Friday Buzz: Putting On the Glitz

Every Friday, starting April 20, Bayoubuzz will sponsor putting on the Friday Buzz: Putting On The Glitz at the Ritz Carlton in New Orleans.  The Event starts at 5:00 p.m. as a “happy hour” and proceeds throughout the night featuring incredible talent such as Jeremy Davenport, Marva Wright, Armand St. Martin and others.  There is no charge, but, there is a cash bar and magnificent restaurant.  It is a great opportunity to get out, meet people, enjoy a beautiful atmosphere and ambiance, dance and obviously, do business of all kinds.  The location is the Ritz Carlton, Third Floor on Canal Street.  Music ends at 1 a.m.  Start planning now and tell your friends.

New Orleans Blaze

Ready for New Orleans Blaze women’s tackle football?  Here is the schedule: 

April 28 – 7 pm

New Orleans Blaze vs Emerald Coast Barracudas - $10/ticket; kids under 10 FREE.  Muss Bertolino Stadium, 620 W. Esplanade Ave, Kenner.  Women’s tackle football.  Come see the first home game of the season and cheer the women on to victory.  Post-game Fifth Quarter @ B & J’s Lounge in Marrero (West Bank Expwy & Westwood-$5 cvr/cash bar). 

May 5 – 7 pm

New Orleans Blaze vs Pensacola Power - $10/ticket; kids under 10 FREE.  Buddy Lawson Field, 1824 Short Street, Kenner.  Women’s tackle football.  Come cheer the women on to victory.  Post-game Fifth Quarter @ B & J’s Lounge in Marrero (West Bank Expwy & Westwood-$5 cvr/cash bar).  .

June 2 – 7 pm

New Orleans Blaze vs Dallas Rage - $10/ticket; kids under 10 FREE.  Muss Bertolino Stadium, 620 W. Esplanade Ave, Kenner.  Women’s tackle football.  Come cheer the women on to victory.  Post-game Fifth Quarter @ B & J’s Lounge in Marrero (West Bank Expwy & Westwood-$5 cvr/cash bar). 

June 9 – 7 pm

New Orleans Blaze vs Gulf Coast Herricanes - $10/ticket; kids under 10 FREE.  Muss Bertolino Stadium, 620 W. Esplanade Ave, Kenner.  Women’s tackle football.  Come see the final home game of the season and cheer the women on to victory.  Post-game Fifth Quarter @ B & J’s Lounge in Marrero (West Bank Expwy & Westwood-$5 cvr/cash bar). 

Homeland Security

The 6th Annual Homeland Security Forum on April 20 will ask “Where do we need to go” on international, national and state preparations to make New Orleans a secure place in the post-Katrina  environment. Business and civic leaders are invited to join U.S. Senator Mary Landrieu, Army Corps District Engineer Colonel Richard Wagenaar, Louisiana National Guard Brigadier General  Hunt Downer and Colonel Ronnie Johnson, LSU Chancellor Sean O’Keefe, State Senator Walter Boasso, City Executive Assistant for Homeland Security and Public Safety Terry Ebbert and others in a one-day forum exploring international, federal and state security issues in New Orleans. Topics covered will include security in the movement of goods and services, the status of the levee system, the new LSU Disaster Management Institute, the State’s communication’s infrastructure, and parish disaster planning, recovery and management in Louisiana. The 6th Annual  Homeland Security Forum takes place April 20, from 8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m., Pan, 601 Poydras St., 11th floor. Registration is $275.00. For details on the event’s agenda and registration, visit www.LTC-LA.org or contact Mark Lewis at (504) 304.2911 or mlewis@ltc-la.org. Am Life Center

Louisiana Film

Sherri McConnell, Director of State of Louisiana Dept. of Economic Development-Office of Entertainment Industry Development, Will speak on issues facing film industry and the State of Louisiana and will answer questions.  The event is the Baton Rouge Film & Music Meetup, on Tuesday, May 1, 2007 at 7:00 PM, at THE TABLE IS BREAD, 4748 AIRLINE HWY

Louisiana Business Grant Program

More than 2,000 checks have been distributed so far to recipients of the Business Recovery Grant & Loan Program created by the Louisiana Recovery Authority (LRA) in partnership with and administered by Louisiana Economic Development (LED). Award letters were mailed to more than 3,400 grant recipients in early April. Many have already returned their signed Terms & Conditions documents and are receiving the first 50 percent of their grants. The program will grant more than $63 million in this first round, with an average award amount of $18,100.

Of businesses receiving grants in this first round,
- More than 85 percent have 10 or fewer employees
- 85 percent were located in the most devastated parishes: Cameron, Orleans, Plaquemines, St. Bernard
- 53 percent were woman- or minority-owned firms

Community-based financial institutions played a major role in helping to spread the word and walk participants through program requirements. LED staff and these local partners hosted more than 25 workshops across South Louisiana to educate business owners about eligibility rules and the application process.

Once the business owner has submitted original receipts, invoices marked "paid," or other evidence of payment for usage of the first 50 percent of the grant, the second half will be released. Recipients can download the reimbursement form to request the second haf of funding. Grant recipients may use the funds for operating expenses and inventory from the date of their award letter forward. Current debt incurred for past business expenses may also be paid down with the grant.

LED and its community-based partners will begin distribution of the first round of loans in the coming weeks.

Those applicants who were not eligible for grants in this round (e.g. because they did not meet revenue decline requirements) will be automatically considered in the next round. LED expects to begin the second round of funding this summer following a series of meetings with business groups, elected officials and other stakeholders to help design the program.

Applicants who wish to appeal the grant decision can submit the electronic appeal form available on LED's website, LouisianaForward.com.

For Round 2 of the Business Recovery Grant & Loan Program, the State is in the process of reallocating $68 million, plus funds remaining from Round 1. The allocation between grants and loans will be determined during the program design phase following meetings with small business representatives across the state.

AMA Distributors

After an 18-month, multi-million dollar renovation, AMA Distributors – the 50 year-old home entertainment business originated by the late Bob Nims -- has reopened at 1525 Airline Drive in Metairie.  Area business, civic and government leaders will attend a reopening ceremony on Thursday, April 19 beginning at 7 p.m. 

“The reopening of AMA Distributors is really a tribute to Bob, a friend of small businesses who loved music and dancing and fell in love with New Orleans,” said AMA president John Georges. 

Nims’ widow Jeri, a well-known New Orleans philanthropist, still owns the building but sold AMA Distributors to Georges five years ago. In honor of Bob Nims and as a reminder of the good ole’ days, the building is adorned with photos of Rat Pack members Dean Martin, Frank Sinatra, and Sammy Davis Jr., Marilyn Monroe and other stars from the era.

Campus Security

Efforts to ensure that Louisiana’s public college and university students will be safer than ever from incidents like the tragedy that struck this week at Virginia Tech were put into motion this morning. Prompted by the deadly incident in Virginia on Monday, representatives of Governor Blanco’s office, the Board of Regents, Louisiana’s public college and university systems, the Louisiana State Police, the Governor’s Office of Homeland Security and Emergency Preparedness (GOHSEP) met Wednesday morning at the Governor’s request to begin drafting a plan to redouble security and safety measures at public postsecondary campuses across the state. In particular, Governor Blanco asked the group to assess safety standards and insure that emergency messaging is in place. The overall goal of the effort is to implement measures at campuses statewide that will both help prevent such an incident and make certain that, in the event of such an incident, campuses can respond quickly and effectively to protect the lives of students, faculty and employees.

            “All of our public campuses have security and emergency response plans,” said Commissioner of Higher Education Joseph Savoie. “Today’s meeting was about making sure these plans are adaptable to all hazards and threats, including the kind of situation that tragically unfolded at Virginia Tech this week. I’m confident that we’ll be able to move very quickly to implement appropriate measures.”

            The areas being addressed in the plan include:

1) Community Emergency Responder Team (C.E.R.T.) certified training for all campus first-response personnel, designated faculty, staff and appropriate student leadership. The national CERT program provides training in disaster response skills, such as fire safety, light search and rescue, team organization and disaster medical operations,

2) situational awareness and assessment training, stressing the recognition of unusual or suspicious behaviors and appropriate responses,

3) campus physical security audits, and

4) statewide deployment of rapid notification systems such as e-mail and text-message broadcasts (a measure some campuses have already implemented).

            Commissioner Savoie will present additional details of the plan at next week’s Board of Regents meeting, to be held at the LSU Health Sciences Center in New Orleans April 25-26.

Lafayette Chamber

Seats are filling up quickly for the Chamber's upcoming Eggs 'N' Issues on April 24th at the Heymann Center from 7:30-9:00am.

Don't miss your chance to find out how the largest oil and gas exploration and production company is impacting our area and the affect that their expanded operations will have on your business, Lafayette and the state. This talk will benefit both small and large businesses.

Chevron Executive Bruce Niemeyer will present Chevron's much-acclaimed "Jack" prospect in the deep Gulf and its anticipated impact on the region. He'll provide first-hand information on how Chevron and its partners selected and elected to drill the record-setting well.

A sellout crowd is expected and advance registration is required. The cost is $15 per Chamber member and $30 per non-member. The event is sponsored by Whitney National Bank. Doors open at 7:00am. Eggs 'N' Issues is a semi-annual breakfast event.

Internet Advertising

According to Forbes, and citing the Internet Advertising Bureau, Online ad spending rose 32% in the fourth quarter of 2006 from the year-ago period to hit a record of nearly $4.8 billion. 

Evangeline Medical

Southern Home Medical , Inc. recently announced plans to acquire Evangeline Medical & Nursing Supply, Inc. Evangeline Medical is a medical equipment company that finished 2006 with revenues of over $1,200,000.00. Evangeline Medical & Nursing Supply, Inc. has three locations; Lafayette, Ville Platte, and Oakdale Louisiana. The three branches of Evangeline Medical cover a 200 mile service area in south-central Louisiana. Evangeline Medical is one of the largest providers of diabetic footwear in Louisiana.

Ruth’s Chris Steak House

Ruth’s Chris Steak House, Inc., today announced that it will host a conference call to discuss first quarter 2007 financial results on Tuesday, May 1, 2007, at 4:30 PM Eastern Time. Hosting the call will be Craig S. Miller, President and Chief Executive Officer, and Thomas J. Pennison Jr., Chief Financial Officer. A press release with first quarter 2007 financial results will be issued at approximately 4:00 PM Eastern Time that same day.

Department of Justice

The  Department of Justice announced that it has selected General Dynamics C4 Systems of Scottsdale, Ariz., to implement wireless communications services to department field agents as part of the Integrated Wireless Network (IWN) Program. According to various news reports, the IWN program is valued at approximately five billion dollars.