Business briefs for Oct. 7, 2012

Business centers get Isaac-related funding

The U.S. Small Business Administration has awarded $150,000 to Louisiana Small Business Development Centers.

The announcement was made by Sen. Mary Landrieu, D-La, chairman of the Senate Committee on Small Business and Entrepreneurship.

The funds will be used to help local small businesses recover from Hurricane Isaac.

“Small Business Development Centers play a critical role in working directly with impacted business owners to help them recover from disasters,” Landrieu said.

The LSBDC will use the funds to provide training and one-on-one counseling to help entrepreneurs develop a business continuity plan tailored to meet the needs of each individual business.

Last month, the SBA, Louisiana Department of Economic Development and the LSBDCs opened nine Business Recovery Centers to provide services to businesses impacted by Hurricane Isaac.

YMCA constructing facility in Zachary

The YMCA of the Capital Area has begun constructing a new YMCA in Zachary. The 26,000 square-foot facility will be on 5.25 acres of land at 401 Liberty Way. It will feature a fitness center, aerobics studio, community meeting room, outdoor pool/splash pad, locker rooms and tennis courts.

This will be the ninth YMCA facility.

Program teaches students finances

Capital One/Junior Achievement Finance Park, a mobile financial education program, is being held through Nov. 2 at Cortana Mall at Florida Boulevard and Airline Highway.

The program is designed to help Baton Rouge middle school students learn how to budget and manage money.

Students live a fictional life situation, with marital status, children, job and salary. They are challenged to create and successfully use a budget — making decisions around saving, spending, investing and philanthropic giving.

To schedule a tour or request more information, contact Junior Achievement of Greater Baton Rouge and Acadiana at [phone] or visit http://www.batonrouge.ja.org.

Capital One and Junior Achievement also recently created a virtual version of the program at http://financepark.ja.org.

Workshop to help with grant funds

LAFAYETTE — A free workshop to help small businesses learn how to win federal grant funding will be held at 9 a.m. Oct. 24 in the LITE Theatre in Lafayette.

The workshop is sponsored by Louisiana Immersive Technologies Enterprise or LITE, in collaboration with the Louisiana Small Business Development Center and Louisiana Technology Transfer Office.

The seminar will focus on funding that is available through the Small Business Innovation Research and Small Business Technology Transfer grants.

“Small businesses in the state of Louisiana are not receiving their fair share of funds from SBIR and STTR sources, and our goal for this event is to help our community secure their share of $2 billion federal funds,” said LITE Chief Executive Officer Kam Ng.

For more information, contact LITE at [phone] or email [e-mail].

Stun Design opens New Orleans office

NEW ORLEANS — Stun Design and Interactive has opened an office in New Orleans to grow its business and better serve its expanding list of clients in the Crescent City.

The new office is housed in the shared workspace, Beta, which is in The Maritime Building at Carondelet and Common.

Former Mission Pharmacal territory manager and WGNO ABC26 account manager Nicole Winkler will spearhead STUN’s New Orleans sales and marketing efforts.

Stun Design and Interactive is a Baton Rouge-based firm that offers marketing and branding services. Its website is http://www.stundesign.com.

Cox signs agreement with MayaVision

NEW ORLEANS — Cox Media, a subsidiary of Cox Communications, has entered into an agreement with MayaVision, the first Hispanic-owned and -operated television and radio station serving New Orleans.

MayaVision will represent Cox Media Louisiana in selling cable TV advertising on Hispanic networks, including CNN Espanol, ESPN Deportes, Fox Deportes, Galavision and Telefutura.

“We at MayaVision are excited to offer advertising on Cox’s diverse Hispanic programming to complement our Telemundo and radio properties,” said Ernesto Schweikert, owner and president of MayaVision.

Human resources conference scheduled

KENNER — The 2012 Human Resources Management Association annual conference and exhibition will be from 7:45 a.m. to 5 p.m. Oct. 17 at the Crowne Plaza New Orleans Airport Hotel at 2829 Williams Blvd. in Kenner.

Topics include developing purpose-driven employees; what ADA means; gaining a competitive advantage through the use of social media; pension plan pitfalls; employee absence management; leader transition management; and HR legal challenges in recruiting and selection.

The cost is $100 for HRMA members and $125 for guests and business professionals. Register at http://www.hrmaneworleans.org.

Coastal restoration method being tested

NEW ORLEANS — A pilot project is testing a new revenue-generating tool to help restore the Gulf of Mexico’s coastal wetlands that has been funded by Entergy Corp., developed by New Orleans-based Tierra Resources and approved for use by the American Carbon Registry.

The new tool creates a self-sustaining revenue source for wetlands restoration through the sale of carbon offsets.

Here’s how it works: When Mississippi River delta wetlands are restored, landowners can use the new methodology to calculate the amount of carbon dioxide and other greenhouse gas emissions the rebuilt wetlands will absorb over time. Included in the calculation are the emissions avoided by slowing the rapid loss of existing wetlands throughout the region. The result is registered carbon credits, which landowners can sell to companies that want to offset their greenhouse gas emissions. The proceeds from the sale of carbon credits help offset the landowner’s costs for wetland restoration activities.

Entergy has provided additional funding to Tierra Resources to pilot the first wetland restoration offset project in the nation applying the ACR methodology.

The project, the Luling Oxidation Pond Wetlands Assimilation project, 19 miles west of New Orleans, will discharge treated municipal wastewater into an adjacent 950-acre wetland property to help restore the wetland’s function and increase carbon sequestration.

Tierra Resources initiated the partnership that includes St. Charles Parish and Rathborne Land Co. to pursue the project as an alternative to tertiary treatment of municipal effluent.

Saint Charles Parish plans to compensate the wetland property owner for the use of the land through the sale of the carbon offsets generated by the project.

CST developing apartments in N.M.

CST Land Developers LLC, of Plaquemine, is developing a new luxury apartment complex on 12.5 acres in the Sonoma Ranch Golf Course Community in Las Cruces, N.M.

CST is owned by attorneys Tom Delahaye, Chris Coffin and Stan Baudin. Construction of the $25 million complex will begin immediately and take about 12 months, Delahaye said.

Other investors are Baton Rouge attorneys Philip Bohrer and Scott Earl Brady.

HUD-guaranteed permanent financing for the apartments was provided by Johnson Capital of Dallas, Texas. Additional funding was provided by Anthem Bank and Citizen’s Bank, both of Plaquemine.

The Sonoma Palms Apartments will have 192 apartments, including 44 one-bedroom, 140 two-bedroom and eight three-bedroom residences.

ICI Construction Co., of Dallas, has been selected to construct the development. ICI has constructed two apartment developments for CST Land Developers during the last four years. They are in East Baton Rouge and Livingston parishes. The Plaquemine firm said Sonoma Ranch has enough property to complete a second phase of the apartments at a later date.

With this addition to its portfolio, CST Land Developers will have 700 apartment units with plans to more than double that number in the next three to five years.