Last spring, Governor Jeff Landry appointed Michael Hecht, CEO of GNO, Inc., to oversee infrastructure improvements across the Crescent City in preparation for Super Bowl LIX. With nearly 20 years of building relationships with leaders at the state and local level, plus experience with coalition management, Hecht was perfectly suited for this role. In addition to overseeing roadwork, sidewalk repairs, lighting upgrades and installation and drainage system repairs, he also guided beautification efforts including decorative wraps on Plaza Tower and 21 new murals across the city.
GNO, Inc., collaborated with a number of partners — including the City of New Orleans, the Downtown Development District, the French Quarter Management District and the Regional Transit Authority — to undertake more than 550 infrastructure projects.
GNO, Inc. worked with the Department of Public Works and the Sewerage & Water Board of New Orleans to repair a main water line and fill a pothole at Poydras Street and Claiborne Avenue that had been a persistent problem since Hurricane Katrina. Additionally, roadwork was completed along more than 100 roadway blocks including Poydras Street, Girod Street, Julia Street, Carondelet Street and St. Charles Avenue. 40 blocks of sidewalks also were repaired, including those surrounding the Hard Rock Hotel collapse site at Canal and South Rampart streets, and a new decorative sidewalk can now be found in the alleyways around St. Louis Cathedral.
Lighting upgrades and installations included a more than $20 million renovation of decorative lighting on the Crescent City Connection and a $1.8 million lighting repair project in the French Quarter, a project managed by The Tobler Company. Many broken lights also were repaired across the city.
SWBNO drainage system repairs included replacing 99 pumps. Overall, SWBNO completed more than 200 work orders.
GNO, Inc., and Greater New Orleans Sports Foundation also codeveloped a Park and Ride System to enhance access to downtown. This project included input from the New Orleans Regional Transit Authority, and research and outreach conducted by a private contractor.
Meanwhile, beautification projects sprouted up all across New Orleans.
GNO, Inc. partnered with the DDD and Arts New Orleans on Project French Doors, which included beautification of the 100 blocks of Dauphine, Bourbon, Royal, Chartres and Decatur streets. This project provides an elevated entrance to the French Quarter with repaired lighting, newly added curb extensions, murals and decorative lighting.
Another project, the Fleur-de-Lis NOLA Iconographic Sign was a collaboration between GNO, Inc., and the DDD. The decorative sign is now temporarily installed next to the new Delacroix Fish Camp & Bar in Spanish Plaza using the trademarked Desire NOLA font. The DDD contracted Downtown FabWorks, and collaborated with New Orleans Building Corporation and Rockstep Capital, to fabricate and place the sign, which will remain in place through the 20-year anniversary of Hurricane Katrina.
Also in preparation for Super Bowl LIX, GNO, Inc., collaborated with Arts New Orleans and building owners to complete more than a dozen new murals.
“Arts New Orleans served as the primary facilitator, ensuring that artists had access to needed supplies, that organizations looking to sponsor murals had access to artists and locations, and that the Percent for Arts program [a public art collection that includes commissioning and acquiring artwork for the city] was executed for certain projects,” Hecht said.
The murals can be found in locations such as the HEAL Garage (by Brandan “BMike“ Odums), the Civil Court House (by Carl Joe Williams), the Hyatt Garage (by Eternal Seeds and Brandan “BMike“ Odums), the Girod overpass (by Annie Moran), the WDSU Building (by Keith Duncan), the Marriott New Orleans (by Shepard Fairey) and New Orleans East roadside sign (by Egypt).
“For Super Bowl LIX, we had partnerships with The Helis Foundation, Plaquemines Parish Tourism, Entergy, Downtown Development District and GNO, Inc., who worked to commission murals across the city,” said Lindsay Glatz, creative director at Arts New Orleans.
“New Orleans is known worldwide for its culture. Art is the medium in which we communicate that message.”
Glatz said many of the Super Bowl activations supported by the corporate sponsors could be produced in any city, but it’s the culture of New Orleans that sets them apart and makes the city special.
“It’s been great to see the NFL leaning into that with projects like commissioning Tahj Williams [a queen of the Golden Eagles Mardi Gras Indians] to design this year’s Super Bowl logo and providing opportunities for connecting sponsors with local artists,” Glatz said.
Other beautification efforts included the rehabilitation of Duncan Plaza, Cancer Survivors Plaza and Armstrong Park; the completion of the Earhart food truck lot; the deconstruction of Simon Bolivar Plaza (returning it to neutral ground); the reconstruction of Latrobes Park; the abatement of more than 1,000 lots in the Lower 9th Ward; and filling more than 80 tree wells.
NOLA Beautiful also conducted four cleanup efforts (litter abatement and tree planting) in the Desire neighborhood, New Orleans East, the Lower 9th Ward and the Central Business District.
“The transformation of our city’s infrastructure ahead of Super Bowl LIX is more than just a facelift—it’s a statement about our state and city leadership’s long-term commitment to New Orleans,” Hecht said. “These improvements demonstrate our ability to execute major projects efficiently and collaboratively, reinforcing confidence in our ability to attract investment, retain talent and elevate our global brand. The psychological impact of seeing our city at its best—cleaner, safer, and more beautiful—cannot be overstated. It sends a message to residents and visitors alike that New Orleans is not only a great place to celebrate but also a great place to build a future.”
GNO, Inc., also chairs the Economic Development Subcommittee of the New Orleans Host Committee. This work, which includes regular meetings and the development of capstone economic development projects, helps to shape the New Orleans brand.
“An anticipated 150,000 individuals visited the city during the week and weekend of Super Bowl LIX,” Hecht said. “Many of these visitors are high net-worth individuals—presidents, CEOs and C-suite executives from across the nation and world — with the capacity to potentially
invest in Greater New Orleans or Louisiana. It’s critical to leverage this opportunity—and leave a lasting positive impression, which can be achieved in part by the infrastructure and beautification improvements — in order to correct the narrative of New Orleans in the long-term.”
To amplify this initiative, GNO, Inc., requested and confirmed the use of portions of buildings as a platform to showcase Louisiana’s economic strengths during the week of the big game. Locations included River District, Dutch Alley and other high-visibility areas in the entertainment district.
Executives also took part in activities like engaging with businesses and elected leaders from the region and state; tours of key assets that drive Louisiana’s economy, including manufacturing, shipping and entertainment assets; and attending the launch of Louisiana Economic Development’s new innovation brand, la.io, which has a dual focus on attracting tech companies into the state and nurturing startups.
