Shop local stores for your holiday gifts during Small Business Saturday

On Saturday — between Black Friday and Cyber Monday (make that Plaid Friday and Cider Monday) — local retailers and shoppers celebrate the low-key, hyper-local Small Business Saturday. It’s a national event bringing millions of Americans out to shop for holiday gifts at their favorite small businesses, to explore friendly, creative local shops and to support the local economy.

Danae Columbus: Tourism marketing alliance will benefit industry and city’s infrastructure

When the New Orleans Tourism Marketing Corp., or NOTMC, joins New Orleans & Co. on Jan. 1, 2020, citizens can still expect the same results-oriented, award-winning advertising, social media and promotional campaigns that have led to consistent record-breaking growth in leisure tourism as well as increased funding directed to New Orleans transit and infrastructure.

Joe Giarrusso: Reflecting Your Interests in the City Budget

Friends,

You may have seen recent news of the New Orleans City Council adopting the Mayor’s proposed budget.  I am writing before Thanksgiving to emphasize what government did for the people we represent.  The Council and the Mayor worked together to increase critical City services without increasing the City’s millages.

In politics, there is a tendency to speak in broad strokes.  The details matter in this case.  There were 90.69 millages belonging to the City and City-related entities before this year’s property assessments.  After skyrocketing assessments, those millages were rolled back by law to 86.09.  The question then was how to upgrade City services without rolling the overall millage rate above 86.09.

Business Profile: TPN, a modern clinician referral platform

A New Orleans-based startup is working to match verified behavioral health treatment providers with patients who need their help. The Trusted Provider Network (TPN) platform is just that: an online network of licensed clinicians across the state, connecting their clients with specialists that would benefit them the most.

According to their website, “TPN offers a local community with a national reach to providers who meet the highest code of clinical services, ethics, and professional standards.”

CEO Trevor Colhoun, who has a background in capital markets and private equity, saw an opportunity with TPN to fix some of the issues faced when dealing with the behavioral health system.

“Two years ago, I started getting very fascinated with behavioral health. We had some family members go through different aspects of the behavioral health path,” Colhoun said. “It was awful to see the process and how it was occurring. On an advocacy and philanthropic side, we got involved.”