SB GOOD TO KNOW
BY SEVA MAY
WILLIS-KNIGHTON MEDICAL CENTER EARNS HIGHEST FEDERAL CMS STAR QUALITY RATING OF SHREVEPORT-BOSSIER CITY HOSPITALS Willis-Knighton has been recognized as the highest rated Shreveport-Bossier City hospital and the only one to receive four out of five stars in the latest round of overall hospital quality star ratings released by the Federal Government’s Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS). AMAZON TO OPEN FULFILLMENT CENTER IN SHREVEPORT Amazon is building a $200 million major robotics fulfillment center in Shreveport, bringing with it 1,000 direct jobs, an estimated 1,118 indirect jobs and about 800 construction jobs. Completion is expected in 2022. “This new Amazon project is a major advancement for the Shreveport-Bossier City metro area and for Louisiana’s economy,” Governor John Bel Edwards said. “In addition to providing strong benefits, Amazon will pay workers double the minimum wage or more in a state-of-the-art technology environment.” STEWARD PARTNERS GLOBAL ADVISORY WELCOMES POLJAK GROUP WEALTH MANAGEMENT AS FIRST LOUISIANA TEAM Steward Partners Global Advisory, LLC, an employee-owned, full-service independent partnership associated with Raymond James Financial Services, Inc. (member FINRA/SIPC), is continuing its nationwide expansion with the addition of Poljak Group Wealth Management in Shreveport, Louisiana. The eight-person team led by brothers Denis and Davor Poljak manages over $500 million in client assets and was previously associated with Morgan Stanley. In May 2021, Denis and Davor Poljak were named to Forbes Magazine’s 2021 Best-in-State Wealth Advisors. “Denis and Davor represent a true American success story, and we’re proud that they have chosen Steward Partners to help grow their business and write their next chapter,” said Chris Barton, Divisional President, Steward Partners Global Advisory. “Their team is a living testament to how hard work, advanced education and genuine concern for clients can be a formula for a successful advisory practice. Becoming owners of their business is the next step toward their goal of providing a superior experience for clients.” BOSSIER CITY BOWLING ALLEY GRANTED LOUISIANA HISTORICAL MARKER Don S. Coleman, young, successful and innovative build-
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er in Bossier City, decided to build a bowling alley after enjoying the sport one evening in 1959. The only bowling center in Bossier City and the oldest operating bowling center in Louisiana, Holiday Lanes, was born that day. The iconic building with a free-span wavy concrete roof was opened to the public in August 1960 with 32 bowling lanes and a full-service café. Well-known restauranteur (and later Bossier City mayor), George Dement, operated the restaurant through the 60’s. Holiday Lanes is still owned and operated by the Coleman Family. Mr. Coleman advised his family to never sell it, but to keep it in the family as a place for all ages to come together for fun. The ribbon cutting ceremony for the new Louisiana historical marker was May 18. NASA EXHIBIT LANDING AT SCI-PORT Sci-Port was selected to receive the Chandra X-Ray Observatory from NASA which will be on display until Fall 2021. This flagship-class space telescope was launched aboard NASA’s Space Shuttle Columbia on July 23, 1999. Chandra is one of the Great Observatories, which includes the Hubble Space Telescope, Compton Gamma Ray Observatory (1991-2000), and the Spitzer Space Telescope (2003-2020) and is named after the Nobel Prize-winning Indian-American astrophysicist Subrahmanyan Chandrasekhar. NEW GAME-PORT EXHIBIT AT SCI-PORT The classic early 1970’s Pong game has been reimagined into a game called “Port Pong” that will feature an overhead playing “table” where participants will stand in a portal and use their hands as the pong paddles to volley the electric pong “ball” back and forth to each other. Game-Port features a few digital game-inspired PuttPutt golf greens, a Sci-Port Amusement Gallery featuring some classic pinball games and early video games, a Mousetrap-inspired pneumatic chair lift, a giant Simon Says, an Angry Birds-influenced game, and a special area called “Game Guts” that will feature the inner workings of classic game systems over the last thirty years. This exhibit, providing an interactive gaming playground for people of all ages, has been developed and designed by local “imagineers” Ryan McCutcheon, Bonné Summers, and Luke Lee. Game-Port will also have other game-related programming over the course of the summer: The summer gaming program will happen through a partnership between Sci-Port and Shreve Memorial Library. The Shreve Memorial Library’s Maker Van will be engaging youth in coding at multiple sites throughout Caddo Parish. Sci-Port will have summer STEM camps
