Biz Talks

How do you make healthcare settings safer while also addressing an industry facing major workforce issues? Local company Performance Health Partners helps tackle both with its proprietary software. This week, CEO Heidi Raines talks about the power of anonymous reporting and her new book, "Shared Voices," ahead of her appearance at New Orleans Entrepreneur Week.  

For this week’s episode, there are two “Brennans on Duty”: Lally Brennan and Ti Adelaide Martin, co-proprietors of Commander’s Palace. The first cousins discuss the past, present and future of their family’s beloved Creole restaurant, which debuted way back in 1893 before being purchased and revived by the Brennan family in the late 1960s. The Commander's team has planned a year's worth of...

On its 105th year in business, Blue Runner Foods has just welcomed a new CEO, Katie Bautsch, the first woman to lead the company in its history. In this week’s episode, Bautsch shares the changes that lay ahead for this local staple as it looks to capture the hearts, and stomachs, of a new generation.

Liz Maxwell is director of community and communications at the Idea Village, which produces the annual New Orleans Entrepreneur Week. On this week's podcast, she talks about how the event is growing and changing in tandem with the city’s flourishing entrepreneurial community.

Feb 17 marked the start of the sixth season of Nola Gold Rugby — one of 12 major league teams in the country. If you're not yet a fan, new CEO Chase Langdon explains why it's time you give rugby a "try."

Loyola University New Orleans Environmental Law Chair Rob Verchick, a former EPA official in the Obama administration, is the author of the new book “The Octopus in the Parking Garage: A Call for Climate Resilience.” On this week’s episode, he’ll discuss ways south Louisiana can protect itself from increasingly extreme threats from wind and water.

After leading a team of over 1,000 to help build the most powerful rocket ever launched last fall, 2022 Executive of the Year Jennifer Boland-Masterson, director of manufacturing and site leader for the Boeing Space and Launch program, shares the road that led her to the space program, what she’s doing to diversify its workforce, and what her team is up to now.

On this week’s episode, the CEO of the Home Builders Association of Greater New Orleans says the vast majority of insurance claims during recent Louisiana hurricanes were caused by roof failures that could be prevented by improved installation techniques. So, getting some of the region's roofs up to code could be the key to solving the current residential insurance crisis.

Aaron Gailmor is the CEO (Chief Eats Officer) of Brass Roots, a snack food company whose plant-based products use organic Sacha Inchi Seeds, nicknamed “the Incan peanut.” Launched in 2019, the company has quickly grabbed national attention, which amplified last Friday, Jan. 20, with Gailmor’s appearance on the ABC hit TV show Shark Tank.

On this week’s episode, T. Parker Host Chairman and CEO Adam Anderson talks about a his company's $445 million deal to sell Avondale Global Gateway to the Port of South Louisiana — and his vision for how the 254-acre site will contribute to the future of south Louisiana river commerce.

The S&P 500 hit its high mark on the first trading day of 2022 and never came close to that number again for the rest of the year. This week, senior investment management consultant Shepard Buckman of Equitas Capital Advisors talks about what contributed to the rough year for retirement accounts in 2022 and his strategies for recovery in 2023.

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.