FOUR ENTREPRENEURS SHARE WHAT MOTIVATED THEM TO BET ON NEW ORLEANS BACK IN 2006 AND WHAT EXCITES THEM ABOUT THE FUTURE
PLUS WORKFORCE EDUCATION: WHAT ARE THE LATEST AND HOTTEST OFFERINGS?
20 YEARS SINCE KATRINA
[L-R] EDGAR CARO, owner and chef, Barú Latin Caribbean Bistro; KAY MORRISON,founder and owner, The Occasional Wife; ARTHUR JOHNSON, CEO, Lower 9th Ward Center for Sustainable Engagement and Development; MACHI MEDRZYCKI, owner and general contractor, MLM Custom Homes and Renovations
The
Gerald
Katrina Born
On Workforce
The
at
What was it like to start a business following one of the deadliest and costliest hurricanes the U.S. has ever seen?These four entrepreneurs share what motivated them to bet on New Orleans back in 2006 and what excites them now about the future
20 Years
The Hurricane Katrina talk is going to be everywhere this month, but as a non-native that didn’t arrive until 2011, I have nothing of value to say on this matter — so instead I listen.
Today, I watched and listened to a born and raised local named Troy Bergeron during a Zoom recording for our weekly BizTalks podcast. Troy was on to talk about his new business, an app that operates like an Uber or Lyft, but for dogs — Doggie Bus. Before we even got to his business, however, Troy started sharing his love for New Orleans… and then suddenly he was choked up, thinking about Katrina and what it did to the city, all that was lost.
Grief does that — it comes out of nowhere sometimes — THAT I am familiar with. The really big losses forever leave a mark, a separation that sorts everything into the “before” and “after.”
Twenty years into the “after,” this month’s anniversary is too big not to recognize, but we wanted to do it in a way that recognized the loss and devastation this city experienced while also bringing attention to at least a small sample of those that went all in on the hope of recovery during the city’s darkest days. It was a bet that paid off for these four brave entrepreneurs, and I hope you enjoy getting to know their stories.
Publisher Todd Matherne
EDITORIAL
Editor Kimberley Singletary
Art Director Sarah E.G. Majeste
Digital Media Editor Kelly Massicot
Associate News Editor Kelly Hite
Research Intern Alex Jorns
Contributors Ed Bukaty, Michael Hecht, Samantha Hindman, Amelia Hoppe, Walt Leger III, Jeremy Marshall, Ashley McLellan, Misty Milioto, Caitlin Morganstern, Chris Price, Keith Twitchell, Scott Whittaker
ADVERTISING
Senior Account Executive
Speaking of hope for the future, this is also our first workforce-themed issue, in which we look at the latest news and hottest programs being offered to address an issue that hits every industry — a shortage of qualified workforce. In addition to a big feature, you’ll find a contributed piece from Michael Hecht, president and CEO of GNO, Inc., on what his team has been doing to address this problem, as well as take a peek at an innovative workspace option that has opened Uptown and get to know our New Orleans 500 person of the month, Gerald Duhon, executive director of another workforce powerhouse — NOCHI.
It’s a rough month, but like everything else, we will get through it by being there for each other and focusing on the future.
Living in New Orleans 20 years post Katrina, I have had to learn and love the month of August. I will tell you, a few years after 2005, August would give me anxiety issues, but now, 20 years later, I have found ways to overcome that anxiety and make August a month of renewal.
My wife and I are starting off this month with a nice long vacation with the best couple friends on the planet. What is great about this trip is that it gives Andrea and I the ability to renew our devotion to each other and plan out the next 35 years, as we enter a new stage of our life with the blessing of a family of 14 by years-end. A relationship renewal.
In business, August is the month the staff all come together and begin to plan next calendar year’s business opportunities. We look forward to team meetings and discussing new projects while planning a new year of award-winning storytelling. A business renewal.
August is also back to school and back to football. This fall, we are taking advantage of the state business reimbursement program and many staff members are taking classes to improve their technical skills along with personal development. A growth renewal.
As for football, it is my favorite sports season. I am always optimistic about the Saints and this
year I feel the boys in black and gold will surprise a lot of people. A new coach brings about new opportunities, and in the NFL there is always that surprise team — this year the Saints could be that surprise team. A fan renewal.
So, this August, I challenge you to come up with your own renewal, to find something to start fresh again or create something new.
TODD MATHERNE CEO and Publisher Renaissance Publishing
IN THE BIZ
ENTREPRENUER
Experts have low expectations for Saints 2025 season, head coach looking for 2006-like rise
20 years after Hurricane Katrina, we have so many reasons to be proud.
Musicians have unique entrepreneurial challenges
Moore to Come
Experts have low expectations for Saints 2025 season, head coach looking for 2006-like rise
BY CHRIS PRICE
With a 47–10 win against the Carolina Panthers and a 44–19 victory over the Dallas Cowboys, the New Orleans Saints were the surprise team of the NFL two weeks into the 2024 season. Then they came unglued like Louisiana asphalt in the heat. Injuries devastated the roster and Head Coach Dennis Allen was fired, reluctantly, midseason. The team would win only three more games and finish 5-12.
That led to what has been, arguably, the most consequential offseason and preseason in the team’s history as they prepare for their 59th NFL campaign.
In February, the Saints hired 37-year-old Kellen Moore as the team’s 19th head coach. Moore played quarterback in the NFL, mostly as a backup, from 2012 to 2017 before serving as offensive coordinator for the Dallas Cowboys, Los Angeles Chargers, and Philadelphia Eagles, where he was part of the Super Bowl LIX winning squad that beat the Kansas City Chiefs 40–22. He hired Doug Nussmeier (former Saint QB and father of LSU QB Garrett Nussmeier) as offensive coordinator and Brandon Staley as defensive coordinator.
In the draft, the Saints brain trust focused on positions of need, selecting offensive tackle Kelvin Banks Jr., with the ninth overall pick, QB Tyler Shough in the second round, defensive tackle Vernon Broughton and safety Jonas Sanker in the third, and linebacker Danny Stutsman and cornerback Quincy Riley in the fourth. The hope is Banks will become an indomitable member of the offensive line for the next decade — but all eyes are on Shough, who became the Saints’ highest drafted QB since Archie Manning in 1971 and was thrust into competition with Spencer Rattler for the starting quarterback position after Derek Carr announced his retirement in May due to significant degenerative injuries to his throwing shoulder.
Since Sean Payton left the team after the 2021 season, the Saints have struggled to establish their identity — think defensive stalwarts under Jim Mora or offensive juggernauts under Payton. They have established players and are in a relatively weak division where they have been capable of competing, but injuries and lack of depth have taken their toll on the team’s ability to succeed and have left fans wanting more.
It seems the NFL and sports books, who are looking to maximize advertising and betting returns on investment, have taken note of the team’s slide. For the first time in 25 years the Saints are not scheduled for a Thursday, Sunday or Monday night primetime game televised nationwide. Before the start of training camp, the sports book DraftKings listed the Saints as a favorite in only one of their 17 games, -1.5 points against the New York Jets on Dec. 21. Meanwhile, BetMGM has set the Saints’ season
win total at 6.5, even though they have the NFL’s third-easiest schedule. This points to another disappointing season and continued rebuilding in the future.
However, the NFL is a wily beast where teams can rise out of nowhere, and the Saints could turn things around immediately like they did in 2006. There are some signs of hope, but keeping this team’s starters healthy is of utmost importance as roster depth and talent drop off is, again, a major concern. T
NEW ORLEANS SAINTS 2025 SCHEDULE
The Black & Gold have a lot to figure out in their three preseason games before kicking off a season that will see them not playing in regular season nationally televised primetime game for the first time in a quarter century.
PRESEASON
Date Time Opponent
08/10 6 p.m. at Los Angeles Chargers
08/16 Noon Jacksonville Jaguars
08/23 Noon Denver Broncos
REGULAR SEASON
Date Time Opponent
09/07 Noon Arizona Cardinals
09/14 Noon San Francisco 49ers
09/21 3:05 p.m. at Seattle Seahawks
09/28 Noon at Buffalo Bills
10/05 Noon New York Giants
10/12 3:25 p.m. New England Patriots
10/19 Noon at Chicago Bears
10/26 3:05 p.m. Tampa Bay Buccaneers
11/02 3:05 p.m. at Los Angeles Rams
11/09 Noon at Carolina Panthers
11/16 Bye
11/23 3:25 p.m. Atlanta Falcons
11/30 Noon at Miami Dolphins
12/07 Noon at Tampa Bay Buccaneers
12/14 3:25 p.m. Carolina Panthers
12/21 Noon New York Jets
12/28 Noon at Tennessee Titans
01/04 TBD at Atlanta Falcons
CHRIS PRICE is an award-winning journalist and public relations principal. When he’s not writing, he’s avid about music, the outdoors, and Saints, Ole Miss and Chelsea football.
Soul is Waterproof
20 years after Hurricane Katrina, New Orleans has so much to be proud of
BY WALT LEGER III
Twenty years ago this month, the Gulf Coast experienced one of the worst natural disasters to ever hit this country – Hurricane Katrina. Compounded by engineering and design failures, New Orleans and surrounding communities were almost entirely underwater, nearly 2,000 lives were lost, tens of thousands of people lost their homes and everything in them, and some outsiders asked why we would even consider rebuilding.
Well, not only did we rebuild, we executed one of the greatest turnaround stories in American history. Today, New Orleans stands as a symbol of hope and recovery and is celebrated as a must-see cultural destination that hosts some of the most iconic events on the planet.
As we solemnly remember the lives lost during Katrina and its aftermath, we also celebrate the incredible resilience, innovation and grit that it took to rebuild our beloved city. There was no blueprint for how to recovery from a disaster of this magnitude, but persistence and determination guided our path. A New Orleans & Company ad campaign created by Trumpet Advertising in 2007 said it best: SOUL is WATERPROOF!
WALT LEGER III is president and CEO of New Orleans & Company, the official destination marketing and sales organization for New Orleans tourism industry. He may be reached via email at walt@neworleans.com.
OVERCOMING UNPRECEDENTED BRAND IMPAIRMENT
Our flooded neighborhoods and most iconic buildings were the scene of worldwide negative media coverage for months. After cancelling $2 billion in business, New Orleans & Company led a massive multiyear global PR campaign to let people know it was OK to visit. Without visitors, meetings and events, we could not have restarted our economy. We emerged from an all-time low of 3.7 million visitors in 2006 to a record-breaking 19 million visitors in 2019, a number we achieved again in 2024 following the COVID recovery years. We now use what we learned from Katrina to help other destinations rebuild their tourism industries after disaster, including wildfires in Hawaii, a typhoon in the Philippines, Hurricane Sandy in New Jersey and Hurricane Helene in North Carolina.
VOLUNTOURISM We thank organizations such as Maritz Travel and the American Library Association, which were among the first to return post-Katrina, for not only boosting our economy by hosting meetings and conventions here, but giving their time to rebuild parks and libraries across our community. Their generosity kick-started the “voluntourism” trend that still creates a positive impact today.
AWARDS New Orleans has been named the “Most Walkable City in the World” by AllClear; a “Top Three Convention Destination” by Simpleview in 2024; and one of the “Best Cities in the World to Visit” by TimeOut and The Louis Armstrong New Orleans International Airport (MSY) was named “Best Airport in North America.” In 2014, National Geographic Traveler named New Orleans as one of the “20 Must-See Destinations in the World.” For a full award list, visit NewOrleans.com.
SPORTS MECCA Post-Katrina, we’ve hosted two Super Bowls, two NCAA Men’s Final Fours, one Women’s Final Four, the annual Allstate Sugar Bowl, College Football Playoff Championships,
three NBA All-Star Weekends, two WrestleManias (2014 and 2018, with more to come), UFC 318 and so much more.
MAJOR INVESTMENTS
• The Ernest N. Morial Convention Center (NOENMCC), the sixth-largest convention facility in the country, is finishing up a $557 million renovation with over 1.1 million square feet of prime exhibit space to be completed in 2026. NOENMCC is also the largest convention center to receive the Gold LEED designation.
• The Caesars Superdome recently finished a $560 million renovation prior to Super Bowl LIX, in addition to the over $450 million in renovations completed post-Katrina and the decade after. Caesars Entertainment spent $435 million to rebrand Harrah’s Casino and build a new 340-room hotel tower last fall. In addition, the Four Seasons Hotel+Residences moved into the former World Trade Center in 2020, and the Virgin brand entered New Orleans with a new downtown hotel opening in 2021.
• Perhaps our best post-Katrina success metric is the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers’ $14.5 billion Hurricane and Storm Damage Risk Reduction System, one of the most technically advanced coastal flood protection systems in the world. This system of barriers, sector gates, floodwalls, floodgates and levees provide a veritable “wall” around the Greater New Orleans area. During Hurricane Ida in 2021, the flood protection system worked as planned, and we hosted a major meeting in New Orleans two weeks later. This is vital as it instills confidence in residents, investors, visitors and customers that New Orleans is the most prepared community across the Gulf South, maybe in the nation, to weather future disasters.
To our fellow citizens: Thank you for answering the call to rebuild the most remarkable, unique and welcoming place in the world! Without you, New Orleans could never be such a great place to live, work, visit and invest. T
Hitting the Right Notes
Musicians have unique entrepreneurial challenges
BY KEITH TWITCHELL
When you consider which fields are most entrepreneurial, what comes to mind? Tech? Energy? AI?
How about music?
“Every musician is their own business,” explained Ethan Ellestadt, executive director of the Music and Culture Coalition of New Orleans (MaCCNO). “You need to know the business side as much as the music side if you want to succeed.”
This starts with simply getting enough jobs to begin paying the bills, which means promoting one’s music, which means creating marketing materials ranging from press kits to websites. Outreach to clubs and other gig opportunities is a constant; then contracts must be signed,
KEITH TWITCHELL spent 16 years running his own business before serving as president of the Committee for a Better New Orleans from 2004 through 2020. He has observed, supported and participated in entrepreneurial ventures at the street, neighborhood, nonprofit, micro- and macro-business levels.
which requires knowing the difference between a good contract and a bad one. Except for established bands or solo performances, the next step is hiring additional musicians for the gig, in essence bringing on staff and the responsibilities that come with that.
Performing rarely provides a living by itself. So, into the mix go things like teaching music, placing one’s work in advertising and/or shows, and producing and selling merchandise. For songwriters, there are issues of copyrights, marketing songs, contracting, monitoring residuals and more.
And none of this even considers the small club owners, music producers and the rest of the music economy.
Yet few musicians have the capacity to manage those business demands.
“Business is a new skill that must be acquired,” commented Danovon Calhoun-Bettis, MaCCNO’s director of engagement and partnerships, professional drummer, and leader of the Bettis + 3rd Degree band. “If you’re serious about it, you have to become an entrepreneur.”
“It’s all the things they don’t teach you in music school,” concurred Hannah Kreiger-Benson, director of programs and research for MaCCNO, full-time working pianist, trumpet player and vocalist, and staff member of the Loyola University music department, from which she holds a degree. “Being a musician requires an outlandish cross-section of different skills. If you are a musician, you are a small business.”
Yet she pointed out that the archetype of a tech entrepreneur is “massively different from musicians. That archetype directly butts up against the musician type.”
The distinctions are many. While entrepreneurs often manage their business out of their homes or a small office, musicians travel to every job, often with their equipment. Music is often a cash economy, which requires a
different type of accounting — and even when bandleaders are paid by check, much of the money goes to the other band members, while they receive the W-2 form.
Perhaps most significantly, there is no capital support. Banks don’t lend money to musicians, and angel investors don’t hang out in clubs looking for their next big investment.
All this plays out in a city and region that are internationally renowned for music, yet are sorely lacking in support infrastructure for those who produce the music. This starts with the fact that few gigs pay a decent wage.
“Musician pay has not gone up functionally in 40 years,” observed Kreiger-Benson. “Normalizing good gig pay is not a legal change, it’s a societal change.”
That said, the city of New Orleans did adopt a musician pay ordinance, which requires any city agency that hires musicians to pay a respectable wage. Kreiger-Benson noted that this doesn’t directly change the private sector, but it sets a standard that makes decent pay seem less outrageous.
Helping musicians sharpen their business acumen is the purpose of a new MaCCNO initiative dubbed “Bandleader Bootcamp.” The program addresses every aspect of what it takes to be a bandleader, from incorporating a business to managing taxes, from licensing to marketing, grant writing to contracts.
“We have to create a more equitable system, create opportunities for folks who don’t know how or where to access them,” explained Ellestadt in describing the boot camp.
“If we can perfect the business acumen, we can put a Bourbon Street in every major city and spread our culture around the world,” Calhoun-Bettis elaborated. “The goal is to change the livelihood of our culture-bearers” — in essence, to enable some of the world’s greatest musicians to be equally accomplished entrepreneurs. T
PERSPECTIVES
SCOTT WHITTAKER (left) is a member of Stone Pigman who concentrates his practice on real estate development and financing, M&A, and corporate and business law. He may be reached at swhittaker@stonepigman.com. ED BUKATY is a member and business section head at Stone Pigman. He may be reached at ebukaty@stonepigman.com.
Boomer Looking to Sell the Family Business?
Top tips from two local attorneys
BY SCOTT WHITTAKER AND ED BUKATY
Baby boomers, born between 1946 and 1964, represent approximately 21% of the U.S. population, according to Census.gov. Now between the ages of 61 to 79, many boomers who have spent their adult life building a family business are nearing retirement and seeking a life less centered on work. While many family business owners look to their children as successors, that is not always an option — some children may lack interest, while others may not have the necessary skills or experience to run a company. In these situations, selling their company is often a key step in securing a solid financial future for retiring baby boomer business owners. Thoughtful planning and strategic execution are critical for a successful sale. Below are some key considerations to keep in mind when preparing to sell your business.
1
TIMING IS IMPORTANT Don’t wait until you are forced to sell due to declining health, because the timing might not be right to sell. It is best to sell during a period of revenue growth or stable profitability. And if you don’t
have the option of passing on the deal and continuing to operate the company, your leverage at the bargaining table is much less. Finally, private equity buyers often require the current management to continue operating the business for some period under an employment or consulting agreement. Therefore, it’s best not to wait until you must sell because you can’t work any longer.
2
ORGANIZE RECORDS Make sure your records are up-to-date, accurate and easy to understand. These include:
• Financial statements (balance sheets, profit and loss statements and cash flow statements). Having audited financial statements is a big plus.
• Tax returns (typically for the last three to five years)
• Customer and supplier agreements
• Leases and other material contracts
• Organizational documents
3
CONSIDER GETTING A BUSINESS VALUATION
It’s essential to have realistic expectations about what your business is worth. A
professional business valuation provides an objective estimate of your company’s value based on comparable company sales and other factors. If you are using an investment banker or business broker to sell your company, they will perform a valuation as part of their professional services. Having a valuation also helps you negotiate better. The valuation does not need to be shared with the prospective buyers.
4
IDENTIFY POTENTIAL BUYERS There are different types of buyers, each with unique goals and expectations:
• Strategic buyers (e.g., competitors or companies in your industry)
Many business owners overlook financial buyers; however, private equity firms make up a huge segment of buyers and often pay the highest price.
5
PLAN FOR TAXES AND LEGAL IMPLICATIONS
The structure of the sale, whether it’s an asset sale or sale of corporate stock, can have major tax consequences. Work with an experienced tax advisor early in the process to understand how the sale will impact your personal and corporate taxes. In addition, use an experienced lawyer to help negotiate the transaction terms and documents. The documents will most likely contain non-compete clauses, indemnification provisions and other post-sale legal obligations that could affect your future and should be carefully considered.
Selling your business is a significant decision that requires careful planning and execution. Having an experienced mergers and acquisitions attorney is critical as you navigate this process. Whether you are years away from selling or already fielding offers, it’s never too early to engage counsel and start preparing. Your future self will thank you for your foresight. T
KELLY HITE is the associate news editor for Biz New Orleans, responsible for delivering daily business news on BizNewOrleans.com, focusing on developments that impact the greater New Orleans area and southeast Louisiana. She may be reached via email at KellyH@BizNewOrleans.com.
VACANCIES AND VISION
New Orleans is navigating a shifting real estate market
BY KELLY HITE
New Orleans’ skyline bears the unmistakable imprint of Joseph C. “Joe” Canizaro, a prolific developer who passed away in June 2025 at the age of 88. Over his career, Canizaro developed more than 10 million square feet of commercial and mixed-use real estate in the city, including landmarks such as 400 Poydras Street, the First Bank & Trust Tower, the Canal Place office tower and several major hotels. His projects helped transform the Central Business District into a hub of Class A office buildings that continue to define the city’s commercial market today.
The Class A landscape in New Orleans remains anchored by towers like the Hancock Whitney Center, Place St. Charles, and Energy Centre, each offering premium office space, modern amenities and panoramic views of the Mississippi River. Despite pressures from hybrid work trends, occupancy rates in these buildings have stayed relatively stable, with downtown Class A occupancy between 79% to 80% of capacity and average rental rates between $20 and $21 per square foot.
However, some caution remains about how sustainable those numbers will be in the coming years.
“Downtown office occupancy is still around 80 percent, but part of that may just be because a lot of tenants are still in leases that haven’t expired yet,” said Guy Williams, president and CEO of Gulf Coast Bank & Trust Company. “When those leases roll over, many companies are likely to be forced to reduce their footprint, and those who stay often look for rent concessions.”
The higher interest rate climate in 2025, combined with stricter underwriting from banks and reduced valuations in some office markets, is creating refinancing risks and pressure on returns.
“Buildings with big debt loads are competing against others who have smaller debt and lower overhead,” explained Williams.
“At the same time, demand has softened due to an increase in remote work and insurance costs, plus utilities and maintenance costs have all gone up while revenues are down and competitors are offering space at discounts,” said Williams. “I wouldn’t want to be a landlord Downtown right now — and this isn’t just New Orleans. Cities like San Francisco and Portland are also facing problems.”
But many owners of these buildings are approaching refinancing deadlines on loans secured during the low-interest era.
“There’s another problem looming with CMBS loans downtown,” said Williams. “A lot of them were done on 20-year amortizations, and those maturities are coming due in the next couple of years. Refinancing will be very difficult in this environment.”
Commercial mortgage-backed securities (CMBS) are commercial real estate loans that are bundled together and sold to investors as securities. As these loans mature, property owners could face significant challenges refinancing at higher rates or under stricter lending terms, raising concerns about potential distress in the downtown office market.
POSITIVE SIGNALS IN THE DOWNTOWN DEVELOPMENT DISTRICT
Seth Knudsen, president and CEO of the Downtown Development District (DDD), shares a more optimistic view of Downtown’s resilience, highlighting several recent developments and transactions that signal ongoing investment interest.
“Since the start of this year, Downtown has seen positive commercial property development trends with a range of significant new construction starts, real estate transactions and lease announcements,” said Knudsen.
He pointed to redevelopment projects like the former Archdiocese of New Orleans building on Howard Avenue and part of the historic Whitney Bank complex, now being converted for hospitality uses, as well as new commercial construction such as the combined hotel and office project at 1010 Common.
“Major commercial transactions Downtown, including the recent sale of Ritz-Carlton to Gencom of Miami and the Hilton New Orleans St. Charles Avenue to HRI Hospitality of New Orleans, are part of over $200 million in commercial transactions so far this year that indicate continued local and national investor interest,” he said.
However, Knudsen acknowledged challenges.
“Commercial property development does continue to face some headwinds in Downtown
I wouldn’t want to be a landlord Downtown right now — and this isn’t just New Orleans. Cities like San Francisco and Portland are also facing problems.
Guy Williams, president and CEO, Gulf Coast Bank & Trust Company
New Orleans, but our challenges are generally in line with those seen across the country,” he said. “Rising insurance and construction costs, and an uncertain financial climate remain significant hurdles to overcome, but our progress is evident.”
Knudsen noted that New Orleans has been able to maintain a higher level of occupancy than many of its peer cities.
“Downtown is fortunate to have a robust economic infrastructure that supports office tenancy, including multiple federal and state court systems and the Port of New Orleans. Downtown has also seen several notable recent lease transactions and renewals including a new 49,000-square-foot lease for Delta Utilities, LLC at 201 St. Charles Avenue. One of the largest transactions in the last five years, the lease proves that Downtown office space can continue to play a role in Louisiana’s energy economy of the future.”
Looking ahead, Knudsen acknowledged that some properties are facing looming loan maturities, which is driving transactional activity.
“We’ve seen several high-profile properties change hands over the last year, such as the Energy Centre, 1515 Poydras and 1615 Poydras,” he said. “While some of these properties may ultimately be converted to other uses, most are likely to remain office space, and we expect rents to remain stable in a relatively narrow range for now.”
Knudsen noted that Shell’s planned relocation from the Hancock Whitney Center to the River District could have a significant impact on Downtown office dynamics.
While the move keeps jobs and economic activity Downtown-adjacent, it leaves a major
vacancy in one of the city’s flagship office towers — a shift that Guy Williams views as potentially disastrous for the current office market, while Seth Knudsen expresses confidence that Downtown can adapt to the transition.
Knudsen also emphasized the DDD’s proactive efforts to support market transformation, including advocating for the proposed Revitalizing Downtowns and Main Streets Act, which would create a new federal tax credit to help offset redevelopment costs associated with converting office properties to residential use.
SOME SEE OPPORTUNITY BEYOND CLASS A TOWERS
While challenges in the New Orleans property market are real, others see this as precisely the moment to invest. Stephen Keighery, founder of Home Buyer Louisiana, thinks the market is overly pessimistic and that even a slight improvement could spark a rebound, particularly for investors focused on smaller properties and local commercial spaces rather than the city’s largest office towers.
“Yes, the data look grim,” said Keighery, noting that home prices in Orleans Parish are currently about 14% below their 25-year, inflation-adjusted trend. “But I’ve learned that market sentiment often overshoots.”
Keighery points to research showing New Orleans’ price-to-rent ratio is unusually low, around 17% — a signal that properties may be undervalued. “This is exactly the scenario contrarian investors live for,” he said. “Now might be the time to purchase. If you buy today and prices merely return to their long-term trend — not even a boom, just normalization— you stand to make solid gains.”
He notes that rents have remained strong even as sales prices declined.
“New Orleans rents have been remarkably resilient, underscoring a supply-demand imbalance that favors landlords,” Keighery explained, citing data showing median gross rent has jumped 34% after inflation between 2004 and 2022. “Owners who weather this down market have enjoyed strong cash flow while most peers sat idle.”
For Keighery, the bottom line is clear.
“Now is the time to be a buyer, not a bystander,” he said. “Because so many buyers have pulled back, this is one of the rare windows where you can actually negotiate. Sellers are more flexible. There’s less competition. You’re not battling 20 offers or paying over asking. You can take your time, structure deals creatively and buy right. If you believe in the long-term story of New Orleans, there may never be a better time to act.” T
JEREMY MARSHALL was born and raised in Baton Rouge before moving to New Orleans with his wife, Kristin, in 2018. Beginning his career in the film/TV industry, Marshall worked steadily on over a dozen projects before transitioning to Renaissance Publishing as sponsored content coordinator. He may be reached via email at jeremy@myneworleans.com.
Fraud 2.0
AI can benefit many industries, but in banking it’s made fighting fraud even trickier
BY JEREMY MARSHALL
As the world races to catch up with the promise of artificial intelligence, the nation’s financial institutions have found themselves facing an expanding universe of possibility and fraud.
Over the past few years, the rates of AI-enhanced fraud have risen exponentially, with the Federal Trade Commission estimating that Americans alone lost over $108 million in 2024 to AI fraud. The most predominant methods utilized include investment-related scams, imposter scams, and business and job opportunity scams.
In response, the banking industry has sprinted to catch up, doing what they can to keep modern technology from turning new-fangled innovation into old-fashioned highway robbery.
“In the past, criminal activity often involved physical theft — stolen checkbooks, intercepted mail, or compromised debit and credit cards,”
noted Rachel Nunez, VP and senior commercial relationship manager at Home Bank. “Today, fraudsters can also operate in the digital shadows, leveraging increasingly sophisticated tactics to exploit consumers and businesses alike. At Home Bank, we take a proactive approach to fraud prevention by educating our customers on how to recognize and avoid scams.”
Many scams today use simple information-based schemes — for example, pretending to be your bank looking for a social security number — while others are more insidious, maybe using generative AI to fake a loved one being held hostage. It’s very possible that you or someone you love has or will be contacted by one of these scammers due in part to the wide accessibility of the underlying technology at play.
“The barriers to entry have become much lower than ever for fraudsters utilizing AI,” said Jason Shields, chief operating officer of Gulf Coast Bank. “The most common method
is spoofing the bank or website. These are low success rate efforts that, given enough targets, can cause a lot of damage.”
While banks are largely advising their clients on well-worn safeguarding practices to use day to day like never clicking on suspicious links and warning customers to be wary of anyone calling to ask for intimate information like PINs or passwords, many national and regional institutions, like Gulf Coast Bank, are beginning to fight fire with fire by using AI’s brute force computing power to tackle fraud head on.
“With fraud this complicated, the only way to truly combat it is to have systems that analyze things in a faster, granular fashion,” said Shields. “There’s absolutely no way we could manually catch these things. But even as we have deployed AI to catch these bad actors as quickly as possible, it’s important that we keep the implementation as a tool and remain aligned with our core values of personal service.”
The FTC estimates consumers aged 30 to 39 are at the highest risk of falling victim, while consumers aged 70 to 79 lose the most money. Contacting your financial institution before giving over sensitive information or any dollar amount is crucial to avoiding these highly specialized schemes, as banks across the nation are beginning to refit their existing accounts and services to better flag potential fraud before it even happens.
“Historically, cybercriminals tend to target the most vulnerable businesses,” noted Jeff Ehlinger, BankPlus executive VP and Louisiana president. “By investing in preventative technologies and actively managing cyber risks, businesses can reduce their appeal as targets and improve their resilience against attacks. At BankPlus, we partner with some of the nation’s most advanced fraud prevention firms to continually evolve our technologies to stay ahead of increasingly sophisticated threats.” AI has been and continues to be integrated into every aspect of our lives, from refrigerators to interpersonal relationships. Fraud has always been an early adopter of innovative technologies, and banking institutions around the world are doing what they can to play defense.T
PERSPECTIVE ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT
Opportunity in Action
GNO, Inc. is tackling workforce development in the region from all angles
BY MICHAEL HECHT
The economic future of Greater New Orleans depends on one thing above all: Talent. Across all industry sectors — from shipbuilding to aerospace manufacturing, software development to port logistics — growth relies on a workforce ready to meet today’s demands and tomorrow’s opportunities.
What’s more, industry growth through talent development is essential to economic mobility for residents. By providing residents with the pathways and training for high-paying jobs, we create generational wealth and vibrant, safe communities. That’s why GNO, Inc. champions forward-thinking programs that align industry needs with education and training resources.
MICHAEL HECHT is president and CEO of Greater New Orleans, Inc, the economic development agency for Southeast Louisiana. He may be reached via email at mhecht@gnoinc.org.
GNO, Inc.’s signature workforce effort is called “GNOu” — an initiative designed to align higher education with employers to solve real-time hiring and skill deficit challenges. GNOu is a triple win: companies have direct input into training, colleges have market-relevant curricula, and residents have the in-demand skills to get hired.
Another regional collaboration, the Greater New Orleans Higher Education Consortium, brings together the region’s 13 higher education institutions to focus on retaining talent and positioning the region as a top destination for education and careers. With one of the nation’s highest concentrations of colleges and universities per capita, Southeast Louisiana is a place where students can stay, grow and lead after graduation. That message is resonating: Greater New Orleans was recently ranked the “No. 1 Best Place in the U.S. for College Students and Graduates” by Forbes.
To support that broader workforce ecosystem, GNO, Inc. offers free online tools like GNOCareerGuide.org and WorkNOLA.com. The career guide helps students, families and advisors match interests to high-growth professions and local training programs. WorkNOLA, the region’s largest local jobs board, is currently undergoing a full redesign that will launch later this year.
Addressing regional talent needs requires accurate data, which is why GNO, Inc.’s annual GNO Jobs Report, produced in partnership with Bank of America, provides a detailed look at regional job trends and the skills employers are seeking. This year’s report includes industry specific insights which are now being translated into action through customized user guides for both education and industry stakeholders.
Meeting today’s workforce challenges also means focusing on specific talent gaps. Some of the programs which address industry needs are:
• The GNO Infrastructure Partnership, funded by the U.S. Department of Labor, which brings together Delgado, Nunez, Northshore Technical, and River Parishes Community
Colleges alongside public and private part ners to build a talent pipeline in construction and infrastructure. Participating employers include the Port of New Orleans, Laitram, Entergy, CLECO and others committed to growing infrastructure-ready talent.
• In advanced manufacturing, GNO, Inc. coordinates a regional effort to build technical expertise through the Mechatronics & Advanced Manufacturing Apprenticeship Program. Launched with partners like Laitram, Zatarain’s/McCormick, and Elmer Chocolate, and executed by Delgado, Northshore Technical and Nunez Community Colleges, the program has helped participants transition into full-time employment over the past five years. Its final cohort graduates this fall.
• GNO, Inc. is also helping to shape Louisiana’s energy workforce through the H2theFuture coalition. This 25-member partnership is designing programs to upskill current workers and prepare future students for careers in clean hydrogen and emerging energy technologies.
These efforts are powered by a broad coalition of partners: 13 higher education institutions, training providers like New Orleans Career Center and Associated Builders and Contractors, youth-focused organizations like YouthForce NOLA, state agencies including LED FastStart® and the Louisiana Workforce Commission, philanthropic leaders like the Greater New Orleans Foundation, as well as the public and private funders who share a commitment to long-term workforce success.
Behind every initiative, report and partnership is a single, powerful goal of changing lives. When residents gain the skills to land a quality job, it ripples outward by lifting families, strengthening communities and building a more vibrant region. Workforce development is economic development, yes. But more than that, it’s opportunity in action, and in Greater New Orleans that opportunity belongs to everyone.T
PERSPECTIVE GUEST
AMELIA HOPPE (left) is the co-founder and executive director of Emergency Legal Responders and CAITLIN MORGENSTERN (right) is the cofounder and board president. They may be reached at admin@emergencylegalresponders.org.
Sharing Our Strengths
As we mark 20 years since Hurricane Katrina, this is the perfect moment for Louisiana to take stock of what we have learned and what we now have to offer.
BY AMELIA HOPPE AND CAITLIN MORGENSTERN
Over the past two decades, our state has moved from being a symbol of disaster to becoming a resource for how recovery can be done differently — with community, with strategy and with staying power.
Most people, when they think about disaster relief, name five needs: food, water, shelter, medical care and, if they have been through it, legal and social support.
That last one is often an afterthought, but in Louisiana, we know it is one of the most important. Recovery does not stop when the storm passes. It stretches over months and years, and what people face during that time — eviction, benefit loss, paperwork issues, insurance problems — can shape their future.
I co-founded Emergency Legal Responders with Caitlin Morgenstern to help people meet
those moments with clarity and support. ELR is a disaster rights education and advocacy organization based in New Orleans. We work across the Gulf South and in disaster-impacted areas nationally to make legal knowledge part of recovery from the beginning.
We do this through community trainings, plain language guides, workshops, flyers, videos and digital tools. We train organizers, case managers, mutual aid groups, disaster survivors and others who are already trusted in their communities so that legal information travels fast and reaches people when it matters most.
Our focus is not courtroom advocacy; it is disaster preparedness and navigation. How do you apply for aid? What do you do when you get denied? How do you stay housed during recovery? What rights do you have as a tenant or an heir? These are the kinds of questions we
help answer. The goal is not to make people experts; it is to make sure they are not left in the dark.
This approach was built here in Louisiana, but the interest in it is national. From New England to the Pacific Islands, people have reached out to adapt the materials and strategies we have developed in the Gulf South. We have lived through more than our share of disasters, and the systems we built — community-rooted, flexible, grounded in real experience — are helping shape what recovery looks like elsewhere. That is not just meaningful for ELR, it is an opportunity for Louisiana. We are not only the site of past storms, we are also a place where recovery policy, education and coordination are being shaped in ways from which others are watching and learning.
That includes business leaders. Whether you are in housing, healthcare, logistics, insurance, finance, or education, disaster touches your work. That means you are already part of the recovery landscape. The question is whether your systems are ready to meet that responsibility. Do people know where to turn? Can they understand the processes you use? Can they act in time? You do not need to solve every part of recovery, but you can be a partner in making it less confusing, less isolating and more equitable.
Louisiana has experience, knowledge and momentum. Twenty years after Katrina, we are in a position to lead, and we are ready to share what we have learned in ways that make a difference.
The work ahead builds on everything we have already seen succeed. The more we share those lessons, the more resilient our communities and our systems can become.
We know what recovery looks like when it fails, but here in Louisiana, we are showing what it can look like when it is rooted in trust, information and the power of people knowing their disaster rights. T
KATRINA
by KEITH TWITCHELL
WHAT WAS IT LIKE TO START A BUSINESS FOLLOWING ONE OF THE DEADLIEST AND COSTLIEST HURRICANES THE U.S. HAS EVER SEEN?
THESE FOUR ENTREPRENEURS SHARE WHAT MOTIVATED THEM TO BET ON NEW ORLEANS BACK IN 2006 AND WHAT EXCITES THEM NOW ABOUT THE FUTURE.
portraits by THERESA CASSAGNE
BORN
After
getting through the initial shock, anger and grief over the devastation of New Orleans brought on by the post-Katrina failure of the federal levee system, residents began the long (and still unfinished) slog of rebuilding. Physical, social and economic infrastructure were all devastated. Communications systems were unreliable, as was plenty of the information going out through those systems.
To many people, New Orleans felt like the old Wild West, a frontier town fraught with a mix of danger and opportunity.
Understandably, quantifying some aspects of the damage remains difficult. However, a generally accepted ballpark estimate is that about one-third of businesses and nonprofits in the city closed forever.
The extent of the damage made New Orleans a challenging environment for entrepreneurial activity.
The entrepreneurial spirit, though, was thriving, and the needs — from nonprofit services to help with rebuilding and refurnishing to a place for a good, hot meal — were many.
Countless new enterprises were launched in the years immediately following Katrina. Some came and went quickly, but others have lasted to become local institutions. Some were responses in the moment, others were the fulfilment of a life-long dream, but all of them saw, and met, a vital need in a difficult time.
Baru Latin Caribbean Bistro
EDGAR CARO CHEF AND OWNER
IN 1999, 17-year-old Edgar Caro moved from Cartagena, Colombia to join family in New Orleans. He was immediately attracted to the city’s vibrant food and beverage scene. Drawing on his experience working in his grandfather’s butcher shop back home, he jumped at the first entry-level position he could find.
“I worked my way up through all the positions you can imagine in the restaurant industry,” he recalled. “I was managing a restaurant at the time Katrina hit the city.”
Returning to the devastated city was shocking. “Katrina had a profound impact on my life,” remembered Caro. “I lost friends who had to leave the city, lost colleagues. But I saw how passionate people were about rebuilding the city. It gave me the fuel that I had to be part of it.”
Caro took the plunge. “It was always my dream to open a restaurant,” he said. “Helping rebuild the city inspired me to open a place that would resonate with the residents.”
He took his life savings and began working on Barú. While there were far fewer people around to patronize restaurants, there were also fewer restaurants, and many of the residents who had returned were looking to dine out. Caro’s Magazine Street location put him in the “sliver by the river,” that stretch of high ground that didn’t flood and had the basic services in place.
Yet Caro remains positive. “This just makes us more creative. You have to be persistent and believe in what you do. You listen to the customers.
“I see the city’s potential,” he continued. “I’m proud that the New Orleans community has
supported me through 20 years, and I hope people continue supporting the small businesses and small restaurants. They are the heart of the city.”
“Helping rebuild the city inspired me to open a place that would resonate with the residents.”
Still, the challenges were many. Supply lines were fractured. Promotional opportunities were few. His available funds could barely cover operations. He actually lived in an apartment above the restaurant, both as a way to keep costs down and to be available constantly to work on it.
In addition, “one big challenge was we had no alcohol license for the first five years,” Caro said. We didn’t have enough square footage initially, so we allowed people to bring in their own bottles.”
Despite the many obstacles, Barú was an almost immediate success, as Caro’s cooking style resonated with the community.
“It makes me very happy to be able to showcase Latin cuisine,” he noted, “to use local ingredients and recipes from Colombian cuisine.”
From this shoestring beginning has come remarkable success. Barú was named Best Latin American Restaurant in New Orleans for 10 consecutive years, and Caro won the 2018 Chef of the Year award from New Orleans Magazine. Caro has opened four other restaurants, including Basin Seafood and most recently, Brasa South American Steakhouse in the old Morton’s location in Canal Place.
With this expansion comes new challenges. Hiring staff is a constant headache, especially for the new restaurants. The slowdown of visitors, especially international tourists, has Caro anticipating a particularly slow summer; he hopes that the arrival of the Michelin Guide will help, creating more interest in New Orleans cuisine in general.
Lower 9th Ward Center for Sustainable Engagement and Development
JOHNSON CEO
ARTHUR
NO PART OF NEW ORLEANS was hit harder by the levee failures than the Lower Ninth Ward. The apocalyptic scenes of houses washed off their pillars, with vehicles resting on top of them, horrified the nation.
What many people never understood about the Lower Ninth Ward was the true character of its neighborhoods pre-Katrina. High rates of multi-generational homeownership made it a thriving, if under-resourced, community. While the death and destruction were incalculable, the community spirit remained strong. Nonetheless, many residents were concerned that the damage and lack of unity would cause the Lower Ninth to be eliminated.
“CSED was created to be a funnel for resources, to be a tool for all residents in the Lower Ninth in their recovery.”
Charles Allen and Pam Dashiell, acutely aware that the area’s economic health might lead to a slow recovery, recognized that rebuilding was largely going to start from within, so in 2006 they founded the Lower 9th Ward Center for Sustainable Engagement and Development.
The nonprofit was created to address the challenges that Katrina brought to the Lower Ninth Ward.
“CSED was created to be a funnel for resources, to be a tool for all residents in the Lower Ninth in their recovery,” noted CEO Arthur Johnson.
Initial funding from the Blue Moon Foundation helped launch the organization. Johnson noted that from the beginning, “the focus was building sustainable communities within the natural environment. We are three-quarters surrounded by water,” including wetlands and the Mississippi River.
After Dashiell passed away in 2009, Johnson, who owned a consulting company but had a background in nonprofit work, came in to assist with a matching funds campaign.
“After about a week, the chairman of the board asked me if I would come on permanently,” remembered Johnson. “I’m still here.”
The challenges were extreme.
“The Lower Ninth Ward was the last community in the city to start the recovery process,” Johnson said. “Even when I came in, people were still trying to figure out their next move, still assessing available resources. There were still conversations about turning the area into green space.”
While CSED’s main objective was to help rebuild homes and bring residents back, the organization also wanted a seat at the policy discussion tables. Re-establishing schools was a major objective along with attracting new economic investment. Even today, the population is less than one-third of what it was; there were many elderly residents before the flooding, and few of them returned.
This has led Johnson and CSED to focus on the younger generation, aided by the fact that environmental issues are particularly important to this group.
“The next generation is who we have to depend on,” he observed. “We have to make sure they know the history, understand the past, the present and the future. And environmental issues impact our whole quality of life.”
Major CSED programs include an environmental research internship, where youth age 12 to 18 participate in service learning projects and study local water resources and systems. The nonprofit also offers guided kayak tours of the Bayou Bienvenue Wetland Triangle in order to bring awareness to efforts to support the ecosystem. CSED also partners with the Brown Foundation and Pontchartrain Conservancy on a native tree nursery in Bucktown where they cultivate trees used for coastal restoration. Johnson considers the success he and his four staff members have had in building the next generation of local leaders to be their most significant achievement.
Financial resources remain a challenge, as does “getting people to believe they can make a difference, and what that looks like,” noted Johnson. “We continue to give the community a sense of hope. We’ve seen these things before, and hopefully we will prevail as before. We’re not going anywhere.”
IN AUGUST 2005, Kay Morrison was working her way up the corporate ladder as an executive for Starwood Hotels. Though born and raised in New Orleans, and by that time married with two children, in her words “I was never here. I lived on an airplane.”
The flooding inundated her Fontainebleau house, forcing the family to relocate first to Providence, Rhode Island, then closer to home in Jefferson Parish. Travel remained a constant until, while preparing to leave on yet another business trip, “I realized how exhausted and sad I was. I cried the whole time I was on the plane.”
She quit almost immediately upon arrival and returned home. Her income, however, was necessary for her family. The entrepreneurial spirit struck quickly.
“My husband used to joke that we needed an occasional wife,” she recalled. So she took her 401(k) funds and launched The Occasional Wife, a business that helps people organize their homes, businesses, events and lives in general.
“There was a good market for it, because everyone was in that rebuild mode, and I
was able to offer the services that helped people get back in their homes,” Morrison explained. “People were either being minimalists, getting rid of everything, or being the opposite, replacing everything they had lost times ten.”
nine million challenges all the time,” Morrison noted with a wry laugh. “And it’s not easy to own a business in New Orleans. I love my city, but we could do so much more for businesses
“...everyone was in that rebuild mode, and I was able to offer the services that helped people get back in their homes.”
For the former, Morrison helped empty their spaces, reselling many items in her newly opened store, which in turn supplied those in the latter category.
From that emergency response beginning, The Occasional Wife has now blossomed into seven stores with 60 employees, including locations in Pass Christian, Mississippi, and Pensacola, Florida. Services include on-site estate sales, organizing and decluttering (with some of the discarded items consigned to the stores), packing and moving, and event planning, among others.
“There’s a huge market here, so many beautiful antiques and vintage items,” Morrison observed.
With expansion has, of course, come challenges. Staffing is never easy, especially post-COVID, but Morrison makes the jobs more attractive by being very flexible.
“The idea behind The Occasional Wife was to be a woman-owned business for women, so they could work and still go out and pursue what they want to do,” she elaborated. “We want women to have a good work-life balance.”
In addition, insurance costs of all kinds are spiraling. And each new location, while exciting, also requires managing all kinds of license and code requirements.
“Anytime you own a small business, there’s
and keeping people here.”
None of this is stopping her from continuing her growth.
“Next thing on my horizon is updating all my stores, giving them a cleaner look, finding more efficient ways to distribute between stores,” she said.
Even bigger news is the imminent opening of a new store in Brooklyn, New York.
“My son lives there. He works in the film business, so he has a lot of down time to help out,” Morrison said. “The vintage business is just exploding up there; I already have a lot of clients.”
Morrison knows she fills a special niche in the business landscape.
“Not everybody loves to dig through houses and clear them out,” she noted. “But I love offering my services to people. I love helping our city.”
The Occasional Wife
KAY MORRISON FOUNDER & OWNER
MACHI MEDRZYCKI OWNER AND GENERAL CONTRACTOR
AS A KID growing up in Poland, Machi Medrzycki loved building exotic structures with his Lego set. “I was always drawn to doing stuff with my hands,” he recalled, adding, “I was always drawn to the United States and wanted to live here.”
At age 19, Medrzycki seized the opportunity to join his brother in Buffalo, New York. Eventually he moved to Daytona Beach, Florida, where he went to work in a souvenir stand.
Soon thereafter the owner decided to expand, and Medrzycki, still interested in building things, signed on to be part of the process. Working with the contractor hired for the job, he began learning the trade and ultimately went to work for the contractor.
“He was a one man shop doing small, high-end projects,” he recounted. “I learned a lot about practical applications.”
When Hurricane Charles hit, and the work expanded dramatically. “That taught me production, how to do a volume of work. That sped up my learning process a lot.”
Then Katrina hit New Orleans. In summer of 2006, Medrzycki moved to Slidell and began rebuilding in St. Bernard Parish.
“It was a gloomy time,” he remembered, passing through state police checkpoints to get to job sites, “but there was a lot of work.”
As his experience and skill sets grew, so did his business. By 2011, he had obtained both residential and commercial contractors’ licenses and expanded into New Orleans and the Northshore.
Around the same time, he developed connections in the commercial property management field, adding commercial projects to his residential work. The increased scale required using lines of credit to float some of the projects, but whenever possible, Medrzycki used the proceeds from one job to start the next.
Nearly 20 years later, MLM is well established in the local construction industry, focusing on historic and luxury home renovations and additions, along with commercial renovation and buildouts. The company has received the coveted Best of Houzz award for eight consecutive years, along with Best of Home in 2015 and 2017. Recent major projects include renovating the Park Esplanade apartment building and the Fairfield Inn on Baronne Street and rebuilding a Family Dollar store destroyed by fire.
Ironically, a big challenge now is competition from new firms.
“There are a lot of newcomers who are very hungry,” he commented. “They may have low overheads or not really understand the actual costs of the projects.”
More recently, the economy has created difficulties.
“Interest rates are high, and there is a slowdown in cash flow,” he reported. “People are paying attention to every dollar.”
In response, Medrzycki has initiated a substantial shift among his seven-member staff.
“We started hiring for the purposes of company culture,” he elaborated. “I want people who share
“We started hiring for the purposes of company culture. I want people who share the same values, like the customer always comes first.”
the same values, like the customer always comes first.”
In the meantime, “I have abandoned my office, now I work out of the conference room. I want people to come in and talk. We keep everything out in the open.”
To help with stress reduction, Medrzycki has even installed a punching bag that the staff can use to vent their frustrations.
The real answer, though, is continuing to scale up. “Smaller projects make more money, but they require constant work,” he explained. “We want to keep moving to the larger projects, where there may be a lower profit percentage, but that comes out of a higher-priced project.”
The Work On
Inside Louisiana’s plan to grow (and retain) its workforce
In a major pivot away from traditional economic development incentives, Louisiana has officially launched its new High Impact Jobs Program, a grant-based initiative designed to grow the state’s talent pool and reward companies for creating high-paying jobs that benefit local communities.
The program, signed into law in 2024 as Act 330, replaces more than $400 million in expiring tax credits with targeted grants for employers who add jobs that pay above the average wage in their respective parishes.
the kinds of jobs that pay salaries that can make a real difference for families and communities.”
By tying incentives to wages rather than headcount alone, state leaders hope to generate a multiplier effect that boosts local incomes and spurs long-term economic growth.
Unlike one-size-fits-all subsidies, the new model is context-sensitive: companies in rural parishes don’t have to match metro wages, but they do need to offer above-average compensation for their region.
By Samantha Hindman
Illustrations by Donough O’Malley
According to Ileana Ledet, the chief economic competitiveness officer at Louisiana Economic Development (LED), “We’ve moved away from traditional tax credits and instead are offering grants that directly support companies creating
In economically distressed communities, the threshold is even lower.
“To qualify, jobs must pay above-average wages for the specific parish they’re in,” explained Ledet. “That means a business in rural Louisiana isn’t held to the same wage standard as one in a big metro
Workforce
area — but both are expected to raise the bar locally. It’s a smarter, fairer way to drive economic growth and wage growth.”
The High Impact Jobs Program is set to roll out in phases beginning this summer, with LED coordinating closely with the Louisiana Workforce Commission (LWC), higher education leaders, and the Louisiana Community and Technical College System (LCTCS).
“Together, we’ll help make sure there’s a steady stream of trained workers ready to step into these jobs — and grow with them,” said Ledet.
As the High Impact Jobs Program opens its first round of applications, let’s take a closer look at how state and regional partners are working to align workforce development with real-time employer needs.
FUEL Targets Workforce Growth in Energy and Tech
While LED’s new incentives aim to spark job creation across the state, another effort is working to ensure Louisiana’s workforce is ready for the energy jobs of tomorrow.
The Future Use of Energy in Louisiana (FUEL) initiative, anchored by LSU and backed by a record $160 million NSF Engines grant and $67.5 million from LED, is uniting colleges, universities, state agencies and industry leaders in an ambitious plan to reimagine Louisiana’s energy workforce.
Earlier this year, FUEL awarded nearly $900,000 in grants to 13 projects through its Seed and Scale Funds, which prioritize rapid expansion and experimentation.
Scale grants of $100,000 each help existing programs expand their reach within a year, while Seed grants support pilot efforts with strong potential in areas like STEM education and workbased learning.
At River Parishes Community College, a Scale Fund award is helping revamp its Instrumentation and Electrical Technology program to include a new electrical concentration.
“This investment allows us to enrich our programs and give students direct access to cutting-edge tools and industry-relevant training that leads to meaningful careers,” said Donovan Thompson, RPCC’s dean of energy and advanced technology, in a press release.
Other grants are supporting initiatives such as industry externships for teachers and robotics
programs for high schoolers, all designed to build momentum in underserved areas or address future labor needs.
With FUEL’s long-term horizon and strong private sector backing, the state is doubling down on its goal of developing a locally rooted, highly skilled energy workforce, preparing Louisiana for the energy transition ahead.
Community Colleges Are Rising to The Occasion
While statewide programs like LED’s High Impact Jobs initiative and FUEL’s workforce grants are helping attract employers and funding, much of the on-the-ground activity of workforce development is happening across Louisiana’s network of community and technical colleges.
The Louisiana Community and Technical College System (LCTCS), which is made up of 12 institutions serving every region of the state, has become a linchpin in local talent development.
“We’re focused on educating, training, and catering to the talent development needed for industries in our communities across the state,” said Chandler LeBoeuf, vice president of education at LCTCS.
That mission is grounded in real-time labor data and deep employer partnerships. In practice, it means launching and expanding programs where jobs are plentiful and need is recognized.
“Healthcare is one we continue to scale,” LeBoeuf said. “We’ve had institutions double or even triple enrollment in those programs. This year alone, the LCTCS system produced more than 8,400 health care credentials, ranging from entry-level phlebotomists to registered nurses.
Across the state, LCTCS colleges tailor programs to local employment opportunities like renewable energy projects in the Southeast, or industrial construction in the River Parishes. New projects like Meta and Hyundai often trigger fast expansions in program capacity as nearby campuses respond.
“They were working with companies in their regions to educate and train, and then they were earning while they learned as well,” said Leboeuf. Programs like the welding apprenticeship offered at SOWELA Technical Community College are also producing strong outcomes, but scaling these models remains a challenge. Registering formal apprenticeships can be bureaucratic for colleges and employers alike, something the Louisiana Workforce Commission (LWC) is now hoping to streamline.
Still, when done well, these programs have shown near-100% job placement rates, helping students enter the workforce faster and with less debt.
Another promising strategy is extending workforce training to underserved and nontraditional populations. At Nunez Community College, that’s taken the form of a Spanish-language NCCER Core construction course, taught by an English-speaking instructor with a live in-class interpreter.
“We recognized we have many Spanish-speaking residents in our region who are being held back from secure employment because they haven’t yet reached an adequate level of English proficiency,” said Reggie Poché, the assistant vice chancellor for education, training, and student success at Nunez Community College.
The program had a 100% completion rate in its pilot cohort, and interest is growing, with more than 25 students enrolled for the summer 2025 session.
For students, the payoff granted from taking these curated, region-specific programs can be immediate.
In some cases, short-term workforce courses are launched within days to fill immediate openings. In others, colleges develop longer-term for-credit programs, working closely with the Board of Regents and industry to align content with job expectations.
“When there’s a need, our colleges move fast, and they share what works,” said LeBoeuf.
That system-wide coordination is key. Through program sharing, a successful model at one college can be replicated at another to serve entirely new communities.
For instance, utility line worker training, a fast-growing programs that was originally
offered at just one location, is now available at multiple campuses across the state. Similar expansions are happening in industrial maintenance, welding and electrical trades.
At the heart of this work is the shared goal of connecting more Louisiana residents with meaningful, well-paying jobs, and boosting the state’s overall labor force participation rate.
“It’s about training and mobility, but more importantly, it’s about ensuring we keep our talent here in Louisiana,” said LeBoeuf.
Colleges Are Providing Direct Pipelines to Well-Paying Jobs
The breadth of knowledge and assistance provided to these students is not limited to the classroom.
A standout example is the mechatronics apprenticeship shared between Nunez, Northshore Technical and Delgado community colleges. In this “earn-and-learn” model, students split time between classroom instruction and on-the-job training with partner companies.
One Nunez student in the school’s new Wind Turbine Technician program — launched to anticipate demand from Gulf Coast offshore wind projects — landed a job before finishing the program. Other students, including high schoolers enrolled in dual-enrollment trade programs, have gone straight from graduation into well-paying careers.
“I received a message from a mother whose son went through our welding program,” Poché relayed. “This family had never had a family vehicle before, but with the salary her son received upon graduating and getting his first job as a welder, he was able to buy a truck.”
These stories, Poché said, are what keep educators going even when faced with difficult challenges.
Building A Workforce Requires Support
To make these successful initiatives happen, a web of public funding and advocacy for more inclusive policy is required.
Federal Perkins grants, for example, often support the launch of new career and technical programs or fund vital equipment upgrades. Nunez’s Spanish-language construction class was made possible with Perkins funds, designed to test new ways of reaching underrepresented learners.
Other programs help cover tuition directly. The state’s M.J. Foster Promise program provides free or reduced-cost tuition for many adult learners pursuing credentials in high-demand fields.
For traditional college students, Pell Grants can be essential, but these come with fine print: Pell can only be used for for-credit academic programs, not short-term, non-credit workforce training.
That presents a major gap, especially since many of the most in-demand job pathways begin with short-term credentials. If a course isn’t covered by M.J. Foster or other state resources, students are often left piecing together financial assistance through Louisiana Workforce Commission programs or local grants.
But tuition is only one piece of the puzzle. For many students, the bigger challenge is life itself.
LeBoeuf and other college leaders stress that the average LCTCS student is in their mid-20s, often working full-time, raising children and navigating other barriers to success.
At Nunez Community College, Reggie Poché says transit remains a core obstacle. “It’s not that students don’t want to come to class,” he said. “Sometimes, they just physically can’t get there.”
Many students travel from New Orleans East, where public bus routes don’t easily connect to the Chalmette campus. A proposed bus line extension could help solve the issue, he says, and efforts are underway to explore possible solutions.
To assist with these structural issues, LCTCS is rethinking the traditional academic model.
“The model of educating individuals Monday through Friday from 8 to 4 is no longer a model,” said LeBoeuf. “And so, offering evening courses, weekend programming or overnight programs, I think, are things that we have to consider.”
One example of this is providing evening classes to nursing students who would already prefer working night-shift hours upon graduation. The goal is a holistic retention model where financial aid, student services and flexible scheduling all work in tandem.
Retaining Louisiana’s Talent: Training Is Only Half the Battle
Once these students are trained, Louisiana faces another challenge: keeping this talent in the state. This, says LeBoeuf, is an area where community colleges shine.
“The vast majority of our graduates stay and work in Louisiana or ... in the communities in which they’re born and raised,” he said.
This high retention rate means Louisiana’s investments in career training are largely staying in-state, at least for students in community and technical colleges. By serving as a direct pipeline into regional sectors, collaboration between schools and industry creates a mutually beneficial situation.
But that’s only part of the picture.
Across the broader economy, the state still struggles with a brain drain, particularly among young professionals lured away by higher-paying jobs in Texas, Mississippi, or farther afield.
If a shipbuilder across state lines offers $5–$10 more per hour, graduates will understandably take the offer. The burden lies with employers to create jobs that are not only available, but also competitive and exciting for local talent.
This is where the High Impact Jobs Program reenters the story. By rewarding companies that pay above-average wages in their parish, Louisiana is attacking one of the root causes of outmigration: underwhelming salaries.
Businesses offering high-wage jobs (125% to 150% of the area’s average) can now receive performance-based rebates up to 22% of payroll costs.
That’s a strong financial incentive to level up pay and keep more graduates grounded in Louisiana.
To help, LCTCS, LED, LWC, and regional economic developers are now coordinating more closely, matching graduates to these high-wage opportunities as they emerge.
A forthcoming statewide “one-door” platform is expected to streamline this matchmaking process, creating a more accessible pipeline for employers to communicate needs and hire locally.
As these programs mature, other states will be watching. If successful, it could position Louisiana as a leader in workforce development.
There are still unknowns: Economic trends will shift, new industries will rise, and labor demands will evolve. But with flexibility built into new programs and a commitment to long-term alignment, Louisiana may be better equipped than ever to adapt and lead.
And perhaps, for the first time in decades, the state’s labor pipeline won’t just meet the needs of its economy, it will help redefine what that economy looks like. T
FROM THE LENS
58 WHY DIDN’T I THINK OF THAT?
A local design collective’s sustainable swimwear gives back to local eco-friendly causes
62
NEIGHBORHOOD GEM
The third-generation owner of Ricca’s Architectural Sales shares the one item that dominates their sales
64
NEW ORLEANS 500 Gerald Duhon, executive director of New Orleans Culinary and Hospitality Institute (NOCHI)
54 GREAT WORKSPACES
The Rigs at The Batture offers the chance to get work done while enjoying a peaceful setting along the Mississippi River
RIVERSIDE RETREAT
BY MISTY MILIOTO
PHOTOS BY SARA ESSEX BRADLEY
Ispaces. Tucked on 10 acres of land along the Mississippi River in Uptown, and now known as The Batture, the multifaceted project honors the site’s maritime industrial past and serves as a vibrant community hub.
industrial bones of the buildings while also maximizing natural light and river views. In order to meet these goals, the team tapped Martha Pearson, owner at Martha Pearson Designs, to retain much of the site’s industrial maritime character while updating the interiors to feel modern, bright and welcoming. Pearson led the space planning, concept development, materials selection, furniture, fixtures and equipment (FF&E) procurement, art curation, and construction management for the project.
“We wanted to make the space feel stylish and productive, while also working with the buildings’ existing character,” said Schroeder. “Martha’s knack for blending modern style with historical charm made her the perfect fit for The Rigs. The design feels like it belongs here — it reflects the rhythm of the river and the natural beauty all around.”
Pearson embraced the original steel structure of the buildings, which guided decisions about how to support a co-working layout.
“In the open workspace and gallery, you can still see the original steel columns, which we chose to highlight as part of the design,” she noted. “For most of the private offices, we retained the existing wall layouts to maintain cost-efficiency and streamline the build-out. These spaces were then refreshed with new finishes and thoughtfully selected furnishings.”
For the design direction, Pearson drew from both the Mississippi River and the surrounding industrial landscape.
“Our goal was to create a seamless connection between the rugged, industrial exterior and the light-filled, modern interiors,” she said. “The
n the 1980s, the Bisso family of Bisso Marine transported aging oil rig platforms to their marine salvage yard. In the 1990s, those rigs were converted into modern office spaces.
In October 2023, Ben Jacobson and Casey Burka of Federated Historic Holdings purchased the industrial site and redeveloped it into a mixed-use project featuring green areas, food and beverage options, and community gathering
The existing office spaces — now known as The Rigs at The Batture, which opened last September — have been renovated to meet contemporary coworking needs. In addition to a first-floor co-working space and flexible, private offices (sized for solo use or small teams), The Rigs also features three conference rooms, lounge areas and soft seating throughout, a communal kitchen with coffee bar, and outdoor seating and work areas.
“There’s nowhere else in New Orleans where you can work steps from the river, surrounded by green space, with a breeze off the water and room to breathe,” noted Community Manager Abby Schroeder.
The developers had several goals for the project. First, they wanted to maintain the
Set on 10 acres along the Mississippi River in Uptown, The Batture is a former industrial site that now includes green areas, food and beverage offerings and office spaces called The Rigs at The Batture.
result is a space where tenants enjoy the best of both worlds — unparalleled access to the river and surrounding green space, combined with the comfort and functionality of a contemporary office environment.”
Inspired by the natural and industrial elements surrounding the site, the space’s color palette sports blues and greens that are paired with bold safety reds and yellows of equipment and weathered rust tones of passing barges.
“We took a restrained approach to material selection to ensure a cohesive feel throughout the offices,” Pearson said. “Modern furnishings and lighting keep the space fresh and inviting.”
Pearson added that the developers are very supportive of local collaboration, “which allowed us to partner with Cucuron, a New Orleans–based online marketplace showcasing local artists, to curate a rotating gallery in the open office area.”
In addition to the rotating gallery, Pearson layered in plenty of greenery, plus large-scale art and custom sculptures to create a unique and dynamic environment.
“We designed abstract rig-inspired sculptures using industrial scraps salvaged from the 10-acre site,” she added. “After selecting and assembling the pieces, we worked with a welder to put the pieces together, where they now hang in the lobby and kitchen. We love the connectivity between the history of the land’s industrial past and the building’s modern purpose.”
Unlike traditional coworking spaces, The Rigs provides the mental clarity of a retreat without ever leaving the city.
“The blend of nature, space and creative energy is rare — and it makes getting things done feel good,” Schroeder said. “It’s productive, but without pressure — like working from a vacation destination just steps from home.” T
Martha Pearson, owner of Martha Pearson Designs, paired modern style and historical charm for the interiors of The Rigs at The Batture.
In addition to a first-floor coworking space and flexible, private offices, The Rigs also features three conference rooms, lounge areas and soft seating throughout, a communal kitchen with coffee bar, and outdoor seating and work areas.
Number of Employees 60 coworkers, 2 employees of The Rigs
Persons in Charge
Abby Schroeder, community manager
Architecture CICADA
Interior Décor
Martha Pearson Designs
Initial Brand Development In House
Art and furnishings
Martha Pearson Designs plus some art furnished in partnership with Cucuron
SUITING UP WITH PURPOSE
BY ASHLEY MCLELLAN
PHOTOS BY EDMUND D. FOUNTAIN
Launched in 2021, New Orleans-based NOA Collective is a swimwear company that has stormed the beaches of design with an innovative approach to sustainable fashion and community engagement.
The company sells its luxury, small batch swimsuits online, (except for one recent pop-up), and promotes “bold, recognizable styles” created with “ethically sourced, sustainable materials.”
Founded by Veronica Droulia, Ben Seago and Carter Kronlage, NOA Collective is the result of the coming together of three lifelong friends to create a brand that embraces both fashion and function while still supporting their hometown — and beyond. Proceeds from the company’s line of designer swimsuits are donated to organizations that give back to environmental issues. FROM THE LENS WHY DIDN’T I THINK OF THAT?
NOA Collective stands for Nature’s Own Art. The company emphasizes its mission through its artfully designed swimwear that is sustainably created with carefully sourced fabrics and low-waste packaging.
“New Orleans is where the heart of NOA lives,” Droulia explained. “It’s a city full of soul, resilience and vibrant creativity — and those are all values we try to infuse into everything we do.”
The NOA in NOA Collective stands for Nature’s Own Art, and the company’s emphasis on nature isn’t only apparent in its line of artfully designed swimwear but is also an integral part of its approach to creating pieces in a sustainable way, with carefully sourced fabrics and low-waste packaging — two essential parts of the equation, according to Droulia.
“NOA Collective was born out of a deep love for the ocean and a desire to redefine what luxury swimwear could look like,” she explained. “As someone who’s always been inspired by nature and driven by sustainability, I wanted to create a brand that allowed people to feel beautiful in their skin while being part of something bigger. I wanted each piece to feel like a wearable escape: timeless, elevated and ethically made.”
NOA Collective currently partners with Glass Roots, a sister program to the successful Glass Half Full nonprofit, as part of its mission to support local environmental efforts.
“Our partnership with Glass Roots means a lot to us because they’re not only focused on innovative environmental solutions like turning recycled glass into sand for coastal restoration, but also deeply invested in community education, environmental justice, and building resilience in vulnerable neighborhoods across Louisiana,” said Droulia. “We support them by donating a portion of every sale to fund these restoration projects, and we amplify their story through our platforms to raise awareness about the importance of coastal preservation.”
Droulia said the company is out to make an impact.
“We love connecting with the people here and showing that purpose-driven fashion can be born in unexpected places — not just on the coasts or in traditional fashion hubs.”
While they may be small pieces, swimwear is big business.
According to a June 2025 Fortune Business Insights report, swimwear sales continue to grow in popularity both in the U.S. and internationally as travel and visits to pools and beaches has increased post-pandemic. The report noted
that the global swimwear market was valued at $21.22 billion in 2024 and is projected to grow to $22.04 billion in 2025 and reach $30.59 billion by 2032.
NOA Collective is hitting upon a trend that is rapidly becoming popular among consumers.
Fortune Business Insights’ report goes on to note sustainability as a popular growing trend among both small design businesses and larger name brands.
“Sustainable and eco-friendly swimsuit products can significantly enhance the growth of the market as consumers have become more environmentally conscious about their lifestyle choices,” the report noted. “…Brands that prioritize sustainability gain a competitive edge in the market.
The report noted that in June 2022, Speedo, a popular brand of swimsuit products, launched its most sustainable swimsuit collection, manufactured with 82% recycled materials.
Designs for NOA Collective have been a team effort from the beginning with its founders, as well as local makers who brought their attention to detail to the initial line of designs.
NOA Collective swimwear retails for $60 to $125, with options for men and women’s bathing suits. Its signature “Audubon” triangle swim top and high waisted bikini bottom designs are best-selling products.
“I lead the creative direction and design for each collection, but NOA’s roots are deeply collaborative,” said Droulia. “Ben and Carter have been the masterminds behind our unique print selections, while I sketch away on my iPad.”
NOA Collective’s first two collections were designed and manufactured in New Orleans by a team of women who specialize in costume design for Mardi Gras, noted Droulia. “Their craftsmanship, creativity and attention to detail helped bring the earliest NOA pieces to life, and we’re forever grateful for their role in shaping our foundation,” she said.
While the company’s suits’ fabrication started out based in New Orleans, it has since branched out, but still with an eye for conscious manufacturing.
“As the brand has grown, so have our operations — we now manufacture in Colombia through a woman-led studio that shares our
values around ethical production and sustainability. But we’ll never forget our beginnings or the New Orleans makers who helped us get started,” Droulia said.
NOA Collective swimwear retails for $60 to $125, with options for men and women’s bathing suits. Its signature “Audubon” triangle swim top and high waisted bikini bottom designs are its current best-selling products, available direct-to-consumer via the company’s website as well as pop-ups and collaborations with local boutiques.
“We recently hosted a beautiful in-store pop-up in New Orleans in collaboration with Romney Studios and Playa Bowls,” noted Droulia. “The event consisted of Erin Romney’s signature pulse class, after-class treats from Playa Bowls, and lots of NOA merch. We’re planning to expand our retail presence through selective stockists and pop-ups that align with
our values and aesthetic. We’ll be announcing a collaboration with a major marketplace later this summer.”
While NOA Collective’s design catalog is currently centered on luxury swimsuits, the company is focused on expanding its product line and reach.
“We’re just getting started,” Droulia said. “Our next steps include expanding into new product categories, growing our community events, and deepening our impact partnerships. We’re also exploring a limited-edition resort wear capsule and a small series of travel guides that pair our swimwear with curated experiences in coastal destinations. At our core, we want to continue building a brand that feels like a lifestyle — one that supports intentional living, beautiful design and collective impact.”T
Recycling — Home Edition
The third-generation owner of Ricca’s Architectural Sales shares the one item that dominates their sales.
BY KEITH TWITCHELL
This is more like our family baby than a business,” commented Julie Ricca with a laugh. “We are the caretakers as it gets handed down.”
Ricca is the third-generation co-owner of the eponymous Ricca’s Architectural Sales. The business was founded in 1956 by her grandfather, who observed the city tearing down old buildings on Poydras Street to widen and redevelop it.
“He saw them throwing things into the landfill and he didn’t like that,” Ricca recalled. “He was green before green was anything but a color.”
While it is now a Mid-City institution, nestled into its 511 North Solomon Street location just off the Lafitte Greenway, the nature of the store’s inventory means customers come from all over town. Ricca estimates that there are millions of items on hand, from chandeliers and lighting of all kinds to beautiful old stained glass (and contemporary) windows, from every imaginable type of builder’s hardware, hinges and handles, fittings and fixtures, to plumbing and even old bathtubs.
“We try to be a one-stop shop,” said Ricca, though she confessed that she doesn’t even attempt to keep track of every last item. “There
would be no way to take an inventory, and three days later, it would be inaccurate anyway.”
Among this historical architectural miscellany, “Doors are our bread and butter,” Ricca reported. “People want doors with character.”
The process of obtaining these items usually begins with a phone call reporting demolition of an old building. Photos are requested, and if it looks promising, a site visit will follow. In addition, contractors and homeowners frequently bring in items discarded during renovations.
Besides all the glorious older pieces, Ricca’s also offers certain new items. With a full-service mill shop next door, doors and shutters can be custom-built, or resized and repaired.
The company also has its own line of builders’ hardware, historic reproductions that are made abroad. Similarly, a line of historic door reproductions is also imported.
Unfortunately, this is now Ricca’s biggest challenge. “Prices for imports are fluctuating constantly,” she noted, “so we are being a little more cautious with what we are bringing in. Right now, we are focusing on what we have in stock and waiting it out to see what happens.
“Reclaimed items don’t have tariffs,” she added with a chuckle.
These pieces have other virtues as well. Ricca pointed out that many classic architectural items aren’t made any more or made as well. Thus, an item that is already decades old may still outlast something new.
And, while there is a perception that anything older has to cost more, Ricca and her eight fellow staff members work with customers to meet their budgets.
“If you go outside New Orleans, things are so much more expensive, but we’re still this nice little bubble where things are more affordable,” she said. Being customer-focused has been a core tenet of the businesses since her grandfather’s time, and it has paid off with multi-generational patrons.
“People come in and say their grandparents came here,” Ricca said. “Now they bring their kids. It’s almost like a museum.
“Seeing something have a second life is the best. It’s wonderful when we get emails from customers years later. It’s wonderful to create with our customers.” T
Orleans 500
ON THE HORIZON
With its initial accreditation review complete, NOCHI is looking forward to taking the lead as our community’s culinary and hospitality education leader and industry convener.
Gerald Duhon
Executive Director of New Orleans Culinary and Hospitality Institute (NOCHI)
GO-TO RESTAURANT
With so many wonderful partners at NOCHI, how can I pick just one? Let’s just say this is the most exciting time ever to go out for a meal in our city. It’s hard to go wrong.
BEST FEST Jazz Fest
HOBBY/PASSION
Watching my son coach college baseball at George Mason in Fairfax, Virginia
BEST ADVICE
Think of extending true hospitality as someone feeling like you are on their side, even if the outcome is not what they want. The secret is moving through life with this spirit of hospitality.
Duhon draws on his 30-year experience in nonprofit management, workforce development and food service to lead NOCHI’s mission of culinary and hospitality education. NOCHI’s programs center on culinary arts and baking and pastry arts, as well as onboarding and upskilling industry workers in the organization’s signature Hospitality Investment Training (HIT) curriculum. Duhon is also active on civic and nonprofit boards. T
