New Orleans Culinary & Hospitality Institute selected to purchase former ArtWorks Building

The Louisiana Artists Guild announced yesterday afternoon their selection of the New Orleans Culinary and Hospitality Institute (NOCHI) as the purchaser of the former Louisiana ArtWorks building located at 725 Howard Avenue. The purchase is to be financed by a loan from First NBC with guaranties pledged by Bill Goldring, Phyllis Taylor and David Kerstein through The Helis Foundation. 

“We were thrilled to learn of the selection of the NOCHI proposal for the ArtWorks building located on historic Lee Circle,” said George Brower, a member of NOCHI’s board of directors.  “It is a win-win for the City of New Orleans, the State of Louisiana, our citizens, our workforce and the preservation of our unique culture.”

NOCHI’s plan is to bring together providers of higher education to collaborate in a new model of training, education, and research and development that integrates existing and new programs at Delgado Community College, the University of New Orleans and Tulane University.  

“NOCHI is already a symbol of what can happen when diverse people, multiple universities, a city and a state come together to make an important idea come to life,” said Ti Martin, another member of NOCHI’s board of directors that also includes Dickie Brennan, John Besh, Edgar Chase III and Barbara Mollere.  “Our city deserves a center for excellence to study, teach, innovate, and celebrate our culinary history and to chart a path for the history we want to make in the food world.” 

Delgado has executed a cooperative endeavor agreement with NOCHI to locate their existing certificate and associate degree programs alongside NOCHI’s other programming and services in the former ArtWorks building.  NOCHI plans to complement and augment the offerings of Delgado’s Hospitality and Culinary Center and the existing degrees offered through the University of New Orleans School of Hotel, Restaurant and Tourism Administration by creating baccalaureate and master’s degree programs in the culinary arts, as well as courses geared to the general community and unique culinary tourism experiences.  

"The decision by the administration to select NOCHI as the purchaser of the Artworks Building is a true testament to the commitment of the parties involved in creating this high profile institute," said Stan Harris, President/CEO, Louisiana Restaurant Association. "NOCHI will provide a platform for these various culinary and hospitality interests to work together to elevate educational offerings in New Orleans."

In addition to offering world-class training and education at all levels of higher education, NOCHI’s mission is to support research and development in the food and hospitality space and plans to establish a food/hospitality business incubator in partnership with a leading local business or economic development organization.  

"The placement of the institute on the Howard Avenue corridor provides exciting potential as an entrepreneurial incubator area for hospitality, technology and related businesses," added Harris.  

NOCHI expects to begin construction by the end of this year and to launch full-scale operations of the building in time for the Fall 2016 semester, with parts of the building’s long-term operations going live as early as the end of 2015. 

The strength of NOCHI’s bid for the former ArtWorks building lay in its strong public purpose of driving workforce and business development in the Greater New Orleans region, in addition to sustaining the original mission of the ArtWorks building of investing in the cultural fabric of New Orleans to improve the quality of life for its citizens and to attract students, visitors and influencers from around the world. 

“Let me tell you,” said Leah Chase, New Orleans chef, author, and television personality.  “We need this. This school can put so many of our young people on a variety of career paths that can stabilize families and lift our city.  The culinary arts are as important as all the other enriching arts. This is who we are . . . let's take it to the next level, keep moving, keep it going.  New Orleans is big enough to have everything.”

Founded in 2013, the NOCHI is an independent, 501(c)3 non-profit organization whose mission is to advance the development and practice of the culinary arts, and to support the growth of the hospitality and tourism industry in the New Orleans region through world-class training and education and the incubation of research and development that will further develop both the culinary arts and the hospitality and tourism industry at large.

Goldman Sachs 10,000 Small Businesses accepting applications for Summer 2014 class

Program offers practical business training at no cost to participants

The Louisiana Restaurant Association (LRA) encourages eligible members to apply for the free Summer 2014 Goldman Sachs 10,000 Small Businesses at Delgado Community College. This practical business management education program is aimed at helping existing companies grow revenues and create jobs and is funded through a grant to Delgado through the Goldman Sachs Foundation.

LRA member Phil de Gruy, owner of Phil’s Grill, graduated from the program and has used the knowledge he gain to aid him in his expansion from one location to now three, the latest on Camp Street in the New Orleans Central Business District.

“It’s a really intense business program that teaches you, first and foremost, how to work 'on' your business, not work 'in' your business,” de Gruy said. “I learned how to maximize my restaurant’s position in the market, manage my finances for greater profitability and develop a more accountable and customer-focused staff.”

The best-in-class curriculum was developed in conjunction with Babson College, recognized internationally for its leadership in entrepreneurial business education and focused on offering small business owners a results-oriented program providing the education, skills and means to grow their businesses. If selected, business owners also receive access to a suite of business support services that will help them to develop and implement a business growth plan. Loans are available to qualifying small businesses that lack access to affordable capital or may not quality for traditional sources of credit.

“The Goldman Sachs 10,000 Small Businesses program is one that LRA members should seriously consider to help them develop a comprehensive growth plan,” said Stan Harris, LRA President/CEO. “The only cost for the program is the investment of time to attend classes and complete projects. The financial rewards of participating can be substantial.”

Small business owners who demonstrate a commitment to growing their businesses and have been in operation for at least two years, generate revenues in excess of $150,000, and employ at least four individuals (including the owner) are encouraged to apply.

Goldman Sachs 10,000 Small Businesses accepting applications for 2014 classes

Updated programming offered for early-stage business owners

 

Delgado Community College chancellor Dr. Monty Sullivan announced today that applications are now being accepted for all cohorts of the Goldman Sachs 10,000 Small Businesses program scheduled for 2014. The three cohorts (or classes) are scheduled to begin in February, June and September, 2014. The program, aimed at helping existing companies grow revenues and create jobs, is funded through a grant to Delgado Community College through the Goldman Sach Foundation and is no-cost to selected participants.

 

As part of the 2014 schedule, Delgado 10,000 Small Businesses will offer classes designed specifically for business owners who have successfully launched scalable businesses, but who do not yet meet the criteria for the traditional 10,000 Small Businesses program. This session begins in February.
 

Louisiana Restaurant Association member Phil de Gruy, owner of Phil's Grill in Metairie, knew that participating in the Goldman Sachs 10,000 Small Businesses program would be an investment in his business's future. He was right! The knowledge de Gruy gained from the intensive business program has helped him maximize his restaurant's position in the market, manage his finances for greater profitability, and develop a more accountable and customer-focused workforce. 

 

 

Last year Delgado Community College and the Goldman Sachs Foundation partnered with The Idea Village to pilot a program geared toward early-stage businesses in the Greater New Orleans area.

 

“Based on the success of this class and a noticeable demand from the local entrepreneurial community, a second cohort for early-stage businesses will be launched in February 2014,” said Carla Coury, 10,000 Small Businesses executive director.

 

Small business owners who demonstrate a commitment to growing their businesses and have been in operation for at least one year, generate revenues in excess of $25,000, and employ at least one person in addition to the owner are encouraged to apply to the early-stage cohort that begins in February.

 

"Being able to identify areas I needed to work on and take steps to put my business on track for growth was an invaluable product of my participation in the program," said de Gruy. "I learned the difference between running a restaurant and running a business."

 

Small business owners who have been in business for two or more years, earn annual revenues in excess of $150,000, and employ four or more employees (including the owner) should apply for the traditional cohorts scheduled to begin in June and September 2014.
 

Since launching the program in 2011, Delgado Community College has served 174 small business owners in the New Orleans/Gulf South region.

 

 

With education programs at community colleges in 10 cities and capital-only programs in 6 states nationwide, the program boasts more than 1700 alumni and a 99 percent graduation rate. Approximately 63 percent of graduates report that they have increased revenues just six months after graduating and 47 percent have created new jobs in the same period. Over 75 percent of all graduates report doing business with one another.

 

 

Delgado Community College works with community-based partners and national business organizations to encourage small businesses to apply for the program and to provide business advice, technical assistance, and networking to program participants. Local partners include Hope Enterprise Corporation, Greater New Orleans Inc., The Idea Village, the Louisiana Small Business Development Center and area chambers of commerce.
 

Participation is free to business owners who are accepted through a competitive application process. 

To download an application or learn more about the Goldman Sachs 10,000 Small Businesses program in New Orleans, visit www.dcc.edu/10ksb or call 504-671-5555.