In 2011 Stephen Loy was promoted to executive director at the Louisiana Technology Park, created a decade earlier as a hub for tech entrepreneurs. He joined LTP in 2004 as director of communications, a position combining two of his passions: public relations and technology.
During college, Loy had first considered a career in broadcast journalism, but summer stints at WAFB-TV reshaped his plans: “I discovered that I preferred to create and mold a message rather than to report on it,” he tells Business Report in its new Executive Spotlight feature on him.
Initially he worked at LSU Public Relations, later for the Louisiana Retired Teachers Association, traveling the state to teach retirees how to use a computer and the Internet. At LTP, he has enabled the emergence of successful startups such as Pixel Dash Studios and Cellcontrol, among others.
“We’ve noticed our most successful companies and entrepreneurs have two things in common,” he says. “The first is that they have mentors/advisers outside of their company that they can lean on to get expert advice and an alternative perspective. Second, the founder of a company can’t wear every hat.”
Read the full Q&A with Loy. Here’s a sample of what you’ll find:
What is your prescription for living well?
“Enjoy the present. I am guilty of looking forward to ‘the next thing’ without stopping and soaking up the present. Our phones can help us take pictures for our memories, but in trying to snap that photo, we miss out on the great things going on right in front of us.”
