Publisher: What the popularity of $220 sneakers says about B.R.

At 5 a.m. on a recent Saturday, 600 people could be found standing in line outside the Mall of Louisiana. They were waiting in hopes of getting their hands on a pair of the latest Nike shoes. Not too far away, 400 people were gathered at the Marriott for a symposium to discuss a crime-fighting plan for our community. Apparently, 50% more people cared about a pair of shoes—which cost $220—than those concerned about helping rid our community of the violent crimes that continue to plague it, says Business Report Publisher Rolfe McCollister. “Can you imagine anyone camping out or lining up to be the first person to vote on the CATS transit tax?” McCollister asks. “What if we all had that same motivation for education? Maybe then there wouldn’t be a need for a symposium on crime in Baton Rouge.” Read McCollister’s latest column in its entirety here, in which he also touches on a number of other topics, including top rankings Baton Rouge and Louisiana recently received for corporate facility creation and expansion; a watershed moment for “Hollywood South”; and the national buzz surrounding Gov. Bobby Jindal’s proposals for education reform. Send your comments to editors@businessreport.com.