Biz Talks

After leading a team of over 1,000 to help build the most powerful rocket ever launched last fall, 2022 Executive of the Year Jennifer Boland-Masterson, director of manufacturing and site leader for the Boeing Space and Launch program, shares the road that led her to the space program, what she’s doing to diversify its workforce, and what her team is up to now.

On this week’s episode, the CEO of the Home Builders Association of Greater New Orleans says the vast majority of insurance claims during recent Louisiana hurricanes were caused by roof failures that could be prevented by improved installation techniques. So, getting some of the region's roofs up to code could be the key to solving the current residential insurance crisis.

Aaron Gailmor is the CEO (Chief Eats Officer) of Brass Roots, a snack food company whose plant-based products use organic Sacha Inchi Seeds, nicknamed “the Incan peanut.” Launched in 2019, the company has quickly grabbed national attention, which amplified last Friday, Jan. 20, with Gailmor’s appearance on the ABC hit TV show Shark Tank.

On this week’s episode, T. Parker Host Chairman and CEO Adam Anderson talks about a his company's $445 million deal to sell Avondale Global Gateway to the Port of South Louisiana — and his vision for how the 254-acre site will contribute to the future of south Louisiana river commerce.

The S&P 500 hit its high mark on the first trading day of 2022 and never came close to that number again for the rest of the year. This week, senior investment management consultant Shepard Buckman of Equitas Capital Advisors talks about what contributed to the rough year for retirement accounts in 2022 and his strategies for recovery in 2023.

In the words of this week’s guest, “New Orleans’s future workforce is not going to prepare itself.” As such, New Orleans Career Center has been working since its opening in 2018 to prepare area young people and adults for a wide variety of high-wage, high-demand local careers. The organization’s CEO, Claire Jecklin, shares how the organization is partnering with local industries and the details of NOCC’s incredible new 143,000-square-foot space.

Each December, Biz New Orleans magazine finishes out the year highlighting the top stories that made headlines. For the past 12 months, those stories included crime, tech and insurance issues - among others. In our final episode of the year, Biz New Orleans editor (and "Biz Talks" co-host) Kim Singletary counts down the most consequential deals and developments of 2022.

Just in time for the holidays, Children’s Hospital welcomed a new addition with the grand opening Dec. 8 of the Ronald McDonald House Charities of South Louisiana’s new house. In this week’s podcast, Grace McIntosh, executive director at RMHC-SLA, shares all the exciting features of the new home, how it finally came to be, and how businesses and individuals can make a real difference for families of children in need of medical care. 

This week’s podcast features Linda Thurman and Ed Poole of Movie Poster Archives, a nonprofit that operates a brand-new gallery and store at 605 Lapalco Boulevard in Gretna. Their new venture features an exhibition space, research center, gift shop and screening room. They talk about the importance of movie posters and other film accessories and how JEDCO helped make their new retail location a reality.

More than 10 million lights are on display now at Lafreniere Park, with almost all of the creations custom made. Park Director Tripp Rabalais discusses this year's exciting big addition, as well as how the park fared during the pandemic and what the future holds.