Biz Talks

How does Biz New Orleans choose the elite group of honorees each year? What does it take to be named CEO of the Year? Editor Kim Singletary explains the process, along with how you may have a say over next year’s picks. She also breaks down the highlights of this year’s class and why their inspirational stories provide the perfect inspiration to help you dominate in 2026.

On Dec. 9, New Orleans & Company launched Vision 2035: a plan created with big local stakeholders to make the city a better place to live and visit. What are some of the biggest goals of the plan and where do we start? Walt Leger III, CEO of New Orleans & Company, shares his thoughts.

A week into ICE’s “Operation Catahoula Crunch,” New Orleans’ immigrant community, along with businesses that employ immigrants, are feeling the effects. This week, Mayra Pineda, president and CEO of the Hispanic Chamber of Commerce of Louisiana, pushes back against misinformation online and shares what she’s hearing from area businesses and what the chamber is doing to support New Orleans’ only gr...

Today is Giving Tuesday  https://www.givingtuesday.org/ , which strategically falls toward the end of the year, providing the last chance to take advantage of tax benefits for charitable giving for the year. This week, Biz Talks welcomes Shayna Lear Harvey, partner and president of Wealth Management fro JECohen. She shares the new rules for giving for 2025, what changes are coming for 2026 and fou...

Founded by New Orleanian Geoffrey Meeker in 2012, French Truck Coffee has become a local coffee success story with now 13 locations across New Orleans, Baton Rouge and Memphis. Last month, Meeker stepped away as CEO, handing the company over to long-time partner Bobby Winston and his brother Sam. Together, the Winstons share their thoughts on how coffee is changing and what they envision for the f...

As parents and area schools look ahead to next fall, BizTalks caught up with Kaitlin Karpinski, executive director of Rooted School New Orleans. Located on the campus of Southern University at New Orleans (SUNO), this two-time “Most Innovative Charter School” winner allows students to start taking college courses on day one, as well as offers 15 different industry-based certifications. Karpinski s...

The holiday season is upon us, which includes the national marking of Small Business Saturday on Nov. 29. How do local businesses promote what their offerings in a way that translates to sales? Two media experts from Tulane University’s School of Professional Advancement (SoPA) join us on Biz Talks to share their top tips for success.

A former funeral home on Camp Street has been transformed into Delaporte Manor — described by its creator, Andrew Preble, as part haunted house, part immersive theater and part escape room. Only running until Nov. 8, tickets are going fast for this one-of-a-kind attraction. In this week’s BizTalks, Preble — who has run an escape room business called Escape My Room in New Orleans for 10 years — sha...

From Oct. 23-27, New Orleanians will have special access to more than 130 top films from around the world — including 19 world premieres — that reach across every age, genre and interest. The action at the 36th annual New Orleans Film Festival will also continue off the screen at elaborate parties, workshops and meet and greets hosted at venues throughout the city. On this week’s BizTalks, New Orl...

On Oct. 16, the Jefferson Performing Arts Center will host the 15th annual Economic and Real Estate Forecast Symposium, a full-day event presented by the New Orleans Metropolitan Association of Realtors (NOMAR) and its Commercial Investment Division (CID). In this week’s BizTalks, NOMAR Symposium committee member Paul Richard and symposium speaker Michael Sherman offer a sneak peek into where the...

A new, free event created by and for young Black women business leaders across Southeast Louisiana is happening on Saturday, Oct. 4, from 1:30 to 4:30 p.m. The event, entitled Power in Our Hands: An Afternoon for Young Black Entrepreneurs, is the latest project from a local nonprofit called Women With a Vision. Program Manager Kennadi Robinson explains how this marketplace/entrepreneur showcase/ne...

That’s the name of the new report just released by independent local research organization   Bureau of Governmental Research (BGR). President and CEO Rebecca Mowbray shares the shocking things not required to be included in the budget, why we need to include them, and why now is the perfect time to get it done right.  Link to BGR Candidate Q&A https://www.bgr.org/report-index/candidate-qa-repo...

Jonathan Reckford, CEO of Habitat for Humanity International, is coming to town to speak at the New Orleans chapter’s first-ever housing innovation forum, Still Rising, which will be held Thursday, Sept. 18, at Nieux Society. In this week’s episode, he shares his unique global view on the status of affordable housing, how the organization is getting creative to meet them, and the top things New Or...

This week we talk to a member of the famed musical family the Batistes, Ryan Batiste, about how and why he founded L.O.C.A.L.S. Fest — a festival designed to support the local economy and cultural landscape. The free festival returns for its sixth year at Armstrong Park this Saturday, September 13, from 11 a.m. To 7 p.m. 

Formed following Hurricane Katrina with the goal of replacing the 100,000 trees lost in New Orleans, NOLA Tree Project has planted more than 86,000 trees across the city with the help of more than 125,000 volunteers. As the weather cools, Executive Director Connie Uddo explains how local businesses and individuals can join in making a tangible difference in the health and beauty of the city in jus...

Just two years ago, Kevin Pedeaux went from being a vendor at St. Roch Market — one of only two historic city-owned public markets left in the city — to running the market. In this week’s Biz Talks, he shares some surprising insights about the market and details on a big event coming in September.

Locals and tourists looking to escape the heat and immersive themselves in a world that celebrates the wonder and cultural richness of the city need only travel to 940 Frenchmen St. where JAMNOLA — NOLA’s first experiential pop-up museum — just opened a permanent location in June. This fantastical wonderland showcases the work of more than 100 local artists, but that’s just the beginning, explains...

Louisiana Restaurant Association (LRA) President and CEO Stan Harris joins us on this week’s Biz Talks to share what’s up with the closings we’ve been seeing, what the big issues are right now, what the LRA is doing to help, and why right now is the perfect time to help our favorite spots.

Marking 70 years this year, Louisiana’s only freestanding, comprehensive children’s hospital has been celebrating through service. Along with the latest on two of the hospital’s big initiatives, President and CEO Lou Fragoso shares his thoughts on Ochsner’s Children’s Hospital breaking ground while he prepares to take on a big personal adventure on behalf of the kids he serves.

Did you know Louisiana is the top oyster-producing state in America? The big news in oysters is that our state is now home to a new kind of oyster farming that’s resulting in all new flavor profiles — and JEDCO is helping to spread the word about these Grand Isle Jewels. This week on BizTalks, JEDCO President and CEO Jerry Bologna explains why working with oyster farmers in Grand Isle has been one...

On Aug. 4, local hotel industry veteran Jim Cook will officially step in as the new president and CEO of the New Orleans Ernest N. Morial Convention Center. Cook shares his plans to lead the sixth largest convention center in the country as it looks to break ground on a headquarters hotel next year and finish up the first phase of a $557 million capital improvement plan.

Having trouble getting your dog to and from doggie daycare? Does your pooch need a ride to the groomer, but you’ve got a conflict? Now there’s an app for that. Native New Orleanian Troy Bergeron has parlayed his background in logistics and transportation into a new venture — Doggie Bus . After just over a year in business, the company is already expanding nationally. How does it all work? Bergeron...

After a little more than 10 years in business, Haptech, Inc. has found its stride — earning millions in military contracts. Founder and CEO Kyle Monti explains his innovative technology, how the video game industry helped get the company where it needed to be, as well as what’s up next and how locals can join his team.

Celebrating its 65th anniversary this year, Lakeside Shopping Center is working hard to stay young — welcoming two new stores, with another on the way. Lakeside’s General Manager Lisa Manzella, and Marketing Director Erin Graham share all the latest news (including what went into hosting 2,000 people for Jefferson Parish’s Bicentennial Ball) and discuss the surprising lessons the mall learned from...

On June 9, the announcement went out that Gov. Landry had signed SB 232 into law, officially establishing Act 44 — a major update to the state’s film incentive program. What exactly does this act do and why is the industry excited? Jason Waggenspack, co-founder and CEO of The Ranch Film Studios and president of Film Louisiana, shares his insight.