Biz Talks

HGTV’s new show “Selling the Big Easy,” premiering Sept. 11 at 8 p.m., is getting a lot of buzz, but what is the show about? How did it happen? And what kind of exposure will the city be getting? The show’s star, New Orleans native and successful high-end real estate agent, Brittany Picolo-Ramos, shares how she made the surprising leap to the small screen and what she hopes the network’s millions...

New Orleans restaurants are facing an existential threat. The pandemic has drastically reduced the number of visitors to the city and locals are dining out less frequently. It’s unclear when health restrictions will ease and life can return to normal. On today’s podcast we talk with Jennifer Weishaupt, the founder and CEO of the Ruby Slipper Restaurant Group, about how COVID-19 may change restaura...

Looking to use this time to prepare for a career change or add to your list of marketable skills? Tulane’s AB Freeman School of Business is launching their first-ever online graduate degree program — a Master of Management in Entrepreneurial Hospitality degree — in January. This week AJ Brooks, assistant director for entrepreneurial hospitality and real estate programs within the Freeman School, t...

In this podcast, we talk to music manager Reid Martin (Big Freedia, Tank and the Bangas, Sweet Crude) about how the New Orleans music industry is dealing with the severe changes caused by the COVID-19 pandemic. Some artists, like Big Freedia, have pivoted in a big way while others are hunkering down and getting creative. All of them need as much support from fans, the community and government to s...

Hospitality and tourism are the lifeblood of New Orleans, and a big chunk of those visitors are a result of the events and groups hosted by the Ernest N. Morial Convention Center. Ranked in the top 10 of convention centers in the nation in number of conventions and tradeshows held annually, the Morial Convention Center is battling a huge drop in revenue while in the midst of a $557 million renovat...

 The COVID-19 pandemic means that nonprofits have had to find new ways to raise funds, restaurants have devised new ways to sell their services and every business has a new story to tell. On today's podcast, we talk to new Gambel Communications CEO Amy Boyle Collins about the challenges her New Orleans clients are facing, the strategies they've employed to survive and how the public rela...

With commercial airlines limiting flights and concerns over the safety of travel at an all-time high, Ron Silverman, chief business officer for XO — the first global digital marketplace for private aviation — says XO has seen its national customer base grow to five times pre-COVID-19 levels, with many of those travelers experiencing private aviation for the first time. Options now exist, he says,...

Our guest on this week's podcast is Louisiana State Treasurer John Schroder, who talks about Main Street Recovery, a new state program that will offer grants of up to $15,000 to reimburse businesses for pandemic-related expenses. Schroder also discusses the many potential challenges facing Louisianians in the months ahead as the state tries to recover from the economic effects of the coronavirus p...

On June 12, Dr. Kyshun Webster, through his company, Compassion Society Benefits , officially launched the nation’s first caregiver family leave insurance. Backed by Nationwide Insurance, it offers affordable premiums and provides up to 80 percent income replacement to aid employees forced to leave work to care for a family member. In this episode of Biz Talks, we talk with Webster about this exci...

As the national discussion about the Black Lives Matter movement continues, businesses and organizations nationwide are examining their policies to determine how to provide a more inclusive, anti-racist environment for employees, clients and customers. Stone Pigman attorney Heather Lonian , chair of the firm’s diversity committee, talks to BizNewOrleans.com about her work and what other organizati...

As New Orleans is becoming the new “Silicon Valley of the South” we’re also making the move to capitalize on our creative economy, and together that means jobs in technology across a wide variety of industries are only going to continue to grow. But how do we ensure everyone knows about and can access these incredible opportunities? That’s where NOLAVATE Black comes in. Known as the “Great Connect...

 

As some businesses start to bring employees back into the office, chief among concerns is employee safety. But what if someone does get sick? Is that a workers’ compensation claim? Attorney Denis Juge says his firm, WC Defense, has already started seeing some COVID-19-related claims pop up in New Orleans. He joins us to explain how workers’ compensation handles the disease, along with how the popu...

On today’s podcast, we talk to Alyssa Fletchinger Higgins, the vice president at Plush Appeal - The Mardi Gras Spot, a New Orleans company that creates thousands of custom products for Mardi Gras organizations, business and individuals in New Orleans and beyond.  Normally, Higgins spends several weeks or more each spring traveling to overseas factories but this year has been different, of cou...

Eager to get away? The travel industry is starting to open back up, but is it safe? What are the most in-demand destinations for New Orleanians right now? When can you expect the best deals? Melinda Bourgeois has owned Metairie-based travel agency Travel Central since 1988. Having personally traveled to 47 states and over 56 countries, Bourgeois shares her expertise and recommendations for summer...

In this episode, Rich Collins talks to Mark Romig, senior vice president and chief marketing officer at New Orleans & Company, about the state of tourism, New Orleans & Company's marketing plan and what is in store for the city following the coronavirus pandemic.

Is your business ready to reopen? Do you have the right policies in place? Have you checked all the boxes? In this special bonus podcast, Biz New Orleans Managing Editor Kim Singletary talks to Amy Bakay, founder/CEO of HR NOLA, who shares her top tips for making sure you’re ready to get back to business in a safe, productive way.

With all the talk of opening businesses back up, one thing not being discussed a lot is childcare. According to a recent survey, one-third of childcare providers in greater New Orleans reported that an extended closure will force them to permanently close. With so many industries and jobs whose workers rely on affordable childcare options, what’s being done to help these providers? In this episode...

In our second episode, associate news editor Rich Collins talks to Mike Siegel, the president and director of office leasing at Corporate Realty, about the effects of COVID-19 on the New Orleans real estate market. He shares his thoughts on the hospitality side of the industry, which will be the hardest hit, to the pandemic’s effect on the demand for office space.

In our first Big Talks episode managing editor Kim Singletary talks to Quentin Messer, president and CEO of the New Orleans Business Alliance.