Biz New Orleans October 2014

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Biz | An Introduction

What Jefferson Saw

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rom its earliest days New Orleans was about business. Some cities are settled by pilgrims in search of salvation; others by pioneers looking for space; but New Orleans was an entrepreneurial enterprise tracing back to Scotsman John Law and His Company of the West. In 1715 Law had been granted a contract by the French regent, Philppe of Orleans, to exploit wealth from the Louisiana territory. Though Law was not successful at finding the gold and silver he envisioned, a prosperous city nevertheless developed.

Eventually, as a new nation was formed and expanded, President Thomas Jefferson realized that this city, which connected the nation’s mainland via the Mississippi river to the Gulf of Mexico and then the world, was too valuable not to own.

“There is on this globe a single spot, the possessor of which is the natural and habitual enemy of the United States. It is New Orleans… through which the produce of three-eights of our territory must pass to market,” he wrote to Robert Livingston, the U.S.’s minister to France. Livingston was instructed to try to buy New Orleans from France. Emperor Napoleon Bonaparte agreed and then threw in the entire Louisiana territory reaching as far as Montana, thus completing one of history’s all-time best business deals.

Contemporary New Orleans has never been an important business city in terms of manufacturing or members on the stock exchange or richest companies. Its business activity is more the sum of its parts. There are the port, tourism and oil, but there are also lots of bits and pieces; some drawn here because it makes strategic sense. Many were a product of the post-Katrina migration as wouldbe entrepreneurs sensed New Orleans as a place of romance, adventure and opportunity.

Over the years New Orleans would develop a reputation as a party town too, a reputation which in itself would be good for business.

Biz New Orleans, the magazine, was founded in 2003, but did not return after Katrina when so much about the city’s future was in doubt. Now we have no doubt. The future looks bright, but even if it did not there would be stories to tell. As a business magazine with a companion website, BizNewOrleans.com, we intend to resonate to the pulse of the region and tell those stories. n

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october 2014 | volume 1 | issue 1

Publisher Todd Matherne Editorial Editor-in-chief Errol Laborde Managing Editor Kimberley Singletary Creative Director Tiffani R. Amedeo Art Director Ciera Holzenthal Photographer Cheryl Gerber Web Editor Kelly Massicot Contributors Kathy Finn, Pamela Marquis, Chris Price, Margaret Quilter, Peter Reichard, Judi Russell, Erin Shaw, Leslie Snadowsky, Keith Twitchell, Bonnie Warren advertising VIce President of Sales Colleen Monaghan Sales Manager Maegan O’Brien maegan@bizneworleans.com (504) 830-7219 Account Executives Melissa Rehage Quijano melissa@bizneworleans.com (504) 830-7225 Caitlin Sistrunk caitlin@bizneworleans.com (504) 830-7252 PRODUCTION Production/Web Manager Staci McCarty Production Designers Monique DiPietro, Ali Sullivan Traffic Manager Erin Duhe administration Chief Executive Officer Todd Matherne President Alan Campell Executive Vice President Errol Laborde VIce President of Sales Colleen Monaghan Director of Marketing & Events Cheryl Lemione Administrative Assistant Denise Dean Distribution Manager John Holzer Subscriptions/Manager Sara Kelemencky

110 Veterans Blvd., Suite 123, Metairie, LA 70005 (504) 828-1380 Biz New Orleans is published monthly by Renaissance Publishing, LLC, 110 Veterans Blvd., Suite 123, Metairie, LA 70005; (504) 828-1380. Postage paid at Metairie, LA, and additional mailing entry offices. POSTMASTER: Send address changes to Biz New Orleans, 110 Veterans Blvd., Suite 123, Metairie, LA 70005. Copyright 2014 Biz New Orleans. No part of this publication may be reproduced without the consent of the publisher. The trademark Biz New Orleans is registered. Biz New Orleans is not responsible for unsolicited manuscripts, photos and artwork, even if accompanied by a self-addressed stamped envelope. The opinions expressed in Biz New Orleans are those of the authors and do not necessarily reflect the views of the magazine or owner.

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Contents

44 Features

From the Lens

On the Cover

36 Selling New Orleans

50 Great Offices

GNO, Inc. CEO Michael Hecht

GNO, Inc. CEO Michael Hecht knows how to win.

By Kathy Finn

44 Dong Phuong Bakery

Where Vietnamese Poor Boys are a family affair

By erin shaw

54 Why Didn’t I Think of That?

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Smallchalk signage finds a niche.

80 Behind the Scenes

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Saints and Pelicans owner Tom Benson

Grape pressing time at Pontchartrain Vineyards.

spends each day fighting for New Orleans - whether it’s fighting to bring in more business, or against increasing flood rates.

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Contents

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68

62

Columns

Perspectives

News

22 Dining Biz

58 Security

24 Tourism Biz

62 Real Estate

20 Calendar

32 Biz Bites

26 Sports Biz

68 Healthcare

74 Biz Person of the Month

The clean, modern look can create issues.

NOLATech Week draws thousands

Tulane’s new stadium by the numbers

28 Film Biz

New Orleans Film Festival returns.

30 Entrepreneur Biz

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Organizations helping startups

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The latest in security cameras

Tulane hospital corridor is booming

UMC and the new VA

Upcoming events not to miss

Industry News

Henry L. Coaxum, Coaxum Industries

78 Around Town - Events

Industry gatherings

Publisher’s Note

Rebirth of a Dream

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his issue marks the rebirth of what started in 2003 as a new way of telling the stories behind the successes of New Orleans businesses Biz New Orleans.

Since Hurricane Katrina, New Orleans has transformed itself in many ways.

The changing business climate here has received a lot of focus, and people all around the nation are paying attention.

My professional career has spanned the publishing and media industry for the past 25 years. In 2006, during post-Katrina New Orleans, I leveraged a minority ownership in a predecessor company, and along with some new partners formed Renaissance Publishing. We created a dynamic new business to focus on telling the story of the rebirth of New Orleans.

Renaissance Publishing is a niche publisher with titles like New Orleans Homes and Lifestyles, the only home magazine in New Orleans; St. Charles Avenue, the city’s only philanthropic magazine; and New Orleans Magazine, the award-winning chronicler of life in our city. Now there’s Biz New Orleans, the sole business magazine in New Orleans.

Our goal with Biz New Orleans is to produce a first class magazine covering all facets of the New Orleans business scene and highlighting its people and the city’s ongoing transformation.

I invite you to e-mail me at Todd@ BizNewOrleans.com and let me know what you think of our premiere edition. n

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Contributors Kathy Finn Business writer Kathy Finn was editor of the original Biz New Orleans Magazine and its daily news website BizNewOrleans.com, and is a former editor of New Orleans CityBusiness newspaper. She currently covers business and general news for several publishers, including Reuters International News Service, The New Orleans Advocate and New Orleans Magazine.

Cheryl Gerber A native New Orleanian, Cheryl Gerber is a freelance journalist and documentary photographer. She is a regular contributor to The New York Times, the Associated Press and New Orleans Magazine, and has been a staff photographer for Gambit Weekly since 1994.

During the past two decades Cheryl has won several awards from the New Orleans Press Club for her work on social issues and news photography.

Chris Price Chris Price is an award-winning journalist and public relations practitioner. When he’s not writing, he’s avid about music, the outdoors and Saints & Chelsea football. He lives in New Orleans with his wife, two girls and three Labradors.

Margaret Quilter Australian expat Margaret Quilter has traveled extensively for both business and pleasure throughout Asia Pacific, Africa, Europe and America. With New Orleans as her permanent base, she has continued to work within the publishing industry; from having tales of her adventures abroad published in international magazines, to creating scavenger hunts and guides based on New Orleans. Check out her weekly blog, “Tourism Biz” at BizNewOrleans.com.

Peter Reichard A former newspaper editor and business journalist, Peter Reichard is a native New Orleanian who has written about the life and times of the city for more than 20 years. He is a frequent contributor to New Orleans Magazine and New Orleans Homes & Lifestyles.

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Contributors Judi Russell Freelance writer and editor Judi Russell has contributed to a variety of publications, including New Orleans Magazine, Louisiana Life, The Good Life, New Orleans CityBusiness, The Times-Picayune, the Des Moines Register and DSM Magazine.

Erin Shaw Erin Shaw is a freelance writer who loves food, travel and all things New Orleans. Prior to writing for Biz New Orleans Magazine, Erin has written for DailyCandy, FATHOM, LA Confidential Magazine and many others. She also published her debut novel, Party Girl - A Modern Fairy Tale, earlier this year. Above all else she loves telling stories. Check out her weekly blog “Startup Successes” at BizNewOrleans.com.

Leslie Snadowsky Leslie Snadowsky joins Biz New Orleans as a business news reporter and video blogcaster. She’s contributed to Bloomberg News, Reuters, The Times-Picayune, The New York Post and The Dallas Morning News, and appeared on CNN’s “Nancy Grace,” and “Jane Velez Mitchell,” and Fox News’ “Fox & Friends.” She earned her BA from Newcomb College at Tulane University and her MS in Journalism from Columbia University’s Graduate School of Journalism. Check out her weekly biz-cast video at BizNewOrleans.com.

Keith Twitchell Keith G.C. Twitchell spent 16 years running his own business before becoming president of the Committee for a Better New Orleans. He has observed, supported and participated in entrepreneurial ventures at the street, neighborhood, nonprofit, micro- and macro-business levels. He believes that there is an entrepreneur inside each of us.

Bonnie Warren Bonnie Warren is a former editor of New Orleans Magazine. In her long career of writing for New Orleans Magazine, she wrote a regular business column for a number of years, winning New Orleans Press Club Awards for her business writing. She also contributed a series of articles on “Best New Orleans Offices” for CityBusiness and wrote for Kingfish, a business monthly published by MC Media.

She currently writes for every issue of New Orleans Magazine and Louisiana Life Magazine, and contributes a weekly blog, “Bizness Style,” for BizNewOrleans.com.

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Staff Kimberley Singletary Managing Editor, Biz New Orleans A Southern California transplant (by way of Canada, Washington, Colorado and Nebraska) Kimberley Singletary has finally found her perfect home in the land of beignets, zydeco and zero chance of shoveling snow. Since receiving her bachelor’s degree in journalism from California State University Long Beach, she has logged more than 15 years in the magazine industry, breaking for a few years to run a 15-ton sand sculpting competition in the middle of downtown Omaha. She lives in Uptown with her husband, young daughter, and a giant black dog who prays for snow every single day. You can reach her at (504) 8307260 or Kimberley@bizneworleans.com.

Maegan O’Brien Sales Manager, Biz New Orleans Maegan O’Brien was born in New Orleans and raised on the Northshore in Mandeville, La. She graduated from Louisiana State University in 2010 with a bachelor’s degree in finance, but marketing and advertising are her true callings. She currently lives in Old Metairie and loves traveling, wining and dining, and spending time with family and great friends. You can reach Maegan at (504) 830-7219 or Maegan@BizNewOrleans.com.

Melissa Rehage Quijano Account Executive, Biz New Orleans Melissa Rehage Quijano was born and raised in New Orleans. She graduated from St. Mary’s Dominican, attended both LSU and UNO and received a paralegal degree in 1996. She worked for 10 years as a paralegal in various law firms in New Orleans, and then operated her own successful wedding photography business for 11 years. In addition to being on the Biz New Orleans team, she enjoys spending time with her two teenage children, cooking, the beach and heat, 30A, laughing with friends, dancing every day and music. She has a love for shoes and lipstick. Her heart and soul is her children and everything New Orleans. You can reach Melissa at (504) 830-7225 or Melissa@BizNewOrleans.com.

Caitlin Sistrunk Account Executive, Biz New Orleans Caitlin Sistrunk was born in New Orleans and raised in Covington, La. She graduated from Louisiana State University with a bachelor’s degree in marketing.

While attending LSU Caitlin fell in love with both marketing and advertising. She is ecstatic to begin her career as a sales associate with our new magazine.

Caitlin loves painting, hanging with friends, and cooking. You can reach Caitlin at (504)-830-7252 or Caitlin@bizneworleans.com.

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Calendar

October

November

Thursday, October 9

Sunday, November 2

Jefferson Chamber of Commerce Business Card Exchange & Networking Event

Tour de Jefferson

5:30 p.m. - 7:30 p.m.

Marriott Metairie at Lakeway, 3838 N. Causeway Blvd., Metairie Jefferson Chamber Members: FREE | Future Members: $20 jefferson.chambermaster.com/events

Tuesday, October 14 YLC JumpStart Meeting – learn more about YLC 6:00 p.m. - 7:30 p.m.

YLC Building, 1840 Euterpe Street, New Orleans Caitlin@ylcnola.org

Wednesday, October 15 Jefferson Chamber 101 8:15 a.m. - 9:30 a.m.

Fidelity Homestead, 1811 Metairie Ave., Metairie, Complimentary for Chamber Members | jefferson.chambermaster.com/events

7:30 a.m. - 4:00 p.m.

The ride begins and ends at the Wave Pool at Bayou Segnette State Park - 7777 Westbank Expressway, Westwego *$35 Adult Rider ($30 EARLY BIRD DISCOUNT) *$15 Child Rider (13-17, age must be entered when registering child in order for discount to be applied) www.tourdejefferson.org

Friday, November 7 Junior Achievement of Greater New Orleans City Stars Soiree

7:00 p.m. – 11:00 p.m.

JA BizTown, 5100 Orleans Avenue, New Orleans Rising Star awards presented to five young entrepreneurs and entertainment by Louisiana Spice and 610 Stompers. www.jagno.org

Jefferson Chamber Young Professionals Event 5:30 p.m. - 7:30 p.m.

Location to be announced All young professionals are free to attend jefferson.chambermaster.com/events

October 16-23 25th Annual New Orleans Film Festival Locations throughout the city Neworleansfilmsociety.org

Tuesday, November 11 YLC JumpStart Meeting – learn more about YLC 6:00 p.m. - 7:30 p.m.

YLC Building, 1840 Euterpe Street, New Orleans Caitlin@ylcnola.org

Wednesday, November 12 October 22-23 Greenbuild International Conference and Expo Morial Convention Center, 900 Convention Center Blvd, New Orleans www.greenbuildexpo.com

State of the Parish Address Luncheon

11:30 a.m. - 2:00 p.m.

Crowne Plaza New Orleans Airport Hotel 2829 Williams Blvd., Kenner Chamber members: $40 | Future Members: $50 http://jefferson.chambermaster.com/events

Friday, October 31 St. Tamany Chamber New Member Orientation 8:00 a.m. – 9:00 a.m.

Chamber Office, 610 Hollycrest Blvd., Covington Free but registration required www.sttammanychamber.org

We’d love to include your business related event in next month’s calendar. Please email details to editorial@bizneworleans.com.

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Columns | Dining Biz The move away from lush, fabric covered surfaces and toward more glass and concrete - as seen here at Cochon Butcher in New Orleans - can create accoustical problems.

“Less is More” Problems The simplicity of today’s contemporary fine dining can bring unwanted side effects. By Peter Reichard

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n days of old, the words “fine dining” evoked cushioned chairs, sumptuous drapes, plush carpets, two layers of tablecloths and wood-paneled or lavishly papered walls. All of this blended well with the rich foods that covered platters from margin to margin.

The waiter, dressed dapper in black and white, might have offered you a creamy sauce or thick gravy from a tureen.

Candles glimmered on tabletops. Brass chandeliers and wall sconces gave a warm, 40-watt glow. The mood music depended on the restaurant, but it was probably classical or, at an Italian restaurant, opera.

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ent – and everything else has followed.

Today, fine dining increasingly evokes images of plates with ample white space around a stacked, compact entrée with a sprig of something sticking out the top and streaked with scribble-scratches of sauce. The walls might be glass or masonry; the floors painted concrete, the chairs spare wood. The candles are gone, and the glow is halogen and LED. The mood music, if there is any, is as likely to be Moby as Mozart.

“It all starts with the menu,” says veteran architect Brooks Graham, whose firm Graham/ Little/Studio has designed

or redesigned numerous restaurants in New Orleans and beyond. Recent projects in town have included Herbsaint, Mariza and La Boca. Projects in the works include restaurants for chef Justin Devillier and the Brennan family.

“Menus have been stripped down a good deal. The prominence of the individual ingredients has become more important,” Graham says. “Because the dishes have been stripped down, so have the rooms.”

That brings new challenges.

There was a method to the magnificence in the restaurants of yore. All those fabric-covered surfaces absorbed sound in large, open rooms. Glass and

concrete and bare tabletops do not.

Restaurant design involves working with a variety of driving factors: the menu, the existing configuration and patina of the building, the owner’s aesthetic, the intended dining experience, finances, time constraints and requirements of the local building code. It also involves operational considerations, such as how the wait staff moves through the dining room and the relationship between the kitchen, the dining room and the bar.

“It really is a complex, threedimensional puzzle,” Graham says.

But Graham says restaurateurs also need to give urgent attention to acoustics or risk creating an unpleasant dining experience.

“Where you get into trouble is when the sound in a room is uncontrolled and therefore is just bouncing all around the room,” he says.

Sometimes, the acoustics are so bad that you can hear the person at the next table better than you can hear the person next to you.

Graham recommends interventions such as discreet ceiling materials, panels or textures on the walls to dissipate noise, and window treatments that are spare, yet soundabsorbent.

Energy-efficient lighting poses another problem, because it produces a cooler effect than traditional incandescent bulbs. Graham says strategically distributing a number of dimly-lit fixtures, along with the right choice of warming colors and materials, can help mitigate that cooling effect. n Photo courtesy of Graham/Little/Studio

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Columns | Tourism Biz NOLATech Week is partnering with the Convention and Visitor’s Bureau this year to expand the event.

New Orleans Metro Area Stats Tech jobs up 19 percent between 2005 and 2012 – six times the national average Named “America’s Brainiest City” for attracting people under age 25 with college degrees - tie with San Antonio (Forbes, 2014) Number 1 Metro Area for Job Growth in the USA (Brookings Institution, 2014)

NOLATech Week Returns In 2013, the “unconference” attracted more than 1,000 visitors from 33 cities around the world. By Margaret Quilter

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s two of the 8 million tourists to visit New Orleans in 2009, my husband and I lingered over a belt-popping pizza and a pitcher of beer at Slice Pizzeria on St. Charles Ave. Our waitress wisely advised us – two Australian dreamers she had been waiting on for the past hour – to stay for awhile. New Orleans was starting to change; Hollywood and the techs were moving in.

Since we made this city our home five years ago, tourism has been steadily picking up speed.

In 2013 alone, New Orleans welcomed 9.28 million visitors, at an economic impact of $6.47 billion.

“New Orleans is a great city that people have always loved to visit, but it is also has a lot to 24

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“New Orleans does tech, but mixes it with a flavor that industry leaders are proud to be a part of.”

- Jason Seidman, CEO of NOLATech Week offer from a quality of life perspective,” says Lauren Carson, director of communications, marketing and governmental affairs at the New Orleans Convention and Visitors Bureau.

“This really helps in attracting new businesses, technology and entrepreneurial start ups, which

are such a big part of the business makeup of New Orleans, and it is growing.”

In an effort to lure more techsavvy tourists, and possibly future residents, to New Orleans, the CVB has recently partnered with a newcomer to the New Orleans conference scene, NOLATech Week – held this year from October 5 through October 11.

Dubbed an ‘unconference,’ NOLATech Week engages attendees with an alternative environment to the mass seminar experience. In addition to traditional conference spaces, events will be held in bars and restaurants. Registration is free for participants.

“We want to develop events and venues that cover the full scope of the neighborhoods

around New Orleans,” says Jason Seidman, CEO of NOLATech Week.

“After all, the culture around this city is a huge factor in attracting new opportunities for growth.”

Launched in 2013, NOLATech Week’s more than 40 events attracted over 1,000 attendees from 33 cities around the world.

Now a non-profit organization that counts as just one of the 52 businesses Seidman aims to launch this year as part of a venture he began March 17 called, aptly, “52businesses,” Seidman says he expects this year’s week of events to surpass last year, especially since partnering with the CVB. “Every city can provide a platform for the tech industry to grow,” he says. “However, New Orleans provides the environment to cultivate growth while eating a poor boy, or going to Jazz Fest. New Orleans does tech, but mixes it with a flavor that industry leaders are proud to be a part of.” n photo courtesy of NOLATech Week

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Columns | Sports Biz The Sept. 6 game against Georgia Tech was the first Tulane game to sell out in 40 years. Green Wave administrators are hoping for the establishment of a new culture around its football team and the economic boom a strong athletic program can provide a university.

Now & Then A comparison of Yulman Stadium with the original Tulane Stadium Yulman Stadium

Tulane Stadium

Opened: 2014

Opened: 1926

Capacity: 30,000

Capacity: 35,000

Cost: $85 million

Cost: $300,000

Going For the Green With the Yulman Stadium virtually paid in full, Tulane is eyeing economic prosperity as the football program returns to campus. By Chris Price

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orgive Tulane Athletic Director Rick Dickson for celebrating victory before the 2014 football season begins, but with the opening of the new on-campus stadium he can’t help but show his glee.

The rise of the 30,000-seat Yulman Stadium is invigorating Tulane alumni and friends of the program and dramatically changing the athletic department’s standing. With final projections for stadium construction at about $85 million, up from the initial estimates of $50 million, Dixon said the university expected to have the stadium completely funded by the time the Green Wave plays its first on-campus home game – a sell out – against former SEC rival Georgia Tech on September 6.

“That means there’s no debt

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service for the athletic department,” Dixon said. “That’s huge for our ability to fund programs going forward. We anticipate that this will be a game-changer for the entire athletic program.”

For the past 40 years, Tulane has played its home football games in the Mercedes-Benz Superdome. While the dome is one of the premier stadiums in the country, it was simply too big for the crowds Tulane brought.

Dickson said he had reservations about the Green Wave playing in the dome when he first arrived at Tulane in 2000 and began immediately planning something different. In 2002, the Green Wave began playing a game per season at Tad Gormley Stadium in City Park.

“We were able to create the feel and pageantry of a college foot-

ball experience, and that led us to thinking about the idea of bringing football back to campus,” he said.

The devastation of New Orleans following Hurricane Katrina brought dark days for Tulane athletics, including the possibility of Tulane’s sports dropping from Division I to Division III, or even disappearing altogether.

Much credit should be given to Dickson and former Tulane President Scott Cowen for establishing their vision for athletics at Tulane and turning it into reality by rallying support and raising funds. The two are the major reason Tulane was able to raise $25 million for the stadium project within a year after it was announced in 2011.

The new stadium is named for former Serta owner and Tulane Board member Richard Yulman,

who gave $15 million toward the stadium’s construction. Interior amenities will include 4,500 premium seats in two club sections – the Jill H. and Avram B. Glazer Family Club and the Westfeldt Terrace; a 94-by-24-foot LED video board and two ribbon video displays along the front of the top deck. The artificial playing surface is known as Benson Field, in honor of Saints and Pelicans owners Gayle and Tom Benson, who gave millions to the project.

“We had one shot at making this right,” Dixon said. “I think we got it right. To see tailgating sprawled across campus, to see our kids run out of the tunnel in front of a sold-out stadium…you may look over the terrace and see my office window overlooking the stadium open with a little cigar smoke wafting out.” n

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Columns | Film Biz Feature film Black and White, starring Kevin Costner made its world premiere at the Toronto International Film Festival in early September.

The film’s U.S. premiere will be during this year’s New Orleans Film Festival Oct. 16-23.

25 Years Old and Stronger Than Ever New Orleans Film Festival’s unprecedented growth echoes that of Hollywood South. By Kimberley Singletary

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efore I had the good fortune of making the move to New Orleans about three-and-a-half years ago, I spent 20 years living in Southern California. And in all that time, I can say I never saw anywhere near as many active film crews, or movie stars, as I’ve already seen here.

And I’m far from the only Southern California transplant, thanks, in large part, to the boom of “Hollywood South.” If you haven’t heard, in March Louisiana officially overtook the Golden State as the film production capital of the world (2013 FilmL.A. study).

Among the organizations

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working to further boost the Louisiana film scene is the New Orleans Film Society, the nonprofit organization behind, among other things, the New Orleans Film Festival.

Celebrating its 25th year, NOFF will take place Oct. 16-23, 2014, during which 237 films (96 feature and 141 shorts) will be showcased at a wide array of venues throughout the city.

Echoing the boom in local filming, NOFF has also experienced remarkable growth just in the past four years.

In 2010, the festival counted approximately 8,500 attendees. Last year that number reached over 22,000.

Jolene Pinder, executive director of the New Orleans Film Society, says the word is out among filmmakers that NOFF is the place to be.

“Last year we received more than 2,100 film submissions,” she says. “That’s a 40 percent growth from the previous year. Other film festivals just aren’t growing like this.”

Pinder says the growth of the festival is due, in large part, to actions the organization has taken to connect the film industry to the festival.

“We are very filmmaker friendly,” she says. “For instance we offer all filmmakers whose work is accepted, both features and shorts, two

free nights in a hotel. They don’t do that in other festivals.”

She adds that once the filmmakers arrive, the New Orleans Film Society makes sure they are engaged – in part by throwing creative parties.

“Last year we had a bounce party, with a bounce music DJ and even a bounce castle,” she says. “This year Gregor Fox has agreed to host the Filmmaker Welcome party at his home, formerly the home of Anne Rice.”

Pinder explains that as more filmmakers attend the festival, they bring with them producers, actors and directors to the city, where hopefully all will be inspired to choose Louisiana as the location for their next film.

NOFF is also gaining “premiere status.” Last year’s festival included the southern premiere of Louisiana-filmed 12 Years A Slave, which went on to win the Oscar for Best Picture.

This year’s U.S. premiere will be a film already receiving Oscar buzz – Black and White, starring Kevin Costner.

Pinder shared that this year NOFF also received its largest sponsorship to date from the Starz Digital Media.

“We’re excited because Starz will be bringing many of their content buyers with them to New Orleans this year,” she says. “Including representatives from companies like Netflix, dishNET, Hulu and Google.”

While sponsorship money totaled $25,000 for NOFF in 2010, so far that number has increased five-fold.

“We are bringing in these industry leaders and they are seeing everything this area has to offer. The hope is that they’ll choose to bring their business here,” Pinder says. “We’re also making a statement - solidifying this area as a major film hub.” n

Photo courtesy of the New Orleans Film Society

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Columns | Entrepreneurship Biz Brandan Odums of 2-cent Entertainment speaks at a panel of local arts-based entrepreneurs during the Downtown NOLA Arts-Based Business Pitch/Creative Industries Day at last year’s New Orleans Entrepreneur Week (NOEW).

National Acclaim for Entrepreneurism in the Crescent City: “America’s #1 New Brainpower City”

Forbes Magazine (April 2014) “Second Most “Aspirational City” in the U.S.

Daily Beast (July 2013) “Entrepreneurial Activity 40% Above U.S. Average”

Forbes Magazine (June 2012) “Best City in U.S. for Young Entrepreneurs”

Under30ceo.com (October 2011) “Coolest Start-up City in America”

Inc. Magazine (April 2011)

A Little Help Please A look at some of the programs assisting today’s entrepreneurs.

By Keith Twitchell

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ver since Bienville first began offering swamp tours back in 1719, New Orleans has gone through various highs and lows as an entrepreneurial city.

However, it’s hard to imagine a better time for bright ideas and business start-ups than right now. Currently there are dozens of local, regional and statewide programs to support, encourage and even fund those looking to start or expand an independent business.

This column will explore many aspects and forms of entrepreneurship, along with the great diversity of people and programs that are making New Orleans one of the hottest American cities for 30

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startups. I welcome your ideas on this subject.

Let’s start with a quick look at some of the most established, best known entrepreneurship programs and opportunities available right now. The following list is by no means comprehensive – which by itself indicates how fast New Orleans and southeast Louisiana are blossoming into entrepreneurial heaven.

Entrepreneur Season that culminates with New Orleans Entrepreneur Week (noew. org). Last year more than 5,000 people participated in the sixth annual NOEW. The week includes seminars, workshops, speeches by famous entrepreneurial successes, a showcase of local startups, and multiple new business and idea contests whose winners receive venture funding.

The Idea Village (ideavillage.org): Founded in 2000

PowerMoves.NOLA (powermovesnola.org): This

as one of the first organizations to support area entrepreneurs, Idea Village’s programs include the Startup Network and a suite of Accelerator programs.

Each year the Village has an

three-day event, held in conjunction with Essence Fest, focuses on launching minority businesses.

Entrepreneurs from around the country participate in pitch contests to various

investors and are rewarded with feedback, mentoring, and, for a few talented winners, venture capital, more of which is also available through...

New Orleans Startup Fund (neworleansstartupfund.com). Also focused on minority

entrepreneurs in the 10-parish GNO area, this program provides seed capital and other business assistance to early stage firms judged to have high growth potential.

Net2NO (netsquared.org): A local affiliate of the global TechSoup network, NetSquared seeks to promote the use of technological innovations for creating social change. It is one of many tech sector ventures that has helped our region receive the nickname “Silicon Bayou.”

Louisiana Small Business Development Center (lsbdc.org): This organization sup-

ports startups with business plans, financial resources and more. It also helps existing businesses find employees and build their revenues.

More specialized entrepreneurial resources exist in fields ranging from education (4.0 Schools Incubator) to nonprofits (GNOF Pitch It! Innovation Challenge), among many more.

And I haven’t even touched on government and university programs, which also offer multiple forms of assistance.

The bottom line is: no matter what the business, the support is out there.

So what’s your bright idea? n

Biz Bites

“Living Legend” Dr. Ben Carson to speak at 2015 LABI Annual Meeting Tickets go on sale Oct. 15 for the Jan. 27 event.

BATON ROUGE - The Louisiana Association

of Business and Industry will begin accepting reservations Oct. 15 for its premier event of the year, the 2015 Annual Meeting featuring Dr. Ben Carson. The event will take place Jan. 27 at the Crowne Plaza Hotel and Conference Center in Baton Rouge.

In 2001, CNN and Time Magazine named Carson as one of the nation’s 20 foremost physicians and scientists, and The Library of Congress selected him as one of 89 “Living Legends.”

In 2006, the NAACP awarded Carson with its highest honor, the Spingarn Medal.

President George W. Bush recognized his groundbreaking contributions to medicine two years later and named him as the 2008 recipient of the Ford’s Theater Lincoln Medal and Presidential Medal of Freedom, the nation’s highest civilian honors.

TNT brought Carson’s life to the big screen in 2009 in the TV movie, Gifted Hands: The Ben Carson Story. Cuba Gooding Jr. portrayed Carson.

Carson is the author of five books. In his first three books – Gifted Hands, The Big Picture and THINK Big – Carson shares his personal philosophies on success, hard work, and faith in God. In his newest book, One Nation, he calls on America to toss aside party parlance and concentrate on civil dialogue for real problem solving.

To make your reservation and learn about sponsorship opportunities, visit labi.org or call 225-928-5388.

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Q2 sees strong growth among Louisiana Exports Louisiana export growth at 9.3%, performing better than national trend.

Louisiana exports showed strong growth through the second quarter of 2014, up $15.02 billion for the quarter and more than $32 billion for the year, reports World Trade Center New Orleans. The robust figures kept Louisiana in 6th place among top exporters in the nation and closed the gap with Illinois, currently in 5th place, by 7.15 percentage points.

Altogether, Louisiana accounted for 3.59% of the $803.96 billion in total U.S. exports for the year, including all U.S. Territories and the District of Colombia.

“This is due to great efforts from our Louisiana exporters, who are getting strong support from the State, entities like us, as well as from federal agencies such as the Department of Commerce,” says Dominik Knoll, chief executive officer of the World Trade Center of New Orleans. “We are very excited to see such positive results for the Louisiana business community.”

Petroleum Still Leads the Export Industry - Accounting for 39.41% of $32.12 Billion in Louisiana’s Total Export Value for the Year

Louisiana’s Top 10 Export Markets in Q2

Major growth in export industries were clustered in Agriculture, which grew $2.1 billion (35.6%), Transportation Equipment, up by $276 million (105.32%), and Metal Manufactures and Metal Products, which grew $141 million (41.6%) and $152 million (49.1%), respectively.

1. Mexico 2. China 3. Canada 4. the Netherlands 5. Japan 6. Colombia 7. Egypt 8. France 9. Brazil 10. Panama

Major drops were restricted to Non-Electric Machinery - down 36.95% to an even $1 billion.

Notable Moves: Singapore fell from 3rd to 11th from this time last year and France moved up from 12th to 8th.

For more information, visit wtcno.org

NEW West Elm on Magazine st.

Announces arts Workshop Series Community artisans to offer a variety of opportunities for art instruction.

NEW ORLEANS- Following the opening of their first Louisiana store at 2929 Magazine Street on July 24, 2014, home furnishings retailer West Elm has announced a series of workshops inviting local artists in the community to lead classes in-store.

The workshops are a continuance of the store’s West Elm LOCAL program, launched in January. The nationwide initiative partners with local makers and designers to hand curate unique, regionally sourced pieces that are then sold in that individual store. Many of the pieces are one-of-a-kind, handcrafted and made-to-order. The local partners become part of the West Elm story as their collections are added to the West Elm assortment with the potential of being sold in stores nationwide.

The new workshops are held bi-monthly on Saturday mornings through December 6. October dates are October 11 and October 25 from 9:00 am to 10:00 am. All workshops are open to the public and will feature community artisans and makers hosting demonstrations.

For a full schedule and additional information, please visit facebook.com/westelmnola.

BizNewOrleans.com october 2014

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Biz Bites

NEW ORLEANS - Greater New Orleans, Inc.

WalletHub Names Greater New Orleans 7th in the U.S. for Economic Development Overall, New Orleans was ranked #15 of 150 for Best Performance since the recession.

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has reported that in a new multi-variable study, financial website WalletHub has named Greater New Orleans 7th out of 150 regions in the nation for economic environment since the Great Recession. To calculate this ranking, WalletHub considered a number of variables, including: • Median Home Price Appreciation • Foreclosure Rate Decrease • Poverty Rate Decrease • Public Assistance Rate Decrease • Population Growth Rate Increase • Uninsured Rate Decrease • Bankruptcy Rate Decrease • Number of Businesses Growth • Average Experian Vantage Credit Score Increase • Consumer Non-Housing Debt Decrease • Violent Crime Rate Decrease • GDP Growth Rate • Opportunity to Start a Business Ranking • Municipality Bankruptcy

The Idea Village Announces its 2015 Entrepreneur Season’S Entrepreneurs-in-Residence Advisory talent with more than 35 years of combined startup experience to lead the IDEAx program.

NEW ORLEANS - The Idea Village announced that private equity inves-

According to a recent article in The Economist, Louisiana ranks as one of the best states in America to operate a small business, meriting a grade of “A.” The ranking is based on a survey by Thumbtack, a website that matches customers to businesses, and the Kauffman Foundation, a think-tank which asked thousands of small businesses about local requirements for hiring, regulations, zoning, licenses, health insurance and training. (GNO, Inc.)

tor Hank Torbert and serial entrepreneur J. Anthony Miguez will be the Entrepreneurs-in-Residence (EIRs) managing the 6th IDEAx accelerator program (formerly IDEAxcelerator) during The Idea Village’s 2015 Entrepreneur Season. With more than 35 years of combined experience in startup ventures and investment, Torbert and Miguez will provide individualized coaching, intensive business consulting and opportunities for peer learning to select local entrepreneurs.

The 2015 IDEAx program will run from September 22, 2014 through a Demo Day on December 11, 2014.

IDEAx is an intensive 12-week accelerator for 10 New Orleans founders focused on creating scalable and fundable businesses. The program leverages the experience and knowledge of the EIRs, as well as The Idea Village’s influential network of mentors and experts to ensure that participating entrepreneurs have access to the resources necessary to accelerate the growth of their ventures and develop the skills required to emerge as entrepreneurial leaders.

“Having played a critical role in the expansion of many business ventures, I know what it takes to successfully grow a company,” said Torbert.

“Entrepreneurial activity is booming in the New Orleans region right now, making it the perfect time to not only relocate my private equity company but to share the lessons I have learned along the way with local startups.” n

BizNewOrleans.com october 2014

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S

even years ago when the New Orleans area was still immersed in disaster recovery, Northshore businessman Marty Mayer drew a line in the sand.

He had thrown his support behind one rebuilding initiative after another and held leadership roles in multiple business organizations that took considerable time away from his own company, commercial real estate firm Stirling Properties, LLC. Mayer had just become chairman-elect of Greater New Orleans, Inc., a 10-year-old economic development agency seeking to be the leading jobs developer for a 10-parish region. But the agency at the time had its own leadership challenge: the corner office was vacant.

When Mark Drennen resigned as CEO in the fall of 2007, GNO, Inc. was left without a staff leader at a crucial time for the region.

A small group of board members took charge of filling the void, and Mayer stressed to his colleagues the importance of tapping the right person.

“I told them I would go through the year as chair-elect, but if we didn’t get a CEO who I felt would be a good leader for this organization, I would have to resign,” he says.

An executive search firm narrowed dozens of resumes from around the country to five individuals recommended for inperson interviews.

On paper, Michael Hecht’s economic development training and experience looked thinner than that of the four other candidates.

But minutes after the search committee began talking with Hecht, they realized their search could be over.

'HE GETS IT' Hecht's journey to that New Orleans interview was hardly a straight line. He was born in New York City, where his father owned an accounting firm. But he also felt close to New Orleans, where his mother grew up and the family frequently visited. His mother's family had deep roots in Donaldsonville, where for many years they ran the B. Lemann department store.

After attending high school in White Plains, NY, Hecht aimed for an Ivy League degree and in 1992 graduated magna cum laude from Yale University.

"I always thought I'd go into advertising, but I ended up majoring in race relations," he says.

He then headed to Stanford University, where he earned an MBA in public management.

Hecht’s first job out of college was doing financial modeling for a management consulting firm. The work took him to several countries on behalf of some of the world's largest corporations.

Later, he dove into entrepreneurship, co-founding a company in California that would become a restaurant powerhouse with holdings that included San Francisco’s chic Foreign Cinema restaurant.

Eventually drawn back to the East Coast, Hecht landed a job heading business development for the giant nonprofit Food Bank of New York City.

It was while Hecht was working for Mayor Michael Bloomberg, running a post-9/11 small business initiative, that then-Louisiana Economic Development Secretary Mike Olivier came calling to explore the potential of a similar program for Louisiana.

Olivier's visit "started a conversation," Hecht says.

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Three months later he stood on the steps of the Louisiana capitol with Olivier and Gov. Kathleen Blanco as they announced a new small business development program for the state.

Hecht continued to work with Olivier, and for a short time his successor, Stephen Moret, before he decided to pursue the opening at Greater New Orleans, Inc. Which is how, one day in 2008, he came to sit down in a room with a handful of business executives who were dying to see one of their CEO candidates soar above the rest.

Hecht quickly won over the room.

"As he started answering our questions we all started glancing at one another ... It was like, 'Wow, we weren't expecting this," Mayer says, adding that Hecht articulated an understanding of local business development issues in a way no other candidate had managed.

"He gets it, and we could see that," Mayer says. "It was an easy decision from then on."

RACKING UP WINS Attorney and current GNO, Inc. Chairwoman Patricia LeBlanc capsulizes what it is about Hecht that made him appear so promising.

“Michael brought a different attitude and skill set, and incredible energy,” she says. “You don’t have to be in a room with him more than 10 minutes before you can sense that this guy’s going to make something happen.”

In taking the helm as the new president and CEO of GNO, Inc. in 2008, Hecht, now 44, inherited a game plan that involved chasing new business in five sectors deemed promising for the region: advanced manufacturing, inter-

Top, left: Since opening in 1975, the Mercedes-Benz Superdome has hosted more Super Bowls than any other venue. The most recent generated nearly $21 million in state tax revenue and meant a $480 million net impact for the region. Top, right: “Whether it’s bringing 47 different entities to the table to help persuade GE Capital to move here, or coordinating 250 entities across the country to get flood insurance fixed, we found that being a trusted coordinator, intermediary and project manager is a role people want to see filled,” says Michael Hecht, president and CEO of Greater New Orleans, Inc. Middle, left: At the Port of New Orleans business is booming, including an announcement in April that TCI plastics will be investing $36.5 million in a new 500,000square-foot logistics facility expected to be completed during the third quarter of 2016. Middle, right: The area surrounding the 1.1 million square-foot Ernest N. Morial Convention Center is about to undergo a facelift, thanks to a new Convention Center District Development Project that will enhance the riverfront corridor from Poydras Street to Market Street.

Convention Center officials say the project could include thousands of new jobs and up to $700 million in private investments. Bottom, left: New Orleans was just rated one of the “2014 Top 10 Cities in the World” by Travel & Leisure Magazine. Bottom, right: This year Conde Nast Traveler rated New Orleans as the “Best American City for Foodies.”

national trade, energy, digital media and biosciences.

In time the organization added emerging environmental business to the mix, as well as job development related to the U.S. military’s presence in the area.

During the years following Hurricane Katrina, the agency also achieved a high level of cooperation with other business organizations and political leaders throughout the region.

Collaboration with those entities, along with organizations including the Jefferson Parish Economic Development Commission, the Business Council of New Orleans and the River Region, the New Orleans Business Alliance, the St. Tammany Economic Development Foundation, the Baton Rouge Area Chamber and many others, helped produce dozens of economic development “wins.” Among these are: • GE Capital opening a technology center to provide services back to the financial services company • Smoothie King’s retention and relocation to Jefferson Parish, where the company’s owner took such a liking to the area that he committed $40 million to put the company’s name on the New Orleans Arena • Paris-based digital game development company Gameloft S.A. choosing New Orleans as home to one of its first U.S. studios •N ucor Corp.’s announcement that it would create some 1,200 jobs in St. James Parish with a new iron and steel manufacturing plant • Satellite voice and data services provider Globalstar, Inc.’s relocation to St. Tammany Parish from California • Chiquita Brands International, Inc. announcing the return of banana imports to the Port of New Orleans • Investments of tens of billions of dollars into expansions and relocations by major petrochemical companies along the lower Mississippi River corridor.

The importance of financial incentives in attracting such business is undeniable. In an era when states and cities vie for big projects using bait such as tax breaks, loans, grants and a range of other goodies, no one can pretend that dollars don’t matter.

But in the end economic development is also a sales job, and when all other factors are approximately equal, the team that mounts the strongest pitch and shows a unified business front is likely to be the one that snags the prize.

People who have been involved in such efforts say GNO, Inc. has come to excel at packaging a sales pitch and bringing the right business people together to deliver it.

LANDING A BIG ONE One such pitch came a few years ago as New Orleans neared the final round of the competition to land GE Capital Corp.'s technology center.

The months of discussions, incentive negotiations and site visits included a personal visit by local representatives to General Electric CEO Jeffrey Immelt in Fairfield, Conn., and word was that GE Capital had narrowed its choice to Indianapolis and New Orleans.

Nearly 50 entities – including elected officials, college and

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Top: A view of the mighty Mississippi River - always bustling with business and tourism. Bottom, left: Adjacent to the two new hospitals coming in Mid-City, construction is underway on a 60-bed medical and physical rehabilitation hospital by Cobalt Medical Development. The $22 million facility is set to be completed in 2015. Bottom, right: Businesses and employees are also lured to New Orleans for its quality of life. Spanning 1,300-acres, City Park is one of the nation’s oldest urban parks. Future updates for the park include a new splash park, championship level golf course, skate park and new environmental education center.

university leaders and a host of business organizations and private companies – came together to move the needle in New Orleans' favor.

In February 2012, the company announced its choice, and the city got its wish.

"The state, city, and GNO, Inc. put together a very compelling offer and demonstrated that New Orleans was a good opportunity," says Mike DeBoer, chief information officer for the new GE Capital Technology Center, located in the 201 St. Charles Avenue building downtown.

DeBoer says the center, dedicated in April 2013, is "doing very well," having hired about two-thirds of the 300 workers it projected it would have by 2015.

While the center does not represent the largest economic development prize in the city's modern history, many business people rank it as one of the most important wins because it will help diversify the local economy by raising New Orleans' profile among technology businesses around the country.

"The true significance goes beyond the 300 jobs," Hecht says. "It is that we now have a highly respected global company that chose New Orleans over almost four dozen competitors. It brings us immense validation as a community that can compete on a global scale."

Local businessman and recent GNO, Inc. Chairman Gregory Rusovich says GE Capital's decision also underscores the growing heft of the economic development agency. The tech center "likely would not have happened without GNO, Inc.," he says.

NEW PATHS Rusovich, who is also CEO of Transoceanic Trading and Development, LLC, says GNO, Inc. has gained strength and influence with each successful business recruitment effort, but the agency also has shown agility in responding to issues not strictly defined as economic development.

In the past year, Rusovich says the agency "has stepped out of its space a little" to address the threat of drastically increased flood insurance rates stemming from a federal law passed in 2012.

The Biggert-Waters Flood Insurance Reform Act aimed to bolster the financing of the federal flood insurance program by removing taxpayer subsidies. But when homeowners began to realize that the law would increase insurance pre-

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miums, in some cases by tens of thousands of dollars, alarms went off.

The real estate industry was just one sector that saw the law could inflict far-reaching damage to the economy. Bankers were worried too, as were state and local governments.

Though south Louisiana initially appeared to be ground zero for the flood insurance crisis, the law actually posed a threat to property owners in flood-prone areas throughout the country. Hecht was among the first to recognize the scope of the problem, and he wasted no time in jumping on it.

Through GNO, Inc., Hecht not only took the lead in shaping a large coalition of Louisiana business and political leaders to lobby for repeal of a portion of the law, but also mobilized hundreds of people around the country to fall in behind Louisiana in the effort to rattle cages in Washington, D.C. Through one trip after another to Capitol Hill, the New Orleans-led coalition grew to include some 250 political, educational and business entities from 32 states, all focused on

“GNO, Inc. has come to excel at packaging a sales pitch and bringing the right business people together to deliver it.” giving Congress an earful about flood insurance.

The result was passage of the Homeowner Flood Insurance Affordability Act, which turned back part of the existing law, limited federal flood insurance rate increases to 18 percent per year and restored a grandfathering provision that applied to older properties.

Jefferson Parish President John Young, whose constituents would have taken some of the biggest hits from the previous law, says Louisiana's lobbying effort was impressive.

"It's unprecedented," he says. "In an era where it's hard for these guys (in Congress) to agree on a resolution commending Mother Teresa, we got major legislation passed in less than a year."

Young says the lawmakers came to understand that soaring flood insurance rates would wreak havoc across the country, and he makes no bones about who shaped the message.

"We asked GNO, Inc. to get involved, and they took the bull by the horns," he says.

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GOOD DAYS Ask Hecht how economic development is progressing in the local area, and he may tick off the latest in a long list of accolades bestowed by the national business press, such as CEO Magazine ranking Louisiana among the top 10 businessfriendly states, or Inc. Magazine ranking New Orleans as the "coolest start-up city."

He may also explain that GNO, Inc. follows a "bifurcated" strategy of business recruitment and "product development," meaning creating better business policies that address tax issues and access to capital.

But Hecht's approach to economic development actually seems a simple matter of recognizing business needs and responding with an appropriate strategy.

"Whether it's bringing 47 different entities to the table to help persuade GE Capital to move here, or coordinating 250 entities across the country to get flood insurance fixed, we found that being a trusted coordinator, intermediary and project manager is a role people want to see filled," Hecht says.

As a further example of its agility, in July the agency began connecting the dots linking job growth to the region's water and erosion issues by launching the Coalition for Coastal Resilience and Economy. The group aims to advocate for the sustainable restoration of Louisiana's wetlands, rivers, deltas and coastline.

"If we don't have the political will to address this, then within 50 years people are going to begin leaving this area," Hecht warns.

In something of a tribute to Hecht's leadership, Mayer, who remained deeply involved in GNO, Inc. after his term as chairman of the board, will head the coalition.

Hecht says evidence of his own commitment to New Orleans is the fact that he, his Danish-born wife Marlene Friis, and their two children, ages 11 and 8, are building their future in the city.

"For me, it's coming home after a generation," he says.

Hecht says he feels "incredibly lucky" to be heading GNO, Inc. "because it’s possibly the only job out there that makes sense with my background." And he says the challenge comes during a particularly exciting time in the city's history.

"The environment of greater New Orleans post-Katrina is so intellectually and emotionally available," he says. "I've never lived in a place where the feedback is so supportive ... there's a level of gratitude here which is really humbling, but it makes the job a joy to do."

Hecht says the region's growing economic strength is raising the bar for economic developers, and a crucial challenge now is to ensure that a new crop of business leaders is ready to take over when the current generation decides to hand off the reins.

He is optimistic that those younger leaders will have ample history to examine as they develop a road map for their own economic future.

"One day we're going to look back on these days, and we'll say that they were good days,” he says. n

from

Far toEast New Orleans East The story behind Dong Phuong Bakery – home of one of New Orleans’ most popular Vietnamese Poor Boys.

By Erin Shaw | PHOTOgraphy BY CHERYL GERBER

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Dong Phuong Bakery is known for its signature Bรกnh Mรฌ sandwiches Vietnamese poor boys.

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When De and Huong Tran came to New Orleans from Vietnam in the early 1980s, they were chasing the proverbial American dream.

L

ike many that emigrated from Vietnam to the United States after the war, they brought their family to a new and strange land in the hopes of giving them better opportunities, and perhaps a more peaceful existence.

The Trans and their three young children settled in the New Orleans East neighborhood of Versailles Village, a fast-growing Vietnamese community, in 1980.

While working as a stocker at a local grocery store, De began studying engineering at the University of New Orleans. Huong took care of the young family.

While growing up, Huong had worked in her father’s Vietnamese bakery, so, in an effort to supplement De’s income and make New Orleans feel a bit more like home, she began baking traditional FrenchVietnamese pastries in her spare time and selling them to local stores. Her sweets soon became a favorite in the community.

It wasn’t long before the Tran family saw the potential in Huong’s baking endeavors, and when a local restaurant that employed some of their family members went up for sale, Huong and De took a chance and

Fast Facts: Dong Phuong Bakery Business Owners

Huong Tran and Linh Tran Garza Years in business

25

Location

14207 Chef Menteur Highway Square footage

4,000-square-foot retail space and additional 3,500-square-foot production space in back.

Known for

Bread loaves and the Bánh Mì Number of employees

15

What sets the company apart

17 varieties of the Bánh Mì, all priced under $5.

Plans for the future

No expansion plans as of now.

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purchased the restaurant on Chef Menteur Highway in 1981.

The name they chose, Dong Phuong, translates to “east” in Vietnamese - perfectly apropos for a family from East Asia settling in New Orleans East. As with any new business venture, the family worked countless hours to make their restaurant successful.

“It was a lot of hard work,” says daughter Linh Tran Garza. “A lot of long hours.”

By the late 1980s the hard work had paid off, and the family purchased an additional 4,000 square-foot storefront attached to the restaurant and opened Dong Phuong Bakery in 1989.

The bakery has since become a favorite in the community, serving up Asian sweet treats, as well as traditional Vietnamese Bánh Mì sandwiches – or The Vietnamese Poor Boy - as they are now lovingly referred to in New Orleans.

The term Bánh Mì translates roughly to French Bread, an influence in Vietnamese culinary culture that dates back to the French colonization of Indochina in the mid-to-late 1800s.

While most Asian cultures rely on rice or noodles as their main source of grain, bread is a staple in Vietnamese food culture, and the Bánh Mì sandwich is essentially the perfect marriage of both Asian and French influence. The Bánh Mì is typically a delicious combination of cold cuts (often sliced pork sausage and ham) commonly paired with pâté, and pickled vegetables on a French bread loaf.

While the pork/ham, pâté, mayonnaise and bread are obvious examples of the French influence, the cilantro, pickled daikon, carrots, cucumber, and peppers represent the Vietnamese side.

Dong Phuong Bakery offers 17 variations on the Bánh Mì , its most famous being the homemade pork sausage. The bread has a sweetness to it that is different from traditional New Orleans poor boy loafs, while the cucumber, pickled carrots and daikon add a freshness and a crunch that pairs well with the smooth salty meats. A little jalapeño pepper adds heat, while the cilantro brings a peculiarly inviting herbaceousness.

One of the most interesting business practices that Dong Phuong has employed is their pricing structure. All of its 17 varia-

The History of The Poor Boy As synonymous with New Orleans culture as brass bands, Mardi Gras beads and shotgun houses, the poor boy sandwich dates back to the 1929 transit strike, when the New Orleans streetcar was shut down for nearly two weeks.

In support of the striking workers, bakers Bennie and Clovis Martin of Martin Brothers Coffee Stand and Restaurant in the French Market made it their mission to feed sandwiches to the hungry strikers. They even made a published statement saying, “Our meal is free to any members of Division 194. We are with you ‘till hell freezes, and when it does, we will furnish blankets to keep you warm.”

The name of the sandwich was inspired by the remark they made when they’d see the striking motormen and conductors in the street, “there goes another poor boy,” they’d say.

tions on the Bánh Mì are priced under five dollars. The Vietnamese ham, cold cuts and Vietnamese sausage variations cost just $3.25, while the vegetarian option is just $2.25.

The bakery’s most expensive sandwiches, the toasted shrimp patty and Chinese roast beef, ring in at just $4.25 each.

Bouncing Back After Hurricane Katrina While Dong Phuong had early success amongst the Vietnamese community in New Orleans, their journey to becoming a renowned bakery was not without its setbacks.

The entire community was hit hard in Hurricane Katrina’s wake, and the restaurant and bakery did not escape unscathed. In the low-lying area of New Orleans East there was massive flooding and power outages.

“Our whole storage facility was destroyed,” Garza says. “We didn’t have water or electricity until late November.”

Like many other New Orleans businesses, Dong Phuong didn’t let Katrina get them down for too long. The company re-opened with a limited menu, but a strong resolve to succeed again, just in time for the holidays in 2005.

Both Vietnamese and Louisiana culinary traditions have been heavily influenced by the French. Bottom, left: Dong Phuong Bakery’s 4,000 square-foot retail space offers up 17 variations of the Bánh Mì, along with various other Vietnamese pastries. Bottom, right: The bakery sells over 40,000 rolls a week to local restaurants, including McClure’s Barbecue Uptown, Cochon Butcher, Walker’s BBQ and Killer Po’boy.

The Bánh Mì is typically a delicious combination of cold cuts (often sliced pork, sausage and ham) commonly paired with pâté and pickled vegetables on a French bread loaf.

A New Twist on An Old Favorite In a city that loves its poor boy sandwiches, Dong Phuong’s Bánh Mì was destined to be adored. And while it took a little bit of time for it to catch on, New Orleans finally welcomed this eastern twist on the Poor Boy with open arms. As for when Dong Phuong became a household name amongst Poor Boy enthusiasts? It’s hard to say.

“I cannot recall a particular tipping point,” says Garza. “I do know that we gained popularity with non-Vietnamese customers when we started selling our French bread. I guess since it is a familiar product.”

Dong Phuong supplies several restaurants around the city with their French bread, (over 40,000 rolls a week!) And while some consider it a bit scandalous to be using Vietnamese French bread for a traditional New Orleans Poor Boy, others welcome the idea with open arms.

Neil McClure of McClure’s Barbecue Uptown uses Dong Phuong Bakery bread for all of its sandwiches and advertises this on their menu.

“It’s simply because they have the best bread in the city,” McClure says. “I love what they’re doing. They are great bakers.”

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Popular downtown lunch spot Cochon Butcher also buys bread from Dong Phuong for some of their unique sandwiches, and other hotspots like Walker’s BBQ and Killer Po’boy have followed suit.

Dong Phuong has received several accolades from the city, including a win at the Oak Street Po’ Boy Festival in 2009 for “Best Pork Poor Boy.” The bakery was also featured on the Food Network show Meat & Potatoes in 2011 in an episode that focused on “cheap eats.”

“It’s a great variation of a poor boy if I’ve ever seen it,” said the show’s host, Rahm Fama.

“Dong Phuong, you may be cheap, but you’re rich in flavor all the way.”

But even with their increasing popularity, the Tran family has no huge plans for expansion.

No franchises or food trucks are planned in the near future.

Since De’s passing a few years ago, Huong and Linh have taken over running the business without him, and they are happy with how far they’ve come. For now, they are quietly enjoying their successes and their celebrated place in our sandwich-loving community.

“My mom is happy,” says Linh. “We are not looking to change anything right now.” n

The Vietnam-Louisiana Culinary Connection Both Louisiana and Vietnamese culinary culture was heavily influenced by the French, who colonized both regions during the mid-to-late-1800s. While New Orleans proudly serves up French beignets, many traditional Vietnamese pastries also carry a French influence, including: Bánh Mì Que a sumptuous sticky cinnamon bun Bánh Mì Bo a traditional French croissant Bánh Choux Sôcôla a decadent chocolate éclair

Dong Phuong Bakery and Restaurant is located at 14207 Chef Menteur Hwy in New Orleans. The bakery is open from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. Monday, and 8 a.m. to 6 p.m. Wednesday through Sunday. The restaurant is open from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. daily, closed Tuesdays.

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Great Offices

Keeping It Simple Tom Benson’s office provides a glimpse into the man behind the mega empire.

By Bonnie Warren

T

om Benson surrounds himself with what he loves: football, basketball, philanthropy, and being a successful businessman. His new office and adjoining conference room at the Saints and Pelicans’ compound on Airline Drive tells the story.

With walls and shelves covered with sports memorabilia, photos of friends and family, and even some indication of his vast business empire, Benson greets guests with a firm handshake and the friendliness of a favorite visiting uncle.

“Come in and have a seat,” he says as he motions to the comfortable seating at one end of his vast office overlooking the Saints practice field on one side and the parking lot on the other.

Make no mistake; this is a man that wants to see what’s going on.

Benson likes to feel the action of the cherished National Football League’s (NFL) Saints Football Team that he acquired from John Mecom, the original owner, in 1985. In April 2012, he added the National Basketball Association’s (NBA) Pelicans Basketball Team to his sports empire.

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Top: The sleek, contemporary office of the Saints on Airline Drive displays a large, colorful football in the center of a flower garden.

The Pelicans headquarters, complete with an indoor basketball court, is in a separate building on the other side of the parking lot.

Opposite, left: Just a step out of the office and Benson enjoys an unobstructed view of the Saints practice field.

Benson is a man on a mission. Forget that he turned 87 years old in July, Benson fields questions with the speed of a man half his age.

“This is much bigger than my last office,” he says, noting that Mickey Loomis, the Saints and Pelicans president and general manager, now occupies his old office following a building remodel last year. “I like that it has lots of windows and room to keep my collection of things nearby that remind me of my favorite memories.”

Saints “eye candy” is everywhere, including a number of items from the Super Bowl XLIV on Sunday, February 7, 2010, when the team defeated the Indianapolis Colts in Miami to take away the top prize for the 2009 football season.

Nearby, there is a fair showing of Pelicans memorabilia - the

Top, right: Benson proudly holds a winning football from the Saints Super Bowl XLIV win against the Indianapolis Colts in Miami on Sunday, February 7, 2010. Bottom, left: A wall of photos of friends and family has a place of honor in Benson’s office. More photos are displayed on the wall-to-wall cabinet under the large windows that overlook the parking lot in the front of the building. Comfortable leather couches flank the coffee table that always accommodates a large glass plate of chocolate kisses, Benson’s favorite treat. Bottom, right: A playful replica of David J. Stern, former commissioner of the National Basketball Association, who was instrumental in Benson acquiring the NBA Hornets (now the Pelicans) basketball team in 2012, is displayed in front of a basketball that honors the first round draft pick the team made after Benson acquired it.

Pelicans headquarters is across the parking garage in a separate building - along with enough family photographs to make a genealogist

happy. A proud Louisiana native, Benson has surrounded himself with what he loves.

Credit for the handsome office goes to Benson’s talented wife, Gayle, also a native of Louisiana, who had a long and successful career as an interior designer before she met and married him in 2004.

“Tom wanted an atmosphere that would be masculine, businesslike, yet relaxing and even ‘homey,” Gayle says of the inspiration behind her work. “He enjoys being surrounded by comfortable seating and he always likes to keep happy memories of his life nearby.”

The Bensons have homes in New Orleans and San Antonio, a ranch in the Texas Hill Country, and a super yacht they use for quiet vacations away from their fast-paced city life.

A veteran of the U.S. Navy and a graduate of Loyola University in New Orleans with a degree in accounting, Benson began his career as a car salesman at Cathey Chevrolet in New Orleans.

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Top Left: The lobby of the Saints building showcases team memorabilia in a museum-like setting. Bottom, left: One wall in the conference room is devoted to the Tom and Gayle Benson Charitable Foundation, which recently donated $10 million toward the construction of Tulane’s new Yulman Stadium. Of special importance to Benson is a photo of the couple with Pope St. John Paul II in the Vatican. Facing Page, top: Mementos from the Saints’ 2010 Super Bowl win. Facing Page, bottom: A conference room, adorned with photos and cards from the White House, adjoins Benson’s office.

The natural born salesman moved to San Antonio in 1956 to revive a poorly performing dealership. Eight years later, he became the full owner of Tom Benson Chevrolet.

Some would say that he has been a top salesman ever since, starting by investing profits from his automobile dealership in local banks to form Benson Financial.

Today Benson’s empire includes New Orleans television station WVUE-Fox8News, auto dealerships in New Orleans and San Antonio, banks, real estate, including the Superdome’s neighbor – the Benson Tower – and, of course, ownership of the Saints and Pelicans.

Under the auspices of the Tom and Gayle Benson Charitable Foundation, the couple’s philanthropic endeavors have had a broad reach, including $8 million to Loyola University and $10 million donated to Tulane University toward the construction of Yulman Stadium.

There is also the Gayle and Tom Benson Cancer Center on the Ochsner Medical Center campus, created with another multi-million dollar grant from the foundation, that houses all of 52

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the cancer-related services a patient might need. Many other donations in Louisiana and Texas have been recorded by the foundation, including one for $7 million to the Notre Dame Seminary on Carrollton Avenue that was matched by other donors to make a gift totaling $25 million.

One wall in the conference room attached to his office is devoted to these philanthropic activities. One especially treasured photo shows him and Gayle with Pope St. John Paul II, taken when they met with him for a private audience in the Vatican.

A second wall in the conference room features many signed photographs of Benson’s favorite Texas politicians who have occupied the White House, including George H.W. Bush, the 41st U.S. president, and his son George Walker Bush, who served as the 43rd president.

“I have been close personal friends with both of them and I am honored to have several photographs of them right here,” he says. He also displays several framed Christmas cards from the White House.

Benson’s office and conference room both open onto a broad porch that overlooks the Saints practice field. The porch provides him with a bird’s-eye view of the team.

“It’s a perfect viewing stand,” he says with a smile.

Yes, there is definitely something “homey” about Benson’s workspace, where his favorite silver wrapped chocolate kisses fill the bowl on the coffee table between a pair of comfy couches.

The office is the perfect blend of relaxed style and a celebration of good times and family, mixed with a definite focus on the task at hand.

It’s no wonder he’s considered New Orleans royalty. n

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Why Didn’t I Think of That? | Creative businesses taking hold in Southeast Louisiana

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t home in her Marigny shotgun, 30-year-old Ashlee Arceneaux spends up to 10 hours every day in her front room with three things: a chalkboard, some chalk, and her cat Schmeowz.

It may be a simple setup, but Arceneaux’s artistic flair for lettering has drawn the attention of some big name clients. After just making the leap to full-time business owner early this year, Arcenaux’s work is already a notable fixture at bars and restaurants throughout New Orleans. Just a few of her clients include all three Dat Dog locations, all four Felipe’s Taquerias, Barcadia, Morning Call, Ruby Slipper, Mulate’s and Fair Grinds Coffee House.

She’s also done everything from inspirational quotes on school walls, to signage at an assisted living home, to work for events like Tales

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of the Cocktail.

With such high visibility, demand for Arceneaux’s creations has expanded to include custom wedding signage (which she says now makes up 25 to 30 percent of her business), painting and mural work, and digital illustration.

Her handiwork can also be seen on the cover of the September 2014 issue of Louisiana Life Magazine.

Born and raised in the 7th Ward, Arceneaux says she’s been obsessed with lettering since she was a child.

While she earned her bachelor’s degree in education at LSU, her big break into her future career didn’t come until one day, about six years ago, while working at Juan’s Flying Burrito.

“This guy had seen the signs that I had made for Juan’s and asked if I could do something for the restaurant he was about to open,” she says.

Top: Arceneaux took a big chance leaving a comfortable full-time job as store artist for Whole Foods early this year to strike out on her own with Smallchalk. Although there have been a lot of tradeoffs, she’s hopeful about the future of her business. Left: About 25 to 30 percent of Smallchalk’s business comes from custom wedding signage.

It was the first time someone offered to pay for her work, but it wouldn’t be the last.

For the next few years Arceneaux took chalk projects outside of her day jobs, the last of which was a full-time position as a store artist for Whole Foods.

“I loved that job. It was such a great company to work for,” she says. “But I knew that if I wanted to do my own thing, I would never have the time if I didn’t leave.”

So early this year she made the big leap – leaving a comfortable job at a large corporation to strike out on her own with her new company: Smallchalk.

Which leads to the first question that begs to be asked: BOTTOM Photo by Sarah Becker Photography

Why chalk?

Arceneaux says she favors this favorite childhood medium for its flexibility.

“It’s very forgiving, and temporary,” she says. “It really fits my personality – I like switching things up a lot. It’s also very playful. It doesn’t take itself too seriously, just like me. Chalk lends itself to the way I look at art.”

An artistic free spirit, Arceneaux says she never measures anything.

“It’s all done with my intuition and eye,” she says.

Making the Leap “It was really scary,” she says, explaining that she gave up regular hours and great benefits for her current 10-hoursBizNewOrleans.com october 2014

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Left: The majority of Arceneaux’s work comes from restaurants like Barcadia. Facing page top: Smallchalk’s biggest job to date was a giant mural Arceneaux and her assistant, Chris Fontenot, created for Acura during this year’s Jazz & Heritage Festival. The mural measured 31 feet long by 8 feet tall. Facing page, right: Arceneaux uses special permanent chalk and custom chalkboards, created by another local artist from mostly found or reclaimed wood, to create her custom signage. Facing page, bottom: Arceneaux says she loves the flexibility and temporary nature of chalk. “It doesn’t take itself too seriously, just like me,” she says.

“Chalk lends itself to the way I look at art.”

“After my menu went up they ended up having to bring in an extra person just to do the sandwiches,” she says.

a-day work schedule with no weekends or paid vacations.

“It’s been worth it though,” she says. “In the next few years it will all pay off. I know it.”

The Name “Well, I have a long last name, so I couldn’t use that,” she says. “So I started thinking up names and eventually I came up with Smallchalk. The chalk, of course, describes what I do, but the “small” part is a reference to me. I’m a small person.” (Arceneaux stands just five feet tall.)

“I wanted something short and to the point, something that just kind of flows off the tongue,” she says. “I like that it’s recognizable and people can spell it. I think those things are really key.”

Competition While Arceneaux says she knows of three other artists around town that do something similar to her, she isn’t aware of anyone else doing it on the same scale.

“I’ve done pretty well branding myself,” she says. “When you type ‘chalk artist’ and ‘New Orleans’ into Google, Smallchalk is the first thing that pops up.”

Marketing “I don’t really market – other than I have a professional looking website,” she says. “I use Instagram to post pictures of my work, and I think that really helps. I also sign all my work with ‘Smallchalk’ or ‘Smallchalk.com.’ I think I have such a strong visibility that the work comes to me. I’m very fortunate that way. It’s 56

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all just word of mouth. Three or four years ago I was cold calling companies. Now those same companies are calling me.”

Biggest Job So Far Whether it was through word of mouth or a Google search, somehow Acura found Arceneaux and proposed a monsterous undertaking.

During this year’s Jazz & Heritage Festival, the car company hired Smallchalk to create a giant custom mural on site. For 10 hours a day for three full days, Arceneaux and another artist she hired created a mural 31 feet long by 8 feet tall. The payout for the job was approximately $10,000.

Biggest Challenges One of the first challenges Arceneaux came up against with her business was one of the most basic – what to charge.

“I did a lot of work in the beginning for very little,” she says. “The problem is what I do is unique. There is no industry standard.”

Arceneaux says she didn’t like the idea of charging by the hour because she never wants to feel rushed with a project. She eventually settled on a rate based more on the size of the piece.

Another challenge she says she’s faced from the beginning is communicating the value and scope of her work.

“It’s amazing what good signage can do,” she says. “For instance, one of my clients was a coffee shop that had a little menu for sandwiches that an employee had just written out. They were selling a few sandwiches here and there.”

And then along came Smallchalk.

Overhead You’d think that working in a medium like chalk, expenses would be almost nothing.

You’d be wrong.

“I work a lot in permanent chalk,” Arceneaux explains. “They are actually called chalk markers and they aren’t cheap. Just one is about $10, and I always have to have a lot of colors, and backups easily on hand because I have to order them online and have them shipped.”

She also uses custom chalkboards, created for her by a local woman named Rebecca Stoltz. Many of the boards are created using reclaimed or found wood frames.

In addition to her work with Stoltz, Arceneaux calls on the skills of three other artists as needed.

“They each have a specialty,” she says. ”One, for instance, is really good with portraits.”

Revenue Another challenge of being a small business owner is there’s no such thing as the certainty of a fixed salary or set hours. By working for about 10 hours a day – with no weekends – she says she’s able to get her bills paid and save a little each month.

Arceneaux notes that she has been lucky; she has yet to hit a slow month. She says that so far her gross monthly revenue has been between about $3,500 and $5,500 per month.

After expenses, her net is typically between about $2,500 and $4,000.

Day-to-day operations/ Staying organized “I make a lot of lists,” laughs Arceneaux, when asked how she handles her constantly growing workload. “I break things down into what I have to do in the next two weeks, then for the

week, then daily. I even make a list of what I need to accomplish by what time during the day to keep me on track.”

For bookkeeping, Arceneaux says she is currently using an online program called Wave, but she is about to switch to an invoicing app called Joist.

“It’s going to allow me to send invoices from my phone from wherever I am,” she says. “Plus it will automatically keep track of my monthly revenue.”

Recent Recognition On July 26, Arceneaux received the “Outstanding Millenial in Innovation” award at the 2014 Millenial Awards, sponsored by Spears Consulting Group. The awards honored exceptional young professionals in the Greater New Orleans area.

Plans for the future Arceneaux’s future looks busy and bright. In the past month she married Brett Jones, the new market development manager at Dinner Lab, another creative small business gathering attention in New Orleans. Together they plan to buy a house.

“My most immediate future goal is to get out of my house – work-wise,” she says. “Ideally I’d like to have a retail space, somewhere I could sell custom signs. It would also be nice to have a space where I could have clients come to me.”

Further down the road, Arceneaux would like to expand into more of a company than a predominantly one-woman show.

“At some point I’d like Smallchalk to be a brand that’s known nationwide,” she says. n

TOP Photo by Dylan Young

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Perspectives | Security

The Latest Advances in Eye-Tech The next generation of security cameras is helping businesses protect against everything from employee theft to worker’s comp fraud.

By Judi Russell

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hen shooting erupted on Bourbon Street on a Sunday morning in June, the horrific scene was captured by surveillance cameras mounted on top of one bar and inside another. Shortly after, in a speech decrying the violence, Mayor Mitch Landrieu said police would make use of this “video evidence and eyewitness accounts” in order to catch the perpetrators.

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to prevent crimes or apprehend criminals.

Improvements in camera quality, along with lower prices, have led homeowners to install surveillance equipment as well.

Landlords, property owners associations and residents are increasingly monitoring who enters and leaves their properties 24 hours a day.

Essentially, whether you are shopping, eating out or even visiting friends, there’s a good chance a camera somewhere is recording your every move.

“The old analog cameras were blurry and

grainy, says David Charney, president of Stealth Monitoring in Dallas. Charney’s firm monitors activity at several locations in New Orleans. He says today’s IP megapixel cameras provide sharper footage and are easier and cheaper to maintain.

These cameras, which are monitored according to each customer’s request, provide what Charney calls “proactive protection.” If an intruder is seen, his company can trigger an alarm on site. Often, the noise is enough to chase away intruders. If they continue, police are notified.

Security Guards in Demand Although innovations in security cameras make them effective and convenient for many businesses, some companies still prefer to have a human presence on site.

According to a study by The Freedonia Group, a Cleveland, Ohio-based market research firm, security guards and patrol services make up a large sector of the security market. By 2016, the U.S. market for these types of guards is expected to be $24.5 billion.

Other study highlights include:

• By 2016, some 655,000 guards will work for private security firms in the U.S. • Especially in demand will be value-added guards, such as those with first aid or concierge experience.

Charney says Stealth Monitoring alone is responsible for three or four arrests nationwide every week.

According to Spencer Smith, president of Alarm Protection Services in Metairie, captured video can be stored on a hard drive or in the Cloud, making it available at any time to be viewed on smartphones, tablets, notebooks and laptops.

In addition to looking for intruders, the cameras can be used to monitor employees, or to figure out what times of day a business is usually swamped with customers and needs more help.

“It’s a management tool,” Smith says.

According to Smith, even smarter surveillance is coming online. Using “object tracking analytics,” cameras can be designed to look

for unattended packages or anything out of place. This type of surveillance is used mostly by places with very specific security needs, such as airports and government buildings.

Diane Ritchey, editor of Security Magazine based in Troy, Mich., says retailers and shopping centers use surveillance cameras to watch not just shoppers, but employees actively tracking inventory and making sure clerks are ringing up every sale.

“The amount of goods leaving with store employees is shocking,” she says.

In some cases, merchants are gathering data to have just in case, or to try and prevent crime. Malls may scan license plates in the parking lots, with an eye toward using the information if a shooting or burglary occurs.

They may also scan faces in the hope that

monitors may be able to pick up clues to dangerous behavior.

Lou Sepulveda, vice president of USA Fire & Burglar Alarms/ASG Security in Harahan, has been in the security business for 41 years. He says one of the most exciting improvements is the way people can use their devices (cell phones, tablets, etc.) to arm and disarm security systems, check their status and receive text messages from the systems.

As an example, Sepulveda has a shed where he stores valuable equipment, so his security system is programmed to send him a text message anytime the shed door remains open for more than 30 minutes.

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on and off at his home. He was able to open his garage door remotely so a neighbor could go in and remove the food from his freezer. He also turned off the alarm system so the neighbor wouldn’t set it off. He could watch, from out of town, as a surveillance camera showed him his neighbor in action. And when he saw that the neighbor was finished, he remotely turned the alarm back on and relocked the door.

“It’s very, very user friendly,” Sepulveda says.

Monitors can also come in handy for cases of slip and fall charges. Retailers and insurance adjustors are able to use recordings to go back and see if an accident really happened or whether a customer faked the injury.

Hotels also make good use of security cameras, says Mike Cahn, president of security for the Greater New Orleans Hotel & Lodging Association. The cameras can be subversive (hidden) or fish eye (you see the camera but can’t tell what it is monitoring). They can even zoom in to read a credit card number as a clerk is ringing up a charge.

Bill Gordon, property manager for Superior Property Management in New Orleans, says most of the condo associations and retail centers he manages don’t opt for surveillance cameras. They discuss the pros and cons, he says, but usually decide they don’t need to spend the money.

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Most opt instead for simple but effective measures such as keeping all outer doors locked, installing phone entry systems at front doors and security gates with key pads or transmitters.

“I do think people are a little more security conscious than they were 20 years ago,” Gordon says. “The world’s not quite the same as it was.”

He recalls an incident in the 1990s where some assaults occurred outside of a building with an open parking lot. Criminals had easy access to the streets behind the building, so in this case, gating the parking lot solved the problem.

Because most of the condominiums he manages have very stable resident groups, Gordon says just the act of neighbors watching out for neighbors seems to provide a good

level of security.

It’s true that no system is foolproof. Clay Talbot, owner of Safe & Sound Alarms in Mandeville recalls a recent case where a burglar cut a hole in a roof, disarmed an entire alarm system, and left with the goods.

“That’s a professional hit,” he says.

But sometimes it just takes a small dose of security to solve a problem.

Brett Gaudet, sales manager at Metropolitan Electronics, Inc. of New Orleans, has had customers who want a few cameras installed to catch kids vandalizing cars, or to make sure their housecleaners lock the doors when they leave. People even buy dummy cameras in the hope that prospective robbers will take the hint.

“Cameras are just peace of mind,’ he says. n

Sobering Statistics on Employee Theft

• One-third of small business bankruptcies are the result of employee theft.

• 64% of small business have experienced employee theft.

• The average amount stolen over time by an employee is $20,000 • 61% of thefts are ongoing schemes ranging from two weeks to 20 years (Sources: United States Chamber of Commerce and 2014 University of Cincinnati study)

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Perspectives | Real Estate

The Crescent Club on Tulane Avenue is part of an effort by Domain Companies to revitalize the area.

The mixed-income development includes 228 units of rental housing mixed with street front retail.

Is there a Realtor in the House?

Long before they even open, the new VA Hospital and University Medical Center have developers, investors and homebuyers scrambling to get in while the getting’s good. By Judi Russell

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ooking to cash in on the real estate boom around the two impending downtown/Mid-City hospitals?

Realtors and developers say those who haven’t made a move yet need to act fast or run the risk of missing the party.

According to Paul Richard, a commercial real estate agent with Latter & Blum, before work began on the new Veterans Administration hospital and University Medical Center, the city of New Orleans commissioned studies to analyze the economic effects of similar medical district projects in other cities.

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cal offices and some retail.

“We’ve already seen price appreciation,” Richard says.

“Especially on Tulane Avenue and Canal Street.”

However, Richard points out that it won’t all be easy sailing for developers. He says demand for property will eventually outstrip supply, and developers have to work around constraints like height limitations that come with building or renovating in an area with historic codes.

Even before construction on the two hospitals began, some of the surrounding neighborhoods were already on the rise.

Apartment complexes on Tulane Avenue built after Hurricane Katrina have attracted young

professionals choosing city life over suburbia, while Mid-City has been boosted by a streetcar line and historic properties that offer the charm of many Uptown houses without the higher price tags.

Cres Gardner, vice president of Beau Box Commercial Real Estate, says the more than 4,000 people expected to find work at the two hospitals will make an ideal market for many types of small businesses.

“We’re seeing a fair amount of interest,” he says. “Even when (the hospitals) were just a rumor, property values went up significantly.”

Gardner says good bets for the area include restaurants and small-format dollar stores, and adds that once the hospitals

open, the demand for medical office space will jump.

Adrian Pappalardo, president of the Gulf South Real Estate Information Network, anticipates that the influx of health care workers will create a demand for small service businesses – places where workers can take care of chores on their lunch breaks. He says, however, that some property owners are sitting pat for a while, waiting to see what kind of zoning changes the City Council might make for the district.

Apartments, Condos Feel the Heat

Leasing agents at existing apartment and condo complexes report that their phones started Photo courtesy of the Domain Companies

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ringing as soon as hospital construction began taking off.

Daphne Moore at the Falstaff Apartments on Gravier Street says she has definitely received calls from people considering a move to New Orleans to work at the medical centers. Occupancy already runs about 95 percent for the Falstaff’s 147 units.

The Domain Companies, a real estate investment and development firm with offices in New York and New Orleans, has done well with its entries into the multi-family housing market here to date and is betting big on the future.

The Preserve and Crescent Club, both on Tulane Avenue, have been very successful, says Domain spokesperson Megan McNeill. The hospital construction was one factor in the decision to build the complexes, she says, but the company also took into account the way Tulane Avenue connects the commercial activity of the CBD to MidCity, along with the availability of developable sites.

The Paramount, the first building in Domain’s new venture, South Market District, will open with one- and twobedroom apartments this fall, while the second, The Beacon, is breaking ground. Together they will comprise a five block footprint just off the intersection of Loyola and Poydras set to include over 700 luxury apartments and 1,300 garage parking spaces. A mixed-use, transit-oriented development, South Market District will also boast 200,000 square feet of retail space, including a 40,000-square-foot full-service

gourmet grocer.

While many new offerings will fall under the “luxury” category, some developers near the medical center are taking advantage of the tax breaks that come with mixed-income complexes and restoring historic buildings.

HRI Properties is about 50 percent finished with its 225 Baronne development, a renovation of a building left vacant after Hurricane Katrina. Due to finish in the first-quarter of 2015, the building’s 192 apartments will be 80 percent market rate, with the remainder earmarked for moderateincome housing.

Josh Collen, vice president of development with HRI, says that while work on 225 Baronne didn’t begin until after the hospitals, his project may have been possible without the medical complex.

“Both the Central Business District and the Warehouse District have become busy, 24/7 neighborhoods,” Collen says, noting that projects like 225 Baronne will capture those who can’t find apartments in either the Warehouse District or French Quarter. The complex will also feature a 188room hotel and parking.

Mark Madderra, principal with Madderra & Cazelot commercial mortgage firm in Metairie, notes that since mixed-income developments have done well in other parts of the city, he expects them to be equally successful around the medical center, especially those with an affordable-housing component.

Top: Built on the former site of a Crystal Hot Sauce bottling plant, The Preserve by Domain Companies (183 units of mixed-income rental housing) retains elements of the building’s roots. Middle: The mixed-use, transit-oriented South Market District development (off Loyola and Poydras) will span five blocks and include 700 luxury apartments and 200,000 square feet of retail. Bottom: A wide variety of businesses are sprouting up along the new hospital corridor to address the needs of a growing workforce. Shown here is what will soon be a new branch of Iberia Bank. Facing page: Single-family housing is in demand in the corridor, and demand is likely to increase even more after the hospitals open.

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top and middle Photos courtesy of the Domain Companies

Single Homes

Real estate experts are predicting that single-family dwellings will also be in demand around the VA and UMC hospitals.

Lesley Poche, an agent with Keller Williams Realty New Orleans and a property developer, has already felt the bump.

Four years ago, she bought and renovated a 1,000-square-foot house on Banks Street. She sold it in six months and then bought and renovated another, which sold quicker. Next, she built two new construction properties on vacant lots in the Mid-City area.

Both sold on the first day they were listed, for full asking price.

Poche says buyers are opting for the Mid-City area because of its plentiful restaurant and retail offerings and the fact that it is viewed as an up-and-coming part of town. When the hospitals come online, growth is expected to ramp up even further.

“With the hospital jobs, there will be too many people to be handled by existing construction,” Poche says. “Our rental market is very tight and expensive, and choices are limited.”

Longtime Realtor Dorian Bennett agrees. A broker with Dorian Bennett Sotheby’s International Realty, he says he’s already talked with doctors com-

ing to town that are taking shortterm rentals while they look for suitable housing.

While some physicians with school age children will opt for the North Shore, Bennett says that improvement in New Orleans schools have been a factor in the increase in the interest he sees in property near the hospitals. He adds that for those with security concerns, English Turn will likely be appealing.

Mark Bolin, broker/owner of New Orleans Relocation, LLC, Realtors, says that even neighborhoods not directly surrounding the new medical complex are getting a boost.

Last month Bolin sold the largest home in Treme to a “savvy investor” who he said knew that a project as big as the medical center would affect property values positively.

Bolin says that for those that experience sticker shock in areas like Uptown, Treme and other neighborhoods near the medical center will be alluring, but he warns that prices won’t stay low forever.

While several years ago a buyer could scoop up a foreclosure for as little as $20,000, last year one listed for $45,000 eventually sold at $90,000.

“The word is out,” Bolin says. n

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Perspectives | Healthcare

Mid-City Welcomes New Era of Care Upcoming UMC and VA hospitals will go beyond just filling the gaps left behind after Katrina.

By Judi Russell

T

wo hospitals now under construction in the Mid-City area will give a major shot in the arm to health care delivery in New Orleans.

But the impact of the University Medical Center and the new Veterans Affairs hospital, slated to open in 2015 and 2016 respectively, goes way beyond plugging a health care gap.

The projects are expected to bring thousands of high-paying jobs to the city and establish it as a world-class academic medical center.

Hurricane Katrina dealt a clobbering blow to a multitude of health care institutions in the greater New Orleans region. Chief among 68

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them were Charity Hospital and the VA hospital. Their replacements are going up side-byside on a 70-acre site at the edge of the Central Business District. Together, the new hospitals are expected to cost around $2 billion.

The Face of the New VA

According to Carla Marshall, public affairs specialist with the Southeast Louisiana Veterans Health Care System, restoration of the former VA hospital on Perdido Street would not have been cost effective.

The building was more than 70 years old, and the devastation caused by Katrina’s

Top: A peek at a future interior courtyard inside the new University Medical Center, set to open in 2015.

floodwaters was extensive.

While the new VA hospital won’t begin seeing patients until 2016, the former PanAmerican Life Insurance Building at 2400 Canal St. has already been converted into its administration center.

The magnitude of the building project is colossal: when completed, the new hospital will serve more than 70,000 veterans from 23 parishes in Southeast Louisiana. The 1.6 (Renderings courtesy of UMC and VA Hospitals)

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million-square-foot facility will include 120 medical/surgical beds, 20 acute psychiatric care beds and 60 transitional beds (40 for rehabilitation, 20 for hospice) plus two 1,000-car parking garages.

Plans call for 400,000 square feet of outpatient services, an emergency room and the latest diagnostic equipment. The new hospital will also offer rehabilitation therapy especially for injured veterans and is designed to be more user-friendly than 70

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older hospitals.

UMC to Fill Charity’s Hole

For generations, the city’s poor sought medical care at Charity Hospital. When Hurricane Katrina caused Charity’s closure, the Interim LSU Hospital (ILH) was opened at what was formerly called University Hospital.

With its 235 beds and a staff of around 2,000, ILH has served as a safety net for

Top: Set to open in 2016, the new VA Hospital in Mid-City will include 120 medical/surgical beds, 20 acute psychiatric care beds and 60 transitional beds, along with 40,000 square feet of outpatient services, an emergency room, and rehabilitation therapy. The hospital will serve more than 70,000 veterans from 23 parishes in Southeast Louisiana. Left: View of the planned entrance to the VA Hospital off Canal Street.

Right: UMC will be the main training site for LSU School of Medicine.

those who would have formerly been seen at Charity.

According to Cindy Nuesslein, chief executive of UMC, the interim hospital’s employees will be folded into the new medical center, and additional staff will be hired as programs are put in place. The new hospital will have 444 beds and employ around 3,000 people.

UMC will be operated by LCMC Health, which currently operates the interim hospital.

Other members of the LCMC network include Children’s Hospital, Touro Infirmary and the New Orleans East hospital, which opened in August.

LCMC Health has about 6,000 employees.

“We’re an attractive employer with a very competitive pay and benefit package,” notes CEO Greg Feirn.

One of Charity’s premier roles was that of a training center for nursing, medical school and allied health students, as well as doctors in residency programs.

That will continue at UMC. The medical center will have relationships with Xavier University, Dillard University, University of New Orleans and Delgado Community College as well as Tulane and LSU medical schools.

Tulane provides about 35 percent of the teaching faculty of

physicians at ILH, and Dr. Lee Hamm, senior vice president of Tulane University and dean of Tulane’s School of Medicine, says the school will continue to provide that number of physicians, as well as residents and students, at UMC. “It’s a very important site for us,” he says.

Dr. Steve Nelson, dean of LSU School of Medicine in New Orleans, says students from the school of dentistry, nursing and medical school will receive training at UMC. “We have training at other sites, but this will be our anchor,” he says, noting that faculty members will educate and train medical students and postgraduate students along with providing patient care.

Nelson says UMC’s mix of academics and medical care, as well as research, will make the new hospital a great financial draw.

He notes that the University of Alabama in Birmingham’s academic medical center is the state’s largest employer and has a financial impact of between $4.5 billion and $5 billion.

“Many of the fastest-growing occupations in our country are in health care,” Nelson says.

“We’re poised perfectly for it. We expect this University Medical Center will be an economic driv-

Fast Facts: University Medical Center Opening date: June 2015 No. of beds: 444 No. of employees: 3,000 Construction cost: $1.2 billion Special services: Level 1 trauma center

Inpatient/outpatient psychiatric care Training for students, residents Source: UMC, LCMC Health

Fast Facts: Veterans Affairs Hospital Opening date: No. of beds: No. of employees: Service for: Special services:

2016 200 Minimum of 1,100 More than 70,000 veterans from 23 parishes 400,000 square feet of outpatient services

Source: Southeast Louisiana Veterans Health Care System

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er for well-paying jobs.”

Since outpatient and preventive care make up a critical piece of the health care landscape, UMC is set to include an office building where patients can obtain an array of outpatient clinical diagnostic tests.

It will also offer the state’s only Level 1 trauma center, making UMC a destination for patients from all over Louisiana.

“As the hospital grows, it will offer programs not found at other hospitals in the state,” Nusselain says. “People will be attracted to the caliber of faculty and the niche specialty programs it will offer.”

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Top: Outpatient courtyard in the new VA Hospital. Bottom: A typical reception area in a patient tower of the new University Medical Center.

during Hurricane Katrina, UMC is being constructed as a place where patients and staff can shelter in place during significant storms.

Nusselain says the activities that take place on the first floor will not be critical to running the hospital during a disaster, and that care will always be able to continue on floors two through six.

UMC is designed to be selfsustaining for seven days, and the building itself is intended to withstand category three winds and rain. n

Biz Person of the Month

He’s Loving It Owner and operator of seven McDonald’s restaurants in New Orleans, Henry L. Coaxum Jr. thrives on giving back to the city he serves.

By Pamela Marquis

B

eneath the golden glow of the famous McDonald’s arches, Henry L. Coaxum Jr., president of Coaxum Enterprises Inc., shines.

Coaxum is the owner/operator of seven McDonald’s restaurants in the New Orleans area. He has distinguished himself throughout his corporate career- receiving numerous awards for his exemplary operations, marketing, employee relations practices and community service, including being the first McDonald’s operator to receive Nation’s Restaurant News’ 2007 74

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Franchisee Star Award.

After losing all three restaurants, an office complex and his home during Hurricane Katrina, he was recognized in April of 2008 with the Phoenix Award from the U.S. Small Business Administration for his outstanding disaster recovery effort.

According to PR Newswire, “He moved quickly to find innovative ways to recover and rebuild, while getting his 275 employees back to work as soon as possible.”

That same year, in recognition of his outstanding service as an ambassador in

Top: A dynamic duo - Coaxum poses with his wife Karen, who handles marketing and public relations for Coaxum Enterprises. Facing Page: Coaxum began his relationship with McDonald’s as a manager trainee while he was in his mid-30s. He now assists his employees with their climb up the corporate ladder.

his community and displaying excellence in leadership, Coaxum was selected by the McDonald’s Corporation to attend the 2008 National African American History Month celebration at the White House.

so I couldn’t pass up the opportunity to own and operate it. Besides, I married a native New Orleans lady in 2000. I bought the restaurant on the I-10 Service Road and Read in 2002, solidifying New Orleans as my home.

What are the challenges of working as a franchisee? What are the advantages?

There are challenges associated with any job, but especially when you are an owner and the operator. When you own the business, you own all of the responsibility and liability.

Everything is on your shoulders. As a franchisee, you must be diligent about keeping up with all of the changes mandated by the franchisor. The advantage of working as a franchisee is that all of the operating systems are in place. You don’t have to create or recreate procedures or an operational manual.

Successful strategies are the hallmark of the McDonald’s Corporation.

How are you building your business for tomorrow? There are a lot of my employees who

Recently Coaxum was recognized yet again by McDonald’s at the company’s 2014 365Black Awards show. Held in New Orleans during Essence Festival weekend, the show honored Coaxum for his leadership and community involvement.

A passionate giver of his time to various causes, Coaxum is a Junior Achievement Business Hall of Fame Laureate and received the highest honor of the United Way of Southeast Louisiana -- the Alexis de Tocqueville Award.

Currently Coaxum serves as chairman of the New Orleans Business Alliance. He was appointed to the position by New Orleans Mayor Mitch Landrieu in a move that launched the city’s first-ever public-private partnership for economic development.

And if that weren’t enough, he also serves as treasurer of the city’s Hospital Service District Board, is on the board of GNO Inc.; and is a member of The Greater New Orleans Sports Foundation, and The Committee of 100 Louisiana, which assists the state in attracting and retaining industry and ensuring quality jobs for Louisianans.

He and his wife, Karen, have served as cohosts of many philanthropic endeavors such as the Ladies in Red, an annual fundraiser of the African American Heritage Program of the Preservation Resource Center and the Edgar “Dooky” Jr. and Leah Chase Family Foundation Gala. He remains active with the 100 Black Men of Greater New Orleans; the

Grambling University Athletic Foundation; the New Orleans African American Museum; the United Way of Southeast Louisiana; the United Negro College Fund; and the American Heart Association.

Coaxum is also known for his work with New Orleans area young people.

“Our youth need to learn that you can get rewarded if you work hard at both school and a job,” he says. “Who knows – that job could end up being your career.”

You started as a manager-trainee with the McDonald’s Corp. in 1984. What has that meant to you throughout your years of involvement? After reading Tom Peter’s In Search of

Excellence, I was inspired to work for a major corporation like McDonald’s. My brother had been with McDonald’s for almost 10 years at this time and encouraged me to join the company with the golden arches. Many longtime McDonald’s employees started out as crew, but since I was already in my 30s and had been in urban planning and had held other jobs, I started out as a manager-trainee.

In this position, I learned all there was to learn of the operational day-to-day tasks of a McDonald’s restaurant.

In 2002 you became an owner and operator of your own McDonald’s. What led you to that decision? After years as a member of the

McDonald’s Corporation team, the restaurant where I started my career became available,

have embraced the McDonald’s corporate philosophy and who have shown an interest in moving up the ladder of opportunity. I am making everything available to help make those individuals become successful.

“I want to hold that door open to the next entrepreneurs who are inspired by not only how I made it, but by where I’ve come from.”

– Henry L. Coaxum Jr.

Is that one of the reasons you created the Coaxum Enterprises Training and Resource Center, a 6,000-square-foot, state-of-theart facility that houses your corporate office and training and equipment labs? I built the

Training and Resource Center to be able to provide the ongoing training that keeps our restaurants operating. At the center, our new hires get e-learning and shoulder-to-shoulder instruction that readies them to work without the major distractions of being in an unfamiliar environment, such as a busy restaurant.

This builds up their confidence and comfort level. The Training and Resource Center also can be made available to community organizations that need a venue for similar needs.

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Top, left: The Coaxum Enterprises Training and Resource Center ensures employees are fully prepared for the demands and continually changing challenges of their jobs. Top, right: The Coaxums pose with multiple awards for their vast philanthropic community endeavors.

Bottom: The Coaxum Training Center.

to sponsoring and hosting charity events. Why is this work important to you? You can’t be

You have more than 300 employees. What are you doing to attract the best workforce and what are you doing to retain it? We at Coaxum

they can do both under my watch, I consider myself successful.

Enterprises participate in the McDonald’s Corporation’s “Hiring to Win” platform. We have a 24/7 online application process that provides a perpetual stream of applicants. Through this application process, we are able to review applications and schedule interviews.

Is there anything you bring to your career simply by virtue of being African-American that enables you to be more effective? I think it’s

You offer two education incentive programs for student employees who have good grades: pay raises for those in high school and financial help for books and tuition to college students. Why is this important to you? It is not

enough to provide a job to someone. It is even more important that everyone at least has the opportunity to receive an education. If 76

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important to be a coach to others. I strive to be someone others can look to for inspiration and serve as an example of what can be achieved if you have the vision and drive to work hard. I want to hold that door open to the next entrepreneurs who are inspired by not only how I made it, but by where I’ve come from.

Coaxum Enterprises Inc. is very active in the New Orleans community, from serving on public boards and working with city agencies

successful without the support of everyone around you. It is a responsibility of a businessperson to give back, not just through monetary means but by providing leadership, insight and resources.

What do you see as your business’ purpose for existing? After being in business for

many years, a business owner’s role should naturally morph into a mentorship position, where you continuously focus on the future of the business and of the next generation. We are only as successful as our last customer’s visit, so we are always working to exceed our customers’ expectations. And while we keep our “eyes on the fries,” we also are pulling up those in the ranks who are delivering to our customers. Our customers and our employees are the purpose of our existence. n

Events

DNA of Hospitality

Lt. Governor’s Tourism Summit

August 14, 2014

August 26-28, 2014

Featuring motivational speaker and coach John O’Leary New Orleans Ernest N. Morial Convention Center

Pontchartrain Center, Kenner

After surviving being burned on 100 percent of his body, John O’Leary rose above his pain and loss to become a college graduate, business owner, philanthropist, husband and father. During this lunch event in the Convention Center’s Great Hall, O’Leary spoke about achieving specific, action-oriented, goal-centered steps, accountability and buy-in, and lasting impact and lifelong growth.

The largest educational opportunity held by the Louisiana Travel Promotion Association, the annual Lt. Governor’s Tourism Summit featured a keynote address from the Lt. Governor, top educational speakers from around the country and workshops covering the latest trends in the tourism industry.

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3 1. Dickie Brennan’s Kaitlyn Nesbit, Mary McGee-Tilloy, Steve Pettus and Lara Yarrusso 2. Motivational keynote speaker John O’Leary 3.

Andrew Kern, John O’Leary, Barry Kern and Fitz Kern 78

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1. Lt. Governor Jay Dardenne 2. Kyle Edmiston, Michael Valentino, Marion Fox and the Lt. Governor 3. Panel of educational speakers at the Summit.

New Orleans Science & Technology Show

Third Quarter Business Luncheon

August 28, 2014

September 9, 2014

Xavier University’s University Center

EO Louisiana and New Orleans Chamber of Commerce Roosevelt Hotel, New Orleans

Billed as “the most innovative science and technology event in New Orleans,” the New Orleans Science & Technology Show promotes growth in Louisiana’s science and technology industry by providing a collaborative environment for professionals to share their work and inspire innovation, entrepreneurship and economic growth. The event included five hour-long panels with industry experts, a workshop on STEM (science, technology, engineering and mathematics) and a networking dinner at Bourbon Orleans Hotel.

This quarterly luncheon featured keynote speaker Ridgely Goldsborough, co-author of the WHY Engine & co-founder of the WHY Formula. Founder of 43 companies, Goldsborough helped attendees discover their “WHY,” including how neuroscience drives behavior and how that knowledge can be used in personal and business life.

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1. Jarmarsay Hawkins, Geofrey Wilson, Dr. Yu Jiang, Alaina Stewart 2.

Boeing workshop 3. Rene Rosenthal, Gordon Bergstue and Eric Smith

1. Linn Atiyeh, Jason Rawls and Marianne Aguilar 2. Lauren King, Cindy Crayton, Angele Young and Gaynellt Johnson 3. Christine Alexis, Chris Naquin and Brittany Brown BizNewOrleans.com october 2014

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Behind the Scenes

Pontchartrain Vineyards On Tuesday, Sept. 2, Pontchartrain Vineyards began pressing their red Cynthiana grapes.

Vineyard Manager Abundio Arriaga pours the grape mash into the press where the pulp and skin is removed. The finished product will sit in a barrel for about a year and then in bottles for another six months before being sold.

STATS Founded: 1991 by John Seago, current President is Lincoln Case Known for: Only winery in Louisiana producing table wine exclusively from wine grapes.

Located: 20 miles north of Lake Pontchartrain in Bush, La. Size: 15 acres – grow white Blanc du bois and red Cynthiana grapes Production: average 2,500 cases per year – currently about 10 varieties of wines Best seller: Dah Red (Cabernet and Syrah) Roux St. Louis (off dry wine)

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