"New Orleans has a significant amount of diversity in healthcare management at middle and lower levels of management and access points. Beyond this point, New Orleans becomes homogenous, lacking in representation of the community we serve."
– Brandon Darrington, president of the South East Louisiana Chapter of the National Association of Health Services Executives (NAHSE). The organization’s 30th Annual Education Conference, Business Meeting and Exhibition will be held at the New Orleans Marriott Oct. 13-16. The theme is “Creating the Blueprint for Sustainable Change: Diversity, Inclusion and Equity in Healthcare Management.
Tops in Their Industry
“Top 200 Accounting Firms” for 2015 for the sixth year —
LaPorte CPAs & Business Advisors was one of only two Louisiana firms that made INSIDE Public Accounting’s list this year.
Named to “Best Lawyers in America” In 2016
• Chaffe McCall – 2 lawyers (total now 21)
• Baldwin Haspell Burke & Mayer – 10 lawyers
• Jones Walker – 57 lawyers – 16 recognized as Best Lawyers’ 2016 Lawyers of the Year
• Stone Pigman Walther Wittmann– 29 lawyers – 6 recognized as Best Lawyers’ 2016 Lawyers of the Year
Chamber of the Year (large chamber division)
• Jefferson Chamber of Commerce. Presented by the Louisiana Association of Chamber of Commerce Executives (LACCE).
Grand Award for Communications Excellence
• St. Tammany West Chamber of Commerce. Presented by the Association of Chamber of Commerce Executives (ACCE).
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2015 Maritime Person of the Year
The Propeller Club Port of New Orleans will honor Arnold W. Donald, president and CEO of Carnival Corporation & PLC, at its 82nd Annual Maritime Person of the Year Gala Thursday, Oct. 22 at the Hilton New Orleans Riverside. RSVPs for the event are due by October 15 and can be made by calling (504) 779-5671.
Something to Smile About
National children’s dental care provider Kool Smiles has provided $334,354 in uncompensated dental care throughout Louisiana and is on track to reach more than $668,000 by the end of the year.
“We know that many families throughout the state struggle with the high cost of dental care,” says Dr. Brad Bryan, managing dental director for Kool Smiles. “We’re proud that by providing uncompensated care where no reimbursement is available, as well as care to Louisianans with insurance plans that most dentists do not accept, we are able to fulfill our mission of expanding quality, affordable dental care in local communities that are often overlooked or otherwise underserved.”
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Big News at Propeller
Local social innovation hub Propeller is set to launch twice as many entrepreneurial ventures this year with an expanded three-month-long Accelerator program offering hands-on mentorship to close to 30 ventures addressing issues relating to food, water, health and education. The program received a boost recently thanks to a $300,000 grant from the U.S. Department of Commerce’s Economic Development Administration (EDA). Propeller was one of four organizations in the Gulf South that received a total of $2.1 million in EDA grants.
The organization has also announced a partnership with education incubator 4.0 Schools to announce PitchNOLA: Education, a competition that will reward entrepreneurial solutions to increase equitable education outcomes for all New Orleanians with over $10,000 in cash prizes.
Pictured: Matt Erskin, COO of the Economic Development Association presented Propeller with a $300,000 grant on behalf of the EDA. Photo by Robert Warren
New Steamboat Under Construction
The Steamboat Natchez will soon welcome a sibling. New Orleans Steamboat Company and Gray Line Tours are currently in the design phase of constructing a new Mississippi Riverboat set to be 160 feet long and 36 feet wide with three passenger decks, a dining room that seats 200, a full service galley and bars. It will be licensed to carry up to 600 passengers on harbor cruises, dinner cruises and private charters. The yet-to-be-named vessel is scheduled to begin sailing in late 2017.
EMV is Now the Way to Be
As of October 1, 2015, financial institutions and businesses that haven’t switched over to using and processing EMV (or “chip) cards risk being liable for credit card fraud.
EMV — which stands for Europay, MasterCard and Visa — replaces the traditional magnetic stripe on credit cards with a small metallic square that creates a unique transaction code that is never used again. Already successfully used to battle fraud around the world, the U.S. is the last major market to switch over to EMV cards.
In order to battle rising rates of fraud, more than 120 million Americans have already received an EMV chip card and that number is expected to grow to nearly 600 million by the end of the year according to Smart Card Alliance.
“Currently, if a criminal uses a fraudulent credit card the banks will absorb the cost of the charges,” explains Clayton J. Mouney, president of thinkIT Solutions. “After October 2015, if a fraudulent card is ran and the merchant doesn’t have an EMV card reader the merchant could be responsible for the fraudulent charge and not the bank.”
Irish Channel Bakery to become Residential Subdivision
Turnbull Bakeries of Louisiana, which once occupied over half a city block in the Irish Channel, is now being developed into New Orleans’ newest residential subdivision. Owner and developer Nicole Webre, CEO of Livewell Properties, is calling the new project Bakery Village, and says it will consist of 15 single-family houses and residential lots. For more information, visit BakeryVillageNOLA.com.
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