Biz Talks

If passed, Louisiana Senate Bill 237 would eliminate virtually all hemp products from the market, killing what has fast become a $33 million industry spurred by the booming popularity of THC-infused beverages. On this week’s podcast, hemp industry advocate Monica Olano shares who is behind the bill and why she thinks it would be a bad move for Louisiana.

Kevin Ferguson, a VP at New Orleans & Company, provides an update on the Home For Good New Orleans Homeless Initiative, a community-wide effort to achieve low to no unsheltered homelessness in New Orleans by the end of 2025.

NOLA native Elizabeth Tilton is shaking things up in hospitality by offering up an industry first — easy, affordable health insurance and other wellness benefits to hospitality workers around the nation through her company OS BENEFiTS. How does it work and how affordable are we talking? She shares all the details in this week’s BizTalks.

Courtney Durham Shane from Pew Charitable Trusts and Cam Poole from Greater New Orleans Inc discuss a report that contains recommendations to help boost jobs and economic development related to offshore wind in Louisiana.

New York City native and real estate mogul Charles D. Urstadt fell for New Orleans’ rich culture when he moved here eight years ago. Last year, Urstadt joined with fellow New Orleanian and veteran Tony Award-winning producer Dale Mott to form a new live theater company called Edgewood Entertainment focused on producing works by authors from marginalized communities. In this week’s podcast, Urstadt shares his journey to this new career and the similarities he sees between New Orleans and New York City.

On April 14, the New Orleans Women & Children’s Shelter officially cut the ribbon on a new home in Mid-City. The converted hotel will allow the shelter to grow its services for homeless families in the metro area and double its sheltering capacity. On this week’s podcast, NOWCS CEO Dawn Bradley-Fletcher talks about why this move will help the city break the cycle of homelessness.

A Louisiana native and mortgage industry professional for more than 30 years, Ross Miller is on the board of the National Association of Mortgage Brokers (NAMB).

In this episode, he shares some shocking facts about how insurance works in Louisiana and the efforts his organization is fighting for on the local and national levels.

Coulter McMahen, president of the Louisiana Automobile Dealers Association, was in New Orleans recently to talk to dealers here about the state of the industry.

On this week’s episode, he provides an overview of the industry — from the Tesla lawsuit to EV infrastructure and 2024 legislative priorities.

Wednesdays at the Square brings top local artists and vendors into Downtown’s Lafayette Square for 10 weeks every spring – this year through May 8. What does it take to put on this type of “mini festival” every week and what impact does it have? Young Leadership Council’s new Executive Director, Allison Hotard, and Board Member and Event Co-Chair (with Emad Jabbar), Erica Sensenbrenner, share all the details.

A new report from Gary Wagner, an economist at the University of Louisiana at Lafayette, shows that the state has experienced its biggest job growth in nearly 20 years. He explains what’s happening and what the state can do to spur additional growth while combating “brain drain.”