Author: Misty Milioto

Sweet Success

The River Parishes has a long history of sugar cane farming, production and refining, and the Port of South Louisiana is home to Louisiana Sugar Refining—a major employer in the region and a driver of the local and state economy. …

Lessons Learned

Each year, Leadership Jefferson—a program of the Jefferson Chamber Foundation—engages a new class of local professionals in a nine-month program designed to develop a diverse network of dedicated business and community leaders. Facilitated by a professional leadership team, Leadership Jefferson…

InterCity Gets Interpersonal

In June 2021, the Jefferson Chamber invited a diverse delegation of leaders from the region’s public, private and nonprofit sectors to meet with and learn from their counterparts during an InterCity Visit to Nashville. While on the trip, a group…

Homegrown Hardware

As a regional university located in Hammond, Southeastern Louisiana University seeks to serve and strengthen the region’s workforce. One way in which it does so is through its College of Science and Technology, which was created in 2005 with the…

Closing the Gap

For six years, Greater New Orleans, Inc. has utilized its GNOu model to close the gap between industry needs and the skills and training of the local workforce. By fostering a mutually supportive ecosystem that links business and industry…

Progress at the Port

When Paul Matthews became the newest Port of South Louisiana Executive Director in January 2022, he was tasked with carrying on a mission that has been top of mind for Port leadership for decades: making the Port even more attractive…

Software Solutions

When Neel Sus started Susco in 2006, he was a man with a simple mission: he wanted to make a positive impact on the end-users of new software development. Sus had fallen in love with the development process while working…

Building a Stronger Foundation

The services and impact of the Hispanic Chamber of Commerce of Louisiana don’t just extend to the established business community. To ensure equity and opportunity for all, a separate branch within the Chamber provides education, training and networking opportunities to…

Law for All

Cesar Burgos, a Hispanic immigrant from San Pedro Sula, Honduras, moved to New Orleans with his family when he was teenager. They’d tried New York but found the winters too cold and the opportunities too scarce, and they hoped to…

Rising to the Top

Originally from the Rio Grande Valley in south Texas, Deanna Rodriguez has lived between Austin, Texas and New Orleans most of her adult life. In 1999, she moved to New Orleans to lead the corporate philanthropy program for Entergy, where…

Rooted in Food

Long before she founded Alma Café, Chef Melissa Araujo spent the summers of her youth on her grandmother’s farm in La Ceiba, Atlántida, Honduras, where she was born. It was during this time that she developed her love of food…

Partners in Profitability

The Hispanic Chamber of Commerce of Louisiana (HCCL) has long-standing relationships with corporate partners. Two major partners—JPMorgan Chase and Entergy Corporation—recently doubled down on their commitment to diversifying the area’s economic landscape. Both companies have an ethos that supports local…

Staffing Solutions

When Spencer Sens founded Complete Logistical Services in 2010, with the goal of providing on-site logistics services for ships at port, his guiding mantra was, “I can do it.” This was a mindset he used to position himself as a…

Marathon Petroleum

Marathon Petroleum Corporation—the nation’s largest crude oil refining company—refines nearly 2.9 million barrels of crude oil per calendar day across its 13-refinery system. The Garyville Refinery is one of the largest in the United States, with a workforce of more…

Wheels Up

Serving Southeast Louisiana and the River Parishes business community, the Port of South Louisiana Executive Regional Airport (KAPS) eliminates drive time to and from commercial airports in New Orleans and Baton Rouge. The airport welcomes small, medium, and large business…

Carnival on the River

When you think of Mardi Gras, you might imagine the packed streets of the New Orleans French Quarter, but this pre-Lenten celebration has a rich history across South Louisiana, with varying traditions and cultures between parishes. In fact, the River…

Calling All Creatives

When you think of job opportunities in Greater New Orleans, you might think of booming sectors like tourism, hospitality and even technology—but when it comes to creative opportunities, the region is not typically seen as a hub where creative professionals…

25 Years of Growth

The Chamber does three things really well: advocate for a better and stronger business environment; educate members in key areas to help advance free enterprise and/or grow respective businesses; and connect business owners and employees to other businesses,” says Todd Murphy, former…

InterCity Visit

In June 2021, a diverse delegation of leaders from our region’s public, private and nonprofit sectors met with and learned from their counterparts in Nashville. The purpose of the trip was to observe the business market and community of Nashville…

Meet Katie Klibert

Tell us about yourself. How did you get started on your career path? I originally got started at RTC after Hurricane Katrina took away my job. I found an opening as a Marketing Assistant with RTC, and I’ve continued to…

Robichaux and the River

After a nationwide search, Jay Robichaux has filled the role of executive director of the River Parishes Tourist Commission following longtime director Buddy Boe’s departure in June. In this role, Robichaux is responsible for leading a team of tourism professionals…

A Community United

Before, during and after Hurricane Ida—one of the most damaging hurricanes to ever make landfall in Louisiana—businesses and organizations throughout the River Parishes banded together to support the community with vital resources. As gas and supplies dwindled, Greenfield Louisiana stepped…

On the Mend

Operations have resumed at the Port of South Louisiana following the impact of Hurricane Ida, yet efforts to assess property damages, to form long-term recovery plans and to mend disrupted supply chains continue. The storm caused extended closures of grain…

Economics & Coastal Restoration

Along with the many benefits that come with a coastal environment—vibrant wildlife, fresh seafood and accessible waterways—there are distinct challenges that emerge in coastal settings including land loss, flooding and water management. The effects of land erosion can be seen…

The Chamber’s Guiding Light

When Mayra Pineda took on the role of President and CEO of the Hispanic Chamber of Commerce of Louisiana (HCCL) in 2014, she did so with the mission of paving pathways to success for underserved communities. “It is important to…

The Business of Brewing

When Valentine Merz opened Dixie Brewing in 1907, he could not have known that what started as an infant brewery on the corner of Tulane Avenue and Tonti Street would become an 85,000-square-foot, 100-barrel brewhouse with a taproom and kitchen,…

Royal Brewery

It was the mid-1990’s when, between jobs in commercial photography, film and television, Raymond Pumilia began brewing beer as a hobby.  He enjoyed it, and the hobby stuck. Then came the day 15 years later when Raymond and his wife,…

Crown on Top

An area so abundant with beverage manufacturing would be incomplete without reliable and efficient means of distribution, so it’s fortunate that Eastern New Orleans is also home to Crescent Crown Distributing, a company that operates alongside and in partnership with…

Cajun Fire Brewing Co.

Jon Renthrope, CEO and brewmaster at Cajun Fire Brewing Co., has always had the goal of brewing beer for socio-economic change. As a member of the United Nation of Houma Indians, Renthrope created the company out of a lack of…