BRAC head stresses higher ed importance

Adam Knapp, head of the Baton Rouge Area Chamber, told the Baton Rouge Press Club today that recent threats to higher education funding reveal a "deeper problem" with the state's funding structure for public colleges and universities. BRAC supports Gov. Bobby Jindal's proposal for performance-based funding for higher education. The current funding formula encourages enrollment growth only and funds institutions at a level roughly comparable to peer institutions. As such, Jindal says, there are no incentives for universities to focus on academic programs that produce graduates in critical workforce-shortage areas, or emphasize research that makes the state competitive globally.

Knapp says universities performing that mission well would get more funding, and universities that didn't perform well would get less funding. Building the right funding structure for higher education is vital to the state's economic interests, Knapp says. "There's absolutely an economic cost to not taking action." He says now is "absolutely the right time" to talk about making LSU one of the top 25 universities in the nation, budget shortfall or no budget shortfall.—Steve Clark

Restaurants, clothing store coming soon to Perkins Rowe

A new restaurant and a clothing store should open in Perkins Rowe within the next three months, but plans for one burger joint could be delayed. Jeff Wright, who serves as a spokesman for the urban village at Perkins Road and Bluebonnet Boulevard, says the opening of Johnny Rockets could be delayed until a dispute between the franchisee and the chain is resolved. Johnny Rockets, a 1950s-style hamburger restaurant, has signed a lease to move into Perkins Rowe.

The Grillroom Chophouse & Wine Bar, an upscale Chicago eatery, will open in its 7,000-square-foot space next to Barnes & Noble by March 15.

Langford Market, an American Apparel Concepts boutique featuring sophisticated chic fashion, is starting construction next to Frock Candy and should be open in 90 days.

Meanwhile, construction should start in the next 30 to 45 days on the Perkins Rowe location of Camellia Grill. This will be the first Baton Rouge location for the landmark New Orleans eatery.—Rebecca Breeden

Meet south Louisiana's biggest landowners

It's believed that some day, much of that land from Lake Charles to Slidell and down to New Orleans that currently looks like forest or field might eventually be swallowed up by the linear city known as the 10/12 corridor. So who stands to benefit from that transformation? Or who, perhaps, is pushing to make it happen? One is a high-powered lawyer who has a predilection for well-traveled interstate intersections. Another is a logging giant that doesn’t mind selling off acreage if the price is right. One is a prominent urban developer whose work is worth an estimated $800 million. And two of them have their roots in one of Louisiana’s oldest cash crops, sugar cane. To meet the land barons—five of the corridor’s biggest landowners—read the 10/12 cover story here.

Attorney wants to rezone Perkins lot for art district

Oscar Shoenfelt III, a local attorney, wants to rezone a lot on Perkins Road in hopes of jumpstarting an arts district. Shoenfelt says he has spent more than $400,000 buying and fixing up a home at the corner of Perkins and Lydia Avenue and wants to turn it into a co-op gallery and residence for visiting artists. "There are a lot of artists in this neighborhood," says Shoenfelt, a painter and potter. He originally bought the home with plans to remodel it for his father, who was also a painter and potter, but his father died a few weeks ago.

Shoenfelt says he wants to have art shows and receptions at the property, and is looking to tie in with LSU and some of the businesses around the Perkins Road overpass. "Maybe we could have a reception there and people could walk down to Chelsea's Café," he says. The rezoning, which would switch the property from residential to neighborhood office, is set to go before the Planning Commission on March 16. Shoenfelt, who is already leasing property to local artist Saliha Staib, says if he gets the zoning approval the co-op should open in about six months.—Timothy Boone

SLU search down to one candidate

The board of supervisors for the University of Louisiana System will decide tomorrow if John Crain, the interim president of Southeastern Louisiana University, will get the job permanently. Crain is set to interview with the board at 9:30 a.m. He's the only finalist left for the job after Michael Shonrock of Texas Tech University withdrew his candidacy late Sunday.

LSU basketball team moves into national rankings

Two nail-biting victories in the past week propelled the LSU men’s basketball team into the national rankings today for the first time since Jan. 22, 2007. The Tigers rank No. 23 in the Associated Press media poll and No. 24 in the USA Today/ESPN coaches poll after a 97-94 double-overtime victory Wednesday at Mississippi State. Tasmin Mitchell scored a career-high 41 points and a 73-66 home victory Saturday over Ole Miss in which they overcame an eight-point deficit in the final nine minutes. LSU, which has won nine of its last 10 games, is 21-4 overall and 9-1 in the SEC. The Tigers, who lead the conference by two games over South Carolina, Kentucky and Tennessee, play at Arkansas on Wednesday night.

Meanwhile, LSU continues to improve its NCAA Tournament status. According to ESPN.com’s Bracketology, the Tigers climbed two seeds to No. 7, where they would play No. 10 Wisconsin in a first-round East Regional game in Minneapolis. The winner advances to the second round against either No. 2 Memphis or No. 15 Jacksonville, the projected Atlantic Sun Conference winner. To see the latest tournament projections, click here.

Talk turns to post-Nagin New Orleans

New Orleans won't part ways with controversial mayor Ray Nagin until more than a year from now, but already talk has turned to the post-Nagin era. Political analysts expect next year's Feb. 6 primary will draw a huge field of candidates vying to pick up where Nagin leaves off in this city's recovery from Hurricane Katrina.

As for Nagin himself, there may be no elections in the next phase. Like others who took center stage during Katrina—including former Gov. Kathleen Blanco and former President George W. Bush—Nagin appears ready to give up politics. The two-term mayor, elected in his first run for public office in 2002 and barred by term limits from running again, leaves office in May 2010. The former cable TV executive has said his occupation will probably be business-related. He insists he plans to be out of politics.

Nagin says 2009 will be a year of "unprecedented" construction, with once-choked recovery dollars more available. Yet even with hundreds of millions of dollars lined up for neighborhood-level rebuilding and economic development projects and hundreds of millions more slated for infrastructure work, many here are tired of bureaucratic delays and finger-pointing and want more, faster. "There is indeed a sense that, I don't want to say failure, but a sense of distrust and waiting for change," said Gary Clark, chairman of the political science department at Dillard University. He believes the city would benefit from having a professional manager, freeing up the mayor to try to drum up investment.

Business Report weekly planner: Recession-proof your job ... Holden wraps up tour ... Chamber celebrates 2008 ... LeDuff talks to Forum 35

Wednesday: A seminar on how to recession-proof your job and career will be at 11:30 a.m. at the East Baton Rouge Parish Library's Bluebonnet Branch. Anne Nowak, program director of the Career Center, will present the seminar, which introduces people to careers and sectors of the economy more resistant to economic downturn. To reserve a spot, e-mail anowak@careercenterbr.com.

Thursday: Mayor Kip Holden makes the final stops on his listening tour: 4 p.m. at the Kleinpeter Activity Center on St. George Drive, and 6:30 p.m. at Woodlawn Baptist Church on Jones Creek.

Thursday: The Baton Rouge Area Chamber will hold "BRAC Impact 2009: Results" at 6:30 p.m. at the Baton Rouge River Center. The event, hosted by Jamie Wax, will celebrate the region's accomplishments in 2008. For more information or tickets, call BRAC at 381-7125.

Friday: Baton Rouge Police Chief Jeff LeDuff will be the guest speaker at Forum 35's monthly Forum Friday lunch. Registration for the event starts at 11:45 a.m. at Juban's. Admission is $15 for members and $20 for non-members. For more information, e-mail todd@donniejarreau.com.

For a list of more upcoming business events, click here.