Biz Talks

On Dec. 9, New Orleans & Company launched Vision 2035: a plan created with big local stakeholders to make the city a better place to live and visit.

What are some of the biggest goals of the plan and where do we start? Walt Leger III, CEO of New Orleans & Company, shares his thoughts.

A week into ICE’s “Operation Catahoula Crunch,” New Orleans’ immigrant community, along with businesses that employ immigrants, are feeling the effects. This week, Mayra Pineda, president and CEO of the Hispanic Chamber of Commerce of Louisiana, pushes back against misinformation online and shares what she’s hearing from area businesses and what the chamber is doing to support New Orleans’ only growing community.

Today is Giving Tuesday https://www.givingtuesday.org/, which strategically falls toward the end of the year, providing the last chance to take advantage of tax benefits for charitable giving for the year. This week, Biz Talks welcomes Shayna Lear Harvey, partner and president of Wealth Management fro JECohen. She shares the new rules for giving for 2025, what changes are coming for 2026 and four ways you can maximize your giving right now.

Founded by New Orleanian Geoffrey Meeker in 2012, French Truck Coffee has become a local coffee success story with now 13 locations across New Orleans, Baton Rouge and Memphis. Last month, Meeker stepped away as CEO, handing the company over to long-time partner Bobby Winston and his brother Sam. Together, the Winstons share their thoughts on how coffee is changing and what they envision for the future of French Truck.

As parents and area schools look ahead to next fall, BizTalks caught up with Kaitlin Karpinski, executive director of Rooted School New Orleans. Located on the campus of Southern University at New Orleans (SUNO), this two-time “Most Innovative Charter School” winner allows students to start taking college courses on day one, as well as offers 15 different industry-based certifications. Karpinski shares all the details on this unique school, including how its success has led to nationwide expansion.For more information, visit https://www.rootedschool.org/

The holiday season is upon us, which includes the national marking of Small Business Saturday on Nov. 29. How do local businesses promote what their offerings in a way that translates to sales? Two media experts from Tulane University’s School of Professional Advancement (SoPA) join us on Biz Talks to share their top tips for success.

A former funeral home on Camp Street has been transformed into Delaporte Manor — described by its creator, Andrew Preble, as part haunted house, part immersive theater and part escape room. Only running until Nov. 8, tickets are going fast for this one-of-a-kind attraction. In this week’s BizTalks, Preble — who has run an escape room business called Escape My Room in New Orleans for 10 years — shares all the creepy details along with his thoughts on the challenges and future of live entertainment.

From Oct. 23-27, New Orleanians will have special access to more than 130 top films from around the world — including 19 world premieres — that reach across every age, genre and interest. The action at the 36th annual New Orleans Film Festival will also continue off the screen at elaborate parties, workshops and meet and greets hosted at venues throughout the city. On this week’s BizTalks, New Orleans Film Society Interim Executive Director Dodd Lewis and Artistic Director Clint Bowie provide an inside scoop on the hot tickets — and how you can get one free.

For more information and to purchase tickets to the 36th Annual New Orleans Film Festival, visit neworleansfilmsociety.org.

On Oct. 16, the Jefferson Performing Arts Center will host the 15th annual Economic and Real Estate Forecast Symposium, a full-day event presented by the New Orleans Metropolitan Association of Realtors (NOMAR) and its Commercial Investment Division (CID). In this week’s BizTalks, NOMAR Symposium committee member Paul Richard and symposium speaker Michael Sherman offer a sneak peek into where the discussions will go on this year’s theme — “Breaking Ground: The Emergence of a New Economy.” For more information and tickets to the Real Estate Forecast Symposium, visit nolaforecast.org.

A new, free event created by and for young Black women business leaders across Southeast Louisiana is happening on Saturday, Oct. 4, from 1:30 to 4:30 p.m. The event, entitled Power in Our Hands: An Afternoon for Young Black Entrepreneurs, is the latest project from a local nonprofit called Women With a Vision. Program Manager Kennadi Robinson explains how this marketplace/entrepreneur showcase/networking hub is seeking to grow local entrepreneurs ages 13-25 and what that growth could mean for a future economy.  

Link to RSVP for Power in Our Hands: An Afternoon for Young Black EntrepreneursPower In Our Hands Eventbrite