Lessons learned from Macondo are being applied to processes and containment technology every day, and commitment to improve response capabilities has never been greater.
– Don Armijo, CEO of Marine Well Containment Company. Armijo spoke in New Orleans in early April about the latest technology and advancements to increase safety in the Gulf.
Leadership Jefferson Graduates Latest Class
The Jefferson Chamber Foundation’s Leadership Jefferson program graduated its 2015 class during a May 7 ceremony at the New Orleans Marriott Metairie at Lakeway. Participants included employees from various industry leaders, including Entergy, Ochsner Health System, GNO Inc. and program sponsor Peoples Health.
Leadership Jefferson is a nine-month program designed to develop a diverse network of dedicated business and community leaders. Facilitated by a professional leadership team, the interactive workshops expose participants to local leaders and activists working to resolve critical issues facing Jefferson Parish. Specific session topics include education, healthcare, quality of life concerns, criminal justice, diversity and economic development.
The application period for the 2016 class is open through Aug. 10, 2015. The cost is $1,350 for Chamber members and $1,500 for non-members. There is a $50 application fee. For an application, call the Chamber office at (504) 835-3880.
Baker Donelson Recognized Among Best Places to Work for New Dads
The law firm of Baker Donelson has been named among the “50 Best Places to Work for New Dads” in a report compiled by Fatherly, a digital lifestyle guide for men entering parenthood.
With a growing demographic of active and engaged millennial fathers, this first-of-its-kind report highlights the best paternity benefits offered by leading companies in the United States, focusing on factors that create a positive workplace for working parents.
Baker Donelson was highlighted for its gender-neutral parental leave policy, which allows for three weeks of paid leave for non-primary caregivers. The leave can be taken consecutively or used over a 20-week period. Primary caregivers are eligible to take 16 weeks of paid leave, which can also be taken consecutively or used intermittently over a 40-week period.
Recent Louisiana Rankings
• No. 2 of “Top Competitive States for 2014” (up from 4th place in 2013)
-Site Selection Magazine
• 7th Best State for Business in the U.S. According to CEOs Nationwide (state’s highest position ever – greatest improvement of any state in the past seven years)
-Chief Executive Magazine
NASA Awards Xavier Cooperative Battery Project $5 Million
The National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) has awarded a five-year, $5 million grant to a Xavier University of Louisiana cooperative project. The project seeks to both improve the performance and safety of lithium batteries and create a reliable pipeline of under-represented minority undergraduates prepared for careers in science, technology, engineering and math (STEM).
The grant was one of 10 awarded nationally to minority-serving universities, totaling almost $47 million. A panel of education and technical experts reviewed 76 proposals and selected the winning projects.
GNO, Inc. Named Among Top 20 Economic Development Organizations in the Country
The journal Site Selection has named GNO, Inc. one of the “Top 20 Economic Development Organizations in the United States.”
Over the past year, the Greater New Orleans region has experienced $3.4 billion in capital investment and created 1,988 new direct jobs. Site Selection also judged organizations based on capital investment, jobs per capita and investment per capita, the creativity of the economic development strategy, scope of project activity, and the ability to accurately document the link between the organization and real results.
GNOEA Names Its 2014 Executive of the Year
The Greater New Orleans Executives Association (GNOEA) named John Benton, president of Bayou Tree Service, “Executive of the Year for 2014.” The announcement was made at GNOEA’s Executive of the Year Banquet, held May 8 at The Southern Yacht Club.
As head arborist and president of Bayou Tree Service, Benton has established the company as one of the premier tree preservation firms in Louisiana and Mississippi. Since 1980, Bayou Tree Service has been dedicated to the care and preservation of the area’s historic trees. Some of the company’s notable clients include Audubon Park, City Park and Tulane University.
Ochsner Health System First in Nation to Manage Chronic Diseases with Apple Watch
New Orleans- based Ochsner Health System is the first hospital in the nation to manage patients suffering from chronic diseases using the new Apple Watch.
The Apple Watch is used to enhance the effectiveness of the Ochsner Hypertension Digital Medicine Program, a pilot program that tracks several hundred patients who are struggling to control their blood pressure.
Through wireless blood pressure cuffs integrated with AppleHealthKit and Epic, Ochsner’s Electronic Medical Record (EMR), patients regularly measure their blood pressure and heart rate at home while the data is sent directly to the clinic for monitoring. Specialized pharmacists review the data in real time to make medication adjustments and lifestyle recommendations as needed to ensure good blood pressure control.
Results are incorporated into MyOchsner, the system’s online patient portal, so that patients have access to their EMR and can receive progress reports on their status.
Ducks Unlimited Receives Millions in Grants for Gulf Coast Restoration
Ducks Unlimited has been awarded five North American Wetlands Conservation Act grants to support its restoration efforts along the Gulf Coast. More than $4.6 million in NAWCA funding will be combined with nearly $10 million in partner funding to restore more than 21,800 acres in coastal Texas and Louisiana. These projects will provide high-quality foraging habitat capable of supporting more than 70,000 ducks throughout the winter.
Greater New Orleans Foundation Honors the Ford Foundation
The Ford Foundation, which since 1983 has invested more than $47 million in 76 organizations serving the Greater New Orleans area, is this year’s recipient of the Greater New Orleans Foundation’s Spark Plug Award. The award was presented to Ford Foundation President, Darren Walker, at the Greater New Orleans Foundation’s biennial meeting May 14 at the Carver Theatre.
In addition to its various initiatives to improve the quality of life in the region, in the 1990s, the Ford Foundation worked with GNOF to create an affordable housing program that became a national model. The relationship further developed following Hurricane Katrina with the Ford Foundation’s investment in the Unified New Orleans Plan, a stronger Central City, and additional support for affordable housing and economic opportunity for all.
Eastern New Orleans Residents Impacted by BP Oil Spill Celebrate New Community Health Center
New Orleans East Louisiana Community Health Center (NOELA CHC) celebrated the grand opening of its 9,000-square-foot facility on April 27. The new health center will serve more than 8,000 patients in Greater New Orleans this year alone.
The facility is designed to serve eastern New Orleans, an area hit hard by the 2010 Deepwater Horizon disaster. With one in three people living in the area working in the seafood industry, the impact of the spill disproportionately affected the health and livelihood of local residents.
The clinic is equipped with state-of-the art technology, employs trilingual workers, and will substantially expand services for patients.
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