“City Park is really unique among major urban parks in the United States in that so much of its revenue is self-generated. But we actually saw a little bit of weakness because all of our income is actually dependent on points of paid engagement. We suddenly found ourselves with nothing. And we really had to begin to have a different discussion with the community and say, ‘This is a community-funded park. We can’t do this without you.’ We need philanthropy. We need volunteers, and we really need to diversify what we depend on. So, I think, in some ways, we got to see our weaknesses in a way that they might not ever have revealed themselves and now we can plan accordingly. — Cara Lambright, New Orleans City Park CEO, speaking on episode 62 of the BizTalks Podcast about the pandemic’s effects on the park, the need to diversify funding to meet the park’s $17 million annual budget, and efforts the park is making with the city for much-needed stormwater management.
Probably the simplest word to describe the state of the industry is ‘challenged.’ You’ve got workforce pressure, and not only finding people to work. You’ve seen the cost of hiring people get more expensive. You’ve got commodity pressure, as you’ve seen prices go up for a lot of the center-of-the-plate proteins: seafood, crab, meat, beef, chicken. And even the price of frying oil has doubled or tripled from what it was a couple of months ago just due to supply chain issues.
Stan Harris, president of the Louisiana Restaurant Association, in an interview for Biz New Orleans.com on June 21
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Episode 63
Calling All Sports Fans!
How can you win two tickets to every single major sporting event in the region for the coming year? What does it take to bring the top sporting events in the nation to New Orleans? What will be the highlights this year? Jay Cicero, president/CEO of Greater New Orleans Sports Foundation, answers all these questions and more.
Episode 62
City Park Needs You
The reopening of Carousel Gardens and the return of special events are great news for New Orleans City Park. But new CEO Cara Lambright says support from the community will be essential to keeping the 1,300-acre urban playground looking good for years to come.
Episode 61
Hiring and Retention Tips
Struggling to hire and retain good talent? Anna Steele, operations manager with Delta Personnel, a 53-year-old full-service staffing agency serving the region, offers tips on how best to navigate this new reality.
