On this week's podcast, we talk to Audubon Institute president and CEO Ron Forman about the organization's pandemic-related budget crisis and why zoos and aquariums have been left out of federal relief programs to date. Topics of conversation include…
With a foreclosure crisis projected in Louisiana in the coming months, local homeless shelters may be struggling to meet an increased demand. On Oct. 5, a new report by Housing Louisiana was released that warned the state is only…
This week, we talk to Stephen Perry, the president and CEO of New Orleans & Company – the destination marketing organization that promotes the city to potential visitors. Among the topics covered: the fate of New Orleans restaurants and…
This past August, more than 200 new laws went into effect in Louisiana, including one that now permits any practicing physician to recommend medical marijuana for any condition determined to be “debilitating” — vastly expanding potential use from…
In this week's episode, Lacey Merrick Conway, president and CEO of Latter & Blum, says the seller's market for homeowners will likely last through 2020 but the pandemic's repercussions on the commercial side may not be felt until 2021…
In the three years since New Orleanian Leigh D’Angelo and her sister, New Yorker Casey Isaacson, founded Dig, a dating app for dog lovers, the company has found fast success on a national scale. With hundreds of thousands of…
This week features a conversation about how COVID-19 has "changed the game" for small business owners on Oak Street - a historic commercial corridor in Uptown New Orleans - and citywide. Our guest is architect and Tulane grad Min…
HGTV’s new show “Selling the Big Easy,” premiering Sept. 11 at 8 p.m., is getting a lot of buzz, but what is the show about? How did it happen? And what kind of exposure will the city be getting?…
New Orleans restaurants are facing an existential threat. The pandemic has drastically reduced the number of visitors to the city and locals are dining out less frequently. It’s unclear when health restrictions will ease and life can return to…
Looking to use this time to prepare for a career change or add to your list of marketable skills? Tulane’s AB Freeman School of Business is launching their first-ever online graduate degree program — a Master of Management in…
In this podcast, we talk to music manager Reid Martin (Big Freedia, Tank and the Bangas, Sweet Crude) about how the New Orleans music industry is dealing with the severe changes caused by the COVID-19 pandemic. Some artists, like…
Hospitality and tourism are the lifeblood of New Orleans, and a big chunk of those visitors are a result of the events and groups hosted by the Ernest N. Morial Convention Center. Ranked in the top 10 of convention…
The COVID-19 pandemic means that nonprofits have had to find new ways to raise funds, restaurants have devised new ways to sell their services and every business has a new story to tell. On today's podcast, we talk to new…
With commercial airlines limiting flights and concerns over the safety of travel at an all-time high, Ron Silverman, chief business officer for XO — the first global digital marketplace for private aviation — says XO has seen its national…
Our guest on this week's podcast is Louisiana State Treasurer John Schroder, who talks about Main Street Recovery, a new state program that will offer grants of up to $15,000 to reimburse businesses for pandemic-related expenses. Schroder also discusses…
On June 12, Webster, through his company, Compassion Society Benefits, officially launched the nation’s first caregiver family leave insurance. Backed by Nationwide Insurance, it offers affordable premiums and provides up to 80 percent income replacement to aid employees forced…
As the national discussion about the Black Lives Matter movement continues, businesses and organizations nationwide are examining their policies to determine how to provide a more inclusive, anti-racist environment for employees, clients and customers. Stone Pigman attorney Heather Lonian,…
As New Orleans is becoming the new “Silicon Valley of the South” we’re also making the move to capitalize on our creative economy, and together that means jobs in technology across a wide variety of industries are only…
On this week's podcast, we talk to Dr. MarkAlain Dery, medical director of infectious diseases and chief innovation officer at Access Health Louisiana, about how businesses and individuals can stay safe during the second phase of the city's…
As some businesses start to bring employees back into the office, chief among concerns is employee safety. But what if someone does get sick? Is that a workers’ compensation claim? Attorney Denis Juge says his firm, WC Defense, has…
On today’s podcast, we talk to Alyssa Fletchinger Higgins, the vice president at Plush Appeal - The Mardi Gras Spot, a New Orleans company that creates thousands of custom products for Mardi Gras organizations, businesses and individuals in New…
Eager to get away? The travel industry is starting to open back up, but is it safe? What are the most in-demand destinations for New Orleanians right now? When can you expect the best deals? Melinda Bourgeois has owned…
In this episode, Rich Collins talks to Mark Romig, senior vice president and chief marketing officer at New Orleans & Company, about the state of tourism, New Orleans & Company's marketing plan and what is in store for the…
Is your business ready to reopen? Do you have the right policies in place? Have you checked all the boxes? In this special bonus podcast, Biz New Orleans Managing Editor Kim Singletary talks to Amy Bakay, founder/CEO of HR…
With all the talk of opening businesses back up, one thing not being discussed a lot is childcare. According to a recent survey, one-third of childcare providers in greater New Orleans reported that an extended closure will force them…
In our second episode, associate news editor Rich Collins talks to Mike Siegel, the president and director of office leasing at Corporate Realty, about the effects of COVID-19 on the New Orleans real estate market. He shares his thoughts…
Since 2015, Quentin Messer has served as president and CEO of the New Orleans Business Alliance, a public-private partnership charged with economic development for the city of New Orleans. Prior to joining NOLABA, Messer was the assistant secretary for Louisiana…
Award-winning writer and editor Kim Singletary is a Southern California transplant (by way of Canada, Washington, Colorado and Nebraska) who has finally found her perfect home in the land of beignets, zydeco and zero chance of shoveling snow. Her career has included communications work in the performing arts and nonprofit sectors, as well as serving as a writer and editor for a variety of regional and national magazines. In addition to contributing to the New Orleans Advocate/Times Picayune, Kim has served as the managing editor of Biz New Orleans magazine since its launch in 2014, where she has led Louisiana's only business magazine to receive multiple national recognitions. She currently lives in Uptown with her husband, young daughter, two cats and one very sassy fish. You can reach Kim at (504) 830-7260 or kimberley@bizneworleans.com.
Rich Collins is an Emmy Award-winning writer, musician and actor known for the Disney Channel TV series “Imagination Movers.” Rich is the former managing editor of Gambit Weekly newspaper and former president of the Press Club of New Orleans. Rich's music has been used on “Ellen,” “Good Morning America,” “Wipeout” and other shows. He has performed live on “The View,” “LIVE with Regis and Kelly” and “Good Morning America.” He developed and taught a songwriting curriculum at Loyola University New Orleans. He performs at locations throughout New Orleans including at the New Orleans Jazz & Heritage Festival. Raised in the Washington, D.C. area and educated at the Catholic University of America, Rich moved to New Orleans in the 1990s and lives here with his wife (a local) and five children. You can reach Rich at (504) 830-7257 or rich@bizneworleans.com.
