Author: Drew Hawkins

Museum Moves

New Orleans, a cultural cauldron of history and artistic expression, has long been celebrated for its enchanting museums that preserve the essence of the city’s rich heritage. But like any cultural tradition, museums must be maintained and preserved for the…

From Potholes to Portfolios

The financial challenges New Orleanians face can be as bumpy and difficult to navigate as some of the city’s streets. Affordable housing, access to credit and debt management are but a few of the potholes that have to be considered.…

Te(ch)touffee

Ask anyone off the street what it is that makes New Orleans special and chances are some will say the music or the food. Others will say the culture. Very few will say the weather, and none will say the…

Using Nature to Fight Nature

New Orleans lies on the frontlines of the climate crisis. Rising temperatures and sea levels mean the city will experience some of the impacts long before other places — in many ways it already is. One potential solution lies in…

A Penny Saved

The great statesman, inventor and philosopher Benjamin Franklin once wrote that in this world, “nothing is certain except death and taxes.” Were he alive today, Franklin might look at the country he helped found and add medical debt to his…

By Land, Air or Sea

This past May, the U.S. Supreme Court ruled on Sackett v. EPA with a decision described as “earth-shattering” by some environmental lawyers. The ruling narrowed the jurisdiction of the federal Clean Water Act (CWA) such that potentially hundreds of thousands…

Filling the Gaps

The late, great Leah Chase once said, “New Orleans is a city that is full of life and energy, but it’s also a city that knows how to come together and overcome hardship.” Challenges are nothing new to the Big…

The Time is Now

Known for its vibrant music, flavorful cuisine and unique architecture, New Orleans is a city that celebrates individuality, creativity and innovation. Over the past decade, this spirit of innovation has spilled over into the city’s tech industry, transforming the Big…

Making the Mecca

For every great DJ, it all starts with a name. For DJ Raj Smoove, it started with his father, Roger — he was named after him.  “Growing up, everybody always called me ‘little Rog,’ and when I was coming up…

Race to the Bank

In 1656, the royal court of Sweden granted a Latvian-born German/Dutch/Swedish entrepreneur, financier and financial innovator named Johan Palmstruch permission to start a bank. His institution, Stockholm Banco, was the first in Europe to give out banknotes. Palmstruch is actually…

Politics and the Ports

New Orleans’ port system has been making the news a lot lately. From Port NOLA’s ongoing efforts to build a container terminal facility that would allow them to receive and handle the supermax container ships that are becoming more and…

The Other Insurance

The insurance industry in Louisiana has been getting a lot of attention. But while flood and home insurance have dominated the headlines (and the Legislature) lately, life and retirement insurance can be just as important for securing a future for…

Battling Health Inequity

It’s important for the public to be aware that up to 80% of an individual’s health outcomes are determined not by their particular anatomy or family history, but by the economic and social determinants that shape their upbringing and lives…

What Happens to a Bank in a Natural Disaster?

At the end of last year, the Federal Reserve announced that six of the country’s largest banks — JPMorgan Chase, Bank of America, Citi, Wells Fargo, Goldman Sachs and Morgan Stanley — would participate in a “pilot climate scenario analysis”…

Fair Winds and Following Seas

Strong. Diverse. Historic. These are just a few of the words experts use to describe the future of the maritime industry in South Louisiana. With massive infrastructure projects underway and the global shipping industry starting to get back to normal,…

Think of the Children

Ask any parent of school-aged children and they’ll tell you that the pandemic was tough for kids. Not only were many deprived of social interaction with their peers —which research says is really important for learning how to build healthy…

Nursing Corps

It’s no secret that the healthcare industry in Louisiana — and all over the country — has a nursing staffing problem. This isn’t a new problem. In fact, the U.S. has experienced nursing shortages periodically since the early 1900s, with…

New Year, New Portfolio

The cliche “new year, new you” belies very real possibility. The start of a new year is a great time to try new things — or get back on track. Many people will use this time to try to start…

A Dream and a Dome

Legend has it that when Dave Dixon — businessman and chairman of the city’s municipal sports commission — proposed the idea of the Superdome to then-Gov. John J. McKeithen in 1963, the normally folksy and passionate McKeithen was stone…

Halfway Through

For most, December marks the end of the year, but for those in education, it’s only the halfway point of the school year. For educators, the end of the calendar year presents an opportunity to find out what’s been working…

Top Tips for Family Businesses

Never mix friendship and money” has long been a common piece of advice. But what about family and money? For this, Biz asked a few local finance experts to share some of their best tips and advice. Starting Out If…

Smooth Sailing

Lots of our employees have fathers and mothers, sons and daughters, siblings, cousins and in-laws that work at Crescent Towing or Cooper Mooring. Family means so much to our business. Ben Morvant, senior operations manager for Crescent Towing   Standing…

Stemming the Tide

The hope is that by providing this individualized support, we can improve the caregiver quality of life, the patient’s quality of life, help prevent caregiver burnout, and we can reduce avoidable emergency room visits and other kinds of medical crises.…

Perspective | Shelter from the Storm

Abysmal. Bleak. Challenging. Alarming. These are some of the words used by insurance attorneys when asked to describe the current state of the insurance industry in Louisiana, which has been pummeled by hurricanes over the past two years. In the…

The Neural Network

I t might be strange to think about, but everything you know–about yourself, about others and about the world around you–is perceived, processed and controlled by a roughly three-pound cluster of cells that sits inside your head.  The human brain–the…

The Wise Women of STEM

What’s your major? Liyah Ernest used to fear that question. Even though she’s a brilliant and confident student—she took advanced physics her freshman year of high school and was accepted into Stanford University with a full scholarship—she still wasn’t sure…

The Doctor Will Virtually See You Now

While virtual healthcare, also known as telehealth, existed long before COVID-19, it greatly expanded during the pandemic, and it looks like it’s here to stay. While some aspects of healthcare require in-person treatment and evaluation, the convenience and ease of…

Ugly Fix

  We have an old housing stock. Most of the homes on the market must be renovated. Most homes in New Orleans were purchased as a fixer-upper — that’s just our culture. Earl Mackie, executive managing director of Mackie One…

When It Rains It Pours

Over the last few months, five homeoners insurance companies in Louisiana have become insolvent, and many others have pulled out of the state — discontinuing all of their policies at the end of their coverage period. According to Jim Donelon,…

Silicon Delta

New Orleans is known all across the world for its food, music and unique cultural traditions, but it’s also building a reputation as one of the country’s biggest tech incubators. Last year, multiple local companies made high-profile — and high…

Puff, Puff, Passing On Legislation

There’s been a lot of high-level discussion about medical and recreational marijuana by state and local officials recently, but the smoke hasn’t yet cleared enough to see exactly what the future of cannabis looks like in Louisiana. Some lawmakers say…

Better Together

Big things are happening in the healthcare industry on the Northshore. Industry leaders across the three-parish region have come together to form an initiative called “Northshore Healthscape: A Collaborative Enhancing the Pulse of our Regional Healthcare Economy.” As its name…

Flood Insurance Fiasco

Big changes are coming to flood insurance, and they’ll affect almost everyone in Louisiana. Under FEMA’s Risk Rating 2.0, most current NFIP policy holders in the Greater New Orleans area will receive increases to their flood premiums limited to 18%…

The Northshore IS TOPS for Retirement

What we really need to see in the future is truly affordable retirement and long-term care options. Much education is needed for people who do not yet need these living arrangements to understand their cost and to plan for future…

A Little Hope on Affordable Housing Front

  DID YOU KNOW? Headquartered in New Orleans, Gulf Coast Housing Partnership has been “real estate problem solving” for 14 years with projects from Texas to Florida.   It’s no secret that New Orleans has its fair share of problems,…

No Containing this Battle

  DID YOU KNOW? Louisiana was the fifth largest state exporter of goods in the U.S. in 2018 (the latest information available) according to the Office of the United States Trade Representative.   New Orleans has always been involved in…

Out of Your Backyard

  I think short-term rentals don’t belong in residential neighborhoods. That’s why all our buildings are located in the CBD with hotel permitting. Andreas King-Geovanis, CEO and founder of Sextant Stays   If you’re looking for a surefire way to…

Flood Insurance: It Pays to Think Ahead

If you own property in South Louisiana, chances are you’ve noticed that your flood insurance rates keep getting higher and higher. While some of the causes behind the increases are no secret, understanding how and why rates are going up,…

Interest Rate Increases are Coming

Remember when people were scrambling for toilet paper at the beginning of the pandemic, back in March 2020? Almost two years later, that shift in scarcity of one bathroom item has now spread to a shortage in houses. The supply…

When Opportunity Docks

While the pandemic may have taken a heavy toll on local industries like hospitality, tourism, and even oil and gas, for the state’s maritime industry and Louisiana ports, it may have provided additional opportunities for the region to grow and…

GNOrocs: Developing a strong STEM Ecosystem

When it comes to science, technology, engineering, and mathematics education (STEM), our region is shooting for the moon. The Louisiana legislature has appropriated millions of dollars to advance regional STEM education efforts throughout the state.  The funding increase is the…