TOURISM
BIZ.
Nungesser, Brown discuss tourism outlook
While improving, the effects of COVID-19 pandemic are still prevalent in local, state tourism industry, and efforts moving forward.
BUSINESS JOURNAL FOR NWLA
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SHREVEPORT AIR TRAVEL
SLOWLY
TAKING OFF
Shreveport Regional Airport Sees Uptick in Travel | P. 5
Airport Authority breaks down the numbers during monthly meeting.
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OPINION DAVID SPECHT q
DAVID SPECHT DSPECHT@BIZMAGSB.COM
BIZ. TEAM Editor & Publisher David Specht
dspecht@bizmagsb.com Chief Financial Officer Kelly May
Account Representatives Randy Brown Chris Sepeda Production Louis Mitchell Special Contributors Dr. Les Guice,
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Green’s security camera ordinance is the wrong idea at the wrong time The problem with legislation is that the intent of a law is often at odds with the execution of said law. Such is the case with a proposed ordinance from Shreveport City Councilman James Green. According to SPECHT an article in the Shreveport Times, Green has proposed an ordinance requiring businesses to install and maintain digital security cameras. According to the article, Green’s proposed ordinance would require, “digital camera systems for all businesses in the city which sell goods or merchandise and to require the recorded information be available for a minimum of 30 days.” The intent of Green’s proposal may be rooted in safety and better accountability for police and the general public. However, we also know “certain roads” are paved with good intentions.
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The article goes on to read that if passed, beginning on Aug. 1, all businesses which sell goods or merchandise located within the city, would be required to have a digital camera system capable of transferring video to a “widely used, portable form of media. Other requirements of this proposal include: Cameras would need to be posi-
Cameras would need to be operating and recording any time the establishment is open for business and for one hour after closing and shall record video indexed by date and time at a resolution of at least 1080p high definition. All recorded video shall be maintained for at least 30 days and shall be made readily available to law enforcement upon request. Many businesses already have security camera systems Many businesses already in place, and that is a good have security camera thing. However, to place the systems in place, and that burden of purchasing, installing and maintaining such sysis a good thing. However, tems on businesses already to place the burden of struggling in the wake of the purchasing, installing and COVID-19 pandemic is just a maintaining such systems bad idea. Many in government want on businesses already to take swift action to move struggling in the wake of communities forward in a the COVID-19 pandemic is safe direction. However, we cannot act so swiftly that we just a bad idea. don’t count the costs and burdens of executing our good tioned to record all entrances and intentions. More thought needs to exits, all stairways and elevators, all go into this before a final vote is points of sale, all parking lots, and taken. all fueling areas, including the faces of persons located in each of those DAVID SPECHT IS EDITOR AND PUBLISHER OF BIZ. MAGAZINE areas.
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Best Places to Work Coming Next Month
After COVID-19-related delays during the nomination and selection process, BIZ. Magazine’s Best Places To Work is scheduled to publish in the August 2020 edition. We want to recognize the businesses that do it right and do right by their people. We celebrate companies in our community that have achieved success through strong leadership who empowers, rewards, and supports their employees.
Related Links Bossier Progress: bossierprogress.com Bossier Press-Tribune: bossierpress.com
Copyright © 2020 by Specht Newspapers Inc. All rights reserved. Information in this publication is gathered from sources considered to be reliable, but the accuracy and completeness of the information cannot be guaranteed. BIZ. Magazine is located at 6346 Venecia Dr., Bossier City, LA 71111.
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NEWS
Barksdale Air Force Base gate project in line for $48 Million STACEY TINSLEY BIZ. Magazine
Congressman Ralph Abraham announced Monday that the fiscal year 2021 National Defense Authorization Act will include $48 million for a new entrance and gate complex at Barksdale Air Force Base. Abraham says that the project will allow access to BAFB from the I-220 interchange and pave the way for the construction of a $290 million weapons generation facility. “Barksdale Air Force Base is a critical base of operations for the U.S. Air Force Global Strike Command, and also supports vital jobs and businesses in north Louisiana. This project will consolidate more of the Global Strike Command’s assets at Barksdale and ensure north Louisiana remains its home for years to come, ” Abraham’s post read. Shortly after the announcement by Abraham, U.S. Representative Mike Johnson (LA-04), took to Facebook to announce the great
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Photo Courtesy Louisiana Department of Transportantion and Development The I-20/I-220 interchange project is well under way east on Bossier City. The project helped pave the way for $48 million from the Department of Defense of a new gate at Barksdale Air Force Base.
news coming to Northwest Louisiana and Barksdale Air Force Base. “This is great news for Barksdale Air Force Base and the countless advocates across our community
who have been working tirelessly to bring a weapons generation facility to the base. There are still a few legislative hurdles to clear before all is said and done, but it’s a huge
victory to finally get it included in the underlying NDAA. My good friend Congressman Ralph Abraham and I will continue to fight to get this across the finish line in the coming weeks. Stay tuned for more updates!,” said Johnson in a Facebook post. Alongside Johnson, District 9 State Representative Dodie Horton took to Facebook expressing her elated enthusiasm about the funding and growth that the project will bring to the community. “This is why the Barksdale interchange was such a big deal!!! The expansion of Barksdale ensures that the base continues to be a source of economic growth for our region,” said Horton in a Facebook post. The NDAA is Congress’ annual defense authorization bill that sets the priorities for funding the Department of Defense throughout the following year. The $48 million is in addition to $12.25 million the project received in 2018.
FEATURE
Opening Up
Shreveport Regional Airport sees uptick in travel
T
hings are slowly improving for air service in Shreveport, according to numbers shared during the June 18 Shreveport Airport Authority Board meeting. Fears over and shutdowns caused by COVID-19 have caused a massive decline in traffic at Shreveport’s airports. However, things seem to be on the uptick. Numbers for 2021 are estimated to total 60% of 2019’s revenue, based on current capacity numbers. Shreveport Airport Director Wade Davis noted that while there are flight reductions by all carriers, Shreveport Regional Airport (SHV) crossed the 500 passengers per day mark in early June. That’s a big increase over April’s capacity numbers of 122, but off the pre-COVID average capacity of 1,000. SHV is only seeing 230 parked cars in May, which is up from 92 parked cars per day in April but still well off the normal 750 cars per day. “That’s a pretty healthy increase from post-COVID, but it’s a long way from where we were,” Davis added.
Courtesy Photo Shreveport Regional Airport Terminal.
Problems remain with hangar association The portion of the meeting for comments from the public featured a letter from Jim Graves, president Shreveport Airport Owner Hangars Association, who had several objections. Specifically, Board President Jonathan Reynold’s involvement in the meeting and his position as chair is unlawful as Reynolds has not resolved issues related to a court case of improprieties from his appointment. Furthermore, the letter says that Reynolds’ presence in the meeting is an act of “stunning hypocrisy” and if found guilty, the meeting would have been unlawful. The letter also took exception to the Airport Authority’s item to remit nearly $11,400 due to parties doing business with the Downtown and Regional Airports and write off more than $204,000 of debts because the board’s lack of making these items readable by the public in a timely manner, if not altogether. Lastly, the letter proposed the new marketing and gift policy is an “abomination” and formalizes wasteful diversion of budget to let Shreveport Airport Authority members attend parties at the public’s expense and says the authority board has squandered “$120,000 in this fashion.” These comments were publicly echoed and supported by two other hangar owners. The authority’s legal counsel on the call gave the opinion that the public was effectively notified of the agenda items to be voted on. Reynolds added that specifics relating to the write off agenda item have been released in previous meetings. May’s total enplanements dropped 85%. 2020 numbers totaled 9,525 compared to 62,707 in May last year. Delta saw the biggest drop among individual air carriers, at 92%.
However, total air carrier enplanements year to date are only down 45%, thanks to heavy traffic in January and February. Allegiant and Spirit Airlines are running the most of their previous
schedule, followed then by American Airlines, Delta, and United on the very low end of the scale. In July, American Airlines will increase its Charlotte, NC air service to twice per day. DFW is running four to five times per day, United is flying twice per day to Houston, but the Denver, Co. route is suspended. Delta is now flying two times per day to Atlanta, but their previous frequency was five times per day pre-COVID. Allegiant is twice per week as opposed to three times pre-COVID. Other optimistic data included TSA has shown at 20% of same day travel versus 2019. Looking at the U.S. as a whole, Davis said air travel is starting to come back in the South and West, while the Northern states are still very slow to increase. “It’s coming back,” Davis encouraged. “The real answer is coming between July 1 and 15 when the schedule is posted post-Cares Act period.” During the meeting, the Board also agreed to accept the FAA’s $5.6M Cares Act grant for the Regional Airport and $69,000 grant for the Downtown Airport. Davis also reiterated the operaSee, AIRPORT, Page 6
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Economic agencies BOSSIER CHAMBER OF COMMERCE q
New patriots emerge during pandemic No part of this community, state, country or world was left untouched by the COVID-19 pandemic, both JOHNSON in the realm of our daily lives and in our jobs and businesses. But as we dealt with this unprecedented time, leaders and heroes emerged who helped us all get through this trying time, in both small and big ways. Think of someone you know or encountered who made this time easier – a healthcare worker, a family member, a mask-maker, a 911 operator, a grocery store worker, a delivery driver. The people who worked for the greater good of our community are endless. This year, the Bossier Chamber of Commerce wants to recognize those who went above and beyond to help others – our
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BIZ. BITS q Eldorado Resorts announces FTC clearance for pending merger with Caesars Eldorado Resorts, Inc. (NASDAQ: ERI) (“Eldorado,” “Eldorado Resorts” or the “Company”) announced today that the Federal Trade Commission (the “FTC”) has accepted a proposed consent order, which concludes the FTC’s Hart-Scott-Rodino review of Eldorado’s pending merger (the “Merger”) with Caesars Entertainment Corporation (NASDAQ: CZR) (“Caesars”). The FTC’s acceptance of the consent order satisfies all required antitrust clearances for the Merger. The consummation of the Merger remains subject to the satisfaction of other closing conditions, including receipt of all consents and approvals from the Nevada Gaming Control Board, Nevada Gaming Commission, New Jersey Casino Control Commission, Indiana Gaming Commission and Indiana Horse Racing Commission.
“We are delighted to announce the FTC’s approval of our planned Merger with Caesars, which is expected to create the largest owner and operator of U.S. gaming assets. We look forward to completing the Merger, subject to receipt of the remaining consents and approvals from regulators in Nevada, New Jersey and Indiana,” said Tom Reeg, Chief Executive Officer of Eldorado Resorts.
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Patriots of the Pandemic. As we began to think about our annual Patriot Awards celebration, which typically honors our local first-responders, we realized that 2020 has brought a new meaning to that term first-responder or front-
lifted you up, treated you or a family member at the hospital, offered you help with your errands or groceries. Let’s celebrate them and their helping heart. The only way we can adequately say thank you to so many of these patriots who have been helping, and This year, the continue to help, during Bossier Chamber of this pandemic, is for you to SHARE these STORIES with Commerce wants us! to recognize those Simply go to bosswho went above and ierchamber.com/pandemfill out the nombeyond to help others icpatriots, ination form for someone – our Patriots of the who you noticed going above and beyond during Pandemic. the pandemic and submit it! line worker, essential worker, or We will honor the top nomiperhaps, just a helper. nees at an event on September We want to celebrate these 10, 2020 and will name our people who have gone above Patriots of the Pandemic. Don’t and beyond in our community. be shy – nominate someone you They are truly patriots – those know today! who helped defend our country against a virus that affected so LISA JOHNSON | PRESIDENT & many. CEO OF THE BOSSIER CHAMBER OF COMMERCE. Think about the people who
Airport: Concourse consolidation put on hold Continued from Page 5
tional changes made at the airports: • Permanent closure of security gate at Gate 2 • Overtime is reduced • Security and operations personnel on 12 hours shifts • Hiring freeze on 34 of 36 positions • Capital project reductions to preserve $1.3 million Davis added that the plan proposed in May to consolidate Concourse B into Concourse C and mothballing Concourse C entirely until things improve has been put on hold for the foreseeable future. That move would affect American Airlines and United, which means it requires both of their approval, and Davis said American is optimistic about the future. He
Shreveport Airport Marketing Director Mark Crawford details passenger numbers during the June digital Shreveport Airport Authority board meeting.
also decided not to move forward after individual discussions with the board. “Bottom line: Things are not back to where they were,” said Davis.
“We continue to position ourselves as best we can for the upcoming recovery.” —BIZ MAGAZINE
LEADERSHIP DAVE RAMSEY q
Businesses (and leaders) grow in stages A lot goes into running your own business. The seemingly endless hustle can leave business owners burned out, discouraged, and RAMSEY disconnected from the dream that got them started in the first place. It can be overwhelming. But you can build a successful business that lasts, makes a difference, and have a blast doing it. Start with the person in your mirror. You have the responsibility as a leader to grow and change things. But to do this, you also need to understand businesses and leaders grow in stages. To build a business that thrives and leaves a legacy, every business owner must push through five critical stages: Treadmill operator Unless they bought or inherit-
ed a company, most leaders start in the treadmill operator stage. They are huffing and puffing day after day, just trying to keep their business open one stride at a time. They’re the CEO—Chief Everything Officer. From social media marketing to installing kitchen sinks, they do whatever it takes to get the job done. But this isn’t a stage you want to camp out in forever. It will wear you out, and eventually take you down. If you want to lead a business that thrives, you have to stop letting your business run you, and start running your business with goals in mind. Pathfinder The key to moving to this stage is to creating time to be more strategic, and work on your business— not just in it. In this stage, the leader stops spending 100% of his or her time focusing on tasks, and they start making space to focus on themselves as a leader and on their
strategy for their business. Trailblazer Here, the fundamentals of a high-powered and healthy organization—core values, long-term goals, and a meaningful mission— are in place, and you’re getting consistent results. Still, you need a strong team and a winning strategy to rise to the top. Get your team to own their roles with excellence, and you’ll see substantial growth. Peak performer Now, the owner isn’t the only one moving this thing forward. The entire company is thinking about serving people, growing profits, and taking performance to the next level. As the business continues to grow, the owner empowers leaders to carry out the vision, strategies, and mission of the business. But no matter how successful you are, you still have to keep fighting for your business. Legacy builder At this point, a business owner
is preparing for transition and a succession plan that will keep the company in good hands when they step down. Your greatest challenge is to ready the team, and equip them to carry on the work you started. In business, the road to success is paved with lots of planning and hard work. And it’s a gradual process. There’s no such thing as an overnight success! LEADERSHIP AND SMALL
BUSINESS EXPERT DAVE RAMSEY IS CEO OF RAMSEY SOLUTIONS.
HE HAS AUTHORED NUMEROUS BEST-SELLING BOOKS,
INCLUDING ENTRELEADERSHIP. THE DAVE RAMSEY SHOW IS
HEARD BY 16 MILLION LISTENERS
EACH WEEK ON MORE THAN 600 RADIO STATIONS AND MULTIPLE DIGITAL PLATFORMS.
We see extraordinary courage. We see a culture of resilience. We’ll make it through the tough times, we always do. And Blue Cross will always be here to support you. 01MK7309 04/20
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WORKFORCE DEVELOPMENT NLEP q
Industry Based Credentials: What Are They and Why Should You Care? As defined on the Louisiana Workforce Commission’s (LWC) website, an Industry-Based Credential or Certification (IBC) is an independent third WHITE party credential that is industry-accepted and results from a process whereby an individual’s knowledge and/or skill in a particular area is verified against a set of pre-determined standards. It has been suggested that IBCs are an individual’s passport into the new economy. Employers, as members of a particular industry, participate in setting the standards and creating criteria for certificate attainment. Many national industry associations have developed IBCs that are for skills commonly needed by companies in their industries. One example is the American Welding Society’s Structural Welding certificate (Basic or Ad-
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vanced). Companies hiring weldity, not to mention the negative ers often list this as a preference morale impact on work teams or requirement for qualification. that are disrupted as new team Another example is CompTIA, a members cycle through unsucglobal tech association that has cessfully and must be replaced. developed a long list of IT certiSecond, and most relevant to fications widely valued by comthe present moment in workforce panies develIt has been suggested that hiring IT opworkers. ment, IBCs are an individual’s It state passport into the new is not and economy. Employers, as universal federal that emfunding members of a particular ployers dediindustry, participate in use IBCs cated to setting the standards and in their training hiring creating criteria for certificate unemprocess ployed attainment. for jobs and requirundering specific skills, and this can employed residents will be laser put them at a disadvantage for focused on identifying high two reasons. First, not seeking demand occupations with an an IBC to verify a candidate’s skill identifiable IBC or set of IBCs level could mean money spent tied to them. Why? So that Louon on-boarding and training that isiana high school career and is wasted because the individual technical education (CTE) prois not qualified for the job. These grams and community/technical wasted dollars quickly add up colleges can focus their resources and become a drag on profitabilon developing training programs
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around the industry-approved skills the IBCs verify. If employers in Louisiana who are struggling to find skilled workers are not communicating to the workforce development professionals or community/technical colleges in their area the IBCs they value, they are missing an extraordinary opportunity to guide the development of their future workforce. The North Louisiana Economic Partnership (NLEP) sits on the Education and Workforce Task Force of the Governor’s Resilient Louisiana Commission. Its role is to harness the power of the education and workforce development systems to maximize the success of the phased reopening from the COVID-19 imposed shutdown, reemploy our people, and build long-term resilience. There has been much discussion in our weekly meetings about verifying the current and future skill needs of Louisiana employers so that we can get unemployed residents into relevant training of a short-term nature See, IBC, Page 12
CAREER & TECHNICAL CERTIFICATES in as few as 4 classes BOSSIER PARISH COMMUNITY COLLEGE
BPCC.edu
Bossier Parish Community College is accredited by the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Colleges to award associate degrees, diplomas, and certificates. Contact the Commission on Colleges at 1866 Southern Lane, Decatur, Georgia 30033-4097 or call 404-679-4500 for questions about the accreditation of Bossier Parish Community College. • Bossier Parish Community College does not discriminate on the basis of race, color, national origin, gender, age, religion, qualified disability, marital status, veteran’s status, or sexual orientation in admission to its programs, services, or activities, in access to them, in treatment of individuals, or in any aspect of its operations. Bossier Parish Community College does not discriminate in its hiring or employment practices. • Coordinator for Section 504 and ADA: Angie Cao, Student and Disability Services Specialist - Disability Services, 6220 East Texas Street, Bossier City, LA 71111 - (318) 678-6511 - acao@bpcc.edu - 8:00 a.m.–4:30 p.m. M-F, excluding holidays and weekends. • Equity/Compliance Coordinator: Teri Bashara, Director of Human Resources - Human Resources Office, 6220 East Texas Street, Bossier City, LA 71111 - (318) 678-6056 - 8:00 a.m.–4:30 p.m. M-F, excluding holidays and weekends.
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NEWS TOURISM q
Nungesser: Tourism outlook is grim but not dire
L
ouisiana Lt. Governor Billy Nungesser painted a positive, but stark picture for tourism in Louisiana late last month. Nungesser addressed constituents and tourism partners across the state June 24 via “Louisiana Travel Talks,” a bi-monthly Facebook Live event. He began the broadcast by telling residents to be vigilant in social distancing measures. “We want to lead the nation in social distancing so we can move to Phase 3 and open up our doors and start hosting large events concerts, fairs, and festivals - and get those tourists coming back to Louisiana,” Nungesser said. Gov. Edwards revealed June 22 that the state would not progress to Phase 3 for another month after a recent increase of cases that cannot be explained by an increase in the number of tests. The number of COVID-19 patients in hospitals also has been rising, and the state reported its largest increase of hospitalizations since April. Under phase two, businesses in Louisiana have been limited to 50% of their normal capacity, while bars that don’t serve food are supposed to restrict themselves to 25 percent of capacity. “A lot of restaurants had someone test positive and if those employees mingled, (those restaurants) have to close down and have their employees wait it out. It’s
unfortunate for those restaurants just getting back up and open,” Nungesser said. He added that many restaurants are not going to open up at all until the state allows larger capacity. “Many restaurants can’t make it at 50% capacity. We’re hoping we can move to Phase 3 quickly and get those restaurants back up and running at a percentage that makes sense for them,” Nungesser said. He also told businesses that the state has a new grant program funded via $300M moved by the state legislature to the NUNGESSER state’s treasury office. “Hopefully that will be established and pushed out to those businesses because it’s greatly needed,” said Nungesser. “There will be an application for the $300M the legislature just moved over to the treasury. I’m hoping that money will flow quickly without a lot of strings attached.” Nungesser also pointed out the Louisiana Main Street Recovery Program offers a grant up to $15,000 for businesses with less than 50 employees. For more info, business owners can call 225-3420012. Nungesser added that a staycation in Louisiana helps small town mainstreets and encourages sharing of that staycation on social media.
“All of our mainstreams have some incredible shops and things to see. When you go there and share that with friends and family, that helps drive that staycation. We can never promote all those spots, but that gives us a great opportunity to share those with the world.” Nungesser also revealed his office is still working on getting sports events. He gave the example that his office is finding fits for Olympic Trial events, such as the Women’s Volleyball Olympic trials that were held at the CenturyLink Center in Bossier City. “We’re taking those facilities and what events can plug in where. Many (groups) have a certain budget for costs and they may not fit in a bigger city, so they need to go to where hotels are cheaper and it makes more sense to book where cost of hotel is more reasonable for that clientele, like Shreveport or Ruston,” Nungesser explained. He also noted that he hopes smaller traveling tournaments aren’t affected by spikes in COVID-19. “I’m hoping we can start wearing masks and get back to where this thing will level off and get back on track to where everything is wide open. We got a little lax as numbers started to head south, and I’m fearful if we don’t get it headed back south it will have a huge impact on college and pro football,”
said Nungesser. “I’m hoping those tournaments still going on can be done safely.” Lastly, he also addressed the gig economy - musicians and artists saying artists taking part in critical festivals rescheduled to fall will still qualify for the Music Ambassador Grant. Nungesser added he also made a recommendation to double that grant. In the meantime, he said his office is looking at state parks hiring local musicians to draw people and help out both areas in a critical time. Nungesser revealed the Louisiana Lagniappe program can act as a boost. That program sees his office reaching out to every conference and convention that may have rescheduled to move their event to Louisiana. “We’re offering Louisiana Lagniappe - free Louisiana seafood, hire a local band to play and extend that hospitality,” he explained. Nungesser finished his talk by warning it will take Louisianans to save Louisiana. “It’s going to take all that love and passion that everybody has for our state and local businesses, doing everything we can to invite friends and neighbors to take a staycation and road trip, and do it safely, until we can get opened back up and invite visitors to Louisiana,” he said. —BIZ. MAGAZINE
Stacy Brown: Local tourism is slowly improving The local tourism market has been hard hit by the coronavirus pandemic, but is seeing slow gains returning towards normalcy. Stacy Brown, president of the Shreveport-Bossier Convention and Tourist Bureau, joined Bossier Chamber of Commerce President and CEO Lisa Johnson for the digital Chamber Chat to talk about the visitor and gaming markets in early June. Brown admitted the “tremendous negative impact” on the hospitality industry and how that will hurt the local economy. Brown revealed that $97M in taxes is paid by visitors, saying, “That’s money you and I don’t have to pay because our visitors pay it for us.” She also noted that the indus-
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try employs 13,000 people, many of whom were laid off and furloughed. As of late May, Brown said roughly 100 events, meetings, and tours have been postponed, to a $33M negative economic impact. “We have a long way to come back. And, it’s not going to come back on its BROWN own,” Brown said. However, she noted that things have been slowly improving, with local people staying in area hotels. “Let’s face it, we’re all tired of staying in our homes. Now it’s time to get out and about. Some people
aren’t ready to leave, so what better time to see what we have to offer here at home?” Brown revealed that Expedia is used to drive overnight visitation to the Shreveport-Bossier community. Those future bookings numbers show May and June are really down compared to the same time in 2019. Says July and August are big upticks, and September and October look better than 2019 “As long as things progress nicely, we’ll see some increases coming back to our community,” Brown said. Phase 2 and its 50% occupancy has been a huge positive for casinos. She said that one of the biggest things in the area’s favor is that it provides great service.
“People have a great time when they come to Shreveport-Bossier. We have one of the highest repeat gaming rates,” Brown said. She also admitted that competition from the Indian casinos in Oklahoma have negatively influenced the Shreveport-Bossier gaming market and that taxation must be examined in order to improve it moving forward. “Many people don’t realize how heavily taxed our local casinos are. You’ll see a lot of billboards along I-20 for Oklahoma casinos and that taxation makes it much more difficult to advertise outside the market. The Convention and Tourist Bureau is the main avenue See, TOURISM, Page 12
LEGAL MATTERS LUKE WHETSTONE q
Working from home: Is it here to stay? Over the past few months, many employers and employees have swapped out their cubicles and desktop computers for coffee tables and WHETSTONE laptops and have been working from home. According to a recent study, the average American working remotely has actually been working more hours from home than they were at the office, as the line between personal time and work time has become blurred. But now Louisiana is beginning to move through the three-phase opening plan set forth by the White House’s “Opening Up America Again” guidelines. Workplaces are opening back up, and companies are bringing their workforce back to the office.
While many employees are eager to re-establish the old separation between home and work, some employees have developed a preference for working from home. As a result, employers are likely to receive requests for continued remote work arrangements. Generally, employers are not required to grant these requests so long as the employee is not seeking a reasonable accommodation under the Americans with Disabilities Act. Additionally, White House guidelines suggest that some persons, such as older workers and workers with certain health conditions should be provided with special accommodations, at least through Phase 2 of the reopening. Companies considering employee requests to continue working from home must determine whether and which essential job functions can be performed while working remotely. There are many
considerations a company should look at in deciding whether remote work should become an established part of its business model. • The following is just a short list: Is there sufficient security and privacy protocols to protect the company’s, and its clients’, information? • Do the company’s employees have the necessary equipment or were they limited while working remotely? • How effectively is work assigned and time kept? Also, because the stay at home period occurred quickly and without much warning, many companies were unable to create policies or guidelines for employees working remotely. If employees are allowed to continue working remotely, companies should develop appropriate remote work policies and guidelines that address how and when employees
can work remotely. The last few months have been an unexpected experiment in working remotely. While it is not be feasible to allow all employees to work from home on a permanent basis, companies should consider looking at their own needs and determine if continued remote work, to any degree, is appropriate for them. LUKE D. WHETSTONE IS AN ATTORNEY AT COOK, YANCEY, KING & GALLOWAY, A PROFESSIONAL LAW CORPORATION. HE IS LICENSED TO PRACTICE LAW IN LOUISIANA AND ARKANSAS AND HIS PRACTICE INCLUDES COMPLIANCE, LITIGATION, AND LABOR AND EMPLOYMENT. THIS ARTICLE IS FOR INFORMATION PURPOSES ONLY AND DOES NOT CONSTITUTE LEGAL ADVICE.
Salutes
● Faculty on the front lines of caring for COVID-19 patients in Shreveport, Monroe and the Strike Team to New Orleans ● Faculty contributing the following significant measures in testing and treatment of COVID-19 patients Creation of the Emerging Viral Threat (EVT) Testing Lab — a CLIA/CMS/CDC approved lab yielding high volume and reliability Creation of a serology testing lab critical to optimizing convalescent plasma therapy success and a “return to work” pathway Creation of lab producing 3D nasal swabs critical to expanding COVID testing due to national swab shortage Delivering the first convalescent plasma therapy in Louisiana to a critically ill COVID-19 patient Delivering the first inhaled nitric oxide therapy in Louisiana and the second in the US following Harvard Delivery of COVID-19 testing in medically underserved and rural areas
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OPINION BIZ, BITS q National Integrated Cyber Education Research Center Unveils Rebrand to CYBER.ORG The National Integrated Cyber Education Research Center (NICERC) has announced the organization’s rebrand to CYBER. ORG, unveiling a new website, logo and plans to reach even more K-12 students and teachers across the country with cyber education content, career awareness and teacher professional development. “The rebrand reflects a significant step forward in our mission to ensure that every K-12 student in the U.S. has access to cybersecurity education,” said Kevin Nolten, director of CYBER.ORG. “With the U.S. facing a shortage of skilled cybersecurity professionals in the workforce projected to reach 1.8 million unfilled jobs by 2022, we know there is an urgent need to build cybersecurity skills and fill the workforce pipeline with students who are prepared to pursue cybersecurity careers. This is a matter of national security and combatting it starts with an increase in foundational cybersecurity awareness at every level of education.” Despite the critical need to build the cybersecurity workforce pipeline, investments in K-12 cyber education have been modest. In fact, according to a new benchmark study released today by CYBER.ORG., less than half of K-12 students in the U.S. are currently receiving some type of cybersecurity education, and access to those resources varies considerably. The study, “ The State of Cybersecurity Education in K-12 Schools ” conducted by the EdWeek Research Center, also revealed that students from higher socioeconomic backgrounds where schools are in close proximity to technology companies and post-secondary institutions with cybersecurity programs had the greatest access to cyber education, while students from less advantaged socioeconomic backgrounds were the least likely to have the option for cyber education. Additionally, educators say that most students are not well-informed about the educational and career requirements associated with cybersecurity jobs.at email: bfrazier@bpcc.edu or call 318-678-6015.
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BIZMAGSB.COM
BUSINESS INTERACTIONS q
What’s a Gentleman to Do? There is a dichotomy with the traditional gestures by which women are shown respect in the United States. These gestures include opening HAYNES doors, ladies first, pulling out chairs, walking on the street side of the sidewalk, paying for meals, standing when a woman stands at dinner, helping women into their coats, etc. In social situations, women generally love and appreciate these gestures. It makes them feel valued, adored, and even pretty. In business situations, these gestures can cause women to feel belittled or less valued. This is because men are not treated in a similar fashion. As with men in business, women want to be appreciated for their contributions, not feel condescension because of their gender. If a man and woman are competing for the same job or promotion and the woman is treated as “more deli-
cate” than the man, unconscious bias can lead people to choose the person who is “stronger and can handle the job.” Women wish to be treated equivalently, not as delicate or diminutive in intellect or physical ability. Does it mean that in business, men should never open doors, pay for lunch, or help with boxes? No, of course not. It means that the gestures are appropriate for both genders. Following are examples of gender equality in the workplace. • The person that invites someone to lunch is the one who pays. • The person closest to the door opens it. • The person with the lighter load helps the person who is overloaded. • Anyone can help a person who is struggling with a coat. • A firm, confident handshake is correct with both genders. Both limp and bone-crushing handshakes are inappropriate for everybody. So what is a gentleman to do at one of those events that is both business and social? If you are the
lady’s date or spouse, simply ask her. If she does business with some of the other people at the event, she may wish to be seen as a peer and consequently treated in a more business-like manner. If the lady is not with you, err on the side of professionalism and use business manners. Ladies, help the men know what is appropriate. If a handshake is the appropriate greeting, put out your hand. Remember to be consistent. Causing confusion does you no favors. Recall, decades ago, men were taught to only shake hands with a woman when she put her hand out first. While that rule is obsolete in business today, men never received an instruction manual on the differences between social and business etiquette. Kindness and thoughtfulness should always be the guide. Kindness in our intentions; thoughtfulness in the effects of our words and actions.
development and education/ training partners to work with employers in North Louisiana to identify the skills and corresponding IBCs that are most important to them as they bring their businesses back to life, or as they pivot to new types of work or work processes. If you are unsure which IBCs are the right ones for your business needs, we can help you through that process. If your business wants to be part of this conversation, we
want to hear from you. To learn more about IBCs and to see the Louisiana Industry Based Certifications State Focus List, , visit http://www.laworks. net/PublicRelations/WIC_IndustryBasedCertification.asp
keeping employees and visitors safe. “Visitors want to see you cleaning and know what your procedures are. Putting out there what you’re doing in cleaning and safety measures for your staff is information they want to see,” People have to be invited back, so getting our information out to travelers is paramount. After some research and test marketing, the
“Press Play” campaign was developed and launched at the end of May. “We have to let people know it’s time to come back to Shreveport-Bossier. Mostly social media, online, and digital media, but you will see more traditional media as it progresses,” Brown said.
TERI HAYNES | BUSINESS INTERACTIONS, LLC | IMPROVING HUMAN INTERACTIONS IN BUSINESS
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and place them in the rapidly increasing job openings posted in the Louisiana Workforce Commission’s HIRE website. The basis for developing the appropriate skills training is through the identification of relevant IBCs. NLEP and other regional economic development organizations around the state will be placing renewed focus on collaborating with our local and state chamber, economic/workforce
ANGIE WHITE, CECD | EXECUTIVE VICE PRESIDENT AND WORKFORCE INITIATIVES DIRECTOR AT THE NORTH LOUISIANA ECONOMIC PARTNERSHIP.
TOURISM
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for advertising outside the market,” Brown said. “It’s going to be important to work together to see how we make this a more competitive and friendly environment for our casinos.” She added that the opensafesbc. com website is “tremendous” for showing visitors the area is helping open local businesses safely, and
— BIZ. MAGAZINE.