New Orleans CityBusiness articles from February 2005

New Orleans CityBusiness archives from February 2005

Commentary: Mardi Gras yardstick needed to measure season's success.
February 7, 2005... Byline: Terry O'Connor Two years ago, Mayor C. Ray Nagin made the right call in deciding to abandon the traditional measurement of tabulating Mardi Gras success by toting up the tons of trash swept up in New Orleans. But no other...

Tulane-tested lung valve offers hope for emphysema patients.
February 7, 2005... Byline: Richard A. Webster Sharon Butzman started smoking cigarettes at age 11. She did not stop until 45 years later when she was told she had emphysema at age 56. Eventually, Butzman lost her job at an off-track betting parlor in...

Entergy Corp. wins over government of Port Gibson, Miss. with plans for nuclear reactor.
February 7, 2005... Byline: Richard Slawsky Entergy Corp. is exploring the possibility of constructing a second nuclear reactor at its Grand Gulf Nuclear Power Station in Port Gibson, Miss., and it didn't take the local government long to react. Two weeks...

$15M luxury condo in New Orleans nears completion.
February 7, 2005... Byline: Staff A multimillion-dollar downtown condo project is set to wrap up construction in the next 60 days. Sugar Plantation Condominiums, a $15 million, 43-unit project at 840 Tchoupitoulas St., consists of four buildings. Ray...

New Orleans-based Isis Films will shoot 3 movies on North Shore.
February 7, 2005... Byline: Staff New Orleans-based film company Isis Films is searching for extras for the company's first film, which begins shooting on the North Shore next week. Work on "It's About Love," written and directed by Joe Wehinger, will...

New Orleans businessman with political ties faces federal charges.
February 7, 2005... Byline: Staff A member of a politically connected Louisiana family was charged last Wednesday with two counts of federal bank fraud for allegedly using a fake contract to secure a bank loan and propping up two bank accounts with...

Insurers cut auto insurance costs in Louisiana through state's flex band law.
February 7, 2005... Byline: Staff State Farm Mutual Automobile Insurance cites the state's flex band law for its 2.1 percent cut in Louisiana auto insurance premiums in February. "The flex band law, which permits insurers to adjust premiums up or down by...

History Channel awards grant to New Orleans culinary historians.
February 7, 2005... Byline: Staff A grant from The History Channel will help teach the age-old art of Creole cooking to New Orleans students. The History Channel awarded a $9,700 Save Our History grant to the Historic New Orleans Collection, a group of...

Interview with James Perry, head of Greater New Orleans Fair Housing Action Center.
February 7, 2005... Byline: Deon Roberts James Perry was hired Jan. 1 to head the Greater New Orleans Fair Housing Action Center, a nonprofit that investigates housing discrimination complaints. Perry is the third executive director in the history of the...

New Orleans breaks tourism record in 2004.
February 7, 2005... Byline: Staff A record 10.1 million visitors came to New Orleans in 2004, breaking the city's all-time tourism record in 2003 of 8.55 million visitors, according to the University of New Orleans Hospitality Research Center. Visitors spent...

Fourth Circuit rules against La.-approved tax increment financing plan.
February 7, 2005... Byline: Staff In a major blow to plans to convert the mostly vacant World Trade Center building into a Westin convention-style hotel, the Fourth Circuit Court of Appeal ruled Tuesday against using a special taxing plan to fund the proposed...

Louisiana collects $41.5M in royalty payments from federal Minerals Management Service.
February 7, 2005... Byline: Staff Louisiana collected $41.5 million in royalty payments from the U. S. Department of the Interior's Minerals Management Service, a 31.3 percent increase from last years payment of $31.6 million. Overall, 36 states received $1.3...

Attorney Jack Capella resigns as chief operating officer of New Orleans Hornets.
February 7, 2005... Byline: Staff Attorney Jack Capella resigned as chief operating officer of the New Orleans Hornets. Capella was vice president of corporate affairs and general counsel during the Hornets' first season in New Orleans in 2002-03. Capella had...

New Orleans preservation nonprofit solicits redevelopment proposals for Mignon Faget bldg.
February 7, 2005... Byline: Staff The Preservation Resource Center began soliciting redevelopment proposals Jan. 27 for the former Mignon Faget building at 710 Dublin St. Faget, the nationally known artist and jewelry designer, donated the building to the...

La. governor announces state's grade from Government Performance Project.
February 7, 2005... Byline: Staff Gov. Kathleen Babineaux Blanco announced Louisiana had earned a "B" from the Government Performance Project, the nation's only comprehensive, independent analysis of how well states are managed. Louisiana earned the top...

Open Market Committee of Federal Reserve adds quarter point to the federal funds rate.
February 7, 2005... Byline: Staff The Open Market Committee of the Federal Reserve added another quarter point to the federal funds rate last week, raising the interest banks charge one another for overnight loans to 2.5 percent. Additional increases are...

Commentary: Publisher's Notes: Louisiana pays a stiff price for its many impatient drivers.
February 7, 2005... Byline: Mark Singletary At 1:20 p.m. last Monday, I sat in a parking lot next to a busy intersection for 30 minutes and counted the cars that ran the red lights. Thirty-one cars, trucks and buses chose not to stop. I gave several...

Airport official projects 10M riders in New Orleans to set record.
February 7, 2005... Byline: Chris Price Passenger counts at Louis Armstrong New Orleans International Airport fell just short of a record-breaking 2004. Airport officials predict the record will fall this year as the industry continues to rebound from the...

Stennis Space Center may be in the lead to secure NASA's Shared Services Center.
February 7, 2005... Byline: Richard Slawsky Stennis Space Center may be leading the race to secure NASA's Shared Services Center thanks to the unique joint venture between Mississippi and Louisiana. Mississippi's Economic Development Authority and the...

Bush budget not expected to diminish New Orleans district's $65M backlog.
February 7, 2005... Byline: Deon Roberts The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers has identified millions of dollars in flood and hurricane protection projects in the New Orleans district. Chances are, though, most projects will not be funded in the president's...

Grand Executif: Todd Richard, CEO of FARA, an insurance services provider: Part I.
February 7, 2005... Byline: Richard A. Webster Todd Richard's father, Francis, dropped a bombshell the day after Christmas. "I've decided to retire," he said. A few days earlier, Todd and Francis had one of their typical business disagreements. Todd...

Le Grand Executif: Growth lays ground for FARA's new HQ: Part II.
February 7, 2005... Byline: Richard A. Webster The gleaming modern structure towering over West Causeway Approach in Mandeville is unlike any other building in St. Tammany Parish. It is a 52,000-square-foot testament to FARA's growth under the leadership...

Le Grand Executif: Father-son bond taught FARA's CEO the value of work and family: Part III.
February 7, 2005... Byline: Richard A. Webster When Francis Richard retired in 1998, he gave 51 percent control of F.A. Richard and Associates, his insurance services provider company, to his three children. "He just gifted it to us," Todd Richard said....

Shorter season, wet weather may dampen New Orleans' Carnival.
February 7, 2005... Byline: Deon Roberts Carnival has been called the Biggest Free Party on Earth. But this year's big, free party had to compete with three factors that kept people away and hurt businesses in the process. Incessant rain, an...

New Orleans-bashing sportswriter rethinks criticism of city's handling of Super Bowl.
February 7, 2005... Byline: Staff Just three years after ESPN sportswriter Bill Simmons called New Orleans a "disgusting sinkhole" while covering the 2002 Super Bowl, the self-proclaimed Sports Guy is changing his tune. In a column covering Super Bowl...

Study: Super Bowl affects worker absenteeism the day after the game.
February 7, 2005... Byline: Staff The Super Bowl is not so super for work productivity the day after the championship game, a new study indicates. And with Mardi Gras coming two days after the Super Bowl this year, there is a compound effect on New Orleans....

Rural Louisiana town finally gets phone service.
February 7, 2005... Byline: Staff Mink, a community of 15 households in north Louisiana, was one of the last towns in the country without phone service. No more. BellSouth Corp. completed the $700,000 extension of 30 miles of cable last week to this tiny...

City of New Orleans working on plans to improve City Park.
February 14, 2005... Byline: Deon Roberts Turning around City Park is going to be anything but a walk in the park. Elected officials who have seen the $115 million master plan to overhaul the deteriorating park say they support the idea of a better City...

Sports venue facelift sought at N.O.'s City Park.
February 14, 2005... Byline: Chris Price City Park, founded in 1854, is one of the nation's oldest urban recreation areas and it's showing its age. But a proposed $115 million master plan could transform the 1,500-acre site into a modern recreational...

Louisiana film incentives attract competitors.
February 14, 2005... Byline: Richard A. Webster "Because of Winn Dixie," a 20th Century Fox motion picture opening Feb. 18, was originally slated to be shot in Orlando, Fla. Dama Chasle, vice president of tax with 20th Century Fox, said it was "very far...

Super Bowl Tabasco ad fails to fire viewers.
February 14, 2005... Byline: Staff The McIlhenny Tabasco company of Avery Island didn't catch lightning in a bottle with its first Super Bowl ad in seven years. Tabasco's "Tan Lines" spot showed a beautiful brunette indulging in the hot sauce, which results in...

Two-thirds of women admit to office romance.
February 14, 2005... Byline: CityBusiness Staff Anyone in the office looking for love in all the wrong places may be ignoring the cubicle next door. A recent study of 35,000 professional women found almost two-thirds have been romantically involved with a...

La. real estate agents brace for aftershock from revised property taxes.
February 14, 2005... Byline: Greg LaRose Property owners dread heading to their mailbox this time of year in fear of receiving higher tax assessments. Patricia Schwarz Core, St. Tammany Parish assessor, has received complaints about bills increasing 500...

Commentary: La.'s coastal erosion concerns must become a presidential priority.
February 14, 2005... Byline: Terry O'Connor Not one word was uttered by President Bush during the State of the Union regarding coastal erosion swallowing Louisiana whole at a rate of a football field every 30 minutes. In order of appearance in his speech,...

Commentary: Lt. Gov. Landrieu's tourism plans center around branding Louisiana assets.
February 14, 2005... Byline: Terry O'Connor Lt. Gov. Mitch Landrieu is "thrilled about the possibility of what can be" involving Louisiana tourism. But unlike the U.S. Army, we are not all we can be. "As we enter 2005, it is important that we continue...

Commentary: Ignorance is suspect defense for two highly educated CEOs.
February 14, 2005... Byline: Mark Singletary I've tried my best to keep up with two big trials going on in federal court. Two big dogs from the New South economy are in deep trouble, and they're both using the same defense to try to stay out of jail. ...

Broadcasters: Fear of fines changing face of N.O. radio.
February 14, 2005... Byline: Richard Slawsky Janet Jackson is killing local radio, according to broadcast industry insiders. The threat of increased indecency fines in the wake of last year's Super Bowl halftime show, where Jackson famously showed her...

Bush-backed energy bill gains support in Louisiana.
February 14, 2005... Byline: Richard Slawsky President Bush, in renewing his pitch for an energy bill during his State of the Union address, said the country needs reliable supplies of affordable, environmentally responsible energy to fuel the economy. ...

Prices don't stop Whole Foods shoppers in New Orleans.
February 14, 2005... Byline: Chris Price Business is booming at Whole Foods Market sites in New Orleans despite higher food prices than conventional grocery store competitors. Detractors call the organic food chain the "Whole Paycheck Market." But the...

African-Americans 'grossly under-represented' in studies abroad.
February 14, 2005... Byline: Deon Roberts Predominantly African-American colleges want more students like Sequoria Shelton and Diedre Pierce. The two African-American Dillard University students have the distinction of having studied abroad. Shelton, 19, a...

Bush budget fails to fund flood control in New Orleans.
February 14, 2005... Byline: CityBusiness Staff Metro area flood control projects will remain on the drawing board if Congress doesn't boost the 2006 budget for the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers in New Orleans. New Orleans Corps officials are worried the...

The New Orleans City Club files for bankruptcy help.
February 14, 2005... Byline: CityBusiness Staff The New Orleans City Club, a business and social entertainment venue at 1525 St. Charles Ave., filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy Feb. 9. According to the filing, the club owes 26 creditors, including the...

Feds: Liquefied natural gas terminal safer than previously thought.
February 14, 2005... Byline: CityBusiness Staff Proposed liquefied natural gas terminals in the Gulf of Mexico won't be nearly as harmful as previously thought. Federal officials said they miscalculated original environmental impact estimates. Shell U.S....

La.-based Chalmette Refining faces environmental lawsuit threat.
February 14, 2005... Byline: CityBusiness Staff U.S. District Court Judge Sarah Vance last week granted a request for summary judgment against Chalmette Refining brought by a coalition of environmental groups. The ruling allows the plaintiff group to file...

New club brings jazz back to N.O.'s Canal Street.
February 14, 2005... Byline: CityBusiness Staff Grand Palace Jazz, located at 1732 Canal St. in the ground floor level of the New Orleans Grand Plaza Hotel, will open Thursday. Paul Lentz, owner of the entertainment management firm Paramount Agency, has a...

Interview with Riverbend-based jeweler, Richard Mathis.
February 14, 2005... Byline: Chris Price Symmetry Jewelers is celebrating its 30th anniversary of doing business in New Orleans. The Riverbend-based jeweler is noted for its unique designs for engagement rings and wedding bands. Valentine's Day is the...

New Orleans Mardi Gras 2005 is success.
February 14, 2005... Byline: CityBusiness Staff The Mardi Gras 2005 season survived rain, an early Feb. 8 Fat Tuesday and competition with the Super Bowl. Between the Friday before Mardi Gras and Ash Wednesday, 101,000 passenger flew through Louis...

La. Supreme Court ruling may block use of hotel taxes for WTC redevelopment.
February 14, 2005... Byline: CityBusiness Staff A Louisiana Supreme Court ruling Feb. 4 could block plans to use hotel occupancy taxes to redevelop the World Trade Center into a New Orleans hotel. The court ruled developers could not use designated sales...

La.-based McDermott International expects 2004 net income of between $35M-$41M.
February 14, 2005... Byline: CityBusiness Staff McDermott International Inc. expects 2004 fourth-quarter net income of between $35 million and $41 million. The J. Ray McDermott marine construction services division is expected to report fourth-quarter...

Sempra Pipelines and Storage to apply to build $100M natural gas storage facility in La.
February 14, 2005... Byline: CityBusiness Staff Sempra Pipelines and Storage, a subsidiary of San Diego-based Sempra Energy, will apply to the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission for permits to build a $100 million natural gas storage facility west of Sulphur...

LightCore launches fiber optics commercial service in La., Tx.
February 14, 2005... Byline: CityBusiness Staff Fiber optic network operator LightCore launched commercial service in new markets in Louisiana and Texas. St. Louis-based LightCore is the leading regional fiber optic network provider in the central United...

Imperial Sugar settles contract with employees at La. facility.
February 14, 2005... Byline: CityBusiness Staff Imperial Sugar Co. settled a three-year contract with employees at its Louisiana facility. Terms of the agreement, which extends through Feb. 1, 2008, were not released. Imperial Sugar, through its subsidiary...

US Airways adds flight from N.O. to NY, from N.O. to Philadelphia.
February 14, 2005... Byline: CityBusiness North Shore Report Staff US Airways added a second flight from Louis Armstrong New Orleans International Airport to New York's LaGuardia Airport and a fifth flight to Philadelphia. US Airways now has 16 daily...

President of PR agency named president of N.O.'s Nokia Sugar Bowl.
February 14, 2005... Byline: CityBusiness Staff Mark Romig, president of public relations at Peter A. Mayer Advertising, was named president of the Nokia Sugar Bowl for the 2005-2006 year. Romig, a Sugar Bowl member since 1989, becomes the 48th president...

La.-based Offshore Logistics hires outside counsel to review payments made in undisclosed country.
February 14, 2005... Byline: CityBusiness Staff Offshore Logistics Inc. hired outside counsel to review payments made in an undisclosed country where company subsidiaries operate. The review delayed its quarterly report with the Securities and Exchange...

Metairie construction company completes $36.8M project for U.S. Navy in 90 days.
February 21, 2005... Byline: Deon Roberts When Hurricane Ivan crashed into Florida last September, the U.S. Navy chose Metairie construction company Broadmoor LLC to tackle a $36.8 million project. Winds and rain had ravaged a 750,000-square-foot building...

Record Gulf of Mexico well could revitalize drilling.
February 21, 2005... Byline: Richard Slawsky In 1970, Russian scientists began drilling a well in the Kola Peninsula near the Norwegian border that over a 20-year period reached a depth of 40,000 feet. Rumor has it the scientists lowered a microphone into...

Los Angeles-based defense contractor Northrop Grumman integrates its strategies.
February 21, 2005... Byline: Chris Price In the four years Northrop Grumman has owned the Avondale Shipyard near New Orleans and the Ingalls Shipyard in Pascagoula, Miss., the Los Angeles-based defense contractor has turned formerly bitter rivals into...

New Orleans governor believes crime will lessen if business community hires more young black men.
February 21, 2005... Byline: Terry O'Connor Mayor C. Ray Nagin called on the business community Thursday to help stop the black-on-black killing he says is one of the gravest problems facing the city. Nagin, the keynote speaker at the first New Orleans...

Louisiana falls to No. 41 in alcohol use among the 50 states.
February 21, 2005... Byline: Staff Louisiana, often thought of as ground zero for intoxication, has sobered up a bit. Louisiana ranks No. 41 in alcohol use among all 50 states and the District of Columbia, according to the recent U.S. Substance Abuse and...

JP Morgan Chase hires another Dillard Univ. Student Government Assn. president.
February 21, 2005... Byline: Staff Dillard University's Student Government Association presidents are being swept up by JP Morgan Chase & Co. Brandon Bowers, 21, has become the third SGA president in four years to be offered a position with the financial...

Local television becomes the medium of choice for law firms to reach the masses.
February 21, 2005... Byline: Greg LaRose They don't have the persona of box office stars, and their on-camera skills are not as honed as a television news anchor. But their messages, staples of TV broadcasts throughout the day, have become engrained in the...

Commentary: Publisher's Notes: Accepting responsibility is first step to solving $366M problem.
February 21, 2005... Byline: Mark Singletary Here are some numbers to consider: $180 million, $115 million and $71 million. When you add these three figures together, the total is $366 million. That number is significant, and that is a number that needs to...

Louisiana's West Jefferson Medical Center improves odds for patients hit by stroke.
February 21, 2005... Byline: Richard A. Webster Melvin Gaspard crawled under the one bedroom, two-story house he was building in Cut Off. He shimmied his wiry, 67-year old frame through the dirt and darkness to the spot where he expected to find a water leak....

Mistake by clerk at Richmond, Va.-based Dominion Resources inflates gas futures $1B.
February 21, 2005... Byline: Richard Slawsky A simple clerical mistake can make a $1 billion difference in worldwide energy prices. Last Nov. 24, a clerk at Richmond, Va.-based Dominion Resources Inc. mistakenly e-mailed the wrong file to the Energy...

Developers eagerly await a new chance at New Orleans World Trade Center.
February 21, 2005... Byline: Deon Roberts The line is already forming. In March, the Louisiana Supreme Court is expected to decide whether it's legal to use hotel occupancy taxes to build a Westin hotel in the city-owned New Orleans World Trade Center. ...

Privacy rights don't extend to Internet phone directories, maps.
February 21, 2005... Byline: Chris Price Internet-based directories and search engines have made finding phone numbers simple and convenient. But easy access to addresses and maps makes it possible for anyone to obtain directions to residences and...

New Orleans bowling alley manager fights with banking landlord over film money.
February 21, 2005... Byline: Richard A. Webster When the producers of "Just My Luck," a feature film starring Lindsay Lohan, contacted Rock 'N' Bowl manager John Blancher about filming scenes at the bowling alley, he figured it was business as usual. He's...

Ernest N. Morial Convention Center expansion appeal decision expected.
February 21, 2005... Byline: Staff The Ernest N. Morial Convention Center board will decide this week whether to appeal a case involving the stalled Convention Center expansion to the state Supreme Court. At a meeting scheduled for 2 p.m. Wednesday at the...

Louisiana exports reach $19.9B record.
February 21, 2005... Byline: Staff Louisiana's worldwide merchandise exports hit a record $19.9 billion in 2004, an 8.3 percent increase over 2003, according to the World Trade Center of New Orleans. Louisiana's No. 1 worldwide export sector, agricultural...

Baton Rouge-based Lamar Advertising's billboards help hurricane-stricken owners.
February 21, 2005... Byline: Staff Months after four hurricanes tore through Florida, thousands of homeowners are still waiting to have damaged roofs repaired. Baton Rouge-based Lamar Advertising is trying to make the wait less painful. Following the...

Global diseases, disasters spur new major at Tulane University.
February 21, 2005... Byline: Staff Tulane University will offer an undergraduate public health major in the fall 2005 semester in response to emerging infectious diseases and natural disasters dominating global public health issues. "It makes sense for us...

New Orleans Hospitality Briefs: February 21, 2005.
February 21, 2005... Byline: Richard A. Webster The Rotonti family had eyed a Prytania Street building for years believing it to be the perfect location for an expansion of their eatery, Felix's Restaurant and Oyster Bar on Bourbon Street. There was one...

Interview with Brian Freese, exec. director of Jefferson Parish Economic Development Commission.
February 21, 2005... Byline: Tommy Santora After serving as economic development director for Marietta, Ga., 36-year-old Brian Freese took the reins in January as executive director for the Jefferson Parish Economic Development Commission. JEDCO, an...

Audit shows New Orleans Public Schools has poor records of using federal Title I funds.
February 21, 2005... Byline: Staff New Orleans Public Schools have poor records of using Title I funds, which are federal dollars given to meet the needs of students from low-income families, according to an investigative audit by the U.S. Department of...

Northrop Grumman awarded $26.9M contract to support Navy's landing platform dock program.
February 21, 2005... Byline: Staff Northrop Grumman Corp. was awarded a $26.9 million contract to provide life-cycle engineering and support to the U.S. Navy's San Antonio-class landing platform dock program. The LPD ship series is a class of amphibious...

Louis Armstrong New Orleans International Airport begins $64M runway reconstruction project.
February 21, 2005... Byline: Staff Louis Armstrong New Orleans International Airport broke ground last week on a $64 million reconstruction of its east-west runway. The project, run by Boh Brothers Construction Co. of New Orleans, will include $8 million in...

New Orleans Regional Transit Authority recognized for largest increase in riders in 2004.
February 21, 2005... Byline: Staff The Federal Transportation Administration recognized the New Orleans Regional Transit Authority at the South West Transit Association's 25th Annual Conference and Expo in Houston for the largest increase in riders in 2004....

Louisiana Treasury puts list of state taxpayers with unclaimed refunds online.
February 21, 2005... Byline: Staff The Louisiana Treasury is uniting Louisiana taxpayers with unclaimed refunds. The Internal Revenue Service was unable to deliver more than 1,100 federal income tax refund checks from 2001 through 2003 totaling $850,000. A...

Initial claims for unemployment insurance in Louisiana decrease.
February 21, 2005... Byline: Staff Initial claims for unemployment insurance in Louisiana the week of Feb. 7-11 decreased to 3,140 from the previous week's total of 5,797, according to the Louisiana Department of Labor. Initial claims were below the comparable...

Harrah's New Orleans takes in $27.6 million from gamblers in January.
February 21, 2005... Byline: Staff Harrah's New Orleans took in $27.6 million from gamblers in January, an increase of $1.7 million or 6.4 percent from December's take of $25.9 million and a gain of 41.8 million or 7 percent from January 2004. Nearly 560,000...

Karl Hoefer named president of IberiaBank Corp.'s New Orleans market.
February 21, 2005... Byline: Staff IberiaBank Corp. changed the bank's New Orleans leadership. Karl Hoefer was named president of the New Orleans market, replacing Michael Brown, who remains IberiaBank's regional president of south Louisiana and chief credit...

Harahan-based ASI Federal Credit Union opens sites in Orleans and St. Charles parishes.
February 21, 2005... Byline: Staff Harahan-based ASI Federal Credit Union has opened sites in Orleans and St. Charles parishes. The National Credit Union Administration approved ASI's charter request for anyone who lives, works, worships or attends school in...

Newpark Environmental Water Solutions awarded contract with Houston-based Anadarko Petroleum.
February 21, 2005... Byline: Staff Newpark Resources Inc. announced its Newpark Environmental Water Solutions LLC operating unit was awarded a contract with Houston-based Anadarko Petroleum Corp. to treat water generated from coal bed natural gas production in...