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2 Recognized As The Best Nursing Team -ADVANCE for Nurses If you re a dedicated nurse and would like to join our award winning team, contact us today at Medical Center Boulevard, Marrero, LA W EST J EFFERSON S TAYED T HE C OURSE AND IS B UILDING S TRONGER.

3 Table of Contents Introduction Innovator Awards Gold Award: Turbo Squid Silver Award: Home Automation Inc Benjamin Taylor and Associates Coastal Environments Inc DHAC Inc East Jefferson General Hospital EzKee LLC G.T. Michelli Company Inc HuckaBuck.com International House Intradel Corporation IsoBreathing Inc Jones Walker JPMorgan Chase Just Scratch It! KB Home/The Shaw Group LuMunn LLC Ochsner Health System PreSonus Audio Electronics Sabre Technical Services West Jefferson Medical Center/ Jefferson Community Health Care Centers West Jefferson Medical Center Support Services Facility and Energy Center West Jefferson Medical Center CyberKnife Center Educator Awards Archbishop Rummel Delgado Community College Nonprofit Awards Katrina Krewe Kingsley House Operation Restoration YOUTHanasia Foundation Inc On the Brink Duct Saddle, Thermo Faucets, LabOpsROI Published by the NOPG LLC 111 Veterans Memorial Blvd., Suite 1440, Metairie, La ; Fax: Publisher and president: D. Mark Singletary Associate Publisher: Lisa Blossman Editor: Terry O Connor Associate editors: Tommy Santora, Greg LaRose and Renee Aragon Dolese Art directors: Alex Borges and Lisa Finnan Photography: Tommy Santora Account Executives: Erica Northcott Adams, Liz Baldini, Cassie Foreman, Shannon Grooters, Coco Judd Production manager: Julie Bernard The entire contents of this publication are copyrighted by NOPG LLC, 2003, with all rights reserved. Reproduction or use, without permission, of editorial or graphic content in any manner is prohibited. NOPG LLC, 111 Veterans Memorial Blvd., Metairie LA 70005, (504) A World Leader in Decontamination of Businesses and Homes To Our Many Friends in New Orleans: We are honored to be a part of the rebuilding of New Orleans. By using our innovative building sterilization process, we are able to bring businesses and homeowners back at a fraction of the time and cost of traditional methods. We are humbled by the nomination for the Innovator of the Year Award and proud to be able to give hope back to so many people. We appreciate the support of the community and look forward to continuing our efforts to bring New Orleans back. Karen W. Cavanagh (866) Chief Operating Officer kwcavanagh@sabretechservices.com

4 Cassie Foreman 43 year resident, with CityBusiness 19 years Vince Lombardi said, Winning isn t everything. It s the only thing. I think he was referring to my clients who advertise in CityBusiness! Lisa Blossman 19 year resident, with CityBusiness 19 years The CityBusiness sales team is also known as the Dream Team. I am so lucky to work with a group of talented, loyal, caring people who have helped so many clients increase their business. Liz Baldini 47 year resident, with CityBusiness 18 years After Cathy Fernandez launched a new company, Complete Exchange Services, she got a call from a former client who had been trying to find her. Fortunately he saw her ad in CityBusiness and set up a 1031 exchange. Ruby Merrick New Orleans native with CityBusiness 9 years My clients are very special to me, and I work hard to make their ads eye-catching. One of my clients got a phone call from a lady who had just received CityBusiness. The lady was so impressed with my client s ad that she called for an appointment and bought a home 2 days later. Aimeé Arceneaux New Orleans native with CityBusiness 9 months I helped one of my clients create an ad for a commercial piece of property and within the next few weeks it sold. CityBusiness helps people and businesses get back into great homes, apartments, and offices. Erica Northcott Adams New Orleans native with CityBusiness 4 years I have helped my clients stretch their dollars and create strategic ad programs so they get more exposure during the rebuilding phase of our city. Coco Evans Judd Let Us Help You Increase Your Business Advertise in PHOTO BY BEN BULLINS New Orleans native with CityBusiness 15 years The schools and Universities in New Orleans have had an uphill battle opening and retaining students. CityBusiness was able to get these institutions message out regarding open houses, school fairs and new curriculums

5 I n t r o d u c t i o n NEW ORLEANS business owners could probably argue that they all became innovators and entrepreneurs after Hurricane Katrina. Half of their employees, and more in many cases, were displaced states away with no home to return to. Capital was precious on the heels of long business loss and property insurance battles. Reserve capital became primary source of income as businesses tried to reopen with haste. Their marketplace changed. If and when businesses did reopen, clientele was not half of what it was before the storm. Even if the same clients remained, the business needs or demands of those customers changed. Business owners had to think differently outside the box, more so than they have for any new product or idea they have introduced in the marketplace. William Pollard, former CEO of The ServiceMaster Company and author of several books on innovation and how to be an entrepreneur, once said: Without change there is no innovation, creativity or incentive for improvement. Those who initiate change will have a better opportunity to manage the change that is inevitable. The 2006 class of New Orleans CityBusiness Innovators of the Year has met that change head-on, taken business risks, introduced new ideas and developed different, and at times more diverse, identities. A total of 32 innovations are recognized in this special Innovator of the Year insert, broken down into: Innovators, Educators, Nonprofits and On the Brink. CityBusiness also recognized two top Innovator companies with Gold and Silver awards. The Gold Award went to a New Orleans-bred technology company that has risen leaps and bounds in their six years of existence with national clients such as Electronic Arts, Pixar, ABC News and The New York Times. Their concept is as unique as the products they sell, and so is their name: Turbo Squid, started in 2000 by brothers Matt and Andy Wisdom. Turbo Squid provides a global marketplace and distribution outlet for 3-D and 2-D digital products by enabling Tommy Santora Associate Editor designers and creative professionals to list, promote and sell their content to users around the world. In 2005, the company surpassed more than 100,000 different 3-D images available with more than 8,000 3-D artists from around the globe who upload products to the Turbo Squid site. Customers purchase and use the images in game development, film and video, design visualization, military, corporate and biomedical applications. Turbo Squid projects sales will exceed $6.5 million this year, after $4 million in Turbo Squid will soon bring the video game market to New Orleans with the introduction of GameFlood, where video gamers can purchase add-ons for their existing games, like new levels, characters and weapons. Receiving the CityBusiness Innovator of the Year Silver award is Home Automation Inc., a company founded in 1985 that is one of the leaders in manufacturing home security systems with $15 million in sales projections this year, after $10 million in Led by Jay McLellan, HAI president and co-founder, the company offers consumers the ability to monitor and adjust home security, temperatures and other settings from any computer via an Ethernet port on the HAI system. The Consumer Electronic Association awarded HAI with the 2006 CEA Mark of Excellence Award in the Best Human Interface category, and Frost & Sullivan presented McLellan with the 2006 Building Technologies CEO of the Year Award in March. Archbishop Rummel High School is one of two Education award recipients for the efforts of taking in 1,300 displaced students after Hurricane Katrina. Katrina Krewe is one of four nonprofits being awarded as a group of New Orleans women joined together to clean the streets after Katrina. CityBusiness congratulates all of these Innovator recipients and thanks nominators for bringing their stories to our attention. Hurricane Katrina may have changed this city s business climate, but it did not dampen the entrepreneurial and innovative spirits of many New Orleans companies. Deposits made easy: Step 1, scan. Step 2, done. That s Image Deposit Direct. No copying. No carrying. And no hassle. Simply use Image Deposit Direct s desktop scanner technology to capture check images and transmit them straight to a central accountormultiple accounts. Streamlining the deposit process provides faster access to funds, and savestimeandadministrativecosts. Deposits don t get any easier than that.tofindoutmoreaboutallof our image deposit solutions, go to jpmorganchase.com/ids. The products and services featured above are offered by JPMorgan Chase Bank, N.A., a subsidiary of JPMorgan Chase & Co. JPMorgan is a marketing name for Treasury Services businesses of JPMorgan Chase & Co. and its subsidiaries worldwide. JPMorganChaseislicensedunderU.S.PatentNumbers5,910,988and6,032, JPMorganChase&Co.Allrightsreserved Innovator of the Year 5A

6 Gold Award Turbo Squid 6A 2006 Innovator of the Year Turbo Squid president Matt Wisdom, left, and co-founder Andy Wisdom said the company projects $6 million in 2006 sales. Matt Wisdom, 34, co-founder and president of Turbo Squid, was walking down Poydras Street in New Orleans two years ago when an idea struck him. I wondered why the state s film tax credit was not more broadly defined to include video games and other interactive media, he said. Wisdom put his idea into action, leading the effort to draft and pass the Louisiana Digital Media Act, which Gov. Kathleen Babineaux Blanco signed into law in In the process, he wrote the definition of digital interactive media for the legislation. While ensuring the continued growth of Turbo Squid, Wisdom hopes to accomplish something more comprehensive for the New Orleans economy. This legislation should eventually attract members of the video gaming industry and other digital media to New Orleans in the same way it has already brought the film industry here. Turbo Squid began in 2000 as an originator of 3-D animation for television commercials. After designing 3-D models of cell phone handsets for a Radiophone advertisement, Matt and his brother Andrew noticed similar 3- D models produced by other companies and wondered why there was no way for graphic artists to share their own models. We were designing 3-D models for animated cell phones that played basketball in a commercial, Wisdom said. Our total budget was $25,000, and we spent nearly $15,000 on payroll to design the models. Seeing an open marketplace for 3-D model sharing on the Internet, the company extended its business model, eventually becoming the largest library of 3-D products available in the world with over 133,000 items available on their Web site. Their clients include Pixar, Apple, ABC News, and The New York Times. Other digital artists publish models on our Web site, and we provide a clearinghouse for them to sell their content to other professionals, Matt Wisdom said. Turbo Squid promotes each artist s work to a worldwide audience, then processes, tracks and reports sales, taking 50 percent of each sale for its efforts. In 2001, Turbo Squid closed on a $5.1-million funding deal with Advantage Capital, Intel and Kodak. The funding propelled Turbo Squid to the forefront of the market, with sales in 2005 topping $4 million and projected sales of $6 million in In July, the company plans to venture into the video game industry with the introduction of GameFlood, a Web site and download manager application that allows consumers to update or customize their favorite video games. GameFlood will allow gamers to add third-party, after-market content to an existing game, Matt Wisdom said. If a gamer plays a popular game like Half-Life 2 and wants to add a new level, weapon or character, for a small cost, the gamer will be able to download the new items into the game automatically. After beginning production on GameFlood in 2004, the company filed a patent for the product and helped rewrite Louisiana s legislation to receive tax credits for their expenditures. Matt Wisdom testified in front of the Louisiana Senate Committee on Revenue and Fiscal Affairs and the House Ways and Means Committee. Last summer, Turbo Squid was on the verge of bringing the video gaming industry to New Orleans when Hurricane Katrina struck. Our employees scattered to 13 different places but we did not go down, Matt Wisdom said. Since our Web site is hosted in Miami, we remained in operation and charted our best sales ever. Because most of Turbo Squid s consumers live outside Louisiana more than half outside the United States the location of company headquarters is irrelevant, Matt Wisdom said. The company decided to stay in New Orleans for a combination of financial and sentimental reasons. Their affection for the city is augmented by the tax credit incentive they pushed through state legislation. The marketplace is wide open for this kind of game modification, and the expansion of the state s digital media tax credit makes New Orleans fertile ground for this industry, Matt Wisdom said. Turbo Squid is poised to become a liaison between 3-D model designers and game publishers while attracting new industry to post-katrina New Orleans. Like most other businesses, we re hoping for a safe hurricane season so that other members of the digital media industry will feel comfortable relocating to our city, Wisdom said. We are staying and want to bring others here. Thomas Leggett

7 Silver Award Home Automation Inc. Home Automation Inc. CEO Jay McLellan projects $15 million in 2006 company product sales. Home Automation Inc. s emphasis on well-designed and technologically advanced products,growing national and international markets, and plans for product enhancement are keys to its success as a leading manufacturer of integrated automation and security systems. The company was founded in 1985 and has managed to distinguish itself as an innovator in the home security market. HAI was the first company of its kind to introduce an Internet product, said Jay McLellan, HAI president and co-founder. The Snap-Link USB port offers consumers the ability to monitor and adjust home security, temperatures, and other settings from any computer via an Ethernet port on the HAI system. The two home systems, Lumina and Omni,give customers the choices between non-built in and built-in systems. Lumina provides lighting controls, and Omni offers a built-in system that allows for thermal, security and audio settings. HAI recently released the OmniTouch with Video, an add on option to the Omni system. OmniTouch provides video footage of different areas of the home and allows consumers to adjust control settings from a touch-screen panel. Last year, HAI had $10 million in product sales despite challenges brought on by Hurricane Katrina, and is expected to bring in $15 million in sales in 2006, McLellan said. HAI is close to returning most of its 55 employees to its 51,000-square-foot facility in eastern New Orleans that was damaged by Katrina. The company also plans to retain a site in Mandeville, which temporarily housed the engineering and tech support crews following Katrina. In 2005, HAI received the Continental Automated Building Association Chairman s Pinnacle Award for Outstanding Company, and the HAI Lighting Control won an Innovative Housing Technology Award at an International Builder s Show. The Consumer Electronic Association recently awarded HAI with the 2006 CEA Mark of Excellence Award in the Best Human Interface category for its OmniTouch with Video, and Frost & Sullivan presented McLellan with the 2006 Building Technologies CEO of the Year Award in March. To date, roughly 500 New Orleans consumers have HAI products, only a fraction of its market, as most HAI systems are sold in the Northeast, Florida, California and Texas, said McLellan. We re very unique in this region because we re the only company manufacturing consumer electronic products. We believe that one day every home will have a system like this for energy savings, convenience and comfort, said McLellan. HAI patents and copyrights all of its products, which are conceptualized by McLellan and a team of in-house engineers. Outside manufacturers in China, Dallas, Arkansas and Mexico produce the actual products and then send them to the HAI facility. HAI markets and sells its systems to a network of 300 distributors who sell the products to installers specializing in security, electrical and home automation. Within the next four years, HAI plans to distribute self-installable products to retailers, and is looking at new channels of distribution, such as electrical, heating, ventilation and air conditioning. The goal is to have a product that s more tailored for various market places, said McLellan. Nayita Wilson 2006 Innovator of the Year 7A

8 I n n o v a t o r Benjamin Taylor and Associates Benjamin Taylor Sullivan relocated his design and build company, Benjamin Taylor and Associates, from Houston to New Orleans following Hurricane Katrina. The permanent relocation of business headquarters from Houston to New Orleans is a bold move post- Hurricane Katrina, but it was one that Benjamin Taylor Sullivan made, seizing the opportunity to help rebuild the city. We have an unprecedented opportunity to return the city to the glory of its past elegance, said Sullivan, who owns Benjaim Taylor and Associates, a full-service design and build firm specializing in residential and commercial remodeling and new construction based on a Southern contemporary casual design. The high quality of design that exists in the fine homes of New Orleans must be restored at all costs. The firm has three offices nationwide in New Orleans, Houston and Milwaukee. Moving the headquarters to New Orleans translates to approximately 40 artisans, carpenters and craftsmen coming to the city to begin restoration. The company has extensive experience restoring storm-damaged homes. Tropical Storm Allison hit southeast Texas in June 2001 and Sullivan s team renovated many homes affected by flood and devastation. Although the home office of his firm was in Houston, Sullivan lived in his French Quarter condo for a number 8A 2006 Innovator of the Year of years. After Hurricane Katrina, Sullivan moved his home office back to New Orleans. He said he had always had plans to eventually move back to the Crescent City and Katrina was just the most appropriate time. This is my home, Sullivan said. I want it to get put back together the way it was. Sullivan s firm handles all aspects of the design and remodeling process, from the architectural and space planning to the finishing design touches. He says having one company responsible for all phases of the remodel process saves time and money for the client. Southern contemporary casual design is a blending of older and new elements to create a functional living space that clients can feel comfortable living in, said Sullivan. Most of our clients are in their 30s and 40s, Sullivan said. They have a lot of contemporary artwork and family antiques from Southern living. My job is to blend these two to create a home my clients are going to live with. I work with them in an effort to guide them to their own style. Sullivan says he has always loved Southern antiques, and what he does with his firm is based on what he has done in his own home in Metairie. It s really all about what you love to collect, and what you are going to live with, Sullivan said. It s about comfort living. Walking into your home and being happy with your domain. According to the firm s Web site, Sullivan s interest in design led him to study under his mother, designer Judy Kugle. He was further trained in drafting, codes and building materials and after a year in Europe, refined his design direction and started his firm in Houston in Sullivan is working on 15 houses in the area with a waiting list of more clients. He markets his firm in Metairie and Lakeview but has also done some work in eastern New Orleans. Sullivan said most clients have come through word-ofmouth. I have had such a warm welcome back to the city. When people found out I was moving back, I received dozens of calls about renovations, he said. Sullivan said his home remodeling projects can range from $50,000 to $1 million, but adds it is not about the money, it s about the person. I want to work with people to accommodate to what they want with what budget they have to work with. Robin Shannon

9 I n n o v a t o r Coastal Environments Inc. When Sherwood Gagliano discovered a correlation between fault lines in the Earth s surface and ground subsidence in southeast Louisiana, the outlook appeared grim. Though man can do nothing to stop the Earth s surface from fluctuating, people can avoid this natural hazard and protect new infrastructure by studying the area s geology and not building on known fault lines, he said. The land is cracking, said Gagliano, who holds a Ph.D. in geology and geography. Gagliano founded Coastal Environments Inc. in 1973 to study the terrain, and it became one of the first companies to show Louisiana s land loss can be traced to faults and the poor soil zones near them. The most recent evidence of fault lines affecting infrastructure was seen in the breached canal levees after Hurricane Katrina. The 17th Street Canal and the London Avenue Canal are on one fault line, Gagliano said. Poor soil quality there and along the coast are indicative of future subsidence and erosion, he said. For years, experts have pointed to saltwater intrusion on fresh-water vegetation, the dredging of canals continued on page 10 Sherwood Gagliano, founder of Coastal Environments Inc., uses maps to study land loss and fault lines in the earth s surface, which lead to future subsidence and erosion Innovator of the Year 9A

10 Coastal Environments Inc. continued from page 9 and navigation channels, and the building of levees along the Mississippi River as the causes of coastal erosion and subsidence. And that s part of it, Gagliano said, adding that the problems have not been addressed. We have excellent maps, he said of the surface faults along the coast. That s where they look for oil. Soil has a poorer quality with respect to building on it when it lies close to fault lines, which shift frequently, he said. For years, geologists have used faults and salt domes to find oil and gas. For decades, oil and gas companies have been taking core samples in those spots and creating maps to show where the faults are in order to go after the oil and gas, Gagliano said. Those maps also show where land eventually will shift and sink in the future, he said. About five years ago, Coastal Environments submitted a report to the U.S. Army Corps of Under Houma and under New Orleans, the surface actually pulls apart. The surface of the earth is stretching. Sherwood Gagliano founder, Coastal Environments Inc. Engineers giving scientific details on the problem, but the company has not received much acknowledgement, Gagliano said. We ve been in denial over the importance of the faults, he said. Gagliano and his company, which has grown in 33 years to have 60 employees and make about $5 million annually in revenue, has worked to inform the public about the threat to Louisiana s terrain. Coastal Environments has also opened offices in Biloxi, Miss., and Corpus Christi, Texas, in addition to its main office in Baton Rouge. The company s Gulfport, Miss., office was destroyed in Hurricane Katrina. Gagliano and his company also support building a conveyance channel to divert sediment-rich water from the Mississippi River to build land on Louisiana s coast. The only way you can offset the effects of the faults is to have the river dump sediment into an area, he said. An obstacle Coastal Environments is trying to clear is gaining acceptance from the public and the public officials about the gravity of the situation. Gagliano has testified before the Senate and Corps officials have said little to challenge his study. They (faults) are quite real. They are active and the potential for tremendous devastation is very, very real, said Kathy Haggar, a wetlands consultant and petroleum geologist who supports Gagliano s research. Haggar said she has seen research on other causes of subsidence and erosion, but Gagliano s research has been more concrete. The more I m looking into this, the more mythology I m finding. And the only reality I find are the faults, Haggar said. Gagliano s research has raised tangible red flags and has taken the rhetoric off the coffee table, said Lee Gary with Strategic Management Services, a client of Coastal Environments. He has worked hard to bring quantitative information to the table, Gary said. It s removing the wiggle room. But Louisiana s future is becoming more perilous as little action takes place to address the threat the fault lines pose, say Haggar, Gary and Gagliano. Under Houma and under New Orleans, the surface actually pulls apart. The surface of the earth is stretching, Gagliano said. If you map it and you understand it and you avoid the faults, you can minimize damage. Elizabeth Stuart Built to Build Your Business The Daily Journal of Commerce is the opportunity newspaper of Louisiana and the Gulf Coast, designed for and read by industry professionals architects, engineers, generals, subcontractors and suppliers. For nearly a century, the leaders of companies big and small, throughout the region, have come to rely on the Daily Journal of Commerce five days a week to: CALL (800) TO GET A FREE 10-DAY TRIAL SUBSCRIPTION (JUST MENTION THIS AD)* THE DAILY JOURNAL IS ALSO AVAILABLE ON-LINE AT DJCGulfCoast.com *New Subscribers Only Find new bidding and subbidding opportunities on plans out for bids by following our daily Project Calendar Learn who s bidding the lowest, who s getting the jobs and who s going to need your product or service Get a sneak peek at upcoming projects with our Plans in Progress section Get the first leads on New Projects out for bids Get industry updates and more business building opportunities! But don t take our word for it, check it out for yourself on us - and see how your company can profit from it as well! Call Becky Naquin at Veterans Blvd. Suite 1440 Metairie, LA Fax (888) A 2006 Innovator of the Year

11 One call lets you bundle & save with BellSouth. 877-ANSWERS Advertised services not available in all areas. Long distance provided by BellSouth Long Distance, Inc. DIRECTV service provided by DIRECTV and subject to credit approval BellSouth Corporation. Trademarks and service marks contained herein are the property of their respective owners Innovator of the Year 11A

12 I n n o v a t o r DHAC Inc. Dr. William Steinmann, a Tulane University Medical School professor and chair of primary care medicine, helped develop the Digital Health Assessment Center software tool, to diagnose post-traumatic stress disorder. Dr. William Steinmann and researcher Dr. Thomas Prager invented an online assessment tool designed to diagnose post-traumatic stress disorder. David Crais,CEO of Digital Health Assessment Center, is getting the business end of their invention running. Steinmann is a Tulane University Medical School professor and chair of primary care medicine, while Prager is a University of Texas faculty member at Memorial Health Center in Houston. DHAC is using its timely innovation to diagnose PTSD patients among Hurricane Katrina victims and Iraqi war veterans. But with the Internet as a medium, the company hopes its new tool will eventually reach people of different languages and abilities, who have the disorder in common. Steinmann developed DHAC s clinical aspect, while Prager collaborated on Steinmann s clinical work and assisted engineers in software development. Crais, owner of Crais Management Group in New Orleans, contracted with Prager and Steinmann to create DHAC Inc. DHAC s program was tested at a Houston hospital in July 2001 when 5,000 patients and employees were asked to go online to take the screening test. We wanted to be sure people can understand it 85 to 90 percent of those people did, Prager said. PTSD is a psychiatric disorder that occurs following traumatic events such as military combat, natural disasters, terrorist incidents, serious assaults and rape. People experience nightmares and flashbacks, have trouble sleeping and can feel detached or estranged. Symptoms can be severe enough to significantly impair the person s daily life, according to medical professionals. Many post-katrina (victims) feel weak or lethargic, are depressed and have less social contact and they even question their faith in the almighty, Steinmann said. DHAC s principals made their test available to first Dr. Thomas Prager responders during Katrina. The Substance Abuse and Mental Health Administration sent mental health specialists to New Orleans with laptops to assess victims at ground zero. Crais hopes Huey P. Long Medical Center, the state s primary mental health care facility, will embrace DHAC s product. Social workers or psychologists normally administer testing. Our goal is for any nurse, policeman or other ER staff to be able to do the assessment, freeing them from needing scarce and expensive clinical personnel, Prager said. After the screening is finished, the computer software interprets the data and provides results ready for a medical professional to review. The projected launch date for the company s PTSD testing is July. Spanish and Vietnamese versions will soon be available, and Crais hopes an interactive voice version will be made for patients who can t read. Brenda Ducote 12A 2006 Innovator of the Year

13 I n n o v a t o r East Jefferson General Hospital Medical science technology is constantly changing. Doctors and hospitals are always looking for new innovations to speed procedures and make things more comfortable for their patients. The 3-T MRI Imaging System is one of these innovations, and it has come to East Jefferson General Hospital. Mary Beth Lobrano, EJGH medical director of radiology, said diagnostic imaging holds the key to recovery for most patients. The better the image, the more information that s available to the diagnosing physician, she said. The 3-T MRI has the strongest of any magnetic resonance imaging scanner, said LoBrano. Finer image detail than a standard MRI can be obtained using 3-T. Lobrano said a better image helps render more accurate diagnosis. According to Dr. Susan Fuzzard of EJGH s radiology department, 3-T s speed and power translates into better experiences for all concerned. Some patients simply can t hold their breath for very long. Because of the speed at which this scanner captures images, the physician gets better images and the patient can spend considerably less time in discomfort, Fuzzard said. The new scanners now carry much of the diagnostic load of a modern hospital. In the past, it may have been the best option to conduct exploratory surgery. Now, a doctor can get a much better view of a patient with a non-invasive scan than they ever could with a knife. Lobrano said the installation of the 3-T MRI with Total Imaging Matrix, gives East Jefferson General Hospital the most powerful imaging device in the region. There are not many MRI scanners like it, Lobrano said. It is the only one in the metro area. We are on the cutting edge of medical technology. The 3-T MRI is eight times faster than a regular open or stand-up MRI system. It allows greater flexibility in scanning hard to capture and complex zones such as the feet and hands. East Jefferson is the first hospital in the region and the first public hospital in the Deep South to install the 3-T MRI, but Lobrano says it is a growing trend. As time passes, it is certain that more will be installed, said Lobrano. It will become the new norm. Lobrano said the 3-T MRI was a tremendous investment for the hospital when it was installed in October. The $3 million in funding for the magnets the system uses was allocated months in advance. Even with all the uncertainty following Hurricane Katrina, the hospital decided to move forward. Lobrano said there was little disagreement on whether to proceed with the purchase. The hospital had the facilities and the staff to handle it; all that was needed was the new magnets. She said everyone felt it was the right move to make. Lobrano said since installing the 3-T MRI, East Jefferson has increased the volume of MRIs and increased patient satisfaction. Diagnoses are determined faster and more accurately, and patients are in and out of the hospital in much less time. Robin Shannon Above: East Jefferson General Hospital neuroradiologist Dr. John Joslyn displays the 3-T MRI Imaging System, which is eight times faster than a regular open or stand-up MRI system. Below: radiology technologist Donna Hannan surveys the images of the patient inside the 3-T system Innovator of the Year 13A

14 I n n o v a t o r EzKee LLC Melinda and Doug Favalora, founders of EzKee LLC, display the multimedia tourist and visitor information machine in the middle of the Inn on Bourbon hotel. After 15 years as an electrical engineer, Doug Favalora wanted to combine his technical skills with creativity and entrepreneurship. As early as 2002,he began investigating the development of kiosks to deliver valuable information and resources to tourists in New Orleans. In 2004 Favalora and his wife, Melinda, a certified public accountant, joined to form EzKee LLC, a company that builds and maintains the virtual concierge. A multimedia machine that incorporates audio and visual technology with an interactive user interface, the virtual concierge offers tourists information on hotels, restaurants and attractions. The Favaloras funded the creation of EzKee with approximately $200,000 in research and development costs. The original tabletop model of the machine was developed in about five months and included the help of graphical engineers and software designers. I had to have an outside manufacturer provide me with the touch-screen part but I actually bought a 30-inch screen and built the framework so I could test everything, he said. It s very high quality with DVD-quality movies, graphics and sounds. The virtual concierge features a large screen, high-quality printer, telephone and direct Internet access linking users to company Web sites. Users can navigate the system via touch-screen menus and find more information on hotels, attractions and events. By visiting the screen of an advertiser, they can find more information about the attraction, product or service, print a brochure or coupon, and make a direct call to the business. High-quality graphics, DVD commercials and presentations make it an interactive experience. They re not just reading a bunch of text. It s a visual and audio experience, Favalora said. The user can make a call, visit a Web site, print and gather information all from one machine. In search of funding, Favalora approached the New Orleans Convention and Visitors Bureau and hospitality industry and tourism officials. He is in negotiations with state tourism officials and has received positive response from those who expressed interest in putting the machines in information centers around the state. If you ve ever been in one of those centers, there are 1,000 brochures that can overwhelm you. I proposed that a machine could contain information broken down by regions. The whole concept is that it s a virtual concierge, he said. It s designed to be put in hotels and target tourists and guests. It s available 24 hours a day and it s fast, accurate and unbiased. The Favaloras have five machines in hotels such as the Inn on Bourbon, Marriott Springhill Suites and La Quinta on Camp Street. Hurricane Katrina caused some setbacks to installing the machines in other hotels, but he hopes to have 10 in place by the fall when the tourism season starts. Goals include installing 25 machines in the city by next year and another 25 in state tourism offices and the rest of the city. Virtual concierge machines cost the user or the hotel nothing, and advertising generates revenues, Favalora said. The machines will be placed in high-traffic areas with concentrations of tourists and visitors. Favalora said the approximate cost to build and maintain a machine is about $15,000. Only the advertiser pays to be there, he said. It plays a loop and they can place messages and advertisements in real time such as daily specials and schedules. Everything is networked together so advertisers will be able to go to our Web site, enter the text they want, the background, the images and broadcast it immediately. Because the machines are all networked together, Favalora can also collect data and track every hit they get. This provides valuable information to both existing and potential advertisers. Reports will indicate how many calls were made, how many ads and brochures were printed and which Web pages were visited. It s going to be similar to magazine advertising. I like to think of it as an interactive souped-up magazine with audio and video, he said. Craig Guillot 14A 2006 Innovator of the Year

15 I n n o v a t o r G.T. Michelli Company Inc. Modern electronics and selfdesigned software have allowed G.T. Michelli Company Inc. to develop a cost-effective way to weigh products one that reduces material waste and increases production and profit for processing plants. G.T. Michelli Company Inc. has been selling and servicing scales, balances and weighing systems since The company represents more than 30 manufacturers such as Fairbanks Scales, Water Weights and Avery Weigh Tronics, performing all scale and weighing-related technical services, including installations, calibration checks, servicing and design work. The company reported $11 million in revenue in 2005 and has averaged between $10 and $14 million the last five years, according to President G.T. Michelli Jr. With 50 employees, G.T. Michelli headquarters is in Harahan with offices in Mobile, Ala.; Pearl, Miss; Texarkana, Ark.; Baton Rouge; Bossier City; Monroe and Lake Charles. continued on page 16 G.T. Michelli Company, led by president G.T. Michelli Jr., has sold and serviced scales, balances and weighing systems since CUSTOM SOLUTIONS SOFTWARE PROGRAMMING DESIGN DATA COLLECTION / RFID IN-MOTION WEIGHING HIGH SPEED SORTING BULK MATERIAL HANDLING ISO9001:2000 Registered G.T. Michelli Co., Inc. CORPORATE OFFICE 130 BROOKHOLLOW HARAHAN LA Ph: Fax: info@michelli.com Web: STANDARD PRODUCTS TRUCK / RAILROAD SCALES FLOOR / TANK / BENCH SCALES LABORATORY BALANCES FORCE MEASUREMENT EQUIPMENT 2006 Innovator of the Year 15A

16 G.T. Michelli Company Inc. continued from page 15 Bench, postal, hanging, railroad track and livestock scales are a few of the products the company sells and services. It also sells data acquisition and control systems, force testing machines and checkweighers. Two of the company s most recent innovations are the Durasort High Speed Weight Sorter and the Michelli designed software that operates the machine. Durasort is a multi-functional machine that automatically weighs and classifies products while in motion. It was designed for the fish, poultry and red-meat industries and can sort 150 pieces of product per minute. According to Michelli, transferring the product to the machine is the only labor required. Conveyors were built over the scale to transport it to various bins classified by weight. Today, in order to compete worldwide, you have to do things fast and less expensive. You Today, in order to compete worldwide, you have to do things fast and less expensive. G.T. Michelli Jr. president, G.T. Michelli Company Inc. want to handle the product very gently, very fast and you want to handle it very accurately, said Michelli. Michelli said Durasort helped one company save $1 million last year by reducing the amount of usable product discarded at processing plants and increasing the overall yield. Still there are challenges when dealing with a product of this type such as identifying a way to make the machines conveniently serviceable, Michelli said. Durasort was made of steel when it was introduced in 2005 and has since switched to polyethylene, a high-density product usually found it tubing and kitchenware. Polyethylene makes the machine easier to repair and modify. The need for easily replaceable or repairable products is imperative to processing plants, which can lose millions of dollars if they become inoperable or have to shut down for even an hour due to equipment malfunction or breakdown, said Michelli. Michelli s equipment is also manufactured in the United States with U.S.-made parts. The software is designed to provide accurate statistics during the weighing process. It has 10,000 lines of code and enables plant processors to know their costs while filling orders, said Michelli. The software can also tell the number of pieces weighed and how much product went through in each classification. It is so good that we ve installed equipment even in Alaska, said Michelli. To date, six Durasorts have been manufactured. According to Dave Barnet, manager of operations in Mississippi and Monroe, sales for Durasort and the software exceeded $1 million. Barnett said the company has received bids from European companies and has projects pending in Canada and Jamaica, the latter of which is near closing. According to Michelli, the company doesn t spend much on marketing because of the market s size and uniqueness. Additionally, products are not easy to sell and Michelli Co. has to prove its product is more profitable than the prospective buyers current machinery. Michelli said his sales team spends a lot of time researching the wants of customers, whose needs rally around their own clientele. We re solving a problem for the processing plant, said Michelli. Nayita Wilson Arriving daily on your computer! FREE Daily Update Register today 16A 2006 Innovator of the Year

17 I n n o v a t o r HuckaBuck.com HuckaBuck.com president Chris Schultz, left, and marketing director Blake Killian, said the Web site has received 10,000 visitors and 30,000 searches per month. Every day, millions of people around the world search the Web for anything from books and toys to mortgage rates and car loans. Each time someone clicks an ad or a link, a search engine collects a small amount of money. This is exactly what Chris Schultz, president of New Orleans-based Voodoo Ventures LLC, had in mind when he created the new search engine HuckaBuck.com. Huckabuck.com works like most search engines but features an innovative search tuner that users can use to customize search results. HuckaBuck.com is a metasearch interface that takes the words you type into its search box and queries Google, Yahoo! and MSN simultaneously to deliver results more relevant than those from a single engine. Presets offer optimal search settings for blog searches, metasearches, shopping and research. The graphical equalizer makes searching analogous to music and audio, Schultz said. This is the backbone of our technology and really makes us different from other metasearch engines. HuckaBuck.com is supported by advertising and payper-click ads similar to those on other search engines. Each click on an advertisement can bring anywhere from 5 cents a click on the smaller ones up to $20 a click on big key words that net results for advertisers. Schultz added an extra mission to HuckaBuck.com help the relief and rebuilding effort by donating 10 percent of the profits to Tipitina s Foundation and the Backbeat Foundation. He founded HuckaBuck.com as what he calls a for-profit hybrid with a social initiative. The site gets about 10,000 visitors and 30,000 searches per month. Searching the Internet is something that people do every day and every search on HuckaBuck.com gives money back to New Orleans, he said. One of the defining parts in our business model is to help in the rebuilding of the city. As the former president of travel company Destination VIP, Schultz created Voodoo Ventures LLC in December Voodoo serves as an incubator of ideas such as HuckaBuck.com, many of which will become companies on their own. Creating a metasearch engine was in the works well before Hurricane Katrina but Schultz says the storm furthered his pursuit. The site went live via a soft launch in February but wasn t heavily promoted until around jazz fest. In that time, we had a street team at the festival and advertised in some local papers, he said. We even had a plane that flew around Jazz Fest and a text message campaign where people could text message a code and get a ring tone from Rebirth Brass Band. It created a lot of local awareness and buzz. While Schultz is trying to build hype, HuckaBuck.com is far from just a local product. The search engine field is dominated by major players such as Google, Yahoo and MSN but he says the company can be successful on a fraction of the traffic because of the small business and cost infrastructure. Huckabuck.com employs Schultz, two employees in New Orleans and six contractors out of Russia. While we d love to compete on a large level, we can still be very successful without achieving that, Schultz said. Search has been sort of the mainstay of the postdot-com era. It s been a very profitable segment of the Internet business. Schultz said he is a strong proponent of further developing the Internet and technology business in New Orleans. The former California resident said he came here four years ago not just because of his love for the city but because of the low start-up costs and strong infrastructure. Even post-katrina, when many companies question their ability to deal with more hurricanes, Schultz said the city is a great place to be. As Voodoo Ventures CBD office was inaccessible through Jan. 1, much of the development for HuckaBuck.com was conducted by developers scattered in New Orleans, Baton Rouge and Schultz in North Carolina. In this field, you can still be based here and do business all over the world. Even if you do have to evacuate, you can still keep in touch and conduct business, he said. We don t have a storefront and while we re a part of the community, we don t depend on the city itself. Craig Guillot 2006 Innovator of the Year 17A

18 I n n o v a t o r International House Sean Cummings, owner of International House and Loft 523, has enforced a No smoking policy in his hotels and hotel bars. International House owner Sean Cummings is not just enforcing a new hotel policy, he is delivering what he hopes is a life-changing message: You re beautiful. We care. Please don t. Cummings, who brought New Orleans its first boutique hotel in International House and its first loft hotel in Loft 523, has enforced No smoking policies at his hotels and hotel bars. As of Jan. 1, guests were charged a fee of $200 if smoke was detected in their room. It s a simple idea that everything we re working on after the storm is making New Orleans a city of worldclass excellence and there is an opportunity we have to really become this quintessentially, great boutique city in America, Cummings said. Smoking is poisonous, poisonous to people around you and does not have a place in the world-class excellence that we focus on around here. The message has become more than a policy, with glass pieces created by New Orleans artist Mitch Gaudet placed around the hotel, each with messages such as One-half of all smokers will die from their habit. Employees wear no smoking T-shirts, and Cummings has also spent $25,000 with Trumpet Advertising to release a television and Internet public service announcement condemning smoking. 18A 2006 Innovator of the Year Cummings wrote the PSA, which will air this month featuring actors Harvey Keitel, Bill Harper, Patrick Reynolds and national television commentator Jim McLaughlin. We approached Trumpet and said, We re going to bring a celebrity component to our message, so we can get the word out and help maybe encourage other businesses to do what we re doing, Cummings said. We pride ourselves on being innovative, pushing the design bar and being the first hotel to establish a new concept. There s a serious message here and we try to do it with an uncommon level of excellence, bringing in some celebrities to get the message across and help people apply their craft with much greater excellence than they have in the past. Since the policy went into effect, Cummings said there have been 10 smoking fines among hotel guests. The International House has 82 of 119 rooms available after Hurricane Katrina, while Loft 523, consisting of 18 lofts, was scheduled to reopen June 24. Cummings said the feedback has been mostly positive among guests, including some smokers, who understand they have to go outside if they wish to smoke. Some smokers have said when they go home, their clothes don t smell and they don t mind taking it outside if they need to, he said. Many establishments don t outlaw it because they re afraid of pushing away business. Cummings said they have also introduced a special hotel package called Kicking Butt, which contains a grab bag of items such as Nicorette gum or an appointment with a hypnotist. Cummings said he is unaware of any other nonsmoking hotels in New Orleans, but some national hotels are banning smoking. As of Jan. 1, Westin Hotels and Resorts banned smoking in all rooms, restaurants, bars and public areas at its 77 United States, Canadian and Caribbean properties. Also, about 80 percent of the 28 lodgings in California s Joie de Vivre boutique-hotel chain are smoke free, and the Napa Valley Lodge in California also banned smoking. The trend is starting to come to fruition, and at the core, our business is a boutique hotel and we take that very seriously, Cummings said. We believe that great companies, like great cities, have one thing in common: They stand for something. It s about how we run our business and that we have a voice, and part of that is to heighten and elevate our levels of conduct. Tommy Santora

19 I n n o v a t o r Intradel Corp. ANew Orleans-based multifamily development services firm has invented a Web portal and marketing site to connect property managers with apartment seekers and existing tenants. Intradel Corp.,founded in 1993,has introduced 365 Connect.com, an online resource for apartment managers and owners. We ve seen a great deal of residents coming through the Internet. It s a huge thing now, said Intradel CEO Kerry Kirby. Lots of people shop online for apartments. The average age of a renter is about 31, so they re generally Internet and techsavvy people and we ve created a new way for them to do business. In multifamily developments such as garden apartments, urban lofts and mixed-use housing communities, Intradel provides acquisition/disposition, construction management, structured finance and technology systems applications from the time of market identification to project completion. Market research is implemented prior to continued on page 20 Intradel Corp. employees, bottom row from left: Ryan Kirby, president/ceo Kerry Kirby and Chief Information Officer Jack Reiner. Back row: Jacquelene Steele, Billy George and Ashley Cook. Wake Up! IT S TIME TO GET SERIOUS ABOUT BUSINESS New Orleans Subscribe now and get the Book of Lists valued at $50 as part of your paid order. Call to order your subscription and save up to 60% off the newsstand price! 2006 Innovator of the Year 19A

20 Intradel Corp. continued from page 19 It s huge the entrance of any market to evaluate the need for additional housing in the community. Once the market is identified, site analysis is conducted to identify the optimum location for the project. Once the property and location are determined, Intradel finds the best available method of financing to avoid liabilities and maximize returns. While development is under way, Intradel markets the project through interactive communications with potential residents to maximize the project s occupancy and reduce financial exposure. The 365 Connect concept was first used at White Rock Apartment Homes in San Antonio, Texas. Built in 2002 by Intradel, the property features 336 units. When the community began taking leases, they found that for every phone call they received, 20 people visited the Web site. White Rock received more than 200 reservations through the Web site alone. Prospective tenants can view floor plans and file applications online. The easy format allows property managers to access the back end of the and brings so many services and amenities to residents. Kerry Kirby CEO, Intradel Corp. site and change things like rental rates and office hours. We knew we were onto something and we wanted to find a way to service these people through the Internet after they became residents, Kirby said. We had already been slowly providing more services online through Intradel and expanded it. While the 365 Connect portal offers a variety of services for property managers, it is a gold mine of amenities and conveniences for tenants. They can pay rent and utility bills, post community notes, request maintenance and reserve amenities. Direct feeds provide local news and weather and community newsletters can be viewed on the site. There is even a game zone, homework help for school children, community polls, a search box and more than 200 resources including where to get a driver s license. It is a virtual self-service center that offers access to the office and community around the clock, Kirby said. It s huge and brings so many services and amenities to residents, he said. We originally started it as a system where we could interact with the residents a little more. 365 Connect is now in its fourth version and new technologies, ideas and concepts ensure that the portal will be in a constant state of growth and evolution, Kirby said. The company now serves 10,000 units in more than 40 properties around the United States. Through a reseller relationship with Alliance Data a company that provides utility services to more than 200,000 units Kirby expects to see a significant increase in users of the portal. It s a great tool, said White Rock property manager Donna Carraghan. For the residents, it means having access to the office 24 hours a day. For the property, it gives us the ability to do mass s, post alerts and keep in touch with the residents. White Rock has been using the service for three years. The Resident Services Portal is so loaded with resources that it was recently approved by a Texas housing authority as a resident service provider for affordable housing communities. It is the first online service to appear on a housing agency s compliance form in the U.S. Kirby said the service could be a strong tool in the maintenance and rebirth of affordable rental housing in the New Orleans area. Think about when a hurricane is coming and you ve got 700 residents, he said. It s a great communication tool and in an unfortunate environment as well as everyday business, it s a vital resource. Craig Guillot AS SEEN IN GOOD NEWS IS WORTH REPEATING! EXAMPLE 20A 2006 Innovator of the Year THE BUSINESS NEWSPAPER OF METRO NEW ORLEANS JUNE 20, 2005 T o p P u b l i c C o m p a n i e s Wayne Bollinger reviews projects for Newpark Resources. By Terry O Connor Editor NINETEEN OF THE 22 publicly traded New Orleans-area businesses turned a profit in 2004, including a tidy double-digit percentage net income increase in 10 cases. On the surface, the overall performance is even more impressive than in 2003 when 16 of 22 public companies were in the black. But one publicly held New Orleans company has already been sold and the possibility exists that four more could lose their financial footing as a New Orleans business in At least three New Orleans-area public companies could be lost to bankruptcy this year. Torch Offshore Inc. of Gretna has already filed, OCA of Metairie has been unable to reconcile its books and analysts say it may be forced to file soon and Trico Marine Services of Houma is emerging from bankruptcy. A solid performer, Sizeler Property Investors Inc. of Kenner, is embroiled in a bitter proxy fight with First Union Real Estate Equity and Mortgage Investments of Boston. Sizeler s $16.36 million in 2004 net income apparently isn t enough for the Boston investors. There are many success stories, too. Gulf Island Fabrication Inc. of Houma posted its 17th consecutive profitable year. McMoRan Exploration of New Orleans, Globe Bancorp Inc. of Metairie and Bayou Steel Corp. of LaPlace all increased company revenues 60 percent or more. Entergy, the lone Fortune 500 company headquartered in New special focus Precarious finances afflict top N.O. interests Top five revenue gains Company Percentage McMoRan Exploration 85.2 Globe Bancorp Inc Bayou Steel Corp Energy Partners Ltd Hornbeck Offshore Services Inc Top five revenue declines Company Percentage Torch Offshore Inc McDermott International Inc Gulf Island Fabrication Inc Trico Marine Services Inc. 8.9 GS Financial Corp. 4.2 Roger Johnson operates the furnace for Bayou Steel Corp. Orleans, remains the top performer by far in the business sector. Its revenues totaled $10.1 billion in 2004, up 10.1 percent from $9.2 billion in But net income dipped 1.9 percent to $909,524 from $950.5 million in Details of these stories are contained in the 20-page CityBusiness report on the Top Public Companies in the New Orleans area beginning on page 26. PHOTOS BY CHERYL GERBER Reprints can help you promote your business. Frame articles for a keepsake or give as a gift. High Quality. 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21 To Advertise Please Call or George Gurtner or Lisa Mueller Available weekly at the following locations Bella Materna, Royal Blend Coffee, Canseco s Grocery, Radosta s, Metairie Cleaners, Alex Hailey s Barber Shop, PJ s Coffee, Rose Lynn s Hallmark, First Bank and Trust, H2O Hair Salon Radosta s - Old Hammond Highway Lee s Hamburgers, Dorignac s, Winn-Dixie, Subway - Lakewood Plaza, Comeaux Furniture, Gordon s of Metairie, Baskin-Robbins, Martin Wine Cellar, C s Discount Pharmacy, Hibernia Bank-Bonnabel, Puglia s Sporting Goods, Café La Tete, Sav-A- Center - Both locations, Andrea s, Saturn of Metairie, Carreta s Grill, Lakeside Newsstand, Morning Call, Puccino s, Breaux Mart, Firestone, Lakeside Mall, Deanies Seafood, CC s Coffee, Paradise Café, Porsche of Metairie, Veterans Ford, Goodyear, Lowe s, Office Max, Enterprise Rent- A-Car, Kinko s/fedex, Paretti Mazda, Tastee Donuts, Coffee Cove, East Jefferson General Hospital, Cadillac-Hummer of Metairie, Café du Monde, Tulane-Lakeside Hospital Ochsner Clinic Foundation-Brent House, Azalea Grill, Winn-Dixie, Jefferson Feed, Subway - Jefferson Hwy, Italian Pie, Crescent Ford Trucks, Tastee Donuts, Double M Feed C & C Drugs, Coffee Cottage, Cellars of River Ridge, Hickory Café, Joe Yenni Building, Elmwood Fitness Center, Office Max, Winn-Dixie, Shear Glory Hair Salon, Breaux Mart, Town Crier News, PJ s Coffee, Mimi Restaurant, Dots Diner Robert s Supermarket, Come Back Inn, Winn-Dixie, Chateau Golf Club Chateau Coffee, Café Roma, Sav-A-Center - Both locations, Kenner Regional, Rouses, Zappardo s Supermarket, Jefferson Parish Public Library, Rite Aid, Office Depot, Wal-Mart Supercenter, Ochsner After Care, Coffee &, Asian Super Buffet, Subway - Two locations, Panda King, Semolina Casey Jones Supermarket, Carr Drugs, Subway - All locations, Academy Sporting Goods, Mothers, Common Grounds, Papanini Coffee Bistro, Barnes & Noble, Office Depot, China Doll, Coffee &, Day Spring Coffee House, Sun Ray Café & Grill, Terrytown Café, A & P Grocery, Breaux Mart, Gourmet Butcher Block, Café Roma, Links at Stonebridge Golf Course, Planet Beach Tanning Salon, Lowe s, Semolina, Coffee Shop, Majoria Drugs, Laborie s, Sal's, West Jefferson Fitness Center, West Jefferson Hospital, Rite Aid, Rugusa's Supermarket, Fasullo's Supermarket, Wego Inn Café, Winn-Dixie - All locations, Quizno s - All locations, Bud s Broiler, Frosty s Cafe, IHOP, Wal-Mart, Big Lots, Joe s Cafe Jefferson Parish s newest newspaper is your newspaper Innovator of the Year 21A

22 I n n o v a t o r IsoBreathing Inc. IsoBreathing founder Ellen Miller helps Ann Moisant with an exercise. Miller has sold more than 800 versions of her IsoBreathing DVD, which went on sale two years ago. She released her second DVD in March, which sold 100 versions. IsoBreathing is a fitness program that combines isometrics, a muscle contraction in which the tension increases but the muscle length stays the same, with slow rhythmic breathing. The program teaches people how to work out while brushing teeth, sitting in a car or sitting at a desk, said Ellen Miller, a teacher of fitness and lifestyle changes for 20 years, and creator of the IsoBreathing technique in It shows people you can be dressed in a business suit and still get a workout. Miller said IsoBreathing is different than any other program because the movements are simple and the results are almost instant. There is no breath holding and the breathing portion of IsoBreathing delivers oxygen to every part of the body being exercised. Within one week, you start to feel energized, you build strength, you lose weight and reduce stress, said Miller. In the IsoBreathing program, exercises and stretches are done once a day and take between 10 and 15 minutes. The breathing portion is practiced five times a day and can be done when reading, shopping, cleaning, watching television or sitting down to relax. Miller said 75 percent of her clients need to lose anywhere from 35 pounds on up, and from that group, more than half need to lose more than 100 pounds. Miller said she first tried the program out herself, and lost 4.5 inches off her waist in the first week. She then tried it on her family and clients she was already working with and got the same results. I have not had a client yet that has not obtained results, said Miller. Consistency makes the product work. Miller said the basic premise of the program came to her while teaching aerobics. She found her clients were often getting into a faster rhythm while working out, and she wanted to get them back to a slow-moving exercise program. So she decided to begin teaching the slower, more basic isometric exercises. She also said many of her clients were not breathing properly during exercise and not getting enough oxygen to the working muscles. She said rhythmic breathing slower inhaling and exhaling helps fuel muscles with oxygen so the workout is more efficient. Miller said the program is also good for people who suffer from various ailments such as bad knees, fibromyalgia and arthritis, and helps people going through chemotherapy. She said it is valuable to asthma patients as a way to keep the affliction under control. I have one client who has dramatically reduced her dependence on her inhaler because of the program, said Miller. After finding success with clients, Miller decided to produce a DVD about the program, which she has sold across the country. She was in the middle of working on a second DVD when Hurricane Katrina struck. Hampered by the storm but not totally out of luck, Miller received help from an unexpected place. My son actually came to me and explained that one of his high school classes was looking for a project, said Miller. He pitched the idea of producing my second DVD to his teacher and they decided to go with it. Miller said her son s class at Fontainebleau High School produced the second DVD and three more after that with a portion of the proceeds going back to the high school. She is also working with a vendor to distribute the DVDs and produce them nationally. Miller said the program is appealing because it is so simple and just about anyone can do it anywhere. She said there is no equipment involved and you don t have to work out regularly. If you can breathe and you can sit, said Miller. IsoBreathing will get you fit. Robin Shannon 22A 2006 Innovator of the Year

23 I n n o v a t o r Jones Walker After Hurricane Katrina created a flood of problems for clients, the Jones Walker law firm Disaster Recovery Client Team did its best to meet their needs as quickly as possible in a time of chaos. Less than a week after the flooding, a group at Jones Walker came up with taking a team approach to assisting clients with the environment s unique challenges. We knew our clients had different issues popping up in areas that were within our traditional strengths, said Marshall Page, Jones Walker Disaster Recovery Client Team leader. With offices in Baton Rouge, Lafayette, Houston, Miami and Washington, D.C., Jones Walker remained operational despite the devastation in New Orleans. Members of the team quickly began researching areas of law relating to Katrina issues such as distribution of Federal Emergency Management Agency funds. This group tried to outline what our clients would encounter before they had a problem. Answering the question before the question arises, said Page. One of the team s primary efforts was to send out e- mails, sometimes several in a week, to its client list about Katrina-related issues. Topics ranged from tax relief and mold remediation to hiring contractors and disaster aid deadlines. Whenever we ran into an issue with one client, we sent an to our other clients about that topic, thinking they might have similar issues, said Page. In doing so, Jones Walker preemptively solved many problems for clients pro bono since they were not billed for the e-bulletins. Jones Walker s business clients had employees scattered all over during September, and the Disaster Recovery Client Team conducted seminars on issues such as how to file for insurance claims, what FEMA and Small Business Administration assistance was available, and how to file for personal bankruptcy. Now that many of the initial storm issues have been addressed, the team is focusing primarily on insurance work on behalf of the insured. A Gulf Opportunity Zone Client Team has been formed to help businesses work with recent tax incentives. Page was part of the group that conceived the Disaster Recovery Client Team, but he is quick to emphasize it was and still is a massive collaborative effort. What makes the client team a little unusual is that there was a terrific group of lawyers, a terrific marketing group and a terrific technology group all working together. To be able to get the e-bulletins out required a lot of work from a lot of people, said Page. The team included lawyers working around the country from Houston to Nashville to Washington, The Jones Walker Disaster Client Recovery Team includes, from left: Allen E. Frederic III, Edward H. Bergin, Vanessa W. Servat, J. Marshall Page III, Shelley L. Poore, Christopher S. Mann, Jennifer L. Anderson and Covert J. Geary. D.C., who were influential in getting recovery legislation passed to aid citizens and businesses. Chris Johnson, a partner in Jones Walker s Washington office and a firm board member, credits the Livingston Group lobbying firm and Louisiana s congressional delegation with ushering measures through the House and Senate. According to Johnson, the team s D.C. role was as an intermediary between Louisiana businesses that needed assistance and Congress. We helped Louisiana groups shape their message and put them in touch with the right people to hear their message, said Johnson. Fritz Esker 2006 Innovator of the Year 23A

24 I n n o v a t o r JPMorgan Chase Anne Kratzer, vice president and senior relationship manager in small business banking at JPMorgan Chase, advises Quality Wholesale and Supply distribution manager Garrett Monti on the Image Direct Deposit software. Images can be searched and retrieved through a secure Web browser. Diane Luccia Vice president of treasury management services, JPMorgan Chase/New Orleans branch 24A 2006 Innovator of the Year JPMorgan Chase, a New York-based full-service provider of cash management, trade finance and treasury solutions, introduced a technological advancement to speed up electronic check deposits for businesses, and the innovation is branching out to help New Orleans business owners. Image Deposit Direct uses image-capture technology to electronically reproduce any check delivered through the mail, dropped off or presented in person, and it deposits the checks electronically with the bank. Image Deposit Direct allows our clients to significantly improve their revenue stream by having faster availability of their funds, while minimizing costs associated with traditional paperbased check deposit processes, said Craig Vaream, vice president and domestic check deposits senior product manager for the treasury services unit. As the nation s second-largest check processor and the largest U.S. dollar clearer in the world, JPMorgan Chase remains committed to being at the forefront of image-capture technology, so we can meet our clients evolving business needs. Diane Luccia, vice president of treasury management services for JPMorgan Chase s New Orleans branch, said the technology uses windows-based PC software and compact check scanner equipment that allows clients to scan checks from any geographic location and transmit the images to one central account or multiple accounts for electronic deposit. The captured images are then stored in an Internet-based image archive that makes source documents available online, said Luccia. Images can be searched and retrieved through a secure Web browser, streamlining the account research and customer service process. Luccia said the key benefits of Image Deposit Direct are that it has streamlined the check deposit process with desktop image capture, and it has reduced administrative expenses and trips to the bank and eliminated the costs of couriers transporting checks. Clients avoid fees associated with maintaining accounts at multiple banks, and their availability to funds has been greatly accelerated. Luccia said balance reports can now show funds have arrived in clients accounts the same day they were deposited. JPMorgan Chase has invested more than $100 million nationwide in image check technology, and deployed check scanners at more than 1,800 branches, said Luccia. JPMorgan Chase has assets of $1.3 trillion and operations in more than 50 countries. Robin Shannon

25 I n n o v a t o r Just Scratch It! Just Scratch It! is a company that does exactly that. The trademarked business designs and creates ultraviolet-based, scratch-off tickets for corporations looking to give away promotional items. Brian Mirich, a veteran of sporting goods retail sales, started the business after coming across a scratcher developed by his longtime friend and designer for one of his sporting goods clients. The scratcher was amazing both in design and feel, said Mirich s New Orleans partner Mark Bloom. At that moment Brian knew it would be a great business concept, and a week later he had coined the new business Just Scratch It! and designed a logo. Bloom said Mirich sold his sporting goods business after 15 years in order to obtain the capital needed to start Just Scratch It! Bloom said every scratch-off item is customized and designed specifically for clients, and take about six weeks to produce. For years people just scratched a blank silver circle. Now they scratch a shape with the clients logo, symbol or image to help promote their message. Just Scratch It! uses an ultravioletbased, scratch-off process, which includes printing a UV-black layer on top of scratch-off areas. It is an expensive process that uses four-color and UV printing equipment costing well into six figures. Bloom said the company recently partnered with a printer and coater to help reduce its initial investment and overhead. The company plans to invest in its own state-of-the-art UV coater so production and operations can be done under one roof. Bloom said Mirich brought the company to the New Orleans area after Hurricane Katrina as a way to help the economy regain its footing. (Brian) called me post-katrina to ask how he could contribute to the relief efforts, said Bloom. I explained the continued on page 26 Just Scratch It! partner Mark Bloom said the company has produced scratch-off tickets for 15 New Orleans companies since bringing the product to the city post-katrina. ONLINE ADVERTISING IS POWERFUL JUST LIKE OUR SUBSCRIBERS NET ADVERTISING RATES Advertising Sizes Time Weekly Monthly Banner $200 $600 $ pixels x 90 pixels Medallion $150 $450 $ pixels x 125 pixels Ads will be rotated. Material Requirements JPEG or GIF, RGB only, 72 DPI For more information lisa.blossman@nopg.com 2006 Innovator of the Year 25A

26 Just Scratch It! continued from page 25 physical devastation but even more so the economic setback suffered by many of the businesses in New Orleans. I explained that Just Scratch It! could not only help businesses post-katrina bring customers back, but also make them feel like they won. I felt it was a great way to forget about day-to-day issues of creditors, insurance companies, contractors and all the stresses associated with post-katrina New Orleans. Brian agreed, and we both set out to revive the community and lift some spirits. Bloom says the Just Scratch It! concept has been successful with hundreds of clients throughout the United States, including Staples, Chevron, Cold Stone Creamery and Sneakers Pub and Grill. Since moving to New Orleans, Just Scratch It! has served about 15 companies in the metro area, including Planet Beach. The Marrero-based tanning salon is using a scratch-off ticket to give away promotional prizes as part of gift bags for the Manning Chevron is among the nationwide clients of Just Scratch It! Passing Academy. Bloom says there is no challenge to keep Just Scratch It! in the market. It has massive appeal and unlimited value. The trick, however, is getting businesses to understand that value, he said. The main purpose of the scratcher is to increase revenue and business, not just giving away free stuff, said Bloom. Once they have success, the re-orders are automatic because the scratchers pay for themselves. Robin Shannon SHOW YOUR LOUISIANA PRIDE and benefit disaster relief efforts. Visit the online store at to shop for Our Home, Louisiana gear. Net proceeds go to fund disaster relief. 01MK2607 6/06 26A 2006 Innovator of the Year

27 I n n o v a t o r KB Home/The Shaw Group KB Home Gulf Coast Region President Steve Davis, left, and New Orleans Executive Vice President David Buck in front of a model home being constructed on St. Andrew Street in the River Garden. After looking over the damage in the New Orleans area caused by Hurricane Katrina, officials with KB Home and The Shaw Group decided to bring people back to the area and to spur growth. Their joint venture, KB Home/Shaw Louisiana LLC, is building between 9,000 and 12,000 homes in the area over the next five to 10 years, said Steve Davis, division president of KB Home Gulf Coast. In March, the partners signed a contract with HRI Properties Inc. of New Orleans to build 15 residences for HRI in River Garden, a residential community near the Garden District in the former St. Thomas Housing Project neighborhood. They will construct homes on lots owned by HRI to be marketed by the Housing Authority of New Orleans and HRI to buyers who meet strict criteria, with preference given to former residents of the St. Thomas housing facility and first-time homeowners. The homes are expected to cost approximately $130,000 to $140,000. In a separate agreement, KB Home and The Shaw Group will buy approximately 60 residential lots from HRI in the same River Garden area. These residences will be priced at the market rate, approximately $280,000 to $450,000. Founded in 1957, Los Angeles-based KB Home is a Fortune 500 public company with $1.64 billion in annual revenue. KB Home has built homes across the country and has a publicly traded French subsidiary. The Shaw Group is a global provider of technology, engineering, procurement, construction, maintenance, fabrication, manufacturing, consulting, remediation, and facilities management services for government and private sector clients in the infrastructure and emergency response markets. The company has more than $3 billion in annual revenue and is headquartered in Baton Rouge. It is also a publicly traded company and operates in North America, South America, the Middle East, Europe and the Asia-Pacific region. We re a Louisiana company, Louisiana born, Louisiana bred, said David Landers, president of Shaw Home Louisiana. We just felt like we needed to do our part to rebuild our state. By working with the Shaw Group to build housing, Davis said the joint venture will help revive the city and boost morale by providing tangible development and growth. He said New Orleans-area residents are confronted daily by the environmental stress of destruction and slow recovery. New houses and developments will help provide hope for the future, he said. New Orleans people have a zeal when it comes down to a love of life, Davis said. The company is also looking to build homes where people can have 15-minute commutes to work in the city, Davis said. I d like to offer a house at all price points and not just at the highest level, Davis said. Davis, a New Orleans native, said he lived out of town for more than 20 years but decided to move back to the New Orleans area to live. I bought a house here and moved in January to Old Metairie, Davis said, adding that all of his senior-level team members have established their homes in the greater New Orleans area. Landers said after The Shaw Group pumped the water out of New Orleans after the storm, company officials began to look for other ways to help. It s just heartfelt for us. Many Shaw employees were affected by the storm, Landers said. The joint venture will also develop land on the West Bank, the North Shore and LaPlace, as well as build homes on available land in New Orleans, Davis said. That s the quickest way I think we can help the people in New Orleans, Davis said. We believe in the city. Not only are we creating employment. We re building houses and putting people to work. Davis said he hopes building new housing will also inspire more businesses to come back to the area and draw new businesses to come to the New Orleans area. Steve Dwyer, an attorney with Dwyer & Cambre, represents the land seller, Churchill Farms Inc. What has really impressed me is the fact that KB Home and Shaw have brought a huge number of professional builders and planners into the area to ensure it would be a model development, Dwyer said. It will be a force in this community for years and years to come. We ve always thought the redevelopment of New Orleans is a chicken-and-egg situation. The workers can t come back without housing. Elizabeth Stuart 2006 Innovator of the Year 27A

28 I n n o v a t o r LuMunn LLC Founders of LuMunn LLC started up their company after following the saying, Give a lazy person a hard job and they will find the easiest way to get it done. About eight years ago, John R. Munn II grew tired of chasing his sons around to get them to hold open bags for yard debris on their half acre of land in Baton Rouge. He saw a device in a hardware store that helped hold bags open but it was not easy to handle and would tear the bag. After experimenting with a few different models, Munn finished his first prototype using PVC sheets and called it the KwicKan. Munn said LuMunn, based in New Orleans, produces KwicKan and has sold between 10,000 and 15,000 in the past eight years. The suggested retail price of each KwicKan is $14.95, Munn said. The first KwicKan cost $30 to produce, he said. KwicKans are made of ABS, a durable plastic, and can hold open most 33- to 55-gallon bags, Munn said. The company, run by Munn and his business partner Balad Tebo II, purchases the plastic out of Ohio and has it die cut and printed. There are other products like ours out there but they re flimsy, hard to use or have clips, Munn said. Now a North Shore resident, Munn said he uses his invention every time he must fill a garbage bag. It s truly user friendly, Munn said. John Ellinghausen, Munn s customer and attorney, said once he started using Munn s creation, yard work became easier. All my neighbors have them now. This thing is just perfect. It has handles on it that you squeeze and then slip it in the bag, Ellinghausen said. The KwicKan has also been used in hurricane debris cleanup. LuMunn donated 100 KwicKans to Katrina Krewe, a nonprofit dedicated to cleaning major thoroughfares and to immediate storm relief cleaning in Orleans Parish in the wake of Hurricane Katrina. The KwicKan saved us that one step (holding bags open), and it makes the cleanup easier. They re extremely helpful in any type of cleanup, said Becky Zaheri, founder and president of Katrina Krewe. With the KwicKan, volunteers could share one bag and more efficiently clear debris, she said. Everybody loved them. A lot of the volunteers asked where they could get one for their personal use, Zaheri said. The organization continues to use the device. Munn said the biggest challenge he and his business partner face is improving the product s marketing. LuMunn markets the KwicKan primarily by using wordof-mouth and through Internet sales. In the New Orleans metro area, Jefferson Feed, Pet and Garden Center and some other stores sell the KwicKan. The city of Marianna, Fla., and the University of South Carolina have ordered KwicKans, Munn said. Stokes Seed Catalog has also ordered, he said. LuMunn is following up on leads in Germany, the United Kingdom and in Canada, he said. Munn said he recently attended a national hardware show in Los Angeles to show his product and is working on producing a show to advertise the KwicKan on the QVC television shopping network. Elizabeth Stuart 28A 2006 Innovator of the Year John Munn, left, and Balad Tebo, founders of LuMunn LLC, showcase their KwicKan product. They have sold approximately 15,000 units in the past eight years.

29 I n n o v a t o r Ochsner Health System Dr. Stephen Bardot, Ochsner Health System Department of Urology chairman, demonstrates the davinci Robotic System, which allows physicians to perform operations through smaller incisions and also reduces patient recovery times. Ochsner Health System is at the forefront of medical technology advances with its davinci Robotic System, which allows physicians to perform intricate operations through smaller incisions, improving patient recovery times with less pain. In robotic surgery, the surgeon is seated at a console a few feet away from the patient. The surgeon sees a 3-D image of the surgical field while operating through tiny incisions made with small diameter instruments. The instruments replicate the exact movements of the surgeon s hands and wrists. In laproscopic surgery, tiny incisions are made in the patient s body and instruments are inserted to perform the operation. Previously, such surgeries would involve two-dimensional images broadcast to the surgeon on the equivalent of a television screen and the surgeon operating with an 18-inch stick. The davinci Robotic System has a much stronger camera system that allows 10 times the image magnification. Two cameras are used to give the surgeon a 3-D image. You get normal vision. You can tell when something s far away and when something s close, said Dr. Stephen Bardot, Ochsner Department of Urology chairman. It s a vast improvement over the old one, which provided no sense of real depth. The surgeon s hands are strapped to an armature, and instruments inside the patient duplicate the surgeon s hand movements to an exact degree. It s like a Mini-Me version of yourself, said Bardot. There is no time delay between a surgeon s movements and the corresponding movement of the instruments inside the patient. After a while, you forget that it s not you. The only challenge the system poses is the surgeon cannot use his sense of touch and mechanical instruments are actually making physical contact with the patient. What is challenging to learn is that you don t have your normal sense of touch. There s no tactile feedback and you have to use your eyes more, said Bardot. A huge advantage the davinci Robotic System has over previous devices is the smaller incisions, said Bardot. The surgical wrists/hands are 8 millimeters wide, which allows for very delicate surgery without putting your hand in. Because of smaller incisions, there is less blood, scarring and recovery time in the hospital. You go home faster and resume your normal life more rapidly, said Bardot. Ochsner Health System has been using the davinci Robotic System since January One device is at the main campus in Jefferson Parish and another at facility in Baton Rouge. It is used for a number of purposes, including hysterectomies and other gynecological work and fixing congenitally obstructed kidneys. Its primary purpose is to remove tumors from patients with prostate cancer. According to Bardot, approximately 80 percent of the davinci s use is on prostate cancer patients. For these patients, the quick recovery the davinci enables is a godsend. You re glad the cancer is out, but you want to see them get back to their normal life quicker, said Bardot. He said prostate cancer patients are able to go home, back to work and recover quicker. Ochsner is also the first hospital in the region to obtain the fourth arm of the davinci Robotic System. The original system had three arms one for the camera and two for the surgeon s hands. The fourth arm gives the surgeons three hands to work with. You can assist yourself, said Bardot. Bardot said eventually an additional davinci will be needed at Ochsner s main campus. Five more surgeons are starting to use it and within two years, we may need a second one. Fritz Esker 2006 Innovator of the Year 29A

30 I n n o v a t o r PreSonus Audio Electronics PreSonus Audio Electronics CEO Jim Odom said the best innovations come from knowing your products and market and using your products in your market to see what needs to be developed next. If I was a video game maker CEO, I would want a bunch of 17-year-olds coming up with my next product idea, Odom said. They re involved and they know what s going on.... That s why we have had so much success here. We re all musicians and we re all avid, recording musicians, so we use all of our products, and therefore the innovations never stop. Baton Rouge-based PreSonus Audio Electronics, founded by Odom in 1995, has designed, manufactured and introduced 20 audio products into the music recording marketplace for recording and live sound. Their innovations helped steer the company to $17 million in revenue in 2005, a 100 percent jump from Odom said he projects 35 percent growth in revenue in PreSonus, which has 65 employees and offices in Baton Rouge and Los Angeles, sells to 800 dealers across the United States like Guitar Center, Best Buy and Apple, and to 44 different countries, including France, Germany, Canada and Australia. The company manufactures more than 80 percent of its products in southern China. Odom founded PreSonus after spending more than 10 years as a musician, producer and engineer and also earning a double degree in electrical engineering and computer engineering at Louisiana State University. Odom is credited with two Recording Industry Association of America certified gold records, one certified platinum record, along with two Ampex Golden Reel Awards. Odom worked on the soundtrack for Dirty Dancing and National Lampoon s European Vacation and co-produced and played guitar on the song, Where Were You Tonight, by Tom Johnson. Odom received his first electric guitar at age 10 and when he was 17, Downbeat Magazine named him Best Up and Coming Jazz Guitarist in America. The recognition earned Odom a scholarship to Berklee School of Music in Boston. Odom finished his guitar studies at Loyola University New Orleans, and in the mid-1980s, moved back to Baton Rouge to build his first recording studio in a barn behind his parents house. In 1982, Odom became lead guitarist for Louisiana LeRoux, a band he still plays in. The band has opened for Journey, The Doobie Brothers, Ozzy Osborne and REO Speedwagon. It s rare you have a CEO of a company who is that 30A 2006 Innovator of the Year PreSonus Audio Electronics CEO Jim Odom, standing, consults with employees Elizabeth Beard and Vu Nguyen. in tune with the market that he actually is a main part of the market, said Brad Zell, director of marketing for PreSonus. PreSonus audio products include firewire computer interfaces, preamplifiers, compressors and equalizers. The first product for PreSonus was a revolutionary digitally controlled stereo compressor called the DCP8, which won a patent for digital control of analog circuits. The company s two best-selling products are their most recent. The $600 Firepod, a PreSonus product introduced in 2004, has surpassed the 50,000-sold mark, while the $300 Firebox, released in 2005, has reached the same selling plateau. The Firepod is a 10-channel, computer-recording interface that includes eight microphone preamplifiers. Odom said the product was developed to solve the problem of getting multiple audio channels into a computer, which takes all the inputs from the microphones, records them and allows the user to make a CD of the mixed music. The companion product, Firebox, has the same concept, only smaller and more portable to put in your backpack and record your kids show or theater performance. You don t have to open up the computer or connect a card to different external boxes, Odom said. With these products, you just hook one box up to the computer. Odom thought of the Firepod product when he was looking for a studio solution for his high school-aged son, Jordan, who also plays in a band. The products Odom was going to buy cost more than $2,000. So I came up with a portable device to collect all the various channels of a live performance and translate them into a computer, Odom said. PreSonus competitors include major companies such as Avid Technology, Harman Music Group and Yamaha, and Odom said to stay competitive in the music recording business, a firm has to be multidimensional. You got to have the technical side down then understand the customer better. Your marketing of the new technology has to be perfect and the pricing has to be competitive, Odom said. You can never rest on your last innovation. If you re stagnant, you get run over. Tommy Santora

31 I n n o v a t o r Sabre Technical Services When anthrax was discovered on Capitol Hill in 2001, Sabre Technical Services President John Mason was called in to find a way to remove the threat and sterilize all affected areas. At that point, the sterilization of an entire building seemed like an impossible challenge. In order for it to be effective, not a single spore of the acute infectious disease could be left. Chlorine dioxide was the only real choice. It hadn t been used as a gas before but we needed an effective sporicide and biocide that would kill in porous surfaces, said Sabre spokeswoman Karen Cavanaugh. And of course, it had to be something that wouldn t make the building any more toxic than it already was. Sabre s work with the government included the fumigation and sterilization of multiple buildings on Capitol Hill and postal facilities in Washington, D.C., and New Jersey. By the conclusion of the fumigation, Sabre had become the Capitol Hill emergency response team and turned to buildings with mold infestations. Mold fumigation and drills kept Sabre busy through But when Hurricane Katrina struck, the company used its unique chlorine dioxide treatment in relief efforts on the Gulf Coast. Since the storm it has fumigated a number of government and commercial buildings including a post office, the Job Corps building on Airline Drive, a bank, restaurant on Decatur Street, a church and a plantation home in St. Bernard Parish. Every meeting we went to, people would pull us aside and ask if we could do their house, Cavanaugh said. It was never on the horizon for a person to get their house fumigated but as we ve got more teams on the ground, we ve been able to make it more efficient. Since receiving Environmental Protection Agency authorization to use the process on residences, Sabre has fumigated about 100 homes in the area but anticipates a surge in business as more people discover the service. Prices are fairly standard and run about $6.50 a square foot for a gutted structure to $8 a square foot without contents and $9 a square foot with contents. Many buildings contaminated by mold require extensive renovations and in many cases, it s cheaper just to demolish and rebuild. The fumigation and removal of mold by chlorine dioxide can often be done without gutting or removing contents. When we sterilize for mold, we treat at the same level for anthrax. The mold, the smell, the filth is all gone in one day. When you fumigate like this, you don t even have to gut or remove materials, Cavanaugh said. A typical Sabre fumigation involves a six- to eightperson team. The entire house or building is covered with a massive tent and the chlorine dioxide gas is made on-site with a special generator. The gas is circulated through the building for three to four hours and kept at the correct consistent levels by taking measurements and samples every 30 minutes. Homeowners are essentially getting the same service the company provides responding to a federal emergency. It s not like termite fumigation where we just put gas in and wait. There s a steady state it needs to hit and that s how it penetrates into all the inside spaces. We put John Mason, founder of Sabre Technical Services, and company spokeswoman Karen Cavanaugh, in front of a restaurant on Decatur Street they are preparing for fumigation. spore strips everywhere in the furniture, in the walls, in the insulation and make sure that not a single spore is left, Cavanaugh said. During the process, the DNA and cell wall of the mold is penetrated and even the thickest coat of mold is vaporized. Sabre is officially headquartered in Albany, N.Y., but its extensive operations in New Orleans have led the company to move more operations to the Crescent City. Sabre is now working out of trailers in the Elmwood area and performs about four or five fumigations per week. The company isn t used to being visible so its services have not been made publicized much yet, Cavanaugh said. Like many local businesses, it faces a labor shortage and is in search of microbiologists, chemists and operators. Cavanaugh said Sabre s mold remediation service isn t just another post-katrina business concept it is vital to the recovery of New Orleans. Even in the flooded areas, structurally most places are OK. But on the inside, it s not safe to live in there. The rebuild issue is first and foremost a contamination issue. If you could blink and get rid of the mold and mildew, it would be a whole new story. Craig Guillot 2006 Innovator of the Year 31A

32 I n n o v a t o r West Jefferson Medical Center/ Jefferson Community Health Care Centers Overcrowding in hospital emergency rooms was a major problem post-hurricane Katrina as physicians were displaced and several hospitals inoperable. Hospitals that stayed open or could reopen had to find a solution to deal with increased patient populations. West Jefferson Medical Center did so by partnering with a nearby urgent care facility in the Jefferson Community Health Care Centers Inc. The two entities formed a partnership in November 2005 to put a trailer adjacent to the hospital where Jefferson Community Health Care Centers would provide urgent care services, in hopes of alleviating some of the West Jefferson emergency room overcrowding and reduce the wait time for health care. A lot of people were receiving health care services from the Disaster Medical Assistance Team and when the Department of Homeland Security moved that group out in November, people had no place to go, said Rickey Vaughn, chief financial officer for Jefferson Community Health Care Centers. So they went to the West Jeff emergency room, and in many cases they were for non-emergencies. We worked to remedy that problem and also provide health care to the low-income and indigent. The partnership actually dates to 2004 when Jefferson Community Health Care Centers was formed at an Avondale facility on U.S. Highway 90. West Jefferson leased the facility to Jefferson Community Health Care Centers, which was built to provide affordable health care, treat the indigent and be a facility for people who don t go to the doctor until they become very sick. Vaughn said the facility works on a $1.8 million annual budget from Jefferson Parish funds and revenue generated by the center. With seven physicians, the center provides routine primary medical care like vision and hearing screenings, disease management, gynecological exams, medication management and physicals. Vaughn said people pay for services based on a sliding fee scale. Regular doctor visits are usually $65, but could drop as low as $20 if people qualify. The center received Federally Qualified Health Center status in March, enabling it to discount rates because of Medicare and Medicaid reimbursements. Vaughn said patient counts at Avondale went from 17 pre-katrina to 35 post-katrina, and when the urgent care trailer opened at West Jeff, they saw 20 a day with two full-time physicians and two nurse practitioners. The success of the center encouraged Jefferson Community Health Center to move from the trailer within the next 90 days to occupy 16,000 square feet of a 36,000-square-foot facility on Ames Boulevard in Marrero. The center will provide urgent care services in addition to the primary care services offered in Avondale. This will help set what the evolution of health care post-katrina is going to become, said Louis Thomas, From left: Louis Thomas, chairman of the Jefferson Community Health Care Centers board of directors, Rickey Vaughn, Jefferson Community CFO, and Anna Kokes, West Jefferson Medical Center s senior director of nursing, were all instrumental in building an urgent care facility at the hospital. chairman of the Jefferson Community Health Care Centers board of directors and also member of the WJMC board. This will help with Charity system s demise, and a lot of people come in a hospital emergency room without insurance, and hospitals are struggling for compensation in caring for the indigent. Vaughn estimates they will treat 40 patients a day at the new facility, which is a welcome sign for West Jefferson as the hospital works to reduce emergency room overcrowding and wait time. Anna Kokes, West Jefferson senior director of nursing, said post-katrina emergency room wait times peaked at three hours, a wait now reduced to one hour. A lot of people identified that urgent care resource was there and they did not show back up routinely at the emergency department, Kokes said. It gives our people a place to go before they need emergency care, and hopefully, the new center will also help more people out. Kokes and Vaughn said emergency room overcrowding is also an issue because people often don t understand the difference between emergency care and urgent care. Urgent care is for medical conditions that aren t life-threatening, such as ear infections, insect bites, minor burns and cuts, skin infections, flu and fever, while the emergency room is for after-hours problems or life-threatening conditions like major traumas, uncontrolled bleeding, loss of consciousness, chest pains and seizures. To a lay person, emergency and urgent care are one in the same, so we do a lot of community outreach to educate people, Vaughn said. We want people to understand what an emergency is and where they have to go when something is wrong. Tommy Santora 32A 2006 Innovator of the Year

33 I n n o v a t o r West Jefferson Medical Center Support Services Facility and Energy Center Generators, chillers, boilers, diesel tanks, oxygen tanks and critical medical supplies are locked and loaded for hurricane season at West Jefferson Medical Center. In June, the hospital completed construction of its $20-million, 70,000-square-foot, Support Services Facility and Energy Center. The on-campus hurricane command station is a two-story, concrete structure, designed to resist 150-mph winds and is 19.4 feet above sea level. It is connected to the rear of the hospital on the 1000 block of Avenue B. The center houses four emergency generators capable of powering the hospital with air conditioning within an hour of power being shut down on the main hospital campus. The center also stores three chillers, two steam boilers, three 12,000-gallon diesel tanks, electrical substations and a medical gas delivery system including air, vacuum pumps and a 60,000-gallon oxygen tank. The windows on the center are reinforced laminate, with a sheet of high-impact plastic between two pieces of glass. Gary Fitzjarrell, WJMC construction project manager, said if a projectile strikes the window, the glass might shatter but the plastic will remain intact. The center was planned in 2001 when West Jefferson implemented its master facility plan. We have taken all of our critical support services and combined them into a building that can withstand hurricane damage, said Fitzjarrell. It went through Hurricane Katrina without a scratch. The West Jefferson Medical Center never closed through Katrina, but the hospital lost outside power and water service, meaning toilets wouldn t flush. In April, West Jefferson s board of directors approved an emergency no-bid contract with Layne Christensen Co. of Mission Woods, Kan., to drill two wells in time for hurricane season. The 700- and 900-feet-deep wells will provide about 575,000 gallons a day. West Jefferson also has a 50,000-gallon fuel tank, which would run the hospital s normal lighting, air conditioning and other equipment for at least a week compared to the pre-katrina, 20,000-gallon tank with a three-day capacity. What makes this concept of the Support Services Facility and Energy Center innovative is the consolidation of all of the essential services serving the medical center in one hurricane resistive structure at an elevation above potential floodwaters, Fitzjarrell said. In doing this, we assure that the hospital will have the services necessary to continue to serve the community, especially in the event of a disaster. Walton Construction Co. of Kansas City, Mo., was the lead contractor on the center as groundbreaking A. Gary Muller, CEO of West Jefferson Medical Center, showcases one of two steam boilers housed in the hospital s new 70,000-square-foot, two-story Support Services Facility and Energy Center. began in August 2004 and is the first of its kind in the southeastern United states. The support services facility portion, which is 4.7 feet above sea level, was just three months from completion when Katrina struck. The hospital suffered $2 million in damage from Katrina but did not flood. The hospital s backup generators kept everything except the air conditioning running, and Entergy Corp. restored the hospital s electricity three and a half days after the storm. Fitzjarrell said the hospital s next challenge will be adapting to the newest generation of equipment available. We took that into account in the construction of the facility by creating expansion space and making sure that the systems installed today could adapt to the equipment of tomorrow. Brenda Ducote 2006 Innovator of the Year 33A

34 I n n o v a t o r West Jefferson Medical Center CyberKnife Center West Jefferson Medical Center chief medical officer Dr. Alfred Abaunza, forefront, and CEO A. Gary Muller, study images provided by the hospital s new CyberKnife machine, a robotic cancer treatment. After two brain surgeries, 61-year-old Marvell LaCoste was told she had eight months to live. That was two years ago. Now her tumor is shrinking thanks to a new surgical technique for treating tumors that is now available at West Jefferson Medical Center s Neuroscience Institute in Marrero. In January, West Jefferson began using a new technology called CyberKnife, and Lacoste was only the third patient to receive the treatment. Nothing happened at first, then, in February, one month after the initial treatment, an MRI showed her tumor beginning to shrink. LaCoste gets a monthly MRI and each time it shows that her tumor continues to downsize, she said. CyberKnife is a robotic cancer treatment that attacks tumors with computer-precision blasts of radiation. The painless method does not require surgery or hospitalization. West Jefferson is one of only three U.S. hospitals with the CyberKnife technology and the only one in the New Orleans region. CyberKnife can eliminate tumors in most parts of the body though West Jefferson is primarily using it to treat brain and spinal cord cancers. Tumors treated with CyberKnife gradually die over the course of days as the radiation takes effect. Under normal circumstances, the acquisition of CyberKnife is quite an achievement but to have been 34A 2006 Innovator of the Year able to forge ahead with CyberKnife post-katrina is a momentous occasion and speaks volumes about the expertise and dedication of our physicians and staff, said West Jefferson Medical Center CEO Gary Muller. Doctors started using CyberKnife in January and the hospital has treated 41 patients in just the last four months. We anticipated treating four patients per month for the first six months and have treated more than twice that projection, said Jennifer Steel, hospital spokeswoman. CyberKnife employs only stereotactic radiosurgery, a combination of robotics and computer technology to deliver the high dose of radiation to the tumor, said Steel. The patient lays on a table similar to an X-ray table and a robotic arm extends out from behind or from the side and emits a beam of radiation in varying doses. The machine can adjust in 1,200 different ways to get to the tumor and aim the radiation precisely where it needs to go, even if the patient moves, the beam can still adjust itself, thus eliminating the need for head frames traditionally used in brain surgery. No scalpel or anesthetics are used and no recovery time is needed. Patients generally eat and go home after the procedure. After her two-hour procedure, Lacoste said she had no side effects. I went to the grocery store and did my shopping and then came home and babysat my grandchildren, like nothing happened, she said. LaCoste said she only lost hair in the one small spot where the radiation was administered, instead of losing all over her head as she did after getting traditional radiation in the past. I didn t need a wig, she said. A $1-million vault weighing 285 tons, constructed by architect Anthony Gendusa and general contractor Mickey O Connor, houses the $3.5-million CyberKnife robot. CyberKnife is made by Accuray, a company in California, and is the only radiosurgical system in the world incorporating robotics and image guidance to treat tumors. Similar technology called the Gamma knife, which has been around since 1968, treats only cranial tumors. Also, a patient cannot undergo Gamma knife treatment more than once, whereas CyberKnife treatments can be repeated up to five times in a lifetime. Dr. Alfred Abaunza, chief medical officer at West Jefferson, said insurance companies generally will pay for the treatments because it saves them money. It s cheaper than traditional surgery and there s no hospital stay required in most cases. Brenda Ducote

35 Now Treating More Tumors The same accuracy that s been used to target tumors of the brain and spine is now being used to treat cancers elsewhere in the body. The revolutionary Cyberknife Radiosurgery System is now treating tumors non-surgically in the lung, liver and pancreas. CyberKnife delivers a high-powered dose of radiation to the precise site of the tumor from a thousand different angles, leaving surrounding tissues untouched. No incisions. No anesthesia. No overnight stay. CyberKnife represents our continued commitment to providing the highest quality of care to our patients as we rebuild our community. CyberKnife treatment is not for all patients. Ask your doctor. CENTER Treatment Is Now Within Our Reach. For more information on CyberKnife please contact Debra Thibodeaux at (504) Medical Center Boulevard, Marrero, LA W EST J EFFERSON S TAYED T HE C OURSE AND IS B UILDING S TRONGER Innovator of the Year 35A

36 Educator Archbishop Rummel High School Rep. Bobby Jindal, R-Kenner, speaks to the Archbishop Rummel transitional school student body in the Raider gym, while below, a Rummel student directs girls to a class. Before Hurricane Katrina, girls and skirts were an unusual sight at a traditional, Catholic all-boys high school. But after Hurricane Katrina, it became the norm for about five months. In September, the future of many New Orleans Catholic schools was uncertain and parents of students of the schools had no idea when they could return. From early on Archbishop Rummel High School in Metairie provided such a haven for students. From Oct. 5 to Jan. 15, Archbishop Rummel taught students from 6:50 a.m. to 12:30 p.m., and created a transitional school for approximately 1,300 students from Dominican, Mount Carmel, Ursuline and Brother Martin from 1:30 p.m. to 6 p.m. Immediately after Katrina, Archbishop Rummel President Michael Begg determined the school sustained some damage,the worst of which was flooding of the gym that caused the floor to buckle. But much of the school was spared. We knew we could open up as soon as the parish gave us the green light, said Begg. Because of storm-related relocations, Begg expected Archbishop Rummel to lose between 400 and 500 students. The school s Web site was one of the few academic sites in the New Orleans area that did not go down after the storm, so a message was placed on the site offering to take in displaced students. Soon after this notice went up, Archbishop Rummel received approximately 4,000 s from interested parents. While Rummel was happy to accommodate the new students, a logistical problem surfaced when Begg learned the school would only lose close to 100 of its Archbishop Rummel High School 1901 Severn Avenue Metairie LA A 2006 Innovator of the Year

37 Archbishop Rummel created a transitional school for 1,300 displaced students after Hurricane Katrina. original student body of 1,350 students. To avoid overcrowding, the transitional school was created. The transitional school had a separate administration and faculty taken from the displaced students schools. We thought it would be good for the kids to see familiar faces, said Begg. More than 75 teachers displaced from their jobs as a result from Katrina were able to find work at the transitional school. Within a week,hiring was complete and the transitional school had to set schedules for students. What normally takes months took about a week, said Begg. Like a normal school would, the transitional school featured extra-curricular activities and athletic teams. For the first time in its history, Archbishop Rummel had girls volleyball and basketball teams. The Archbishop Rummel T volleyball team qualified for the state tournament and advanced to the semifinals. Rummel students and their families responded positively to the new schedule, said Begg. The 12:30 p.m. dismissal time allowed students time to go to their part-time jobs after school. We have so many kids right now who are out in the workforce and are providing for their families because one or both parents lost their jobs, said Begg. Once the transitional school closed on Jan. 15, Archbishop Rummel kept its morning schedule to accommodate working students. It will return to the standard school day for its school year, although Begg said students wanted to keep the transitional schedule. Because the school was such a success, the Rummel and transitional school s administrations were invited to make a presentation at the National Catholic Educators Association Conference in Atlanta. Begg, who was starting his first year as Archbishop Rummel president when Katrina struck, says the transitional school was a team effort. The administration and faculty bent over backward to make sure the transitional students were accommodated, he said. It was the first time anyone saw Catholic education become a collaborative effort between rival schools. It was amazing to watch. Fritz Esker Pick up a copy at the following locations: Trey Yuen 600 N. Causeway Blvd. Mandeville New Orleans Publishing Group Northshore Office 1305 W. Causeway Blvd. Mandeville Morton's Seafood Restaurant 702 Water St. Madisonville Franco's Athletic Club 100 Bon Temps Roule Mandeville CC's Coffee 4350 Hwy 22 Mandeville Town Crier 4350 Hwy 22 Mandeville Hugh's Wine Cellar 4250 Hwy 22 Mandeville Caffe Caffe 3900 Hwy 22 Mandeville Benedict s Restaurant 1144 Lovers Lane Mandeville Parish National Bank 735 N. Causeway Blvd. Mandeville Save A Center 3450 Hwy 190 Mandeville Coffee Rani 3510 Hwy 190 Mandeville Pelican Athletic Club 1170 Meadow Brooke Blvd. Mandeville Town Crier 3001 E. Causeway Approach Mandeville Going Postal Hwy 59 Mandeville St. Tammany West Chamber of Commerce Hollycrest Covington The Dakota Restaurant 629 N. Hwy 190 Covington Books-a-Million 305 Holiday Drive Covington PJ's Coffee 1600 N. Hwy 190 Covington Zoe's Bakery 2891 Hwy 190 Covington Parish National Bank 805 Collins Covington St. John's Coffee House E. Boston Street & Columbia Street Covington Acme Oyster House 519 E. Boston St. Covington Coffee Rani Boston & Lee Lane Covington Abita Brew Pub Holly St. Abita Springs Louisiana Heart Hospital Hwy 434 Lacombe Save A Center 110 Gause Blvd. Slidell Slidell Athletic Club 550 Gause Blvd. Slidell Double M Feed Garden & Pet 1121 Gause Blvd. Slidell Crossgates Athletic Club 200 Military Road Slidell Save A Center 101 N Military Road Slidell Parish National Bank E Gause Blvd. Slidell The Rummel T volleyball team qualified for the state semifinals Innovator of the Year 37A

38 Educator Delgado Community College Students work in the network computer lab on Delgado s West Bank campus on General Meyer Avenue. In September and October 2005, approximately 2,500 students enrolled in online classes. After floodwaters from Hurricane Katrina submerged the main and some satellite campuses of Delgado Community College, administrators needed to develop a strategy to track students and faculty. Many of Delgado s buildings were flooded, said Donna Alley, provost of Delgado s West Bank campus. The library at the City Park campus was destroyed, and campus police had to leave in boats. The first step was to compress courses and relocate clinical nursing classes from the damaged facilities at Tulane University, Charity and the Veterans Administration hospitals to West Jefferson Medical Center. Then came the task of continuing coursework for students who had evacuated across the country. According to Alley, the most dramatic change was adding 108 online courses to accommodate the scattered student population, increasing the total number of distance learning courses from 67 to 175. The innovation by Delgado came in determining how to continue business and allow students to complete their courses, Alley said. In an aggressive move, Delgado s 38A 2006 Innovator of the Year administration formed an agreement with the Sloan Consortium to offer its online courses free to students as well as classes for instructors to learn how to administer them. The Needham, Mass.- based Sloan Consortium assists learning organizations to improve the quality of their online programs. In September and October, 2,500 Delgado students enrolled in online classes. By December, administrators had developed an interim program that allowed each student to take as many as nine credit hours through distance learning or attend classes at the West Bank campus, which reopened Oct. 3. The faculty who taught distance learning courses did so voluntarily, said Cathy Gorvine, chair of Delgado s English department. A number of faculty stepped up to the challenge of keeping students on track through online courses. According to Gorvine, there was no gap or stoppage in faculty pay. Wendy Rhiner, a faculty member in the English department, was one of the instructors who began teaching online courses for the first time. To complete coursework, each student submitted work into a digital drop box. The instructor then Donna Alley is provost of Delgado s West Bank campus. returned graded material for the student s review. It has gone quite well, Rhiner said. Of the 16 students I taught online last semester, 14 passed the proficiency exam for the course. Considering many departments cut 40 percent or more of their course offerings, online classes have helped limit the number of credit hours forfeited by students to Hurricane Katrina. The efforts to increase the number of online courses after the storm signify Delgado s commitment to their students, Gorvine said. Such a long gap in coursework would have discouraged some students, and many would not have returned. According to Alley, the crowning achievement of these efforts was the spring graduation of 695 students, one of the largest classes in school history. Delgado held its graduation ceremony at the Morial Convention Center, where thousands huddled in the days following Hurricane Katrina. We wanted to hold the graduation in the Convention Center to show the community that we can turn negatives into positives, Alley said. Approximately 10,000 students, 60 percent of the student body, returned for the spring semester, down from 17,000 before the storm. By the fall, the administration expects an 80 percent return, roughly 13,500 students. To expand course offerings, Delgado is now linking with area technical colleges, including West Jefferson Technical College and campuses of Sydney Collier Technical College. Thomas Leggett

39 Nonprofit Katrina Krewe Even before Hurricane Katrina, New Orleans had a trash problem. While the city has often ranked as one of the nation s favorite travel destinations, it has also been labeled one of the nation s dirtiest cities. Litter scattered about at intersections, mountains of trash and rotting food festering in the French Quarter and furniture dumped about in Faubourg Marigny and Bywater was a common sight long before the big storm. Metairie resident Becky Zaheri never enjoyed looking at trash but she said the problem increased exponentially after Hurricane Katrina. Taking matters into her own hands in November 2005, she wrote an to everyone in her address book and asked if they would spend a day with her picking up trash. Little did Zaheri know her simple desire to pick up trash would turn into a citywide campaign propelled into the national spotlight. At first, my goal was just to go out there and do it every Wednesday while the kids were in school. It wasn t going to get better overnight and I thought I could get a large group, Zaheri said. Zaheri, a graphic designer before she left the industry to raise her children, created the concept and the Katrina Krewe logo. She was just using as a way to contact people, but one day while listening to WWL radio, she made a call to Garland Robinette, who publicized her efforts on the air. Just after she hung up the phone, someone called offering to set Katrina Krewe members clean up Esplanade Avenue. Katrina Krewe officers, from left: Caroline Calhoun, Nicole Provosty, Danielle Heuer, Becky Zaheri, Vaughn Downing, Claire Gisclair and Jill Nalty. Not shown: Barbara Fitzhugh, Dana Hansel, Patricia Lacoste and Jennifer Fallon. up a Web site for her. Two of Zaheri s friends got the public relations machine rolling and before she knew it, Katrina Krewe was a regular subject on WDSU-TV Channel 6. Once the word got out, news networks just started calling us. People had been ing me saying they were going to write letters to Oprah and other people and it just sort of happened, she said. Since then, Zaheri and her Katrina Krewe have appeared just about everywhere including the Ellen DeGeneres Show, CBS Early Show, Fox News Live, CNN, Chicago Tribune, Los Angeles Times and Newsweek. Media coverage only helped fuel the campaign, attracting volunteers not just from all around the area but around the country, Zaheri said. We have plenty of regulars in all age groups, from their teens to their 80s. There is a huge number from out of state too. We ve had people from over 45 states and a few different countries, she said. My list of people who have come and participated is in the thousands. From November through mid-may, Katrina Krewe was canvassing the streets twice a week but recently cut back for the summer to once a month. A typical cleanup attracts a group of about 200 volunteers but Zaheri said she s had groups with as many as 850. When she s not caring for her kids, Zaheri cruises different areas of the city in need of a good cleaning. Zaheri will also soon embark on a cold-calling campaign to get local businesses to join in on the effort. It will incorporate the use of Keep it Klean calendars with checklists and the basics that need to be done in their areas. Once you clean an area, you have to maintain it. We ve been trying to get the word out to businesses. We clean common thoroughfares and give the area an overhaul but we really need their help to maintain it afterwards, she said. It s all about education and awareness. I don t know if you can change people who have been littering their whole lives but you can change their kids, she said. My goal is for everyone to assume responsibility. I think we re all tired of looking at it. Don t add to it, let s get rid of it. Craig Guillot 2006 Innovator of the Year 39A

40 Nonprofit Kingsley House Since it was founded in 1896 to help German and Irish immigrants settle in the New Orleans area, Kingsley House has provided housing assistance and more to the residents of the Crescent City. In the wake of the devastation from levee failures following Hurricane Katrina, affordable and inhabitable housing is more important than ever to New Orleanians. After the storm, the nonprofit Kingsley House was the first resettlement and recovery center in the area. Aside from assisting residents in finding housing, Kingsley House is also helping with other necessities. Even folks that have housing, we help find furniture and help pay utilities and phone bills, said Dr. Keith Liederman, Kingsley House executive director. In addition, the foundation helps people enroll for Medicaid and food stamps. Kingsley House is also aiding residents with day care programs for children, disabled adults and senior citizens. A large part of that job sector was wiped out, like every other job sector, says Liederman. Kingsley House will put on a summer camp for approximately 250 kids, one of only 19 in the New Orleans area that usually offers around 50 camps. On the first day Kingsley House s child care center reopened, there were 40 kids with close to 10 teachers. Now there are 35 teachers and 192 children. On the adult care center s first day, there was one staff member for three adults. Now, there are six staff members for 45 adults. 40A 2006 Innovator of the Year Teacher Elois Coleman Ross directs a hand puppet, alphabet exercise with her 3-to 5-year-old class. Bottom left: Emelda Burns reads a book to children at the Kingsley House. Keith Liederman, bottom right, is executive director of the organization. Located in the Lower Garden District, Kingsley House avoided the floodwaters that inundated 80 percent of New Orleans, but suffered severe winds leading to $3 million in water damage at the site. It required 45,000 square feet, roughly half of Kingsley House s operating space, to be gutted. Kemper Construction Co. began work on Sept. 30 and six months later, Kingsley House had full use of its facilities once again. Kingsley House originally had a staff of 135 workers, all of whom were paid in full through October. Because of relocations and layoffs, the number dropped to 32 requiring remaining employees to add new responsibilities on top of their existing jobs. Liederman praises his staff. That staff stepped up huge, they multi-tasked like I have never seen before. Now that they have regained use of their full facilities, the number of staff has risen again to 95. A key element of Kingsley House s post-katrina recovery work has been providing counseling and therapy to residents suffering from Katrina-related stress. Since the storm, Kingsley House s Resettlement and Recovery Center has provided individual and family counseling to dozens of individuals and families, enrolled over 400 children and adults in Medicaid and Louisiana Children s Health Insurance Program, and has replaced lost documents for more than 1,200 individuals. The center has also been certified as a food stamp application center. Everyone is going through some sort of stress or anxiety, said Liederman. People seeking help can either come to Kingsley House s facilities to visit a counselor, or call and have a counselor come visit them. According to Liederman, this service initially started slowly with people focusing on their more basic needs such as housing and employment. As those needs were met, people started to recognize that there were a lot of personal issues, he said. Liederman estimates the office typically sees between 60 to 100 walk-ins each week seeking counseling. Kingsley House is sponsored by the United Way, which contributes 12 percent of its budget. In addition, it receives grants from organizations such as the Department of Social Services, Head Start and Title 19. It is the only agency in the New Orleans area to receive the Louisiana Association of Nonprofit Organizations Seal of Excellence. If we don t have a service to meet your needs, we ll put you in touch with someone who can, said Liederman. Fritz Esker

41 Nonprofit Operation Restoration For 10 years, the Operation Restoration Foundation has been empowering and educating children and adults in New Orleans less privileged neighborhoods. Ever since I was a little girl, I wanted to help people, said Cherrie Holton, Operation Restoration founder and owner. The mother of a child conceived through rape, Holton sought to help others even before starting her foundation. When she was down on her luck, she would give her own food stamps to other mothers with larger households. After studying counseling and sociology at University of New Orleans and Our Lady of Holy Cross, Holton started a foundation to see people maximize their potential in different areas in their lives despite what they ve gone through. As a result, Operation Restoration was born. The vision is to educate the whole person, said Holton. Holton began the program, writing her own grants for assistance from various sources. One of her biggest efforts involved the Toys for Tots program, which serviced more than 3,000 families from 2000 to Due to Hurricane Katrina, the Toys for Tots program did not take place in 2005 but Holton is determined to resurrect it for the 2006 holiday season. Citing the joy it brings to children, Holton said, It s something I have to do because it s not something I can just let fall by the wayside. However, Toys for Tots is far from Operation Restoration s only endeavor for local children. Holton started a youth economic development program for children ages 8 to 18. The program first teaches children how to manage money, open a savings account and balance a checkbook. Gradually, the program becomes more complex and students learn to start businesses based on their own interests. For example, Holton taught a child who was an aspiring artist how to start his own art gallery. Operation Restoration works with area schools in after-school tutoring programs. What sets its program apart is that it focuses on parents as well as children. We found that the majority of our (children s) parents are dropouts. Operation Restoration assists parents in getting GED s and reviews the child s homework with the parents in an effort to show the parents how to help their children. If parents can t help, it holds the children back, said Holton. Operation Restoration also features a literacy program that teaches children and adults how to read and runs a youth summer program in conjunction with the Glory of Christ Christian Center, where Holton is a minister. Hurricane Katrina hit Operation Restoration hard. The foundation s office space on General Meyer in Algiers received water damage. At Holton s home in Harvey, her patio collapsed onto a water line, causing it to burst and flood her home. Holton still lives in the Houston area and frequently drives back and forth between Houston and New Orleans to run Operation Restoration business. It s not an easy task for Holton, a diabetic and cancer survivor who has a heart condition, but she does it out of love for her community. Holton is doing cleanup work and has applied for federal grants to assist with repairs on the office space. Despite the heartache caused by Katrina, Holton remains hopeful for the future of Operation Restoration. Above all else, her family keeps her going. What keeps me driving is my three boys. Fritz Esker Cherrie Holton, founder and owner of Operation Restoration, had her nonprofit office space on General Meyer Avenue in Algiers damaged by Hurricane Katrina. Holton has applied for federal grants to repair the building Innovator of the Year 41A

42 Nonprofit Youthanasia Foundation Inc. In September 1997, Kimberly Byas- Dilosa said the high murder and crime rate among teens on the streets of New Orleans made her scared for her teenage cousins safety. Dilosa came up with a plan to keep teens off the street by replacing boredom with community service activities. In the process, it would boost the New Orleans economy by keeping teens in New Orleans after graduation. Using her own funds, Dilosa started taking her cousins on trips every weekend. They went to places like the Gulf Coast beach and Oak Alley. They painted murals on the walls of the New Orleans Adolescents House and cleaned green space at Algiers Point. It was the first time some had ever left the city or stayed in a hotel, Dilosa said. Her cousins told their friends, and they told their friends. As the word spread the group grew. The group got too big for my car so I got a bus, Dilosa said. That s how Youthanasia Foundation Inc. began. Dilosa s mission is to keep teens away from trouble by raising leaders to kill the factors that are killing their peers. Youthanasia became a major nonprofit organization with private and corporate supporters. An architect by trade, Dilosa knew nothing about leading a nonprofit organization. She started by attending seminars on grant writing and how to apply for nonprofit status. Working for her father s construction company, she would sneak out to attend the workshops. It all paid off in 2000 after she filled out her first 501c form an extensive 20-page Internal Revenue Service application for nonprofit status in less than eight hours. Youthanasia became a nonprofit organization that year, the same year she received her first grant for $500 from Entergy. Dilosa writes grants for other community agencies and churches, and she has since given up architecture to run her organization full-time. Dilosa held Youthanasia s first public meeting at Xavier Prep High School, her alma matter, and gained the immediate support of New Orleans City Councilman-at-large Oliver Thomas, who she considers her biggest cheerleader. The Jefferson Community Action Program gave her organization office space at the Marrero Community Center. Hurricane Katrina put 6 feet of water 42A 2006 Innovator of the Year Kimberly Byas-Dilosa, founder of Youthanasia Foundation, looks over song notes with O. Perry Walker High student Deshawn Dabney. in Dilosa s office space, destroying the nonprofit s computers, files and furniture. The office was reduced to my cell phone and laptop, Dilosa said. We still don t have an actual headquarters. Kids come to my house (in Harvey). I run a mentoring program here with my husband because I won t release them into the streets, she said. A $75,000 contract with the Department of Education was also lost. The Jefferson Parish Work Force Connection will not pay for staffing until the organization returns to its pre- Katrina status, Dilosa said. As for funding, We are currently at zero, she said, but she is waiting for her Small Business Administration loan. Before Katrina, the organization served about 150 children; now there are 30 to 35, Dilosa said. I have mentored over 1,500 kids through this program. They never leave me. They come back to be a mentor or a counselor in our summer programs, she said. Dilosa s 2-year-old daughter, Kaja, is already in the mix. Her husband John, Uncle John to the children, is a father figure to most of the kids, especially those with no paternal guidance at home. At the end of June, Dilosa said a gala for family and friends will raise money for a black tie event in September. It will include attendees from the political and corporate arena and feature a Salute to Teen Heroes award for teenagers who have overcome major obstacles. Youthanasia s clients were ninththrough 12th-grade students until recently when an eighth-grader approached Dilosa. She accepted her because when I heard her sing, I couldn t turn her away. Dilosa invented the Greater New Orleans Restoration Project in 2005 and through it she founded Teenzmatter to help Youthanasia get back on its feet by putting on citywide events for teenagers. The goal is one major event a month, Dilosa said. Since Katrina, Teenzmatter Productions has put on two talent shows and is gearing up for a Serve It Up dance. Dilosa is hoping the New Orleans Department of Tourism will help promote these events. Dilosa said if the model for this program is successful, she plans on taking it to other cities facing similar issues. Ninety-eight percent of all teens that passed through Youthanasia have graduated from high school, gone to college, to successful employment or into the military, said Dilosa. The secret is we listen, we ask questions, we don t tell them what will be, we let them tell us and we hold them to it, Dilosa said. Thus we develop individual talents, leadership skills and community prowess. President Bush named Youthanasia Point of Light No. 2,381 in 2002, and Dilosa received a Golden Hammer award from former New Orleans Mayor Marc Morial for Excellence in Community Leadership. Dilosa was one of eight finalists selected for the 2005 Blue Cross/Blue Shield of Louisiana Angel Award, and she received $10,000 to continue her work with New Orleans youth. Brenda Ducote

43 On the Brink Duct Saddle LLC Frank Caminita, who has been in the air conditioning business for 35 years, said air conditioning systems are only as good as their duct work and he has the invention to back up his claim. Caminita invented the Duct Saddle, a simple sheet metal device used in attics to elevate air conditioning and heating ducts, which reduces condensation that is usually caused by the duct sitting directly on attic insulation. You screw the saddle down to the joint on a piece of plywood and then lay the duct in the saddle, as opposed to tying the suspended duct with a nylon strap which chokes the air flow, said Camanita. The saddles eliminate kinking and keep the ducts straight and even. This reduces the areas where condensation can collect even if there was some. Caminita invented the product in 2003 when he was installing the duct work in his daughter s home. The product has been patent pending since 2004, and Camanita said he hopes to receive his patent within the next year. Joval Manufacturing in Jefferson constructs Caminita s product, and he sells the duct saddle to air conditioning supply companies such as Coburns Supply, Baker Brothers and Solar Air Conditioning. Caminita estimates the duct saddle is in approximately 100 homes and costs the companies about $100 to install the duct work with the saddle. In January, Louisiana adopted the International Council Code standards for the construction industry. The code calls for new duct work to be suspended every 5 feet and cannot have a half-inch sag per foot in homes. Before the code, the typical duct work would lay on top of the insulation or Sheetrock, said Camanita. That causes condensation and moisture, he said. Elevating the duct reduces condensation that is caused by the duct sitting directly on attic insulation. Caminita said his product is nearing ICC certification, and he is working with state energy conservation offices in Louisiana and Texas to show his product. Frank Caminita, who has been in the air conditioning business for 35 years, invented the Duct Saddle, a sheet metal device used in attics to elevate air conditioning and heating ducts. Crais Management Group Thermo Faucets David Crais, president of Madisonville-based business development firm Crais Management Group, has applied for a patent on a Thermo Faucets product, a screw-on adapter for pipes that will automatically create a water flow proportional to the temperature freezing point and prohibit pipes from rupturing. When temperatures reach freezing or below, water freezes, expands and any standing water in pipes will Crais Management Group LabOpsROI turn to ice and potentially cause the pipes to rupture thus creating the need for costly repairs, Crais said. It will prevent, if not completely eliminate, the risk of pipes freezing in temperatures as low as 10 degrees Farenheit. Crais Management Group has offices in Madisonville, Chicago and Los Angeles, and provides strategic planning or investor relations services for start-up products, entrepreneurs and companies. Crais said the problem of rupturing pipes may increase as post-hurricane Katrina flood elevations and building codes mandate raised structures along the Gulf Coast exposing plumbing to environmental air temperatures. The thermo faucet process is done by internal electronic and mechanical thermostats that when a certain temperature is reached, will trigger a mechanical valve and release water flow from existing pressure within the plumbing fixture ranging from a thread-like trickle to that of an open tap. The standard reaction will be a pencil-thick water stream, Crais said. Future versions of the device will have internal sensors for humidity levels and water type factors which can influence the freezing point of water. Crais has copyrighted a new cost accounting software solution,labopsroi,to be used in clinical laboratories. In the software,the CapEX (capital expenditure) and OpEx (operational expenditure) are quantified, catalogued and compared, and future costs are projected over a five-year period. Capital expenditures refers to the cost of acquiring or upgrading physical assets such as machinery, while operational expenditures are ongoing costs for running a product, business or system. Crais said the finished software solution will be offered over an Application Service Provider model. The financial measurements and mechanism currently used are inadequate to fully capture and analyze the total operating costs of the lab delivery process, Crais said. LabOpsROI quantifies the direct, indirect, tangible and intangible costs associated with the clinical laboratory process. A process that can cost fewer than $10,000 per year in a physician s office setting to millions of dollars per year in hospital or reference lab Innovator of the Year 43A

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