NEW ORLEANS – Here, from staff and wire reports, are the week’s top business stories:
Louisiana on Monday reinstated a mask mandate in all indoor locations, including schools and colleges, as the state struggles with a fast-growing fourth surge of COVID-19 driven by the delta variant and one of the nation’s lowest vaccination rates. Democratic Gov. John Bel Edwards announced the mandate, which goes into effect on Wednesday, less than three months after he lifted a previous face covering requirement amid hopes that the virus was abating.
Louisiana’s COVID-19 hospitalizations surged Tuesday to record levels, with 2,112 largely unvaccinated people in hospital beds struggling and hospital leaders describing facilities overrun with patients. The Louisiana Department of Health reported that 89% of the people hospitalized with COVID-19 weren’t vaccinated. The state’s previous peak of people hospitalized with COVID-19 was 2,069 patients in early January, after holiday gatherings spurred a spike in cases and before vaccines became widely available. But the highly contagious delta variant of the virus is propelling record-breaking numbers of hospitalizations at a faster pace.
The Dagostino Pasta Company announced it is moving all its operations to a location in New Orleans East. The company, which has been operating a retail store in Baton Rouge, said the move is part of a plan to prioritize wholesale distribution and home delivery. The transition will take place this month. “Expanding the geographic reach of Dagostino’s products has been an aspiration of our company, and we’re thrilled to bring our high-quality, authentic pastas and sauces to more consumers across the country,” said Vince Hayward, fourth-generation owner and CEO of L.H. Hayward & Company, Dagostino’s parent company, in a press release. “After successfully operating our storefront and warehouse in Baton Rouge, we look forward to returning to New Orleans where the brand was originally established in 1926 as the Fresina Macaroni Manufacturing Company. The new location, which will provide additional space and opportunities, is a natural fit given the robust Sicilian history and culture of the city.”
Shipbuilding magnate Donald T. “Boysie” Bollinger has pledged $3 million to the University of New Orleans School of Naval Architecture and Marine Engineering, the only such program in the region and one of the few in the nation. In recognition of the gift, the University has renamed the school the Boysie Bollinger School of Naval Architecture and Marine Engineering. “On behalf of our students, faculty, alumni and the entire university community, I am incredibly grateful to Boysie for his commitment to UNO,” said UNO President John Nicklow. “This gift will have tremendous impact on current and future students by providing greater access to a world-class education and state-of-the-art equipment. This kind of generosity can and will change the lives of students.”
The New Orleans Business Alliance (NOLABA), the City of New Orleans, and other partners, including LiftFund, NewCorp, Inc., and TruFund Financial, have announced a major new initiative to support the capital needs of local small businesses during and beyond the COVID-19 pandemic. The InvestNOLA COVID Relief Loan Fund announced during today’s press conference and webinar was made possible through a $2M investment from the City and additional funding from the InvestNOLA Community Development Financial Institutions (CDFI) Consortium.
New Orleans-based real estate company Godwyn Realty has opened its new office headquarters at 1943 Sophie Wright Place. The new space is located in a building designed in the 1860s. “Godwyn Realty takes great pride in the business we’ve built – but we take greater pride in helping families make the investment of a lifetime,” said Godwyn co-owner Brittany Picolo-Ramos. “Our team strives to evolve the real estate experience by aiming to better support the special people of this resilient community, and today, we are extremely excited to open the doors to our new office headquarters in the heart of a city that we’re honored to serve.”
