On Thursday, October 30 the World Trade Center, the New Orleans South Africa Connection (NOSACONN), Cox Media, and other organizations will sponsor a luncheon program at 12:00 noon in the WTC’s Plimsoll Club on “Doing Business in South Africa” featuring the members of a major business delegation from Durban and Johannesburg. The program will be moderated by Damon J. Batiste, President of NOSACONN and will feature the following delegates: Hon. Logie Nadoo, the Deputy Mayor of Durban; Pilisiwe Twala-Tau, Executive Director of Community Development for City of Johannesburg; Gugu Mazibuko, CEO of the Durban Chamber of Commerce and Industry; and representatives of South African Airways, among others.
South Africa's market size (44 million people), infrastructure, and pro-business environment make it a logical choice for companies seeking a stepping-stone to conduct business on the African continent. It is the most advanced, broad-based and productive economy in Africa, with a 2005 gross domestic product (GDP) of $239.5 billion. GDP grew from 4.7 percent in 2005 to an estimated 5.1 percent in 2006. South Africa has rich mineral resources; it is the world's largest producer and exporter of gold and platinum and also exports a significant amount of coal. The country's diverse manufacturing industry is a world leader in several specialized sectors, including railway rolling stock, synthetic fuels, and mining equipment and machinery. South Africa’s service sector is well-established and growing. The country boasts a sophisticated financial sector with well-developed financial institutions.
The Johannesburg Stock Exchange ranks among the top exchanges in the world.
Durban, New Orleans' SisterCity, has a large and diversified economy dominated by tourism, manufacturing, transportation, small business, and the finance and government sectors. There is a large pool of skilled, semi-skilled and unskilled labor, who contribute to the annual economic growth rate of approximately 6.5%. As a result of its large business and industrial base, suppliers, support services, customers, and employees are presented with a wide range of options. Johannesburg is the provincial capital of Gauteng, and is considered the commercial capital of southern Africa. As a result of its modern infrastructure, which includes vast highways, railways, airports, and its access to efficient communication networks, more than 50% of South African companies locate their headquarters in Johannesburg. To add to its marketability, Johannesburg will host the 2010 World Cup. This exposure will increase tourism, commercial investments, infrastructure, and the profitability of local organizations, which will all serve to enhance the South African economy.
To register for the October 30 luncheon program, visit www.wtcno.org/programs or call the WTC at (504) 529-1601, ext. 222
ICF
ICF Incorporated, LLC, a subsidiary of ICF International, announced today that it won a competitively awarded recompete contract with the U.S. Department of Transportation (DOT) Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA). The total value of the five-year contract (one base year, four option years) is $10 million.
FMCSA’s mission is “to promote safe commercial motor vehicle operation through education, regulation, enforcement, and innovative research and technology to reduce truck and bus crashes resulting in fewer fatalities and injuries.” Through this contract, ICF will support FMCSA’s mission by assisting the agency in fulfilling its regulatory and policy development mandates. Contract tasks include conducting policy research, assisting in drafting regulatory and policy documents, performing regulatory analyses, developing training and outreach materials, organizing and analyzing public comments on proposed regulations, organizing conferences and public meetings, and providing on-site support to the FMCSA rulemaking teams.
“ICF’s staff has an in-depth understanding of FMCSA’s regulatory responsibilities and internal regulatory development processes,” said David Bruce, ICF senior vice president and leader of the firm’s regulatory development and analysis business line. “We are pleased to have the opportunity to support FMCSA’s mission with staff who are experienced in and knowledgeable of the motor carrier industry and the federal programs that affect it.”
Louisiana Municipal Association
The Executive Board of the Louisiana Municipal Association is urging voter support for four of the seven constitutional amendments on the statewide November 4 ballot.
At its regularly scheduled bimonthly meeting on October 15, the LMA Executive Board voted unanimously to endorse these changes to the Louisiana Constitution:
■ Amendment #2 – To require two additional days of notice before calling a special legislative session.
■ Amendment #4 – To redistribute state severance tax revenue to parishes.
■ Amendment #6 – To change the requirements for public bodies to re-sell expropriated property.
■ Amendment #7 – To authorize certain post-retirement benefit funds to be invested in stocks.
“These proposed amendments merit voters’ consideration when they go to the polls,” said LMA President Bill H. Robertson, mayor of Minden.
These amendments would require that the call for a special legislative session be issued at least seven calendar days prior to the start of the session; dedicate additional severance taxes to parishes of origin, restrict the use of a portion of these funds and dedicate a portion of severance taxes collected on state lands to the Atchafalaya Basin Conservation Fund; would remove the requirement that public bodies first offer expropriated property back to its prior owner before the property can be sold to a third party if the property was taken to remove a threat to public health or safety and was held for less than 30 years, and also remove the requirement that such property be sold by public bid and eliminate the opportunity for certain property owners to challenge surplus takings; and allow public funds reserved for non-pension, post-employment benefits to be invested in stocks.
The LMA Board took no position on the remaining three constitutional amendments – Amendment #1, which deals with term limits for members of state boards and commissions; Amendment #3, which provides for temporary successors for legislators called to active military duty; and Amendment # 5, which allows the transfer of special property tax assessment levels to new properties.
The Louisiana Municipal Association urges all citizens to become informed about all ballot issues and candidates seeking national and local offices and exercise their right to vote on November 4, Mayor Robertson said.
The LMA, founded in 1926, is a non-profit and non-partisan organization whose members are the state’s 305 incorporated villages, towns, and cities.
Dillard’s
Dillard’s in LakesideShopping Center and Kids of Excellence Child Care Center welcomes Carter Oosterhouse, the face of Nautica Voyage fragrance and one of People and US Weekly’s “Sexiest Men on TV”. Mr. Oosterhouse is the host of HGTV’s Carter Can and Red Hot & Green.Carter will be visiting New Orleans on Friday, October 24th and Saturday, October 25th.
Apple
Yesterday, Apple reported fiscal fourth quarter earnings of $1.14 billion, on revenue of $7.9 billion. The company credited the strong quarter partly to iPhone sales. Simply put, CEO Steve Jobs said, "We sold more phones than RIM".
Keating Magee
Mark Schofield has been named president of Keating Magee, a 27-year-old full service communications firm based in New Orleans, Louisiana. The announcement was made today by Jennifer Magee, founder and CEO of Keating Magee.
A former executive at McKinney, one of the country’s most successful and creative shops, Schofield led some of the agency’s most significant accounts, including Royal Caribbean Cruise Lines, Bacardi and Aetna, Inc. Over the course of his distinguished career, Schofield also led such accounts as Time Warner Cable, UNC Healthcare and RexHospital.
The author of The Golden Football, which coaches agency account teams to be agency account leaders, Schofield is regarded as a premier “ad man.” In fall 2007, Schofield was hired as a consultant with Keating Magee, a position he held for six months.
Schofield explains, “While consulting for Keating Magee, I was seduced by Jennifer’s commitment to her vision. I wanted more.”
As president, he has that opportunity.
Under Schofield and Magee’s leadership, the agency’s vision is to be recognized as a creative ideas and thought leader firm. The leaders also challenge their staff. “We want our employees to achieve more here than they can anywhere else,” says Schofield.
According to Magee, “After Hurricane Katrina, Keating Magee saw the opportunity to extend its footprint beyond the Gulf South. When Mark joined us as a consultant, he gave us the roadmap to that success. Now we are poised to reach the next level. Mark has the big agency experience, the leadership and the commitment to drive us to that vision.”
With over 20 years in the agency business, Schofield has helped agencies create a culture of excellence and innovative thinking necessary to succeed in the rapidly changing landscape of the communications business. His personal mission, which complements the tenets upon which Keating Magee was founded, is to get people to be nothing but their best, and that means giving clients the best, most strategic ideas to advance their goals.
Schofield says, “The potential at Keating Magee is what drew me to this position. My intent is to bring that potential to greater fulfillment.”
He adds, “As a consultant, I looked for places where there is a serious commitment to a vision that relates to excellence. Keating Magee has that in spades, and I want to be part of that for the long term.”
Keating Magee is a full-service communications firm driven by its creativity. Our job is to connect brands with the consumer on an emotional level to impel them to act - and get businesses the results they need.
Keating Magee is an affiliate with Endai Worldwide, MS&L, AAAA’s and Second Wind.
