single room is different.” Although the Hotel St. Pierre is a popular honeymoon destination for travelers from the United Kingdom and Europe, the owners are hoping to attract wedding functions as well. “We do wedding groups where we house them for the weekend, Le Bouef says. “We just don’t do the functions, which is one of the reasons for these renovations.” The fourth hotel in the portfolio, the Andrew Jackson Hotel, located at 919 Royal St., is a bed-and-breakfast with 21 rooms. A former all-boys school, the remodeling of this townhouse-style property is scheduled to begin this summer.
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INTERCONTINENTAL NEW ORLEANS In January 2015, the InterContinental New Orleans completed a total renovation. The transformation of the public areas and refurbished guestrooms came with a price tag of $26 million. “Dimension Development purchased InterContinental in January 2013, so from the moment we got here, we started making plans for renovations,” says John Romano, general manager of the InterContinental New Orleans. “Originally we were going to just do guestrooms and suites, but then it expanded, and we decided to get rid of the 1980s look of the escalator.” Romano says the hotel also changed the “sense of arrival,” which meant moving everything from the second f loor - the lobby, restaurant and bar space - down to the first f loor. “When you walked into the hotel, beyond the bellman it was confusion,” he says. “You didn’t know whether it was a business office or a hotel.” Now the elegant hometown feel of the foyer leads into the newly opened restaurant
The lobby of the new Hyatt French Quarter renovated in 2012 for $20 million.
and bar, Trenasse, which features the work of signature chef Jim Richard from “Stinky’s Fish Camp” in Florida. Richard cooks up fresh Gulf seafood, alligator, trout and steak in what Romano dubs “rustic Louisiana fare.” In addition, local favorite, Pete’s Pub, has been reincarnated into a breakfast room and casual dining and bar space. Appealing to its corporate and group market, the hotel’s second f loor now boasts 31,000 square feet of meeting space. Nikki Jackson, SMERF (social, military, educational, religious, and fraternal) sales manager for InterContinental New Orleans, assures that although the hotel has expanded its meeting space, the grand staircase that f lows down to the second f loor – a popular feature for weddings – will remain. “We used to have meeting space that we leased in the Pan-American Building,” Jackson says. “Now we have expanded in our own building so that we have enough room
Photo courtesy of Hyatt French Quarter
for a breakout meeting space.” The InterContinental’s 484 guestrooms, including 29 suites, also received a complete makeover. The new versions incorporate a crisp, clean New Orleans style that features Mardi Gras artwork, plus a one-of-a-kind “power tower” that enables guests to plug all their electronics into one central spot. Because renovations were in full swing for more than a year, the InterContinental had between 50 to 200 rooms out of use at any one time from December 2013 to November 2014. The hotel tried to focus on group sales instead of corporate clients to make up for the loss. “The SMERF market proved to be an essential piece of our strategy in 2014,” Romano says. “It is very difficult to have a business meeting in a hotel that has construction going on above it.” HYATT FRENCH QUARTER Housed in one of New Orleans’ iconic historical buildings, the Hyatt French Quarter, located at 800 Iberville St., underwent a $20 million renovation in 2012. Originally the 1849 D.H. Holmes department store, says Gina Chimeno, area director of sales and marketing for Hyatt French
Quarter, the hotel wanted to honor the city of New Orleans by keeping the historic exterior of the building. “This building was already a hotel, and it had so much history for New Orleans,” Chimeno says. “The D.H. Holmes clock was a symbol for local life - people would meet underneath that clock. We still have original display windows and marble f looring in some areas.” Since the Hyatt took ownership, they have opened up the foyer, thus creating a more spacious, modern chic look. “It was just so outdated, it wasn’t keeping time with what was going on,” says Chimeno. “Now it is a historical building with a new feel. It was a complete f lip over from the prior look.” Renovations expanded throughout multiple buildings, encompassing the lobby, 254 guestrooms, a restaurant and bar, courtyard and 10,660 square feet of meeting space. The Hyatt French Quarter has been steering toward group meetings and events – which they have seen improve since the renovations. “A major part of the business in New Orleans is the group meeting or associa-
tion business,” Chimeno says. “This hotel was definitely lacking in that area and had potential to do much more.” Room nights in the group segment have increased by 35 percent since the 2012 renovations. MONEY WELL SPENT In order to maintain a market share of the reportedly 9.28 million visitors to the city in 2013, local hotels need to stay at the forefront of their industry – not only to distinguish themselves, but to ensure they play their part in keeping New Orleans a top travel destination. n
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Perspectives | Real Estate
Caption Created in 1979 to increase state revenue and business prospects for the area, New Orleans Regional Business Park stretches across 7,000 acres in the eastern part of the city. The park lies within easy access of six class 1 railroads.
Wanted: Strong Leadership Lavon Burbank, chairman of the executive board of the New Orleans Regional Business Park, discusses hopes to get the park back on track. By Andrew Paul
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very workday, thousands commute to the New Orleans Regional Business Park in the eastern part of the city off Old Gentilly Road, ready to assemble space shuttles and roast coffee beans. “This is truly an industrial gem,” says Lavon Burbank, chairman of the NORBP executive board, of the park. “When you’re talking its about proximity to railroad lines and to ports, you know, there’s a reason why these businesses chose to locate here. Whether or not they were guided by the state or the city, they looked at the location on a map and said, ‘This is just the place to be.’”
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NASA’s Michoud Assembly Facility and the Folger Coffee Co., are just two of the 88 businesses taking up residence in the NORBP. In 1979, the Louisiana Legislature allocated over 7,000 acres of land for the complex’s construction in hopes of increasing state revenue and business prospects for the area. Since then, the NORBP has been attracting national, regional, and local interests, generating billions of dollars annually and consistently providing jobs for a sizable portion of the New Orleans community. The practical, convenient location of the NORBP is one of the keys to businesses’
attraction. Companies in the park are not only close to I-10 and US Hwy 90, but also near Lakefront airport. Access to six, class 1 railroads also provides additional convenient means of transportation and travel for businesses. The NORBP’s draw is not just geographical, it’s economical. There are a number of incentives for prospective companies looking to lease space at the park. Venture capital programs, inventory and job tax credits, industrial revenue bonds, and manufacturing-facility property-tax exemptions offer businesses additional reasons to set up shop in eastern New Orleans.
Photo courtesy of Spears Group
Richard’s Disposal is one of 88 tenants of NORBP. The park itself is undergoing cleanup efforts.
“What’s driving [companies] here is warehousing and lower rent,” Burbank says. “The Regional Business Park has a range of rent from $4 to $12 per square foot, depending on the space, so the rent there is much cheaper than [other industrial parks].” Regardless of the attractive deal it offers, the past decade has been especially bumpy for the NORBP. “The park definitely took a hit from Katrina,” Burbank says. “And then our millage expired in 2011 after 20 years. Every economic development agency in New Orleans is funded by public dollars. It’s just not realistic to be sustained without it.” By fall 2013, efforts to renew the millage had failed for the second time, and budget cuts dissolved the executive director position, the ED’s salary was split between marketing and park-wide improvements. No new business had come into the park for several years and State Sen. J.P. Morrell went on record saying that he thought the board should consider disbanding and putting the land up for sale. While maintaining her role as the executive committee board chairman, Burbank found herself having to absorb many of the responsibilities of an executive director. “We reprogrammed existing money in the budget into marketing and cleanup,” Burbank says. “And when I say cleanup, we’re not talking about little pieces of trash that people throw out their windows. We’re talking, you know, mountains of tires, couches, sofas, car parts…things that people obviously throw out the back of trucks because the park is so big.” Burbank says the conversation for a millage needs to be had openly and honestly. “We need to talk to stakeholders and ask, ‘Do BizNewOrleans.com February 2015
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Perspectives | Real Estate
we support a constant financing tool like a millage?’ And if we do, we need to be having a conversation with the general public about why it’s important,” she says. And then of course there’s the big issue of leadership. “What we really need is a five year strategic plan,” she says. “Right now the board is doing the management, and we’re all parttime, unpaid volunteers. This shouldn’t be the case. A board should govern, not manage. This is the city and state’s responsibility. We need someone to take control and then we’ll happily follow their lead. While cleaning up the park remains priority No. 1, the board is currently taking a number of other steps to increase the NORBP’s visibility and attractiveness. For instance, this month the park will unveil 60
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a new website, which will include detailed locations of its businesses, their functions and products, as well as links to land available for lease or purchase. Burbank explains that the goal is not simply to drawi new companies to the area, but to retain existing businesses in order to continue revenue streams. “In the two years that I’ve been chairman, what I’ve really been trying to do is show the public that we are using existing dollars to actually do activities in the park that benefit its businesses…[and to] partner with the New Orleans Business Alliance and Louisiana Economic Development. I think the Regional Business Park needs to get its foundation back in place, and I think the way to do that is to partner with these other organizations.”
With improved infrastructure and a solid five year plan, Executive Board Chairman Lavon Burbank is hopeful that the park could attract more big names to the park.
Burbank says she’d like to see NORBP follow in the footsteps of other economic development agencies. “The DDD (Downtown Development District) does a very good job of using the millage that they collect to make sure that Downtown is cleaner, and to make sure there’s signage,” she says. “You see landscaping. You see art. You see things that make it an attractive place to want to work and live Downtown.” With these examples in mind, Burbank would like to see a revamp of the NORBP, but she makes clear that the path to suc-
Photo courtesy of Spears Group
NORBP - Fast Facts: Operational since 1979 Over 7,000 acres of land Close to both Interstate 10 and US Highway 90, six railways, and an airports NORBP’s leasers generate billions of dollars in profit annually Lessees include Folger’s Coffee, Vulcan Materials, NASA’s Michoud Assembly Facility and Gibson Services 30,000 square feet of space is currently available for lease at 13801 Gentilly Rd. For inquiries, please contact (504) 254-4603, or email admin@norbp.com
cessful revenue streams does not lie solely with the executive board. In talking about the biggest hurdles for attracting new business, she points towards basic regional infrastructure challenges. “We’re one of the biggest business parks in the area, but we don’t have things like one drive-through Starbucks,” she says. “And I’m not talking about just near the park, I’m talking about in all of Orleans Parish. But we can go down Veterans [Blvd.] and there’s maybe three or four. That’s an example of neighborhood amenities that are basic in other places that Orleans Parish just does not have.” While at a state comparison level, areas like the NORBP are successfully drawing in businesses and revenue, a lack of basic, family-oriented businesses such as sit-down dining restaurants or the aforementioned Starbucks, means the park has struggled in competing with similar locations near the New Orleans area. “If you look at the amount of money that Orleans parish has put into housing post-Katrina compared to economic development, there is a vast difference…At some point, you’ve got to have the commercial corridors,” she says. Burbank admits that there has been some move by local government to bridge the gap, but it has been slow, and much too long in coming. “You can see some work around Oretha Castle Haley Boulevard that is phenomenal,” she says. “And some work on Claiborne Ave., as well…But this is already 2015…the investment is just a little unbalanced here.” In the future, Burbank hopes to see the park fully leased out, along with further improvement of the 7,000 acres for potential clients. If that were accomplished, she says, the board could apply for grants with the Economic Development Administration, and set in motion a means to create a self-sustaining system. 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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Captain’s Quarters A peek inside the personal space of Gary LaGrange, president and CEO of the Port of New Orleans.
By Bonnie Warren | Photography by Cheryl Gerber
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ary LaGrange sits in his handsome fourth-floor corner office at the Port of New Orleans headquarters enjoying a bird’s-eye view of the Mississippi River and the busy nearby cruise-ship terminal. As president and CEO of the Port since 2001, LaGrange is the go-to man for everything that drives the second-most important economic force in New Orleans (surpassed only by tourism in economic scale). “The Port of New Orleans is the center of the world’s busiest port system,” he says, expounding on his work with the zeal of a preacher in a pulpit. “Here you have Louisiana’s lower Mississippi River’s famous port, connected to the major inland markets in Mid-America and Canada via 14,500 miles of waterways, six Class 1 railroads and the
interstate highway system.” LaGrange’s office is befitting a man in such an important role. Light fills the large space that opens onto a balcony overlooking the Mississippi River. Mementos of his successful career - including his many awards, important photos of milestones for the Port - and family photos fill the space, which also offers comfortable seating and a private bathroom. “It came in handy when I moved into my office during Hurricane Katrina and slept on the couch,” he says, adding, “We were up and running two weeks after Katrina.” Hurricane Katrina destroyed one-third of the Port’s infrastructure - almost $200 million worth of damage. “The White House was in contact with me
within three hours after the hurricane saying they knew how important the Port was and wanted to help,” LaGrange says. “‘What do you need?’ was the question asked, and I quickly answered, ‘We are going to need everything.’” Today the Port is experiencing record operating revenues and strong, double-digit cargo growth. “Through a lot of hard work by many people, the Port has doubled its container volumes and added an estimated 1,500 new jobs since Katrina,” LaGrange says. “We believe our numbers will grow even greater in the future and new service will attract additional cargo on a north-south route. Our final growth figures for 2014 were up substantially in all categories, including general cargo.”
LEFT: Flags from different countries serviced by the Port of New Orleans hang in the lobby. Large contemporary paintings occupy the high wall over the reception desk. TOP: Port of New Orleans President and CEO Gary LaGrange, a native of Franklin, La., has led the Port since 2001.
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Father Knows Best Born in Franklin, La., and educated at Louisiana universities, LaGrange recalls his youth as growing up in “a ‘Leave It to Beaver’ atmosphere, where life was good and my family was always caring and encouraging me to excel.” He says he remembers his father preaching to him as a boy about the importance of getting a port facility to link Louisiana to the world. “He was in the retail business and the president of the St. Mary Parish Jury,” LaGrange says. “He was always very active in improving life for the community, even though Franklin was a town with many wealthy families at the time. He wasn’t a person to rest on past laurels. Having a father in the retail business taught me a valuable trait I have never forgotten. He would always say, ‘Remember the customer is always right.’ I still believe that.” LaGrange says he never planned a career in port management. “I transferred from LSU to the University of Louisiana in Lafayette after my sophomore year and graduated with both a bachelor’s degree in geography and economics and a master’s degree with honors in urban planning.” His first job after completing his master’s degree was serving as assistant city planning director for Lafayette. He later served as regional planning director for Acadiana Parish before coming home to accept the position of director of West St. Mary’s Port the very port his father had envisioned. “I’ve been at four ports in my 39-year career,” he says. “After my service at West St. Mary’s, I went on to other jobs as port director at Port of South Louisiana at LaPlace and Port of Gulfport, Mississippi, before coming to the Port of New Orleans.”
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Rough Beginnings Just a day after he began his current term as president and CEO of the Port of New Orleans in 2001, the nation was thrown into the turmoil of Sept. 11. LaGrange immediately took action to make sure all systems were in place to protect the port. “It was truly a baptism in fire,” he adds. Sept. 11 would be only the first crisis LaGrange would have to wade through. “We were facing the serious embargo on imported steel that had been an important economic part of the Port’s success,” he recalls. “I knew we had to jump in quickly and find something to replace the revenue.” It was then that LaGrange began the fullcourt press to increase cruise ship business. “Today we are the 10th most active cruise ship port in the world,” he says with evident pride. “We also worked very hard to make the Port one of the world’s top 20 active destinations for large container shipping in North America. What we have done is diversify to keep the success of the Port intact.” It’s not enough to maintain the status quo, however. LaGrange is always looking to the future, pointing out that the Port has invested over $100 million in capital improvement projects in the past two years, and has a master plan to continue expansion. He is also working closely with the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers while the Corps increases the depth of the Mississippi from its current 47 feet to 50 feet in an effort to ensure the Port is able to continue to accommodate the large container ships. “There’s a bright future ahead for the Port of New Orleans,” LaGrange says. “We must stay abreast of the times and be ever mindful of ways to diversify. My goal is to increase our business with North, Central and South America, while also paying attention to growing our markets with our European customers.” n
1: The headquarters of the Port of New Orleans is located on the banks of the Mississippi River. 2: A dramatic bronze statue occupies the space between the Port of New Orleans headquarters and the Mississippi River. 3: “The Helm” of the Port, LaGrange’s desk. 4: Among LaGrange’s cherished photos is one with Saints Quarterback Drew Brees. 5: Merritt C. Becker Jr. crafted the model boats and ships of historical significance on display in the Port of New Orleans headquarters. 6: A model of the Natchez by Merritt C. Becker Jr. sits in the front lobby.
Did You Know? The Port of New Orleans has maintained its role as America’s most intermodal port - with connections, via the interstate highway system, to major markets across the continent.
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It is still the only seaport in the United States served by all six Class 1 rail lines, 50 ocean carriers, 16 barge lines, and 75 truck lines.
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Cargo activities at the Port generate 160,000 direct and indirect jobs and $17 billion in annual spending statewide.
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Q&A - Biz Person of the Month
The woman behind it all - New Orleans native Yvonne LaFleur - poses with her signature fragrance. LaFleur bills her boutique, which also bears her name, as “New Orleans’ very own European shopping spree...just off St. Charles Streetcar stop #299.”
Blue Jeans to Wedding Dresses New Orleans fashion retail icon Yvonne LaFleur looks back on almost five decades of business. By Erin Shaw - Photography by Cheryl gerber
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alking into Yvonne LaFleur’s shop, which bears her name, is almost like being shot back in time to early 1920s Paris, in all of its elegant, ethereal perfection. It’s impossible not to immediately notice the shop’s beautiful fragrance, thanks in part to her signature scent. It’s calming and nostalgic, evoking memories of being a little girl and getting to try on mom’s perfume and pearls for the first time. The 10,000-square-foot store on Hampson Street in Riverbend contains a bridal department, custom millinery, formal gowns, sports-
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wear, lingerie and Yvonne LaFleur perfume sold only in the store. The display cases are all vintage and wooden, adding a unique charm and character to the maze of elegant silky gowns, satiny lingerie and Kentucky Derby-worthy hats, adorned with vintage silk flowers. LaFleur’s appearance is as timeless as the essence of her store. She’s elegant, poised and soft-spoken, yet direct. As we speak, she works on a bridal veil, sewing with the precision of someone whose hands are well practiced.
Biz New Orleans: How did the idea for your store come about? Where did your inspiration begin?
Yvonne LaFleur: Well, it’s what I always wanted to do since I was 4 years old. I always tell people that the real gift from God is knowing what you want to do at a very early age, because then everything you do is a step toward it. I just absolutely loved retail. I came to New Orleans when I was very young and I worked in the department stores, I’d just go and help them. I learned to make hats and I learned to sew. I had an aunt who was a saleslady at D.H. Holmes, so I learned to sell. It’s just all I ever wanted to do. I was just out of college when I was working in a dress shop and a man wanted to invest in the dress shop. That didn’t work out with the owners, so he asked me the magic question, “How much would it cost you to open your
own store?” So in 1969, he lent me 100 $100 bills and that’s what I opened with.
The boutique offers future brides exlusive wedding gown designs from around the world and an intimate, personalized shopping experience.
Biz: What was that first store like?
YL: It was not really a hippie store, but it was just very much the ’60s mode. Jeans were $8 back then - they were new - so that’s where I started. I always had this motto in my head think best and be best - and I knew with what I started with, that I had a long way to go, but I just always held that out there. Biz: What were the biggest challenges as you were opening? How did you make a name for yourself?
YL: Back then it was very easy to advertise. There were three television stations, two radio stations and one newspaper. But it just was a gradual thing. I did do billboards. I had a wonderful advertising man along
the way. He designed a very interesting campaign. The name of the store originally was You Boutique and we were the first of the boutique business in New Orleans. The slogan of the store was, “for women who aren’t afraid of their bodies.” Young people came in, older people came in to see what it was all about, and that’s how it kind of just rolled. And then as I got more into the design work and the store got bigger and fancier and I came out with my perfume, it was easier to advertise one thing and of course the name of the signature fragrance is Yvonne LaFleur, so then the transition of the store’s new name happened May 1, 1984. So I kind of grew up then.
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Biz: You have traveled a lot during your career. When were you in Paris? How did that influence you?
YL: I was in Paris in the 1970s. I wanted to design a collection but I really didn’t have the knowledge of all commercial pattern making. So I worked in an atelier [in Paris] under a man named Maxi Librati and I learned to make the patterns. And what he would do
“I like to think that this store is to New Orleans what Ralph Lauren is to New York.” actually is as soon as fashions happened on 7th Avenue [New York] or in Paris, he would make those patterns, and then the patterns he made would be shipped. If it was French fashion, he’d ship them to New York and vice versa. Chanel always said that she made clothes for the masses because she wanted everybody to wear her styles eventually, and that’s what he was about as well. Then I opened a factory in New York and 70
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distributed my designs to 400 stores. I had this store simultaneously, but I really loved the retail end of it, so I combined both, and because of the situation of having a factory, I was able to make relationships with people who make small cuttings for me. I also went to mainland China and did production there, so I was able to get proprietary products in the store that were really quite special. I like to think that this store is to New Orleans what Ralph Lauren is to New York. It’s a very special New Orleans concept and when people come in from out-of-town, they notice that. I have a tremendous out of town business because when people need something special or they need a work wardrobe, they come here. It’s all altered complimentary and shipped to them. Biz: So even with all the elegant gowns and beautiful hats you carry in store, you started with jeans. What was that like?
YL: $8 jeans, yes. It was an interesting time, what jeans did. They provided an equalizer for everybody. It was like a platform uniform, and then from there, people got their own sense of style. They might have added a French silk blouse, and then they might have
Yvonne LaFleur’s 10,000-square-foot boutique, located in Riverbend New Orleans at 8131 Hampson St.
developed their own sense of taste, but the blue jean in the 1960s was the equalizer. Our current jeans are from England. We carry a line of English jeans called Made in Heaven. The bulk of my business is really our sportswear. And people think of that as utilitarian, like workout clothes, but it’s not. It’s tailored things like nice pants, silk blouses, cashmere sweaters, cotton sweaters, suits. That’s really the bulk of the business. And then of course we do bridal in a very special way. Biz: What is the experience like for someone who comes in looking for a wedding dress?
YL: With bridal, because we have one fitting room, we do like to use that room for our wedding gowns because then if a bride sees something else she wants to try on, it’s all right there and it’s very private. She makes an appointment and we talk about the type of wedding she’s having and if she’s tried on dresses, what she’s looking for, and when she’s getting married. A lot of people are getting married in short engagements now; that’s a trend I’ve seen.
I guess if the royal couple can do it in five months, anybody can do it in five months. So it’s a nice experience. I prefer for the girl to come just with her mother, if the mother has to be part of the decision-making. The television show [“Say Yes to the Dress”] has made it kind of a bit crazy. I think that people need to hear their own thoughts and not a group of people. Women do make decisions with the consensus of the group, but I always think if you can decide on the man, you can decide on the dress. Biz: What has been the most interesting part of being in the fashion industry for so long?
YL: I was Jessica McClintock’s first account. I carried her in 1971. I bought her in San Francisco and I had a whole little department with her dresses. They were called Gunne Sax - that was her brand label. So it’s been interesting to see the evolution of designers and how many people have come and gone.
That’s a constant challenge because I’m very loyal to people and I build long-term relationships. For instance, in lingerie, I’ve lost seven resources, because if people have been with me for 35 or 40 years, often they’re retiring. What’s also happened is, when I first started doing business in China, the United States had quotas on things and the quotas were so specific. For instance, you couldn’t bring in another green formal dress in January. But now it’s not the United States’ quota that’s so specific, it’s China saying, ‘You have to order 1,000 green dresses, or I won’t sell them to you.’ So it’s so different, and I think that’s kind of fun - the mental games with the business. Biz: What keeps your work fresh and challenging?
LF: The next day. Every day is different. I’m talking with you today and then I’ll deliver this veil later, hopefully to a happy bride, and
A treasure trove of elegant finds from around the globe, Yvonne LaFleur boutique features its own Private Designer Collection - including silk dresses, sportswear, suedes and one-of-a-kind formal gowns - as well as custom-made hats.
it’s just always different. It’s sort of like having company all day long, with none of the trouble of inviting them. It’s just exciting to get up every morning, and I can’t wait to come to work. It’s passion. Of course if you have passion and you’re an artist, gratitude is more important than the financial payback. People come in and they’re overwhelmed and they love it, and that’s exciting. This really is an unusual store in America. It’s a single-store operation, and much of the merchandise is our own creation or collection, and it’s really special. Very few people would have anything this large and be able to sustain it. It’s been a good business. n BizNewOrleans.com February 2015
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Since his wife, Christy, purchased Limousine Livery in 2006, Aaron Dirks has expanded the company’s reach worldwide and marketed two new websites and a mobile app.
Driven by Technology Limousine Livery’s Aaron Dirks takes on Uber and discusses his latest online offering. By Margaret Quilter
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ince Aaron Dirks and his wife, Christy, took over Limousine Livery in 2006 they have managed to increase business by 500 percent – transforming the luxury car transport service into an international logistics management business, with a bit of lagniappe. “We have grown the company rapidly, but it has also been with technology integration and sustainability in mind,” says Aaron Dirks, who serves as director of business development. “We were one of the first sustainable luxury fleet cars in America and we always pride ourselves
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on being forward-leaning with sustainability and technology.” With operations rooted here in New Orleans, Livery has branched out across the United States and abroad, with an increasing portfolio of integrated technology solutions that enhance the traveler experience – Limousine Livery is setting themselves up to propel forward at a rapid pace.
Photo by Cheryl Gerber
Fleet of Many Thirty years after a bellman was handed the keys to a Rolls-Royce and told to make some money out of it, Limousine Livery now boasts a fleet of 70 luxury vehicles, a third of which is limousines. Services cover the full spectrum; airport transfers, festivals, funerals, the film industry, oil and gas, weddings, and everything in between. Although operations extend further afield, a large chunk of Livery’s revenue comes from visitors to New Orleans. “A good percentage of our revenue is from managing transportation outside of New Orleans on behalf of corporations and meeting and events,” Dirks says. “But it is the visitors to New Orleans who make up 50 percent of the revenue of our company - from conventions, Mardi Gras, Jazz Fest and doctors’ groups.” The relationships that Livery has built in the Louisiana market – particularly within the film and oil and gas industries – have enabled them to extend further into markets Photos courtesy of My Trip Ariport.com and Livery Tours
in California and New York, and broaden their reach worldwide in approximately 300 destination cities. “It took us about three years to build what is called an affiliate network,” Dirks explains. “We had to go out and research who the best companies were, and contract with them. So our work is being fulfilled by a local partner, but they look and feel like they are part of our family.” An Answer to Uber A self-professed technology geek, Dirks focuses his attention on integrating technology into the business. He has developed both a ground transportation booking service aimed at changing the entire airport arrival experience, and a kiosk that enables travelers to book tours and attractions from their hotel – but it is his app designed to take on the big guns, like Uber, that has been attracting the most attention in the past few months. In answer to the September 2014 launch of Uber (a company that uses a smartphone app to connect those in need of transportation to vehicles for hire) into the New Orleans
Launched in 2009, MyAirportTrip.com allows travelers to access all the airport transporation options available to them at a destination and then book their choice. The Livery Car app, launched last year, connects riders with luxury vehicles.
market, Dirks countered with his own smarphone-based ground transportation tool that connects riders with luxury vehicles. The Livery Car app - launched December 2014 provides riders with a higher-end experience at a competitive price. Simple to navigate, riders simply plug in their destination and the Livery Car app gives them a rate, along with a picture of the driver and an option to call them. Unlike Uber, Livery Car also offers riders the ability to book rides up to eight days in advance. “There are a lot of advantages that we can provide as a local company that Uber cannot,” he says. “We have 150 local employees and an office that you can come and visit. You can call a phone number if you want to talk to someone. We have a 24-hour dispatch center that handles luxury all day long.” In Uber’s business model, the company BizNewOrleans.com February 2015
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collects up to 25 percent of every fare, a fare that is sometimes determined using dynamic pricing (or “surge pricing”) – a system where a computer determines what to charge a customer based on supply and demand. “I avoid dynamic surge pricing,” he says. “I believe that you need to do something like that for Mardi Gras and New Year’s Eve well in advance. The other 98 percent of the time it should be a flat charge.” Livery also partners with independent operators around New Orleans, but takes a smaller commission – 10 to 14 percent. In reverse, if the independent operator gets a job they can’t fulfill, then they send them to Livery to perform for a share of the fare. This cooperative model not only increases Limousine Livery’s fleet, it also makes the company more efficient in the shorter rides market. MyAirportTrip.com Before the Livery Car app there was MyAirportTrip.com, a website that Dirks developed and launched in 2009. The website allows travelers to book ground transportation online - be it a shuttle, taxi, or black car service anywhere in the world. With one 74
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destination, travelers can now access all the car service options and their costs – allowing them to compare and book all on one site. “There is no app for MyAirportTrip.com,” Dirks says. “The main reason was because when I became aware of Uber and what other technologies were starting to do in connecting drivers with passengers using cell phones, it was illogical for me to enhance this solution.” The Latest Tech Move – Tour Booking Dirks says Limousine Livery has always been in the business of tours – as it’s common for luxury guests to request guided tours with their black car service. “In the last two years we have significantly grown our tour operation,” he says. “Livery Tours is now the fastest growing tour coordinator and operator in New Orleans. We now own and operate our own luxury haunted and walking tours of the city.” Beyond offering its own line of luxury tours, Limousine Livery is now partnering with other tour operators to provide visitors with a way to book any tour online. While still in its early stages, Dirks says he has developed a
For years, Limousine Livery has been catering to luxury clients who often request specialized city tours. Expanding on that, Dirks says Livery Tours is now the fastest-growing tour coordinator in New Orleans.
technology that aggregates all of the tours and attractions that are available to hotel guests and plans to roll out the new feature soon. Down the Road “We are taking all the benefits of the technology and we are marrying them with the benefits of having operators in local markets,” he says of his technological projects. “We are putting them together in a way that is not currently being done.” Once the company has things rolling in the New Orleans market in the way they want, Dirks plans to start rolling his business model out across the United States. “The model we are building we are replicating basically through a distributorship,” he says. “We will have market managers in each market, taking solutions into other cities around the country.” n
Photo courtesy of Limousine Livery
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Why Didn’t I Think of That? | Creative Businesses Taking Hold in Southeast Louisiana
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Masterpiece onDemand Local artist Alexander Harvie makes a living from providing newlyweds with the ultimate wedding keepsake.
By KIM SINGLETARY | Photography by matthew foster
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here are a lot of “must haves” for a wedding – photographer, florist, music, cake, a willing couple – but one of the latest trends hitting the wedding vendor marketplace (a $51 billion industry in the U.S. alone) is to hire a live artist. A combination of timeless one-of-a-kind keepsake and unique form of entertainment, live wedding paintings are in demand, so much so that local artist Alexander Harvie, owner of Harvie Ventures Inc., (HarvieOilPaintings.com), says he’s constantly forced to turn down business. Just recognized by popular wedding website The Knot as one of its “Best of Weddings” vendors in Louisiana for the second year in a row, Harvie is a frequent sight at local weddings. Dressed in a tuxedo covered in paint splatters, he begins with a blank canvas and, while wedding-goers look on, proceeds to paint the scene before him. In typically around three hours, the happy couple is provided with a complete painting - a unique memento of their special day. Harvie’s prices range by size and currently include eight different options - from $2,600 for a 32-inch by 24-inch painting, to $4,000 for a 48-inch by 36-inch painting (done in four hours). Working alongside family – his wife and fellow artist Amy serves as his company manager, while his father handles things like payroll and taxes – Harvie worked 84 weddings last year, along with 50 other types of events. He also completed more than 100 studio paint-
ing and a 25-foot mural for the Blue Bonnet Swamp exhibit in Baton Rouge. New Orleans Native?
“No, actually I was born in La Jolla, Calif.,” Harvie says. “My family later moved to Houston for a few years and then to Mandeville, where I went to junior high and high school. I went to college at LSU, and a few years later, moved to New Orleans in 2010.” How it all began
While working as a server and bartender for a caterer in Baton Rouge, Harvie was asked to do a charity fundraiser for the Aquinas League – a tennis tournament. “I did one painting in three days of the courts and the crowds.” While this was his first foray into live painting, his first wedding came later. “It was actually a friend of mine who wanted one of my landscape paintings to give to his sister for her wedding,” he says. “It turned out that I didn’t have the size he wanted so I offered to do one at the wedding. So then a couple of people at that wedding saw me doing the painting and asked me to paint their daughter’s wedding ceremony. Things just kinda went from there.” The Leap to full time
“The first year I did about two or three events, then the next year it was about five,” he says. “I started realizing it was pretty good revenue so I started doing a little more promotion through Facebook. Then I moved to New Orleans in 2010 and started getting a lot more referrals. I started Harvie Ventures Inc. in 2011.”
Alexander Harvie at work on a painting during a local wedding. Harvie worked 84 weddings last year. His paintings range from $2,600 to $4,000.
Biggest job
“Size-wise, the biggest live painting I’ve done was recently for a wedding at The Foundry,” he says. “The couple actually arrived in Mardi Gras floats. That painting was 4 feet by 4 feet and had at least 100 people in it.” As far as the biggest payout, “it would have to be a live painting I did for the NOMA Curator’s Club in 2014,” he says. “It was a 32-inch by 24-inch painting of the party and it sold that night for $13,000.” Favorite subject
“I do a handful of ceremonies, but most of what I do is reception,” he says. “I almost always do the first dance. I’ve done a few second-lines. Those are fun. I love that every one of the paintings is so completely different.” Special requests
“Typically people just trust me to do what I think will look best, but I’ve had some requests, say, for a certain color scheme,” he says.” For instance, I had one couple that had an all-white house so they requested an all white painting. Working the crowd
Harvie says the best part of what he does is the live response from the crowd. “People love it. It’s fun,” he says. “They’ll be standing behind me pointing themselves out to friends or taking pictures of me painting them. It’s definitely the most rewarding kind of work I’ve done.”
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Competition
“It’s definitely picked up in the last few years, but there’s still plenty of work to go around,” he says. “It’s not an easy thing to do – to be able to turn around a completed painting in just a few hours with a whole crowd watching them. Frankly, there’s not a lot of people that can do it. I end up turning down dozens of people every week because I can only do about one per weekend.” Harvie adds that a large live-painting movement is currently going on in Baton Rouge. “There’s room for all of us,” he says. “I like to compare it to music. A lot of people can play the same song but their style is different, their voice is different, so it’s going to appeal differently to different people.” I Do’s Get it done
“Weddings are definitely my principal revenue source,” he says. “Live painting is really such a great thing because it combines all the things you have to do as an artist together. You’re creating while you’re marketing yourself, and at the end you’ve made a sale. At an art show, for example, you may sell some things, but you’re not creating anything while you’re there.” selling a style
“I call my style mush,” Harvie says. “It’s 78
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really an eclectic blend of everything I’ve ever been exposed to. I start with a little Renaissance feel for the background, then there’s some blending in of cubism and impressionism, then add in some texture.” marketing
“It helps that I have a background in graphic design, so I can do stuff like our website, and fliers and ads,” Harvie says. “We do really limited print advertising, but a lot of social media stuff. I always say if it wasn’t for Facebook, I wouldn’t have a career. It helps too, that we’ve gotten some great recognition, like from The Knot, and the word of mouth has been awesome. Some of the reviews we’ve gotten, it makes you cry they’re so sweet. These paintings really mean a lot to people because it’s their own friends and family that make them happen.” biggest challenge
“I’d have to say the biggest challenge is keeping track of everything,” he says. “There’s not a lot of software where you can book out years in advance. We tried Quickbooks but that didn’t work. Now I use a Microsoft Access database that my father did.” future goals
“It’s really to be able to offer better packages,”
A mix of live entertainment and one-of-a-kind keepsake, Harvie says demand for live wedding paintings is currently far exceeding supply.
he says. “To offer others things that capitalize on our existing product. For instance, I’d love to offer prints of the painting in case the parents of the couple want a copy for themselves, or maybe thank you cards with the painting on them.” IN Demand
“We’re currently booking for 2016,” Harvie says of the demand he’s seeing for his work. “It’s unreal. We’re really fortunate that people get the concept, and they like it enough to keep calling us. As an artist, I’m in a 1 percent industry – only 1 percent of us usually make it. I feel incredibly lucky.” n
Other LOCAL Wedding Painters n Randy Leo Frechette - FrenchyLive.com n
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Pappion Artistry by Christina Pappion PappionArtistry.com Art by Christopher Turner ArtByChristopherTurner.com Heirloom Live Event Paintings by Michael Abadie- HeirloomLive.com
Events ABWA Crescent City Connections Monthly Luncheon featuring Connie Uddo
St. Tammany West Chamber of Commerce Installation and Awards Luncheon
January 8, 2015
January 9, 2015
Heritage Grill by Ralph Brennan
Tchefuncta Country Club
ABWA members gathered to listen to Connie Uddo, outreach coordinator for the nonprofit Beacon of Hope. Uddo’s speech, entitled “Rebirth for the New Year,” shared her experience of helping to rebuild New Orleans following Hurricane Katrina.
The Chamber presented Painting With a Twist owners Cathy Deano and Renee Maloney with its Tammany Award and Cliff Bergeron with the Community Leadership Award, while welcoming incoming board members. New St. Tammany District Attorney Warren Montgomery served as emcee for the event.
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1. Kim Hasney, Rachel Nunez and Charlotte Piotrowski 2. Connie Uddo 3. Lyndsey Graham, Wendy Nolan and Christi Felder
Photos by Cheryl Gerber
1. Lauren Buggs, Caitlin Hunter and Melanie Donahue 2. Warren Montgomery 3. Ronnie Simpson, Greg Amrine and Jeff St. Romain BizNewOrleans.com February 2015
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Behind the Scenes
Built by Bevolo
What would the French Quarter be without its ethereal gas lanterns? Founders of the original French Quarter Lamp, Bevolo Gas & Electric Lights has been handcrafting these copper creations since 1945. Now run by the third and fourth generation of the Bevolo family, the company continues to build all its lights locally - seen here is a craftsman at work at the company’s Royal Street location. Bevolo lights are shipped to all 50 states and 42 countries. Bevolo.com. 80
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