Region Q4 2023

Welcome to the Q4 2023 edition of REGION Magazine! This issue showcases a mix of innovation, celebration, and strategic collaboration, demonstrating how diverse sectors are intersecting to enhance our region's economic landscape. From groundbreaking startup support and festive public policy events to ambitious international trade missions and remarkable industry leadership, the articles within these pages highlight the dynamism and resilience of our community.

Get to know the vital work underway by StartupNOLA, which is meant to capture the vibrant spirit of the New Orleans ecosystem and share it with the world. This catalogs and provides easy access to support for entrepreneurs eager to make their mark in global industries.

Next, experience the spirit of the Washington Mardi Gras, a testament to our rich cultural heritage and vital role in the nation’s economy. This event connects business leaders from across Louisiana with the lawmakers that govern the country, creating new partnerships and potential for the future.

Explore a recent journey that took place on the World Trade Center New Orleans' market mission to Montreal. This strategic expedition underscored the importance of international collaboration and market expansion, aiming to forge new pathways for trade and investment that will bolster our region's economic strength and global footprint.

Finally, get to know one of our region’s fastest growing companies as well as a legacy business leader that each have incredible stories. SSE Steel’s precision and commitment to excellence are not just building structures but are foundational to the growth and stability of our local infrastructure. And Glen Smith is the visionary CEO of Magnolia Companies whose leadership and foresight are not only propelling his company to new heights but also setting a benchmark for entrepreneurial success.

These are but a few examples of the incredible work being done in Greater New Orleans. They embody the spirit of innovation and perseverance that is driving us towards prosperity.

MICHAEL HECHT GNO, Inc. President & CEO

RELATIONSHIPS

Greater New Orleans, Inc. (GNO, Inc.) is the economic development nonprofit for the 10-parish region of southeast Louisiana. GNO, Inc. is built on a simple but broad mission: To create a region with a thriving economy and excellent quality of life for everyone.

The key is GNO, Inc.’s two-pronged approach to economic growth: by focusing on business development, the alliance aims to attract, retain and develop businesses that will employ our future workforce, propelling our economy forward and upward. This initiative is coupled with a concurrent nurturing of the business environment: by proposing, promoting and facilitating policies that improve conditions for business operations, GNO, Inc. ensures that businesses and corporate leaders are

positioned for long-lasting success.

For GNO, Inc., it is not enough to simply serve the community: we must also be a part of it. Real influence and significant change starts from within, and the alliance’s presence in the community is evident and expanding. Working together with the business community, regional stakeholders and all levels of government allows GNO, Inc. to coordinate, consolidate and catalyze action on key issues and opportunities, effectively maximizing job and wealth creation and creating systemic impact.

From workforce development and coastal stabilization to fiscal and criminal justice reform, GNO, Inc. is driven by results. It’s helping to create a robust and growing middle class and, in the process, ensuring our region’s continued prosperity. JEFFERSON

LOUISIANA STATE GOVERNMENT

Louisiana Economic Development FEDERAL GOVERNMENT

PARISH ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT ORGANIZATIONS

Jefferson

Orleans Plaquemines

St. Bernard

St. Charles

St. James

St. John

the Baptist

St. Tammany

Tangipahoa

Washington

STAKEHOLDERS

Our Investors Parish Government Colleges/ Universities Legislators Business Community Nonprofits Influencers

Greater New Orleans

BY THE NUMBERS Q4 2023

An economic snapshot of Greater New Orleans’ 10-parish market

EMPLOYMENT & ECONOMY STATISTICS

POPULATION

1,425,488

31% of Louisiana’s population resides in Greater New Orleans

SOURCE: LIGHTCAST

EMPLOYMENT STATISTICS

$66,092

Metro Average Annual Wages

SOURCE: U.S. BUREAU OF LABOR STATISTICS, Q4 2022

ECONOMY

51,606 Private Establishments

SOURCE: BUREAU OF LABOR STATISTICS, NOT SEASONALLY ADJUSTED, Q2 2023

660,790 Civilian Labor Force

SOURCE: LIGHTCAST

TRANSPORTATION & LOGISTICS JOBS

29,287 AVERAGE EARNINGS

$70,811 GDP

$3.4B

SOURCE: LIGHTCAST

47,763 Unique Job Postings

SOURCE: LIGHTCAST, 2023.1 DATA

3.9% Regional Unemployment

SOURCE: LIGHTCAST

FAST FACTS: TRANSPORTATION & TRADE

RECENT ANNOUNCEMENTS

Louisiana is the #1 Exporting State in U.S. Louisiana’s $122 billion in exports in 2022 — more than double the $56 billion in 2017 — gives the state a 43% export-share-of-GDP ratio when matched against its $281 billion GDP. This is twice the 21% ratio of secondplace Texas. The boom reflects the growth of U.S. energy exports that are centered around Louisiana’s three specially designed liquefied natural gas export terminals, which are allowing Europe to move away from Russian gas, and Asia to switch from coal.

The state is expected to gain 30,000 jobs over the next year.

Over the last five quarters, Louisiana has gained 56,000 net new jobs, with 9,000 net new jobs in the third quarter. It's the highest pace of growth since 2007. An economist predicts that over the next 12 months, Louisiana will bring in more than 30,000 net new jobs, with the Lafayette area predicted to be one of the fastest-growing regions int he state for new jobs.

AxoSim acquires Vyant Bio's StemoniX subsidiary as the company continues to expand. With origins that trace back to Tulane University, AxoSim has been expanding over the last decade in a niche corner of the biotech world. The company specializes in nonanimal drug testing for degenerative neurological diseases, like Alzheimer's and Parkinson's using. The acquisition further positions AxoSim to be one of the top companies in the biotech industry.

Plans for solar-powered hubs gain a big step forward through community centers.

The "Community Lighthouse" project began as a grassroots movement after deaths during Hurricane Ida as a result of power outages. A $259 million federal grant will help boost the project, which has already completed six locations in New Orleans and one in LaPlace.

LSU receives grant for start-up support.

The U.S. Economic Development Administration has awarded LSU a $600,000 grant to boost technology entrepreneurship. The funds will go to the Baton Rouge Initiative for Development, Growth to help provide technical support, mentorship services, and executives-in-residence for start-up businesses.

TRADE

$11.3B

Value of Exports from the New Orleans Metro Area #8

Largest U.S. metro measured by value of exports

SOURCE: U.S. CENSUS BUREAU; U.S. EXPORTS BY METROPOLITAN AREA, Q3 2023

COST OF LIVING & REAL ESTATE

OVERALL COST OF LIVING

GNO Region: 99.5

U.S. Average: 100

SOURCE: LIGHTCAST

REAL ESTATE OFFICE

Local Vacancy: 6.7%

National Vacancy: 13.8%

Local Rent: $21.32/ft2

National Rent: $35.24/ft2

Local Inventory: 55M ft2

INDUSTRIAL

Local Vacancy: 2.7%

National Vacancy: 6.1%

Local Rent: $10.44/ft2

National Rent: $11.93/ft2

Local Inventory: 83.4M ft2

SOURCE: COSTAR

RANKINGS

RECENT RANKINGS

Greater New Orleans ranks #2 Logistics Leader in the U.S. [Business Facilities, 2023]

MSY ranks as a Top Midsize Airport [Wall Street Journal, 2023]

GNO, Inc.’s mission is to create a Greater New Orleans with a thriving economy and an excellent quality of life, for everyone. For more information about the market, or help with your business, please contact our Research and Business Development team:

Chantilly Benitez

Business Development &

Research Manager

hcrabtree@gnoinc.org

Josh Fleig Vice President of Business Development jfleig@gnoinc.org

*Due to data collection methods, previous GNO By the Numbers are not directly comparable

Montreal Trade Mission Helps New Orleans Businesses Trade Up

Trips to Montreal help expose the benefits of doing business down south in the Big Easy

BY MICHAEL PATRICK WELCH

Last October the World Trade Center of New Orleans (WTCNO) led an important business delegation to Montreal, Canada to convene with key companies that drive the global logistics industry.

“Trade missions of this sort have been and will continue to be a central part of the World Trade Center’s mission, which is to help introduce Louisiana businesses to a global audience, explore best practices, and

provide WTC with opportunities to introduce the Louisiana market to foreign markets,” said Harrison Crabtree, director of WTC New Orleans.

“Everyone around the world knows New Orleans and Louisiana, and they love us for our culture, and our food, and our music,” continued Harrison, “but what we want folks to know is that we’re also a great destination to do business in.”

The delegation brought to Montreal many transportation and logistics-focused companies and organizations from across Southeast Louisiana. Participants on the trade mission had the opportunity to meet with key organizations, including the Port of Montreal, CN, FedNav, and more.

“CN and FedNav in particular are two companies with significant assets in our region. Having the opportunity to meet with them allowed us to learn more about their plans for future growth,” said Harrison. “Successfully developing relationships such as these is a key strategy of the WTCNO, as these relations allow for an open dialogue to build trust, address impediments for growth, and explore avenues for collaboration.

“The World Trade Center of New Orleans’ trade mission to Montreal provided the perfect platform for the Louisiana delegation to gain invaluable insights from Montreal’s transportation and logistics leaders while simultaneously discussing business opportunities in Louisiana and the region with our Canadian counterparts,” said Dawn Lopez, Vice President of Marketing and Public Relations, Associated Terminals and Turn Services. “As a group, we were able to lay the foundation for future partnerships focused on innovation and trade. In addition, this WTCNO trip offered a unique opportunity for the Louisiana representatives to develop closer relationships with our Louisiana-based counterparts and discuss synergies and opportunities for future collaborations.”

Lopez said these interactions underscored the importance of personal relationships in identifying growth opportunities, both locally, nationally, and internationally.

Harrison added, “These types of trade missions are a signature initiative of the World Trade Center. These trips play a key role in exposing our local partners to a global audience, with the intention of learning new best practices, and forging partnerships that will lay the groundwork for future business development initiatives elsewhere in the world–in this case Montreal.”

Harrison said these trips also serve as a critical tool to highlight economic growth that is happening in Louisiana.

“In an increasingly digital age, in-person interactions are still critical to building successful partnerships,” he pointed out. “We’re trying to facilitate face-to-face interaction in a world of Zoom meetings. It really helps develop personal one-on-one relationships that are so vital to great business and trade relationships.”

This is the second trade mission initiated under the World Trade Center’s partnership with GNO, Inc, with the first occurring in June of 2023 to Ireland. There in

Ireland, WTC New Orleans participated in workshops focusing on healthcare, tech and innovation–while also getting to check out Ireland’s verdant countryside and vibrant culture.

“We did a day in Dublin, a day in Galway, and Limerick,” recalled Harrison. “We had some cultural experiences, great dinners at traditional Irish restaurants where we got to sample and compare Irish seafood–fish, crabs–to our famous Louisiana seafood. We heard an Irish band. We also found similarities to Louisiana in the friendly nature of the Irish people: you walk into a place and everyone wants to be your friend and ask questions about New Orleans.”

All of this socializing helped create bonds between Irish businesses and Louisiana businesses. “Ireland went from one of Europe’s poorest countries to one of the richest,” Harrison pointed out, “So by facilitating an open dialogue between leading companies in Louisiana, and global leaders in places like Ireland, France, and Montreal, we are able to explore avenues of collaboration.”

The WTCNO and trade mission participants can meet with companies who are actively looking for partners and U.S. expansion opportunities. Further, these trade missions afford WTCNO the unique opportunity to highlight economic activity to leading organizations. While many companies may be familiar with Louisiana, these trade missions provide our participants with the opportunities to discuss initiatives in-depth.

Focusing on the transportation and logistics sector, WTCNO met with leading Montreal-based logistics company to lay the foundation for business attraction efforts to Louisiana. GNO/WTC learned more about how Montreal has successfully become a logistics hub and explored avenues of collaboration. “Like south Louisiana, Montreal is a global logistics hub for maritime, rail, road, and air,” said Harrison, “so there was much for us to discuss in those areas. We learned how Montreal transportation and logistics companies are successfully leveraging innovation and technology to support and grow the sector.”

Harrison reiterated that having the opportunity to meet with key executives at the Corporate HQ is important because it helps to establish a personal relationship. These relationships are critical in helping to identify opportunities for growth for these companies in Louisiana.

“For us,” summarized Harrison, “WTC is not just bringing foreign markets here, but bringing our people overseas to build trust that will foster personal relationships in the long run. Not everyone’s aware of all the great things we’re doing in Louisiana!”

Capital Carnival

Washington Mardi Gras connects Louisiana business professionals, elected leaders and government officials in the nation’s capital.

BY MISTY MILIOTO

Led by The Mystick Krewe of Louisianians, Washington Mardi Gras (WMG) celebrated its 75th anniversary this year, bringing the pageantry, revelry and mystery of Mardi Gras to Washington, D.C. The celebrations, which drew nearly 5,000 attendees, is not only one of the largest annual gatherings (significantly boosting the local economy) in D.C., but it also greatly impacts economic development in Louisiana.

WEEKLONG EVENTS

Officially held January 25-28 this year (with other events also held earlier in the week), WMG included a collection of independent events, meetings and parties hosted by business and government organizations from across Louisiana. In addition to formal events hosted by The Mystick Krewe of Louisianians—such as the annual Carnival Ball held at the Washington Hilton (with Drew Brees as this year’s king and Camille Elizabeth Morrison as queen) and a small parade of hand-pushed floats— GNO, Inc. also hosted a number of events.

In fact, Rachel Shields, chief of staff at GNO, Inc., developed the concept for and produced the Louisiana Engage! series of events, on behalf of GNO, Inc. “The second iteration [of the series] took place [this year],” she said. “The series provided a host of benefits for both Louisiana and D.C. stakeholders.”

For example, The Masque social event kicked off WMG with Louisiana entertainment, entrepreneur chefs and Louisiana-branded giveaways, hosted at Union Stage at The Wharf with more than 350 local business and community leaders registered from both Louisiana and D.C. The following day, the Federal Briefing Lunch—a marquee event of the Louisiana Engage! series—featured congressional and executive branch leadership speakers (including Louisiana native, Shalanda D. Young, director of the U.S. Office of Management and Budget) and had more than 300 attendees. Both The Masque and the Federal Briefing Lunch were held in conjunction with GNO, Inc.’s NextGen Council with a focus on bringing in fresh perspectives from young professionals.

Other elements of Louisiana Engage! included the WMG Survival Kit (a collection of food and hospitality items donated by Louisiana brands), prize giveaways provided by 17 Louisiana businesses (including a grand prize valued at $4,000 from Boudreaux’s Jewelers) and WMG Navigation Tips (a customized guidebook to help new festivalgoers maximize their experience).

“The top priority of the Louisiana Engage! series is to elevate and bring value to Louisianans, our brands and our businesses,” Shields said. “The series brought together hundreds of leaders from across the state to network together, learn together, and establish new relationships and connections. We also engage our D.C. friends

and colleagues (as many are Louisiana natives), supporters and partners.”

One such sponsor is Magnolia Strategic Consultants, part of a conglomerate of companies (The Magnolia Companies) that fosters innovation and economic development in the GNO region and across the South. “Magnolia has sponsored and participated in Washington Mardi Gras for many years, so when GNO, Inc. approached The Magnolia Companies with the idea of having two specific events dedicated to the NextGen Council, we jumped on the opportunity to be the title sponsor,” said Katie Kilbert, vice president of business strategy at Magnolia Strategic Consultants.

EMBRACING CULTURAL EXCHANGE

According to Chris Kane, partner at Adams and Reese and board chair at GNO, Inc., WMG is the most productive convention he attends on an annual basis. In addition to 14 formal meetings and an untold number of informal meetings, Kane participated in the Federal Briefing Lunch and several work dinners that mixed advancing a variety of business needs and policy agendas with a more relaxed and Mardi Gras casual environment.

“We are able to conduct so many meetings in a short period of time, and in a welcoming and relaxed environment,” Kane said. “For the better part of one week, our business, community and political leaders spend time in Washington, D.C., promoting our region. Having a large voice coupled with such a fun environment ensures that our message is being heard.”

As the 75th iteration of the event, WMG drew more than 3,000 attendees from Louisiana (and more than 5,000 attendees in total). “We can expect this tradition to continue, but what I expect from the Louisiana Engage! series is

tremendous growth in attendance and participation from WMG veterans and newcomers,” Shields said. “We are nurturing the next generation of WMG-goers.”

In addition to boosting the local economy in D.C., WMG also represents an export of Louisiana culture. For example, Louisiana Engage! welcomed leaders of every culture, geography, industry and age within Louisiana. “The Louisiana Engage! series brings together hundreds of diverse Louisianans and D.C. colleagues to learn from each other and to nurture and build relationships,” Shields says. “And our Federal Briefing Lunch features speakers on critical economic development issues, challenges and priorities—and how to engage in them.”

“While we celebrate the traditional aspects of Mardi Gras, there is much more to the week of events,” Kane added. “Every festival queen from each parish is recognized. There are numerous Louisiana bands who attend from zydeco to brass. And the locals love us, as evidenced by the Mardi Gras beads worn at nearly every major restaurant throughout the District during WMG week.”

Louisiana Engage! also draws on Louisiana talent for events, and Louisiana brands and products for giveaways. For example, The Masque featured a cast of Louisiana providers, including entertainment by DJ Raj Smoove and cuisine by Jambalaya Girl, Friends of Codey’s, Viola’s Heritage Breads, DREAM Kitchen and locally sourced snacks by Box of Care Gift Company. Meanwhile, Louisiana Alive, which took place on Thursday night, also featured Louisiana bands and food from a bevy of Louisiana restaurants.

UNTIL NEXT YEAR

Best described as the intersection of business, government and Louisiana’s historic culture, WMG is the largest gathering of Louisiana business professionals, elected leaders and government officials in the nation’s capital. And the event will likely only continue to grow in the future.

“Thousands participate each year for this unique affair that is rich in social interaction and relation -

ship-building among Louisiana’s finest leaders,” Shields said. “In its inaugural year, Louisiana Engage! was developed as a pathway to engage more Louisiana young professionals in Washington Mardi Gras week. However, it was such a successful venture that everyone wanted to participate. In its second year, all participating Louisianans were invited. As well, our D.C. colleagues, congressional staffers and friends were invited to join us for our kick-off event, The Masque.”

What began as a demonstration of the spirit of Mardi Gras has since grown into a celebration of Louisiana, the state’s politics and its people. “We received incredibly positive feedback from both attendees and GNO, Inc. investors,” Kilbert said. “The [Federal Briefing Lunch] has evolved into one of the premier events at Washington Mardi Gras. It’s been truly rewarding to see such enthusiastic responses, and it motivates us to keep raising the bar for future events. We intend to continue our title sponsorship with both the Krewe itself, as well as with GNO, Inc.”

Nurturing New Orleans’ Ecosystem of Entrepreneurship

Through Startupnola.com and other initiatives, GNO Inc. has taken a proactive approach in connecting local high-growth startups with investors and invaluable service providers.

BY WILLIAM KALEC

While always an advocate when the seedlings of South Louisiana’s up-and-coming “start-up” culture first began sprouting in the early 2000s, GNO Inc.’s initially felt it wasn’t its place to take on an aggressive, hands-on role in the region’s entrepreneurial ecosystem.

The reasoning was simple: local economic development partners at the parish level knew the ins and outs of the blossoming small businesses in their respective backyard best and several already had established entrepreneurial support staffs.

“Then COVID happened, and it shined a light on all the reasons why we (GNO Inc.) needed a lot of innovation and entrepreneurship,” said Evie Poitevent Sanders, GNO Inc.’s Director of Entrepreneurship and Innovation. “Those included: to create new businesses, new jobs, disrupt legacy industries that had gotten too stagnant or complacent, and, really, create new industries from the ground up.

“They say that necessity is the mother of invention, and that unexpected period really sparked our efforts and initiatives in the startup space.”

After winning an EDA Innovation Grant in 2022, GNO Inc. used that funding to staff a new department that assists in nurturing the area’s startup ecosystem by focusing its efforts on “connectivity” – facilitating introductions (or what Poitevent Sanders like to call “collisions”) between high-growth startups, venture capital investors, accelerators, and other service providers.

“One of the main things to do in Year 1 in this role was to meet all the key stakeholders in the ecosystem and establish relationships and trust with them and opening up the lines of communication, because (GNO Inc.) had never really played in this space,” Poitevent Sanders said. “So, at first, there was some headscratching...’What is GNO Inc. doing? What do they know? This hasn’t been their wheelhouse.’

“Our answer was that we weren’t here to duplicate efforts or step on toes, but rather it was all about support, facilitation, and addressing gaps.”

GNO Inc.’s multi-pronged, ever-evolving plans of action in regard to enriching South Louisiana’s entrepreneurial ecosystem all falls under the organization’s “Startup NOLA” umbrella – a burgeoning marketing campaign that’s quickly become synonymous with the region’s startup climate.

Today, the keystone of Startup NOLA’s brand is the website www.startupnola.com – a centralized information hub/data aggregator for New Orleans highgrowth startup ecosystem that features two main asset maps, one for startups and one for resource providers. The site contains an integrated ecosystem community events calendar, enabling ESOs, accelerators and incubators to promote their public-facing programming. In the near future, GNO Inc. will add a higher-education innovation asset map on www.startupnola.com, as well.

To further promote the website, organizers of the annual New Orleans Entrepreneur Week encouraged GNO Inc. to publish and distribute to attendees of the

mid-March event a physical printed copy of much of the directory/resource information found on the site. The reasoning? To hand out a tangible easy-to-access connectivity tool for those immersed in New Orleans startup culture and further increase the visibility of ‘Startup NOLA’ as a whole.

In addition to having a presence at 2024 New Orleans Entrepreneur Week, GNO Inc. also sponsored a tangential event that same week, the inaugural 3rd Coast Venture

Summit – an invitation-only gathering, organized by The Idea Village, at which investors met face-to-face with leaders/founders of premier ‘Seed To Series A’ regional startups. Accepted startup applicants that pitched investors at the 3-day event (which also featured keynote speakers and expert panel discussions) had to have foundational roots in one of five Gulf Coast states – Louisiana, Mississippi, Alabama, Florida or Texas –and needed to have a track record of securing investment capital.

It provides an opportunity for startups to meet mature companies and serial entrepreneurs who could become mentors or potentially investors, along with (venture capital firms) as investors... but beyond that, it’s a chance for founders to meet other founders, workers in startups to meet other workers in startups, so that they can collaborate, commiserate, share war stories. ”

Fully understanding the importance of in-person interactions between various factions of the 10-parish South Louisiana startup/entrepreneur ecosystem – and the troubling tendency for those in the ecosystem to stay within their own silos because of the extensive but normalized workhour demands of startup culture – GNO Inc. launched a 16-month pilot program in December 2023 to encourage more real-life connections and collaborations.

Titled ‘Startup NOLA NOW’ these circle-the-calendar meetups attempt to replicate the post-Katrina startup inperson energy once found at designated brick and mortar spaces like the IP Building Launch Pad, and Capdeville.

The way the program works is GNO Inc. officials reach out to entrepreneurial support organizations (New Orleans Bioinnovation Center, Maroon, Propeller, The Idea Village, Opportunity Hub, Metronome, to name a few) and ask them to present/stage a monthly meet-up. That means conjuring a meeting specific theme/topic of focus, lining up speakers and finding a convenient location to host the event if there’s not ample room at the presenting entity’s workplace.

Seed money from GNO Inc. assists in providing food, beverage, set-up amenities (tables, chairs, etc. and support staff, if needed. GNO Inc. also markets and promoting each Startup NOLA Now meet-up and shepherds the host-company through the entire process.

“It provides an opportunity for startups to meet mature companies and serial entrepreneurs who could become mentors or potentially investors, along with (venture capital firms) as investors, Poitevent Sanders said. “But beyond that, it’s a chance for founders to meet other founders, workers in startups to meet other workers in startups, so that they can collaborate, commiserate, share war stories.

“And it’s also a chance for novices to plug-in to the ecosystem – meet people, find inspiration and the confidence to go pursue that ‘crazy idea’ they have because they’re surrounded and conversing with other people who have done it.”

Meet Mindy Nuñez Airhart

Leading the Charge in Louisiana's Steel Fabrication Scene

CEO of SSE Steel Fabrication Drives Innovation and Diversity in a Male-Dominated Industry

BY MM KAUFMAN

When it comes to finding the authority for steel fabrication in Louisiana, look no further than SSE with CEO Mindy Nuñez Airhart at the helm.

SSE Steel Fabrication (formerly known as Southern Services & Equipment, Inc.) is a versatile, large capacity, full-service facility for steel fabrication, structural steel erection, forming, welding, design and support, product assembly, painting, blasting and finishing, and quality measurement control. The company also offers field welding service of on-site fabrication and emergency repair. It’s not every major company that can boast their CEO and owner is 100% homegrown, but Airhart first began working at the company her parents started in 1996 when she was still in high school.

After college she returned to SSE but did not consider it for a career until after Hurricane Katrina when her family and the company were busy helping rebuild the levee system and other city-wide projects. After that, she never left. But her journey within the company remains impressive.

She began helping with payroll and administration and then used her communications and media degree from Tulane to help market the company. Then in 2018, she purchased the company from her parents and can now proudly call herself 100% the owner.

That pride does not simply reside in her role as owner as CEO of a major company that processes structural steel according to architectural plans and ships it to job sites across the United States, with customers in the commercial, industrial and govern -

ment industries. But also, as a woman and minority in a predominantly white male dominated industry.

That does not mean Airhart does it alone. “I rely on men and women from all colors of the rainbow to be successful,” she said. Airhart said there are less men to do the construction jobs needed to keep the country running. She has her eyes on the big picture of what effort it will take to help America’s construction industry thrive. To her that means encouraging more women to enter the field.

“It is imperative that we encourage our daughters to pursue career paths in the construction industry, whether it be in the trades or in engineering or architecture,” she said.

SSE might have known consistency in its administration and leadership, but the company has not succeeded by staying stagnant. “During the 20 years that I have worked at SSE,” Airhart said, “there has always been change. As entrepreneurs, we are constantly thinking of new ways to grow and innovate and improve.”

She explained that her parents, husband, and herself are all natural risk takers, so they seek out change in order to improve the company. “Not every change or decision that we have made has been a good one, or the right one, but we are blessed to be in business 27 years later,” she said.

And those risks have paid off in some incredible innovation for the company. SSE has installed the first state-of-the-art robotic CNC plasma machine in south Louisiana, the PythonX Structural Fabrication System, which helped make SSE a leader in the field of structural steel fabrication. The company has made substantial investments in robotic processing equipment, including cobot welding, a robotic structural beam line, an HD oxygen/plasma burn table with articulating robotic arm, and a CNC tube processor, among many others.

As CEO, Airhart provides leadership for all aspects of the company’s operations. Her focus is on long term goals, growth, and profit, but she also places a special emphasis on employee morale and retention, as well as workforce development.

Within this busy schedule, often including fielding daily emails, she makes time to provide support to special projects like SSE’s current physical expansion or their partnership with Louisiana Economic Development (LED.) “I also serve on quite a few boards of directors for local nonprofits/NGOs,” Airhart said, “most of which share my passion for economic development, workforce development, and environmental/coastal issues.”

Airhart clearly has a lot on her daily plate, but when asked what her favorite aspect of working at SSE was, she did not hesitate. “I truly enjoy working with the people in my office every day, and I care deeply about my employees. We have fun in our office, while getting the job done!”

But don’t expect Airhart to get complacent any time soon, she still has many goals she hopes to achieve in life and especially in work. “I want to grow our company revenue quite a bit, and I always want to improve upon our infrastructure. Most of all I want to continue to improve our company culture,” she said. “I want this company to be a place where people are proud to work, and recommend it to their friends and family. I want people to have a career here, not just a job.”

SSE Steel Fabrication is a top company to watch in the Greater New Orleans area for their plans to both innovate and grow from within and outside of company walls. Mindy Nuñez Airhart, a woman with a longstanding history and familial investment, has big ideas for the future of SSE that she plans to steer with a steel grip.

Glen D. Smith's Quest for Impact and Innovation

A Portrait of Leadership, Philanthropy, and Family Values in the Heart of Louisiana

BY MM KAUFMAN

Glen D. Smith is a man who is always asking himself, "What more can I do?” This question has led him and his brother Gary L. Smith to lead Magnolia Companies as both owners and CEO and President, respectively, to its current form as a twenty-company conglomeration.

This question is also what committed them to a life of philanthropy. Their work ethic and devotion to giving back were instilled in them from a young age by their father, Henry A. Smith. Despite leading such a vast group of companies and variety of business ventures, at no point have these brothers ever been out of touch with what their companies do.

“My father had a construction company. In the summers and on weekends, we worked around heavy equipment,” Glen said. “So as far as operating equipment, things of that nature, I don't think there's really anything that we own within all the different companies that we couldn't operate.”

The work ethic that Henry Smith installed in his sons has found its way through every member of the vast company thanks to Glen and Gary’s leadership. “In ownership, you see the excitement and feel the pain. The name of the game is to try to guide it all through the Magnolia Companies, which are almost sixty years old,” Glen said. “The only thing we have of the original company is one of the dredges, everything else has been developed from there. But the mindset of the persistence and determination that came through my dad’s end is what actually stuck with everybody."

When I spoke to Glen, the most difficult question for him to answer was what he did outside of work. “I don't work for a living. I enjoy what I do!”

But when pressed, he expressed how much he enjoys taking part in the cannonball races which are rally races across the country. Last year, they traveled from Seattle to Chicago by way of Canada in a day. But being Glen, a man who always

has his eyes on the individuals around him, it was meeting people from all over the world that was his highlight.

Glen’s goal of prioritizing the individual over profits manifests itself in the vast company group he oversees. “This year we are developing a team member arrangement, and we are working to better every one of our team members to the extent that when you put them all together, the strengths of everyone, it's going to be very difficult to see who's leading the show,” he said. “It gives us the opportunity to allow people to grow.”

Glen does not view the many employees that make up Magnolia Companies as cogs in a machine, but as people with families and real human needs. "We develop incentives that are really outside the norm when it comes to companies with payroll and bonuses and dividends and things like that,” he said. “We get down to a lot of the day-to-day things that families need to provide for themselves and to see exactly how we can develop more and more incentives.”

Magnolia Companies boast many projects and accomplishments, so Glen naturally struggled to pick just one that he was particularly interested in. But he was quite excited to share about their work with the first movie studio, Quixote Studios, in the River Parishes. “They need certain things on twenty-four hours, seven days a week basis. They work unusual schedules, which aligns itself with the recovery work that we do, the marine work we do, and the gaming work is twenty-four-seven,” he said. “Trying to do some work with the film industry is not that big of adjustment for a lot of our guys and gals, because they do it on a natural basis. It's a unique arrangement and it continues to grow.”

Glen is above all motivated by creation, whether that is new business ventures like a film studio, or the smile on a young person’s face when they walk the red carpet at a prom held for kids with terminal illnesses. “The philanthropy work came from my dad’s end. He was like that. He enjoyed giving back,” he said. “We feel that there’s a direct connection between what you get and what you give. We've been blessed with a lot over the years, so we enjoy giving back.”

Glen and his brother chose causes in which they felt they could make a real difference. Three causes they champion are aiding senior citizens, supporting law enforcement, and enriching the lives of underprivileged and sick children.

"If you ever have a conversation with a person that's in their 90’s or a centurion, they have seen so much in their lifetime that it just inspires you to continue moving forward,” he said.

We feel that there’s a direct connection between what you get and what you give. We've been blessed with a lot over the years, so we enjoy giving back.”

Through Magnolia Companies, Glen and Gary host numerous annual charitable events, including what Glen calls the most tear-joking experience, the GSmith Prom of Champions. This a special night designed for terminally ill kids to enjoy a formal prom complete with tuxedos, gowns, and a chance for their parents to see them walk the red carpet and take a photo with a Saints player. Some of these children were in the hospital the day before, and others have sadly passed not long after. But for them and their families, that magical night remains a source of joy outside of their suffering.

Having traveled around the world, I was curious what Glen felt was unique to his home region. “All of Louisiana, especially south Louisiana, has by far the friendliest people around,” said.

And as any native or long-standing resident of New Orleans knows, the crescent city has a little bit of everything. “In New Orleans you can go from Bourbon Street to the casino, to the nightclubs, to the restaurants, to the Superdome. It’s never ending!”

It is Glen’s relationship with his brother Gary that he credits with overcoming the many challenges of running such a large and successful business for so long. “There's a relationship there that is second to none,” he said. “We have gone up against some very serious business issues and challenges and that's always been there.”

To the Smith brothers, the ability to maneuver through each business day is only possible through their relationship of mutual support. They view their business ventures as a ladder, one in which you have to stay humble as you climb, because every time you lift your foot off one rung and bring it to the next, there’s a risk of failure. But Glen said with each risky step they smile toward their next challenge.

He isn’t sure if everything they’ve accomplished with Magnolia Companies would have been possible if their familial relationship wasn’t the cornerstone. The relationship of trust and loyalty has created a cultural ripple within Magnolia Companies that has passed on to their business family. “That is something valuable in itself,” Glen said.

During Louisiana Clean Energy Week, GNO, Inc. and the GNOWind Alliance were proud to participate in the 1-year anniversary of the LA Wind Hub! To make the celebration even more monumental, the inaugural cohort of the UNO Wind Scholars program was announced.

St. Bernard Economic Development Foundation gave GNO, Inc. a glimpse into what’s been booming in the parish! With stops at several sites including the St. Bernard Port, The Ranch Film Studios, and lunch at Cafe Aquarius.

GNO, Inc. Executive Director of Future Energy, Lacy McManus, and GNO, Inc. CEO and President, Michael Hecht, gave a presentation on H2theFuture and offshore wind in the Gulf of Mexico to the New Orleans City Council.

GNO, Inc. hosted our annual GNOu Workforce Summit at the Marriot Warehouse Arts District! Participants learned industry trends & workforce needs & also had an opportunity to network with industry and education leaders in our state.

Boeing donated $100,000 to GNODF, backing STEM programs: HBCU Innovation Internship, W.I.S.E. Women Initiative, and Sons in STEM with Son of a Saint. These initiatives expose students to dynamic careers, offer mentorship, and internships, & highlight high-wage STEM jobs.

GNO, Inc. hosted a “GNOthinc” on preparing for the saltwater intrusion. We heard updates and solutions from Casey Tingle of GOHSEP and Col. Cullen Jones, Commander & District Engineer of the USACE New Orleans District.

GNO, Inc. and the World Trade Center of New Orleans were honored to host leaders of the Ukraine parliament.

GNO, Inc. hosted the National Talent Collaborative, a CEO-led community of national organizations consisting of the country’s most innovative civic problem solvers committed to working collectively to close the talent & opportunity gap in the US by building pathways to good jobs.

Team Tangipahoa gave us an excellent tour of “Tangi”. The GNO, Inc. team visited Medline Industries, LP facility, the Niagara Bottling site, TPG Council Chambers, and ended the day at Berrytown Produce market.

Louisiana gained nearly 40,000 jobs over the previous 12 months, the largest gain since 19961997, and is expected to gain at least another 27,000 over the next 12 months, according to data compiled by Gary Wagner, economist with the University of Louisiana at Lafayette, in his quarterly Louisiana Economic Activity Forecast.

The Port of New Orleans (Port NOLA) announced that it has been awarded an additional $226,220,195 million in federal grant dollars to assist in building the Louisiana International Terminal (LIT), which will create thousands of jobs, drive the economy, and position Louisiana as the premier international Gulf gateway of the future.