Perkins Rowe plagued by problems
Perkins Rowe is unlike anything Baton Rouge has seen before. With its palm-lined flagstone streets of trendy boutiques, restaurants and condominiums, and its traditional town square complete with a fountain and park benches, it emulates a revitalized warehouse district that looks like Dallas and feels like Disney. While the $200 million development wins raves for bringing a new definition of “mixed use” to Baton Rouge, it has been plagued by problems almost from its conception. It ran behind schedule, was stung by post-Hurricane Katrina construction costs and was impacted by the credit crunch. It also has found itself at the center of more than 40 lawsuits and liens that collectively seek somewhere in the neighborhood of $30 million. The suits allege Perkins Rowe -- and its developer, Tommy Spinosa -- didn’t pay its bills, a situation Spinosa’s attorneys consistently attribute in court records to defective workmanship. To read the Business Report cover story, click here. Send comments to editors@businessreport.com.
Baton Rouge tourism officials "putting on thinking caps" for Super Bowl
Super Bowl XLVII won't be played in New Orleans until 2013, but Baton Rouge tourism officials are already looking at opportunities to get some business from the game. "We're putting on our thinking caps," says Paul Arrigo, president and CEO of the Baton Rouge Area Convention & Visitors Bureau. "We're looking at opportunities for mass transit from here and marketing gambling, casinos and golf. We're only an hour and 10 minutes away from New Orleans."
The last time the Super Bowl was in New Orleans in 2002, Baton Rouge did some advertising and filled some hotel rooms. But Arrigo doesn't know the exact amount of business Baton Rouge saw from the game. "We weren't as sophisticated back then," he says. The best chance for Baton Rouge to get Super Bowl business will come from average pro football fans who win lottery tickets for the game, or from the 200,000 people who are headed over to be part of the event. Arrigo says if one of the Super Bowl teams is from the west, like the Dallas Cowboys or the Houston Texans, that could boost the amount of Baton Rouge business. But he says the strongest competition for the Super Bowl spillover will come from Biloxi, Miss., which will attract football fans with its array of casinos.—Timothy Boone
Senate to debate open records law for Jindal administration
Legislators are again set to debate whether the governor's office should be subject to the state's open records law. Gov. Bobby Jindal's administration so far has beaten back efforts to add the governor's office to the law. A bill backed by the governor is up for debate in the Senate this afternoon. Supporters of the Jindal-backed bill say it opens more of the governor's office records to public scrutiny. Opponents say the bill could be interpreted to actually close off more records from the public.
Obama administration eyes financial regulatory panel
The Obama administration, trying to crack down on abuses exposed by the financial crisis, is considering creation of a regulatory commission to protect consumers of financial products such as credit cards and mortgages, according to administration and industry officials. These officials said the administration has been exploring such an approach in meetings the past few days with executives of the financial services industry. The proposal could set off a turf war among federal agencies such as the Securities and Exchange Commission and the various bank regulatory agencies.
There was a discussion of the proposal at a dinner Tuesday at the Treasury Department attended by Treasury Secretary Timothy Geithner and Lawrence Summers, director of the president's National Economic Council. Geithner has said extensive changes were needed to make sure that the current financial crisis, the worst in seven decades, is never repeated.
The proposal the administration was considering would centralize the enforcement of laws that protect consumers of financial products, such as credit cards, mortgages and mutual funds. That effort currently is spread across a number of federal and state agencies, including the Federal Reserve, the SEC and the Federal Trade Commission. Under one possible approach, some federal banking agencies might be combined, and some powers over consumer products might be consolidated into a new body.
Louisianans move up in ranking of driving knowledge
A national survey of driving knowledge found that Louisiana was the 37th highest ranked state, a seven-spot jump from the year before. The state moved up in the rankings, even though motorists scored lower on the GMAC Insurance National Drivers Test. Seventy-five percent of the Louisiana drivers who took the online test passed, compared with the national average of nearly 77%. The test is based on driver's license exams given across the United States. Idaho and Wisconsin had the most knowledgeable drivers, with nearly 81% passing the test, while New York residents scored lowest, with 70.5% passing the test. Men and drivers over 35 were most likely to pass. To take the test, click here.
Poll: Lambert picked to win ‘American Idol’
Fifty-seven percent of Daily Report readers say Adam Lambert will be the winner of American Idol when the wildly popular variety show wraps up its season tonight. Forty-three percent say Kris Allen will be the winner. Nearly 700 people participated in the survey.
Today's question: Do you support a bill to ban smoking in Louisiana bars and casinos?
LED announces small business award winners
Louisiana Economic Development and the U.S. Small Business Administration have announced the winners of the annual Small Business Awards. Michael Brown of Brown Management Group in Gonzales was named as the states Contractor of the Year, the only honoree from the Capital Region. Robert A. Baker of Baker Sales in Slidell was named as Small Business Person of the Year. The winners will be honored Thursday evening during a private reception at the Governor's Mansion. For a full list of winners, click here.
