Biz Talks

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....

On this week’s episode, Tammie Jackson, the city’s director of safety and permits, says more investigators and new software will improve enforcement of short-term rental rules.

The healthcare industry represents $1.5 billion of the gross regional product on the Northshore and a new pilot program started this past May aims to boost that number even further. In this week's episode, Chris Masingill, CEO of St. Tammany Corporation, shares the details behind Northshore Healthscape, including how it will help address the industry’s workforce shortage.

This week’s episode features native New Orleanian Curtis Doucette, a real estate developer and CEO of Iris Development. A former banker, Doucette bought his first property — a duplex in New Orleans East — in 2002. Twenty years later, he’s celebrating the grand opening of the $20 million BonVi apartment complex, a mixed-use project developed in partnership with Green Coast Enterprises that’s celebr...

In the wake of the amended homebuilding moratorium, what is the next step in addressing the Northshore’s growth challenges? Jules Guidry, CEO of Highland Homes and a former leader of the Northshore Home Builders Association, talks about the new committee he’s a part of that’s dedicated to finding “Simple Solutions,” and shares his thoughts on the future when it comes to supply chain and interest r...

This week’s guest, energy industry veteran Al Petrie, has organized not one but two major industry gatherings this week in New Orleans. On the podcast, he talks about how the pandemic, the global focus on clean energy and the war in Ukraine are creating opportunities for Louisiana.

A NOLA native and mother of seven, Mignon Francois took the last $5 she had for dinner one week and made cupcakes. A decade and a half later, her shop, the Cupcake Collection is ranked in the top 10 cupcake shops in the country and has two successful locations — one in Nashville, Tennessee and one in New Orleans. In this week’s episode, Mignon shares her secrets for success and advice for budding...

Small business owners in Louisiana and nationwide are reporting that inflation is hurting their bottom line and adversely impacting their ability to hire and retain workers, according to new survey data from Goldman Sachs 10,000 Small Businesses Voices. This week’s podcast features Joe Wall, the organization’s national director. He discusses the new report and what he hopes will be done to help.

Morgan Dixon is a nail artist, entrepreneur and social media star whose incredible creations have made her studio, MAD Nails, (named for her initials) THE top nail salon in the region and even grabbed the attention of Hollywood. On this week’s podcast, Dixon shares the details on her company and an exciting new expansion.

This week’s podcast features Carmelo Turillo. Turillo is an educator and entrepreneur who is a professor of practice at Tulane University’s A.B. Freeman School of Business and the co-owner of Francofonte Catering, which has operated a gelato tent at the New Orleans Jazz & Heritage Festival for more than a decade. Turillo talks about what it takes to serve high-quality food to thousands of peop...

On Wednesday, April 27, 2022, NOLA MusicTech will host its first in-person conference at the George and Joyce Wein Jazz & Heritage Center on North Rampart Street. The conference is focused on providing more money and opportunities to New Orleans musicians. In this episode, the event’s two producers Melissa O'Brien and Christine Auten explain what music technology looks like and how our region...

Kathy Laborde, president and CEO of Gulf Coast Housing Partnership, is helping spearhead an $80 million affordable housing and healthcare development in Central City. With partial support from health insurance company Aetna, the project aims to demonstrate that onsite, accessible care improves health outcomes at a lower cost, and it’s expected to bring more foot traffic to Oretha Castle Haley Boul...

Intralox is a global manufacturer of conveyor belts that is headquartered in Jefferson Parish with additional facilities located around the world. The company has grown dramatically in the last several years thanks to the rise of e-commerce and now employs more than 3,000 people worldwide. In this week's episode, we talk to Intralox CEO and President Edel Blanks about the company's inception, why...

Drew Brees, John Georges, Tania Tetlow, Todd Graves… these are just a few of the people whose leadership styles are analyzed in a new book called “The Seismic Shift in Leadership” by executive coach and Loyola University Gaston Chair of Business Dr. Michelle K. Johnston. What kind of leadership style leads to the best results? What are some easy things you can start doing now? How does good leader...

Over the last two years, Ochsner Health and other healthcare providers have navigated an extraordinary set of challenges related to the pandemic and extreme weather events. On this week's podcast, Warner Thomas, the president and CEO of Ochsner, discusses the lessons learned in the process and how they will change the healthcare industry going forward.