Business Council of New Orleans & the River Region

Louisiana CEO Forum Scheduled for New Orleans Area

scott — Thu, 04 Mar 2010 20:08:41 +0000

The Louisiana CEO Forum will be held on Wednesday, March 24, 2010 at the Crowne Plaza (2829 Williams Boulevard, Kenner, LA 70062).

Top CEOs will discuss how they are meeting current economic challenges – and prospering. The event is hosted by 10/12 magazine at the Crowne Plaza, 2829 Williams Boulevard in Kenner. Doors open at 7 a.m.; program begins at 7:30 a.m.

Speakers include:

Jay Lapeyre, President, Laitram LLC (Harahan)
Marty Mayer, CEO, Stirling Properties (Covington)
Alden McDonald, Jr., President and CEO, Liberty Bank and Trust Company (New Orleans)
Dennis Stine, CEO, Stine Lumber (Lake Charles)
Scott Wester, CEO, Our Lady of the Lake Regional Medical Center (Baton Rouge)

Registration deadline is March 15th. Tickets are $20 and include a continental breakfast. For more information, call Valerie Huntley at 225-928-1700.

Regional Business Coalition SupportsConstruction of New Hospitals

scott — Wed, 24 Feb 2010 20:00:34 +0000

A coalition of the region’s business organizations came together today to push for the accelerated development of the new Veterans Administration Medical Center (VAMC) and University Medical Center (UMC), proposed for the Biosciences District in Mid-city. The announcement of support and signing of the resolution was held today at the J. Bennett Johnston Health and Environmental Research Center in New Orleans.

“The potential for the city and the state is unparalleled”, said Gregory Rusovich, chairman of the Business Council of New Orleans and the River Region and spokesperson for the group. “We simply cannot let this project get mired in lawsuits and delays; it is too important,” he said. ”Now is the time to further demonstrate our unity; to rally around what will be the most significant development for our economy and our medical industry. Now is the time to accelerate progress.”

View the resolution here (in PDF format), download a copy of the press release or call Janet Fabre Smith at 504-329-7974 for more information.

Inspector General’s Office Releases its Strategic Plan

scott — Fri, 12 Feb 2010 20:56:40 +0000

The Office of the Inspector General has released its 2010-2013 Strategic Plan. This document is available on BCNO’s website as a PDF download . Click this link to view or download the document.

Most Council CandidatesSupport Forward New Orleans

scott — Sat, 16 Jan 2010 03:38:28 +0000

Forward New Orleans, a broad coalition of civic, neighborhood and business organizations, says most candidates for New Orleans’ City Council support its seven-issue platform which includes reform mandates on crime, blight, city finance, economic development, city services and infrastructure, city contracting and public education.

Over the past few weeks, City Council candidates were given the opportunity to review and discuss Forward New Orleans with members of the coalition. Candidates were then asked to commit, in writing, to the measures outlined in each platform.

All candidates who participated in the interviews have now responded to Forward New Orleans’ request for commitment.

Forward New Orleans has created a “scorecard” that will enable voters to easily assess each candidate’s position on a particular issue. The scorecard showing the responses of each candidate can be viewed at forwardneworleans.com.

Gregory Rusovich, chairman of the Business Council of New Orleans and the River Region and spokesperson for Forward New Orleans, said: “With the majority support of the candidates for these reform principles, the citizens should have a real sense of optimism about the opportunity for real change after these elections.”

GNO Inc. Publishes Year In Review

scott — Wed, 13 Jan 2010 20:21:46 +0000

GNO, Inc., the regional economic development alliance, has published its 2009 Year in Review.

GNO, Inc.’s goal is to generate wealth and improve the quality of life in the New Orleans region. Follow this link to view the 2009 Year in review.

Some of the organization’s 2009 highlights include:

829 jobs secured for the region, both new and retained, with a combined economic value in excess of $25 million
Success in the legislative session, including passage of a best-in-class 35% digital media tax credit and the exclusion of a capital gains tax
Establishing the first post-Katrina international flight for Louis Armstrong International Airport to Mexico City and on-going service to Honduras
Opening of the I.P. (Intellectual Property) Building in New Orleans’ warehouse district in partnership with Idea Village. The converted office now serves as an entrepreneurial hub for creative and digital media companies, and has grown to ten tenants
Earned over 200 media appearances, including articles in the Wall Street Journal, The New York Times, The Economist, and Entrepreneur Magazine

“The progress of 2009 is not only an encouraging harbinger of our potential for the future, but also a testament to the unprecedented cooperation between state, regional and parish-level partners for economic development,” says GNO, Inc. President and CEO Michael Hecht.

Broad-based Coalition Announces Forward New Orleans Initiative

scott — Wed, 09 Dec 2009 00:00:55 +0000

A diverse coalition of more than 30 civic, neighborhood and business organizations has joined together to present a mandate to elected city leaders to address the most compelling issues facing New Orleans. Over the next few weeks this group will be interviewing all of the candidates for mayor and city council, after which they will publish a scorecard of candidate responses to the principles outlined in FORWARD NEW ORLEANS. Visit ForwardNewOrleans.com for more information.

OIG’s 2009 Budget Report Online

scott — Wed, 25 Nov 2009 17:20:46 +0000

The final report of the 2009 New Orleans budget process is available for download.
Click here to view the final report as a PDF.

Video Summarizes Master Plan

scott — Wed, 21 Oct 2009 21:07:40 +0000

BGR Breakfast Briefing: N.O. Master Plan Review, Tues, Oct 13

valerie — Mon, 12 Oct 2009 19:34:37 +0000

Paul Sedway is one of the nation’s foremost planning experts. He will discuss the draft New Orleans Master Plan, for which he has served as a consultant to BGR. This event will take place:

Tuesday, October 13, 2009
8:00 a.m.

Chateau Bourbon
D. H. Holmes Room
800 Iberville Street
New Orleans, LA

If you would like to attend, please RSVP to ahenderson@bgr.org or 504-525-4152 ×108.

BGR’s “Breakfast Briefings” offer citizens the opportunity to discuss significant policy issues with policy experts.

For more information please visit the BGR website.

Business Council announces hire

scott — Tue, 15 Sep 2009 17:12:02 +0000

The Business Council has appointed Ms. Valerie LeVasseur as Administrative Assistant, effective September 8, 2009. Ms. LeVasseur has held positions of increasing professional responsibility, including legal secretary, executive secretary and administrative assistant. Her most recent experience prior to coming to the Business Council was with Freeport McMoRan Copper and Gold, Inc., where she served as senior marketing assistant to the Vice President of Marketing. She holds an associate’s degree in Applied Business Studies from Tulane University and is currently finishing a Bachelor of Arts degree in Social Science. Ms. LeVasseur is active in community affairs and has worked on projects such as Habitat for Humanity and the New Orleans Police and Justice Foundation’s WALK THE BEAT annual fundraiser. She is also a member of the Gentilly Civic Improvement Association and the Oak Park Neighborhood Association.