This Morning's Headlines / Thu, Feb. 28, 2008
Realtors forecast buyer's market for B.R.
The National Association of Realtors forecasts a buyer’s market this year in the Baton Rouge area housing market and no recession for the nation. Despite easing off the “Katrina bump” and national sagging consumer confidence, the forecast describes the area market as “solid for Louisiana and very healthy relative to most markets around the country.” According to the NAR, sales and prices will remain robust in the metro area, the Baton Rouge area economy has been performing “respectably,” and the subprime fallout is a national concern. The Greater Baton Rouge Association of Realtors reports the metro area’s median house price is $189,913, compared to $189,457 last year. As of Feb. 27, there were 4,600 houses on the market in the nine-parish metro area compared to 3,778 houses listed at this time last year. --Anna Thibodeaux
Two Cents: Publisher congratulates Metro Council, answers Carter
Kudos to the Metro Council for their bold action last night in naming some new faces to local boards and commissions. Congratulations to these new members. After several deferrals, the council elected Bettsie Miller and Verge Ausberry to the BREC Commission, replacing Hal Butt and Darryl Glasper. They also named Donald Browning and Jamie Griffin to a pair of newly created seats on the Library Board. The BREC decision came after some controversy and grandstanding, including a tirade by Wayne Carter attacking yours truly. Carter claims I have publicly opposed Glasper because of his efforts to cut BREC's advertising budget. He went on to claim BREC has spent "hundreds of thousands of dollars" advertising with Business Report. Let me be clear: That is false, and I will share the same information that Mr. Glasper obtained from BREC via a public records request. Over the past five years, BREC has spent $76,927 (an annual average of $15,385). Moreover, BREC advertises with our sister publication, 225, and has spent $33,331 since the magazine launched in 2005. The combined total over the past five years doesn't equal what BREC spends with The Advocate in a single year ($145,288 budgeted for 2008)—and is far from the "hundreds of thousands" that Carter claimed before the council. Carter also alleges my recent opposition to the public school system's tax renewal is due to the school system not advertising with Business Report. Really? Had Carter read the issue in which I opposed the tax, he would have found an ad from the school system on page 34. Here's the truth: Over the past two years, the school system has spent more in advertising with this company than BREC. Carter concluded his tirade by saying, "I will take a lie detector test." Not a good idea, Wayne. Send comments to editors@businessreport.com. --Rolfe McCollister
Foundation to track B.R. quality of life
The Baton Rouge Area Foundation is launching a program to track the quality of life in East Baton Rouge, measuring factors such as the dropout rate, commute times and art museum visits. BRAF plans to use the Baton Rouge CityStats data to make improvements in the area. A series of public meetings will be held beginning March 20 to determine what indicators should be tracked for the CityStats program. The meetings will be held beginning at 6 p.m. at BREC Headquarters. To RSVP for the meetings or for more information, e-mail mverma@braf.org.
There’s something about Ollie
Attorney Mary Olive Pierson has made a name for herself, representing high-profile clients such as former Ag Commissioner Bob Odom, former State Sen. Greg Tarver and ex-LSU women’s basketball coach Pokey Chatman. She's done all this despite being a sassy and sometimes salty lawyer in a conservative southern city that doesn’t treasure such traits in its women. Read the Business Report cover profile here.
Chamber picks McKearn as its new lobbyist
The Baton Rouge Area Chamber has tapped Kristy McKearn to be its senior vice president of governmental affairs, beginning in mid-March. McKearn will lead the chamber's political advocacy efforts at all levels of government while also directing its lobbying of the Legislature, and will work to cultivate relationships with business leaders and public officials in the Baton Rouge area, BRAC's announcement says. She replaces Mary Beth Chevalier, who retired at the end of 2007. McKearn, who was named to Business Report's Top Forty Under 40 list in November 2007, is currently a public policy adviser for Baker Donelson and has served as a vice president with the New Orleans Hornets and as a special assistant and policy adviser for former Gov. Mike Foster.
Shaw awarded contract for Indian refinery
The Shaw Group's Energy & Chemicals division will provide technology for a refinery being built in India. Deep catalytic cracking technology will be used at the Punjab Refinery Project in Punjab. The value of the contract was not disclosed.
Regents pick Clausen as Commissioner of Higher Education
University of Louisiana President Sally Clausen was officially chosen as the state’s next Commissioner of Higher Education by the Board of Regents at its monthly meeting this morning in Lake Charles. Clausen replaces Joseph Savoie, who will become president of the University of Louisiana at Lafayette later this year. Today’s decision paves the way for the board to enter into final employment negotiations with Clausen. Details of the appointment, including salary and a timetable for her transition into the job, are not yet finalized. “I am honored that the Board of Regents has placed its confidence in me to lead Louisiana public higher education into a future that will demand excellence at every level from our colleges and universities,” Clausen said. “My focus will be to continue progress in the areas of workforce development, accountability, and expanding student access and success.”
Moret to address corporate growth group
Stephen Moret, secretary of Louisiana Economic Development, will be the speaker at the Louisiana Chapter for the Association for Corporate Growth's lunch meeting Tuesday. The meeting will begin at 11:30 a.m. at the Lod Cook Alumni Center on the LSU Campus. Lunch will be served and non members are invited to attend for a fee. For more information, call (504) 524-1801.
Chevron donates $4.75 million to LSU
Chevron Corp. has donated $4.75 million to the Forever LSU campaign, the largest one-time corporate cash donation to the university's foundation in its history. Most of the gift will go to the LSU College of Engineering, including $1 million each for a faculty recruitment fund in the petroleum engineering department, a professorship support and development fund and a fellowship program for graduate students.
Tanger completing work on $10 million expansion, renovation
The $10 million expansion and renovation at Tanger Outlet Mall should be completed by the end of March, officials say. The retail center, located at Interstate 10 and La. 30 in Gonzales, is adding nearly 40,000 square feet, which will be occupied by Ann Taylor, Bath & Body Works, Nike, Skechers and a relocated Gap Outlet. Officials with Tanger Factory Outlet Centers, the mall's parent company, say the remodeling features architectural touches, such as columns and balcony railings that reflect on the historic plantation homes nearby and in New Orleans’ French Quarter. The expansion gives Tanger more than 55 stores.
Top tennis talent to compete in Baton Rouge in April
The Baton Rouge Pro Tennis Classic will take place April 19-27 at the Lamar Tennis Center of the Paula Manship YMCA. Each day from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m., weather permitting, matches will take place between all-male players on the USTA Men’s Challenger Circuit, which includes some of the rising stars in the world of tennis. Mike Bethea, tournament promoter, says it’s the first time Baton Rouge has hosted the $50,000 Challenger level event. In the past, the city has hosted Futures events, with less seasoned players on the pro circuit and a smaller purse. Several of the Top 10 American players will be competing.
N.Y. Times: Ethics reform shows shift in La.'s political culture
The recently concluded special session on ethics reform has gotten Louisiana notice in an article on the front page of today's New York Times that says the special session signaled "a shift in the political culture of a state proud of its brazen style.” The newspaper says ethics reform is the first of several major issues that Gov. Bobby Jindal wants to tackle. Jindal told the newspaper that hurricanes Katrina and Rita "caused people to rethink how they wanted their social institutions to be designed, how they wanted services to be delivered, what kind of state they wanted to call home." This give Louisiana a unique, but narrow window for reform. Read the article here.
BRHS student to compete in computer programming tournament
Neal Wu, a student at Baton Rouge Magnet High School, is one of 49 finalists from around the world who will compete in a computer programming tournament for students ages 13 to 18. Neal will participate in the TopCoder High School Tournament, which will be held March 15 at Purdue University in West Lafayette, Ind. Students from 16 countries are competing in the event, which will feature scholarships and $50,000 in cash prizes.
News roundup: More Americans giving up golf; could recession fears be hurting economy?
Number of duffers drops: A report shows that the number of people who play golf has declined or remained flat since 2000, dropping from 30 million to about 26 million, The New York Times reports. The report by the National Golf Foundation and the Sporting Goods Manufacturers Association also has some more troubling signs, showing that the number of people who play golf 25 times a year or more has dropped from nearly 7 million in 2000 to 4.6 million in 2005. Several factors are being blamed for the decline, including changing family dynamics, overall declining interest in outdoor activities and corporate cutbacks in country club memberships. Read the story here. Self-fulfilling prophecy? Economists are wondering if widespread talk about a recession could be making things worse by causing consumers to spend less money, Reuters reports. A psychology professor at Iowa State University says the talk isn't going to cause a recession, but likely will make the slowdown worse. Read the story here.
Leadership Louisiana class of 2008 chosen
The Council for a Better Louisiana has announced the 2008 class of Leadership Louisiana. The program is designed to make business, education, nonprofit and cultural leaders more aware of the public issues and assets in Louisiana. Local members of the class are: Melissa Blake of Cox Communications, Nicole Blanco of Medical Management Options Mike Futrell of Mayor Kip Holden's office, Amy Gautier-Davis of Louisiana Technical College's Jumonville Campus, Jamie Haeuser of Woman's Hospital, Leslie Herpin of Leslie Herpin Interior Design, Dwayne Honore of D. Honore Construction, Tommy Kurtz of Ascension Economic Development Corporation, Debbie Lamb of Taylor, Porter, Brooks & Phillips, Michael Lang of Commercial Properties Development Corp., Stephen Loy of Louisiana Technology Park, Patrick Mockler of Mockler Beverage, Todd Schexnayder of Blue Cross Blue Shield of Louisiana, Donna Sentell of Louisiana Professional Engineering and Land Surveying Board, Dorothy Thomas of Louisiana Family Recovery Corps, Rabbi Barry Weinstein of B'nai Israel Synagogue and David Zielinski of the East Baton Rouge Laboratory Academy.
