Biz Talks

The recent controversy surrounding Mignon Faget’s departure from its longtime Magazine Street location has reignited a larger conversation: What happens when local businesses find themselves competing with national brands for increasingly valuable real estate? As program director of the Urban Conservancy’s StayLocal initiative, Maryann Miller works to support and strengthen locally owned businesses across the region. This week, she shares her insights on how New Orleans can embrace growth while preserving the independent businesses and distinctive character that make our city an international destination — and how we can strike a balance that benefits everyone.

Formerly known as Churchill Technology & Business Park, the newly named Churchill Innovation & Research Campus — or CIRC — encompasses 480 acres with the potential to attract new businesses, advanced manufacturing, research and investment. But this is about more than a name change.

What will it take to turn that potential into jobs and economic growth? And what makes this site competitive on a national scale? President and CEO of JEDCO Jerry Bologna shares his insights on this week’s Biz Talks.

What if local businesses could help keep New Orleans powered during outages — while lowering energy bills for everyone? That’s the idea behind the newly approved $28 million Neighborhood Power Plan. But how exactly would it work, and what could it mean for local businesses and residents? Garreth Johnson of Together New Orleans joins us to explain the ambitious initiative, which aims to create the largest per-capita virtual power plant in the country, strengthen the city’s electric grid and make power more reliable and affordable.

Hint: Part of the answer, Grant Clayton says, has to do with a certain mega home-search company. But he argues there’s a better way — and he’s proving it. The Northshore resident launched 1 Percent Lists with his wife in 2015, and today the company is approaching 80 franchises nationwide. On this week’s Biz Talks, Clayton explains why he believes a 1% commission is more than fair, what consumers don’t understand about how real estate agents get clients and get paid, and what simple change he’d like to see to increase transparency.

Andy Weiner, president of RockStep Capital, has built or acquired about 10 million square feet of shopping centers across the country — including New Orleans’ 250,000-square-foot Outlet Collection at Riverwalk, which is celebrating its 40th anniversary. In this week's episode, Weiner shares what’s next for the landmark riverfront property, the unique strengths that continue to attract retailers and restaurants, and why he’s bullish on the future of brick-and-mortar retail.

On Sept. 2, The Pelican Institute released its summer 2026 Louisiana Economic Report and it showed some really good news, including that the state is currently outperforming other states in the region. The report found, among many other things, that Louisiana’s economy grew at a 2.9% annualized rate in early 2026 — faster than Texas (+0.9%), Tennessee (+1.2%), and Mississippi (+2.5%), and the 6th-fastest in the nation. And this is just the start of the good news.

To share more, we welcome the Pelican Institute’s Senior Economic Fellow Vance Ginn.

Celebrating 100 years in business this year, Beuerman Miller Fitzgerald (BMF) has helped some of the region’s, and nation’s, biggest brands find success — including names like Brennan’s, Tabasco, K&B Stores, Wesson and Coca-Cola. This week, BMF Co-Founder and Co-CEO Virginia Miller joins the firm’s President of Marketing and Advertising Ron Thompson to share their top tips for success, along with which branding lessons continue to stand the test of time.

For our 300th episode, we brought back one of our most popular contributors — in print and on Biz Talks — Frank Rabalais, who has spent years pushing back against New Orleans’ notorious “attitude problem.” Now, as optimism and confidence are taking hold, Frank argues that it’s time to stop simply hoping for growth and start thinking strategically about how to make it happen. His idea: Take advantage of a powerful national trend, combine it with what makes New Orleans uniquely attractive, and turn that opportunity into the population growth the region needs.

Digital content creators wield influential power in the marketplace — power that local businesses, understandably, are looking to harness. But how do you find the right creator? What’s the difference between an influencer and a content creator? And what are some common mistakes and misconceptions to avoid? How much should you expect to pay? Bianca Cook, founder of The Nola Collective shares everything businesses need to know.

The future of THC-infused beverages is again in a precarious position, but this time the threat is coming from the national government. While a federal ban on hemp-derived products is set to take effect on November 12 unless Congress acts, Jacob Landry, co-founder of Urban South Brewery explains why his company is moving forward and has just launched its third THC-infused brand. Landry shares what he is hoping for in the fall and what how much his brewery would be affected if the ban goes through.