Rick Koubek, dean of the LSU College of Engineering, is a little embarrassed to call IBM's decision to put a regional software development center in Baton Rouge a “game changer.” The phrase has become a Capital Region cliché since the deal was announced March 27, even showing up on the cover of this magazine.
Like a small but growing number of Baton Rouge-based entrepreneurs, Alex LaPlace, co-founder of Stasis Soft, is looking to make his mark in the digital media business. His company plans to create a three-part video game called Revelations: The Outbreak. LaPlace calls the project a "grassroots nod to the original survival horror genre," and it will feature zombies, naturally. Stasis Soft is expected to be one of the first clients of a "digital content" incubator scheduled to launch in early March at the Louisiana Technology Park on Florida Boulevard. Tech Park spokesman Jesse Hoggard says the digital incubator initially will host two or three companies with two to eight members each. He says park staffers are preparing the space and meeting with potential mentors, advisers, and companies. As with current Tech Park clients, video game incubator companies would receive discounted office space, data center access, and consultation services, while also gaining access to...
Five years after the start of the Great Recession, the toll is terrifyingly clear: Millions of middle-class jobs have been lost in developed countries the world over. And according to a new analysis by The Associated Press, the situation is even worse than it appears. Most of the jobs will never return, and millions more are likely to vanish as well, say experts who study the labor market. What's more, these jobs aren't just being lost to China and other developing countries, and they aren't just factory work. Increasingly, jobs are disappearing in the service sector, where two-thirds of all workers are employed. They're being obliterated by technology. Year after year, the software that runs computers and an array of other machines and devices becomes more sophisticated and powerful and capable of doing more efficiently tasks that humans have previously done. For decades, science fiction warned of a future when we would be architects of our own obsolescence, replaced by our...
A weekend spent furiously coding under the pressure of a ticking clock, broken up by the briefest of naps on floors and office furniture, came to a bleary-eyed close in New Orleans on Sunday for about four dozen software developers competing in the inaugural Codemakers Super Challenge, The Times-Picayune reports. Charged with creating Internet applications that will enhance the experiences of Super Bowl goers, competitors presented their products to a panel of judges and learned who were crowned winners of the contest affectionately called a "hackathon." The grand prize—which includes donated business services, tickets to events, and meals at restaurants—went to a team that developed an app to help diners locate open seats at restaurants. Members of the New Orleans Super Bowl Host Committee had sought such a service, saying they hoped to avoid problems that unfolded around the NFL's championship game in Indianapolis last year when some eateries became overcrowded...
Baton Rouge-based app maker NewAperio and other custom-built software developers in the city have reason to rejoice this morning, as the Metro Council unanimously approved Wednesday evening an exemption from paying the 2% sales tax to the city-parish for such businesses. "I'm really excited about it. I think it shows Baton Rouge is solidly in support of its technology companies; and it shouts a message to the rest of the country and Louisiana: Come build a technology business here," says Logan Leger, NewAperio co-founder and CEO, who initially brought the idea of the exemption to the Metro Council. "It's significant for a company such as ours: the difference between hiring another staff member or not." Other professional services firms are already exempt from the 2% sales tax in Baton Rouge. The only other parish in the state to have approved a local sales tax exemption for custom-built software developers is Orleans Parish. The ordinance is aimed at attracting more software...
Hunting season is in full swing, and a local tech firm has a new app for hunters. Called HuntSoft, the free app is the brainchild of Randall Nachman, whose five-year-old firm ATLOS is a member of the Louisiana Technology Park. The app allows hunters to easily access and share maps, schedules, harvest data, weather, photos and more. Nachman is an avid sportsman and got the idea to combine his passion with his profession after noticing a dearth of high-tech hunting products. "Even though hunting is a $20 billion a year industry, it's grossly underserved technology-wise," Nachman says. "With HuntSoft, we've combined a passion for hunting with over 15 years in the software development industry to bring hunters a feature-rich experience."
Under review: Louisiana House Speaker Chuck Kleckley, R-Lake Charles, says he's asked U.S. Rep. John Schroder, Chairman of the House Select Committee on Homeland Security, to convene a meeting of the committee early next year to review school safety laws in light of the recent school shooting at a Connecticut elementary school. "We in Louisiana should take special notice of the tragedy," Kleckley says in a statement. "While we grieve with the families of Newtown, we as legislators need to ask if there are lessons to learn and apply to our own hometown schools."
BRAC has identified five industry sectors that have the best potential for economic development "wins" over the next several years. BRAC President/CEO Adam Knapp stresses that the chamber won't turn away any opportunities that walk through the door, adding that it will continue to work with existing local businesses regardless of industry. The analysis by consultant Newmark Knight Frank, which BRAC commissioned, is meant to show the sectors with significant growth potential where the Capital Region has the best chance to compete, and will influence nearly every aspect of BRAC's work. The state commissioned a similar report known as "Blue Ocean" in 2009. The five sectors are: chemicals and new energy production, fabricated structural materials, software design, technical research and consulting, and advanced shared services. Possible sources for foreign direct investment in each sector are noted, with the United Kingdom, Germany and Canada cited as the most active. Until recently,...
By mid-January, Louisiana residents could need a passport to fly within the United States. There are a lot of unknowns regarding Louisiana's non-compliance with the federal REAL ID Act of 2005, but some of them could be cleared up later this week. Louisiana Office of Motor Vehicles Commissioner Stephen Campbell says the U.S. Department of Homeland Security has promised him that the Transportation Security Administration will announce its decision this week on whether or not state-issued driver's licenses will continue to be valid identification cards for flying domestically and entering federal buildings. Campbell spent all of last week in Washington, D.C., attending a conference and seeking answers pertaining to what could happen if Louisiana doesn't get an extension to comply with the REAL ID Act, which is poised to take effect Jan. 14. "We're still hopeful that there will be an extension or some other compromise," says Baton Rouge Metropolitan Airport spokesman Jim Caldwell.
In its second analysis this year of the Baton Rouge area's wireless providers, RootScore reports AT&T and Verizon continue to vie for top ranking. While Verizon slightly edged out AT&T in RootScore's May analysis, AT&T pulled ahead in the new report for best overall service. AT&T was found to have the best data performance in the area, while the two tied for call and text performance. As in the May report, T-Mobile again came in third in the latest report, and Sprint came in fourth. RootScore says it conducts thousands of data, call and text tests in compiling its reports. Providers are scored on three key service areas: fastest and most reliable data network, fewest dropped and blocked calls, and fastest text service. See the full report here for more specifics.
The Louisiana Technology Park has been awarded a $75,000 grant from the Delta Regional Authority to create a space reserved for independent startup video game developers. As with current Tech Park clients, the video game incubator clients would receive discounted office space, data center access, and consultation services. But they also would have access to industry-specific software and hardware. The Tech Park also plans to create a network of industry mentors in the video game industry. The primary focus would be games and apps for mobile devices, which are easier and cheaper to develop and monetize than console games. The program is expected to take in two or three companies the first year, then ramp up to eight companies per year. Teams admitted to the program are expected to stay at least six months. Digital media, including video game development, is a sector targeted for growth by both state and local officials, and the state offers tax credit incentives for those businesses.
In a year during which the city-parish government has already awarded nearly $500 million in construction contracts, the bidding process to install streetlights on Brightside Lane was no more extraordinary than any other project. The city-parish estimated the project would cost about $895,000. Four companies, accordingly, submitted their bids electronically. Diamond Electrical Co. was the lowest bidder. But due to a computer glitch in the bidding software, Diamond's final bid—which was an amendment to its first bid—wasn't acknowledged and the streetlight project went to Jack B. Harper Contractor Inc. Diamond brought their final bid of $649,000 to the city-parish's attention after Harper was awarded the project for $719,000. Diamond eventually was recognized as the lowest bidder. But it took the software developer 56 days to admit its system's error. "And now we're stuck with litigation," says Councilman Chandler Loupe. The Parish Attorney's Office says the software...
Pitch competitions, educational lunches, industry trend reports, various networking events, new product demonstrations, and opportunities for angel investors to check out new and emerging businesses are all on tap for the second annual Baton Rouge Entrepreneurship Week, to be held Nov. 11-17 at various venues throughout the city. While specifics on events are still being nailed down, organizers say a cornerstone event will be a breakfast sponsored by Business Report with The New York Times best-selling author Josh Linkner, whose books include Disciplined Dreaming: A Proven System to Drive Breakthrough Creativity—a top 10 business book of 2011. He is the CEO and managing partner of Detroit Venture Partners, where he works with business partners Earvin “Magic” Johnson and NBA team owner Dan Gilbert to rebuild urban areas through technology and entrepreneurship. Linkner is also adjunct professor of applied creativity at the University of Michigan.
Wednesday's traffic quagmire was bad business for everybody, but an untold number of businesses and residents on Bluebonnet Boulevard between Perkins and Highland roads have suffered nearly this whole work week without simple lines of communication: phone and Internet service. AT&T customers were dealt a deafening blow on Sunday when a contractor in the corridor nipped a service cable while hammering in an anchor for a utility pole, the company says. The cable had a capacity of 3,600 phone lines and was totally shorted out by rain that day, AT&T spokeswoman Sue Sperry says. "It's hard to say how many [customers] were affected," Sperry says, "because we're not on a grid like Entergy." Lack of a similar cable in local supply further complicated matters, Sperry says, and AT&T wasn't able to deliver a replacement until Thursday. Barrett Benton, owner of Benton, Benton & Associates, says for four days his law firm worked with just one phone line and no Internet. "You just can't survive...
Baton Rouge-based PreSonus Audio Electronics officially announced today it will begin construction this month on a more than $8 million headquarters facility off Highland Road, across from Healing Place Church. To land the deal and keep PreSonus in Baton Rouge—where it has been since 1995—state officials say they began working with the company early last year to come up with an incentives package. PreSonus is expected to utilize several tax incentives, including the Quality Jobs, Industrial Tax Exemption, and Digital Interactive Media and Software Development incentives. The company also will receive assistance from LED via its FastStart workforce development program. The state did not release an estimate on what that incentive package is worth to PreSonus, but does say the firm's new headquarters is expected to create 65 new direct jobs with an average salary of $80,000, plus benefits. The project will also retain 80 existing jobs and will result in another 79 indirect...
Louisiana today became the fifth state to implement the Microsoft IT Academy Program at all public high schools across the state, the Louisiana Department of Education says. The program provides students and teachers with "real-world technology skills needed to thrive in the 21st century global economy" via access to online learning content, official Microsoft course materials, and instructor resources and support materials that include lesson plans, software licenses, and professional, industry-recognized certifications. There are more than 10,000 Microsoft IT Academy Program members in over 160 countries. The first phase of Louisiana's program is being implemented in 21 school districts today, including East Baton Rouge Parish. All remaining public high schools will implement the program by the end of the fall semester.
An AT&T spokesperson says the company is working with administrators at Woman's Hospital to come up with a solution to problems doctors and patients are having with spotty service for cell phones and other mobile devices at the new $327 million facility on Airline Highway. "We are working with the hospital on designing and building an internal network so all areas in the hospital can access the AT&T mobile network," says Sue Sperry, AT&T's public relations manager for Louisiana, adding the hospital has yet to agree to an infrastructure upgrade plan AT&T has submitted. "While this infrastructure project takes several months to build once an agreement is reached, AT&T's wireless connectivity team can place interim radio services to boost cell service in the hospital's interiors." Sperry says outdoor cell towers often cannot penetrate large structures with the same ease they do residences, especially those built to withstand hurricane-force winds, such as the new 500,000-square-foot...
While the sleek, new $327 million Woman's Hospital on Airline Highway is a state-of-the-art facility, it has a problem: There's virtually no cell service inside the building. Doctors and patients tell Daily Report they've been frustrated by an inability to use cell phones and other mobile devices inside the 500,000-square-foot hospital. Woman's administrators are frustrated, too. They say they contacted AT&T—the predominant provider of cell service by the hospital's employees and physicians—regarding concerns about the adequacy of cell phone service at the new campus last year. At that time, an additional tower was requested, but AT&T responded that it could only provide the hospital with a base station—and not until the end of January 2013, says Paul Kirk, the hospital's vice president of information technology. In the meantime, Woman's has purchased an antenna system to be installed by mid-October at a cost of $500,000, which will provide coverage for AT&T,...
Pitch competitions, educational lunches, industry trend reports, various networking events, new product demonstrations, and opportunities for angel investors to see new businesses are all on tap for the second annual Baton Rouge Entrepreneurship Week, to be held Nov. 11-17 at various venues throughout the city. While specifics have yet to be determined, organizers say a cornerstone event will be a breakfast sponsored by Business Report with The New York Times bestselling author Josh Linkner, whose books include Disciplined Dreaming: A Proven System to Drive Breakthrough Creativity—a top 10 business book of 2011. Further details on event specifics will be posted on the BREW website here as they become available, says BRAC, which is presenting the series of events in conjunction with Global Entrepreneurship Week and in partnership with Business Report. Stafford Kendall, the 2012 Junior...
When Ameritas Technologies opens in October in the Chase Building in downtown Baton Rouge, it isn't only delivering 300 new jobs to Baton Rouge. It's also part of a much larger vision to counter the offshore outsourcing of American technology jobs.
Louisiana continues to rack up accolades from Business Facilities as details from the magazine's 2012 State Rankings Report continue to be released this week. In the latest release, Louisiana is ranked as being the No. 1 state for the digital media industry. According to Business Facilities: "Louisiana's digital media industry is one of the fastest growing in the nation, growing at a rate of more than 100%. The state has almost 19,000 skilled software developers and more than 100,000 professionals with a skill set conducive to digital media or software development. In addition, its information sector, including software publishing and telecommunications, has experienced the second fastest growth rate in the country since June 2009." The magazine notes Baton Rouge, New Orleans and Shreveport are leading the state in the growth of digital media companies. "Known as the 'Creative Capital of the South,' Baton Rouge has attracted development studios such as Electronic Arts,...
U.S.-based IT services firm Ameritas Technologies was lured to Baton Rouge, at least in part, by an incentive package from LED that includes a performance-based grant of $125,000 per year for 10 years to offset leasing costs. The firm unveiled plans today to open an "information technology center" in the Chase Tower South downtown. Ameritas says it will begin hiring in September, plans to open by October and hopes to have 300 employees by 2016, with the jobs paying an average of $63,000 annually, plus benefits. Along with the grant, Ameritas will benefit from the LED FastStart program, which was today named the nation's best workforce training and development program for the third year straight by Business Facilities magazine (see the News roundup below for more details). The company is also expected to utilize Louisiana's Quality Jobs and Digital Interactive Media and Software Development tax incentives, LED says. Gov. Bobby Jindal and Mayor Kip Holden were joined by Ameritas...
Lofton Security Service, a subsidiary of Baton Rouge-based Lofton Staffing Services, says it's expanding operations to include private investigation. Lofton Security's private investigation division will provide clients with investigatory law services in civil and domestic cases as well as insurance fraud. "Lofton has always strived to be more than a security company, but a true partner to our clients," says Lofton Director of Security Jay Babin. "We see this as an opportunity not only to help our clients, but to help the insurance industry with cases of fraud." The investigation division will provide services in general investigations, family law investigations, background searches, process services, surveillance, locate services and vehicle background reports. The division is licensed in Louisiana and Texas, throughout which Lofton has 10 offices. Since its founding in 1979, Lofton has grown from a small firm to a full-service corporation with consulting, staffing, security,...
Yahoo says it's investigating reports of a security breach this morning that may have exposed nearly half a million users' email addresses and passwords. The company says it has been looking into "claims of a compromise of Yahoo! user IDs" but did not disclose the size of the reported breach or how it may have happened. Yahoo spokeswoman Caroline MacLeod-Smith says that she couldn't immediately provide more detail on the breach "as we are still investigating it." Technology news websites are citing hackers—who call themselves the D33D Company—as those claiming responsibility for the attack, adding that data posted to the group's website carried more than 453,000 login credentials from an unidentified Yahoo subdomain. The little-known group has been quoted as saying that it had stolen the passwords using an SQL injection—the name given to a common attack method in which hackers use rogue commands to extract data from vulnerable websites.
The Daily Reveille reports Verizon is the best wireless carrier in Baton Rouge, with AT&T a close second, according to a study done by RootMetrics, a Seattle-based data statistic company. T-Mobile and Sprint follow in third and fourth, respectively. Verizon beat AT&T in the texting category, taking an average of only 3.4 seconds to receive a text compared to AT&T's 4.2 seconds. T-Mobile took 4.8 seconds to receive a message and Sprint took 13.1 seconds. AT&T's 4G LTE network beat Verizon in terms of average download speed at 12.9 mb/s to Verizon's 10.9 mb/s, but Verizon had a faster upload speed — 7.6 mb/s to AT&T's 5.5 mb/s. T-Mobile had download speeds of 3.5 mb/s and upload speeds of 1.4 mb/s. Sprint, with no LTE network in Baton Rouge, had download and upload speeds of 0.4 mb/s. The study also showed AT&T and Verizon were the most reliable networks for data delivery in Baton Rouge. To read more about the study, click
T-Mobile USA says it has agreed to buy wireless spectrum rights from Verizon Wireless and swap other spectrum holdings with the company, bolstering the ability of both to offer faster wireless data services. Verizon doesn't yet own the entire spectrum that it wants to transfer to T-Mobile. It has agreed to buy spectrum rights from a consortium of cable companies, but that deal is facing tough scrutiny from regulators in Washington. The deal between T-Mobile and Verizon is contingent upon the Verizon cable deal going through and gives added reason for regulators to approve it. T-Mobile is the fourth-largest cell phone carrier in the country and is starved for spectrum compared to its larger competitors. Neither T-Mobile nor Verizon is disclosing what T-Mobile would pay Verizon for the spectrum.
A new report on cell phone service in the Baton Rouge area by independent phone carrier analyst group RootMetrics says Verizon and AT&T provide the overall best service, with Verizon slightly edging out AT&T. RootMetrics says it conducted thousands of data, call and text tests throughout Baton Rouge to compile the report, then analyzed the tests to find who performed the best in three key service areas: fastest and most reliable data network; fewest dropped and blocked calls; and fastest text service. The final tally of scores has Verizon slightly ahead of AT&T, though the two essentially are at a draw in all three categories for the top spot; those providers are followed by T-Mobile at No. 3, with Sprint bringing up the rear on the list. Verizon and AT&T were determined to provide the best data service, as well as the fastest text service, while Sprint joined the two atop the list for the fewest dropped and blocked calls. Check out the complete report
Nothing spoils the mood of a nice night out with your friends like trying to fairly divvy up the check at the end of the night. Who ordered which drinks? Who ate what appetizer? If your server didn't—or couldn't—split your bill, your evening can end on a headache-inducing note rather than a relaxing one. Enter the elegant check-splitting app Billr, available for 99 cents in the iTunes store. With a simple, appealing interface that allows you to track each person's auto-tallying "tab" separately, figuring out the bill at the end of the meal will be a quick and easy footnote rather than an awkward coda spent fumbling with calculators and scribbling on the backs of receipts. And for less than the cost of a tip, it's well worth saving face with your friends. Read the rest of this week's 225 Dine e-newsletter here.
A big deal
Rick Koubek, dean of the LSU College of Engineering, is a little embarrassed to call IBM's decision to put a regional software development center in Baton Rouge a “game changer.” The phrase has become a Capital Region cliché since the deal was announced March 27, even showing up on the cover of this magazine.
Service above all
(100 or more employees)
SPARKHOUND
Darren Vallaire
POSITION Chief technology officer
COMPANY 24Hour Florist
REVENUE $300,000 projected for 2013
NEXT GOAL Get manufacturing re-established
Video game incubator scheduled to open in B.R. next month
Like a small but growing number of Baton Rouge-based entrepreneurs, Alex LaPlace, co-founder of Stasis Soft, is looking to make his mark in the digital media business. His company plans to create a three-part video game called Revelations: The Outbreak. LaPlace calls the project a "grassroots nod to the original survival horror genre," and it will feature zombies, naturally. Stasis Soft is expected to be one of the first clients of a "digital content" incubator scheduled to launch in early March at the Louisiana Technology Park on Florida Boulevard. Tech Park spokesman Jesse Hoggard says the digital incubator initially will host two or three companies with two to eight members each. He says park staffers are preparing the space and meeting with potential mentors, advisers, and companies. As with current Tech Park clients, video game incubator companies would receive discounted office space, data center access, and consultation services, while also gaining access to...
Recession, technology blamed for killing middle-class jobs
Five years after the start of the Great Recession, the toll is terrifyingly clear: Millions of middle-class jobs have been lost in developed countries the world over. And according to a new analysis by The Associated Press, the situation is even worse than it appears. Most of the jobs will never return, and millions more are likely to vanish as well, say experts who study the labor market. What's more, these jobs aren't just being lost to China and other developing countries, and they aren't just factory work. Increasingly, jobs are disappearing in the service sector, where two-thirds of all workers are employed. They're being obliterated by technology. Year after year, the software that runs computers and an array of other machines and devices becomes more sophisticated and powerful and capable of doing more efficiently tasks that humans have previously done. For decades, science fiction warned of a future when we would be architects of our own obsolescence, replaced by our...
Good vibrations
There was a time when text messaging was reserved for intimate conversations with family, close friends and lovers.
App to locate restaurant seats wins N.O. Super Bowl competition
A weekend spent furiously coding under the pressure of a ticking clock, broken up by the briefest of naps on floors and office furniture, came to a bleary-eyed close in New Orleans on Sunday for about four dozen software developers competing in the inaugural Codemakers Super Challenge, The Times-Picayune reports. Charged with creating Internet applications that will enhance the experiences of Super Bowl goers, competitors presented their products to a panel of judges and learned who were crowned winners of the contest affectionately called a "hackathon." The grand prize—which includes donated business services, tickets to events, and meals at restaurants—went to a team that developed an app to help diners locate open seats at restaurants. Members of the New Orleans Super Bowl Host Committee had sought such a service, saying they hoped to avoid problems that unfolded around the NFL's championship game in Indianapolis last year when some eateries became overcrowded...
B.R. software developers get sales tax exemption
Baton Rouge-based app maker NewAperio and other custom-built software developers in the city have reason to rejoice this morning, as the Metro Council unanimously approved Wednesday evening an exemption from paying the 2% sales tax to the city-parish for such businesses. "I'm really excited about it. I think it shows Baton Rouge is solidly in support of its technology companies; and it shouts a message to the rest of the country and Louisiana: Come build a technology business here," says Logan Leger, NewAperio co-founder and CEO, who initially brought the idea of the exemption to the Metro Council. "It's significant for a company such as ours: the difference between hiring another staff member or not." Other professional services firms are already exempt from the 2% sales tax in Baton Rouge. The only other parish in the state to have approved a local sales tax exemption for custom-built software developers is Orleans Parish. The ordinance is aimed at attracting more software...
Tech entrepreneur develops app for hunters
Hunting season is in full swing, and a local tech firm has a new app for hunters. Called HuntSoft, the free app is the brainchild of Randall Nachman, whose five-year-old firm ATLOS is a member of the Louisiana Technology Park. The app allows hunters to easily access and share maps, schedules, harvest data, weather, photos and more. Nachman is an avid sportsman and got the idea to combine his passion with his profession after noticing a dearth of high-tech hunting products. "Even though hunting is a $20 billion a year industry, it's grossly underserved technology-wise," Nachman says. "With HuntSoft, we've combined a passion for hunting with over 15 years in the software development industry to bring hunters a feature-rich experience."
News roundup: Kleckly calls for committee meeting in January to look at La. school safety laws … SEC baseball tourney expanding to 12 teams … Miami Marlins to play Zephyrs in New Orleans in March
Under review: Louisiana House Speaker Chuck Kleckley, R-Lake Charles, says he's asked U.S. Rep. John Schroder, Chairman of the House Select Committee on Homeland Security, to convene a meeting of the committee early next year to review school safety laws in light of the recent school shooting at a Connecticut elementary school. "We in Louisiana should take special notice of the tragedy," Kleckley says in a statement. "While we grieve with the families of Newtown, we as legislators need to ask if there are lessons to learn and apply to our own hometown schools."
BRAC zeroes in on 5 target industries for future economic development
BRAC has identified five industry sectors that have the best potential for economic development "wins" over the next several years. BRAC President/CEO Adam Knapp stresses that the chamber won't turn away any opportunities that walk through the door, adding that it will continue to work with existing local businesses regardless of industry. The analysis by consultant Newmark Knight Frank, which BRAC commissioned, is meant to show the sectors with significant growth potential where the Capital Region has the best chance to compete, and will influence nearly every aspect of BRAC's work. The state commissioned a similar report known as "Blue Ocean" in 2009. The five sectors are: chemicals and new energy production, fabricated structural materials, software design, technical research and consulting, and advanced shared services. Possible sources for foreign direct investment in each sector are noted, with the United Kingdom, Germany and Canada cited as the most active. Until recently,...
Decision on La. passport requirement for domestic travel expected this week
By mid-January, Louisiana residents could need a passport to fly within the United States. There are a lot of unknowns regarding Louisiana's non-compliance with the federal REAL ID Act of 2005, but some of them could be cleared up later this week. Louisiana Office of Motor Vehicles Commissioner Stephen Campbell says the U.S. Department of Homeland Security has promised him that the Transportation Security Administration will announce its decision this week on whether or not state-issued driver's licenses will continue to be valid identification cards for flying domestically and entering federal buildings. Campbell spent all of last week in Washington, D.C., attending a conference and seeking answers pertaining to what could happen if Louisiana doesn't get an extension to comply with the REAL ID Act, which is poised to take effect Jan. 14. "We're still hopeful that there will be an extension or some other compromise," says Baton Rouge Metropolitan Airport spokesman Jim Caldwell.
Report: AT&T and Verizon top wireless providers in B.R.
In its second analysis this year of the Baton Rouge area's wireless providers, RootScore reports AT&T and Verizon continue to vie for top ranking. While Verizon slightly edged out AT&T in RootScore's May analysis, AT&T pulled ahead in the new report for best overall service. AT&T was found to have the best data performance in the area, while the two tied for call and text performance. As in the May report, T-Mobile again came in third in the latest report, and Sprint came in fourth. RootScore says it conducts thousands of data, call and text tests in compiling its reports. Providers are scored on three key service areas: fastest and most reliable data network, fewest dropped and blocked calls, and fastest text service. See the full report here for more specifics.
Tech Park receives grant for video game incubator
The Louisiana Technology Park has been awarded a $75,000 grant from the Delta Regional Authority to create a space reserved for independent startup video game developers. As with current Tech Park clients, the video game incubator clients would receive discounted office space, data center access, and consultation services. But they also would have access to industry-specific software and hardware. The Tech Park also plans to create a network of industry mentors in the video game industry. The primary focus would be games and apps for mobile devices, which are easier and cheaper to develop and monetize than console games. The program is expected to take in two or three companies the first year, then ramp up to eight companies per year. Teams admitted to the program are expected to stay at least six months. Digital media, including video game development, is a sector targeted for growth by both state and local officials, and the state offers tax credit incentives for those businesses.
Project bids tied up in software glitch
In a year during which the city-parish government has already awarded nearly $500 million in construction contracts, the bidding process to install streetlights on Brightside Lane was no more extraordinary than any other project. The city-parish estimated the project would cost about $895,000. Four companies, accordingly, submitted their bids electronically. Diamond Electrical Co. was the lowest bidder. But due to a computer glitch in the bidding software, Diamond's final bid—which was an amendment to its first bid—wasn't acknowledged and the streetlight project went to Jack B. Harper Contractor Inc. Diamond brought their final bid of $649,000 to the city-parish's attention after Harper was awarded the project for $719,000. Diamond eventually was recognized as the lowest bidder. But it took the software developer 56 days to admit its system's error. "And now we're stuck with litigation," says Councilman Chandler Loupe. The Parish Attorney's Office says the software...
Home BREW
Pitch competitions, educational lunches, industry trend reports, various networking events, new product demonstrations, and opportunities for angel investors to check out new and emerging businesses are all on tap for the second annual Baton Rouge Entrepreneurship Week, to be held Nov. 11-17 at various venues throughout the city. While specifics on events are still being nailed down, organizers say a cornerstone event will be a breakfast sponsored by Business Report with The New York Times best-selling author Josh Linkner, whose books include Disciplined Dreaming: A Proven System to Drive Breakthrough Creativity—a top 10 business book of 2011. He is the CEO and managing partner of Detroit Venture Partners, where he works with business partners Earvin “Magic” Johnson and NBA team owner Dan Gilbert to rebuild urban areas through technology and entrepreneurship. Linkner is also adjunct professor of applied creativity at the University of Michigan.
Most AT&T customers on Bluebonnet regain service after a week without
Wednesday's traffic quagmire was bad business for everybody, but an untold number of businesses and residents on Bluebonnet Boulevard between Perkins and Highland roads have suffered nearly this whole work week without simple lines of communication: phone and Internet service. AT&T customers were dealt a deafening blow on Sunday when a contractor in the corridor nipped a service cable while hammering in an anchor for a utility pole, the company says. The cable had a capacity of 3,600 phone lines and was totally shorted out by rain that day, AT&T spokeswoman Sue Sperry says. "It's hard to say how many [customers] were affected," Sperry says, "because we're not on a grid like Entergy." Lack of a similar cable in local supply further complicated matters, Sperry says, and AT&T wasn't able to deliver a replacement until Thursday. Barrett Benton, owner of Benton, Benton & Associates, says for four days his law firm worked with just one phone line and no Internet. "You just can't survive...
Tax incentives entice PreSonus to build new headquarters in B.R.
Baton Rouge-based PreSonus Audio Electronics officially announced today it will begin construction this month on a more than $8 million headquarters facility off Highland Road, across from Healing Place Church. To land the deal and keep PreSonus in Baton Rouge—where it has been since 1995—state officials say they began working with the company early last year to come up with an incentives package. PreSonus is expected to utilize several tax incentives, including the Quality Jobs, Industrial Tax Exemption, and Digital Interactive Media and Software Development incentives. The company also will receive assistance from LED via its FastStart workforce development program. The state did not release an estimate on what that incentive package is worth to PreSonus, but does say the firm's new headquarters is expected to create 65 new direct jobs with an average salary of $80,000, plus benefits. The project will also retain 80 existing jobs and will result in another 79 indirect...
Louisiana launches Microsoft IT Academy at public high schools
Louisiana today became the fifth state to implement the Microsoft IT Academy Program at all public high schools across the state, the Louisiana Department of Education says. The program provides students and teachers with "real-world technology skills needed to thrive in the 21st century global economy" via access to online learning content, official Microsoft course materials, and instructor resources and support materials that include lesson plans, software licenses, and professional, industry-recognized certifications. There are more than 10,000 Microsoft IT Academy Program members in over 160 countries. The first phase of Louisiana's program is being implemented in 21 school districts today, including East Baton Rouge Parish. All remaining public high schools will implement the program by the end of the fall semester.
AT&T says it's working with Woman's to improve cell service
An AT&T spokesperson says the company is working with administrators at Woman's Hospital to come up with a solution to problems doctors and patients are having with spotty service for cell phones and other mobile devices at the new $327 million facility on Airline Highway. "We are working with the hospital on designing and building an internal network so all areas in the hospital can access the AT&T mobile network," says Sue Sperry, AT&T's public relations manager for Louisiana, adding the hospital has yet to agree to an infrastructure upgrade plan AT&T has submitted. "While this infrastructure project takes several months to build once an agreement is reached, AT&T's wireless connectivity team can place interim radio services to boost cell service in the hospital's interiors." Sperry says outdoor cell towers often cannot penetrate large structures with the same ease they do residences, especially those built to withstand hurricane-force winds, such as the new 500,000-square-foot...
Woman's battles poor cell service at new facility
While the sleek, new $327 million Woman's Hospital on Airline Highway is a state-of-the-art facility, it has a problem: There's virtually no cell service inside the building. Doctors and patients tell Daily Report they've been frustrated by an inability to use cell phones and other mobile devices inside the 500,000-square-foot hospital. Woman's administrators are frustrated, too. They say they contacted AT&T—the predominant provider of cell service by the hospital's employees and physicians—regarding concerns about the adequacy of cell phone service at the new campus last year. At that time, an additional tower was requested, but AT&T responded that it could only provide the hospital with a base station—and not until the end of January 2013, says Paul Kirk, the hospital's vice president of information technology. In the meantime, Woman's has purchased an antenna system to be installed by mid-October at a cost of $500,000, which will provide coverage for AT&T,...
Baton Rouge Entrepreneurship Week events brewing
Pitch competitions, educational lunches, industry trend reports, various networking events, new product demonstrations, and opportunities for angel investors to see new businesses are all on tap for the second annual Baton Rouge Entrepreneurship Week, to be held Nov. 11-17 at various venues throughout the city. While specifics have yet to be determined, organizers say a cornerstone event will be a breakfast sponsored by Business Report with The New York Times bestselling author Josh Linkner, whose books include Disciplined Dreaming: A Proven System to Drive Breakthrough Creativity—a top 10 business book of 2011. Further details on event specifics will be posted on the BREW website here as they become available, says BRAC, which is presenting the series of events in conjunction with Global Entrepreneurship Week and in partnership with Business Report. Stafford Kendall, the 2012 Junior...
The Ameritas vision
When Ameritas Technologies opens in October in the Chase Building in downtown Baton Rouge, it isn't only delivering 300 new jobs to Baton Rouge. It's also part of a much larger vision to counter the offshore outsourcing of American technology jobs.
Louisiana ranked best state in U.S. for digital media
Louisiana continues to rack up accolades from Business Facilities as details from the magazine's 2012 State Rankings Report continue to be released this week. In the latest release, Louisiana is ranked as being the No. 1 state for the digital media industry. According to Business Facilities: "Louisiana's digital media industry is one of the fastest growing in the nation, growing at a rate of more than 100%. The state has almost 19,000 skilled software developers and more than 100,000 professionals with a skill set conducive to digital media or software development. In addition, its information sector, including software publishing and telecommunications, has experienced the second fastest growth rate in the country since June 2009." The magazine notes Baton Rouge, New Orleans and Shreveport are leading the state in the growth of digital media companies. "Known as the 'Creative Capital of the South,' Baton Rouge has attracted development studios such as Electronic Arts,...
Incentives package helps land Ameritas
U.S.-based IT services firm Ameritas Technologies was lured to Baton Rouge, at least in part, by an incentive package from LED that includes a performance-based grant of $125,000 per year for 10 years to offset leasing costs. The firm unveiled plans today to open an "information technology center" in the Chase Tower South downtown. Ameritas says it will begin hiring in September, plans to open by October and hopes to have 300 employees by 2016, with the jobs paying an average of $63,000 annually, plus benefits. Along with the grant, Ameritas will benefit from the LED FastStart program, which was today named the nation's best workforce training and development program for the third year straight by Business Facilities magazine (see the News roundup below for more details). The company is also expected to utilize Louisiana's Quality Jobs and Digital Interactive Media and Software Development tax incentives, LED says. Gov. Bobby Jindal and Mayor Kip Holden were joined by Ameritas...
B.R. security firm adding private investigation division
Lofton Security Service, a subsidiary of Baton Rouge-based Lofton Staffing Services, says it's expanding operations to include private investigation. Lofton Security's private investigation division will provide clients with investigatory law services in civil and domestic cases as well as insurance fraud. "Lofton has always strived to be more than a security company, but a true partner to our clients," says Lofton Director of Security Jay Babin. "We see this as an opportunity not only to help our clients, but to help the insurance industry with cases of fraud." The investigation division will provide services in general investigations, family law investigations, background searches, process services, surveillance, locate services and vehicle background reports. The division is licensed in Louisiana and Texas, throughout which Lofton has 10 offices. Since its founding in 1979, Lofton has grown from a small firm to a full-service corporation with consulting, staffing, security,...
Yahoo investigating reported mass password breach
Yahoo says it's investigating reports of a security breach this morning that may have exposed nearly half a million users' email addresses and passwords. The company says it has been looking into "claims of a compromise of Yahoo! user IDs" but did not disclose the size of the reported breach or how it may have happened. Yahoo spokeswoman Caroline MacLeod-Smith says that she couldn't immediately provide more detail on the breach "as we are still investigating it." Technology news websites are citing hackers—who call themselves the D33D Company—as those claiming responsibility for the attack, adding that data posted to the group's website carried more than 453,000 login credentials from an unidentified Yahoo subdomain. The little-known group has been quoted as saying that it had stolen the passwords using an SQL injection—the name given to a common attack method in which hackers use rogue commands to extract data from vulnerable websites.
Verizon tops study on wireless carriers in B.R.
The Daily Reveille reports Verizon is the best wireless carrier in Baton Rouge, with AT&T a close second, according to a study done by RootMetrics, a Seattle-based data statistic company. T-Mobile and Sprint follow in third and fourth, respectively. Verizon beat AT&T in the texting category, taking an average of only 3.4 seconds to receive a text compared to AT&T's 4.2 seconds. T-Mobile took 4.8 seconds to receive a message and Sprint took 13.1 seconds. AT&T's 4G LTE network beat Verizon in terms of average download speed at 12.9 mb/s to Verizon's 10.9 mb/s, but Verizon had a faster upload speed — 7.6 mb/s to AT&T's 5.5 mb/s. T-Mobile had download speeds of 3.5 mb/s and upload speeds of 1.4 mb/s. Sprint, with no LTE network in Baton Rouge, had download and upload speeds of 0.4 mb/s. The study also showed AT&T and Verizon were the most reliable networks for data delivery in Baton Rouge. To read more about the study, click
T-Mobile USA to buy, swap spectrum with Verizon
T-Mobile USA says it has agreed to buy wireless spectrum rights from Verizon Wireless and swap other spectrum holdings with the company, bolstering the ability of both to offer faster wireless data services. Verizon doesn't yet own the entire spectrum that it wants to transfer to T-Mobile. It has agreed to buy spectrum rights from a consortium of cable companies, but that deal is facing tough scrutiny from regulators in Washington. The deal between T-Mobile and Verizon is contingent upon the Verizon cable deal going through and gives added reason for regulators to approve it. T-Mobile is the fourth-largest cell phone carrier in the country and is starved for spectrum compared to its larger competitors. Neither T-Mobile nor Verizon is disclosing what T-Mobile would pay Verizon for the spectrum.
Verizon narrowly edges out AT&T in B.R. cell service report
A new report on cell phone service in the Baton Rouge area by independent phone carrier analyst group RootMetrics says Verizon and AT&T provide the overall best service, with Verizon slightly edging out AT&T. RootMetrics says it conducted thousands of data, call and text tests throughout Baton Rouge to compile the report, then analyzed the tests to find who performed the best in three key service areas: fastest and most reliable data network; fewest dropped and blocked calls; and fastest text service. The final tally of scores has Verizon slightly ahead of AT&T, though the two essentially are at a draw in all three categories for the top spot; those providers are followed by T-Mobile at No. 3, with Sprint bringing up the rear on the list. Verizon and AT&T were determined to provide the best data service, as well as the fastest text service, while Sprint joined the two atop the list for the fewest dropped and blocked calls. Check out the complete report
The new etiquette
Corporate trainers have it rough.
'225 Dine': Billr app breaks it down
Nothing spoils the mood of a nice night out with your friends like trying to fairly divvy up the check at the end of the night. Who ordered which drinks? Who ate what appetizer? If your server didn't—or couldn't—split your bill, your evening can end on a headache-inducing note rather than a relaxing one. Enter the elegant check-splitting app Billr, available for 99 cents in the iTunes store. With a simple, appealing interface that allows you to track each person's auto-tallying "tab" separately, figuring out the bill at the end of the meal will be a quick and easy footnote rather than an awkward coda spent fumbling with calculators and scribbling on the backs of receipts. And for less than the cost of a tip, it's well worth saving face with your friends. Read the rest of this week's 225 Dine e-newsletter here.