New Orleans CityBusiness articles from September 2004

New Orleans CityBusiness archives from September 2004

Televised World Series of Poker sparks a nationwide fad.
September 6, 2004... Byline: Richard Slawsky The roots of the current poker craze making the rounds on television lie at the feet of a man with the fitting name of Moneymaker. The 2003 ride of Tennessee accountant Chris Moneymaker from a $40 Internet poker...

Orleans Parish School Board re-election campaign similar to 1992's "Erase the Board".
September 6, 2004... Byline: Deon Roberts In the fall of 1992, the Orleans Parish School Board's situation was grim. Board members facing re-election in October found community groups calling for the ouster of all seven incumbents in a highly publicized...

Car accidents drive Louisiana's insurance up.
September 6, 2004... Byline: Richard A. Webster With pothole-riddled streets, jam-packed interstates, and a litigious population, drivers in Louisiana, a state the 2000 U.S. Census ranked as the poorest in the nation, pay some of the highest auto insurance...

CityBusiness parent company, Minneapolis-based Dolan Media, buys legal news chain.
September 6, 2004... Byline: Staff Minneapolis-based Dolan Media Co., the parent company of CityBusiness publisher New Orleans Publishing Group, has acquired the 14 newspapers and associated Web sites of Lawyers Weekly Inc., a leading publisher for the legal...

WTC developers lose another round in 4th District Court of Appeals.
September 6, 2004... Byline: Staff A five-judge panel of the 4th Circuit Court of Appeals has ruled in favor of a new trial in the World Trade Center/Westin hotel case, kicking the case back to the trial court. The ruling promises to further stall...

Gretna-based Torch Offshore officials deny company moving HQ to Houston.
September 6, 2004... Byline: Staff Despite a statement by a company official to a Houston television station, Gretna-based oilfield service company Torch Offshore has no plans to move the company's New Orleans office to Houston, said the company's chief...

Clinton's Metairie visit to bookstore draws crowd of over 2,000.
September 6, 2004... Byline: Staff Former President Bill Clinton visited Barnes & Noble Booksellers on Veterans Memorial Boulevard in Metairie last week to sign copies of his autobiography, "My Life." More than 2,000 people showed and the store sold more than...

Banks target college students in effort to increase customer base.
September 6, 2004... Byline: Greg LaRose Convenience was at the top of the list for Loyola University student Noah Bychurch when it came time for him to select a bank to open a checking account. He wanted easy access to automated teller machines and a way for...

Banks prepare for installation of electronic Check 21 act.
September 6, 2004... Byline: Holly Miller Next month banking customers will lose a friend called float. When the Check Clearing for the 21st Century Act goes into effect Oct. 28, bank customers will no longer have the unofficial grace period - known as the...

Commentary: Publisher's Notes: First impressions are paramount during business takeover.
September 6, 2004... Byline: Mark Singletary I'm not exactly a road warrior but I do travel on business quite a bit. I'm on the road right now working on a new acquisition by our company, which was announced last week in our Daily Update e-mail alert. We...

La. Dept. of Economic Development claims state can help any parish helping itself.
September 6, 2004... Byline: Richard Slawsky After a long stretch in Mississippi, Louisiana Department of Economic Development Secretary Michael Olivier is glad to be home. For the past several weeks, Olivier has been touring south Louisiana to meet with...

Rising costs can't obscure Louisiana's college bargain.
September 6, 2004... Byline: Deon Roberts Louisiana college students are being counted upon to help plug the gap in the state budget. Joseph Savoie, state commissioner of higher education, has written a letter published in a number of college newspapers...

New Orleans-based Global Technical Resources signs 10 yr. deal with energy wholesaler.
September 6, 2004... Byline: Richard Slawsky Southeast Louisiana has taken one more step in the journey to becoming the South's technological center. Earlier this summer, New Orleans-based Global Technical Resources, which has been operating the past two...

Practical finance instruction to be emphasized in Louisiana public schools.
September 6, 2004... Byline: Holly Miller Economics classes in Louisiana high schools are getting personal. This school year, a new law requires the Louisiana high school curriculum to include instruction in personal finance. Louisiana law already requires...

Cruise lines, tourists pushing for more New Orleans docks.
September 6, 2004... Byline: Chris Price The Port of New Orleans is tripling the size of its cruise operations following a decade of growth and encouragement from several cruise lines that want to tap into the Crescent City cruise market. After renovating...

Toronto Film Fest to screen Crescent City filmmaker's new movie.
September 6, 2004... Byline: Staff New Orleans shoe store owner Mark Krasnoff is strapping on his blue suede shoes and heading for Canada's red carpet this week. Krasnoff stars in and co-wrote "Acapulco Gold" with Canadian director Andre Forcier, which was...

New Orleans Regional Business Park considers possible move.
September 6, 2004... Byline: Staff New Orleans Regional Business Park, an eastern New Orleans economic development agency, could be moving its executive offices out of 6600 Plaza Drive. NORBP, formerly known as the New Orleans Business and Industrial...

Mayor embraces plan to fight hunger in New Orleans.
September 6, 2004... Byline: Staff Mayor C. Ray Nagin and Second Harvest Food Bank of Greater New Orleans have announced "A Blueprint to End Hunger," in the Crescent City. The plan, which would cut hunger in half in New Orleans by 2010, was initiated in June...

Harrah's New Orleans donates $250,000 to Tulane UC.
September 6, 2004... Byline: Staff John Payne, general manager and senior vice president of Harrah's New Orleans, has presented Tulane University's University College with $250,000 on behalf of the Harrah's Foundation. The Harrah's Foundation is a...

Artist's New Orleans works will be exhibited in Hungary.
September 6, 2004... Byline: Staff During September, artist Jonathan Ferrara of the Jonathan Ferrara Gallery will take two exhibitions featuring New Orleans artists to Hungary. He will first travel to Debrecen during the annual Jazz Days, then to Budapest...

New Orleans' Magazine Street businesses rebuilt from devastating 2002 blaze.
September 6, 2004... Byline: Holly Miller Two years ago, fire ravaged the 1800 block of Magazine Street. The eight-alarm fire killed dozens of pets and caused millions of dollars in damage on Aug. 30, 2002. Two of the wounded businesses - The Cat...

Louisiana's substance abuse clinics to receive $2.28M.
September 6, 2004... Byline: Richard A. Webster Help for Louisiana addicts is on the way. The Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration, a federal agency in the U.S. Department of Health and Hospitals, awarded Louisiana $22.8 million to...

Interview with Rose Marie Sand, co-owner of Shine Productions in Chalmette.
September 6, 2004... Byline: Holly Miller "An Evening with Betsy, Voices from the Storm," Shine Productions' hit play about the 1965 hurricane, is back this month for an encore performance. The show, which features original music and footage while actors and...

Gulf Island Fabrication ranked No. 99 on list of top 100 fastest-growing companies.
September 6, 2004... Byline: Staff Houma-based Gulf Island Fabrication, which makes offshore drilling platforms, ranked No. 99 on Fortune Magazine's Sept. 6 list of the country's top 100 fastest-growing companies. Fortune editors cited unrest in the Middle...

East Jefferson General Hospital finalizes acquisition of Doctors Hospital of Jefferson.
September 6, 2004... Byline: Staff East Jefferson General Hospital finalized its $24.3 million acquisition of Doctors Hospital of Jefferson. Steve Campanini, spokesman for Tenet Health Care Corp., former owner of Doctors, said the move reflects Tenet's January...

New Orleans elected officials and business people form "Retain Our Military Alliance".
September 6, 2004... Byline: Staff Retain Our Military Alliance, a group of elected officials including Mayor C. Ray Nagin and business people concerned about preparing New Orleans' military operations from an upcoming round of base closures, held its second...

New Orleans Jazz & Heritage Foundation may switch producers for jazz festival.
September 6, 2004... Byline: Staff Board members of the New Orleans Jazz & Heritage Foundation Inc. may switch producers for the New Orleans Jazz & Heritage Festival. Companies in the running include a partnership between concert promoter AEG Live and Voodoo...

Yolanda Rodriguez named new director of the City Planning Commission.
September 6, 2004... Byline: Staff Yolanda Rodriguez, 38, the new director of the City Planning Commission, is the first black woman and the youngest person to hold the post. Rodriguez started working for the city in 1994 as a city planner, and four years...

Metairie-based Orthodontic Centers of America Inc. now known as OCA Inc.
September 6, 2004... Byline: Staff A Metairie company that helps dentists and orthodontists handle their businesses has changed its name. Orthodontic Centers of America Inc. is now known as OCA Inc. "We don't want to give the impression that orthodontics...

Report shows New Orleans working families do not use Earned Income Tax Credit program.
September 6, 2004... Byline: Staff The Louisiana Association of Community Organizations for Reform Now discussed a report on thousands of poor working families in New Orleans who don't use the federal Earned Income Tax Credit program. Families with low incomes...

American Idol TV show holds auditions at New Orleans Superdome.
September 6, 2004... Byline: Staff The American Idol TV show held auditions at the Superdome for the show's next season, which begins in January. About 5,000 performers attended the auditions but only about 30 contestants move on to the final rounds of...

MasterDigital Corp. completes construction of La.'s first dedicated audio mastering facility.
September 6, 2004... Byline: Staff New Orleans-based MasterDigital Corp. completed construction of Louisiana's first dedicated audio mastering facility at 600 N. Carrollton Ave. in New Orleans. The new 5,000-square-foot facility is home to MasterDigital, which...

Monroe-based CenturyTel Inc. and Ark.-based EchoStar Communications announce partnership.
September 6, 2004... Byline: Staff Monroe-based telecommunications company CenturyTel Inc. and Little Rock, Ark.-based EchoStar Communications Corp. last week announced a partnership that will allow CenturyTel to offer digital satellite TV service as part of...

Commentary: NORBP has built some momentum but needs city and state support.
September 6, 2004... Byline: Terry O'Connor It's shed the unfortunate acronym of NOBID. It retains a powerfully dynamic leader well versed in economic development. And it's become a more powerful business magnet in New Orleans than most people thought...

Commentary: Editor's Notes: Big Picture in New Orleans finds a focus with NORLI.
September 6, 2004... Byline: Terry O'Connor I'm a Big Picture guy. A visionary with little patience. A conceptual risk taker yet conversely a rational problem solver who learns by mental analysis. I have eerily accurate intuitions about people. My greatest...

Louisiana oysters face competition from non-native oysters.
September 13, 2004... Byline: Tommy Santora The Louisiana Seafood Promotion and Marketing Board has developed its "Ask for Louisiana oysters" ad campaign from raw beginnings into an in-state standard for shucking and slurping the homegrown product. The...

Restaurants offering full NFL cable package to lure customers.
September 13, 2004... Byline: Tommy Santora On Sundays during the National Football League regular season, New Orleans restaurants and bars are filled with Saints fans focused on one game. "When they win, people hang around, order more food and have a good...

Growth at N.O. airport includes landing more restaurants.
September 13, 2004... Byline: Greg LaRose Bob Fresneda fits the definition of a frequent flyer. As president of U.S. operations for the ReadSoft software company in Metairie, he is on an airplane at least once a week for business. All travelers have to...

Movie sets up starring roles for N.O. catering companies.
September 13, 2004... Byline: Holly Miller The movie catering industry has lots of mouths to feed lately. The recent surge of film and television production in Louisiana has provided a steady stream of hungry stars and crews for Location Catering Services...

Commentary: Gracefully moving - and kicking - into my golden years.
September 13, 2004... Byline: Mark Singletary They are hounding me unmercifully. Every year within two weeks of my birthday, they send me the "invitation." They plead with me to join. It is my responsibility to align myself with other seniors and, of course,...

Tulane study tracks damaging effects of physician outbursts.
September 13, 2004... Byline: Richard A. Webster The call goes out over the intercom to all nurses. "Code pink! Code pink!" It is immediately followed by the exact location within the hospital where the "code pink" is taking place. Nurses race down...

$10.84M in earnings shows Stewart Enterprises revival.
September 13, 2004... Byline: Staff Stewart Enterprises Inc. of Metairie, the third-largest provider of U.S. death care products and services, reported net earnings of $10.84 million for the quarter ending July 31. That is a turnaround from the same period...

Interior Minerals Management Services awards contracts to four companies.
September 13, 2004... Byline: Staff The U.S. Department of the Interior Minerals Management Service and the state of Louisiana last week awarded contracts to four companies for approximately 14,300 barrels per day of Royalty in Kind crude oil. While the MMS...

Prudential Gardner Realtors merger deal adds to Mississippi market.
September 13, 2004... Byline: Staff Prudential Gardner Realtors has merged with Harrington Realty of Ocean Springs, Miss., in a deal that gives the Metairie-based company a fourth office in Mississippi. Prudential is the largest real-estate company in New...

New N.O. magazine to spotlight rock music.
September 13, 2004... Byline: Staff A new music magazine will hit New Orleans newsstands in November. Six Ten Split will shine the spotlight on New Orleans rock music, a long-neglected scene, say founders Rene Gauthreaux and Mikki Bullock. "Local rock...

State, Rite Aid working to curb underage smoking.
September 13, 2004... Byline: Staff Louisiana Attorney General Charles C. Foti Jr. and the attorney generals of 20 other states and the District of Columbia are working with Camp Hill, Pa.-based drug store chain Rite Aid to reduce the sale of tobacco products...

Louisiana's prep finance instruction addresses critical need at right time.
September 13, 2004... Byline: Terry O'Connor Louisiana is ahead of the curve for teaching its high school students the facts of life. We're not talking about sex education. We're talking about making, spending and saving money. A new law in Louisiana...

Interview with new president of Loyola Univ.
September 13, 2004... Byline: Deon Roberts The Rev. Kevin Wildes was an associate dean at Georgetown University until he was picked in April to be Loyola's 16th president. This semester marks the beginning of Wildes' presidency at the 6,000-student...

New cafe dishes out experience for those with checkered past.
September 13, 2004... Byline: Richard A. Webster It looks like a typical cafe nestled between the high rises of a business district. During the lunch rush, well-dressed men and women scarf down cups of coffee and gourmet sandwiches as the staff races from table...

CAFTA debate returns to N.O. during Tulane convention.
September 13, 2004... Byline: Chris Price Louisiana's position on the Central American Free Trade Agreement will be a hot topic of debate this week at the 2004 Latin American Law Institute. Lt. Gov. Mitch Landrieu, the featured speaker at the 12:30 p.m....

Gulf outlet debate standoff may finally dissolve in compromise.
September 13, 2004... Byline: Richard Slawsky St. Bernard Parish President Henry "Junior" Rodriguez is hoping his proposal to build a water control structure along the Mississippi River Gulf Outlet will satisfy all sides in the debate over a solution to the...

FBI enlists biz interests against terrorism.
September 13, 2004... Byline: Chris Price The FBI New Orleans Field Office had already met with several public officials and business leaders to warn them of a possible terrorist attack before a Pakistani man was detained in Charlotte, N.C., on suspicion of...

DCI continues marketing push for Greater New Orleans Inc.'s job creation.
September 13, 2004... Byline: Chris Price Thirty-thousand jobs in five years. That is the well-known goal Greater New Orleans Inc. has set for itself to create opportunity and investment in the 10-parish region of southeast Louisiana. In order to reach its...

Proposal for new football stadium leaves future of Superdome in question.
September 13, 2004... Byline: Deon Roberts Gov. Kathleen Babineaux Blanco's bombshell proposal to combine a new stadium for the New Orleans Saints with Phase IV of the Ernest N. Morial Convention Center has received a great deal of attention. But what would...

Summer not so bad for N.O. eateries.
September 13, 2004... Byline: Holly Miller In summertime, the living isn't so easy for New Orleans restaurateurs. This year, five June conventions with attendance ranging from 8,000 to 27,000 provided an early summer windfall of hungry visitors but the...

CityBusiness announces 50 Women of the Year honorees.
September 13, 2004... Byline: Terry O'Connor The CityBusiness Women of the Year awards luncheon has grown larger than ever in its sixth year. "We had well over 100 nominations, which is far more than CityBusiness has ever attracted before," said Editor...

Commentary: School board election features varied 28-person field.
September 13, 2004... Byline: Terry O'Connor As voters go to the polls this Saturday, the candidates on the ballot for Orleans Parish School Board represent a cross section of the city. One is a mother of 10. Another is a stay-at-home dad. Others are...

U.S. Navy to add two new landing platform dock ships, to limit ships built in coming years.
September 20, 2004... Byline: Chris Price U.S. Navy Secretary Gordon England brought good news to the Northrop Grumman Ship Systems Avondale Shipyard recently. England told officials and the public at the Sept. 3 keel-laying ceremony of the USS New York...

Hurricane Ivan multiplies toll on Gulf Coast residents, businesses.
September 20, 2004... Byline: Chris Price Three major hurricanes hit the southeastern United States in the last 30 days causing estimated damages of more than $12 billion. Hurricane Ivan is certain to inflate those damages although, as of press time on...

Oil inventories plummet after triple-storm punch.
September 20, 2004... Byline: Richard Slawsky U.S. crude oil and gasoline inventories, already at a five-year low in relation to demand, continued to fall in September as oil producers and refiners struggled to absorb a triple storm shot to production in the...

Minneapolis-based Belvedere Vodka uses Dorignac grocer's caricature in ad campaign.
September 20, 2004... Byline: Staff A Dorignac's Food Center grocer's likeness will grace magazine ad pages this fall alongside caricatures of celebrities such as filmmaker Quentin Tarantino, rap artist Jay-Z and a Playboy Bunny image. Butch Steadman, a...

Online thieves try 'spoofing' Louisianans via their e-mail accounts.
September 20, 2004... Byline: Staff Internet banking scams are finding their way to Louisiana e-mail accounts. Louisiana Attorney General Charles Foti's office has received about a dozen complaints about a scam involving Citibank, said Kris Wartelle,...

Forbes ranks Louisiana in 'Best Places to Die' list.
September 20, 2004... Byline: Staff Louisiana is a great place to eat and party but dying here is not so hot, according to a new ranking by Forbes magazine on its "Best Places to Die" list. Louisiana received a deathly score of 48 out of 50 states and...

St. Tammany worries about Voice Over Internet Protocol response.
September 20, 2004... Byline: Staff Officials from the St. Tammany Parish Communications District are warning the new service called Voice Over Internet Protocol carries telephone calls over the Internet but may not be compatible with 911 emergency telephone...

New Orleans Celebration In The Oaks features "Cajun Night Before Christmas".
September 20, 2004... Byline: Staff The 18th annual Celebration In The Oaks will bring to life James Rice's "Cajun Night Before Christmas" with the help of synchronized lighting and musical technology. Since its publication more than 25 years ago, more than...

Stock brokers, analysts highlight hot and cold market investments.
September 20, 2004... Byline: Tommy Santora CityBusiness surveyed several licensed New Orleans stockbrokers and stock analysts to determine the hot and cold investments during the past month. The analysts were asked to identify the most surprising stock,...

Louisiana still waiting to adopt updated life insurance mortality tables.
September 20, 2004... Byline: Greg LaRose Americans now live long enough that insurance companies don't need as high a level of reserve funds to pay off life insurance policies as they did more than 20 years ago. But before a life insurance company can drop...

Commentary: House takes welcome stand in blocking OT pay provision.
September 20, 2004... Byline: Terry O'Connor The bipartisan 223-193 vote to block imposition of the fuzzy new White House-backed regulations on overtime is certainly welcome. But it's not enough. President Bush has vowed to ram the overtime pay regulations...

Commentary: Editor's Notes: CEOs still out of control after Sarbanes-Oxley.
September 20, 2004... Byline: Terry O'Connor Experts say the Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002 has missed the mark. They say corporate stealing can't be controlled by legislation because the money is simply too huge to turn down. At least that's the sobering...

Commentary: Publisher's Notes: Hurricane Ivan impact felt whether it lands here or not.
September 20, 2004... Byline: Lisa Blossman As I write this column it is Sept. 14 and our team is pulling together to complete today's edition of CityBusiness, the Daily Journal of Commerce and a custom publishing project for the New Orleans Opera. We are all...

Picture IDs can mistakenly be used to stop Louisiana voters at polls.
September 20, 2004... Byline: Richard A. Webster Beulah Labostrie, president of the New Orleans Chapter of the Association of Community Organizations for Reform Now, is nearly 83 years old. Since the day she first registered to vote more than 50 years ago,...

Folgers Coffee to install additional equipment and technology at New Orleans plant.
September 20, 2004... Byline: Deon Roberts Folgers Coffee Co., which operates a large coffee-producing facility out of eastern New Orleans, has resided in the city since the early 1960s. It's still percolating today. Last week, the company announced plans...

Hurricane Ivan delays New Orleans' plans for $260M bond election.
September 20, 2004... Byline: Deon Roberts Orleans Parish voters can expect to vote Nov. 2 on a $260 million bond issue that would mean higher property taxes to fund a slew of infrastructure projects and capital improvements. But city officials early last...

Standoff between property owner and former New Orleans restaurant owner headed for court.
September 20, 2004... Byline: Holly Miller The closing of a Magazine Street restaurant has turned into a legal battle between the property owner and the former restaurant owner. Steve McKenna owned Sugar Magnolia, 1910 Magazine St., until it closed Aug. 18....

Louisiana governor pledges to invest $40 million in optical fiber network.
September 20, 2004... Byline: Richard Slawsky Although Louisiana university officials have grown accustomed to being told no when asking for state money, the Louisiana Optical Network Initiative received more than it requested. University officials were...

New Orleans fair housing complaints surge.
September 20, 2004... Byline: Staff Fair housing discrimination complaints rose in New Orleans and statewide during the first half of the year compared with the same period in 2003, according to the state attorney general's office. The number of statewide...

New Orleans animal shelters adding up expected evacuation costs.
September 20, 2004... Byline: Staff As Hurricane Ivan dug into the Gulf last week, some area animal organizations had to dig into their pocketbooks to prepare for the storm. The nonprofit Louisiana Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals loaded up...

New Orleans-based Leidenheimer Baking purchases Angelo Gendusa Bakery.
September 20, 2004... Byline: Staff Leidenheimer Baking Co. of New Orleans is purchasing the assets of Angelo Gendusa Bakery, including its equipment, trade name, formulas and route sales system. Terms of the deal were not disclosed. Angelo Gendusa founded...

New Orleans charity health group receives $2.6M in federal grants.
September 20, 2004... Byline: Staff The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services' Healthy Communities Access Program awarded $2.6 million in federal grants to the Partnership for Access to Healthcare over three years to expand its health-related programs....

Interview with Chris Thomas King, contemporary blues musician.
September 20, 2004... Byline: Holly Miller Chris Thomas King, known for a music style that mixes hip hop, blues and rock, also owns five New Orleans-based corporations that market his music: Chris Thomas King LLC, through which companies hire him as an artist...

Baton Rouge-based Shaw Environmental awarded $250M contract by Army Corps of Engineers.
September 20, 2004... Byline: Staff Baton Rouge-based Shaw Group Inc.'s subsidiary, Shaw Environmental Inc., was awarded a $250 million contract by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers to provide emergency temporary roof repairs to homes and buildings damaged by...

The Arts Council of New Orleans reschedules opening of Louisiana ArtWorks.
September 20, 2004... Byline: Staff The Arts Council of New Orleans moved the scheduled Sept. 24 opening of Louisiana ArtWorks back to Oct. 23. Louisiana ArtWorks, a five-story interactive artists workspace on the corner of Howard Avenue and Carondelet Street,...

Houma-based Trico Marine Services to begin financial restructuring.
September 20, 2004... Byline: Staff The majority of Houma-based Trico Marine Services Inc. holders of the company's $250 million 8 7/8 senior notes agreed to support financial restructuring. The agreement allows Trico to convert the notes, which were due in...

La. governor announces $48 million Commercial Revitalization Deduction initiative.
September 20, 2004... Byline: Staff Gov. Kathleen Babineaux Blanco announced the $48 million Commercial Revitalization Deduction initiative, an incentive program that encourages Louisiana businesses to invest in Renewal Communities. Renewal Communities are...