Detour ahead: Downtown Baton Rouge is expected to be more congested than usual later this week as an estimated 7,000 students and volunteers converge for the annual Louisiana State Senior Beta Club Convention. The students and club members will begin arriving on Wednesday for the convention, which runs through Friday afternoon. They’ll be staying in hotels throughout the city and traveling to the Raising Cane’s River Center downtown for the convention, according to Visit Baton Rouge. As a result, River Road will be closed from St. Philip Street to North Boulevard during the convention to accommodate buses and students. Directional signs will indicate alternative routes, and Visit Baton Rouge says parking challenges downtown are expected.
The bottom line: The Hilton Garden Inn at 3330 Harding Blvd., near the Baton Rouge Metropolitan Airport, sold last week for approximately $8.1 million, according to sales documents filed on Monday with the East Baton Rouge Clerk of Court. Iowa-based Hawkeye Hotels announced its purchase of the 131-room hotel from Carey Watermark Investors on Thursday, but declined to disclose the purchase price. Hawkeye, identified in the sales documents as Red Stick Lodging LLC, plans major updates to the hotel’s lobby, guest rooms and public spaces. The hotel group also purchased Hotel Modern in New Orleans last summer.
Get in it to win it: Startups, entrepreneurs and small business owners in Louisiana have a chance to win a $10,000 prize package at Get Started Louisiana, a pitch contest sponsored by Cox Business Louisiana and Inc. magazine. Get Started Louisiana will take place on Wednesday, March 22, at the Contemporary Arts Center in New Orleans. The event is a part of New Orleans Entrepreneur Week. The competition is limited to business with annual revenues less than $300,000. Candidates interested in pitching their idea can apply online through Friday, Feb. 24. Five finalists will be chosen to pitch to a panel of judges that includes Innovation Catalyst CEO Louis Freeman Jr., Cox Business Senior Vice President Steve Rowley, Golfballs.com CEO and founder Tom Cox, and LogoJET President and founder Susan Cox. Get complete details and apply to make your pitch.
