Whatever else has happened to you over the past few months, you’ve more than likely been keeping up with everything that’s going on, by checking the news. Along with NPR, some of Louisiana’s most reliable news sources are the local New Orleans, Baton Rouge, and Acadiana editions of the daily newspaper, The Advocate . Both in print and online. The Publisher of all of the editions of The Advocate is Judi Terzotis. The last time Judi was on Out to Lunch , back in February - which now seems like a l...
Jun 09, 2020•36 min
There was a time in what feels like the distant past – a few months ago – when it was more-or-less optional for a business to be a member of a business organization, like the Chamber of Commerce. But since the arrival of the pandemic and the economic disaster that’s come with it, there’s now so much uncertainty and so much red tape to navigate through – from Federal loans to local ordinances – that most businesses are finding it essential to turn to business alliances for help. The Louisiana All...
Jun 02, 2020•31 min
Just a few weeks ago, the idea that we’d all stop our lives on the same day and be self-imprisoned in our homes might have seemed like the implausible plot of a dystopian series you’d see on Netflix. But since it really happened, it provided us with an un-imagined opportunity. Self-reflection. Now that things are starting back up, do you want to jump back into the exact same life you were living? Or could you use your period of suspended animation to reassess, and make some changes? These are qu...
May 26, 2020•29 min
As we head toward the beginning of real Summer here in South Louisiana - you know, the day you wake up and it's H-O-T - we might typically have vacation and hurricane season as top-of-mind issues. But this year things are different. Who knows if you'll be able to take a vacation? With all of our Covid anxieties do we have the capacity to worry about hurricanes as well? Plus we have a whole range of new unknowns: The Saints, LSU, and back to the office. On this edition of out to Lunch, Peter Ricc...
May 19, 2020•44 min
If you're a certain age or a fan of British comedy, you might remember the standard introduction to any number of bizarre sketches on the 1970's TV show Monty Python's Flying Circus was, "And now for something completely different." On this edition of Out to Lunch we're taking a break from unrelenting weeks of disturbing or just downright bad economic news to look at three businesses who are continuing to exist in a parallel universe, beyond Covid 19. Coffee Coffee is the 2nd largest traded comm...
May 12, 2020•33 min
From the US perspective, there are two predictable economic pillars we have always relied on: Oil and The Fed. We look at the price and supply of oil to calibrate our economic position in the global economy, and we rely on The Fed to insure our economic security. In the past 2 months we have had the pillar of oil completely yanked away from the foundation of our financial institution. Is another pillar, even more central to the US economy, The Fed really immutable? Starkly, is Doomsday possible?...
May 05, 2020•37 min
As Louisiana and parts of the rest of the country begin to re-open, there's a question about the economy that everyone is asking: What's going to happen to education, real estate, and retail? On this edition of Out to Lunch Louisiana we're asking local experts in each of these areas to tell us. Retail With apologies for the medical metaphor, retail was already on life support before Covid-19 shut down practically every store in the country. If you weren’t an online shopper before all of this, yo...
Apr 28, 2020•38 min
The journey we are on is leading us down a path that none of us have been on before. As individuals, as family members, as bosses or as employees, none of us know with any certainty what we're doing or where we're going. As a state we're in the same position. On this edition of out to Lunch, we're asking, Where To Now, Louisiana? The Covid-19 pandemic has changed so much about our lives, it’s hard to think of a part of our life that it hasn’t affected. But of all the changes, the biggest casualt...
Apr 21, 2020•41 min
As this pandemic unfolds, we’re hearing about how it’s affecting the global economy here at home. Although that might sound like an oxymoron, and “the global economy” might feel far removed from your daily life, for all three guests on this edition of Out to Lunch Louisiana, the global economy here at home is an integral part of their lives. As the state’s second-highest ranking elected official, Lieutenant Governor Billy Nungesser is responsible for our connection to the rest of the world throu...
Apr 14, 2020•33 min
Among the long list of questions that nobody seems to know the answer to in this public health crisis, one of the most pressing is, When we finally get the spread of the virus under control and stop losing lives, will we also cure the Covid Economy? There are not many people qualified to answer this question. Meet Steve Ceulemans. Steve is originally from Belgium, where he got a degree in international business and management. After that, he got a Doctor of Science degree from Tulane University ...
Apr 07, 2020•46 min
It's the second week of Out to Lunch Baton Rouge's host Stephanie Riegel's link-up with Out to Lunch Acadiana host Christiaan Mader and New Orleans Out to Lunch host Peter Ricchiuti for a statewide look at our business and financial life in Louisiana in what has become this unprecedented Covid Economy. If you live outside of Baton Rouge, and everything you know about the city comes from what you hear or see on the news, you’d be forgiven for thinking that nothing goes on here but politics. That’...
Mar 31, 2020•39 min
Out to Lunch Baton Rouge is linking up with Out to Lunch New Orleans and Out to Lunch Acadiana for a statewide examination of our businesses, and personal finances as we deal with the national public health crisis that is Coronavirus in Louisiana and life in the Covid Economy. Isolated in their respective homes, Stephanie Riegel co-hosts the show along with New Orleans host Peter Ricchiuti and Acadiana host Christiaan Mader. On this inaugural edition of Out to Lunch Louisiana, Stephanie introduc...
Mar 24, 2020•39 min
Imagine that you're the most beautiful person in the world. And you happen to have a sister, who is even more beautiful than you! If you didn't happen to be compared to your sister all the time, you'd be a really big deal. That's kind of how it is with the Baton Rouge performing arts. Baton Rouge is unfortunate in its proximity to its older sister, New Orleans. But there are actually a number of extraordinarily talented people in the Baton Rouge performing arts world. For example, Jamie Ray. Jam...
Mar 18, 2020•30 min
Seven out of 10 American households own pets, generally cats and dogs. This has created a huge pet care industry and unlimited opportunity for creative, animal-loving entrepreneurs. It has also led to an unfortunate side-effect: little-loved animals, particularly cats, wandering our streets. Angela Schifani is Development Director of Cat Haven , a non-profit cat rescue organization that was founded in 1999 in response to a community need for comprehensive rescue, foster, and adoption services fo...
Mar 11, 2020•29 min
We all have a pack rat in the family. Maybe, in fact, you’re the one with the house that’s always a little messy and disorganized. You might not diagnose yourself as having a hoarding disorder - or other mental disorders you wouldn't expect in a business podcast - but that's where we're going on this edition of Out to Lunch Over lunch at Mansurs on the Boulevard in Baton Rouge, Stephanie Riegel is joined by Alyssa Trosclair, owner of Emend , a professional organizing company that specializes in ...
Mar 04, 2020•29 min
As surprising as it may seem, in 2019 Newsweek magazine called Baton Rouge music Mecca. And named the local Listening Room as the best place in the US to hear live music! The music industry in Louisiana is one of the state’s most powerful economic and cultural engines, though most of the credit and attention typically goes to New Orleans. Why is Baton Rouge music business overlooked? And what does the Capital Region have to offer in the music space? Somebody who is well qualified to address thes...
Feb 26, 2020•31 min
In May 2013, New Orleans businessman John Georges bought Baton Rouge’s beloved family-owned newspaper The Advocate . At a time when media companies around the country have been down-sizing, shutting up shop, or going exclusively digital, the Baton Rouge Advocate has expanded into Acadiana and into New Orleans, ultimately vanquishing its rival there with the acquisition of the New Orleans Times Picayune. And the newspaper expansion has continued - now encompassing statewide more community papers ...
Feb 18, 2020•32 min
As technology continues to evolve and change the world around us, our local economy is changing too and adapting — taking advantage of the opportunities the tech sector creates and preparing the next generation of tech workers for the jobs that need filling today and in the years to come. Jacquelyn Craddock is Director of Workforce Initiatives at Nexus Louisiana , an arm of the Research Park Corporation that connects growth-focused companies to capital, resources and talent. In that role, Jacque...
Feb 11, 2020•30 min
Aging is a hot topic in America these days. So is anti-aging. On the one hand, the Baby Boomer generation are now in their late 50s which means big changes to our workforce, retirement system, and healthcare delivery system, all of which are creating business opportunities for companies that meet the needs of the aging population. On the other hand, the relentless desire to remain youthful has created a desire to stay and look young, which to some degree is setting up a question we're going to h...
Feb 05, 2020•31 min
Aging is a hot topic in America these days. So is anti-aging. On the one hand, the Baby Boomer generation are now in their late 50s which means big changes to our workforce, retirement system, and healthcare delivery system, all of which are creating business opportunities for companies that meet the needs of the aging population. On the other hand, the relentless desire to remain youthful has created a desire to stay and look young, which to some degree is setting up a question we're going to h...
Feb 05, 2020•31 min
According to the Global Wellness Institute, the global health and wellness industry is now worth $4.2 trillion. The industry has been growing with 12.8% between 2015 and 2017 and represents a whopping 5.3% of global economic output. For local entrepreneurs, that is creating a lot of opportunities – but that also means there’s a lot of competition. Nicole Cummins is owner of Barre 3 , a boutique fitness studio that’s part of a Portland, Oregon-based chain with more than 130 locations around the c...
Jan 29, 2020•29 min
Down on Silicon Bayou, local Baton Rouge companies are carving out an amazing space in the tech sector. They’re designing impressive software platforms and tools that are attracting worldwide attention. Steve McKinney is the Chief Operating Officer of Cell Control , a Baton Rouge company that, in 2009, came up with technology to help eliminate distracted driving. In the years since, Cell Control has become the global leader in this field by selling its services to companies—big Fortune 500 compa...
Jan 27, 2020•29 min
It doesn’t matter how many times you’ve flown across the country or around the world, for that matter. There’s something that continues to dazzle and fascinate us wingless, human creatures every time we get in an airplane, whether a single prop or a jumbo jet, and get ready for take off. When cars were invented, they were originally known as "horseless carriages." In the same way, a few years ago we started talking about "unmanned aircraft" - the contraptions we now call "drones." On this editio...
Jan 15, 2020•29 min
If you think "Silicon Valley" sounds cool but "Silicon Swamp" doesn't, you're probably not from South Louisiana. Here in South Louisiana we love the swamp, it's a part of who we are. The reason "Silicon Swamp" might sound weird is that we are less inclined to identify ourselves as the home of tech innovation. Well, maybe it's time for an altitude adjustment! There are impressive start-up businesses here that maybe you've never heard of but that are turning heads around the country. And beyond. C...
Jan 08, 2020•29 min
There aren't many occasions to talk about fine art and movies in the same sentence. And you'd be forgiven for thinking there's even less occasion to consider the financing of movies and fine art as having anything to do with each other. And that's why we have lunch! So folks from what might seem to be disparate endeavors can talk and find out they actually have something in common. Ann Connelly is a legend in the art world. Ann is founder and owner of Ann Connelly Fine Art where she is a curator...
Jan 01, 2020•29 min
Every place has a history and a past, but preserving the best of it and keeping it relevant doesn’t just happen, you have to work at it. On this show we're very bullish on keeping Baton Rouge vital economically and socially, but today we're talking about looks - keeping Baton Rouge beautiful. We're not being shallow and fixated on appearance, cities can be more attractive economically and socially as they age - with the right approach to beauty and preservation. Michael Desmond is an architect a...
Dec 25, 2019•29 min
Time was, every town had cobblers and tailors. Fairy tales and history books alike are replete with references to these noble tradesmen, who kept people "shodded" and clothed. Today, you can still look good in a sharp suit and shiny shoes. Commerce has evolved from local service providers to department stores, big box retailers and online sites, but, here in Baton Rouge, although old fashioned businesses have become fewer and far between, they haven't completely disappeared. Clyde Lawrence is ow...
Dec 18, 2019•29 min
"Retail apocalypse" is a term we’re starting to hear frequently. It suggests a coming meltdown of retail reality due to the impact of Amazon and other online retailers on brick and mortar stores. Stephine Riegel's guests on this edition of Out to Lunch Baton Rouge are, in two very different ways, fighting it out on the front line of retail apocalypse. Chris Russo Blackwood is co-owner of Russo Ross , a popular women’s boutique on Jefferson Highway here in Baton Rouge. Chris didn’t start out in t...
Dec 11, 2019•29 min
Technology is all around us today, making possible things we never even imagined. Here's two: an app that is the Uber of medical care, and Virtual Reality that makes it possible to train employees to work in a chemical plants or recreate the battle of Okinawa. Perhaps an equally surprising fact about these innovations is that they are being created here in south Louisiana. Vashon Craft is Director of Community Relations at a company called Ready Responders , a New Orleans-based startup that expa...
Dec 04, 2019•29 min
As the tech industry evolves and matures, all sorts of new opportunities are created for entrepreneurs, who see where existing technologies don't meet a need or don't go far enough to deliver what customers demand. If you listen to national shows like "How I Built This" or Freakonomics, you're familiar with the type of wildly creative person who doesn't take no for an answer and comes up with a great idea that at the outset might seem odd or impossible. Those kinds of ideas are not all born in S...
Nov 27, 2019•29 min
