Ryan Grizzafi is the owner of The Cajun Spoon, a four year old company that makes healthful, easy to prepare box mixes of beloved Cajun dishes like gumbo, etouffe and shrimp and grits. The Cajun Spoon started out as a food truck in 2014, progressed to become a catering business, and more recently has ventured into retail. To stand out from other, established, Cajun dinner products, Grizzafi s company has adjusted its recipes to make them healthier, so they are low in sodium, use fresh, local ing...
Mar 09, 2018•29 min
We know south Louisiana has a healthy number of budding entrepreneurs. We ve met many of them on this show over the past year. But one thing we hear over and over again is that south Louisiana doesn t have a very well developed entrepreneurial ecosystem. It s starting to change, but is it happening fast enough Arthur Cooper is on the frontlines of building that entrepreneurial ecosystem. He is the president and CEO of the LSU Research and Technology Foundation. The Foundation serves a vital purp...
Feb 23, 2018•29 min
Quality education is a challenge. It seems like many of our schools are losing ground, as public funding for education is being cut. At the same time, there s a greater emphasis on alternatives to the traditional school system and an increased interest in things that helps us think outside the box. Ashley Heard has spent a lot of time thinking about non traditional education and the charter school system. Her firm, Ashley Heard Consulting, specializes in helping nonprofit organizations that prov...
Feb 09, 2018•29 min
Some of us find relief for our stress through exercise or meditation. Others find their salvation after a long hard day in a good strong cocktail. Either way, local entrepreneurs have found a way to build businesses around our inherent need to unwind and escape. Stefan Boone, with his wife, Mercy Kitchen Boone, is owner of Preservation Yoga, a Bikram yoga studio on Jefferson Highway in Baton Rouge. Bikram is performed in a super heated studio, sometimes upwards of 100 degrees Fahrenheit, and tho...
Feb 02, 2018•29 min
As Americans have become more health conscious in recent years, they ve begun to pay more attention not only to what they eat but also what they drink. That s created opportunities for local entrepreneurs, who are building businesses around healthful beverages. Ash Shoukry is the owner of The Big Squeezy, a local chain of shops that sell cold press juices and smoothies made from fruit and vegetables grown on the company s farms in California and North Carolina. Ash and his then partner opened th...
Jan 26, 2018•29 min
We live in a media saturated world, dominated by 24 7 cable news networks and an ever growing list of social media platforms that keep us updated, informed, and inundated with more information than we could ever hope to process. How do you make sense of it all And how do you make money at it On this edition of Out to Lunch, Stephanie is joined by two Baton Rouge media experts. Cyril Vetter is a local industry veteran who got his start in a different era of telecommunications the early 1970s. In ...
Jan 05, 2018•29 min
Not so long ago, they used to roll up the sidewalks in downtown Baton Rouge at 5 p.m, or so the saying went. And it wasn t far from the truth. Today, however, downtown is a burgeoning district, home not only to state office buildings and law firms, but to apartment complexes, restaruatns, museums and galleries and, even, a distillery. Walter Tharp is the president and owner of that distillery Cane Land Distilling Company, which makes rum and other products from sugar cane grown right across the ...
Dec 08, 2017•29 min
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Dec 01, 2017•29 min
Nonprofit organizations make a huge impact in the community. With decreased government funding for badly needed social services, nonprofits are more important than ever. But assessing need, figuring out how to make the most impact, and then raising money is a challenge. There are all sorts of ways to make it work, but you have to be creative and very determined. Jennifer Maggio founded The Life of a Single Mom in 2007. The organization is based in Baton Rouge and in 10 years has become one of th...
Nov 17, 2017•29 min
Baton Rouge is rife with talent. Not just entrepreneurial and tech talent, which we focus on a lot on this show, but creative talent. Artists, writers, musicians, and photographers. Nature photographer C.C. Lockwood s sublime images of Louisiana s lush swamps, moss laden oaks, endangered wildlife and fragile ecosystem have earned him international acclaim and a place in the hearts of so many Louisianans. C.C. has published a dozen books of photography, has done extensive work in the American wes...
Nov 03, 2017•29 min
We hear a lot about the disruption economy how Amazon is changing the face of retail, or how Uber is changing the way we get around. But there are more subtle yet equally significant changes at work in a variety of sectors, including philanthropy and medicine. And it s not necessarily bearded, hipster millennials in skinny legged pants who are leading this change. In Baton Rouge, two very different types of doctor are changing the way we approach philanthropic giving and medicine. Dr. Beverly Br...
Oct 27, 2017•29 min
We spend a lot of time talking about the importance of the economy and of economic development to the health of a community like Baton Rouge. And certainly, jobs and opportunities are what keep a city growing and humming. But cultural and educational attractions like museums and galleries are increasingly key in attracting young people and what author Richard Florida has called "creative class professionals." Peter Olson is Executive Director of the Knock Knock Children s Museum, which opened in...
Oct 20, 2017•29 min
Technology is taking over so many aspects of our lives, from basic accounting and word processing to retail, even to building custom cabinetry. It can be intimidating and hard to get your mind around, until you understand what computers and robots are all about and how to make them work for you. Logan Leger has such an understanding. He is a software engineer and entrepreneur in Baton Rouge, who founded the software development firm New Aperio back in 2010, after a few previous failed attempts a...
Oct 13, 2017•29 min
Life does not always unfold in a straight line. Sometimes we have to make turns that we didn t expect or that require major adjustments. One such turning point comes for military veterans when they leave the service and have to find their way in the civilan world. Another point comes when we realize we need to transiotion form an independent life to one that might require a little more TLC. Charlie D Agostino is executive director of LSU s Innovation Park, a dedicated complex for research commer...
Oct 06, 2017•29 min
Here in south Louisiana, water is as much a part of the local landscape as is solid ground. And with coastal erosion, the ratio is becoming more skewed every year. Fortunately, environmental entrepreneurs are figuring out ways to help us deal with our water and coastal issues while also building viable businesses. Take Tyler Ortego, an environmentalist, engineer and aentrepreneur, who got his start with the Shaw Group and went out on his own in 2006 to found Ora Estuaries. Ora Estuaries uses eng...
Sep 29, 2017•30 min
Sometimes we fall into a career. Other times, we build one, doing something simple that we ve loved since childhood. Stephanie s guests in this edition of Out to Lunch fall into the latter category. Mark Cartwright is a sport fisherman from south Louisiana, who grew up enjoying the bounties of Sportsman s Paradise. But, as an adult and father of two boys, he often found himself spending weekends on the baseball field, instead of at the family fishing camp. Combining his penchant for baseball wit...
Sep 22, 2017•29 min
It s a well known cliche that some of the most successful entrepreneurs started out in their parents garage. Actually there s more than a kernel of truth to the stereotype. Lots of small businesses start from home, including plenty here in Baton Rouge. Two local businesswomen are navigating the process. They are Joan Chastain and Shannon Countrymen, long time friends and moms, who decided in 2014, when the last of their litters had left home, to take what they d done every day for years make din...
Sep 15, 2017•29 min
Don t let anyone tell you south Louisiana s only about food and football. Startups in bio tech, high tech, and industry abound between Baton Rouge, New Orleans and the North Shore. And they re focused on some really cutting edge things. Will they succeed What are the hurdles they re encountering as they try to launch John Dowdle has answers. John is the coowner and founder, with his wife, Annette, of Insight GX. It s a start up that is planning to do genetic testing for large companies in order ...
Sep 08, 2017•30 min
Some of us embark on a career path and we re set for life. But sometimes one career unexpectedly leads to another. Or prepares us for another in ways that we don t quite see at first. Take Dr. Meredith Warner. Dr warner is an orthopedist with a practice in Baton Rouge, Warner Orthopedics and Wellness, that she opened in 2013. Meredith s career dealing with bones and joints has led her to a second enterprise this one, entrepreneurial. Meredith has created a special shoe for people with plantar fa...
Sep 01, 2017•29 min
In historical Britain the three estates of the realm were the clergy, the nobility, and the commoners. The Fourth Estate is a segment of society that wields an indirect but significant influence on society, even though it is not a formally recognized part of the political system. The most commonly recognized part of the fourth estate is the news media. However, these days, it s more difficult to ascertain just what kind of influence the news media exerts, between the competitive pressures posed ...
Aug 25, 2017•29 min
We like to think of south Louisiana as the food capital of the world, and, certainly we re known for our cuisine, but just because someone knows how to prepare good food doesn t mean they know how to turn their culinary talent into a successful restaurant, catering operation or food related venture. Stephanie s guests on this edition of Out to Lunch would be the first to admit that. They re food entrepreneurs who have navigated the gulf between making good food and making money at it. Ameen Walk...
Aug 18, 2017•29 min
Romance is the spice of life. It s also a key to the success of certain businesses that are built on hearts and flowers, literally. Buzzy Heroman is a fourth generation florist in Baton Rouge and the owner of Billy Heroman s Flowers, which has three stores in the area. The store was founded by his parents, Billy and Janet Heroman in the 1950s, though the Heroman family has actually been in the floral business since the 1870s. Today, Buzzy and his wife Susie run their business, which is the large...
Aug 11, 2017•29 min
So many of us dream when we re kids of coming up with a really cool invention. Not many of us realize that dream. How do you turn a great idea into a product that could change the world And how do you make money from new inventions and technologies Stephanie s guests on this edition of Out to Lunch have some insight into those areas. By day, John Pojman is a chemistry professor at LSU. By night, he s an inventor, who s created a remarkable product that is taking the art and industrial worlds by ...
Aug 04, 2017•29 min
It s pretty well agreed that the early years of development are fundamental in shaping a child s future. That extends from playground to classroom, to career choices. If you want to Cultivate a culture where kids can see themelves as entrepreneurs you have to start early. That s what Lemonade Day is all about. It s a nationwide event with chapters all over the country, including Baton Rouge, that teaches kids the basics of starting their own business. What better way to do that than with a Lemon...
Jul 21, 2017•29 min
The old saying "A man s home is his castle" has never been more true than today. It s no longer not just enough to provide shelter for yourself and your family, we also want to create a space that reflects our style in which we can live, work, and play. And that also looks really impressive. Baton Rouge has a long and venerable tradition in Southern vernacular architecture that has evolved over the past 20 years to reflect some of the most exciting new trends in the field. One of those leading t...
Jul 14, 2017•30 min
If you haven t heard of a "Maker Space" you ve been living under a rock for the past few years. "Maker" is one of the trendy buzzwords to enter the vernacular of late, and maker spaces are popping up in schools, universities and communities around the country. But what does it mean to be a maker And how do makers make money Stephanie s guests on this edition of Out to Lunch have some answers. Paul Claxton is the owner of Southern Collaborative, a bushiness coaching and consulting firm in Baton R...
Jul 07, 2017•30 min
Whether you re starting a business or growing a business, one of the biggest challenges you face is access to capital. Where do you find investors How do you get a loan It s a problem that is not at all unique to Baton Rouge, but in a mid sized city like ours it can be particularly challenging for entrepreneurs and business owners. Rob Powell is in the business of helping find solutions to the access to capital dilemma. He owns Cardinal Capital, a commercial loan and equity brokerage house. It s...
Jun 30, 2017•30 min
It s cool enough to have one successful entrepreneur in a family. What happens when you have two Stephanie s guests on this edition of Out to Lunch have a unique perspective on the topic of love and business. Greg Milneck is president and owner of Digital FX, which produces commercials and feature films, as well as post production work for the movie and TV industry. The company also rents equipment and leases out its 15,000 square foot LEED certified studio for film and video shoots. Greg founde...
Jun 23, 2017•29 min
Technology has created challenges and opportunities for businesses. Some companies have had to totally reinvent themselves to remain relevant. Others, well, just invent an app. Patricia Brignac Talbot s business would belong in the former category. When her dad started the business, now called Baton Rouge Digital Products, back in 1955, copying documents was a very big technological deal. It was called "duplicating." Carbon paper was one of the high demand products, and mimeograph machines that ...
Jun 16, 2017•29 min
Fitness has evolved from being a craze back in the 1970s and 80s to becoming a way of life today. Here in Baton Rouge, entrepreneurs have come up with all sorts of interesting and innovative to keep customers in the Captial Region in good shape. Elle Mahoney is the franchise owner and Louisiana area rep for Orange Theory Fitness, a new type of fitness center that s taking the local market by storm. Orange Theory offers 60 minute group interval workouts that combine cardio and strength training w...
Jun 09, 2017•29 min
