New Orleans CityBusiness articles from November 2006

New Orleans CityBusiness archives from November 2006

North Shore household waste drive a huge success.
November 1, 2006... Byline: CityBusiness Staff Report The St. Tammany Parish Hazardous Waste Collection Day sponsored by the Honey Island Group of the Sierra Club was so successful that there will be sequels. "We accepted household items from more than 500...

Credit Managers' Index continues to decline.
November 1, 2006... Byline: CityBusiness Staff Report The seasonally adjusted Credit Manager's Index fell 1.8 percent in October, reflecting a widespread deterioration as eight of the 10 components dropped. It was the third consecutive drop for the combined...

Darryl Worley releases his new album "Here and Now".
November 1, 2006... Byline: Christine Fontana After a four-year, four-record run with a major label in Nashville, Tenn., where he garnered a strong musical reputation and fan base built on songs of a serious nature, there was only one choice for his new...

Slidell demolitions to take down about 20 homes.
November 1, 2006... Byline: CityBusiness Staff Report Equipment to demolish homes along U.S. Highway 11 south of Slidell arrived today to begin the job of dismantling buildings destroyed by Hurricane Katrina. The demolitions are part of the Federal Emergency...

New Orleans high school students learn civics from congressional candidates.
November 1, 2006... Byline: Stephen Maloney The students of John McDonogh High School endorsed Regina Bartholomew out of nine congressional candidates who recently served as substitute civics teachers at the school. Bartholomew; state Rep. Karen Carter, D-New...

New Drago's opening in downtown New Orleans.
November 1, 2006... Byline: Kathryn Jezer-Morton Drago's, the popular Metairie restaurant known for its charbroiled oysters, is opening a second location inside the Hilton Riverfront Hotel. The new restaurant is expected to open in early 2007. "We are very...

Louisiana's Road Home applications reach 77,281.
November 1, 2006... Byline: CityBusiness Staff Report More than 77,000 eligible homeowners have applied for a Road Home award. Officials pegged applications at 77,281 of a potential 123,000 either online or through the mail. Almost 55,000 appointment letters...

Solar power savings look good as utility costs rise.
November 2, 2006... Byline: Matthew Penix Standing in the living room of their modest home near Houma blooming with red and blue flowers, Denice and Sandy Petit stared at their utility bill in silence before bursting out in a chuckle. "They got us again,"...

Whiskey and Cigar benefit to help bereft barber.
November 2, 2006... Byline: CityBusiness Staff Report Aidan Gill, owner of the Aidan Gill for Men store on Magazine Street, is coming to the aid of a fellow barber. A limited number of tickets are available to the "Whiskey and Cigar Fundraiser" planned for...

N.O. lands bakery convention.
November 2, 2006... Byline: CityBusiness Staff Report The International Dairy Deli and Bakery Association has confirmed it will hold its 44th Annual National Seminar and Expo in New Orleans May 31 and June 2 in 2008. Attendance of 6,000 is projected with 3,500...

Gulf Island Fabrication declares dividend.
November 2, 2006... Byline: CityBusiness Staff Report Gulf Island Fabrication Inc. has declared a 7 cent per share dividend on roughly 13.9 million shares of outstanding common stock. The dividend is payable Nov. 17 to shareholders on record as of Nov. 7. Gulf...

Contractors skating on workers comp find stiff state fines.
November 2, 2006... Byline: Angelle Bergeron To keep an even playing field for Louisiana contractors and protect workers, Louisiana Office of Workers' Compensation Administration has partnered with the State Licensing Board for Contractors to ensure all...

Victorian Lounge named one of 10 best U.S. hotel bars.
November 2, 2006... Byline: CityBusiness Staff Report The Victorian Lounge at the Columns Hotel on St. Charles Avenue has been named one of the 10 best hotel bars in the United States by Playboy.com. "A good hotel bar can feel regal, elegant and comfortable...

Rouses' grand opening set for Nov. 9.
November 2, 2006... Byline: CityBusiness Staff Report The first post-Katrina grocery store built from the ground up will be unveiled at the Rouses' grand opening Nov. 9. A flag dedication to Slidell's first responders at the new Market at 1644 Gause Blvd. in...

Expert claims Gentilly landfill poses danger to residents.
November 2, 2006... Byline: CityBusiness Staff Report Dr. Robert Bea, director of the Berkeley Center for Catastrophic Risk Management and an engineer leader of the Independent Levee Investigation team that examined the causes of New Orleans' levee failures...

Louisiana and Mississippi colleges offering free consturction training.
November 2, 2006... Byline: Angelle Bergeron Jeffrey Brown, frustrated with the high prices he was quoted while trying to repair his hurricane-damaged home, jumped at the chance to learn something about construction. He signed up for class after hearing an...

$2M funneled to work on N.O. homeless crisis.
November 2, 2006... Byline: CityBusiness Staff Report Unity of Greater New Orleans, the lead agency for a local network of homeless service organizations, will distribute $2 million from the nation of Qatar to 10 nonprofits Nov. 16. The funds will be used to...

N.O. Opera Association sues to regain $3.5M fund.
November 2, 2006... Byline: CityBusiness Staff Report The New Orleans Opera Association filed a lawsuit today in Orleans Parish Civil District Court seeking to recover full control of a $3.5-million endowment fund. The lawsuit asks the court to compel the...

Boeing opens N.O. office to work on space flight projects.
November 2, 2006... Byline: CityBusiness Staff Report The Boeing Co., in association with the University of New Orleans, Greater New Orleans Inc., and the Louisiana Economic Development group, will hold two events Wednesday to highlight plans to work with the...

Commentary: Mayor Nagin's endorsement of Jefferson puzzling to voters.
November 2, 2006... Byline: Mark Singletary Our mayor remains an enigma. In an interview with our staff last week, the mayor talked at length about his vision for the city of New Orleans. Fresh from his budget presentation to the City Council, Mayor C. Ray...

Musicians go black tie Friday for fundraiser.
November 2, 2006... Byline: CityBusiness Staff Report The Louisiana Museum Foundation will join local musicians, artists, supporters and leaders of business and government to celebrate the 100th anniversary of the Louisiana State Museum System. The black tie...

N.O. City Council OKs strong Inspector General.
November 2, 2006... Byline: Deon Roberts The seven-members New Orleans City Council today unanimously adopted an ordinance to create an Office of Inspector General, a post designed to root out fraud and corruption in city government. Although there had been...

Voodoo fest sets attendance record.
November 2, 2006... Byline: Richard A. Webster Music fans turned out in record numbers this weekend for the Voodoo Music Experience with nearly 100,000 people setting the attendance record for the 8-year-old festival. More than 75 bands performed over three...

Quarterly McDermott earnings top $100M.
November 2, 2006... Byline: CityBusiness Staff Report Petroleum services company McDermott International Inc. reported today third-quarter earnings of $101.7 million were up 73 percent over $58.5 million last year during the same period, largely due to the...

Bridge House schedules back-to-back benefit bashes.
November 2, 2006... Byline: CityBusiness Staff Report The $1.975 million Banner Ford Concept home in Mandeville's The Sanctuary neighborhood goes on display soon for the benefit of Bridge House, a New Orleans residential substance abuse treatment center for...

Recovery School District expands registration hours.
November 2, 2006... Byline: CityBusiness Staff Report With many parents still needing to register children in public schools, the Recovery School District has extended registration hours from 8:30 a.m. to 4 p.m. weekdays at the district's central office at...

$175M seniors condo complex in Jeff Parish gains nod.
November 2, 2006... Byline: CityBusiness Staff Report The Louisiana Public Facilities Authority's Board of Trustees has approved a range of projects totaling $278 million, including a $175-million bond sale to finance construction of a high-rise condominium...

Unified New Orleans Plan calls for citizen input.
November 3, 2006... Byline: CityBusiness Staff Report Unified New Orleans Plan officials are urging all New Orleans residents to call the LA Rebuilds/UNOP toll-free line at (877) 527-3284 to share their ideas, answer questions and voice their opinions on the...

Hornets Sunday home opener to be Teal Day in N.O.
November 3, 2006... Byline: CityBusiness Staff Report The New Orleans/Oklahoma City Hornets joined Mayor C. Ray Nagin at City Hall this morning as he proclaimed Sunday to be "Teal Day" in New Orleans. The Hornets open their home schedule at 6 p.m. Sunday...

Military to conduct open house Saturday in Hammond.
November 3, 2006... Byline: CityBusiness Staff Report The 204th Theater Air Field Operations Group at the Hammond Municipal Airport, 1387 Industrial Park Rd., will hold an open house from 10 a.m. until 2 p.m. Saturday for the general public. This event will...

$20M insurance payment puts Saulet apt. complex back in rental game.
November 3, 2006... Byline: Deon Roberts The shuttered 703-unit Saulet apartment complex in the Lower Garden District could begin reopening in the first quarter of 2007, a representative of the complex's owner said today. "It could be March. I just don't have...

Port of New Orleans finally squeezes last $3.2M from balky insurer.
November 3, 2006... Byline: Jaime Guillet The Port of New Orleans' insurance claim bottleneck finally popped when primary property insurer, Lexington Insurance Co. paid the remaining $3.2 million of a $20-million policy. Lexington, the Boston-based subsidiary...

WOW signs megadeal for campus eateries.
November 3, 2006... Byline: Richard A. Webster WOW Cafe & Wingery today announced a deal with Sodexho International, one of the largest food operators in the United States, to open 100 WOW restaurants on college and university campuses across the country in...

8 N.O. colleges to discuss recovery paths Nov. 14.
November 3, 2006... Byline: CityBusiness Staff Report Higher education's contribution to the recovery process will be highlighted in a forum from 8 a.m. to 10:30 a.m. Nov. 14 at the Pontchartrain Center, 4545 Williams Blvd. Universities and colleges, faced...

New state Web site tries to match rental property with renters.
November 3, 2006... Byline: CityBusiness Staff Report Finding affordable rental property became easier today at new Web site LAHousingSearch.org., which is designed to match property owners with rental property with individuals seeking to rent an apartment or...

Commentary: Brave new future collides with new normal in N.O.
November 3, 2006... Byline: Terry O'Connor Breezing through the Windy City recently on a two-day business trip, I glimpsed the future of business reporting at the Alliance of Area Business Publications Internet seminar. A dizzying time is ahead. Those few who...

Major N.O. cleanup scheduled before Realtors arrive.
November 3, 2006... Byline: CityBusiness Staff Report Tourism officials are asking for hundreds of volunteers Monday to help clean areas frequented by convention and meeting delegates and the leisure visitor to New Orleans. This one-day intensive cleanup...

Commentary: Workers' comp push is right on time.
November 5, 2006... Byline: CityBusiness Staff The state is wise to recognize how vulnerable it is to predatory contractors post-Katrina. With billions prepared to begin bubbling through the economy, the time was right to tighten oversight and stiffen...

Orleans Parish School Board must pay $5M for violating union contract.
November 5, 2006... Byline: CityBusiness Staff Report The Orleans Parish School Board violated provisions of its collective bargaining agreements with the United Teachers of New Orleans, an arbitrator has ruled. The OPSB violated the collective bargaining...

Broadmoor, NO Museum of Art plug into high-tech emergency plan.
November 5, 2006... Byline: CityBusiness Staff Report As part of the Broadmoor neighborhood improvement plan, Morgan Hill, Calif.-based PlanReady Inc. will implement an emergency preparedness and recovery system for the New Orleans neighborhood. The plan has...

Commentary: Nagin's endorsement of Jefferson remains puzzling.
November 6, 2006... Byline: Mark Singletary Our mayor remains an enigma. In an interview with our staff last week, the mayor talked at length about his vision for the city of New Orleans. Fresh from his budget presentation to the City Council, Mayor C. Ray...

Nationwide scramble is on to build more barges.
November 6, 2006... Byline: Jaime Guillet The trend of shipping products by barge is being bottlenecked by too few available barges and heavy demand. The result: a new barge construction boom. Marine transportation and shipbuilding executives say high steel...

Realtors hope to find answers at National Association of Realtors conference in New Orleans.
November 6, 2006... Byline: Deon Roberts At the National Association of Realtors conference this week, New Orleans-area real estate professionals such as Mat Berenson will talk about post-hurricane challenges. Berenson, a Latter & Blum Inc. agent, sells...

Owner of women's apparel boutique blames his nonconformist spirit for decision to stay in New Orlean.
November 6, 2006... Byline: Jaime Guillet Jason Schieffler blames his nonconformist spirit for his decision to stay in New Orleans. "I like to be different and it was different (choosing) to stay here," said Schieffler, 26. Schieffler and his 26-year-old...

Bayou Classic returns to New Orleans.
November 6, 2006... Byline: CityBusiness Staff Reports The Bayou Classic will return home to the Louisiana Superdome at 1 p.m. Nov. 25, Gov. Kathleen Babineaux Blanco and other state officials announced. The "Granddaddy" of African-American collegiate...

Boh Bros. named in U.S. Army Corps of Engineers probe.
November 6, 2006... Byline: CityBusiness Staff Reports The contractors working for the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers are allegedly violating federal law requiring workers on tall structures to be protected from falling. Corps officials confirmed the allegations...

Utah mayor: Former New Orleans airport chief Roy Williams fired to save staff.
November 6, 2006... Byline: CityBusiness Staff Reports Former New Orleans airport chief Roy Williams has lost his job as head of Salt Lake City's airport. Fired Oct. 26 after just five months as executive director of Salt Lake City International Airport,...

$36M Saks renovation unveiled at the Shops at Canal Place.
November 6, 2006... Byline: CityBusiness Staff Reports Saks Fifth Avenue at the Shops at Canal Place unveiled a renovation estimated at $36 million in a 110,000-square-foot store that will reopen Nov. 16. The grand opening will follow a charitable gala Nov. 15...

Louisiana's royalty fight with federal government is expensive already.
November 6, 2006... Byline: CityBusiness Staff Reports Louisiana has spent more than $500,000 so far in legal fees in the ongoing court battle with the federal government over offshore oil and gas drilling, according to Gov. Kathleen Babineaux Blanco. The...

TransOceanic CEO and President Greg Rusovich touts N.O. shipping lanes.
November 6, 2006... Byline: CityBusiness Staff Reports New Orleans is ripe with investment opportunities, said TransOceanic CEO and President Greg Rusovich at Monday's 17th annual Breakbulk Transportation Conference and Exhibition luncheon in New Orleans. Tax...

New Muriel's chef has taste for New Orleans.
November 6, 2006... Byline: CityBusiness Staff Reports Guy D. Sockrider is taking over the kitchen of Muriel's Jackson Square as executive chef. "To be able to cook in one of the best kitchens in the French Quarter during such a historic time for the city is...

No one truly knows how many people are back in New Orleans.
November 6, 2006... Byline: Deon Roberts As New Orleans rebuilds, the repopulation rate is being watched closely by residents and nationwide. But the city's permits department is having a hard time counting how many people have reoccupied their storm-damaged...

Oreck Corp. chooses Tennessee over New Orleans for new facility.
November 6, 2006... Byline: Jaime Guillet Oreck Corp. President Tom Oreck opened a new manufacturing facility in Cookeville, Tenn., for many reasons, not the least of which is what he considers an uneven playing field for businesses in Louisiana. "It really...

Commentary: Manale's keeps status as New Orleans classic.(Restaurant review)
November 6, 2006... Byline: Tom Fitzmorris Pascal's Manale $$$$ 1838 Napoleon Ave., Uptown Lunch Thurs. & Fri. Dinner Mon.-Sat. The entrees arrived for the table of six next to mine. Six orders of barbecue shrimp. I showed up about 7:30 p.m. three...

Commentary: Workers' compensation push right on time.
November 6, 2006... Byline: CityBusiness Staff The state is wise to recognize how vulnerable it is to predatory contractors post-Katrina. With billions prepared to begin bubbling through the economy, the time was right to tighten oversight and stiffen...

Commentary: Brave new future collides with new normal in New Orleans.
November 6, 2006... Byline: Terry O'Connor Breezing through the Windy City recently on a two-day business trip, I glimpsed the future of business reporting at the Alliance of Area Business Publications Internet seminar. A dizzying time is ahead. Those few who...

Nov. 6-12.
November 6, 2006... Byline: From CityBusiness Staff Reports The following calendar of business meetings and events is for Nov. 6-12. The deadline for submissions to the business calendar is 10 days prior to the publication date. Nov. 6-10 The...

The Savvy Gourmet offers after-school children's cooking classes.
November 6, 2006... Byline: Sonya Stinson The lesson for the day was soups and stocks at The Savvy Gourmet's new Savvy After School children's cooking classes. Ten girls and one boy sat around the kitchen prep area in the back of the Magazine Street shop as...

New Orleans Hospitality Briefs: November 6, 2006.
November 6, 2006... Byline: Kathryn Jezer-Morton This year marks Tujague's (TOO-Jax) restaurant and bar's 150th anniversary, but owner Steven Latter isn't interested in a blowout celebration. He's just happy the restaurant is still in business in the...

Interview with Chris Ycaza, general manager of Galatoire's Restaurant in New Orleans French Quarter.
November 6, 2006... Byline: Craig Guillot Age: 39 Hometown: New Orleans Family: single Education: studies art and English at Louisiana State University In September, Chris Ycaza was named general manager of Galatoire's Restaurant, the 101-year-old...

September revenues at New Orleans' three area casinos all increase compared with Sept. 2004.
November 6, 2006... Byline: Christian Moises Harrah's New Orleans Casino general manager Jim Hoskins points to a pile of suitcases stacked next to a $1 slot machine as another sign of recovery in New Orleans. It also marks the gambling industry's recovery...

U.S. bill targets online gambling.
November 6, 2006... Byline: Tommy Santora The global gaming market yielded $258.3 billion in 2005. Online gambling brought in 5 percent, or $13 billion, according to the United Kingdom-based Global Betting and Gaming Consultants' 2005 report. Online gambling...

Interview with Jim Hoskins, general manager of Harrah's New Orleans Casino.
November 6, 2006... Byline: Craig Guillot Age: 41 Hometown: Pascagoula, Miss. Family: wife, Michele; and sons James, 11, Shelby, 8 Education: bachelor's degree in quantitative business analysis, Louisiana State University; bachelor's degree in accounting,...

LA-based Gulf Island Fabricators names Anderson a company president.
November 6, 2006... Byline: CityBusiness Staff Report Gulf Island Fabrication Inc., a fabricator of offshore drilling and production platforms, today named Clint Anderson, 50, president of G.M. Fabricators LP, the company's new facility in Corpus Christi,...

Omni Energy Services Inc.'s 3Q comes up big with $6.3M in earnings.
November 6, 2006... Byline: CityBusiness Staff Report Omni Energy Services Inc. earned $6.3 million in the third quarter, or 26 cents per share, on revenue of $26.6 million, compared with a year-ago loss in the third quarter of $353,000, or 2 cents per share,...

2,000 Realtors volunteer for New Orleans projects.
November 6, 2006... Byline: CityBusiness Staff Report More than 2,000 real estate sales agents and other associated personnel attending the four-day National Association of Realtors Annual Conference & Expo in New Orleans beginning Nov. 10 are arriving a bit...

Kendrick Engineering of Baton Rouge tapped to plan coastal restoration.
November 6, 2006... Byline: CityBusiness staff report Kendrick Engineering LLC of Baton Rouge has been appointed coordinator for the Fourchon Region Restoration Initiative to develop a master plan for the coastal restoration efforts between Elmer's Island and...

Million Dollar Round Table Foundation, Habitat team to build 6 more New Orleans East homes.
November 6, 2006... Byline: CityBusiness Staff Report The Million Dollar Round Table Foundation and New Orleans Area Habitat for Humanity worked together Oct. 23 to help build six homes in eastern New Orleans. The MDRT Foundation is the charitable arm of the...

Income up 7.7 percent for New Orleans-based First Bank & Trust.
November 6, 2006... Byline: CityBusiness Staff Report First Bank and Trust announced earnings of $2.8 million for the quarter ended Sept. 30, a 7.7 percent increase from the $2.6 million it earned in the same period last year. FBT's 2006 year-to-date earnings...

New Orleans CityBusiness Women of the Year event near sellout.
November 6, 2006... Byline: CityBusiness Staff Report The eighth annual CityBusiness Women of the Year event is nearly sold out. Only 150 tickets remain for the award ceremony, which will begin at noon Friday in the downtown Sheraton Hotel. Ticket sales of an...

Energy Partners Ltd. reports $25.2 million 3Q loss.
November 6, 2006... Byline: CityBusiness Staff Report Energy Partners Ltd., an independent oil and gas explorer and producer, on Monday posted a third-quarter loss of $25.2 million, hurt by termination fees related to its failed bid to acquire Lafayette's...

New Orleans CityBusiness readers want action on abandoned commercial property.
November 6, 2006... Byline: CityBusiness Staff Report Nearly three-quarter of all CityBusiness survey respondents to last week's Question of the Week want the city of New Orleans and Mayor C. Ray Nagin to get tougher about handling abandoned commercial...

Louisiana's governor embarks on Asian economic development trek.
November 6, 2006... Byline: CityBusiness Staff Report Gov. Kathleen Babineaux Blanco is in the midst of a two-week business development mission to Japan, China and Taiwan. The group returns to Louisiana Nov. 13. She will meet with foreign trade dignitaries...

Unified New Orleans Plan Community meeting is 'tip of the iceberg'.
November 6, 2006... Byline: Stephen Maloney Nearly 300 New Orleans residents filed into a ballroom at the Ernest N. Morial Convention Center Oct. 28 for the first of three Unified New Orleans Plan Community Congress meetings. The UNOP is backed by New Orleans...

$10B Regions Financial Corp., AmSouth Bancorporation merger completed.
November 6, 2006... Byline: CityBusiness Staff Report The $10-billion Regions Financial Corp. merger with AmSouth Bancorporation was completed Sunday. Customers can continue to use their current Regions or AmSouth bank branches, online banking or telephone...

Dow expansion at Union Carbide Corp.'s facility in St. Charles Parish to create 100 jobs.
November 6, 2006... Byline: CityBusiness Staff Report Dow today announced a 100-million-pound capacity expansion at Union Carbide Corp.'s ethanolamines facility (St. Charles Operations). The added capacity will help meet growing demand for monoethanolamine...

Cell phone numbers to open to telemarketers in 11 days.
November 6, 2006... Byline: CityBusiness Staff Report The Federal Communications Commission has authroiazed the release of all cell phone numbers to telemarketing companies on Nov. 17.. Some mobile numbers will be charged for these calls dependent on the plan....

Business owners rely on Orleans Parish Criminal Sheriff's Work Release Program.
November 6, 2006... Byline: Richard A. Webster When Alvi Mogilles reopened McHardy's Chicken on North Broad Street after Hurricane Katrina, she struggled to find employees. The city of New Orleans' Job 1 Career Center told her there were no available workers....

Analysts mixed on Entergy New Orleans recovery plan.
November 6, 2006... Byline: Matthew Penix Earlier this year Entergy New Orleans CEO Dan Packer made a bankruptcy emergence to-do list: * Increase gas and electric rates. * Secure $200 million in federal community development block grants. * Win approval to...

New Orleans high school faces new tensions.
November 6, 2006... Byline: Stephen Maloney "Step up and do this right or you won't step in," John McDonogh High School Principal Donald Jackson told the two dozen students lined up along a barbed wire fence outside the school's side entrance Monday morning....

$1.45B LPD deal to keep Northrop Grumman's New Orleans shipyard busy.
November 7, 2006... Byline: CityBusiness Staff Report Northrop Grumman Corp. has received a $1.45-billion U.S. Navy shipbuilding contract for the construction and development of a new San Antonio (LPD 17)-class ship. The contract is for the construction of...

Boeing space flight office opens in New Orleans Wednesday.
November 7, 2006... Byline: CityBusiness Staff Report Boeing Co. will open a new Boeing Space Exploration office at the University of New Orlean's Center for Energy Research Management this week in hopes of winning bids on NASA's new Vision for Space...

Community Support Organization of the Unified New Orleans Plan to meet Thursday.
November 7, 2006... Byline: CityBusiness Staff Report The Community Support Organization of the Unified New Orleans Plan will hold its third public meeting in the New Orleans City Council Chamber starting at 5:30 p.m. Thursday. The CSO is a nine-member...

Prep sports return to schools in Louisiana Recovery School District.
November 7, 2006... Byline: CityBusiness Staff Report Recovery School District schools will retake the field soon. The Louisiana High School Athletic Association today announced the return of sports to the 17 RSD schools in December. The new athletic programs...