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Seeing green

The two big ways Baton Rouge stands to gain in Gov. Bobby Jindal’s new special session issues are in the areas of roads and research.

The agenda includes asking the Legislature to approve $50 million for the Pennington Biomedical Research Center and $515 million of the state’s $1.1 billion surplus for road projects—including widening Interstate 12 to six lanes between Baton Rouge and Denham Springs.

Pennington would use the extra funds to, among other priorities, complete a new clinical research building—part of its 2000 master plan—and renovate existing facilities, buy expensive high-tech instrumentation and equipment, and recruit top faculty members.

Pennington says the investment would produce more than 1,100 new jobs directly or indirectly and a total economic impact of more than $100 million a year, while making it possible to go after hundreds of millions of dollars in new federal research grants. Pennington is recognized as an international leader in the study of obesity and nutrition and related disease.

As for widening I-12, if it helps put a dent in Baton Rouge’s chronic traffic congestion on the interstates, then hallelujah. Rep. Franklin Foil of Baton Rouge thinks Jindal is making Pennington a priority because he grew up in Baton Rouge and understands the center’s importance.

“Transportation and Pennington are just wonderful investments that we need to support fully,” Foil says.

Also on the agenda is $80 million for deferred maintenance at state universities, meaning LSU and Southern could get some help, though LSU alone has $189 million in deferred maintenance. The session began March 9 and must end by March 29. —Steve Clark

New kids on the BREC

The Metro Council votes are in, and Darrell Glasper is out.

Enter newly appointed BREC commissioners Verge Ausberry Jr. (top) and Bettsie Baker Miller (bottom).

When repeated votes to reappoint Glasper to a second term failed—despite Wayne Carter’s infamous tirade—and Hal Butts didn’t even come close to getting a third term, council members finally settled on the LSU senior associate athletics director and the private consultant.

Ausberry, who is also in the running for LSU athletic director, and Miller started their work at a commission meeting the day after being appointed.

BREC spokeswoman Kristi Williams says she thinks the two are “fantastic appointments.” Commission Chairman Collis Temple says he hopes the two will bring peace to the board. “I would hope we would be able to operate a little smoother,” he says. “Obviously, people are going to have their opinions, and certain disagreements on certain issues, but hopefully we’ll be able to work through them smoothly.”

Ausberry is a New Iberia native who played inside linebacker for the Tigers in the late 1980s and was part of two Southeastern Conference championship teams. After graduating, he went to work for LSU’s Academic Center for Athletes, then moved to the Tiger Athletic Foundation. He joined the Athletics Department in 2001 and now is in the running for athletic director.

Miller owns BBM Consulting, a public-affairs firm that has done work for the Baton Rouge Area Foundation and ExxonMobil. She also has an MBA and is a licensed CPA. The former undersecretary of the Louisiana Department of Wildlife and Fisheries previously was director of public affairs for the Louisiana Chemical Association and has been chief fundraiser for Louisiana Public Broadcasting and Our Lady of the Lake Hospital Foundation.

Miller—who grew up caddying for her dad at Webb Memorial Golf Course—says she wants to be a “thoughtful addition to the board.”

“I believe we have an excellent parks and recreation system, but that is never enough,” she says. “How can we be better? How can we be smarter? How can we serve more—more efficiently?” —Penny Brown

Big bikes

As many as 5,000 bikers will descend on Baton Rouge the last weekend of March for the 2008 Harley Owners Group [H.O.G., get it?] Louisiana State Rally, but that doesn’t mean the women and children need to hide.

“This is not the Hell’s Angels we’re talking about here,” says Theresa Overby of the Baton Rouge Area Convention and Visitors Bureau. You can expect to see some grizzled-looking folks with long hair and beards, but you’ll also see a lot of doctors and lawyers on holiday, many of whom will bring the kids. The rally’s local organizer, Pat Mochelle, says he has an MBA.

“It’s like somebody who goes fishing or hunting, except we ride motorcycles,” Mochelle says. The annual rally, held at different cities around the state, used to be more of a big backyard barbecue, Mochelle says, but has become much more professional in the past several years. This is the first time the more organized version has been held in Baton Rouge.

Most events, held at the River Center on March 27-29, will be for members and their guests only, including concerts by Eddie Money and 38 Special [yes, they’re both still touring, and presumably still rock]. There will, however, be a “Biker Mania Vendor Mall” that will be free and open to the public. —David Jacobs

BUSINESSofPOLITICS

Jindal’s ambitions: Aside from his recent endorsement of fellow Republican John McCain for president, Gov. Bobby Jindal has been somewhat coy on what role he might play in upcoming federal elections. But Roger Villere Jr., chairman of the Louisiana Republican Party, confirmed Jindal has made congressional elections a priority and has told the party leadership that he wants to be visible. As for what that might mean in the way of endorsements and fundraising, Villere is tight-lipped.

Given Jindal’s popularity and national profile, no Republican would refuse the governor’s help. Still, he could end up sitting out the upcoming U.S. Senate race that will pit [thus far] Democratic incumbent Mary Landrieu against state Treasurer John Kennedy, who switched to Republican last year.

If his rumored presidential ambitions are real, he’ll want to take credit for all the federal recovery money he can score. Thus, the question may be: Who is more capable of bringing home the bacon—a veteran in the majority party who knows how to work the system, or a freshman in the minority party hellbent on fiscal restraint?

Cracking out: Attorney General Buddy Caldwell recently traveled to Washington, D.C., for a national crime conference and walked away with an unparalleled souvenir. “It was a very unusual occurrence to get a meeting with the president, U.S. attorney general and the chief justice [of the Supreme Court] all in one afternoon,” he says.

He says President Bush told him the federal government is continuing with its Early Release Program for Federal Prisoners. The early release went into effect March 3 and will allow some 20,000 crack cocaine users nationwide to walk out of jail, Caldwell says. “This news is very alarming to me. Crack cocaine users are quite different from powder cocaine users. Crack is highly addictive. Crack users can be some of your worst criminals, and they will strike again,” he says.

Acadiana-bound: The Acadiana Legislative Delegation has been slowly expanding its ranks in to include lawmakers from more easterly locales. Sen. Reggie Dupre of Terrebonne Parish was appointed to the delegation’s executive committee last month and Rep. Regina Ashford Barrow of Baton Rouge was elected secretary-treasurer. Both are Democrats.

The Acadiana Delegation, as defined by the Legislature, is made up of 22 parishes, many found in the eastern and central part of the state. But the so-called “Cajun Heartland,” where the storied French colonists originally relocated in the 17th century, has only eight parishes in the Lafayette region.

Many divides in the delegation have long been over turf, but that may soon change as delegation members consolidate forces in the face of outsider involvement. “It’s always been so hard to agree on things because of that geographic divide,” says Sen. Mike Michot of Lafayette, the dean of the delegation. “And that’s why some of us have come together to form what we call ‘Core Acadiana.’ We’ve been meeting and will continue meeting.” —Jeremy Alford

Another wonder

Another digital marvel is simplifying life for small tax-exempt organizations with tax filing.

The IRS has launched its E-Postcard filing system for organizations with annual gross receipts of $25,000 or less that now have to electronically file Form 990-N, which became a requirement effective last year with the Pension Protection Act of 2006. Filing only requires entering basic information. The form is on the IRS Web site under “Charities and Nonprofits.” It is due the 15th day of the fifth month after the close of the tax year, and organizations that don’t file it three consecutive years will lose their tax-exempt status.

Information filed will be made available to the public. To view it, visit irs.gov/app/ePostcard/. —Anna Thibodeaux

Craptastic

Johnny and Catharine McKay like crap⎯lots of crap⎯the kind of crap that comes from dogs. To them, it’s blackish/brownish money. They bought the first Pet Butler franchise for the Baton Rouge area last fall, kicking it into full gear this past January. Service plans vary, but for a one-dog, once-a-week poop cleanup, it’s about $11. Dog size doesn’t matter, though obviously bigger dog droppings are easier to find.

Pet Butler’s central command in Dallas handles all the phone calls and billing, while the McKays dispatch their “technician” [i.e. poop scooper] to do the dirty work, visiting a client’s yard and disposing of the waste.

Though the McKays are not pet owners themselves⎯Johnny, an attorney with Cypress Title, and Catharine, an MBA holder who recently worked with Johnson & Johnson⎯they recognized the need for this service in the area and the devotion people have to their furry fecal factories.

Stay tuned [and perhaps plan your lunch accordingly] as Business Report’s March 25 cover story profiles more dirty jobs. Don’t say we didn’t warn you. —Marissa Frayer

Opening up

Louisiana’s first Apple store, L’Occitane en Provence and Ann Taylor Loft are among retailers that opened Thursday, March 6 in the first phase of The Boulevard, the Mall of Louisiana’s open-air expansion. Mall Manager Todd Denton says the opening also included Chico’s, Soma Intimates, Ann Taylor, Clark’s Shoes, Select Comfort and Jos. A. Bank men’s clothing. Camille’s Sidewalk Café will open later this month, to be followed this summer by Tiger Mania, Borders, BJ’s Restaurant & Brewhouse, Sake Café and Bravo! Cucina Italiana Restaurant. These openings, along with numerous others planned in the Mall of Louisiana and neighboring power center, will culminate with a grand opening in August. At the mall, openings will be announced throughout the year. They will include Coach, Forever 21, Fossil, Love Culture, Pottery Barn and Bebe Sport. Many stores are remodeling, including Williams-Sonoma, Foot Locker, Champs and Aveda. Denton says a neighboring 10-tenant power center also will open this summer, including Dick’s Sporting Goods and Circuit City, DSW and Lane Bryant. —A.T.

On the Beat

Bacteria rain: LSU biologist Brent Christner has found evidence that rainmaking bacteria are widely distributed in the atmosphere and could be major factors in affecting climate, agricultural productivity and global warming. His findings are in the current issue of Science.

VP tapped: The Baton Rouge Area Chamber has selected Kristy McKearn to be its senior vice president of governmental affairs, who will lead the chamber’s political advocacy efforts at all levels of government while also directing its lobbying of the Legislature. She is currently a public policy adviser for Baker Donelson.

Stored up: The $10 million expansion and renovation at Tanger Outlet Mall should be completed by the end of the month, bringing in Ann Taylor, Bath & Body Works, Nike, Skechers and a relocated Gap Outlet. The retail center, located at Interstate 10 and La. 30 in Gonzales, is adding nearly 40,000 square feet.

Business is OK: Enercon Services Inc., a Tulsa, Okla.-based diversified energy consulting company offering engineering, environmental and management services, has opened an office on Corporate Boulevard in order to provide engineering and construction services to power plant industries in the South.

Not seized: The number of foreclosures in Louisiana increased by nearly one-third in January, but the state still ranks fairly low in the number of properties that have been seized. Louisiana’s foreclosure rate was 35th of all states and the District of Columbia, according to RealtyTrac.com, which tracks the information nationally.

More Coke: Baton Rouge Coca-Cola Bottling Co. is making changes to the $80 million bottling plant and distribution facility it is building near Metro Airport. The company plans to add 184,000 square feet to the facility, which is scheduled to open in the fall. The addition would boost the size of the plant to 459,000 square feet.

Rating game: Over the past three years, auto insurance rates have dropped by the smallest amount in Louisiana than any other state, according to State Farm. Since Jan. 1, 2004, rates have dipped by 1.72% in Louisiana, well below the average national drop of 14.8%.

Pickin’ Clausen: 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. Clausen replaces Joseph Savoie, who will become president of the University of Louisiana at Lafayette later this year.

Gautreaux’s ride

Newly elected East Baton Rouge Parish Sheriff Sid Gautreaux travels in style.

Two weeks after the former Baker police chief settled into his $135,384 job [his salary is set by law] back in December, the agency spent $43,206 on a 2008 Chevy Tahoe from Gerry Lane Chevrolet for him, according receipts obtained through a Daily Report public records request. The basic four-door black Tahoe set the Sheriff’s Office back $28,295, but extras increased the price by $15,000. Col. Ricky Adams, who now earns $125,100, also got a new Tahoe from Gerry Lane, albeit for $1,573 less—the price of a chrome package. Records show upgrades and unspecified options added $13,338.25 to the basic vehicle’s price tag.

Spokeswoman Casey Rayborn Hicks says Gautreaux’s vehicle was purchased under state contract and “is an appropriate accommodation for the sheriff.” She notes that the rest of the agency’s fleet is “in deplorable condition. More than 40% of the fleet has over 100,000 miles.” The sheriff, Hicks says, is in the process of purchasing “new, acceptable, safe vehicles for our deputies.” —P.B.