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This week on the Jefferson Parish Pulse, we interview Hieu Doan, owner of Boil Seafood House and Hieux Boil Seafood House. Both restaurants offer Viet-Cajun cuisine, a unique spin on traditional Cajun and Vietnamese dishes. JEDCO helped Hieu open Boil Seafood House with an SBA 504 loan, which was used to turn a dilapidated historical building on Magazine Street into a bustling restaurant on one of New Orlean's busiest corridors. Hieu talks about how his childhood informed his decision to open and operate restaurants, how the pandemic impacted business, and what it has been like to see his businesses capture the attention of national foodies. Learn more about Boil Seafood House and Hieux Boil Seafood House. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

On this week's episode of the Jefferson Parish Pulse, we interview Jennifer Perkins and Andrew Blackwell, a brother and sister duo who own and operate several Main Squeeze Juice Company franchise locations in the Greater New Orleans region. Andrew and Jennifer got a JEDgrow Loan to help with startup costs for one franchise location and it grew into several more over the years. On the show, we talk about how they got into the world of franchising, their best advice for entrepreneurs, and what it is like to work with JEDCO. Of course, they also answer the very important question regarding their favorite items on the Main Squeeze menu. To learn more about JEDCO, visit our website at JEDCO.org. To learn more about our JEDgrow Loan Program, click here. Craving a delicious smoothie? Main Squeeze Juice Company has got you covered. Check them out here. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

This season on the Jefferson Parish Pulse, we're featuring conversations with business owners who have received loans through JEDCO to start up, grow, and expand their companies. To kick things off, we're introducing JEDCO Finance Director Jennifer Lapeyrouse. In just two years, Jennifer increased JEDCO's loans by 300% and has been tremendous resource for small businesses in Jefferson Parish and beyond. Jennifer talks about JEDCO's loan programs, how to get a loan through JEDCO, and how she helped boost the loan business for our economic development organization. Want to get a loan through JEDCO? Email us at loans@jedco.org. Interested in learning more about JEDCO financing options? Check out our financing page here. JEDCO.org See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

This week on a very special BONUS episode of the Jefferson Parish Pulse, we interview JEDCO President and CEO Jerry Bologna about the Jefferson EDGE 2025. This new long-term economic development strategic plan was designed to help transform the Jefferson Parish economy and lean into business recovery, social equity and competitiveness. Check out the full Jefferson EDGE Plan here.Visit us at www.JEDCO.org See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

On the Season 3 finale of the Jefferson Parish Pulse, we interview Jefferson Parish Councilman-at-Large Scott Walker. Councilman Walker was elected one year ago and is a relative newcomer to the Jefferson Parish Council. During this episode, we talk about the pandemic and its impact on his first year in office, projects he's most proud of, and his focus on transparency and accessibility. We also discussed the future and the focus for 2021. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

On this episode of the Jefferson Parish Pulse, we interview Larry Manshel, the President and fourth generation owner of ITC4 Promos, a 122-year-old company that specializes in innovation and creative promotional products and marketing support. Larry talks about adapting to a changing marketplace over the years, taking over the family business and moving to Louisiana, and the company's focus on giving back to the community. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

This week on the Jefferson Parish Pulse, we interview Kristi Trail, the executive director of the Pontchartrain Conservancy. The Pontchartrain Conservancy is a non-profit designed to support our region and our waterways through scientific research, education and advocacy. Kristi talked about the impacts of the 2020 hurricane season on the Louisiana coastline, how the Pontchartrain Conservancy's work is tied to the prosperity of our region, and the importance of our coast and our waterways to the rest of the United States. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

On this episode of the Jefferson Parish Pulse, we interview Teresa Lawrence. Lawrence is a Cuban-born entrepreneur and the owner Delta Personnel, a local staffing agency based in Jefferson Parish. Teresa talks about how her childhood experiences and her family helped to shape her into the business owner she is today, the value of a strong company and her best advice for entrepreneurs. She also talks about how the pandemic impacted her business and what her business did to move forward. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

On this episode of the Jefferson Parish Pulse, we feature an interview with Dr. Lana Joseph-Ford, founder of High Level Speech and Hearing Center, which specializes in the evaluation, identification, and treatment of speech and hearing concerns in both children and adults. Dr. J talks about building her business from the ground-up, the value of the entrepreneurial ecosystem in the Greater New Orleans region, and her vision for the future of her company. We dive into the pieces of her life that led her to become a doctor and the values that have helped to shape her as an entrepreneur. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

This week on the Jefferson Parish Pulse, we interview Linda Auld, better known as the NOLA Bug Lady. Linda is the owner of Barber Laboratories, a third generation pest control supply shop in Jefferson Parish. Linda wears many hats: business owner, pest control expert, author and conservationist. She is an absolute wealth of knowledge when it comes to bugs. And while she's an expert on solving pest problems, her real passion lies in preservation and conservation of nature and the critters that live in it. On this episode, Linda talks about taking over the family business, the importance of education and investing in her community, and how she turned her bug business into her true passion. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

This week on the Jefferson Parish Pulse, we feature an interview with Vince Hayward, CEO of Camellia Brand/L.H. Hayward & Company. The business packages dry beans, peas and lentils in their Jefferson Parish manufacturing facility. The business was founded in 1923 and has grown into a locally famous brand. On this episode, Vince talked about carrying the torch of the fourth-generation family-owned business, some of the company's recent acquisitions and the unexpected "bean boom" that came out of the COVID-19 pandemic. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

This week on the Jefferson Parish Pulse, we interview Leigh D'Angelo, cof-founder and CEO of Dig - The Dog Person's Dating App and Tabby - The Cat Person's Dating App. Leigh runs the global business from Gretna, LA. On this episode, we talk about love in the time of COVID, being a part of the multi-billion dollar pet industry, and the best advice she has for entrepreneurs. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

This week on the Jefferson Parish Pulse, we feature an interview with Joshua Dean, founder of Little J's Donuts in Harahan. JEDCO helped this startup donut shop go from dream to reality with our JEDgrow Loan Program. Through our small business financing arm, JEDCO was able to finance nearly 90% of this new project. Joshua spoke about the importance of community support for startups, opening a business during the pandemic, and what it was like to work with JEDCO on this project. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

On the Season 3 premiere of the Jefferson Parish Pulse, we welcome JEDCO President & CEO Jerry Bologna back to the show to help kick off our next round of interviews. Jerry discussed the importance of the Spend Local JP campaign, a new initiative to encourage residents to support local businesses during the pandemic. He highlighted how the campaign got started and how businesses can get involved. He also gave a quick snapshot of recent sales tax revenues and what he is hearing from the business community as we move into month six of the pandemic. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

In the Season 2 finale, we interview Jefferson Parish President Cynthia Lee Sheng. More than six months into office, Cynthia is leading the Parish through a pandemic. Cynthia talked about her first months in office, where Jefferson Parish stands with the pandemic right now, the importance of wearing a mask in public, upcoming elections and what is being done to keep voters safe at the polls and more. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

This week on the Jefferson Parish Pulse, we interviewed Barbara Blank, founder of Clean Creations. Clean Creations prepares and delivers fresh, healthy meals to their customers all over the Greater New Orleans area. We talked about the importance of spending local, the joy of doing business in the City of Gretna and how the company has fared through the pandemic. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

This week on Jefferson Parish Pulse, we interview Neel Sus, the founder and CEO of Susco. We talked about the importance of having a strong entrepreneurial ecosystem, trends in the tech industry during the pandemic, and the value of company culture and engagement - especially right now. Neel offers excellent advice for work that all business leaders should be doing and he shares his thoughts on community resilience in the face of hardship. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

On this week's episode of the Jefferson Parish Pulse, we chat with the queen of sugar, Jeanne O’Leary. Jeanne is the founder of Poof Cotton Candy, a startup food manufacturer based in Jefferson Parish. But if you’re imaging the pink and blue county fair cotton candy of old, you’re not thinking of Poof. This company is far from traditional. The business spins up fluffy, fabulous flavors of cotton candy– dressed up with sprinkles, spices and everything nice. Jeanne won the 2019 JEDCO Challenge, which came with a big check for twenty-thousand dollars and some changes for the growing company. On this episode, we talk about an idea that came out of thin air, overcoming major packaging challenges, and how Jeanne's life has changed since winning the JEDCO pitch competition. This episode originally aired on October 31, 2019. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

This week on the Jefferson Parish Pulse, we feature an interview with Mayra Pineda, President & CEO of the Hispanic Chamber of Commerce of Louisiana. The Hispanic Chamber has been an invaluable resource throughout the pandemic. The organization helped to usher in Spanish translations of important documents, resources and press conferences during the pandemic and they hosted weekly conference calls with experts to keep their network informed. Beyond that, they continue to do the important work of providing educational content, seminars on financial literary and more. Mayra talked about the work being down by the Hispanic Chamber during COVID-19, the importance of filling out the 2020 Census, and the value of partnerships to advance economic development and business growth. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

This week on the Jefferson Parish Pulse, we spoke with Floor 13 owner Holis Hannan. The company had just moved into its new location in Elmwood when the pandemic hit the area. COVID-19 presented challenges that eventually sparked the idea for Dat Desk, a program to donate beautiful, hand-painted desks to children in the Greater New Orleans area. We talked with Holis about overcoming hardships and the resilience of the Greater New Orleans community, the joy of giving back and how one small idea can snowball into something much bigger. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.