NEW ORLEANS – Over 1,200 business and civic leaders met at the Hyatt Regency New Orleans hotel on March 21 for Greater New Orleans, Inc.’s annual luncheon event to celebrate the region’s many economic achievements and present an overview of regional priorities for the coming year.
“It’s not just a state of the union. This is a reunion,” said Michael Hecht, president and CEO of GNO, Inc.
GNO Inc. honored the leadership of outgoing Board Chair Christopher Kane, a partner at Adams and Reese law firm, while welcoming the incoming Board Chair, Leah Brown, Policy, Government, & Public Affairs Manager at Chevron.
Economic Growth – Super Bowl
The most prominent feature of the event was Super Bowl LIX. “GNO, Inc. helped manage over 550 infrastructure projects and ensured that ‘the city sparkled’ for a global audience of over 135 million,” said Hecht.
He said that in the 9 months they had to prepare for the Super Bowl, New Orleans repaired over one hundred city blocks of roadway, over forty sidewalks, and completed over 200 drainage projects. The city also installed over 1000 lights in the French Quarter and on the interstate and carried out over 50 park renovations. More than twenty permanent new murals were created and over 1,000 areas of blight in the Lower Ninth Ward were abated.
Economic Growth – Building Relationships
Hecht highlighted that GNO, Inc. managed over 200 executive and site selector visits throughout the region, led 2 international business missions and hosted 110 government and business leaders from 23 countries.
“We did this working with LED and our amazing 10 parish partners,” said Hecht. “I think the teamwork is better than I’ve ever seen it in my twenty-one years back and the result is that the announcements are starting to come in because people have confidence.”
GNO, Inc. conducted 51 business retention visits, assisted 50 local startups, engaged 23 venture capital firms, and, with the statewide Louisiana Future Energy initiative, generated over 700 energy leads with 43 active projects projected to create up to 21,000 jobs and $52 billion in investments. And at the largest energy conference in North American, CERAWeek, GNO, Inc. showcased Louisiana Future Energy, a research center at The Beach technology park.
“How about this for a headline? LED wins Platinum Deal of the Year for Meta’s $10 billion AI data center,” said Kane. The award was conferred by “Business Facilities” magazine, a leading journal for site selectors.
“Let’s make everyday a Super Bowl day,” said Kane. “When it comes to Louisiana International Terminal (LIT), which I can argue is the most critical economic development in international trade project in the state right now, we have to be all-hands-on-deck. Let’s treat this $2 billion project with the same tenacity, energy, and effort that we just gave to the Super Bowl.”
Workforce Development
GNO, Inc. supported 11 energy workforce training programs at regional community colleges and HBCUs (Historically Black Colleges and Universities), supporting over 1,500 students. They also led a coalition with Delgado to secure $5.7 million Department of Labor grant for the GNO Infrastructure Partnership.
GNO, Inc. expanded the Innovation Internship Program to provide 24 paid internships at 18 regional companies. It also launched Startup Noir NOLA, supporting Black entrepreneurships and promoting New Orleans as a minority startup hub.
Hecht pointed out that Forbes ranked New Orleans as the #1 Best City for College Students and Graduates, with 13 universities and colleges within a ten-mile radius including 3 HBCUs.
“Louisiana ranks higher than ever before on the nation’s Report Card,” said outgoing Board Chair, Chris Kane. “This is considered the gold standard of assessments. Louisiana leapt from the bottom to rank 32nd place. This is the largest improvement in the U.S.”
Crime Reduction
GNO, Inc. recognized the 2nd anniversary of the NOLA Coalition, a diverse group of over 570 nonprofits, civic organizations, and businesses particularly for their work helping to reduce crime, witnessing a 55% decrease in crime overall and over $9 million raised for youth services.
“Our public safety improved almost faster than any other city in the country, with a crime reduction 2.5 times greater than the U.S. average,” said Hecht. “Homicide went down by nearly 50%, shootings went down 55%, and car-jackings went down close to 70%, and armed robbery went down by over 50% in two years. And the NOLA Coalition is not done.”
Sponsors and Partners
“One of the defining aspects of GNO, Inc. is that we are truly public-private,” said Hecht. “We are about 65% supported by the private sector and we are also supported by the public sector. We work very closely with elected officials.”
“If we think about where we are now, coming off maybe the most impressive trifecta of 3 events that we’ve ever had – you have the Taylor Swift take-over, the greatest Super Bowl week in history, and a safe and prosperous Mardi Gras – everyone is saying New Orleans has never looked or felt better than it has in the past few months,” said Hecht.
Incoming GNO, Inc. Board Chair, Leah Brown, said “As we look to the horizon in the evolving energy landscape, we definitely see transformation occurring at an unprecedented pace. That’s a challenge but it’s also an opportunity for Louisiana to truly lead in the future of energy. The good news is that Louisiana is choosing an all-of-the-above approach to energy.”
