NEW ORLEANS — On Wednesday, Dec. 14, a powerful tornado cut a path of destruction through New Orleans suburbs on both banks of the Mississippi River. The storm damaged approximately 200 homes and businesses in Gretna alone before touching down in Algiers, then jumping the river and hitting Arabi, which was the site of another tornado in March
“First and foremost, our thoughts are with those who have lost their lives,” said Jerry Bologna, executive director of the Jefferson Parish Economic Development Commission, on Thursday. “I think we’re extremely blessed that, despite the severity of the tornado, we escaped without loss of life in Jefferson. And I think that’s certainly a credit to our weather forecasters and the school system, which made the tough decision to shut down early. I think the fact that people heeded that call helped us avert the loss of life. And, as it relates to the business community, you know, everything can be replaced. And that’s where we stand ready to assist on the material side of getting these businesses back up and operating.”
Zea Rotisserie & Bar and the American Red Cross are among the organizations that announced plans to assist in the recovery.
Here, meanwhile, are more of the week’s top business stories:
Gov. John Bel Edwards announced a public-private partnership between the state of Louisiana, the Port of New Orleans and two global maritime industry leaders to build a $1.8 billion container facility on the Lower Mississippi River. The Louisiana International Terminal in St. Bernard Parish will be able to serve vessels of all sizes, increasing Louisiana’s import and export capacity and stimulating the creation of more than 17,000 new jobs statewide by 2050, Port NOLA estimates. The project is currently in the design and permitting phase of the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers’ environmental review process. Port NOLA leaders are hopeful that construction will begin in 2025 and the first berth will open in 2028. New Jersey-based Ports America, one of North America’s largest marine terminal operators, and Geneva, Switzerland-based Mediterranean Shipping Company, through its terminal development and investment arm Terminal Investment Limited, have committed $800 million toward the project. In addition to the partners’ investment, the construction of the terminal will be supported by a substantial commitment from Port NOLA, as well as state and federal funding sources. The joint venture will also operate the terminal once construction is complete.
A new Chick-fil-A location opens Tuesday, Dec. 13 at the corner of Carrollton and Tulane avenues (4068 Tulane Avenue). The fast food restaurant sits on land owned by Sidney Torres IV, who bought several pieces of property at the busy intersection in 2020. The City Planning Commission ultimately approved plans for the restaurant despite worries about traffic snarls caused by cars waiting in the drive-thru line. To assuage concerns, Chick-fil-A agreed to demolish the old Burger King building on the site, build a new structure and configure traffic lanes to accommodate 50 cars off the street. The location’s local franchise owner, longtime New Orleanian Ben McLeish, spent 16 years operating Thrive New Orleans, a nonprofit that provides workforce training, community centers, affordable housing, and crisis relief. He also helped found the St. Roch Community Church and was a founding board member of the Homer A. Plessy Community School.
The Feeding and Eating Disorder Center opened this month at the main campus of Children’s Hospital New Orleans. It provides outpatient assessment and treatment for children, adolescents and teens. Described by a spokesperson as the first hospital-based program of its kind in the Gulf South, the center is spearheaded by pediatric psychologist Amy Henke, registered dietitian Jacey Lutz-Thiel and adolescent medicine physician Ryan Pasternak. “As we have experienced a broad increase in mental health problems among children and adolescents across the U.S. since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic, eating and feeding disorders are unfortunately no exception,” said John R. Nickens IV, Children’s president and CEO, in a press release. “Establishing the Eating and Feeding Disorder Center at Children’s Hospital was critical for our team to be able to care for the whole child. I am incredibly proud of this provider-led initiative that has already had a powerful impact in its first few weeks.”
Tijon has opened for business at 631 Toulouse Street (between Royal and Chartres). The “custom perfumery and fragrance lab” allows visitors to explore more than three hundred oils as they create a unique scent. “Fragrance development is complex, but our perfume sessions make it easy in an environment that is interactive, fun and memorable, but overall – educational,” said John Berglund, Tijon’s founder and master perfumer. “When you leave with your bottle of Tijon perfume or cologne, not only are you leaving with your ideal custom scent, you are literally bottling memories from your trip to New Orleans.” First opened on the Caribbean island of St. Martin, followed by a location in Charleston, S.C., Tijon offers three in-store experience levels, each providing customers with lab coats, a workbook, a certificate of completion, custom bottle labels and more. Each participant’s unique formulation is kept on file for easy reordering. Tijon New Orleans also offers four custom fragrances only available for purchase at the French Quarter location.
New Orleans native Gerald Duhon has been named executive director of the New Orleans Culinary & Hospitality Institute. In this role, Duhon will draw on his 25-year experience in nonprofit management, workforce development and food service to lead NOCHI’s educational and event staff, programs, expansion and execution of the institute’s mission to “educate a diverse community of learners to sustain an ever-evolving hospitality industry.” Duhon hopes to strengthen the standard of culinary training and education in New Orleans and grow enrollment and participation in the various professional and enthusiast programs offered by the institute. He arrives at NOCHI after demonstrating six years of proven leadership, growth coaching and relationship management experience as executive director at Café Reconcile, a nonprofit that helps young adults meet their goals through foundational and workforce training. “I am excited and honored to continue my professional journey by leading NOCHI and the vision of the board of directors,” said Duhon in a press release. “Nothing illustrates the unique brand of New Orleans better than our culinary and hospitality offerings. I look forward to NOCHI’s expanded role in our local food culture.”
On Dec. 13, the Jefferson Parish Economic Development Commission, in partnership with Jefferson Parish Schools and local elected officials, celebrated the grand opening of the Patrick F. Taylor Science and Technology Academy Activity Center. The ribbon cutting marked the completion of a nearly $40 million, multi-facility economic development and education project in the Churchill Technology and Business Park. The center was the final facility constructed on an 11-acre educational complex. Plans for the development of the three-facility complex, which also includes the two-story Patrick F. Taylor Science and Technology Academy and the JEDCO Conference Center, began in 2008. The full project was completed using State capital outlay funds in May 2022. Construction began on the event center in 2020. The facility was designed by Sizeler Thompson Brown Architects and constructed by Buquet and LeBlanc. Schrenk Endom & Flanagan served as the structural and civil engineers on the project while Lucien T. Vivien Jr. and Associates handled mechanical and electrical engineering.
On Dec. 14, New Orleans-based Kupperman Companies announced it has purchased two “historically significant” properties in downtown Birmingham. The first, built in 1923 and located at 2201-2205 3rd Avenue North, is 10,000 square feet and zoned for retail. The second, built in 1903 and located at 2400 1st Avenue North, includes a 10,000-square-foot, two-story historic building with views of the Birmingham city skyline and Red Mountain, as well as two parking lots. The purchase prices were not disclosed. At the time of their construction, both properties served street-level retail businesses. Both are located within designated historic districts. The properties were acquired in partnership with Cleveland-based GBX Group. “Birmingham is an incredible city with a great history, and we are really excited to invest in the market,” said Zach Kupperman, CEO of Kupperman Companies. “Historic preservation is a major focus for us. These buildings are well positioned for a historic redevelopment and we are looking forward to being part of the city’s urban revival. … For 2400 1st Avenue, a hotel would be really interesting there, but we are still evaluating our development options for the building and have not yet settled on a particular course of action.”
Smalls Sliders, the QSR restaurant concept that focuses on cheeseburger sliders, opened Dec. 15 at 1642 Gause Boulevard (off of Highway 190). Featuring both drive-thru and walk-up ordering, the brand’s sixth location will operate under the local ownership of industry veteran Joseph “Rocky” Gettys. “With a prominent fan-base in surrounding New Orleans and Baton Rouge regions, we’re excited to bring these fresh and high-quality cheeseburger sliders to the community of Slidell,” said Gettys in a press release. “We know it’ll only be a matter of time before our loyal guests ‘slide-thru’ on a regular basis, and we look forward to personally getting to know them.” Owned by Saints legend Drew Brees and Brandon Landry, CEO of Walk-On’s Sports Bistreaux, the brand already has locations in Baton Rouge, Prairieville, Shreveport and Thibodaux. Restaurants are in the works for Marrero, Denham Springs and Lafayette as well.
