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BIGPARENTS STORY: WHAT LESSONS WILL WE LEARN FROM HURRICANE IDA? WORKING DILEMMA THE CASE FOR CYBERINSURANCE SALTWATER INTRUSION CHALLENGE

SEPTEMBER 2020 • BUSINESSREPORT.COM SEPTEMBER 2021 • BUSINESSREPORT.COM

Educated Guess

Colleges and universities across Louisiana are dealing with the harsh financial realities of a With money and public attention focused on pandemic while also charting a the issue, Baton Rouge is poised to address its path into an uncertain future. decades-old flooding and drainage problems. But does it have the will to really change?

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CONTENTS CONTENTS

What will

Publisher: Publisher:Rolfe H. McCollister Jr. Rolfe H. McCollister Jr.

AMAZON

EDITORIAL EDITORIAL

Editorial director: Editorial director:Penny Font Penny Font Executive editor: Executive editor:JR Ball JR Ball Editor: Editor:Stephanie Riegel Stephanie Riegel Assistant editor: Assistant editor:Allan Schilling Allan Schilling Online news editor: Online news editor:Deanna DeannaB.B.Narveson Narveson Staff writer: Staff writer:Caitie Burkes Caitie Burkes Julia-Claire Evans, David Jacobs Digital content editor: Digital content editor:Mark Clements Mark Clements Contributing writers: Contributing writers:Sam Barnes, Sam Barnes,Tom Cook, Tom Cook, Maggie Heyn Richardson Maggie Heyn Richardson Contributing photographers: Contributing photographers:Brian Baiamonte, Brian Baiamonte, Marie Constantin, Marie Constantin,Don Kadair, Don Kadair,Tim Mueller, Tim Mueller,Collin Richie Collin Richie

deliver?

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The Theredevelopment redevelopmentof ofCortana CortanaMall Mallis isbeing being hailed hailedas asan aneconomic economicwin, win,but butthere thereare arecosts. costs.

CORPORATE MEDIA CORPORATE MEDIA

Editor: Editor:Lisa Tramontana Lisa Tramontana Content strategist: Content strategist:Allyson Guay Allyson Guay Multimedia Strategy Manager: Multimedia Strategy Manager:Tim Coles Tim Coles Account executives: Account executives:Judith LaDousa Judith LaDousa Client ClientExperience ExperienceCoordinator, Coordinator,Studio E: Studio E:Nicole Prunty Nicole Prunty Coordinator: Studio E: Nicole Prunty

With money and public attention focused on the issue, Baton Rouge is poised to address its decades-old flooding and drainage problems. But does it have the will to really change?

CUSTOM CUSTOMPUBLISHING PUBLISHING

Sales director: Sales director:Erin Palmintier-Pou Erin Palmintier-Pou

COLLIN RICHIE

MARKETING MARKETING

COVER STORY - PAGE 30

42 Riding another wave The Baton Rouge economy was finding its post-COVID footing until the delta variant—and a hurricane— struck with a vengeance.

6 Reflecting in year 40 for ‘Business Report’

STARTUP PUBLISHER’S PUBLISHER’SVIEW VIEW

44 A taxing decision NEWS NEWS Voters will decide on two

8 Story: Ida delivers a powerful 66 Big Google will disrupt Google will disrupt message colleges collegesand anduniversities universities 9 Data Bank: Numbers tell the story

STARTUP STARTUP 11 3 Things to Know: Candace LeBlanc 13 Megan H. affair Kelly 88 Entrepreneur: Big BigStory: Story:AAscandalous scandalous affair 15 Design: Louisiana Workers’ 99 Data DataBank: Bank:Numbers Numberstell tellthe thestory story Compensation Corp. 11 11 33Things Thingsto toKnow: Know:David DavidKneipp Kneipp 16 Tom Cook: What’s next for single13 Horatio 13 Entrepreneur: Entrepreneur: HoratioIsadore Isadore family development? 15 Design: Baton Rouge Jet Center 15 Design: Baton Rouge Jet Center 18 Bottom Line: Economic indicators

16 16 Tom TomCook Cook

NEWS

17 17 Bottom BottomLine: Line:Economic Economicindicators indicators 18 18 Business BusinessLunch: Lunch:Bistro BistroItalia Italia 40 A year from hell Staring down a pandemic, labor challenges, food supply shortages and a flood was more than enough drama to test the patience of Mestizo’s Jim Urdiales.

amendments in October that 26 ripple 26 The The rippleeffect effect business interests say will have GMFS Mortgage and CEO GMFS Mortgage and CEO a major impact on simplifying Tee Brown are making Tee Brown arequietly quietly makingaathe Louisiana taximpact code.on philanthropic philanthropic impact onthe theBaton Baton Rouge community. Rouge community. 46 Next-gen living or hacker’s delight? dilemma 30 30 Downtown’s Downtown’s dilemma After Smart homesrough offer year customized, aalargely After largely rough yearfor forthose those on-demand comfort, but ifthere not doing business downtown, doing business downtown, thereare are properly protected can also signs ofofoptimism on the signs optimism onthey thehorizon— horizon— provide ainin gateway into your house— especially the sector. especially themultifamily multifamily sector. and life.

FOCUS: FOCUS:WEALTH WEALTHMANAGEMENT MANAGEMENT FOCUS: BANKING & FINANCE

32 32 AAfamily familyaffair affair 49AA The circle of banking life growing number ofofaging growing number aging small Afterbusiness a round owners, ofowners, mergers and with no small business with no acquisitions byinterested Baton Rouge-based family members inin family members interested banks, theare next step in the their cycle taking over, taking over, areconsidering considering their begins: the arrivalselling of newtheir community options—including options—including selling their banks to the market. multigenerational companies. multigenerational companies.

THE LIST 54 Banks 56 Credit unions

THE LIST THE LIST VIEWPOINT 34 investment 34 Financial investment 59Financial Big Picture: The difficult firms firms realities of life in SoLa 61 Random Thoughts:

VIEWPOINT VIEWPOINT Ida can’t blow away dedicated tax grab 36 36 The TheBig BigPicture Picture

YOUR BUSINESS

37 37 Random RandomThoughts Thoughts 63 Company News YOUR BUSINESS YOUR BUSINESS

67 Moving Up 39 39 Company CompanyNews News 77 Flashback: 1988 42 42 Moving MovingUp Up 78 Passion: Nanette 44 1990 44 Flashback: Flashback: 1990 Noland | Choir 46 46 Passion: Passion:Kris KrisKlar Klar

CONNECT CONNECTWITH WITHUS: US:

ADMINISTRATION ADMINISTRATION

Assistant Assistantbusiness manager: business manager:Tiffany Durocher Tiffany Durocher Business associate: Business associate:Kirsten Milano Kirsten Milano Office Officecoordinator: coordinator:Tara Lane Tara Lane Receptionist: Receptionist:Cathy Varnado Brown Cathy Varnado Brown

PUBLISHER’S COVER PAGE COVERSTORY STORY--VIEW PAGE2020

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Chief marketing officer: Chief marketing officer:Elizabeth McCollister Hebert Elizabeth McCollister Hebert Marketing & events assistant: Marketing & events assistant:Taylor Floyd Taylor Floyd Taylor Falgout Events: Events:Abby Hamilton Abby Hamilton Community liaison: Community liaison:Jeanne McCollister McNeil Jeanne McCollister McNeil

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Audience development director Audience development directorand anddigital manager: digital manager: James Hume James Hume Audience development coordinator: Audience development coordinator:Ivana Oubre Ivana Oubre Audience Audiencedevelopment developmentassociate: associate:Jordan Kozar Jordan Kozar A publication of Louisiana Business Inc. A publication of Louisiana Business Inc. Chairman: Chairman:Rolfe H. McCollister Jr. Rolfe H. McCollister Jr. Executive assistant: Executive assistant:Tara Broussard Tara Broussard President & CEO: President & CEO:Julio A. Melara Julio A. Melara Executive assistant: Executive assistant:Brooke Motto Brooke Motto Circulation/Reprints Circulation/Reprints 225-928-1700 225-928-1700 email: email:circulation@businessreport.com circulation@businessreport.com Subscriptions/Customer Service Subscriptions/Customer Service 225-421-8181 225-421-8181 email: email:subscriptions@businessreport.com subscriptions@businessreport.com Volume 39 - Number Volume 39 - Number10 Volume 40 - Number 110 ©Copyright ©Copyright2021 2021by LouisianaBusiness BusinessIncorporated. Incorporated.All rightsreserved reservedby LBI.The The ©Copyright 2021 bybyLouisiana Louisiana Business Incorporated. AllAllrights rights reserved bybyLBI. LBI. The Greater GreaterBaton BatonRouge RougeBusiness BusinessReport Report(USPS (USPS721-890 721-890ISSN ISSN0747-4652) 0747-4652)isisispublished published Greater Baton Rouge Business Report (USPS 721-890 ISSN 0747-4652) published monthly monthlyby LouisianaBusiness BusinessInc. Inc.Reproduction Reproductionwithout withoutpermission permissionisisisprohibited. prohibited. monthly bybyLouisiana Louisiana Business Inc. Reproduction without permission prohibited. Business Businessaddress: address: Business address: 9029 9029Jefferson JeffersonHwy., Hwy.,Ste. Ste.300, 300,Baton BatonRouge, Rouge,LA 70809.Telephone Telephone(225) (225)928-1700. 928-1700. 9029 Jefferson Hwy., Ste. 300, Baton Rouge, LALA70809. 70809. Telephone (225) 928-1700. Periodicals Periodicalspostage postageisisispaid paidatatatBaton BatonRouge, Rouge,La. Subscriptionrate rateisisis$59.00 $59.00for issues, Periodicals postage paid Baton Rouge, La.La.Subscription Subscription rate $59.00 forfor12 1212issues, issues, with with33 3additional additionalissues issuespublished publishedannually annuallyinininApril, April,May Mayand andDecember. December. with additional issues published annually April, May and December. POSTMASTER: POSTMASTER:Send Sendaddress addresschanges changestototoThe TheGreater GreaterBaton BatonRouge RougeBusiness BusinessReport, Report, POSTMASTER: Send address changes The Greater Baton Rouge Business Report, 9029 9029Jefferson JeffersonHwy. Hwy.Ste. Ste.300, 300,Baton BatonRouge, Rouge,LA 70809. 9029 Jefferson Hwy. Ste. 300, Baton Rouge, LALA70809. 70809. The TheGreater GreaterBaton BatonRouge RougeBusiness BusinessReport Reportcannot cannotbe responsiblefor returnofofof The Greater Baton Rouge Business Report cannot beberesponsible responsible forforthe thethereturn return unsolicited unsolicitedmaterial—manuscripts material—manuscriptsorororphotographs, photographs,with withorororwithout withoutthe inclusionofofofaa a unsolicited material—manuscripts photographs, with without thetheinclusion inclusion stamped, stamped,self-addressed self-addressedreturn returnenvelope. envelope. stamped, self-addressed return envelope. Information Informationinininthis thispublication publicationisisisgathered gatheredfrom fromsources sourcesconsidered consideredtototobe reliable,but Information this publication gathered from sources considered bebereliable, reliable, butbut the accuracyand andcompleteness completenessofofofthe informationcannot cannotbe guaranteed.No information thetheaccuracy accuracy and completeness thetheinformation information cannot bebeguaranteed. guaranteed. NoNoinformation information expressed expressedhere hereconstitutes constitutesaa solicitation asolicitation solicitationfor purchaseorororsale saleofofofany anysecurities. securities. expressed here constitutes forforthe thethepurchase purchase sale any securities.

BUSINESS | | BusinessReport.com BUSINESSREPORT, REPORT,April April2021 20212021 BusinessReport.com September | BusinessReport.com

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PUBLISHER’S VIEW

Reflecting year 40 for ‘Business Report’ Google willindisrupt colleges and universities

ROLFE MCCOLLISTER JR. THIS ISSUE MARKS the first isI USED TO JOKE: If Google ever sue of giving our 40th year for Business starts a diploma, colleges Report. (Do you remember the are in trouble. Well, it’s happening. premiere below withdisrupt Huey We sawissue the pandemic Wilson andand 10 entrepreneurs? Of traditions create new paracourse, some of industries you weren’tand born digms in many secthen.) Muchvery hasold changed in Baton tors. Some institutions Rouge and the world since we bewere impacted as well. At the end gan, asspring well assemester in the media of the and indusfor try. What a ride has been. Wecolmuch of the fallitin 2020, most love hometown. Thankclasses you. lege our students were taking One thing I have learned four online. The adoption of thatinredecades: can’t stop change, ality was You nationwide and world-so embrace (Wedoes all experienced wide. So, it. what that mean for that lesson in the last 18 months— the future? and in the recent of Inc. Well, here is theaftermath headline in Hurricane Ida.) magazine for its interview with But I amand notGoogle sure CEO Sundar Alphabet that our“How city and state new career Pichai: Google’s have still grasped certificates could that disrupt the coltruth—and it has cost lege degree.” usThe opportunities for article begins March 11 Inc. growth and“This quality of by saying, morning, Google life. is announcing the next steps in its Why that? Have plan toisdisrupt the world of edwe not learned from ucation, including the launch of our Some just newhistory? certificate programs that are don’t wanttotohelp change. designed people bridge Some are gap afraid of get change. They any skills and qualificalike “the way we’ve always done tionsit in high-paying, high-growth it before.” Did you know that job fields—with one noteworLouisiana, 80%, has the highest thy feature:atNo college degree rate of natives who have always necessary.” lived here? That a lot of history Pichai tells theismagazine that and tradition among generations. the “pandemic has led to a truly That isyear, a good families, horrible butthing it hasfor also crebut talking about a commuatedwhen profound shifts along the nity it often limits transformaperspectives, journey to digital innovation, and openness tion in waysideas no one could have to change. The status quo routinely imagined.” rules day. goes on to say, “Most Thethe article For a capital city with two unienrollees will finish in six months versities and a port on the river, it or less, putting the cost at about seems weU.S. are students. happy with the “bird $240 for Some may in theonly hand” andmonths, pass on cutting pursuing need three the bush.” that“two cost in in the half. Google is offering By comparison, look at the 100,000 need-based scholarships 6

capital city in Texas, whichcomin 1970 in the U.S.” That is tough had a population of some petition for colleges when250,000, tuition the same astoBaton Rouge. Butdebt continues rise and college Austin risk-taking and is at anembraced all-time high. And a denow metro of gree has can atake twopopulation to four years—if more than 2 million, while we fall not longer—to obtain. short of 1 million. Colleges and universities can What did our leaders fail to see offer a different experience but or do?must No vision? innovation? they provideNo a demonstraNo believe they failed tothe ble risks? value Ifor the consumer for follow themoney advice invested. of hockeyIn great time and the Wayne who said, “I don’t end, theGretzky market—students, parskate to where the puck is decide …I ents and employers—will skate to best, where it is is going to it, be.” what is what worth and Wethe didn’t anticipate the future who winners will be. and the change it would bring. We were content to chase the puck. THE INTEGRITY OF ELECTIONS Mediocrity was acceptable This has been a hot topicfor of our city—but for our LSU Tiger discussionnever and the pendulum is football never. accusations of swinging…toward In September 1982, voter suppression andBusiness the purging Report 11 of successful en- is of rolls.profiled But some the rhetoric trepreneurs who were making an just ridiculous. impact our community. Five Everyon American citizen should are now the to Business Hall of have thein right vote, but there Fame. We still believe are requirements. Justsmall as webusihave nesses and entrepreneurs are hethe constitutionally-guaranteed roes critical to our future. rightand to bear arms, Ross DeVol, CEO of think tank provided a would-be Heartland gun ownerForward, clears spoke at the 2019 CPEX Smart Growth Summit, the various governsaying, ment-imposed re-“Communities that quirements, likeinvest in entrepreand young busiregistering neurs or undernesses are the ones that going a background will grow and thrive in check. the 21st century.” Though admittedly Have we invested? not rights—but privileges—I alsoDuring have tothe past few decades there have show identification been two shining exto board a plane, puramples chase a cocktail or of getvision, my car ininnovation, risk-takspected. Also, I must take steps to ing and leadership. Much going of the drive a vehicle, including cool we DMV have in our city has downstuff to the and passing a been dreamed andadeveloped test before getting license. No by Wampold or BRAF and oneMike automatically registers me for John Davies. From projects like a driver’s license when I turn 16 or City Plaza, The Watermark, when enrolling in college. The Crescent, now Just as IHarveston must do ifand I wish to River Mark Theto Shaw exercise mytoright ownCenter, a gun, Capitol House,with IBMrequiring Building, the what’s wrong Water Institute, New someone to make anSchools effort if for they Baton now the Lakes wish toRouge vote? and Is registering in adProject. Nothaving every effort alwaysan vance and to produce works out getting as planned they ID before that but right such a were willingburden? to think different and ponderous take risk andunless our community Mythe view is— that you are landscape changed forever. disabled orwas in service overseas I appreciate you should go their to theleadership, polls to vote. their willingness to think and (In other countries we seebig citizens for seeing the future. Who walk for miles and wait forwill hours

provide leadership in the to cast avisionary vote. Some countries next don’tdecade? even allow that right.) So, I really don’t want to hear all the THANKS FOR YOUR whining by those whoSUPPORT are often As noted, the media landscape simply irresponsible—or have the has We now provide rightchanged. but choose not to exercise it. Business monthly and TypicalReport of Washington, the our curDaily Report twice every is weekrent cure by Democrats H.R.1, day—as well as numerous free an 800-page gorilla that could webcasts and local A events. deny state’s rights. betterWe name hope you enjoy the excellent jourfor it is Pandora’s box. nalism have provideda for Hanswe von Spakovsky, se- 39 years. If so, we would ask that you nior fellow with The Heritage become an INSIDER all-access Foundation warns offor many probfrom $1.50 a lems any withdevice. H.R. 1 It’s andjust how it will week. at businessreport. impactSubscribe voting, writing, “H.R. 1, com. We appreciate your‘For continthe deceptively entitled the ued support. People Act,’ has arrived in the U.S. Senate after a party-line vote in ENDORSEMENTS FOR the House of Representatives. It is OCT. 9 ELECTION without doubt the most dangerBelow items for the upcomous and are irresponsible election bill ing election, with early voting I have ever seen.” starting Sept. says, 25. Here brief Spakovsky “If itare becomes recommendations law, it will interferewith withcomplete the abilcomments at Business ity of statesonline and their citizens to Report.com. You will also findand determine the qualifications more information on of thevoters, constitueligibility to tional amendments onaccuracy page 44 in ensure the this issue and atvalidity PARlouisiana.org. and of voter • AMENDMENT NO. rolls, 1 - YES registration to Sales tax collection: This transsecure the integrity of formation of our archaic conelections, andand to parvoluted system is long ticipate andoverdue. speak It will create afreely new commission that in the political will create aarena.” one-stop for collection, filing and remittance sales He goes on toofsay taxes. The commission of four that, if passed, it local and four“would state representatives not only elimiwill producenate policies rules for basicand safety protothe audit process. If approved, a cols, but mandate new, statute be and needed to enact it, recklesswill rules procedures.” which requires a two-thirds vote of His online column at heritage. the org Legislature. lists eight of the worst provi• AMENDMENT 2 - YES sions of the bill. YouNO. should know Lowers individualinincome what theymax are changing the vottax: This is designed be a tradeing process. It affectstoeveryone’s off by lowering rates in exchange future. for eliminating the federal income tax deduction. It ATTITUDE will also eliminate A WELCOMED excess itemized deductions (You The Advocate recently reported can medical.) top rate thatstill fouruse new charter The schools will will drop to 4.25%, 6%,BASIS which be opening in EBRfrom this fall: would be one the lowestPrep, in the Mid City, IDEAofUniversity U.S. make Academy us more competHelixand Aviation and Helix itive. middleThese rate drops to LegalThe Academy. are more 3.5%, 4%, for andparents the lower rate publicfrom choices and goes to 1.85%, from 2%. If the state students. does wellnotes economically, the Thevery article that 27 charter rates cancurrently be dropped lower. schools operate inThis East also makes state revenues more Baton Rouge Parish, educating predictable consistent. nearly 20% and of the parish’s public

“Most enrollees will finish in six months, putting the cost at about $240. Some may need only three months, cutting that cost in half.”

• AMENDMENT NO. 3 – YES schoolchildren. Allows levee tax: This I was glad to district read that, “Newly provides sixEast newer levee districts appointed Baton Rouge with the same authoritySito as all othParish Superintendent ers in raising a 5-mill property Narcisse has adopted an actax. The measure muston pass statecommodating stance charter wide as well as within the individschools so far.” ualThe district take effect. So the storyto referred to a recent district theRouge final say. webinarvoters by thehave Baton Area • AMENDMENT NO. 4 –made YES Chamber where “Narcisse Budget allowance: The clear he isdeficit avoiding continued Revenue Estimating Committee fights over charter schools. Rather, must declarefor in ways the current he’s looking the twoyear can awork deficit of at least seven-tenths together. ‘We’re moving away of 1%.this In that situation, passage from ‘us against them’ space,” will allowsaid. the movement of up to Narcisse 10% in dedicated up from It added, “At thefunds, same time, 5%, into the generalsaid fund. Narcisse, however, he Certain will not funds are protected (Rainy Day, give charters a free pass, saying Medicaid Trust, ‘quality Millennium Fund, he will exercise control so etc.). Such move would that we areamoving in theneed samethe approval of the governor and the direction.’” joint budget commitFairlegislative enough. It’s all about the tee. It provides flexibility also children and what works but for them safeguards. and their success. FAMILY COURT OF JUDGE, SEC. 1, RESTORATION DIV. NATALIE ROBERTSON MLKB: MEMORIAL The newly restored Martin CITY COURT ESsculp2A; Luther King Jr.JUDGE, memorial DAVID MARCANTEL ture willCARSON be unveiled April 6. The 21-foot-high public art piece CAPITAL TRANSIT erected atAREA the River Center Plaza SYSTEM ROUGE in 1997 is (BATON dedicated to the iconic AND BAKER) - NO civil rights leader and was deThis is 10.6-mill renewalof for signed byaArthur Silverman 10 more years. I am not being inNew Orleans. sensitive to those inArea need. I beThe Baton Rouge lieve every metropolitan Foundation, the Office ofarea Mayorneeds massthe transit. But oursof President, Arts Council seems operate by “trial and GreatertoBaton Rouge and many error.” And who pays for those civic and business leaders teamed mistakes? Taxpayers. Sure the some in the early 1990s to raise things arethe better now, project but before funds for original we commit to 10 years, do (donor names aremore in the bricks we to take a look on need the plaza.) Many of at thedisruptsame ing the old model? Are a few new stakeholder organizations beelectric buses allin we2017 expect? What gan discussions about the about private Uber restoration of management? Silverman’s work. and Lyft vouchers? I don’t have Congratulations and thanks to all the answers but I am sure othinvolved with this project. ersDonors may have a lotrestoration of questions— to this projand even Entergy, suggestions before they ect were: Irene W. and commit to millions over the next C.B. Pennington Foundation, 10 years.Eplett and Sean E. Reilly, Jennifer Buses won’tCoca-Cola stop if we Bottling vote this Baton Rouge down. There’s time to “think difCompany, Blue Cross Blue Shield ferent” and explore what we want, of Louisiana Foundation, Capital what other cities are doing, and One, ExxonMobil, Hancockour options. Then CATS can bring Whitney Bank, McMains another tax before us Bank, again and in the Foundation, Regions spring. Baton Rouge Business Report.

BUSINESS REPORT, September | BusinessReport.com April 2021 2021 | BusinessReport.com

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Good for business. Good for life.

40 Convenient Locations across Louisiana and Southwest Mississippi

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COLLIN RICHIE

STARTUP

TH E B IG STORY

Ida delivers a powerful message 1 BIG THING: Hurricane Ida deals a massive blow to southeast Louisiana. BACK STORY: Though the Category 4 storm largely spared East Baton Rouge Parish, parts of the Capital Region were badly damaged and without power for more than a week, while New Orleans’ entire power grid was knocked offline and coastal communities suffered catastrophic damage from which some may never recover. In Baton Rouge, many businesses were shuttered—or working under limited capacity—and schools were closed for a week as 75% of the parish was initially without power. Traffic was a challenge as motorists navigated roads with inoperable traffic signals and gas shortages prompted lines not seen since the 1970s energy crisis. WHY IT MATTERS: Louisiana, already the poorest state in the nation, faces mounting challenges 8

to its aging infrastructure and fragile coastline. As storms and severe weather in the era of climate change become more frequent, unpredictable and intense, the state’s resilience will be pushed to the limit and its vulnerabilities will be exposed. Among them: • Fossil fuel infrastructure. The hurricane temporarily knocked out 94% of the offshore oil and natural gas production in the Gulf of Mexico, which represents about 20% of the nation’s total. Port Fourchon, through which 90% of Gulf fuel passes, was damaged for weeks. • The grid. All eight major transmission lines that feed power into the city of New Orleans were damaged or destroyed by the storm, and two of the three that feed Baton Rouge were down. Despite redundancies built into the system, something is not working. • The environment. Despite coastal restoration efforts, major

storms like Ida erode what little land is left along the coastline and inland marshes, rendering them less able to protect against damage from future storms. Meanwhile, dozens of plants, refineries and barges reported releases of toxic chemicals and emissions due to damage to their facilities. • The economy. It’s an economic world fueled by technology—even in Louisiana—and that’s powered by electricity. An aging and fragile grid means business is more likely to experience temporary, revenue-costing shutdowns. • The people. Nearly 20% of Louisianans live below the federal poverty line. Nearly half fall into the category of what the United Way describes as the ALICE population—Asset Limited Income Constrained Employed— or, working poor. These were the people stranded in areas without power and limited access to food and water for weeks.

THE BIG PICTURE: Hurricane Katrina, which struck exactly 16 years earlier, swamped the levees protecting New Orleans; Hurricane Ida blew down the energy grid. State and federal leaders have to get serious about investing in Louisiana’s infrastructure. With a Biden administration focused on infrastructure, the timing could be right. • Massive federal infrastructure investments do work, as Ida, ironically, proved. New Orleans’ levee system, rebuilt with $14 billion in federal aid after Katrina, held up and largely spared the city from flooding during Ida. Had the power grid been similarly hardened, the ripple effects from the storm would have been far less. • It’s not all on the feds, though. While it’s up to the congressional delegation to get money, state and local governments have to be willing to come up with matching funds, even if that means raising taxes. Ratepayers also have to recognize a resilient electric grid will mean substantially higher rates. WHAT’S NEXT: • Utilities, but especially Entergy, will face questions. Regulators and lawmakers will score political points asking tough questions, especially at public meetings with TV cameras rolling. It will be up to everybody to keep the pressure on to enact serious change. Unknown is whether the demand for answers will lead to tangible change. • Baton Rouge will see a shortterm boost in sales tax revenues, as responders, rebuilding crews and displaced storm victims continue to use the Capital Region as a staging area and temporary home. • Building prices will escalate as the global supply chain issues caused by COVID will continue. Locally, builders expect even longer waits and higher prices for lumber, roofing materials and appliances.

BUSINESS REPORT, September 2021 | BusinessReport.com

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Numbers tell the story

COMING TO BATON ROUGE!

$23.68 PER HOUR Mean wage for all occupations in Baton Rouge in May 2020. The U.S. average is $27.07 per hour.

419,708 Baton Rouge’s civilian labor force in June, up about 0.5% from the previous month

IS NOW

2.7% 3.8%

Baton Rouge population growth from 2010 to 2020

$64.83

Average tax increase for filers in Baton Rouge area under Biden administration proposals for 2022

Sources: Bureau of Labor Statistics, The Tax Foundation, U.S. Census Bureau, Baton Rouge Area Chamber

THE BANK FOR BUSINESS OWNERS

33,000

7054 Jefferson Highway, Suite 100 Baton Rouge, LA | (225) 465-7400

Total job openings in the Capital Region in July PHOTOS BY ISTOCK

Louisiana’s population growth from 2010 to 2020

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BUSINESS REPORT, September 2021 | BusinessReport.com

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STARTUP

EXECUTIVE BRIEFING

3 THINGS TO KNOW:

CANDACE LEBLANC Chief accounting officer, Investar Bank

Candace LeBlanc was born in New Orleans and grew up in St. Bernard Parish. Her family moved to the Northshore while she was in high school and she ultimately pursued her undergraduate degree at Southeastern Louisiana University in Hammond. Following graduation, LeBlanc moved to Washington, D.C., to spend time with other young professionals outside of Louisiana. “I moved there with no idea of what I wanted to do. In D.C., I learned what I was capable of and that I could do anything I put my mind to.”

LeBlanc has been with Investar Bank since it went public in 2014. She joined the bank as its director of financial reporting after working for Lamar Advertising. “It seemed like a good opportunity to build a department from the ground up. I’ve seen the organization grow dramatically over the past seven years.” She advanced with the company over the years and worked remotely from Denver before moving back to Baton Rouge in the summer to accept the new position of chief accounting officer.

DON KADAIR

LeBlanc is an avid hiker and has completed several backpacking trips. Her favorite was one in Canada that took an unexpected turn. During a hike over a glacier, weather conditions deteriorated so that the hiking group was unable to exit the trail and LeBlanc had to sleep in a hut overnight. “I love the mountains— it’s the biggest thing I’ll miss from Colorado.”

Cooking “I love to try new things— but I do love a good gumbo or a good red beans and rice.”

Dancing “I love music that makes me want to dance, or live music with cover bands.”

LSU football “I was born and raised an LSU fan.”

Mansurs on the Boulevard “The cedar plank redfish—I’ve tried to order other things, and I always veer back. Even for brunch, I’ll still get it.”

ISTOCK

FAVORITE THINGS:

Coffee “I’m not a coffee snob. I stop at McDonald’s every morning.”

Daily-Report.com | BUSINESS REPORT, September 2021

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Issue Date: SEPT 2021 Ad proof #2 • Please respond by e-mail or fax with your approval or minor revisions. • AD WILL RUN AS IS unless approval or final revisions are received within 24 hours from receipt of this proof. A shorter timeframe will apply for tight deadlines. • Additional revisions must be requested and may be subject to production fees.

“Quality Tanks Built by Quality People”

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BUSINESS REPORT, September 2021 | BusinessReport.com

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STARTUP

ENTREPRENEUR

“Moms are the most influential people on earth. If you can impact the life of a mom, you change the life of a child. Change the life of a child and you can change the world.”

Megan H. Kelly Founder, Mompreneur Nation

WHAT THEY DO:

Connect and support mom entrepreneurs

WEBSITE:

mompreneurnation.com

NEXT GOALS:

Host an in-person conference after the pandemic

BRANCHING OUT Born and raised in Baton Rouge, Megan H. Kelly graduated from Southern University before starting her career at local broadcast news station WAFB. Finding the news industry not conducive for family life, she left journalism in 2012 and focused on other pursuits, mostly being creative director of Encounter Church and a wedding videography company she owned and operated with her husband. She completed the Baton Rouge Area Chamber’s Leadership Baton Rouge in 2018, but noticed there wasn’t child care provided for the meetups and began to consider the impact on other mothers like herself. “I chose to be an entrepreneur because I wanted to focus on my kids and my passion. I thought there had to be moms like me, who didn’t want to leave their kids behind at home.”

MOMS SUPPORTING MOMS Kelly launched Baton Rouge Mompreneurs in fall 2018 with three other local moms. The organization started as a local support group with a blog, basic networking opportunities and a Facebook group. Baton Rouge Mompreneurs’ membership quickly grew, first by word-of-mouth and later by social media referrals. By summer 2019, the organization had a national reach and Kelly rebranded it to Mompreneur Nation. Many of the moms are already a part of the workforce, Kelly says, and are pursuing entrepreneurial opportunities on the side. “People are realizing that their jobs are not promised for tomorrow. People want security and they want to create that for themselves.”

GROWING UP The outbreak of the coronavirus pandemic pushed the organization to shift mostly online with education resources, which Kelly says has helped attract international members to the organization. Mompreneur Nation currently hosts an online directory of businesses called We Have a Mom For That, which lists dozens of mom-owned businesses across south Louisiana. In the future, Kelly aims to grow the directory as well as host an in-person conference after the pandemic. “You normally think of mompreneurs as being younger moms but we also have ‘grandmapreneurs.’ We learned so much from moms who have been with us so many years. There is no age limit to entrepreneurship.” —By Holly Duchmann • Photography by Brian Baiamonte

Daily-Report.com | BUSINESS REPORT, September 2021

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Smarter technology. Greater reliability. And a brighter future. At Entergy Louisiana, we know our customers depend on us to keep the lights on and their lives moving. So we’re investing in the power grid to meet Louisiana’s growing needs for years to come. That means upgrading equipment to increase reliability and implementing new technology to prevent outages before they happen. We’re building a stronger power grid for a stronger Louisiana. Because together, we power life. Learn more at entergy-louisiana.com.

BUSINESS REPORT, September 2021 | BusinessReport.com

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STARTUP

REAL ESTATE

DESIGN

LOUISIANA WORKERS’ COMPENSATION CORP. 2237 S. Acadian Thruway, Baton Rouge

PHOTOGRAPHY BY TIM MUELLER

Owner: Louisiana Workers’ Compensation Corporation Architect: EskewDumezRipple Contractor: WILMAC Construction Cost: $13 million Completetion: September 2021 Use: Headquarters FORM FOLLOWS FUNCTION: “While we wanted an open, collaborative workplace to see us through decades to come, we were mindful to make selections that honored the company’s history and purpose. Throughout the space, we balanced a modern look, filled with innovative technology, with subtle touches of Louisiana, which can be found in the color palette and textures, natural wood elements and artwork.” —Seth D. Irby, vice president and chief marketing and experience officer of LWCC

1. The Louisiana Workers’ Compensation Corporation completed a $26 million upgrade and renovation of its eight-story headquarters. 2. The entrance lobby and guard deck is accented by a two-story tall wood screen with vertical slats. The screen is integrated with the LWCC logo collated into the wood slats. Large, open spaces throughout the building use wood screens with vertical slats to visually tie them together. 3. Located on the second-floor is the 2,700-square-foot cafe with a sitting area and open stairway to the third floor. 4. A wow factor highlight to the renovation is the 3,250-square-foot fitness center, which offers treadmills, upright and seated bikes, ellipticals, dual cable machines, power rack, free motion lifts, weights and other smaller exercise equipment.

Daily-Report.com | BUSINESS REPORT, September 2021

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STARTUP STARTUP

REAL ESTATE ESTATE REAL

What’s next single-family development? Recent salesfor show there is still demand sold for $2.225 million, after havNew construction brings jobs. ing been listed for $2.5 million by Carpenters, plumbers, electricians, Troy Daigle at Jarreau Real Estate, brick layers, roofers, and people and was on the market for only laying floors all get hired when new 59 days. The sale price works out home construction takes place. In to just under $43 per square foot addition, real estate agents, mortfor the 52,000-square-foot waregage loan brokers, bankers, and, house on a 4-plus-acre site. yes, real estate appraisers, all ben“This was a good-quality buildefit when new construction takes ing with 5,775 square feet of ofplace. Carpet distributors, furnifice and 46,225 square feet of ture dealers, supply houses that warehouse with 20-foot eave sell plumbing and lighting fixtures heights. The site had about 2.75 all benefit when new homes are acres of paved concrete area in built. After homes are constructed, addition to five sheds for a toTHE RECENT DENIAL of D.R. they bring in property tax revenues TWO RECENT SALES have taken tal of 15,000 square feet.” Daigle Horton’s proposed development in that benefit our schools and parks. place in the last week that tend to said. The buyer was Super Zachary and the new moratorium New residential development support the notion that the coroProperties LLC, DBA as Hugg & on lot development in Ascension drives commercial development, navirus pandemic’s impact on the Hall Equipment Co. Parish, along with the more strinthat does those same things. real estate market may not be as “We had offered it for lease, not gent requirements for developBut concerns about drainage bad as some are saying. sale, when they approached us ment in East Baton Rouge, got me and traffic need to be addressed so First, the building that housed to purchase it,” Daigle said. Hugg thinking about ways to solve the that Greater Baton Rouge can bethe Wolseley Industrial Group & Hall sells and services Toyota problems holding back residential come even greater. Let me say, too, sold last week. The industrial forklifts. Its home office is in Little development in the Greater Baton that the rights of a property owner warehouse, 2387 North Airway Rock, Arkansas, but is has locaRouge area. should be protected. Development Drive in Baton Rouge, is between Oklahoma and Louisiana Let me say right up front, I2020 am Issue Date: September Ad tions proofin#3 should not adversely impact exSouth Choctaw and Cortana Mall. including two in the Baton Rouge • Please respond by e-mailIorthink fax withdevelopyour approval or minor revisions. pro-development. isting homeowners. But property The building has also housed • AD WILL RUN AS IS unless approval or final revisions market. mentreceived is good for our community. rights of individuals selling their by the close ofThe business today. LAarePipe and Value. property “Business for us as been pretty • Additional revisions must be requested and may be subject to production fees.

TOM COOK

good even during the COVID 19 land for development, or develpandemic because we are classioping their land, should also be fied as essential. You know everyprotected. thing goes out on a forklift,” said So how do we as a commuJohn Mears, the facility’s mannity come together to allow good ager. When I asked him how they growth, growth that benefits and chose the location, Mears said protects our community, and prothey stuck pins in a map and that tects the rights of property owners? was a location that was closest to I can tell you the arbitrary shoottheir customer base. The brokers ing down of major developments involved in the transaction did and moratoriums is not the longnot indicate there was any signifiterm solution. This does nothing cant reduction in price due to the but create lawsuits. We need to pandemic and the fact that the come together over the issues. building sold in 59 days would At one time, there was a zoning give some credence to that. advisory committee comprising Another sale that tends to supdevelopers, homeowners and city port the thought that the market officials that provided input on is not dead involves a building on how development could occur that Bluebonnet Boulevard. Fishhooks would benefit the community as Properties LLC, represented by well as respect the rights of existJeffrey Zehnder, sold its office ing homeowners. The committee condominium building at 4311 had no power, but the planning Bluebonnet Blvd. in the Parc at and zoning officials were able to Claycut Bayou development. have everyone in the same room, Zehnder Communications is a discuss the problems and concerns full-service marketing and adverand work out viable solutions to tising agency, and will continue our city’s problems. The committee to occupy the building after the

sale. The 4,013-square-foot buildwas disbanded when Frank Duke ing sold Aug. 14 for $775,000, or took over the zoning office, and about $193 per square foot. The the parish attorney’s office debuyer was JACOJ Properties and cided it was a conflict of interest Investments LLC, represented to have such a board. After workby John Stagg. The property was ing together and solving problems listed by George Bonvillain and for over 20 years it was no more. Mathew Laborde at Elifin Realty. However, the spirit of compromise “The building was well-apit produced brought about positive pointed and meticulously mainchange for our community and tained, and included 11 private solutions to hard problems. offices, two conference rooms I say all that to say this. Nobody and four restrooms,” Bonvillain is going to solve all of these probsaid. According to LACDB data, lems alone; it is going to take a the building was on the market spirit of cooperation. Development for 86 days, and the price per is not going away, nor should it. We square foot is about what things need it. We have to fix our drainage were selling for in this area prior and traffic problems. Maybe it’s to the pandemic. time to come together again, put These two sales show that while together a group of folks that can things may be slower in the marwork together and find viable soluket, and there may be some price tions to these problems—before reductions taking place, there is the lawsuits start. still demand out there. Tom Cook of Cook, Moore, Tom Cook of Cook Moore and Davenport and Associates has been Associates has been an indepenan independent real estate apdent real estate appraiser for more praiser for more than 20 years. than 20 years.

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BUSINESS REPORT, September 2021 | BusinessReport.com BUSINESS REPORT, September 2020 | BusinessReport.com

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Daily-Report.com | BUSINESS REPORT, September 2021

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ECONOMY

The bottom line

$16.4 MILLION Sales tax collections in East Baton Rouge Parish for May 2021

18 17 16 15 14 13 12 11

UNEMPLOYMENT TRACKER

$240,000

Median home sale price for East Baton Rouge Parish for July 2021

247 244 241 238 235 232 229 226 223 220 217 214 211 208 205

REAL ESTATE TRACKER

J A S O N D J F M A M J 2020 2021

SALES TAX TRACKER M J J A S O N D J F M A M 2020 2021

56 54 52 50 48 46 44 42 40 38 36 34 32 30 28 26

Rigs operating inland and offshore Louisiana (as of August 20) RIG TRACKER

25 24

O N D J F M A M 2020 2021 13-month comparison

$23.8 MILLION

Total revenue earned by Baton Rouge’s three 21 riverboat casinos in 20 July 2021 23

Collective revenue (millions)

East Baton Rouge Parish unemployment rate in June 2021

13.0 12.0 11.0 10.0 9.0 8.0 7.0 6.0 5.0 4.8 4.6 4.4 4.2 4.0 3.8 3.6 3.4 3.2 3.0 2.8 2.6

Tax dollars (millions)

7.3%

Unemployment percentage

The latest indicators giving insight on how well Baton Rouge’s economy is performing. BY HOLLY DUCHMANN

Sales price (thousands)

STARTUP

19 18 17 16 15

CASINO REVENUE TRACKER

10 0 A

S O N D 2020

A M 2021

13-month comparison A S O N D J F M A M J J A 2020 2021

SOURCES: U.S. Department of Labor, Louisiana Department of Natural Resources, East Baton Rouge Parish Finance Department, Greater Baton Rouge Association of Realtors, Louisiana Workforce Commission, Louisiana Gaming Control Board.

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BUSINESS REPORT, September 2021 | BusinessReport.com

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SPECIAL ADVERTISING SECTION

Be Our Guest

A hotel, hospitality, and meeting guide for the Capital Region

Daily-Report.com | BUSINESS REPORT, September 2021

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S P E C I A L A DV E RT I S I N G S E C T I O N

Welcome to the capital city You’ll be surprised how much there is to see and do in Baton Rouge. It’s a capital city with small-town charm, full of history, culture, and family-friendly activities. The venues listed in this section offer easy access to some of Baton Rouge’s most popular destinations, including unique attractions, museums, and more culinary options than you can imagine. These days, however, one of the most enjoyable and safest ways to explore the city is through the Great Outdoors. So after that museum or plantation tour …

Choose your own outdoor adventure

RED STICK SOCIAL | 1503 Government St. It’s described as Baton Rouge’s newest live music venue in an intimate setting, but it’s so much more than that. Located in the newly renovated Electric Depot in Mid City, Red Stick Social features indoor/outdoor seating, state-of-the-art bowling, locally inspired food, a pet-friendly beer garden, rooftop patio, and comfortable spaces to mingle with friends.

TIGER STADIUM | Nicholson Drive, Louisiana State University campus Popularly known as Death Valley, Tiger Stadium is the home field of the LSU Tigers football team. It seats more than 100,000 fans and is known for having one of the best game day atmospheres in all of college football.

USS KIDD MEMORIAL/MUSEUM 305 S. River Road Tour this WWII destroyer restored to its 1945 condition. Also known as the Pirate of the Pacific, the ship was named after Rear Admiral Isaac C. Kidd, who died during the 1941 attack on Pearl Harbor.

BUSINESS REPORT, September 2021 | BusinessReport.com

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S P E C I A L A DV E RT I S I N G S E C T I O N

The landscape around Baton Rouge may surprise you. There is something for every level of explorer. SWAMP TOURS Various locations Several companies offer swamp tours for visitors to Baton Rouge and most are within 45 minutes of the city. Be careful— you’re bound to see a few alligators during your trek through the swamp.

BREC’S BATON ROUGE ZOO 3601 Thomas Road Lions and tigers and bears are just the beginning. There are plenty of other amazing members of the animal kingdom at BREC’S Baton Rouge Zoo. Visitors can take a scenic tour on the Cypress Bayou Railroad and stop at popular spots along the way, such as the Asian Aviary, Safari Playground, and the kids’ favorite Otter Pond. The Zoo also hosts many special events and activities throughout the year, including Brew at the Zoo and Zippity Zoo Fest. For more information, visit BR zoo.org.

CLARK CREEK NATURAL AREA | Hwy 969, about an

hour north of Baton Rouge

A family favorite—kick off your shoes and follow the primitive trail along the soft, silty creek bed. Roam trails carved into the steep moss-covered ravines. Stroll up the creek bed and discover the magic of several waterfalls, the tallest, around 20 feet. This is a unique wilderness with miles of undeveloped stream-beds surrounded by towering ridges. The fact that this is located only 58 miles from Baton Rouge is really amazing. This area includes waterfalls from 10 to 30 feet high, 4.3-mile trail hike, and cozy cabins that are available to rent.

HIGHLAND ROAD PARK BLUEWAY TRAIL LAUNCH | 14024 Highland Road A relaxing way to leave the shore and take in the city from the water. Launch at Highland Road Community Park and paddle either the two- or four-mile routes along Bayou Fountain. Also available: disc golf & tennis. BONUS: While you’re there, check out the Highland Road Park Observatory located on the south side of BREC’s Highland Road Community Park.

A good traveler leaves no tracks. Our trails, rivers, streams and bayous are important components of local ecosystems and home to many plants and wildlife.

COMITE RIVER PARK 8900 Hooper Road 70818 Beautiful, smooth and rolling terrain just outside the city. Running along the banks of the Comite River and Cypress Bayou are five and a half scenic miles at the Comite River Bike Trail. This park includes a picnic shelter, bicycle cleaning station and restrooms.

PLAY IT SAFE. CALL AHEAD TO PLACES YOU PLAN TO VISIT AND CHECK ON PANDEMIC PROTOCOLS.

Daily-Report.com | BUSINESS REPORT, September 2021

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• Additional revisions must be requested and may be subject to production fees.

S P E C I A L A DV E RT I S I N G S E C T I O N

Wampold Hospitality Collection

Watermark Baton Rouge

hether you want to be in the heart of the medical district and the city’s best shopping or in the midst of bustling downtown, the Wampold Hospitality Collection provides unparalleled hotel experiences across the Baton Rouge area. With deluxe amenities and stylish décor, the Renaissance Baton Rouge Hotel combines southern hospitality in a contemporary setting—making it an ideal locale for business and group travelers, as well as those looking for a weekend getaway. Just minutes from the Mall of Louisiana and LSU campus, it provides the perfect place to stay during your visit to Baton Rouge. The hotel offers a fully equipped fitness center, resort-style pool and terrace, fine dining restaurant and lounge. The 13,000 square feet of flexible, state-of-the-art meeting space features a 7,500-square-foot ballroom and eight spacious meeting rooms with highspeed internet. These amenities and others

have transformed the Renaissance into a top business hotel in the area as well as an ideal location for conventions, weddings, galas and social events. Watermark Baton Rouge is a historic icon in the heart of downtown and the newest addition to the Wampold Hospitality Collection. Featuring a stately presence and a storied past, Watermark offers one of the richest and most eclectic experiences available for any guest. Our story began nearly a century ago, high on a bluff overlooking the majestic Mississippi River, when intrepid financiers built our iconic skyscraper as the headquarters of Louisiana Trust & Savings Bank. Today, echoes of that era remain, in hand-painted ceiling murals, carved marble walls and staircases, and old bank vaults converted into dramatic meeting and dining spaces. Watermark is fused with regional pride, local culture and cuisine curated toward the 21st century traveler and experience seeker. ■

Renaissance Baton Rouge

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S P E C I A L A DV E RT I S I N G S E C T I O N

AMENITIES RENAISSANCE BATON ROUGE • Credit cards: All major • Guest rooms: 256 | Suites: 63 • Location: Near Perkins Rowe and the Mall of Louisiana; in the heart of the medical district • Meeting/conference rooms: 13 • Maximum seating capacity: 1,000 • Total meeting space: 13,000 square feet Watermark Baton Rouge

• Onsite catering: Yes • Phone: 225.215.7000 • Address: 7000 Bluebonnet Blvd., Baton Rouge, LA 70810 WATERMARK BATON ROUGE • Credit cards: All major • Guest rooms: 144 | Suites: 9 • Location: In the heart of downtown, near the Shaw Center for the Arts; Raising Cane’s River Center and Third Street nightlife • Meeting/conference rooms: 3 • Maximum seating capacity: 100 • Total meeting space: 2,200 square feet

Watermark Baton Rouge

• Phone: 225.408.3200 • Address: 150 Third Street, Baton Rouge, LA 70801

Daily-Report.com | BUSINESS REPORT, September 2021

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S P E C I A L A DV E RT I S I N G S E C T I O N

Ascension Parish

estled between Baton Rouge and New Orleans is a place at the heart of what makes south Louisiana such a special destination. There’s just so much to see, taste, experience and savor In Ascension Parish—Louisiana’s Sweet Spot. Ascension Parish is the ideal spot for business travel, groups and visitors to enjoy the perfect mix of Louisiana’s history and culture and easy access just off I-10. Take a step back in time at Houmas House and Gardens where you can tour the great Sugar Palace historic estate or the new Great River Road Museum. Across the Mississippi River is the historic town of Donaldsonville, once the state capital. Learn about the history on a walking trail of Donaldsonville’s Historic Portals to the Past where seven panels are located through the downtown area. In Gonzales, nothing beats the great bargains at Tanger Outlet Mall and Cabela’s.

Just down the road is the Cajun Village in Sorrento, where unique gifts are featured in specialty shops that were once Acadian style homes and where you can visit two live resident alligators—Big Boy and Nubby—who live out back in their natural habitat. Be sure to get your sweet fix with some beignets and café au lait at the Coffee House. Visitors will find many comfortable and affordable hotels in the area, including Candlewood Suites in Gonzales and Mainstay Suites (Sleep Inn) in Geismar. Candlewood Suites offers a relaxing experience with many amenities and Mainstay (Sleep Inn) has perks of hotel living in an apartment-style setting. Ascension Parish in Louisiana is where soul food merges with Creole cuisine, and where art, agriculture and industry meld to echo yesterday and today. It’s Louisiana’s Sweet Spot! Check out a calendar of events at visitlasweetspot.com. ■

BUSINESS REPORT, September 2021 | BusinessReport.com

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S P E C I A L A DV E RT I S I N G S E C T I O N

Sleep Inn

AMENITIES MAINSTAY SUITES (SLEEP INN) • Credit cards: AmEx, VISA, MasterCard, Discover • Guest rooms: 79 | Suites: 30 • Free Wi-Fi: Yes • Business center: Yes • Fitness center: Yes • Complimentary breakfast: Yes • Onsite parking: Yes • Phone: 225.402.4401 • Address: 37090 Market Center Blvd. Geismar, LA 70734

Candlewood Suites

CANDLEWOOD SUITES • Credit cards: AmEx, VISA, MasterCard, Discover • Guest rooms: 83 | Suites: 6 • Free Wi-Fi: Yes • Business center: Yes • Fitness center: Yes • Complimentary breakfast: No • Onsite parking: Yes • Phone: 225.450.3390 • Address: 2705 S. Outfitters Dr. Gonzales, LA 70737

ASCENSION PARISH TOURISM VISITLASWEETSPOT.COM 888.775.7990

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S P E C I A L A DV E RT I S I N G S E C T I O N

AMENITIES

L’Auberge Casino & Hotel

L’AUBERGE BATON Rouge is a premier southern Louisiana destination, offering a fully integrated casino and entertainment experience. L’Auberge captures the feel of a southern river lodge and embraces Louisiana’s rich cultural history, food, music and laissez les bon temps rouler way of life. This unique entertainment complex features an expansive single-level 74,000-square-foot casino; nearly 1,500 slot machines; 50 table games; Riverbend Terrace, an open-air, smoke-friendly and gaming terrace; a 12-story hotel with 205 guest rooms, unique rooftop pool and state-of-the-art fitness center overlooking the Mississippi River; five dining outlets; 13,000-square-foot Event Center and outdoor festival grounds. • Nearby attractions: LSU, Downtown Baton Rouge, Old State Capitol, Mall of Louisiana, Perkins Rowe • Credit cards accepted: All major cards • Total number of guest rooms: 205 • Total number of suites: 30 • Business center: Yes • Number of meeting rooms: 7 • Maximum seating capacity: 1400 • Onsite catering: Yes • Free Wi-Fi in guest/meeting rooms: Yes • Fitness center: Yes • Complimentary breakfast: No • Onsite parking: Yes • Valet parking: Yes • Website: LBatonrouge.com • Phone: 866.261.7777 • Address: 777 L’Auberge Ave., Baton Rouge, LA 70802

BUSINESS REPORT, September 2021 | BusinessReport.com

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S P E C I A L A DV E RT I S I N G S E C T I O N

AMENITIES

West Baton Rouge

LOCATED JUST five minutes from downtown Baton Rouge, the 7,000-square-foot West Baton Rouge Conference Center is a unique facility with space for groups up to 450, perfect for all occasions from conferences to special events. The center is captivating with a welcoming atmosphere, large meeting room that accommodates up to 220 for a sit-down meal, breakout rooms, a boardroom with state-of-the art electronics, and a grand reception room complete with a brick fireplace, and cypress doors, cabinetry, and wainscoting. The 8-acre grounds features space for reunions and picnics, and the pergola and outdoor patio are great for hosting weddings and special events. Visitors enjoy free parking, free Wi-Fi, catering partners, nearby hotels with additional meeting rooms, and a business center—all designed to make you and your guests more comfortable. • Website: westbatonrouge.net

WBR Conference Center

• Phone: 225.344.2920 • Address: 2750 N. Westport Dr. Port Allen, LA 70767

WBR Conference Center

HOLIDAY INN EXPRESS YOUR STAY at Holiday Inn Express in Port Allen offers many great amenities, including an indoor heated pool and free breakfast every morning. Other amenities include: • Nearby attractions: Downtown Baton Rouge, LSU, Louisiana State Capitol, Baton Rouge River Center, Hollywood Casino, Belle of Baton Rouge Casino

Holiday Inn Express

• Total number of guest rooms: 89 • Fitness center: Yes • Free Wi-Fi: Yes • Complimentary breakfast: Yes • Website: guestreservations.com/holidayinn-express-hotel-suites-a-baton-rougeport-allen • Phone: 225.343.9967 • Address: 2860 N. Westport Dr., Port Allen, LA 70767

Holiday Inn Express

Daily-Report.com | BUSINESS REPORT, September 2021

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S P E C I A L A DV E RT I S I N G S E C T I O N

AMENITIES

Embassy Suites Hotel

EMBASSY SUITES spent $14 million renovating our hotel with one goal in mind—providing a high-end contemporary feel that is comfortable, never intimidating. Rather than guest rooms, we have 500-square-foot suites with separate living and sleeping areas. We want you to feel at home and our oversized suites do just that. We know a thing or two about planning meetings, too. We have more than 7,000 square feet of meeting space, including a boardroom setting that’s appropriate for training sessions designed for as few as 10 or as many as 400 attendees. You can also earn Hilton Honors points for meetings you schedule. Find out why we’re consistently rated one of the best meeting venues in Baton Rouge. • Nearby attractions: LSU, Towne Center, Louisiana State Capitol, USS Kidd, Mall of Louisiana, Our Lady of the Lake Regional Medical Center • Credit cards accepted: All major cards • Total number of guest rooms: 223 • Total number of suites: 223 • Business center: Yes • Number of meeting rooms: 5 • Maximum seating capacity: 500 • Onsite catering: Yes • Free Wi-Fi in guest/meeting rooms: No • Fitness center: Yes • Complimentary breakfast: Yes • Onsite parking: Yes • Valet parking: No • Website: Hilton.com/en/hotels/btrcsesembassy-suites-baton-rouge • Phone: 225.924.6566 • Address: 4914 Constitution Ave., Baton Rouge, LA 700808

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COVERSTORY

LOCATION, LOCATION, LOCATION: Nestled between Highland Road and Burbank Drive, both the high-end Lakes at Highland and the moderately-priced Willows at Bayou Fountain (far right) were built in the floodplain, requiring a series of retention and detention ponds to keep them from flooding in heavy rains.

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With money and public attention focused on the issue, Baton Rouge is poised to address its decades-old flooding and drainage problems. But does it have the will to really change?

COLLIN RICHIE

By Stephanie Riegel n the five years since the historic August 2016 flood, members of Louisiana’s congressional delegation have secured more than $2.6 billion for the state, nearly one-third of which is heading to East Baton Rouge Parish to address longstanding drainage and flooding problems. The money is coming from different federal sources and will fund statewide programs like the Louisiana Watershed Initiative, local planning efforts like the East Baton Rouge Stormwater Master Plan, and long overdue capital projects like the Comite Diversion Canal. The huge influx of money comes as there appears to be amped-up public engagement— and angst—around the issues of drainage and flooding. In the months since a May 17 “rain event” caused flooding in neighborhoods that had never taken on water, residents have become increasingly vocal, speaking out against new developments they fear will make flooding problems in their neighborhoods worse. A similar dynamic is playing out in neighboring parishes. Ascension and Iberville have even enacted temporary moratoriums on new development while parish

leaders try to get a better handle on how to mitigate flooding in the future. Is the Capital Region, with resources in hand, finally getting serious about solving its longstanding flooding and drainage problems? Perhaps. But some question whether things will really change. Because even while planning and projects are in the works, development continues, as it has for decades, in areas at high risk for flooding, or what is generally referred to as the floodplain. In recent months, several projects in East Baton Rouge Parish, located wholly or partially in the floodplain, have been approved for development over the strenuous objection of nearby residents. And in August, the Metro Council scrapped a proposed ordinance that would have tightened the regulations for new development in areas at high risk for flooding, after developers said the measure was unworkable and potentially illegal. The council will take up a new watered-down version of the ordinance later this month. Taken together, the actions have fueled a longstanding perception that the development community calls the shots when Daily-Report.com | BUSINESS REPORT, September 2021

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COVERSTORY

“After the 2016 flood, PARISH LEADERS PROMISED US THINGS WOULD BE DIFFERENT. But projects are still moving forward, and we continue to allow development in the floodplain. We have an opportunity now. I’M AFRAID WE’RE BLOWING IT.”

COLLIN RICHIE

DOUG DAIGLE, along with fellow citizen activist Jackie Yancey, on continued floodplain development

it comes to policy about how and where Baton Rouge builds. “I would clearly say it is the perception of many homeowners that the development community, the growth coalition dictates policy,” says Ed Lagucki, president of the Federation of Greater Baton Rouge Civic Associations. “That is the perception I have gathered listening to people over the past five years.” Developers bristle at the criticism, which they say is unwarranted. More to the point, they note that numerous changes have been made since 2016 to the rules governing development in the floodplain. These new regulations, at least in East Baton Rouge Parish, require developers to build higher, detain more stormwater on site and allow for more natural green space in developments, among other things. “Just because something is in the floodplain, doesn’t mean it shouldn’t be developed,” says 32

Larry Bankston, executive director of the Baton Rouge Growth Coalition. “It’s way too complicated to say someone building something in the floodplain is causing flooding.” This is true. It’s also true that the development pattern of the past 50 years in the Capital Region—which has occurred throughout the natural watershed, where forests and pastures have been replaced with asphalt and concrete—is one of the major contributing factors to flooding, experts say. But it’s an oversimplification to blame the development community entirely for this pattern of growth. Developers respond to market demand, delivering what buyers want where they want it. In the Capital Region, the desirable location is increasingly southeast East Baton Rouge, Livingston and Ascension parishes, much of which lies in the natural floodplain.

As long as Baton Rouge continues to grow and migrate in this direction, it will have to do things differently and make hard choices. Does it have the collective will to really change? “After the 2016 flood, parish leaders promised us things would be different,” says Doug Daigle, a citizen activist, who has opposed projects proposed near his Jones Creek Road neighborhood. “But projects are still moving forward, and we continue to allow development in the floodplain. We have an opportunity now. I’m afraid we’re blowing it.” COW PASTURES AND CYPRESS TREES This isn’t the first time Baton Rouge has focused on its drainage and flooding challenges. As far back as 1972, planning department officials recommended setting aside land in the floodplain to use as green space and natural detention, which didn’t happen.

Nearly a decade later, the Metro Council briefly considered—and defeated—a measure that would have limited new construction in areas at high risk for flooding. After the 1983 flood, which damaged more than 6,000 structures in Ascension, Livingston and East Baton Rouge parishes, there were more discussions, more studies, more plans. Nearly 40 years later, there’s not a whole lot to show for it. Among the solutions identified back then was the Five Tributaries project, which will reduce headwater flooding and backwater overflow into the Amite River Basin by clearing, snagging and widening the five sub-basins: Jones Creek, Ward Creek, Bayou Fountain, Blackwater Bayou, and Beaver Bayou. It wasn’t funded until 2019 and is only now getting underway. Meanwhile, development has continued in areas that for centuries served as the natural

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drainage basin for what we now call the Capital Region. As those forests and fields have been replaced by concrete and rooftops built high on fill, there simply aren’t as many places for the water to go, even with mitigation measures. Longtime Baton Rouge residents have witnessed this growth and the impacts it appears to have had on their neighborhoods. Jim Bordelon, whose family property backs up to the Bluebonnet Swamp on Highland Road, spoke at a July Metro Council meeting against a proposed multifamily complex at @Highland, a mixeduse development at the intersection of Highland Road and Bluebonnet Boulevard adjacent to his property. Since @Highland was developed in 2016, Bordelon has watched the swamp back up in heavy rains, sometimes flooding his property, sometimes overflowing into the @Highland parking lot. Adding more buildings and concrete to the site will only make things worse, he fears. “I’ve seen floodwater levels increase since the early 1980s, after Bluebonnet Boulevard was extended to Highland Road and brought with it new development into the swamp’s watershed,” said Bordelon, whose family has

owned the property for 57 years. “We have already allowed and are contemplating allowing even more development on land that was once unfit for anything but cow pastures and cypress trees.” The 240-unit complex was approved, with council members saying the developers could have moved forward with a denser development had they not approved the rezoning, though the national arm of the nearby Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints recently filed a lawsuit seeking to block the project.

factors like maintenance, or lack thereof, little regional cooperation, and inconsistent building standards among neighboring parishes in the Capital Region. Yet, in some ways it is that simple. “With development, they have raised the surface level of the land with fill—concrete and soil—and channelized the water into ditches and dredge channels,” Nesbit says. “So all the stormwater goes into the floodplain a lot faster.” Developers disagree. They point to new development codes, enacted by the parish since the 2016 flood, that are intended to make new neighborhoods safer from flooding. The standards require developers to build to a higher base flood elevation, to provide enough detention to account for a 25-year storm, which has a 4% chance of happening per year, as opposed to a 10-year storm, which has a 10% chance of occurring. Post-construction stormwater runoff is not allowed to exceed preconstruction runoff. Developer Windy Gladney owns hundreds of acres in the floodplain along Burbank and Nicholson drives. He has already developed some of it like the 161unit, single-family subdivision Willows at Bayou Fountain, at Burbank and Siegen Lane, which

DIFFERENT PERSPECTIVES There is validity to the anecdotal observations of residents like Bordelon, according to experts, who say decades of filling in pastures and forests has altered the topography of the natural watershed, changing the way water flows and the rate at which it flows, besides just using it up. “The problem is, since the 1960s we have filled in much of our floodplain,” says Scott Nesbit, a wetlands ecologist and owner of the consulting firm Natural Resource Professionals. “That is one reason you are seeing more flooding now. We are paying for the sins of the past.” Nesbit acknowledges the issue is not that simple. There are other

is entirely in a high-risk flood zone. But Gladney plans to do more once Nicholson Drive is widened to four lanes. He says development standards are much higher than they were when he was starting out in the late 1970s. “We didn’t have to do mitigation back then. You just dug a little pond and that was it,” he says, pointing out that he had to dig a 30-acre retention pond to elevate Willows at Bayou Fountain to requisite standard. “Today, if you have undisturbed raw land and you decide to develop it, you have to develop it to a higher standard and make it better than it was before.” DIRTY LITTLE SECRET It is true that the standards are tougher today, and developers go to great lengths to raise low-lying areas above base flood elevation and provide enough on-site detention to protect residents. The Preserve at Harveston, the first phase of Mike Wampold and John Fetzer’s sprawling planned urban village straddling the Bluebonnet Boulevard Extension at Nicholson, was located almost entirely in the high-risk flood zone until the developers dug a 60-acre retention pond and used the fill to raise the elevation.

LET’S GET TECHNICAL

Words matter, and it’s easy to confuse floodplains with flood zones, watersheds with wetlands. Here’s a quick glossary.

Flood zone: An area on a FEMA flood map that is at a particular risk for flooding. Flood zones are determined based on the area’s risk for flooding each year, though the maps are not updated often enough to be completely reliable, especially as storms become more frequent and unpredictable.

Floodplain: An area at a high risk for flooding based on FEMA flood maps. Watershed: An area of land that drains all the streams and rainfall to a common outlet, such as the Amite River. Watersheds are regional and can be defined on many different levels. Think of them like nesting dolls. Small watersheds are inside larger ones, which are inside even larger ones.

Wetlands: Refers to soil types that retain certain waters and plants. Wetlands may be and often are located in watersheds and floodplains but can also be located on a mountain and seemingly dry, elevated lands. Detention pond: A dry land area designed to store stormwater to mitigate flooding, like open green space in a subdivision that can be used as a playground or soccer field. Retention pond: A wet area designed to store stormwater to mitigate flooding.

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COVERSTORY

“The problem is, since the 1960s WE HAVE FILLED IN MUCH OF OUR FLOODPLAIN. That is one reason you are seeing more flooding now. WE ARE PAYING FOR THE SINS OF THE PAST.”

The pond is marketed as a lake and is a natural amenity that enhances the development’s appeal to buyers. By law, it’s also required to retain stormwater runoff from other developments upstream, much as the land would have done before it was filled with houses and streets. But there are a couple of problems with mitigation measures like detention and retention ponds. For one thing, they don’t take into account the receiving body of water into which the stormwater will drain. “Individual requirements for filling to meet the base elevation and detaining and discharging stormwater do not involve the receiving bayou or stream,” Nesbit says. “The development may drain well, but the bayou receiving the drainage may be 34

problematic backing up water. None of the East Baton Rouge Parish drainage requirements for individual developers addresses the problems with the Amite River, for instance.” The other problem with retention ponds is that if they’re not done properly, like Harveston’s, or aren’t properly maintained they can erode and silt in after just a couple of years. It’s not at all clear how many fall into the latter category because nobody keeps a list. But Metro Council member Denise Amoroso, who is currently dealing with the consequences of an eroding retention pond in her district, says it’s the dirty little secret in the development community. “It can cost millions of dollars to maintain these ponds and some of these little tiny

subdivisions with 25 or 30 homes may not even have an HOA, much less collect money for maintenance. How can they afford it?” she says. “The city-parish is supposed to check but they’re stretched too thin. Nobody inspects.” Actually, the burden for maintenance and inspection legally falls to the property owners, which, in the case of most subdivisions, would be the HOA. They’re required to submit the results of an annual inspection to the city-parish. But most residential developments do not adhere to the regulation, and the city-parish has no recourse to enforce compliance, according to Assistant Chief Administrative Officer Kelvin Hill. “I am not aware of any process the city-parish has in place

COLLIN RICHIE

—SCOTT NESBIT, wetlands ecologist and owner of the consulting firm Natural Resource Professionals

to really enforce that,” he says. “I think all that needs to be looked at and at some point probably will be. Lack of maintenance extends beyond retention ponds in individual subdivisions to drainage infrastructure throughout the parish. Storm drains are clogged. Creeks, canals and channels are overgrown and need clearing. But there has never been a recurring source of revenue, like a parishwide fee, to fund maintenance. Until recently, city-parish leaders never made it a priority. Developers say this is as much a part of the problem as anything. “New development is not the cause of flooding,” says Bankston with the Growth Coalition. “It is mainly the lack of continual maintenance in the floodplain.” Currently, hundreds of millions

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BLUE BAYOU Much of the fastest-growing areas of East Baton Rouge Parish—the unincorporated areas south and east of Baton Rouge—fall within the floodplain.

GOIN’ SOUTH Development in the floodplain has been especially active in a south Baton Rouge corridor along Burbank Drive, between West Lee Drive and Highland Road.

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Floodplain Developed land, much of it in past 20 years Source: East Baton Rouge Parish floodplain map / Business Report research

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COVERSTORY

“We didn’t have to do mitigation (in the 1970s). YOU JUST DUG A LITTLE POND AND THAT WAS IT. Today, if you have undisturbed raw land and you decide to develop it, you have to develop it to a higher standard and MAKE IT BETTER THAN IT WAS BEFORE.”

COLLIN RICHIE

—WINDY GLADNEY, longtime developer who has numerous projects in the floodplain, including Willows at Bayou Fountain

of dollars in federal funds have been appropriated to pay for clearing and snagging local drainage canals. But some of those projects have been on the books for 30 years or more. In other words, they will only get Baton Rouge caught up to where it should have been in 1990—when there was a lot less development in the floodplain than there is today and storms were less frequent and intense. “The Comite Diversion Canal was first proposed in 1983 and the Five Tributaries project was proposed in 1992,” says U.S. Rep. Garret Graves, who has been instrumental in securing most of the federal funds flowing to the Capital Region. “So it’s great we finally have the money to do these projects but are we preparing ourselves for the 1990s? Think about that.” UNDUE INFLUENCE? Daigle, the Jones Creek-area 36

resident, does think about it a lot. He has spoken out at Metro Council and Planning Commission meetings to oppose developments in his area because he and his neighbors have seen flooding increase over the years. In August, a developer scrapped plans to bring a 23-unit townhome development, The Park at Jones Creek, to the Metro Council for a rezoning request after it was clear the council wouldn’t approve it, even though the Planning Commission had approved it just weeks earlier. It was one of the few victories Daigle has witnessed, and he’s worried that if development is not paused temporarily while the city-parish gets a better handle on its flooding problems, all the planning, projects and federal money flowing this way will be for naught. “If they don’t stop approving all these projects in the floodplain it will undo all the good they have

done,” Daigle says. “By the time they get around to completing all the projects, if they keep approving all this new development in the meantime, we’ll be right back to where we are now.” But East Baton Rouge Parish does not appear interested in a building moratorium, even a nine-month ban like that posed by the Ascension Parish Council earlier this year. To the contrary, the Metro Council scrapped its plans to consider a so-called moratorium on new development in high-risk flood zones under pressure from the development community. The measure was never actually a moratorium, but it would have tightened building restrictions on any new construction in the floodplain. But the Baton Rouge Growth Coalition objected to several key provisions in the measure, and helped city-parish leaders rewrite a less-restrictive version that will

be introduced at a Metro Council meeting in September. The new version is so changed from the original, it effectively accomplishes nothing, says Lagucki, the federation president. “We were very disappointed,” he says. “We don’t see these as significant changes to the building code.” Metro Council member Rowdy Gaudet’s original measure required any major development in a high-risk flood zone to provide detention for a 100-year storm— existing regulations require detention for a 25-year storm— and also to reduce by 10% the post-development runoff rate from the predevelopment rate. The revised measure gives developers the option to provide the enhanced detention or to reduce the stormwater runoff rate but doesn’t require they do both. Also, the original measure applied to the final development plans of major subdivisions and

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planned developments, which are built out in phases over many years. The revised ordinance applies only to new developments, not new phases of existing ones. Finally, the original measure applied to any development that is partly in the floodplain. The revised version applies only if at least 25% of the development is in the floodplain. Bankston says the Growth Coalition didn’t pressure the council to water down the ordinance but, rather, to address

problems in the original draft and to produce a better, more workable law that everyone can live with and that won’t be challenged in court. Gaudet says he’s proud of the process and the outcome. “The development community was a part of this. They were at the table throughout the entire process, as were other groups and organization, so we got input from many different stakeholders and are very happy with the end product,” he says.

But others say the way the process played out is an example of why things will not change in Baton Rouge. “If you think there’s any hope things are really going to change, the Gaudet ordinance tells you everything you need to know,” says one frustrated engineer, who is familiar with the situation but spoke on the condition of anonymity. Bankston counters that the Growth Coalition has been leading discussions around workable

policies. “We don’t dictate anything,” he says. “We point out issues.” Nesbit, who is both a conservationist and also a consultant to developers, sees it from both sides. “Developers are some of the strongest political influences in any parish, and what they do is serious business,” he says. “They are powerful landowners. They bring a lot of money into the community. That doesn’t mean they’re doing anything wrong but

A FLOOD OF FEDERAL FUNDS

In response to the 2016 floods, more than $2.6 billion has been earmarked for Louisiana, some $750 million of which is going directly to East Baton Rouge Parish. Here’s a look at the various programs and projects the money will fund.

Comite Diversion Canal

$340 million+ Funding Source: U.S. Army Corps of Engineers What: A 12-mile canal that will divert water from the Comite River to the Mississippi River, lessening flood levels on the Amite River and other bayous. Significance: This is another project that should have been done in the 1980s and, when completed—which could still be years away—will alleviate flooding, especially in Central and surrounding areas.

COLLIN RICHIE

Various EBR local projects

EBR Stormwater Master Plan

$15 million Funding Source: FEMA Hazard Mitigation Grant What: A study of the entire parish drainage system to determine where trouble spots exist and what can be done about them. Significance: It’s the first comprehensive inventory of the some 60,000 drainage structures in the parish and will be able to help guide future development and development policies. It will also include a 20-year capital improvement plan for drainage projects and identify potential funding sources for them.

Louisiana Watershed Initiative

$1.2 billion Funding Source: HUD Community Development Block Grants What: A statewide program administered through the Office of Community Development that tackles drainage from a regional or watershed perspective. Each of seven regions in the state submits proposals to the state for flood mitigation projects. So far, Baton Rouge has received $23.5 million in LWI funding, while another $58 million has been awarded to projects in Livingston and Ascension parishes. Significance: It’s the first time the state is looking at flooding and drainage as a regional issue, which experts say is the only way to solve the problem long term.

$112 million Funding Source: FEMA Hazard Mitigation Grant What: This the same FEMA grant that funded the EBR Stormwater Master Plan. It is now paying for the design of several Baton Rouge projects that have already been identified in the early phase of the plan as key projects. They include things like creek widenings, bank stabilizations, and the removal of channel restrictions. Significance: Not only will these projects improve the overall efficiency of the parish’s drainage system, but it shows the effectiveness of having a master plan to inform policy and spending decisions.

Drainage maintenance

$80 million Funding Source: American Rescue Plan What: This pandemic relief money can be spent on a variety of different projects. The Broome administration has pledged to spend a large chunk of it on long-overdue drainage maintenance—at least $55 million over the next two years, and maybe more. In addition to the local funds, the state Legislature set aside $600 million of its $3 billion ARP allocation to create a Water Sector Council to spend money on drainage, wastewater and stormwater projects. Significance: It’s the first time Baton Rouge has a dedicated source of funding for drainage, but it’s short-lived and the money has to be spent by 2025. If all these capital projects are to remain effective the parish will need to identify a permanent source of funding to pay for upkeep.

$255 million Funding Source: U.S. Army Corps of Engineers What: Decades-old projects that involves dredging, clearing, snagging and widening five major drainage channels in the parish: Bayou Fountain, Beaver Bayou, Blackwater Bayou, Jones Creek and Ward Creek. Significance: It will help improve drainage and flooding and complete projects that have been on the books since the early 1990s.

ASSOCIATED PRESS

Five Bayous/Tributaries Project

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COLLIN RICHIE

COVERSTORY

MIXED USE: While the already-built residential section of Harveston is in the floodplain, the soon-to-built mixed-use portion on land along Bluebonnet Boulevard to Nicholson Drive is not.

—U.S. Rep. Garret Graves, who has been key to securing federal money to address the region’s flood and drainage issues

“The Comite Diversion Canal was first proposed in 1983 and the Five Tributaries project was proposed in 1992. SO IT’S GREAT WE FINALLY HAVE THE MONEY TO DO THESE PROJECTS but are we preparing ourselves for the 1990s? THINK ABOUT THAT.”

manager Melissa Kennedy points out, the plan will be only as good as the will of the policymakers and those who elect them to enact it. That may require hard choices. Suppose the data shows a certain area really shouldn’t be developed”? That additional growth along Burbank or Nicholson really doesn’t make sense? Who’s going to be willing to make those hard choices and tough calls? Will residents who want to live in a floodplain development because it’s trendy or safe be willing to consider other options? Is Baton Rouge really ready to take advantage of its watershed moment? “There has to be a balance,” Graves says. “We have to balance the realities of living in the floodplain with economic development, private propIA C SO AS erty rights and making sure we have the housing stock to meet the demand of the growth in the area.” PR

done,” Bankston says. Nesbit agrees the plan holds tremendous potential because it encourages cooperation among parishes on everything from stormwater and drainage design to cooperative funding endeavors, incentives to protect regional functional flood storage areas and even developing a cost sharing approach. But as HNTB senior project

A PATH FORWARD What may help to ultimately bring together the various interests around future development in the community is the Stormwater Master Plan, which the Broome administration commissioned after the 2016 flood. Funded primarily with FEMA Hazard Mitigation Grant money, the $15 million plan, currently in the works by the firm HNTB, is designed to reduce flood risk in the parish by developing sophisticated models of the parish’s 11 watersheds, pinpointing trouble spots and their cause, and proposing a 20-year capital improvement plan of mitigation projects, along with identifying funding sources to pay for them. To that end, HNTB is putting together the first comprehensive inventory of all drainage infrastructure in East Baton Rouge Parish, including information on 350 miles of channels, 800

bridges and culverts, and more than 60,000 subsurface drainage structures. It’s the kind of data-driven approach that informs best practices and it’s what everyone says they want so they can develop reasonable policies around future development. “Hopefully, when HNTB completes their work it will give us a better idea of what needs to be

they have a lot of influence and that is just the way it is.”

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NEWS

RESTAURANTS

A year from hell

COLLIN RICHIE

Staring down a pandemic, labor challenges, food supply shortages and a flood was more than enough drama to test the patience of Mestizo’s Jim Urdiales. BY JULIA-CLAIRE EVANS

FOR MESTIZO restaurant owner Jim Urdiales, it has been a year from hell. In addition to the labor shortages, decreased sales, and supply chain headaches that all restaurateurs have had to deal with during the pandemic, his restaurant flooded in May. But what’s been the hardest part, Urdiales says, as he sits surrounded by his restaurant’s partially torn-out, water-damaged walls, is simply having patience. Urdiales’ story is not unlike that of other restaurateurs across Baton Rouge who were forced to close indoor dining rooms. Urdiales says he and his team were fortunate because they had already moved to a heavy to-go model before the pandemic began, so they were able to quickly pivot to doing all to-go orders. Urdiales furloughed all of his employees at the beginning except for his most essential people, he says, and stuck with a six-daya-week, 11 a.m.-7 p.m. schedule. 40

However, by the end of the first week, he realized he didn’t have enough employees to keep up with to-go orders so he had to bring some back. Serving alcohol helped sales, even though there was no indoor dining. “I always jokingly say that we had this secret thing we call margaritas that helped us a lot,” he says. Even though he lost some of his original employees during the pandemic, Urdiales says, his core employees stayed. He was able to keep paying them during the shutdown, partly thanks to Paycheck Protection Program assistance. “We would have been OK,” he says, “but this helped us at another level. We could pay a higher rate to keep our employees during the pandemic.” Although there were reports of fast-food chains and other industries raising their employees’ salaries above minimum wage,

there was no need to even have a discussion about that at Mestizo, Urdiales says. There is no one in the industry paying minimum wage, he says, and not even dishwashers and busboys get paid that little. Urdiales says he now has a well-staffed front of the restaurant but is still struggling to staff the kitchen. It’s difficult finding labor, he says, as some workers who relied on unemployment subsidies return to the industry. “Are these people who rode off of unemployment really the ones we want to spend time hiring? They’ll be the ones to leave when there’s another crisis like that,” he says. There was so much uncertainty during the shutdown, he says, and most restaurant owners had to deal with the same worry—that closing down meant their model no longer included in-house dining. “Every month was a learning

experience,” he says. “The only thing I knew for certain was, when we did open up, people would be ready to come back out again.” Then came the flood. The 18 inches of water Urdiales had in his restaurant on that Monday in May was nothing new. Mestizo had flooded in 2016, 2019 and 2020. “The one thing I know for a fact,” he says, “is I sit on enough boards and am involved in enough discussions to know that this is a long, complex situation that the city and state is going to have to get serious about. It’s going to take a tremendous amount of state and local money to rectify it.” However, when you talk about extensive government projects like that, he says, there is a lot of red tape. He keeps hearing that the projects will take longer and longer, and admits that he is prepared to flood again before the problem is fixed.

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Urdiales is currently working with his landlord to “wet proof” the restaurant, which includes adding materials to allow for a quicker bounce back and hopefully not having to rip out sheetrock and carpet in future floods. On the brighter side, every month in 2021 has been a record-breaker for Mestizo and Urdiales says July was the strongest month of his career. The first time business slowed all year was in early August, but Urdiales doesn’t know if that was due to the new delta variant or school starting. “It’s hard to say if the fourth wave will affect business again,” he says. “I know the variant is coming on strong, and I’m watching these insane numbers roll in. I think it would be impossible to do a total shutdown like before, considering what we went through. I don’t think it would help the situation.” Once Mestizo reopened, he says, they were OK in the kitchen for a while, but as in-house dining came back, it became harder to keep up. “I realized a month ago that I’ve worked double shifts for almost a year and a half,” he says. “My

body’s tired and I’m losing focus. I can’t be the captain of the ship this exhausted, and if we couldn’t staff the kitchen, we had to make decisions.” So in August, Urdiales decided to start closing the restaurant on Mondays. Prior to the pandemic, the restaurant operated seven days a week. Urdiales has also discovered that the old model for his restaurant does not work any more and he has had to rethink marketing strategies. Social media is essential for contact with customers now, he says, and a strong social media presence is how the restaurant hopes to attract new customers. Over the past year, Urdiales says he has learned more about the strengths and weaknesses of his business than he had in the two decades prior. Even through the craziness of a pandemic and floods, he says, Mestizo still has such a faithful following. “To have a business like that, where people rely on you for not just food, but comfort, you’re their go-to in times of crisis, I’m floored and humbled that I’ve been blessed this way.”

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NEWS

ECONOMY

Riding another wave The Baton Rouge economy was finding its post-COVID footing until the delta variant—and a hurricane—struck with a vengeance. BY DAVID JACOBS

ON THE MEND: Business was on a record-setting pace for Kevin Ortego and his Louisiana Lagniappe restaurant but the emergence of a fourth COVID-19 wave and the impact of Hurricane Ida threatens to hamper the recovery.

DON KADAIR

WHEN GOV. JOHN Bel Edwards ordered restaurants to close their dining rooms last year as part of the effort to control the COVID-19 pandemic, restaurateurs like Kevin Ortego, owner of Louisiana Lagniappe, had to revamp their operations. Ortego is not a big fan of serving meals to go. He doesn’t think his food travels particularly well, and he likes to focus on making sure the customers in his restaurant are taken care of. But he pivoted in that direction anyway, creating dinners specifically for carry-out and adding staff to make sure they could get the meals out. And it worked: The customers were happy, and business dipped only about 12% last year compared with 2019. And this year, his business has bounced back with a vengeance. “This is the best year we’ve ever had, bar none,” Ortego says. He says he hasn’t seen any falloff during the recent resurgence of COVID-19; in fact, the opposite has been true. People are rushing to eat out before his dining room gets shut down again, he says, though he doesn’t think it will come to that. “We cannot survive if we do this shutdown again,” Ortego says. While the pandemic-driven economic downturn was devastating for many businesses and workers, the carnage wasn’t as severe as some had predicted. Earlier this year, with vaccines widely available and COVID-19 seemingly in retreat, life was starting to feel almost normal. But that was before the fourth wave of COVID-19, brought on by the delta variant, caused case counts to spike dramatically and set new records for hospitalizations. Edwards reissued a statewide mask mandate in early August and suggested other anti-COVID mandates were not off the table, a stark reminder that the pandemic is far from over. It was also before Hurricane Ida blew ashore in late August, knocking out power across much

of the Capital Region. Still, the Capital Region’s rebound continues. But it’s been an uneven recovery, and with Louisiana’s low vaccination rate, the uncertainty likely won’t dissipate any time soon. Nearly every industry grew in July, according to the Baton Rouge Area Chamber. Consumer spending continued to exceed pre-pandemic levels, while the leisure and hospitality sector has added 3,600 jobs since January, leaving it only 3.1% short of pre-pandemic employment. However, Capital Region job growth lags that of comparable out-of-state metros, with the loss of government jobs offsetting private-sector gains, BRAC says.

Construction has been the hardest-hit sector, down about 6,700 jobs from its pre-pandemic level. “The biggest threat to this comeback is another wave of COVID, and the Capital Region remains much less vaccinated than the country as a whole,” says Andrew Fitzgerald, BRAC’s senior vice president of business intelligence. The region had about 33,000 total open jobs in July, he says. On any given day, the number hovered between about 21,000 and 23,000, compared to about 10,000 or so in 2019. Daily job openings are now down to about 18,400. “We aren’t seeing massive business closures,” Fitzgerald says.

“The biggest threat to this comeback is another wave of COVID, and the Capital Region remains much less vaccinated than the country as a whole.” ANDREW FITZGERALD, BRAC senior vice president of business intelligence

“That makes me think that the jobs are either getting filled, or to some extent they’re automating or going to a smaller workforce.” When asked about the possibility of more government restrictions to control COVID-19, he says small business owners would have a hard time going back to “little to no revenue” absent more federal relief, which he considers unlikely since the current crisis is concentrated in certain states. While restaurants have seen business improve since restrictions were lifted and vaccines became available, building customer confidence remains a challenge, and many restaurants still are struggling to hire enough workers, Louisiana Restaurant Association President and CEO Stan Harris says. He says people are less reluctant to wear masks than they were earlier in the pandemic, which he calls “a pretty simple step” to reduce the risk of spreading coronavirus. Before issuing the recent mask mandate, Edwards, in talks with

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ISTOCK

mandate, saying she hopes “people are kind of used to it.” While she’s not aware of any tenants requiring their employees to get vaccinated, some have held on-site vaccination events that were also open to the public, she adds. Angela Lafleur, general manager of Tanger Outlets in Gonzales, says sales are comparable to 2019 and show no sign of slowing down, even with the latest surge. “We’re doing fine,” she says. “Our shoppers are loyal, and they’re showing up.” While many events planned for the summer and early fall have been postponed or canceled, football season seems SLOW GOING: The construction sector has been one of the region’s hardest-hit sectors, and one of the slowest to recover from the pandemic. to be moving full speed ahead, which is good news for area hotels. The Hilton Garden Inn booked at the location pushed what’s going to happen if we can’t at Baton Rouge Metropolitan back a month or two, he says. do our events,” he says. “It’s a Airport is nearly sold out for “We’re starting to get cantough situation because we’ve got Southern University home footcellations for private, catered a lot of deposits out there to a lot ball game weekends, says sales events,” says Brad Watts, who of big acts.” director Nestor Rodriguez. owns Kalurah Street Grill, Cecelia Many companies continue to The Renaissance has seen its and The River Room. “Birthday allow employees to work from typical slowdown of visitors in parties, corporate events, fundhome at least part of the time, a August, says general manager raisers. That’s 30-35% of my trend which may outlast the panNathaniel Tannehill. The hobusiness.” demic. For example, the ratio of tel has not seen a huge drop-off Les Crooks, regional general employees working from home in bookings, but has had some manager for ASM Global, which and from the office at accounting meetings and events that were runs the Raising Cane’s River firm Postlethwaite and Netterville Center, says the reis about 50/50, says human recent COVID-19 resources director Karen Breaux. surgence has not Employees are not being sent prevented the venue home, but the company is allowfrom lining up pering flexibility to the extent that formances into next workers feel comfortable. year and 2023. He As the economy improves, says ticket sales for many of the region’s industrial most events have plants are struggling to keep up been “at or above with demand for their products, expectations.” says Connie Fabré, president and But Brian Ott, coCEO of the Greater Baton Rouge owner of The Basin Industry Alliance. Music Hall, says “Everyone’s struggling to meet two bands recently those needs,” she says. have canceled perMuch like the general public, formances due to the industrial workforce has been COVID-19 concerns, hit hard by COVID-19, primaralong with a private ily those who are not vaccinated. party. Many artists are She says some plants are offering taking a “wait-andincentives for workers to get vacsee attitude” about cinated but she isn’t aware of any booking shows to see requiring vaccinations. how the public health Plants often perform mainsituation develops, he tenance in the fall, and many says. companies are concerned about Nearly every industry grew in July, according to the Baton Rouge Area The Basin is booked whether enough craft workers Chamber. Consumer spending continued to exceed pre-pandemic through the end of will be available, Fabré says. levels, while the leisure and hospitality sector has added 3,600 jobs this year, Ott says. “People are starting to get causince January, leaving it only 3.1% short of pre-pandemic employment. “We don’t know tious again,” she says. FILE PHOTO

industry leaders, discussed other COVID-19 mitigation regulations that might have been more costly for businesses, Harris says. “To his credit, he said, ‘We’re concerned about saving lives but also protecting livelihoods, and we’re also thinking that we’re not going to regulate our way out of this. We’re going to have to encourage more people to get vaccinated,’” Harris recalls. Harris says that about 15% to 18% of restaurant operations did not survive the last round of closures and restrictions. Further restrictions beyond the mask mandate could lead to last year’s prediction of 20% to 25% coming true, he suggests. Retail sales fell about 1.1% nationally in July but remained above pre-pandemic levels, according to the U.S. Department of Commerce. “Some of our sales numbers are much higher than pre-COVID,” says Chelsea Thibodeaux, marketing manager for Perkins Rowe. “It’s trending up for sure.” Thibodeaux says she hasn’t heard any concerns from tenants about a decline in foot traffic. She says she also hasn’t heard about any issues with shoppers refusing to comply with the new mask

Daily-Report.com | BUSINESS REPORT, September 2021

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NEWS

GOVERNMENT

A taxing decision Voters will decide on two amendments in October that business interests say will have a major impact on simplifying the Louisiana tax code. BY DAVID JACOBS

YOU DECIDE: Louisiana’s complicated tax code will be simplified, proponents say, if voters approve two amendments on the October ballot.

COLLIN RICHIE

ALMOST NO ONE likes Louisiana’s tax system. Business advocates say it’s too complicated to navigate, and gaze longingly at states that don’t tax income at all. Progressives say the heavy reliance on sales taxes places an undue burden on lower-income workers. Goodgovernment types from across the political spectrum dislike the myriad exemptions that pick winners and losers and make state government revenue harder to predict. Next month, voters will have a chance to make major changes to how the state taxes us, and how those taxes are collected. Supporters of the tax-focused constitutional amendments that will be on the Oct. 9 ballot say passage would help Louisiana compete for residents and business investment with states like Texas, Tennessee and Florida. “This is so important for the state that it pass,” says Stephen Waguespack, president and CEO of the Louisiana Association of Business and Industry. “This is just going to make our tax code simpler, more fair and more effective.” Legislative leaders had promised transformational “tax reform” prior to this year’s regular session. But not everyone is impressed with what they came up with. “It doesn’t deal with any of the glaring and massive problems of our tax system,” says Broderick Bagert, lead organizer with the left-leaning Together Louisiana, which helped to defeat two business-backed constitutional amendments last year but as of late August had not taken a public position on this year’s amendments. So what’s on the ballot? When it comes to taxes, there are two amendments to watch. Amendment 2 would cap the top rate at 4.75% for individual income tax, compared to the current 6%. If voters approve it, a separate law would go into effect that would set state income

tax rates at 1.85% for the first $12,500, 3.5% on the next $37,500 and 4.25% on net income in excess of $50,000. Current rates are 2%, 4% and 6% respectively. In exchange, taxpayers would sacrifice constitutional protection for the ability to deduct the cost of their federal income taxes from their state taxes. Critics on the left and right say the FIT deduction is bad policy, in part because it ties state tax policy to the federal government’s. Under the current system, when federal officials lower taxes, the state gets a windfall, but when federal taxes go up, state finances suffer. Businesses are being offered a similar deal with their income taxes. The five corporate tax brackets would be collapsed into three, with the top rate reduced from 8% to 7.5% for income over $150,000. “Primarily, swapping out the federal deduction in exchange for lowering tax rates allows the state’s ‘sticker price’ to more accurately reflect real tax burdens, and lessens the effect of federal tax changes on state revenue,”

writes Janelle Cammenga of the Washington, D.C.-based Tax Foundation. While the swap is “better understood as a simplification than a tax cut,” most taxpayers will see “at least minor tax reductions,” with those at the highest tax bracket seeing a bit more savings than others, Cammenga says. Though the FIT and other deductions reduce the amount taxpayers actually have to pay, the high nominal rates make the state look less attractive than its neighbors, lawmakers say. The Public Affairs Research Council of Louisiana, which generally provides information about potential legislation without taking sides, took the unusual step of supporting the tax swap during a legislative committee meeting. “We are on an island when it comes to the upper [income tax] rates,” testified PAR President Robert Travis Scott. “We know what needs to be done and that’s what this bill does.” The swap is designed to allow the state to collect roughly the same amount of money as the

current system, but it does not change the fact that Louisiana has the highest combined state and local sales taxes in the nation. “Our tax code is regressive, because we are extremely high on sales tax and relatively low per capita on personal income tax we end up with low-income households paying a higher effective tax rate than folks at the very top,” says Jan Moller with the Louisiana Budget Project. The current system also doesn’t raise enough money to pay school teachers nearly as much as their peers in nearby states or to properly fund higher education, among other needs that are underfunded, Moller says. The proposed overhaul addresses neither issue, he says. The proposal also includes triggers that call for rates to be reduced further if the state collects enough revenue. While those targets will be hard to hit, they would move tax cuts to the front of the line ahead of other priorities legislators might want to invest in, Moller says.

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“Right now you have about 55 different collectors around the state collecting sales taxes using different methodology, different tactics, different forms, different filing procedures,” Waguespack says. “That is a spiderweb that is absolutely hurting small businesses around the state.” However, Louisiana would remain an outlier even after the change because the state revenue department would not be the single collector. Instead, an eight-member commission would be divided equally among representatives of state and local government, which was politically necessary to overcome local government officials’ objections.

“This is so important for the state that it pass. This is just going to make our tax code simpler, more fair and more effective.” STEPHEN WAGUESPACK, president and CEO, LABI

Unlike most proposed constitutional amendments, the bill calling for centralizing oversight of sales tax collection did not have a companion statute. So if voters approve, lawmakers still will need to hammer out the details next year. “Altogether, the rate reductions, bracket consolidations, and sales tax centralization would improve the state’s tax climate and improve Louisiana’s ranking from 42nd to 38th on the State Business Tax Climate Index, finally freeing the state from the bottom 10,” the Tax Foundation’s Cammenga says. When arguing for the overhaul, Louisiana legislators often cited the state’s low ranking, which they say discourage many business owners and executives from even considering investing in the state. Waguespack hopes lawmakers aren’t satisfied with 38th. “Next year, and the year after and the year after, we have to come back for more reform,” he says. “This is only the beginning.”

ISTOCK

Amendment 1 calls for Louisiana to join nearly every other state and create a single statewide entity to oversee sales tax collection. Local officials have for many years guarded their right to collect local taxes, arguing that doing so ensures they get their revenue in a timely manner and can spend the money the way local taxpayers and voters want it spent. But business advocates say the system is too complex and difficult to navigate, particularly for small companies. Businesses that operate in multiple jurisdictions have to deal with—and possibly be audited by—multiple collectors.

ALSO ON THE BALLOT Amendment 4: This amendment is meant to give lawmakers more spending flexibility. When money is dedicated to a certain purpose by law or the constitution, spending for those purposes still can be reduced by up to 5% once total general fund allocations have been reduced by 7/10 of 1%. The proposed amendment would increase the allowable reduction from 5% to 10%. Amendment 3: This amendment would give six recently created levee districts the same baseline taxing authority as older districts. Currently, governing authorities of levee districts created prior to 2006 can levy property taxes of up to five mills for operating expenses. Newer districts could get the same authority if voters approve the amendment statewide and within the districts.

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NEWS

TECHNOLOGY

Next-gen living or hacker’s delight? Smart homes offer customized, on-demand comfort, but if not properly protected they can also provide a gateway into your house—and life. BY JULIA-CLAIRE EVANS Almost every item in the kitchen— from the oven, microwave and sink—is integrated with Alexa.

SimpliSafe provides security for the home.

Simply asking Alexa starts the vacuuming process.

ON A QUIET corner in the Rouzan subdivision, there’s a house that looks just like every other house on the manicured street—except it’s not. This house, which serves as a model home for local homebuilder Level Homes, is also a test house for Baton Rouge cybersecurity company Stephenson Technology Corp. In the house, almost every amenity is “smart” and can be controlled via Amazon Alexa or the home automation program Control4. Devices in the house that are Alexa integrated include a smart microwave, smart oven and smart 46

Even the bed is smart, pumping water into a mattress topper to make the bed warmer or colder and measuring health stats while you sleep.

sink. All it takes to control these devices is a “Hey, Alexa …” and users can decide when the microwave and oven turn on and how much water the sink pours. Control4 controls features like lighting, the home’s outdoor cameras and surround sound speakers. Other features in the house include a smart bed, where water is pumped into the mattress topper to make the bed warmer or colder and health statistics can be recorded and produced, including how well you’re sleeping. Houses like these will become increasingly more popular in coming years, as tech becomes

Most of the home’s high-tech features are run through this control deck.

more accessible and more integrated into our lives, but there are drawbacks. One major issue, and one that STC is hoping to shed some light on with this model house, is how easy it is to hack these technologically advanced features. “The whole point is that, when it comes to Alexa, when you’re integrating all that stuff, what that means is that anything you can do with Alexa, if I compromise it, I can do that, too,” says STC information systems security engineer Michael Marchese. From a remote location, a hacker could control a home’s lights, surround sound speakers,

A smart Dyson purifier not only purifies the air but is also a fan and heater.

PHOTOS BY COLLIN RICHIE

The lighting and everything you see or hear is handled by the Control4 system.

vacuum, or even conduct more dangerous actions such as telling the sink to produce 100 gallons of water or turning on the oven in the middle of the night. This is possible through the Amazon cloud. An Alexa device is just a speaker and microphone, Marchese says. When a user speaks to the device, that information is sent to the cloud. Hackers need only an Amazon password to directly access the cloud and therefore control Amazon-integrated devices in the home from a remote location. Marchese demonstrated an example by logging into the Amazon account connected to

BUSINESS REPORT, September 2021 | BusinessReport.com

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Issue Date: March 2021 Ad proof #2

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the home’s devices and making music blare from the surround sound speakers and also turning on the vacuum, all from his laptop. The reason STC is using Alexa in the house is not because the device is more or less secure, Marchese says, but because it is more recognizable and familiar to almost everyone. Many other devices would be just as easy to hack. The market share for IT devices has exploded, says Alan Dunn, director of operations for STC, and home assistance and automation has become extremely popular. But at what point are users trading security for convenience? Many people who need devices like these are disabled, but unfortunately they are also more prone to being victimized. “We want to make sure they’re secure,” Dunn says. One big issue is baby monitors, Dunn says. If a monitor is hooked up to Alexa, hackers could send their own sounds or put their own images on a baby camera or monitor. One of the first monitors STC researched sold for $20 on Amazon, Dunn says. They found a small computer inside of the monitor, which, at night, was sending data to a center in China. It heard everything that happened around it and was clicking on ads and generating ad revenue through the device. “If you don’t employ these devices properly they’re not safe, and most people don’t,” Dunn says. “But if you do, these devices are OK to use inside of your home.” To be safe, you have to have a healthy dose of skepticism, Marchese says. The perfect target for a hacker is someone who thinks they are not susceptible. To protect yourself and your home, Dunn suggests the use of firewalls and other security devices that allow only certain devices to connect to your internet. Setting a time to turn the internet off at night can also help. “It’s a matter of time before houses like this are everywhere,” Dunn says. “It’s coming much faster than we want it to.”

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DON KADAIR

COMMUNITY PLAN: Scott Gaudin, chief lending officer for Currency Bank, believes carving out niches in the agriculture and small business markets will boost the community bank’s Baton Rouge profile.

The circle of banking life

After a round of mergers and acquisitions by Baton Rouge-based banks, the next step in the cycle begins: the arrival of new community banks to the market. BY JULIA-CLAIRE EVANS

BANK MERGERS AND acquisitions in the Baton Rouge area were occurring at a steady clip before the pandemic. The deals have since slowed, and some say there remains a space for community banks to fill. The trend over the past few years has been mergers and acquisitions of smaller banks, says John D’Angelo, CEO of Investar Bank, although at the end of 2020 and beginning of 2021 there were numerous big bank mergers. A lot of the acquisitions have come from Louisiana banks venturing outside of the state, like IberiaBank’s recent acquisition in Florida, says Woody Briggs, vice chairman of Chaffe and Associates This trend was a direct result of banks seeking synergies and expense savings to improve financial metrics tracked by Wall Street, D’Angelo says. This also allows these much larger banks to

invest more heavily in financial technology, or fintech, like mobile banking and cryptocurrency. Mergers and acquisitions came to a near halt during COVID-19 due to the amount of uncertainty brought on by the pandemic, says b1BANK CEO Jude Melville. Banks were not going to make a deal decision during that period. Melville says b1BANK was able to partner with Pedestal Bank in south Louisiana during that period, but it was challenging. It was also one of the last mergers announced in Louisiana during the pandemic. Investar Bank had to postpone its acquisition of Alabama-based Cheaha Bank, D’Angelo says, but was able to close the transaction in April. The pandemic was one of those unpredictable things, says Scott Gaudin, chief lending officer for Currency Bank, which prior to a late August name change, was known as Commerce Community

Bank. Some banks had deals in the pipeline and ready to go and had to pause. But the deals are coming back, Melville says, as the economy recovers. Banking stocks are not what they were, but they are higher than they were during the pandemic. The maneuvers and sector conditions have convinced at least two small community banks— Currency Bank from Oak Grove and Ruston’s Louisiana National Bank—that there’s room to grow in the Baton Rouge market. An investor group bought Delta Bancshares, parent of Currency in October, and followed a familiar script: hiring banking veterans like Gaudin, who is overseeing lending efforts, and then hoping to boost the bank’s financials— and the group’s ROI—through loans to small- and medium-sized businesses. The bank’s board is a who’s

who of familiar names. The board chairman is Robert Daigrepont Jr., a certified public accountant and treasurer of Raising Cane’s Chicken Fingers. Other high-profile directors include Guaranty Broadcasting CEO Flynn Foster, Reliant Technologies Inc. founder Barry Hugghins, Phelps Dunbar partner Dennis Blunt, Beverly Moore Haydel, president and CEO of Sequitur Consulting, and Supreme Construction commercial contractor leader Ravi Patel, who also owns a family-run hotel. The group has injected additional capital into Currency to bolster its Baton Rouge expansion. In a move anyone familiar with the banking cycle will recognize, Currency’s legacy is in agriculture, primarily in smaller, more rural parts of the state and region. Over time, growth begins to slow, so what often happens next is a rural bank goes looking for well-heeled business investors in a larger market in which it can expand. In Baton Rouge, they found that banks were selling and growing and there was a space for a community bank like theirs, Gaudin says. “We plan to continue to serve the agriculture industry and grow our space in this geography,” he says, hoping to find a niche with sugarcane farmers in Iberville and Pointe Coupee parishes. “We’re unique compared to others, because our bank ownership is comprised of business owners. A lot of farmers also work for themselves, and we feel like our cultures align pretty well.” They are focusing on improving technology at the bank, Gaudin says, and have done more tech upgrades in three months than most banks do in a year. There used to be a wide technology gap between big and small banks, he says, but that gap has closed significantly, allowing for more community banks to operate on a level closer to that of larger banks. Louisiana National Bank, previously First National Bank, has been around for more than 100 years, says Alex Mahon, VPmarket leader. The bank changed its name when it moved to Baton Daily-Report.com | BUSINESS REPORT, September 2021

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BANKING & FINANCE

Rouge in early May. The bank’s ownership and board have ties to Baton Rouge, he says, and were looking at moving for about five years. The cycle of these community institutions is driven by a locale’s need for a small bank to cater to a niche group—usually smaller business owners, not unlike the people who usually own the banks. “I think there is a need now and an opportunity and space that needs to be filled by small community banks, where decisions are made locally,” Mahon says. It’s a cycle that begins when too many banks operate in a market, and competitive forces naturally result in consolidation, D’Angelo says. Other factors include: fears of tax changes, regulatory requirements, changes in economic conditions and investors’ desire to receive return on their initial investment. Investar began as a result of a void in the market for a smaller community bank, yet over the last 15 years it has seen steady growth both organically as well

BANKING ON IT: Flynn Foster of Guaranty Media Group is an investor and sits on the board of Currency Bank.

COLLIN RICHIE

FOCUS

as through mergers and acquisitions. Rather than selling, Investar’s leadership made the decision to take the bank public and give investors a choice to stay in or get out. Other Louisiana banks that started small and grew include IberiaBank, b1BANK, Home Bank and Red River Bank. Missing from the cycle, and have been since the turn of the century, are de novo banks— newly created banks that are not

acquired through a purchase. B1BANK rode one of the last waves of de novos when it was created, Melville says. Since then, tougher federal regulations and a changing economy have made starting from scratch a far more difficult proposition. Consequently, investors today are more interested in buying existing banks, rather than chartering new ones. So what’s next for the Baton Rouge market?

There are a lot of business opportunities in suburban Baton Rouge, says Briggs of Chaffe and Associates. Livingston has one of the strongest economies in the state, and he predicts the suburban surge will be strong. More small charters are being acquired and moved, Melville says, like Currency did. He says he would not be surprised to see more of that happen in the region, as buying something that already exists gives the owner a head start. A lot of banks are coming to the Baton Rouge area because it is a beacon, Gaudin says. It is the capital and has a consistent economy. Banks see the population growth Baton Rouge has had since Katrina and they see an opportunity to grow their bank and their revenues. “I do think there will continue to be a consolidation of banks, and I don’t think it will ever stop,” Gaudin says. “I think people forget that banks have been investment vehicles since forever. They sell, buy and merge, and it will never change.”

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BUSINESS REPORT, September 2021 | BusinessReport.com

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SPECIAL ADVERTISING SECTION

PEOPLE IN

Carefully check this ad for: CORRECT ADDRESS • CORRECT PHONE NUMBER • ANY TYPOS

Sr. Vice President & Chief Lending Officer First American Bank and Trust BRIAN NIZZO began his banking career soon after he graduated from LSU. In 2006, Brian joined First American Bank and Trust as a lending officer and then graduated from the Graduate School of Banking where he gained a broader knowledge of banking. Since then, Brian has been promoted several times. He now oversees a team of 26 lenders among 25 branches. His focus is for his team to be among the best in the field by offering exceptional customer service while providing the right products based on the customer’s needs. Contact Brian at bnizzo@fabt.com.

Brian Nizzo

Issue Date: SEPT 2021 Ad proof #3

South Louisiana Bank PUTTING CUSTOMERS FIRST and helping them reach their financials goals is what makes Koyan happy. She has a proven record of providing outstanding customer service thanks to in-depth knowledge of financial services and credit offerings. With over 6 years of banking experience, she has a bachelor and a master degree in Business Administration. Contact Koyan at South Louisiana Bank/5379 Highland Road Baton Rouge, LA 70808/225-408-5020.

Carefully check this ad for: CORRECT ADDRESS • CORRECT PHONE NUMBER • ANY TYPOS

Koyan Diarra

Branch Manager and Commercial Loan Officer

Issue Date: SEPT 2021 Ad proof #1

Carefully check this ad for: CORRECT ADDRESS • CORRECT PHONE NUMBER • ANY TYPOS

• Please respond by e-mail or fax with your approval or minor revisions. • AD WILL RUN AS IS unless approval or final revisions are received by the close of business today. • Additional revisions must be requested and may be subject to production fees. • Please respond by e-mail or fax with your approval or minor revisions. • AD WILL RUN AS IS unless approval or final revisions are received by the close of business today. • Additional revisions must be requested and may be subject to production fees.

Murlonda Webb

Vice President of Diversity, Equity & Inclusion EFCU Financial EVERYONE SHOULD feel like they belong. Whether they are a staff member or a member of our credit union, it is my charge to make that happen. As the newly promoted Vice President of Diversity, Equity & Inclusion (DEI) for EFCU Financial, I will put my MA from Southern New Hampshire University and my Diversity & Inclusion certification from Cornell University to good use with all DEI efforts in new hire recruiting, staff training and development, purchasing and contracts. Issue Date: Sept 2021 Ad proof #1

Carefully check this ad for: CORRECT ADDRESS • CORRECT PHONE NUMBER • ANY TYPOS

• Please respond by e-mail or fax with your approval or minor revisions. • AD WILL RUN AS IS unless approval or final revisions are received within 24 hours from receipt of this proof. A shorter timeframe will apply for tight deadlines. • Additional revisions must be requested and may be subject to production fees.

Abby Pudlewski

Financial Center Leader Fidelity Bank WORKING FOR Fidelity Bank has been the most rewarding experience of my 22 year banking career. Helping all of the people in our community reach their financial goals is an honor and a privilege, and I’m truly thankful to work with a bank that holds the same value. We work hard to make sure that every client feels like the most important client that we have, because they are! I believe that excellent service is the key to building great relationships, and I am Here For Good! Issue Date: Sept 2021 Ad proof #1

Carefully check this ad for: CORRECT ADDRESS • CORRECT PHONE NUMBER • ANY TYPOS

Issue Date: SEPT 2021 Ad proof #1

Consumers are looking for bankers and financial advisors who have their best interests at heart when it comes to their financial needs and concerns. These professionals, along with their experience, will help you to navigate the financial waters.

Issue Date: SEPT 2021 Ad proof #2

BANKING & FINANCE

Claiborne Duval Baton Rouge Market President South Louisiana Bank CELEBRATING 16 YEARS of banking experience, Claiborne Duval is the Baton Rouge Market President for South Louisiana Bank. With an undergraduate degree in finance and a MBA, Claiborne is a current member and past board member of the Sunrise Rotary Club of Baton Rouge and the Houma Rotary Club. He excels in making each customer feel that their interests are well taken care of by the bank. Contact Claiborne at South Louisiana Bank/5379 Highland Road Baton Rouge, LA 70808/225-408-5020.

Levar Anderson Senior Commercial Banker Home Bank THE NEWEST ADDITION to Home Bank’s business lending team, Senior Commercial Lender Levar Anderson is no stranger to the financial industry. With 16 years of lending experience, Anderson is a trusted advisor to his clients, offering a personal touch to banking. With expertise in fields including medical, manufacturing, and distributing, Anderson’s clients keep the economy moving – and that keeps him motivated. His personal motto is, “You become what you exchange your time for.”

Daily-Report.com | BUSINESS REPORT, September 2021

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Carefully check this ad for: CORRECT ADDRESS • CORRECT PHONE NUMBER • ANY TYPOS

Chris Harrell

Baton Rouge Market President Home Bank WITH OVER 30 YEARS of experience in banking in Baton Rouge, Market President Chris Harrell leads a team of business bankers and lenders with an eye toward not only the bottom line, but also what’s right for the customer. He empowers his bankers to look outside of cookie cutter solutions and find a custom fit for each business. A native of Baton Rouge, Harrell understands the challenges of the Capital Region and celebrates Home Bank’s role in helping businesses grow and thrive. Issue Date: SEPT 2021 Ad proof #1

Carefully check this ad for: CORRECT ADDRESS • CORRECT PHONE NUMBER • ANY TYPOS

Layne Dodd

Senior Commercial Banker Home Bank AS A FORMER BUSINESS OWNER, Layne Dodd has insights into his customers’ needs that come from experience. With 27 years in banking, Dodd takes pride in his role as a “traditional community banker,” one who can be counted on to answer his phone when needed and come through with a solution to fit each client. He says Home Bank has a distinction in business banking and lending with its capacity to provide solutions for businesses of all sizes. Issue Date: SEPT 2021 Ad proof #2

Carefully check this ad for: CORRECT ADDRESS • CORRECT PHONE NUMBER • ANY TYPOS

Scott Cobb

Mortgage Lender Home Bank THE AMERICAN DREAM of owning a home is still very much alive, and Scott Cobb says he takes pride in helping his customers make the dream a reality by finding home loans that fit their needs. With over 30 years of lending experience, Cobb enjoys sharing his knowledge with clients and getting to know them on a personal level. He says community banking is key to building customer relationships: “I treat them the way I would want to be treated when making such a big life decision.” Issue Date: SEPT 2021 Ad proof #1

Carefully check this ad for: CORRECT ADDRESS • CORRECT PHONE NUMBER • ANY TYPOS

Issue Date: SEPT 2021 Ad proof #1

SPECIAL ADVERTISING SECTION

Olivia Hayes Banking Center Manager Home Bank BANKING CENTER MANAGER Olivia Hayes splits her time between the bustling retail areas at Long Farm Village and Sherwood Forest Boulevard in Baton Rouge. With 10 years of banking experience, she was recently promoted to Assistant Vice President and took on a new role of managing two teams of bankers. Hayes says she’s up to the task and uses the motto “Do one thing every day that scares you,” by Eleanor Roosevelt, as inspiration to take on whatever challenges she meets.

Carefully check this ad for: CORRECT ADDRESS • CORRECT PHONE NUMBER • ANY TYPOS

Kelvin Luster

Community Development Director Home Bank IN HIS NEW ROLE as Community Development Director at Home Bank, Kelvin Luster is excited to do more of what he loves – connecting with people and improving lives. With 16 years in retail banking, Luster’s new role will allow him to expand his network and his impact – working to ensure equitable home lending opportunities and getting involved in nonprofits across Home Bank’s footprint. Luster is also involved locally, including with 100 Black Men of Baton Rouge, the Knights of St. Peter Claver, and Junior Achievement. Issue Date: SEPT 2021 Ad proof #1

Carefully check this ad for: CORRECT ADDRESS • CORRECT PHONE NUMBER • ANY TYPOS

Sherie Lagarde

Banking Center Manager Home Bank BANKING CENTER MANAGER Sherie Lagarde loves the feeling of working at a community bank where she knows her customers by name and can celebrate their successes and encourage them when they are down. Whether it’s solving a problem or getting a loan approved, she takes pride in knowing she’s made a customer’s day better. Lagarde has been with Home Bank for 13 years and loves to cheer on her coworkers - almost as much as she loves cheering for the Tigers. Visit Lagarde and her banking teams at Home Bank on Corporate Boulevard and Bluebonnet. Issue Date: SEPT 2021 Ad proof #1

Carefully check this ad for: CORRECT ADDRESS • CORRECT PHONE NUMBER • ANY TYPOS

Anita Kennedy

Senior Commercial Banker Home Bank FUELING THE ECONOMY by putting funds in the hands of business owners is what motivates Anita Kennedy. With over 34 years in banking, she adds value to her relationships with clients through her in-depth knowledge of financing, lending and cash flow. She says, “Numbers and lending can be scary for people, but I can help. I read spreadsheets like other people read a novel. I love it. Business owners already have so many hats to wear. I strive to relieve some of that stress by providing real solutions.” Issue Date: SEPT 2021 Ad proof #1

Carefully check this ad for: CORRECT ADDRESS • CORRECT PHONE NUMBER • ANY TYPOS

Issue Date: SEPT 2021 Ad proof #1

Debbie Mire Senior Commercial Ba Home Bank

Understanding what a business unique is S Commercial Banker D Mire’s secret to succe Whether meeting wit Debbie Mire entrepreneur or an o Senior Commercial Banker company, Mire says it Home Bank portant to take time t UNDERSTANDING WHAT MAKES a business unique is Senior Commercial listen to her custome Banker Debbie Mire’s secret to success. and develop a plan fo Whether meeting with an entrepreneur cess. At Home Bank, s or an operating company, Mire says it’s braces her role as a c important to take time to really listen to her customers’ needs and develop nity banker and appre a plan for success. At Home Bank, she that loan decisions ar embraces her role as a community locally – providing op banker and appreciates that loan decisions are made locally – providing ties for her to extend opportunities for her to extend service that keeps customers that keeps customers coming back as their needs change and businesses grow. back as their needs ch and businesses grow.

BUSINESS REPORT, September 2021 | BusinessReport.com

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Issue Date: MONTH 2021 Ad proof #2

Carefully check this ad for: CORRECT ADDRESS • CORRECT PHONE NUMBER • ANY TYPOS Carefully check this ad for: CORRECT ADDRESS • CORRECT PHONE NUMBER • ANY TYPOS

Adam Foy

CEO Louisiana USA Federal Credit Union FOLLOWING IN HIS FATHER’S footsteps, in January 2020, Adam Foy filled the role as CEO of Louisiana USA Federal Credit Union. With a 20-year-long career in the credit union industry, Foy understands the significance credit unions have on the lives of others and the importance of their role in a community. As a natural leader, Foy’s relentless passion fuels his desire to provide dedicated service and reliable solutions, day in and day out.

Jane G. Verret

President and CEO Campus Federal Credit Union CAMPUS FEDERAL is committed to providing excellent member experiences by continually investing in our digital and physical presence. Our Interaction Center in Long Farm Village opened earlier this year and a new Mortgage & Business Lending Center is coming in 2022. The Video Call Center provides access to financial experts via personal devices, and Campus Connect Interactive Teller Machines are rolling out to all of our locations statewide. We are our members’ trusted financial partner for every stage of life.

Issue Date: SEPT 2021 Ad proof #1

Issue Date: September 2021 Ad proof #1

Carefully check this ad for: CORRECT ADDRESS • CORRECT PHONE NUMBER • ANY TYPOS

Denage Piper

Commercial Relationship Manager Citizens Bank & Trust COMMUNITY BANKING is more than deposits and lending. It’s about building long standing relationships that create customer advocates. Helping our customers “live the dream” is our goal. Whether it’s funding purchasing a new building, building a new construction, purchasing equipment or investing in real estate– we are here to help. As a Business Partner at Citizens Bank & Trust we find value in meeting our customers where they are, in the thick of business. During these trying times we are devoted to helping businesses through this pandemic.

Carefully check this ad for: CORRECT ADDRESS • CORRECT PHONE NUMBER • ANY TYPOS

Heath Mire

Sr. Vice President and Commercial Lender United Community Bank HEATH RECEIVED his BS in Finance from the University of South Alabama and is a graduate of the Graduate School of Banking at LSU. Heath has been in banking for over 20 years and a Commercial Lender for more than 15 years. “I’ve made my home at UCB, a local community bank. We offer the same products and services of larger financial institutions but have the flexibility to customize our loans to fit specific needs of our clients. We give personalized attention to all of our customers and are actively involved within our communities.”

Issue Date: Sept 2021 Ad proof #1

Carefully check this ad for: CORRECT ADDRESS • CORRECT PHONE NUMBER • ANY TYPOS

Issue Date: SEPT 2021 Ad proof #2

Vice President Citizens Bank & Trust CITIZENS BANK & TRUST has been deeply rooted in our community for over a century and I am fortunate to have represented them for the last 16 years. As a lender, it’s my priority to offer a pleasant banking experience while making sound decisions that our best for the customer and bank. We provide our customers friendly service through six locations in the capital region and a host of electronic options to make the banking experience pleasant and convenient.

Ryan Elliott, CCIM

Carefully check this ad for: CORRECT ADDRESS • CORRECT PHONE NUMBER • ANY TYPOS

Mark Juneau

Vice President and Commercial Lender United Community Bank MARK RECEIVED his BS from SLU and has more than 25 years in banking. He has been in Commercial Lending since 2004 and is a graduate of the American Bankers Association Commercial Lending School. In addition to banking, he’s a US Army Veteran attached to the 82nd Airborne ‘Operation Enduring Freedom’ in Afghanistan. Mark is a member of Junior Achievement of Baton Rouge where he educates young students on the importance of money management. In his free time, he enjoys hunting, fishing, and other outdoor sports with his son.

Issue Date: OCT 2020 Piper.Ad proof #2

Carefully check this ad for: CORRECT ADDRESS • CORRECT PHONE NUMBER • ANY TYPOS

• Please respond by e-mail or fax with your approval or minor revisions. • AD WILL RUN AS IS unless approval or final revisions are received by the close of business today. • Additional revisions must be requested and may be subject to production fees. • Please respond by e-mail or fax with your approval or minor revisions. • AD WILL RUN AS IS unless approval or final revisions are received by the close of business today. • Additional revisions must be requested and may be subject to production fees.

Issue Date: SEPT 2021 Ad proof #1

Issue Date: SEPT 2021 Ad proof #2

SPECIAL ADVERTISING SECTION

Clay Hebert Vice President/Branch Manager Louisiana Land Bank CLAY HEBERT has recently been promoted to Vice President & Branch Manager for Louisiana Land Bank. Clay, a native of Brusly and Catholic High School alumnus, began his career with Louisiana Land Bank shortly after graduating from LSU in 2012. Louisiana Land Bank is a rural real estate lender established over 100 years ago. Clay’s office, located in Port Allen, specializes in financing hunting property & timberland. Contact Clay at (225) 7493522 or (225) 252-8872, cell. www.louisianalandbank.com

Eddie Bertoniere SVP, Commercial Banker b1BANK EDDIE HAS over 15 years of banking experience specializing in business lending, is a veteran of the US Army, and a graduate of LSU’s Graduate School of Banking. He is also a member of Groups TipMaster and EBR Lions Club. At b1BANK, Eddie is helping local clients build their business with working capital loans, equipment financing, and lines of credit that help manage cash flow gaps and cover everyday expenses. b1BANK also offers a full range of treasury management products and services to help simplify your banking and manage your company’s cash flow.

Daily-Report.com | BUSINESS REPORT, September 2021

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LISTMAKERS

Banks

UPCOMING LISTS:

Ranked by local deposits

PREV. RANK

COMPANY ADDRESS PHONE | WEBSITE

2020/2019 LOCAL DEPOSITS PERCENT CHANGE

LOCAL/TOTAL LOCATIONS

2020 GBR MARKET SHARE % OF DEPOSITS LOCAL* TOTAL DEPOSITS

NOVEMBER Property & casualty companies

ENTERED MARKET HEADQUARTERS

HOLDING COMPANY

JPMorgan Chase Bank 451 Florida St., Baton Rouge 70801 225-332-4022 | chase.com

$7.83 billion $6.52 billion 20.15%

27 4,979

32.81% 0.46% $1.7 trillion

2004 Columbus, Ohio

JPMorgan Chase & Co.

Capital One Bank 6920 Bluebonnet Blvd., Baton Rouge 70810 225-381-7550 | capitalone.com

$3.86 billion $3.64 billion 5.91%

18 451

16.17% 1.27% $304.25 billion

1987 McLean, Va.

Capital One Financial Corp.

Hancock Whitney Bank 445 North Blvd., Baton Rouge 70802 225-381-0424 | hancockwhitney.com

$3.36 billion $2.85 billion 17.94%

29 220

14.09% 12.2% $27.59 billion

2014 Gulfport, Miss.

Hancock Whitney Corp.

Regions Bank 400 Convention St., Baton Rouge 70802 225-388-2700 | regions.com

$1.9 billion $1.66 billion 14.9%

22 1,400

7.98% 1.59% $119.82 billion

1997 Birmingham, Ala.

Regions Financial Corp.

IberiaBank 3700 Essen Lane, Baton Rouge 70809 225-923-4430 | iberiabank.com

$1.23 billion $902.66 million 35.97%

6 192

5.14% 4.32% $28.44 billion

2004 Lafayette

IberiaBank Corp.

Investar Bank 10500 Coursey Blvd., Suite 2 and 3, Baton Rouge 70816 225-757-7117 | investarbank.com

$944.05 million $880.61 million 7.2%

13 30

3.95% 49.37% $1.91 billion

2006 Baton Rouge

Investar Holding Corp.

b1BANK 500 Laurel St., Baton Rouge 70801-1811 225-248-7600 | 877-614-7600 | b1bank.com

$793.58 million $638.2 million 24.35%

8 49

3.32% 24.34% $3.26 billion

2006 Baton Rouge

Business First Bancshares Inc.

Red River Bancshares Inc. 5063 Essen Lane, Baton Rouge 70809 225-215-4400 | redriverbank.net

$386.58 million $295.96 million 30.62%

6 25

1.62% 18.46% $2.09 billion

2013 Alexandria

Red River Bancshares Inc.

Citizens Bank & Trust Co. 57910 Main St., 659, Plaquemine 70764 225-687-1916 | citizensbankandtrust.com

$316.41 million $266.78 million 18.6%

7 7

1.33% 100% $316.41 million

1916 Plaquemine

Citizens Bancorporation Inc.

First Guaranty Bank 400 E. Thomas St., Hammond 70401 985-375-0300 | fgb.net

$298.21 million $267.66 million 11.41%

5 35

1.25% 14.05% $2.12 billion

2002 Hammond

Smith & Hood Holding Co. LLC

BancorpSouth Bank 6100 Corporate Blvd., Baton Rouge 70808 225-768-1100 | bancorpsouth.com

$298.18 million $215.03 million 38.67%

5 315

1.25% 1.57% $18.93 billion

2004 Tupelo, Miss.

Does not have holding company

Peoples Bank & Trust Co. 805 Hospital Road, New Roads 70760 225-638-3713 | thefriendlybank.com

$265.35 million $231.62 million 14.56%

4 4

1.11% 100% $265.35 million

1980 New Roads

Peoples Bancshares of Pointe Coupee Parish Inc.

Bank of Zachary 4743 Main St., Zachary 70791 225-654-2701 | bankofzachary.com

$246.13 million $209.92 million 17.25%

5 5

1.03% 100% $246.13 million

1904 Zachary

Zachary Bancshares Inc.

The First 8810 Bluebonnet Blvd., Baton Rouge 70810 225-228-7275 | thefirstbank.com

$223.07 million $198.12 million 12.6%

9 83

0.93% 5.27% $4.23 billion

2014 Hattiesburg, Miss.

First Bancshares Inc.

Guaranty Bank & Trust Co. 175 New Roads St., New Roads 70760 225-638-8621 | guaranty-bnk.com

$207.84 million $179.25 million 15.95%

6 6

0.87% 100% $207.84 million

1957 New Roads

Great Guaranty Bancshares Inc.

United Community Bank 11280 Coursey Blvd., Baton Rouge 70816 225-293-8344 | 866-505-3736 | ucbanking.com

$195.47 million $166.69 million 17.27%

4 10

0.82% 39% $501.17 million

2015 Raceland

Community Bancorp of Louisiana Inc.

First National Bankers Bank 7813 Office Park Blvd., Baton Rouge 70809 225-924-8015 | bankers-bank.com

$169.34 million $169.16 million 0.11%

1 5

0.71% 40.99% $413.09 million

1984 Baton Rouge

First National Bankers Bankshares Inc.

Bank of St. Francisville 5700 Commerce St., P.O. Box 818, St. Francisville 70775 225-635-6397 | bsf.net

$159.02 million $115.1 million 38.15%

1 1

0.67% 100% $159.02 million

1978 St. Francisville

St. Francisville Bancshares Inc.

Plaquemine Bank and Trust Co. 24025 Eden St., Plaquemine 70764 225-687-6388 | plaqbank.com

$158.91 million $138.29 million 14.91%

1 1

0.67% 100% $158.91 million

1968 Plaquemine

Plaquemine Bancshares Corp.

Cottonport Bank 6500 Corporate Blvd., Baton Rouge 70809 225-231-6606 | cottonportbank.com

$128.62 million $100.98 million 27.37%

3 12

0.54% 35.47% $362.65 million

1998 Cottonport

Mansura Bancshares Inc.

DBA-doing business as DNR-did not respond GBR-Greater Baton Rouge NR-not ranked *-percent of bank's total deposits that are local To be featured in Business Report's Listmakers, banks must have at least one office in the nine-parish Capital Region and have local information available from the Federal Deposit Insurance Corp. The FDIC determines market share information based on deposits as of June 30 each year. The Business Report presumes the provided information is accurate. Information about all 33 banks in the region will be available to subscribers on our website. To be considered for next year's list, please contact Alaine Keisling at researcher@businessreport.com. Published September 2021.

OCTOBER Private high schools

Researched by Alaine Keisling

BUSINESS REPORT, September 2021 | BusinessReport.com

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LISTMAKERS

Credit unions Ranked by shares and deposits

PREV. RANK

COMPANY ADDRESS PHONE | WEBSITE

Neighbors Federal Credit Union 12529 Perkins Road, Baton Rouge 70810 225-819-2178 | neighborsfcu.org

Campus Federal Credit Union 6230 Perkins Road, P.O. Box 98036, Baton Rouge 70808 225-769-8841 | 888-769-8841 | campusfederal.org

EFCU Financial 10719 Airline Highway, Baton Rouge 70816 225-214-6800 | efcufinancial.org

TOP LOCAL EXECUTIVE

2020-2019 SHARES AND DEPOSITS % CHANGE

EMPLOYEES MEMBERS

YEAR EST. LOCALLY MARKET AREA

Steve Webb CEO

$987.65 million $835.45 million 18.22%

234 78,458

$35.84 million $866.04 million $1.07 billion

1954 Greater Baton Rouge

Jane Verret President and CEO

$696.94 million $607.29 million 14.76%

175 38,344

$53.85 million $517.65 million $770.59 million

1934 Louisiana

Tyler Grodi CEO

$566.62 million $431.1 million 31.44%

106 50,553

NA $518.94 million $619.72 million

1934 Greater Baton Rouge

La Capitol Federal Credit Union 700 Main St., Baton Rouge 70802-5501 225-342-5055 | lacapfcu.org

Michael E. Hooper CEO

$550.31 million $452.2 million 21.7%

167 50,772

$28.46 million $456.76 million $609.56 million

1961 Louisiana

Pelican State Credit Union 2675 O'Neal Lane, Baton Rouge 70816-3124 225-408-6100 | pelicanstatecu.com

Jeffrey K. Conrad President and CEO

$475.9 million $349.6 million 36.13%

286 64,113

$7.81 million $422.56 million $527.79 million

1956 Louisiana

Baton Rouge Telco Federal Credit Union 13404 Airline Highway, Baton Rouge 70817-5917 225-924-8900 | brtelco.org

Darryl K. Long President and CEO

$318.03 million $299.51 million 6.18%

70 29,850

NA $302.5 million $359.17 million

1936 Greater Baton Rouge and Hammond

Essential Federal Credit Union 2370 Towne Center Boulevard, P.O. Box 738, Baton Rouge 70806 225-353-8238 | 888-369-2207 | essentialfcu.org

Richard Williams President and CEO

$308.06 million $281.83 million 9.31%

104 40,219

$7.41 million $246.27 million $336.51 million

1972 Greater Baton Rouge

Wymar Federal Credit Union 37269 Highway 30, P.O. Box 457, Geismar 70734 225-673-7191 | wymarfcu.com

Ronnie L. Stephens President

$112.92 million $98.44 million 14.71%

18 4,683

NA $88.46 million $132.42 million

1958 Greater Baton Rouge

Eagle Louisiana Federal Credit Union 2271 College Drive, Baton Rouge 70808 225-927-1900 | 888-281-8485 | eaglefederal.org

Evelyn McDonner CEO

$105.56 million $98.77 million 6.87%

50 12,333

NA $87.88 million $118.58 million

1942 Louisiana

Department of Corrections Credit Union 704 Mayflower St., P.O. Box 4789, Baton Rouge 70802 225-342-6618 | doccu.org

Ellen S. Dunn CEO

$79.02 million $66.23 million 19.31%

47 13,375

NA $57.69 million $97.17 million

1957 Louisiana

Louisiana USA Federal Credit Union 10289 Airline Highway, P.O. Box 15745, Baton Rouge 70895 225-292-8910 | 800-375-2760 | lausafcu.org

Adam C. Foy CEO

$77.62 million $69.33 million 11.97%

32 9,521

NA $54.23 million $88.61 million

1939 South Louisiana

Ascension Credit Union 2430 S. Burnside Ave., P.O. Box 248, Gonzales 70707 225-621-2800 | ascensioncu.org

H. Lloyd Cockerham President and CEO

$68.96 million $57.51 million 19.92%

25 8,442

NA $57.59 million $77.29 million

1974 Ascension Parish

Bayou Federal Credit Union 5880 Florida Blvd., Baton Rouge 70806 225-925-8800 | bayoufcu.org

Rhonda S. Linzy CEO

$67.03 million $60.76 million 10.32%

22 8,561

$178,060 $48.21 million $75.71 million

1954 Southern U.S.

Baton Rouge Fire Department Federal Credit Union 11123 Boardwalk Drive, Baton Rouge 70816 225-274-8383 | brfdfcu.com

Dawn Heath CEO

$49.84 million $43.36 million 14.93%

13 5,563

NA $46.13 million $63.58 million

1936 Greater Baton Rouge

Baton Rouge City-Parish Employees' Federal Credit Union 433 Government St., Baton Rouge 70802-6114 225-389-3059 | brcpefcu.org

Doris B. Richardson President and CEO

$45.01 million $39.24 million 14.72%

12 6,444

NA $18.77 million $54.3 million

1949 Greater Baton Rouge

BRECO Federal Credit Union 1850 S. Sherwood Forest Blvd., Baton Rouge 70816-8321 225-273-1529 | brecofcu.com

Joshua W. Poole President and CEO

$44.5 million $41.2 million 8.02%

14 5,393

NA $30.16 million $49.68 million

1994 Southern U.S.

GP Louisiana Federal Credit Union 1700 E. Mt. Pleasant Road, P.O. Box 520, Zachary 70791 225-654-7230 | gplafcu.com

Kathleen B. Smith Manager

$43.39 million $40.88 million 6.15%

9 4,595

NA $29.01 million $47.92 million

1969 Greater Baton Rouge

LES Federal Credit Union 950 N. 22nd St., Suite C, P.O. Box 44201, Baton Rouge 70802 225-342-3288 | 800-259-3291 | lesfcu.com

Jackie Patin CEO

$35.86 million $29.45 million 21.78%

11 4,864

NA $18.33 million $39.91 million

1950 Greater Baton Rouge

Geismar Complex Federal Credit Union 35294 Highway 30, Geismar 70734 225-673-3371 | gcfcu.net

Bridget Sonnier Manager

$30.01 million $26.27 million 14.25%

6 2,338

NA $14.3 million $33.04 million

1980 Ascension Parish

Southern Teachers & Parents Federal Credit Union 728 Harding Blvd., Baton Rouge 70807 225-775-8597 | stpfcu.com

Jama R. Haynes CEO

$28.47 million $25.82 million 10.26%

12 4,347

NA $12.01 million $30.68 million

1937 Louisiana

DBA-doing business as NA-not applicable NR-did not respond NR-not ranked To be featured in Business Report's Listmakers, credit unions have to be based in the nine-parish Capital Region and have information available on the National Credit Union Administration website. The Business Report presumes the provided information is accurate. Information about all 30 credit unions in the region will be available to subscribers on our website. To be considered for next year's list, please contact Alaine Keisling at research@businessreport.com. Published September 2021.

2020 BUSINESS LOANS TOTAL LOANS ASSETS

Researched by Alaine Keisling

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VIEWPOINT

THE BIG PICTURE

The difficult realities of life in SoLa

STEPHANIE RIEGEL A FEW DAYS before Hurricane Ida laid waste to coastal south Louisiana, leaving Baton Rouge without electricity for days and much of New Orleans in the dark for weeks, the Baton Rouge Area Foundation released its 2021 City Stats report, which contained one of the more sobering statistics I’ve seen in a while: 60% of parents want their children to leave the parish and live elsewhere when they’re adults, up from 45% in 2019. This is no small thing in a state where 78% of the residents are native born. People don’t leave Louisiana and they really don’t like their children to leave. So you know things are bad, when a sizable majority of poll respondents want their progeny to seek a better life somewhere else. I didn’t have time to dwell on it, though. I was preoccupied with obsessively checking the spaghetti models of Ida’s track and trying to figure out where to ride out what was then barely a tropical storm. As we all learned the hard way, there were no good options this

REFLECTIONS

KEEPING RELATIONSHIPS STRONG This feature is a tribute by our publisher in honor of Business Report founder, Rolfe H. McCollister Sr.

time. Forty eight hours before the storm hit, weather maps on TV warned viewers still thinking of taking off not to evacuate ANYWHERE IN LOUISIANA, except Shreveport. In other words, unless you had been willing and able to travel far from the state many days before the storm appeared to be an imminent threat for almost all of Louisiana you were stuck. And that is truly terrifying. What are 4.2 million people supposed to do, especially when 20% of those people live below the federal poverty level and roughly half fall into the “ working poor” demographic? Many of these people do not have transportation, and statewide contraflow evacuation protocols take at least 72 hours to implement, which is more time than it takes this new generation of super-power hurricanes to blow up from relatively harmless systems. But where to go? As we learned in Gustav in 2008 and again in August 2016, Baton Rouge is no longer a sure bet, and, as detailed elsewhere in this issue, has its own flooding problems (see page 30). Which brings me back to City Stats. Because while I realize the survey is about East Baton Rouge Parish, I suspect the responses would be similar if you asked people in New Orleans or the Northshore or anywhere in south Louisiana about whether they want their kids to leave. If you really want what’s best for them, how can you not? With each disaster, disruption and downturn, we are reminded

that south Louisiana is an increasingly difficult place to live. In the era of climate change it will only get worse, as Ida has painfully illustrated. For one, there is the sheer reality of our climate and geography. Ocean temperatures are rising. The Gulf of Mexico was a bathtub-like 88 degrees when Ida churned through its waters, which is why the storm was able to intensify so quickly. At the same time, our coastline has become a lacy outline of its former self, no longer able to offer the protection it once did from wicked weather. That’s why Ida didn’t weaken, as predicted, after making landfall. The land is so moist, the storm continued drawing energy even after coming ashore. There are the vulnerabilities of our aging fossil fuel infrastructure, on which we are overly reliant. The hurricane temporarily knocked out 94% of the offshore oil and natural gas production in the Gulf—20% of the nation’s total. Port Fourchon was crippled for weeks. Seven oil refineries accounting for nearly 10% of the country’s refining capacity were shut down, all of which resulted in shortages at gas stations. Demand was intensified by the need to keep generators running, a lifeline for so many who spent weeks without electricity. Then, there are the questions about the grid failures. It is a given that coastal communities would see the destruction of their transmission and distribution systems, but how do all eight long-distance transmissions lines that feed the city of New Orleans

THIS REQUIRED BOTH parties to have the following attitudes. The order is also important. First is humility vs. pride. Humility is a posture of admitting, “I am a part of the problem.” Second is responsibility vs. blame. Responsibility states, “I own my stuff and take full responsibility for my unhealthy actions. I will take control of me.” Next is forgiveness vs. bitterness. Forgiveness is releasing the debt of actions towards oneself that are wrongful. Bitterness is holding onto past and present offenses, and is a cancer to relationships. Attitude four is teach-ability. It means, one will and chooses to learn

fail, leaving hundreds of thousands of people without power for weeks? After all the federal money, resilience planning, investments in hardening the grid in the 16 years since Katrina, why don’t we have more to show for it? Why have we continued to resist calls to invest in clean energy micro grids? Why do we stick ratepayers with the bill for rebuilding the system time and again? Elected officials vow to rebuild smarter this time but are they willing to do what it takes to make that happen? With each disaster, Louisiana get further behind the eight ball. More small businesses suffer. More hourly workers struggle to make ends meet. Kids, who lost virtually an entire year of school due to the pandemic, now miss weeks more, falling still further behind. Chronic diseases, so common in a state with the worst health outcomes in the nation, go untreated or are intensified by the stress, heat and living conditions in a natural disaster zone. Toxic emissions and chemical spills from damage to refineries further harm the environment and exacerbate the health problems. The ripple effects multiply. The poorest of the population bears the brunt of it all and the downward spiral continues. I’m not one to give up on problems. I’m not saying we should walk away from challenges. But for anyone who thinks their children would be better off somewhere else, yeah, they would.

healthier ways of relating, mainly from the other person in the relationship. Finally, keeping relationships strong involves walking consistently in new patterns with accountability for one’s own actions. Accountability takes humility, and permits the other party to call ones’ hand when unhealthy relating surfaces again. This intersection starts the cycle of the five attitudes applied once again. This is how relationships stay strong and finish well. This cycle is repeated as often as needed, for the lifetime of the relationship. —COL Jeff Mitchell, retired Army State Chaplain, present Hospice Chaplain

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YOUR

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58-61 Viewpoint Stephanie JR.indd 60

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VIEWPOINT

RANDOM THOUGHTS

Ida can’t blow Louisiana’s taxing awayproblem dedicated tax grab

JR BALL WE ALL GET BLOWN AWAY IT:BY Nothe one—regardhowling and less of where destructive you reside winds onthat the were Hurricane political spectrum Idaor was what the one Metro Council four preaches on social days earlier media—wants voting to create to pay yet more another taxes. micro A sizable governnumment ber ofin our East friends Batonand Rouge neighbors Parish. may I get beit, just who fine can demanding remembergovthe pre-storm ernment get more antics money, of ourbut lapdog council they always want members? someone Whoelse to cares do thewhen paying. most of us spent our pre-Labor Not you.Day Notweek me. Pop steaming that perin son a blacked-out behind thecity tree. or stewing in a two-hour Louisiana line isfor hardly a drop theofonly gas to place get thewhere SUV home residents and rush repower to the over-worked restroom whenever generator? it’s time toYet, divvy in up fact,the it is tab. important Yet whatto remakes member our that resource-cursed just days before state Ida something roared ashore of an theoutlier councilisthought our supersized it necessaryexpectations to create a massive of government. heap of gratuitous Perhaps it’s bureaucracy the vestiges of known our every-man-a-king as the Cortana Economic past, but Development pretty much District. all of us—from A mighty staunch impressive conservatives term, no doubt, to flaming but liberals—expect slice through the government buzz words and to do huzzahs a lot of and stuff. you discover it’s littleSay more that’s than a lie, another but the dedicated facts say otherwise. tax stream that principally helps a friend Give itoftothe you. mayor Give and it tothe me.poBut not litically thatconnected, person behind but financially the tree. challenged For thoseBuild familiar Baton with Rouge. Two and a Half Take Men, a stabwe’re at guessing a state of theAlan top Harpers. priority for this meandering economic Which development brings us todistrict, the long esand winding timated to road receive of state at least taxes $1.5 and whether million over we pay the next too much five years? or too little. Give yourself By the way, a gold notice star ifthat youno one answered, ever takes “Build theCleve Goldilocks Dunn aposition $500,000 of our community tax burden center being forjust right. his council district.” Meanwhile, Build Baton here’s Rouge’s something new revesaid nue kingdom by no oneessentially ever, “Youencircles know, government the pending Amazon is doing too fulfillment much for me. center I’mbefore gonnajutting call my west legislator along a and narrow givestrip her of theFlorida OK to Boulevard cut some services past Bonthe Carré state and provides BREC’sme.” headquarters Conversely, to theeasier Batonto Rouge find here than Community crawfish College and beer—if at North such

a thingDrive. is possible—is someone Foster Its north-south run screaming for their legislator is along Airline Highway from to stop the “free ride” those folks S. Choctaw Drive tofor Goodwood behind the where tree. the city-parish Boulevard, matters because stateto is All stillthis trying to figure out what legislators every political perdo with theofold Woman’s Hospital suasion—who be descendfacility beyond will serving as police ing on Ruth’s Chris later this headquarters. month—are in a tizzy For its troubles, Chrisabout Tyson’s strings attached the COVID-19 organization willto pocket at least Benjamin bonanza coming our $75,000. And city-parish governway to President Joe Biden mentthanks will take 1%, or a low-ball and the Democrat-controlled estimate of $15,000, to kick back Congress. sales taxes to the district. All in all, The problem, we roughly $590,000unlike of thewhen projected got post-Katrina bounty, is al$1.5the million, or just under 40%, state readygovernment has a home. can’t use the sudden—and massive—influx For those keeping score, this of one-time cash as economic a green light to now makes three develcut taxes.districts As one in might expect, opment north Baton this is driving so-called fiscal conRouge. servatives absolutely Never Proponents say thisnuts. new dismind futile four-year trict istheir a good thing becausecru1) a sade to plan trim is spending and unmaster necessary to an deal canny penchant approving with the spate of for anticipated redefatter and fatter state budgets. velopment that will happen once Across rolls the aisle, tax-andAmazon openthe its warehouse spend crowd is looking more doors, 2) Council Districtfor 6 needs dubious legal a Taj Mahal of interpretations a community centhan Taylor Porter sexual hater, 3)abeautification projects will rassment attorney in the quest make property around Amazon to attach a chunk onemore desirable andof4)this bike lanes, and-done largesseimprovements to recurring street and lighting expenses. as well as fancy new What the hell?the How are we signs will make supposed to take advantage of property around a damned good crisis if the feds Amazon double-dog slap the financial cuffs on us? desirable. As entertaining “Amazon rep- as all the handwringing pontificating may resents anand opporbe, howand much we do or don’t pay tunity, we need in taxes isn’t fundato make sure Louisiana’s we are mental fiscalabout problem. Rather being smart it’s theadd,” state’s moronically byzvalue Tyson antine tax code as well as which told Business Report’s cash kegs we tap to fill the state’s Stephanie Riegel. coffers. Let’s be clear: Economic develIn other words,especially Louisiana’s opment districts, intax uncode is tooareas damn derserved ofcomplicated— town, can be a especially the corporate ledwonderful on tool—if done right. But ger—and wehonest: have clue zero let’s also be We’re oh-fer about which taxes truly do and on doing it right. don’t when itNorth comes to atThematter Baton Rouge tracting corporate headquarters Economic Development District and economicadevelopment encompasses way-too-largenot geolinked theand usual suspects of oil graphictoarea is pretty much and gas.because of pitiful funduseless Neither of hotel thesetax problems are a ing via a 2% in an area revelation. They’re with few hotels. Theknown—and Plank Road have been Development known for years—by Economic District, pretty much who has half another Buildanyone Baton Rouge a clue. Yet governor after governor brainchild, has no funding or

and state legislator management, but itafter doesstate have lots legislator have doneof exactly zero of pretty renderings what might about these problems. be in aaddressing future far, far away. They about the problems. Thetalk irony is the one EDD with They spend taxpayer money havdecent funding is the one least ing smarttofolks needing exist.propose solutions toNo theone problems. and plan brace argues aBut, master yourself, none of these for an area predicted to alleged be on the leaders gets around actuverge ofever a rebirth is a bad to idea. ally solving problems. But why thethe need for a dedicated Even worse, they almost funding stream? Simply bidannuout ally make the tax code the project—in full viewdisaster of the worse, approving even more expublic—and pay for it with genemptions, rebates and credits to eral fund dollars. satisfy bizarre thirst for havIt’s noour secret voters haven’t ing an overall tax rate—once trusted the mayor and coun- the armada of attorneys CPAs cil with our money forand decades, do their handiwork—in theinsame which explains why fiscally ballpark as Texas. efficient independent taxing auWhat’s the deal? The basic thorities, dedicated taxes andhufees man truth that people— litter nature the parish. The message in and companies—will do what’s this case is the mayor and council in their best self-interest almost don’t trust themselves to properly every spendtime. our money. Either that or Wewant can’tto get rid ofsure corporate enthey make the right titlement programs because poworganizations and people benefit erful and the flotilla from executives our public dollars. ofSecond lobbyists and same industry groups verse, as the first they argue the entitlefor a employ community center that Dunn ments that them are sasays will relybenefit on rental income cred. Go ahead the other from groups likeand the cut Council on entitlements reduceexpenses. the base Aging to coverand operating tax rate, they’ll Assuming thereplead, is needbut forleave a comour entitlement alone.edifice, munity And on those rarethe occasions can’t tab go to when there’s aBREC—which fleeting moment rou-of greater good embracing—elimitinely rolls millage nating entitlements in exchange rates forward defor a revenue-neutral base rate spite property tax reduction—elected officials incollections outpacvariably crashing theinflation? party to deThe mand they getCOA more to is money sitting on spend in the state morebudget. money than The more pressing it knowsproblems— what to do at least for those of thanks us whoto think with, its attracting more knowledge-based own dedicated tax, businesses and thedo-good smart, wellso how about that orgapaid people they employ is key to nization building the center? Hell, Louisiana’s economic future— are put some books and computers the state’s general taxliin there and get thebusiness cash-flush climate as well what at brary system to as pony up.we If tax noththe personal ing else, thoselevel. organizations ought an Einstein to toItbedoesn’t able totake kick-in some shekels decipher the key financial factors to help defray construction costs. inTyson deciding company andwhere othersasay the dis-will reside arespruce how favorable is the trict will up some private corporate tax rate,Florida what will property fronting andbe the operating (payroll, utiliAirline as well costs as make the area ties, etc.) and will moreland, pedestrian andhow bikehard friendly. the family TheCEO’s goal, they say,and is tothose sparkof the other executives be hit on their redevelopment. personal taxes. Yet ninestate months ago—when

Bring something to life, give it a guaranteed funding stream and it never seems to fade away. Like life, it finds a way.

Despite all the crowd piningaround to be a officials couldn’t more like Texas, reality microphone fast the enough to is conmost people in Louisiana have a gratulate themselves for landing lower state and tax burden Amazon—it waslocal a different story. than their counterparts in the Back then Fred Raiford and others Lonesignificant Star State.infrastructure The exceptionupis said high-income professionals. grades in the area were already on This fact was mentioned the drawing board courtesy to of the someone who previously called $1 billion MovEBR program. And the governor’s home everyone from mansion BRAC executives and he said, “The problem is the to local commercial real estate exCEOswere decide where the jobs will perts saying property owners go.” retailers anywhere near the and He’s right. Amazon site would be winners, Wonk alert, numbers with prices beginning toahead: escalate Louisiana a bottom 10 within weekshas of the deal going business tax climate, according public. to“This Tax Foundation’s index, will be a shot2021 in the arm ranking the state 42nd, for the immediate area,”worse appraiser than theMoore nearby Florida, Wesley of states Cook, of Moore, North Carolina, Texas, Tennessee, Davenport & Associates said in Virginia, April. “In Georgia, the shortMississippi term, there and will Alabama. be speculation. In the long term, Comparing against those same you will see redevelopment, at states, has You the highleast toLouisiana some degree. will also est top marginal insee absorption ofcorporate existing supply come taxwarehouse rate (8%) as well as the of older and industrial highest top tax rate on individual space.” income (6%). When looking Once again, our faith in theatfree state and local sales tax burden, market is zilch. Louisiana checks inwhat’s at No.the 2 naSome may argue, big tionally with a 9.52% rate; only deal? We’re only talking about $1.5 Tennessee is higher. million and(9.55%) the funding dries up Thefive oneyears. stat where it pays to after Perhaps, but bring live in Louisiana on it the propsomething to life,isgive a guaranerty tax front,stream where and thanks to teed funding it never our nation-high $75,000 exempseems to fade away. Like life, it tion we come in at sixth-lowest. finds a way. Armed with that The Cortana EDDknowledge, is just one of exactly why now19—economic would a CEO de19—that’s right opt to movedistricts his or her company velopment in this parish. to Louisiana? The corporate tax In truth, its existence is hardly the climate stinks, the More company is most problematic. troubling staring down thetoregion’s high-deis the one given Americana’s est pre-entitlement corporate tax velopers in fast-growing Zachary rate, region’s highest individor thethe one for a Harveston project ualsouth tax rate andRouge the nation’s secin Baton that’s surond-highest sales tax rate. rounded by under-construction Good luck convincing the famnon-EDD retail and residential ily to move here facing those fidevelopments. nancial truths. And don’t forget Whether it’s tax incremental about the or likelihood ofdevelshelling financing economic out private schoolit’s tuition opment districts, quite cash re- to educate the kids. But, hey, at least markable—and depressing—the they our canlocal live agovernment low-property tax way hands life in their from mega-mansion. out manna taxpayers to the Legislators, we’ve once again politically well-connected in the found of the problem.development. name economic Maybe St. George went about it all wrong. It should have become an economic development district.

| BUSINESS | BUSINESS Daily-Report.com Daily-Report.com REPORT, REPORT, September April 2021

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YOUR BUSINESS

COMPANY NEWS

ACCREDITATION CERTIFICATION Adams and Reese is participating in the Mansfield Rule 5.0 certification process as part of the firm’s 2021 commitment to promoting diversity and inclusion. Adams and Reese is among more than 160 large law firms in the U.S. and Canada participating, with the goal of boosting the representation of historically underrepresented lawyers in law firm leadership. If the firm meets certain measurable objectives over the next twelve months, it will earn the distinction of being Mansfield certified. AWARDS HONORS

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Scott Agosta and Suzanne Mestayer were recently announced as 2021 Hall of Distinction inductees by the LSU E. J. Ourso College of Business. Additionally, the college will recognize the first-ever Outstanding Young Alumni Award recipient Nick Speyrer. Agosta is a founder of MorningStar Partners, a growth-oriented independent oil and natural gas company headquartered in Fort Worth, Texas. Agosta co-founded MorningStar Partners in 2012 and currently serves as the chief accounting officer and controller. Mestayer is the managing principal of ThirtyNorth Investments, an independent registered investment advisory firm that provides investment consultation and advisory services to families, retirement plans and institutions. Speyrer is founder and president of Emergent Method, a Baton Rougebased consulting firm. Under Speyrer’s leadership,

the firm has grown rapidly to become the leading management and strategy consulting firm in the region. Amedisys Inc. has been named one of the nation’s leading home health, hospice and personal care companies by IDG Insider Pro and Computerworld in the 2021 listing of the Best Places to Work in IT. The annual ranking recognizes the top 100 work environments for technology professionals. Amedisys ranks 13th among large organizations in this year’s listing. Ascension Parish was named the 2021 Small Market of the Year by Southern Business & Development magazine, in a title shared with Jackson County, Georgia. This is the first year Ascension Parish has been awarded this honor for best economic development results in the South. Helping secure Ascension’s top ranking are industrial projects that include the expansion of Renewable Energy Group, Westlake Chemical and CF Industries. These projects combined represent an investment of over $1.3 billion. Baton Rouge Community College’s automotive department was recently recognized by I-CAR, the Inter-Industry Conference on Collision Repair, and received a silver award from the Southwest Region for its dedication to providing information, knowledge and skills required to complete safe and quality automotive Baton Rouge Community College

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repairs. BRCC’s Automotive Collision Training Center opened in September 2018. The center provides specialized training for students to become vehicle repair and maintenance technicians in a 25,910-square-foot, state-of-theart facility. Alton Bayard III, leader of Baker Donelson’s Tax Group and a shareholder in the firm’s Baton Rouge office, Bayard has been recognized as a leading practitioner in the 2021 Chambers High Net Worth guide, the sixth edition of the guide that covers the private wealth market. Bayard is the only Baton Rouge lawyer recognized in the 2021 Chambers High Net Worth Guide in the area of private wealth law. Dupré Logistics was recently recognized by the Louisiana Motor Transport Association, an organization that represents trucking and related industry companies throughout the

nation, for its outstanding safety record. Dupré received first-place honors in the tank/hazardous materials class based on mileage between 6 million and 9 million miles. Dupré also received the second-place award in the general commodities class based on mileage between 9 million and 12 million miles. Guarantee Restoration Services has been recognized as

a strategic national partner of Arthur J. Gallagher. This will help producers, claims professionals and AJG’s clients get the best customer care during any size property insurance claim. Guarantee Restoration has five offices along the Gulf Coast and provides property damage restoration and reconstruction services for homes and businesses after natural disasters or property damage.

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Four Baton Rouge CPAs, Bridget Kaigler, Brandon Lagarde, Layne McDaniel and Daryl Purpera, have been honored by the Society of Louisiana Certified Public Accountants for their remarkable contributions to the CPA profession and the community. Kaigler was honored with the Distinguished Public Service Award, the highest honor for public service leadership, impact, involvement and innovation of a Louisiana CPA. She has served in various volunteer roles throughout the Greater Baton Rouge community, including vice-president for Habitat for Humanity of Greater Baton Rouge. Lagarde, a director with Postlethwaite & Netterville, received the Society’s Distinguished Service Award to recognize his persistent and unwavering service to the LCPA and its members. McDaniel, who has his own CPA firm in Baton Rouge, received the Special Recognition Award for his enthusiasm and dedication to bolstering the financial literacy of all ages, especially those in underserved

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communities. Purpera received the society’s Special Recognition Award, acknowledging his 11 years of service as Louisiana legislative auditor. He now serves as pastor of the First Baptist Church Central in Baton Rouge. La Capitol once again was named the top credit union in Louisiana by Forbes magazine. The credit union received the state’s top honors in the Forbes’ list of “America’s Best Credit Unions In Each State” for 2021. The recognition puts La Capitol among the top 3.6 percent of the nation’s more than 5,000 credit unions. La Capitol also earned the top spot in 2020. PAR was awarded top honors in two of the three main award categories by the Governmental Research Association, including Most Distinguished Research and Outstanding Policy Achievement. PAR also won a GRA communications award for Best Short Form Video. The awards were made by the Governmental Research Association during its annual meeting. The GRA was established in 1914 as the national organization for professionals engaged in governmental research. Teddy Darrell Price, licensed nursing facility administrator and vice president of operations at Central Management, has Price been chosen by the American Health Care Association and the National Center for Assisted Living as a national, future leader in long-term and post-acute care. Price will join AHCA/NCAL’s Future Leaders program, a yearlong program that offers training and guidance for long-term care professionals. Woman’s Hospital has again been recognized as a Best Place to Work in Healthcare by Modern Healthcare based on employee satisfaction survey data. This is the 14th year in a row Woman’s has made the list—the only health care organization to earn the distinction every year since the program’s inception. Woman’s is also the only hospital in the Baton Rouge area to receive this recognition.

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Champagne

Kaigler

Lagarde

Montalbano

Four Baton Rouge CPAs have been elected to the Society of Louisiana Certified Public Accountants’ board of directors: Kenneth Champagne, Bridget Kaigler, Brandon Lagarde and Jay Montalbano. Champagne is serving a new twoyear term as member at-large. A past president of LCPA’s Baton Rouge chapter, Champagne is a senior vice president, Premium Finance Business Unit with Confie. Kaigler is serving a oneyear term as member at-large. Kaigler is director of tax at Amedisys Inc. and vice-president for Habitat for Humanity of Greater Baton Rouge. Lagarde is serving a two-year term as member at-large. Lagarde is a director with Postlethwaite & Netterville, where he leads the firm’s Tax Services Group. Montalbano is the LCPA’s immediate-past chair. He is managing partner with Hannis T. Bourgeois. The Arts Council of Greater Baton Rouge has named four new members to its board of directors: Em Leblanc Cooper, Courtney Scott, Robert Stuart and Dai Nguyen. New board officers recently announced are Monique Scott-Spaulding, chair; Ralph Bender, vice-chair; Scott Chenevert, treasurer; Todd Sterling, secretary; Bryan Fontenot, immediate past-chair; and Mikki Mathews and Robyn Merrick, executive committee. Lori Garrison has been named to a four-year term on the LSU Foundation board of directors. The bulk of her career was spent leading development and support teams within MCI, CompuCom and Metasolv Solutions, which

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later became part of Oracle. For more than a decade, Garrison has served as a director for the W. A. Brookshire Foundation, assuming the role of president in 2017. Jim Harper of Cheneyville has been elected to a second term as president of the state’s largest general farm organiHarper zation, the Louisiana Farm Bureau Federation. Danielle Mack, vice president and chief development officer for Mary Bird Perkins Cancer Center, has been named to the Mack board of directors of The National Association of Cancer Center Development Officers. Mack has nearly 15 years of experience building and managing fund development, volunteer engagement and special event programs. A nearly 10-year member of Mary Bird Perkins’ development team, she has provided oversight and leadership in

advancing philanthropic support throughout southeast Louisiana and southwest Mississippi. Dr. Chad Prather has been elected to serve as a board member for LAMMICO. Prather is a dermatologist specializing Prather in Mohs surgery in Baton Rouge and Lafayette. He received his degree in medicine from the LSU School of Medicine. He completed advanced fellowship training in Mohs surgery in Birmingham, Alabama. Edwia Richardson, supervisor of accounting with the East Baton Rouge Parish School System, was installed as secretary of the Louisiana Association of School Business Officials. The Louisiana Association of School Business Officials is a nonprofit professional association of school administrators whose primary skills and services are in the business and operations functions of the schools. LASBO provides opportunities to share ideas, problems

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and solutions related to school business issues. Iberville Parish Sheriff Brett Stassi was sworn in as president of the Louisiana Sheriffs Association board of Stassi directors during the recent LSA convention. He is the 76th president of the LSA and began his third term in office last July. He has served on the LSA board for most of his nine years in office. PHILANTHROPY GRANTS Raising Cane’s, which got its start at the North Gates of LSU 25 years ago, is now partnering with the university to provide online educational opportunities for 35,000 crewmembers across the country and their immediate family members. Since 2011, Raising Cane’s has provided education benefits for its crew and now the partnership with LSU provides the opportunity to apply the benefit toward select LSU Online degrees or certificate

programs. Crewmembers can use their tuition reimbursement for up to $5,250 per year toward any degree including online bachelor’s degrees, master’s degrees, graduate and post-baccalaureate certificates and professional development certificate programs.

GET YOUR NEWS IN BUSINESS REPORT COMPANY NEWS Company News features announcements about developments at Capital Region companies: new locations, acquisitions, name or branding changes and so forth. We also spotlight professionals who receive business-related awards or honors, accreditations, certifications, appointments and memberships, as well as corporate grants and philanthropy. Accompanying photos should be high resolution: 300 dpi or higher. NEWS TIPS Business Report welcomes suggestions and ideas for news stories as well as recommendations for people of interest to feature. GET IN TOUCH Email us: editor@businessreport.com Call us: 225-928-1700 Fax us: 225-928-5019 Mail it to us: Executive Editor, Business Report, 9029 Jefferson Hwy., Ste. 300, Baton Rouge, LA 70809

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MOVING UP

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ELIZABETH ADLER Investar Bank

MELANIE ANDERSON LSU Law

MARK BIEGER LSU

CIARA MARTIN The Dunham School

HEATHER JOHNSON Mary Bird Perkins Cancer Center

ALLYN WHALEY-MARTIN Woman’s Hospital

MARY BETH MAGEE Woman’s Hospital

JOY LAFLEUR Woman’s Hospital

BANKING & FINANCE Elizabeth Adler has been hired by Investar Bank as its treasury management director/senior vice president. Adler joins Investar from Wells Fargo Bank, where she was a commercial relationship manager. Prior to that, she was executive director for treasury management at JP Morgan Chase Bank for 13 years. EDUCATION Melanie Anderson, who has served as assistant director of the LSU Law Office of Career Services since 2012, has been promoted to associate director. Anderson joined the LSU Law Office of Career Services staff in 2008 as interview coordinator, a position she held until her promotion to assistant director in 2012. In her new role, Anderson will take on additional responsibilities, including employer outreach and marketing as well as shared departmental supervision. Mark Bieger, formerly chief of staff to the president at the University of South Carolina, has been appointed vice president of strategy at LSU. In this capacity, Bieger will help improve organizational alignment of all LSU campuses throughout the state and help drive the implementation of top priorities. This new position serves as a strategic partner with the president and will work closely with senior leadership across the university. Ciara Martin has joined the development team of The Dunham School as director of annual giving. In this role, Martin will

oversee fundraising efforts for The Dunham Fund, previously known as the Annual Giving Campaign, which assists the school in fulfilling its mission to educate minds and hearts for Christ. Martin comes to Dunham from Woman’s Hospital, where she most recently served as a philanthropy officer. HEALTH CARE Heather Johnson has joined Mary Bird Perkins Cancer Center as director of early detection and education, serving as leader of the organization’s longstanding Prevention on the Go community program. Johnson will work with a team that provides free mobile prevention, education and early detection services to communities. Johnson was most recently employed by Cardiovascular Institute of the South where she was the medical practice administrator for clinics in New Iberia and Lafayette. Three managers at Woman’s Hospital were recently promoted to director positions. Allyn Whaley-Martin, who has served as risk manager since 2017, has been promoted to director of quality, risk and patient safety. With more than 25 years of health care experience, she specializes in quality and patient safety programs, risk management, regulatory readiness and emergency management. Mary Beth Magee has been the nurse manager of the surgical care unit, pre-surgery and same day surgery center since 2012 and is now moving into the role of

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MOVING UP

CRYSTAL CARTER Association Management Strategies

KENNETH ROMERO CSRS

assessment center director. Prior to working at Woman’s, she served as a nurse supervisor in the ER at Our Lady of the Lake Regional Medical Center. Joy Lafleur has been named director of medical staff services. She has spent her entire career at Woman’s and in medical staff services since 1991. She has served as manager of the department since 2007. HUMAN RESOURCES Crystal Carter of Association Management Strategies has been designated as the new executive director of Plumbing-HeatingCooling Contractors of Louisiana. The association board approved Carter’s promotion from client strategist at its recent board meeting. Over the past seven

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DAVID TIDWELL HOPE Ministries

years, Carter has been instrumental in the coordination of PHCCLA’s apprenticeship program and events around the state. PHCCLA is dedicated to the promotion, advancement, education and training of plumbing and contracting professionals. ENGINEERING & CONSTRUCTION Kenneth Romero has joined CSRS as vice president of environmental services. As a registered professional geologist with 35 years in environmental and disaster response industries, Romero has provided project, task and technical management services on various projects and has extensive knowledge of state and federal regulations.

CHRISTY DAVIDSON HOPE Ministries

CHERYL LOTT HOPE Ministries

NONPROFITS Shanna Duke has been named chief financial officer for the YMCA of the Capital Area. Duke was previously the director of business services for the Y and has more than 18 years of experience in finance. Three people were promoted to the executive team of HOPE Ministries of Baton Rouge. David Tidwell, former director of The Way to Work, has been promoted to chief operating officer. Tidwell’s extensive experience as a business owner and his background and talents in professional relationship development and strategic planning make him a perfect fit to lead under HOPE President and CEO Janet Simmons. Additionally, Christy Davidson is now the vice

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president of volunteer and food programs, and Cheryl Lott has been named vice president of advancement. PUBLIC SECTOR Travis McIlwain has been named chief administrative officer of the Louisiana State Employees’ Retirement System. His primary responsibilities include oversight of the system’s fiscal division, serving as chief risk officer and incident response manager, director of the research and analysis program, and director of strategic initiatives. In addition to many years in management, McIlwain brings more than 16 years of experience working with the Legislature and government personnel on fiscal issues.

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COMMUNITY REPORT 2020-2021

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A Message from the Board President IT IS WITH the utmost appreciation that I thank Mary Bird Perkins Cancer Center’s many supporters for 50 years of their time, talent and generosity, making this organization the epicenter for cancer care in the Gulf South. With leading-edge treatment and innovative technology, led by highly-trained radiation and medical oncologists, surgeons and other specialists, our team ensures each patient has access to expert, personalized cancer care. Through the depth and breadth of our clinical specialists, our extensive cancer prevention and early detection services, and our 100 percent focus on cancer care, we are improving outcomes for those impacted by the disease. While this past year

brought significant challenges, our patients, physicians and team members continued the fight against cancer despite COVID-19’s strong grip on the healthcare community. Mary Bird Perkins invites everyone to become engaged in our work as we serve thousands of patients each year as the primary cancer center for many Louisiana and Southwest Mississippi communities. I can assure you that our sights are always set on the future, and as always we will place patients in the center of all we do while propelling cancer care forward. Sincerely, ART FAVRE Chair, Board of Directors

A Collaborative Community Approach Local support, Mary Bird Perkins’ beginnings, valuable partnerships THOUSANDS OF people facing the fear of a cancer diagnosis have turned to Mary Bird Perkins Cancer Center for the last 50 years. Our commitment continues as we provide every patient and their families with hope, compassion and the highest quality care. We believe it’s something every person deserves. The community leadership that laid the groundwork for this philosophy began in 1971 and endures today with generous individuals, corporations, grantors and others ensuring people can remain close to home for care. The organization’s radiation facilities and comprehensive cancer centers throughout southeast Louisiana and southwest Mississippi are advancing the boundaries of cancer care, and expansion continues. We were excited to enhance services for patients and their families at Mary Bird Perkins Cancer 2 70

REACHING OUT Mary Bird Perkins currently provides services at the following locations: BATON ROUGE • Mary Bird Perkins – Our Lady of the Lake Cancer Center • The Breast & GYN Cancer Pavilion, a partnership between Woman’s Hospital and Mary Bird Perkins – Our Lady of the Lake Cancer Center • LSU Health Baton Rouge North Clinic COVINGTON • Offering comprehensive cancer services GONZALES, HAMMOND AND NATCHEZ • Mary Bird Perkins Cancer Center radiation facilities

Center in Covington this year and to advance our partnership with Northshore Oncology Associates, a beloved group of physicians that now offers medical oncology services in this location. Dedicated philanthropists in this community have also positioned us to expand our Prevention on the Go education, prevention and early detection services on the Northshore, providing resources to prevent and detect cancer in its earliest stages.

HOUMA • A comprehensive cancer care partnership between Mary Bird Perkins Cancer Center and Terrebonne General Health System Cancer Services, providing non-medical support services to those living with cancer, independently operated with key support from the Cancer Center

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We Don’t Just Treat Cancer…We Treat You Collaborative, integrated approach to care WHEN YOU OR someone you know is diagnosed with cancer, triumphing over the disease requires great strength from everyone involved. This is why Mary Bird Perkins continues to focus 100 percent on meeting the needs of every person affected by the disease, and it takes the contributions of many to make that happen. Our oncologists, who were trained at renowned cancer institutions, along with exemplary hospital partners, teams of physician specialists, breakthrough technology, advanced medicine and a collaborative approach to cancer care are combined to provide patients with the most individualized and powerful treatment plans to help conquer cancer.

EXAMPLES OF EXCELLENCE Because of Mary Bird Perkins’ leadership in cancer care and our stellar partners, there is an abundance of innovative services offered through our extensive network: • Prevention on the Go community and workplace programs • Advanced genetic testing and counseling • Specialized teams of physicians and other health professionals collaborating to treat different types of cancer and develop customized treatment plans • Specialized clinics and programs for lung cancer screenings, head and neck cancers, cardio-oncology, thoracic surgery, pancreatic cancer and mesothelioma • Advanced diagnostic and imaging services, tailored to cancer patients • Breakthrough clinical trials that complement treatment plans • Specially trained cancer nurses and social workers who navigate patients through the challenges of a cancer journey, a service made available thanks to the generosity of donors • Surgically superior, robotically advanced cancer treatment options through Our Lady of the Lake Robotic Surgery Institute

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S P O N S O RED C O N TEN T

Critical Elements of Cancer Care Key treatment modalities MARY BIRD PERKINS Cancer Center attracts physicians who have the opportunity to practice anywhere in the country, and they select our facilities to utilize their skills, talents and experience to advance cancer care throughout our network. In addition, our team members are equally as dedicated, putting patient care above all. It’s why more people are choosing Mary Bird Perkins for their oncology needs and why so many referring physicians place their trust in us in caring for their patients.

Proof of this dedication to clinical excellence is The Commission on Cancer (CoC), a quality program of the American College of Surgeons (ACS) granting three-year accreditation to Mary Bird Perkins – Our Lady of the Lake Cancer Center in 2021. To earn voluntary CoC accreditation, a cancer program must meet 34 CoC quality care standards, be evaluated every three years through a survey process and maintain levels of excellence in the delivery of comprehensive, patientcentered care.

New Artificial Intelligence Technology Lung Cancer Early Detection: Mary Bird Perkins – Our Lady of the Lake Cancer Center has implemented Eon, an artificial intelligence technology, that reviews all of the completed CT and MRI scans to identify potentially cancerous pulmonary nodules. This promotes the detection of cancer in its earliest stages when it is most treatable. 72

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PRIMARY CLINICAL SERVICES RADIATION ONCOLOGY – Radiation therapy is an x-ray treatment that damages or destroys cancer cells by using high-energy photon beams. As a result of an investment by Mary Bird Perkins, a transformational gift from the Favre Family and support from the community, the Cancer Center is one of the first in the country to launch an MRI-guided Adaptive Radiation Therapy program, a process through which radiation oncologists can identify anatomical changes and adapt the patient’s treatment on a daily basis. This technology can produce a substantial improvement in radiation dose distribution and fewer side effects. Mary Bird Perkins is one of only five programs in the country to offer this advanced treatment. MEDICAL ONCOLOGY – Medical oncologists specialize in diagnosing and treating cancer using chemotherapy, hormonal, biological and immunotherapy and targeted therapies. Innovative practices, such as gene sequencing provide the best medical treatments to eliminate cancer and reduce side effects for a truly unique approach. These physicians provide supportive care and may coordinate treatment prescribed by other providers.

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A Legacy of Innovation Breakthrough technology, academic and clinical programs with LSU THE MARY BIRD PERKINS – Louisiana State University Department of Physics and Astronomy Medical Physics partnership continues to provide for a multi-layered joint academic and research program between the two organizations. Created in 2004, the partnership leverages the educational and research resources of Mary Bird Perkins and LSU to benefit patients receiving cancer care around the world. The joint program has received a $7.8 million gift from the late Charles M. Smith, M.D. that will enhance this renowned partnership and impact the medical physics program for years to come. In other areas of innovation, the Cancer Center is also using decision-making tools that aid physicians in enhancing diagnostics, treatment outcomes and survival rates. Through a partnership with Vysioneer, the Cancer Center is utilizing artificial intelligence in conjunction with data from Gamma Knife Icon treatments to provide the safest, most precise radiation treatments possible.

FROM MARY BIRD PERKINS CANCER CENTER TO SPACEX SPACEX WAS THE first private company to send astronauts into orbit last year. Studying the impact of radiation on these space travelers and their equipment, several students enrolled in the Mary Bird Perkins–LSU medical physics program saw a connection between radiation exposure in astronauts traveling beyond the Earth’s protective magnetic field and cancer patients. One of the graduate students in the SpaRTAN Physics Lab investigating this connection is Nousha Afshari. “I was constantly seeing nearly identical patients who had the same background, lifestyle, cancer in the same location and the same type of radiation treatment,” Afshari said. “But one would have serious, chronic side effects while the other would be fine. That bothered me. Let’s give patients better statistics on how radiation is going to affect them. This kind of data isn’t available yet. That’s the driving force behind the research I want to do. I came into this program with the goal of helping as many people as possible.” Afshari’s Ph.D. work will build upon some of the findings and outcomes of fellow students’ projects to produce new ways to predict and understand radiation exposure. This will have implications for both clinical radiotherapy and space exploration.

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Making Strides in Clinical Research Trials, studies, and The NeuroMedical Center partnership CLINICAL TRIALS HELP test new ways to prevent, detect, diagnose and treat diseases and every Cancer Center patient is evaluated for a study that may benefit them. For many years, Mary Bird Perkins has worked to enhance clinical research that can result in improved patient outcomes and survival rates. Thanks to a $13.6 million National Cancer Institute Community Oncology Research Program (NCORP) grant, the Cancer Center, along with LSU Health Sciences Center New Orleans and other partners, are bringing more cancer clinical trials to our communities with a special emphasis on underserved cancer patients. Brain Cancer Clinical Trials The Cancer Center offers a vast array of clinical trials for patients, including new brain cancer studies, in partnership with The NeuroMedical Center. The first clinical trial, sponsored by Novocure called TRIDENT, for newly diagnosed glioblastoma (GBM) patients, launched this year and offers new hope to those impacted by this disease. disease. COVID-19 Study The Cancer Center enrolled the first two patients in the country for the National Cancer Institute COVID-19 in Cancer Patients Study (NCCAPS). This is a program where researchers are exploring how COVID-19 affects patients’ cancer treatments and outcomes as well as identifying any genetic risk factors and markers in individuals with severe cases of the virus. 6 74

CURBSIDE CANCER PREVENTION, EDUCATION AND EARLY DETECTION Evolution of a mission critical program and where we stand today Teams at Mary Bird Perkins Cancer Center continue to address the existing, very present issues of health inequity, diversity and inclusion. With minorities disproportionately impacted by cancer with higherthan-average mortality rates across most cancers, the organization continues its increasing prevention, education and early detection efforts for everyone. Part of this growth is expansion of its Prevention on the Go early detection services to additional communities and workplaces. This commitment to increase early detection and participation continues to be a focal point, bringing these services to as many people as possible. This included restarting and reconfiguring Prevention on the Go after a short pause immediately following the start of the pandemic. As soon as the team implemented processes to keep screening participants and staff safe, while providing services on its mobile medical unit, the program was up and running, even successfully bringing back its signature Fest for Life screening event in a COVID-19 safe environment.

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Propelling Cancer Care Forward BY THE NUMBERS

$433,000

320

167,727

51%

Amount raised for local cancer care by Mary Bird Perkins signature galas in Baton Rouge and Houma, which were partially virtual.

Number of Gamma Knife Icon treatments provided by Mary Bird Perkins - Our Lady of the Lake Cancer Center, one of just a few locations in the U.S. where patients can receive this noninvasive, high-tech treatment.

Number of patient services (including radiation and infusion services, surgeries, and patient navigation) provided by the Breast & GYN Cancer Pavilion, which celebrated its 3rd anniversary.

Ratio of Prevention on the Go Workplace participants who had never been screened for skin cancer.

3,015

214

$665,000

Patients served throughout southeast Louisiana and southwest Mississippi.

The number of clinical trials offered by the Cancer Center at any given time.

Patients who participated in clinical trials.

Gift amount made by the Ben Blanchard Memorial Foundation to Mary Bird Perkins Cancer Foundation, providing support for early detection, prevention and patient assistance on the Northshore for years to come.

100K

$7.8 Million Gift Mary Bird Perkins Cancer Foundation received the largest bequest to date through a shared gift with LSU from Dr. Charles M. Smith. The funds will be dedicated to enhancing the joint Mary Bird Perkins/LSU medical physics program.

CANCER SCREENINGS In its 50th year, Mary Bird Perkins hit another major milestone with the 100,000th screening, and 766 cancers detected. Hundreds of people have been diagnosed, navigated and are now survivors through the Prevention on the Go program, which recently expanded to Louisiana’s Delta Region, thanks to a grant from the Blue Cross Foundation. Prevention on the Go is made possible by many generous donors and we thank them for helping us earn this significant achievement and for continuing to support this much-needed community resource.

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Mary Bird Perkins Milestones 1971

Mary Bird Perkins Radiation Treatment Center opens on the Woman’s Hospital campus

1985

Mary Bird Perkins moves to Essen Lane on the Our Lady of the Lake campus

1988

Hammond Center opens

1998

Covington Center opens

2001

Mary Bird Perkins implements intensity-modulated radiation therapy treatment technology

2002

Mary Bird Perkins establishes its Prevention on the Go early detection program

2004

The Mary Bird Perkins – LSU Department of Physics and Astronomy Medical Physics Partnership was created to provide for a multi-layered joint academic and research program

2008

Houma Center opens

2009

Gonzales Center opens

2015

National Cancer Institute selects LSU-New Orleans, Mary Bird Perkins and others for research collaborative

2015

Mary Bird Perkins – Our Lady of the Lake Cancer Center completes more than $24 million renovation and expansion project

2016

Mary Bird Perkins – Our Lady of the Lake Cancer Center brings the first Gamma Knife Icon to Gulf South

2018

Cancer Services becomes part of the Mary Bird Perkins network

2018

Mary Bird Perkins – Our Lady of the Lake Cancer Center and Woman’s Hospital open the Breast & GYN Cancer Pavilion

2019

Natchez, MS Center opens

2019

National Cancer Institute renews grant funding for LSU-New Orleans, Mary Bird Perkins and others for research collaborative

YOU ARE THE KEY TO HELPING MORE PEOPLE TRIUMPH OVER CANCER VOLUNTEER – Join us as a volunteer and assist with guest services, clerical support or providing a caring and compassionate “personal touch” for our patients. DONATE – Each donation to Mary Bird Perkins impacts thousands of people through programs and services that help to improve survivorship and lessen the burden of cancer. Through the collective impact of gifts and investment support, you can help make a difference. A gift in honor of someone is a wonderful way to pay tribute and support the fight against cancer. WORKPLACE GIVING – Workplace giving helps to engage your employees, benefit your community and enhance motivation. Employees can enroll in payroll deduction or make a one-time gift by joining our mission as we work together to surround our community with the most advanced cancer care and support services available in the Gulf South. FUNDRAISE – Get creative and organize your own fundraiser. Whether it’s a birthday, holiday, school event, neighborhood project, sporting event (or just because!), you can use any occasion to support patients at Mary Bird Perkins Cancer Center. For more information, on any of these programs, visit marybird.org/giving.

2020

Mary Bird Perkins and Blue Cross Foundation expand Prevention on the Go to the Delta Region

2021

Mary Bird Perkins and The NeuroMedical Center establish clinical research agreement 76

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THE YEAR: 1988 The state’s seafood industry—a backbone of Louisiana culture—has undergone a fierce makeover since the ‘80s. In this 1988 cover package, Business Report takes a look at the state of the seafood industry and explores whether it could replace the oil-and-gas sector as the state’s main economic engine. At the time, the state’s seafood industry’s economic impact was estimated at $300 million a year, according to the article. Researchers and entrepreneurs at the time were exploring ways to support and expand the industry, including looking into potential uses for discarded seafood shells and the culinary possibilities of soft-shell crawfish. Now estimated to be worth $2.4 billion a year, the seafood industry has become an important pillar of the state’s tourism efforts.

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“MANY LOUISIANANS THINK of the state’s seafood industry as the guy on the corner who sells shrimp out of the back of his pickup truck. Or maybe they think it’s the neighborhood dish market where they buy a sack of crawfish to boil on a Sunday afternoon. … One of the unexpected darlings of the national market is the soft-shell crawfish—a delicacy produced only in Louisiana. Soft crawfish have moved into the best restaurants in the country—restaurants that have nothing to do with the ‘Cajun’ craze. Local soft crawfish buyer Frank Eakin said, ‘We try to stay clear of the Cajun theme in our marketing because if and when the Cajun fad dies, we want to still be there.’”

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PRESIDENT, THE POWELL GROUP

“It was really scary the first time I stood up in front of an audience to sing. I was scared, but no one laughed. No one laughed and it gave me selfconfidence to try it again. Eventually, people began to approach me after and would say I did a good job. It’s the unsolicited comments that are the most meaningful ones.”

PHOTOGRAPHY BY COLLIN RICHIE

BUSINESS REPORT, September 2021 | BusinessReport.com

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