ACADIANA
BBR Creative has been hired to lead marketing, advertising and public relations for the Louisiana Children’s Health Insurance Program. The Lafayette firm, which specializes in branding and integrated marketing, will promote the program to provide health insurance to Louisiana children. “As mothers and parents, we know how much health insurance matters,” says BBR Creative Partner Cherie Hebert. “Through this partnership with DHH, we look forward to assisting those in need of coverage in our state in getting the insurance and thus the medical care they need.”
CAPITAL REGION
Community Coffee Company’s roasting facility earned a superior rating for the seventh consecutive year from the American Institute of Baking International after a recent inspection.
Traffic congestion is getting heavier in Baton Rouge, according to a report from the INRIX National Traffic Scorecard. INRIX ranked Baton Rouge as having the 36th heaviest traffic congestion among the 100 largest U.S. cities and 13th for travel times during the first half of the year. Baton Rouge was the only major city to report an increase in travel times during 2008, as high fuel prices and the recession kept cars off the road. According to INRIX, travel times were 1.8% longer in Baton Rouge during the first half of the year, the third biggest increase in the nation. Traffic congestion was up 19% in the first half of the year. The traffic problems aren’t a surprise to anyone who drives around the city, but they’re especially striking considering that Baton Rouge ranks 67th nationally in terms of population.
NEW ORLEANS
The Society of American Travel Writers has named New Orleans No. 1 when it comes to live music. The world’s largest organization of professional travel journalists and photographers polled its own members to come up with a Top 10 list for North America. Other cities included were, in order of ranking, New York City, Austin, Nashville, Chicago, Memphis, Montreal, Las Vegas, Branson and Denver. “New Orleans bleeds music — it’s in the air, in the water, in the people,” says Lisa Tomaszewski, travel editor of HMP Communications. “You can’t go to New Orleans without the music swallowing you whole.”
The Preserve, a mixed-use development along Tulane Avenue in New Orleans, won two Aurora Awards and was named a finalist by Affordable Housing Finance magazine’s annual Readers’ Choice Awards. The Aurora Awards honor builders, developers, architects and other industry professionals in a 12-state region at the Southeast Building Conference. The Preserve won a Grand Aurora for “Best in State Louisiana,” and one for “Residential/Mixed Use Land Development.” Readers of Affordable Housing Finance Magazine selected it as one of three finalists in the “Urban” category and it was the only project in Louisiana selected. The Preserve was developed by Domain Companies and designed by Humphreys & Partners Architects.
NORTHSHORE
St. Tammany Parish Hospital is expanding technology and services for patients on the Northshore. A new ambulatory surgery center, slated for completion in the second quarter of 2010, will top the medical office building currently being built across from the hospital’s main Covington campus. That building, which likely will be finished by the end of this year, will connect to the hospital via an elevated, climate-controlled sky bridge. The hospital has also made a number of technology purchases, including an Internet-based system that gives cardiologists access to complete patient records. Other plans call for acquiring a surgical robotics system, a cutting-edge 64-slice scanner and medication dispensing technology.
The Northshore Community Foundation will provide up to $150,000 for a master plan for the West 30s neighborhood in Covington, an area adjacent to the city’s successful downtown. The foundation and the community group Friends of the West 30s have chosen Nashville-based Walker Collaborative to lead the planning process from an original list of 23 state and national firms. West 30s has long been dominated by unemployment, crime and blight and has been largely unaffected by the post-Katrina economic boom felt throughout the Northshore, says Foundation Director of Community Development Frank Saxton. However, its advantageous location between picturesque downtown and retail-rich Collins Boulevard gives the neighborhood rich potential. “It’s got a lot of things going for it. It’s on a grid, it’s walkable and it couldn’t be better situated,” Saxton says. Grants usually call for a match, but this time, Saxton says, the foundation will foot the bill for the year-long plan. “The concerns were so large, and we felt it was so important,” he says.
SOUTHWEST LOUISIANA
Passenger service has begun at the new Lake Charles Regional Airport terminal. The $28 million, 45,000-square-foot facility offers passenger conveniences like second-floor passenger loading, a gift shop, cafe and state-of-the-art baggage claim facilities. The building was designed in Louisiana colonial style with columns and balconies. Colors used in the concession area are reminiscent of Mardi Gras. American Eagle returned this summer, with two flights in and out of Dallas/Fort Worth. Continental Express offers service to Houston.
