The Power of Parkway
Jay Nix never planned to own the most iconic po’boy shop in the universe. Back in the early 1990s, Nix, who was working in construction at the time, bought a nice little house on North Hagan Street right off…
Author: Keith Twitchell
Feeding the Community, Growing New Leaders
Twenty-three percent of New Orleans residents are food insecure, meaning they are not certain that they can put enough quality food on their tables to meet their basic needs. Related to this, a recent study indicated that 16.4% of…
Using Video for Better Marketing and a Better World
Growing up in Lafayette, Max Cusimano was not much exposed to the arts. Even though his parents met while acting in a local civic theater production, the public schools did not have much of a fine arts focus. Then…
Lessons Learned
This time the cavalry is not coming. We all need to do this ourselves. We need to find that well of patience and humanity and work through this.” Leslie Jacobs, co-founder and chair of YouthForce When Hurricane Katrina hit, New…
Don’t Be A Dilbert Business
Keith Twitchell spent 16 years running his own business before becoming president of the Committee for a Better New Orleans. He has observed, supported and participated in entrepreneurial ventures at the street,…
Individual Buying Decisions Impact Ida and COVID Recovery
To say that many local businesses are reeling from the dual impacts of Hurricane Ida and the pandemic closures and restrictions is putting it mildly. An alarming number of enterprises that were scraping by during COVID-19 have thrown in…
Community Banking, Community Success
“The biggest thing a community bank does is take the time to listen to its customers and respond individually.” For Guy Williams, president and CEO of Gulf Coast Bank & Trust Company, this is the foundation upon which his…
Water, Water, But Not Everywhere
The complex nature of southeast Louisiana’s relationship with water was again brought to the fore by Hurricane Ida. We would not be here without water; sometimes it seems like we won’t be here because of water. That relationship only…
Higher Ed Check-in
Local institutions of higher learning are a tremendous, if sometimes underappreciated, asset for Southeast Louisiana. New Orleans alone boasts eight colleges and universities. Along with the community colleges, they comprise a major…
Adapt or Perish
Keith Twitchell spent 16 years running his own business before becoming president of the Committee for a Better New Orleans. He has observed, supported and participated in entrepreneurial ventures at the street,…
Entertainment With A Punch
What began right after Hurricane Katrina, has been on hiatus during the pandemic, and celebrates its 50th anniversary tomorrow night? If you answered “Friday Night Fights”, treat yourself to a ringside seat! The brainchild of Mike Tata, the fights…
The Healing Power of Art
“Art is like an antidote,” proclaimed Pamela Bryan, owner and founder of Octavia Art Gallery. “I feel that art has played a major role in taking out some of the anxiety and sadness that the pandemic has brought into…
Supporting Local Businesses and the Local Economy
“We need to encourage consumers to go to local businesses before dialing up Amazon.com.” Spoken by Jacquie Bonano, founder of ShopLocalNola.com, these words define the purpose of her website, while also highlighting a vital driver of the greater New…
A Wine Market of a Different Flavor
As disastrous as the post-Katrina levee failures were, the wide-open landscape also created new business opportunities – and few enterprises have emerged from that time as successfully as the Swirl Wine Bar and Market. According to Beth Ribblett, founder…
A Tale of Five Hotels
While New Orleans has its share of major chain hotel operations with cookie-cutter rooms and standard amenities, the city has always offered much more in the way of accommodations. Options have ranged from French Quarter treasures like the Monteleone…
Introducing Go.Be.
Keith Twitchell spent 16 years running his own business before becoming president of the Committee for a Better New Orleans. He has observed, supported and participated in entrepreneurial ventures at the street,…
Growing the Next Crop of New Orleans Musicians with Business Know-How
There are so many great musicians in New Orleans that one might think they grow here organically, like the jasmine or the sweet olive. Not true. While the city’s vibrant musical culture certainly provides a nurturing environment, the answer…
Spicing Up the Business
“The pandemic has forced everyone in the food service industry to get creative,” observed Vince Hayward, the fourth-generation owner and CEO of L.H. Hayward and Company. “We went from having a healthy amount of business to almost zero.” In a…
Making the Westbank the Best Bank
For an organization celebrating its 30th anniversary this year, the Algiers Economic Development Foundation has a remarkably low profile – just like that often-overlooked area of the city that it serves. Executive Director Kelsey Foster is working to raise…
Summertime, and the Sitting is Easy
Nothing says “summer” more than chilling on the patio with a cold beverage in one hand and your grill tongs in the other. Now, patio-loving New Orleanians have a classy new option for their lounging: the Coliseum Club chair…
New & Notables
It’s been an unprecedented year for us all — a year full of challenges, but also new opportunities. In our fifth annual class of New & Notables, we honor 12 individuals that have spent the last year taking on…
New & Notable: Deanna Rodriguez
Deanna Rodriguez has gone home again — and again. After many years working with Entergy New Orleans, Rodriguez returned to her native Texas and a position with Entergy there. On May 9, however, she returned to the Crescent City, taking…
New & Notable: Greg and Nicole Nixon
Advocacy, education and construction might seem like an odd mix for a single firm, but for Ubuntu Construction, all of these things make up both a business model and a way to contribute to community improvement. Founded and owned by…
New & Notable: Dr. Calvin Mackie
When your brother is Captain America (actor Anthony Mackie), but you’re the real superhero in the family, you are obviously doing great things. Dr. Calvin Mackie, founder and CEO of STEM NOLA, fits that bill. His current project will benefit…
New & Notable: Dr. Stacy Greene
“We’re all in this together.” This is the message Dr. Stacy Greene, infectious disease lead for DePaul Community Health Centers, wants everyone to hear in relation to getting the COVID-19 vaccination. Formerly known as Daughters of Charity Health Centers, DCHC…
New & Notable: Joshua Webb
Some of the world’s most famous buildings have been around for thousands of years — and so have some construction methods. Joshua Webb is out to change that. On Jan. 27, 2021, Webb took on the newly created role of…
Opening/Reopening Realities
Keith Twitchell spent 16 years running his own business before becoming president of the Committee for a Better New Orleans. He has observed, supported and participated in entrepreneurial ventures at the street,…
New & Notable: Christine Briede
“If we want to get better — not just grow, but get better — we have to work smarter.” For Christine Briede, executive director of the Jefferson Community Foundation, this means bringing parish government, business interests and the general community…
New & Notable: Louis Lauricella
Louis Lauricella’s company was among the principal developers of Harahan’s Elmwood Shopping Center when it opened in 1975. Twenty years later, the company acquired sole ownership of the tract, and as of 2018, is in the midst of transforming the…
New & Notable: Jackie Dadakis
While Green Coast Enterprises is renowned as a leader in environmentally friendly construction — with local projects including the Pythian Building and Pythian Market — the company is much more than just a builder and developer. “My top priority is…
Neighborhood Biz
With Keith Twitchell
A native New Englander, Keith Twitchell moved to New Orleans in 1979. From 2004 through 2020 he served as president of the Committee for a Better New Orleans, where he was responsible for project management, organizational leadership and fundraising/finances, and led key CBNO programs such as the Community Participation Program, the Bryan Bell Metropolitan Leadership Forum, and the Greater New Orleans Water Collaborative. In January 2021 he returned to his own enterprises, including writing, nonprofit management consulting, and design and facilitation of community engagement processes. Twitchell is a former Captain of Krewe du Vieux, a state-ranked tennis player and an award-winning writer, and has served on a variety of organization boards. He received a YLC Role Model award in 2014 and the Urban Conservancy’s Urban Hero award in 2016.
In addition to his weekly blog on BizNewOrleans.com, Twitchell writes the monthly Entrepreneurship Column in Biz New Orleans Magazine along with various business features.
Twitter: @twitchell_keith
