Biz Talks

In the words of this week’s guest, “New Orleans’s future workforce is not going to prepare itself.” As such, New Orleans Career Center has been working since its opening in 2018 to prepare area young people and adults for a wide variety of high-wage, high-demand local careers. The organization’s CEO, Claire Jecklin, shares how the organization is partnering with local industries and the details of...

Each December, Biz New Orleans magazine finishes out the year highlighting the top stories that made headlines. For the past 12 months, those stories included crime, tech and insurance issues - among others. In our final episode of the year, Biz New Orleans editor (and "Biz Talks" co-host) Kim Singletary counts down the most consequential deals and developments of 2022.

Just in time for the holidays, Children’s Hospital welcomed a new addition with the grand opening Dec. 8 of the Ronald McDonald House Charities of South Louisiana’s new house. In this week’s podcast, Grace McIntosh, executive director at RMHC-SLA, shares all the exciting features of the new home, how it finally came to be, and how businesses and individuals can make a real difference for families...

This week’s podcast features Linda Thurman and Ed Poole of Movie Poster Archives, a nonprofit that operates a brand-new gallery and store at 605 Lapalco Boulevard in Gretna. Their new venture features an exhibition space, research center, gift shop and screening room. They talk about the importance of movie posters and other film accessories and how JEDCO helped make their new retail location a re...

More than 10 million lights are on display now at Lafreniere Park, with almost all of the creations custom made. Park Director Tripp Rabalais discusses this year's exciting big addition, as well as how the park fared during the pandemic and what the future holds.

This week’s guest is Mandy Simpson, owner of NOLA Boards, a New Orleans-based maker of handcrafted cutting boards, countertops, furniture and more. She talks about how celebrity chef Rachael Ray helped boost her business, the importance of supporting local retailers during the holiday shopping season — and her big plans to take her business on the road.

A new headquarters, exciting new partnerships, big gifts: 2022 has been an exciting one for the nonprofit Son of a Saint, which helps area boys without father figures. This week, founder Sonny Lee shares some creative ways individuals and businesses can be part of the movement to stop the cycle of violence in our city.

On this week’s episode, Tulane business professor J. Cameron Verhaal and Urban South Brewery owner Jacob Landry talk about what it takes to build an authentic and scalable beer brand, why Louisiana and Mississippi have fewer breweries than other states — and how inflation is “crushing” the industry in 2022.

In this week’s episode, Dolliole shares his thoughts on how the airport weathered the pandemic — and a very chaotic summer — and looks ahead to exciting new additions. Along with added flight options, travelers will be seeing a new offering at the airport that Dolliole said was the result of an unexpected consumer behavior change during the pandemic. 

This week, Dan Davis — the sommelier, better known as the “Wine Guy,” at Commander’s Palace — is talking wine. Davis shares how the restaurant used wine to bring in extra revenue, and sanity, during the pandemic, plus he talks details of a must-attend event for any wine lover this month, and offers some fun insight into the world of wine, including his top pics for your table this year.

This week’s episode features Greg Feirn, CEO of LCMC Health, and Michael Fitts, president of Tulane University. Last week, the two leaders announced that LCMC intends to acquire three Tulane-affiliated hospitals from HCA Healthcare in a $150 million deal. If approved by regulators, the move will expand the partnership between Tulane and LCMC and change the New Orleans healthcare landscape.

This month, Loyola University New Orleans is celebrating the debut of a $1.9 million dollar experiential learning space that allows nursing students to practice many medical procedures — from drawing blood to delivering a baby — using robotic mannequins and other high-tech devices. In this episode, Collins talks about the new lab, the nationwide nursing shortage, Loyola’s Ochsner partnership...

Entrepreneurs on the Northshore no longer have to cross the lake to receive business development support from The Idea Village thanks to the August launch of IDEAinstitute Northshore. Jon Atkinson, CEO of The Idea Village, joins Chris Masingill, CEO of St. Tammany Corporation, and Vincenzo Caronna, entrepreneur in residence and program manager of IDEAinstitute Northshore, to discuss the importance...

This week's guest is Natalie Jayroe, president and CEO of the Second Harvest Food Bank, which provides food access, advocacy, education and disaster response to more than 700 community partners and programs across 23 parishes. The nonprofit is about to unveil a $15 million renovation of its Elmwood headquarters after navigating the twin challenges of the pandemic and several busy storm seasons.

As the president and CEO of Greater New Orleans, Inc. — the 10-parish region’s economic development organization — Michael Hecht is a multitasking master. This week, he catches us up on the latest developments in the organization’s work to make the region safer, more affordable, more prosperous and attractive to business.

This week’s guests are Ochsner Health CEO Warner Thomas and Executive Vice President and Chief Financial Officer Pete November. Thomas announced Sept. 13 that he’s leaving his post at Louisiana’s largest private employer after 24 years to take the top job at Sutter Health, a Sacramento, Ca.-based nonprofit healthcare network. November will take over as CEO at Ochsner on, appropriately enough, Nov....

This week’s episode features Tulane business professor Peter Ricchiuti, who is the founder of Burkenroad Reports and host of the weekly show "Out to Lunch" on National Public Radio. A renowned investment expert and educator, Ricchiuti said there are plenty of reasons to feel good about economic prospects nationwide and in New Orleans.

On July 11, Dr. Avis Williams became the first woman in the 181-year history of NOLA Public Schools to serve as its permanent superintendent. In this week’s podcast, she shares her vision for the future, including a few things she did as superintendent in Selma, Alabama, that she feels may work to strengthen schools in New Orleans.

This week’s episode features Guy Williams, CEO at Gulf Coast Bank and co-founder the Pontchartrain Beach Foundation, a nonprofit hoping to restore and re-open the storied beach at the lake end of Elysian Fields Avenue. Last month, the Lakefront Management Authority, which oversees the property, unanimously voted to negotiate a lease with the foundation. Next on the to-do list is moving the process...

Companies from BP to Kentucky Fried Chicken are now using virtual reality technology to train their employees as the use of VR and AR continues a rapid expansion outside of the gaming world. This week we talk to Dan Clifton, founder and creative director of Top Right Corner, a company here in New Orleans that specializes in helping businesses take advantage of all the possibilities of immersive an...

This week’s episode features Calvin Cooper, co-founder and CEO of Rhove, an SEC-qualified app that allows anyone to invest in commercial real estate for as little as $1 per share. Cooper said his mission is to expand access and opportunity for everyone to invest in and own their communities. A partnership with two local housing nonprofits is introducing the app to the New Orleans market.

Vaccines, gun control, climate change, abortion rights, elections — our world is packed right now with issues that can incite strong, passionate opinions that can cause friction in the workplace. But human resources specialist Amy Bakay says the worst thing employers can do is say nothing at all. Instead, she offers advice on how to flip this challenge into an opportunity to create a stronger team...

Aulston Taylor left his lucrative corporate job in New York City to take charge at St. Augustine High School, the venerable Catholic high school in New Orleans that celebrated its 70th anniversary in 2021. Taylor isn’t just the school’s president; he’s also a graduate, and he credits his alma mater with giving him the tools and discipline needed to succeed in business and in life.

Company behavior and sustainable offerings have both become even more important to consumers during the pandemic according to multiple studies. To help area businesses capitalize on this trend, Kevin Ferguson, vice president of external affairs for New Orleans & Company, discusses a new 3-month program called the Zero Waste Campaign — a partnership with the New Orleans Chamber of Commerce and...

The Greater New Orleans Sports Foundation was created in the late 1980s to coordinate efforts to attract and manage major sporting events. The organization said that by the time the 2025 Super Bowl has come and gone, it will have turned a $50 million public investment and $100 million in private fundraising into more than $3.44 billion in economic impact for Louisiana and the city of New Orleans....