BioDistrict Welcomes Ochsner
Ochsner Relocating to Benson Tower  

 

BioDistrict New Orleans is proud to welcome Ochsner Health System, the regions largest healthcare provider, to its new address inside Benson Towers located in the BioDistrict footprint. Approximately 750 administrative employees and executives will move to the top floors of the newly renovated Benson Towers on Poydras Street.

The move of Ochsner employees into the BioDistrict, just steps away from the new University Medical Center and VA hospitals, the Louisiana Cancer Research and the BioInnovation Centers, will prove to be a great asset to the area and the BioDistrict. The relocation of Ochsner highlights the importance of a trained workforce. 

As part of the BioDistrict Master Plan proposes the creation of a Health Education Campus where employers will be able to train, recruit and provide life long learning for their current and future employees. 

Click here to read coverage about Ochsner's move.

Meet the Industry Series
Spotlight on Laboratory Technologies 

 

On Sept. 26 BioDistrict New Orleans along with partners NOLA Business Alliance and FOGO Data Centers hosted the Meet the Industry Series, highlighting the work done by Debra C. Sharpe, director of laboratory services and compliance for Working Buildings Companies. Sharpe shared information about laboratory design, commissioning, regulatory compliance services and facilities maintenance and management--all significant topics for the emerging biotech industry in New Orleans, the opening of the New Orleans BioInnovation Center and the ongoing construction of the Louisiana Cancer Research Consortium, University Medical Center and VA hospitals.

The audience consisted of architects, researchers, educators and economic developers, which fostered a vibrant and illuminating Q & A period. A key point was made to those in attendance about the opportunities to participate in the supply chain to this emerging industry.

Click here to see Sharpe's presentation on laboratory technologies.

Board Member Spotlight
John C. Hope, III 

 

In this issue's Board Member Spotlight, BioDistrict New Orleans is proud to highlight the accomplishments of John C. Hope, III, a New Orleans resident and longtime banking executive.

In 1994, Commissioner Hope joined Whitney National Bank as Executive Vice President, Gulf Coast Banking Division, with responsibility for all banking activities outside the State of Louisiana. In 2007, Hope became a Director and the President and Chief Operating Officer of Whitney Holding Corporation and Whitney National Bank. Effective March 16, 2008, Commissioner Hope assumed the roles of Chairman of the Board and Chief Executive Officer of both the company and the bank. He retired from Whitney in June of 2011 at the time of its merger with Hancock Bank.

Commissioner Hope served as Chairman of the Board of Directors of EnergySouth, Inc., a publicly traded local distribution and gas storage company. He serves on the Board of Trustees of Infirmary Health System. He previously served as Chairman of the Board of Trustees of UMS -- Wright Preparatory School (a K-12 private school in Mobile, Ala.), Chairman of the Board of Directors of the Mobile Area Chamber of Commerce and Campaign Chairman of the United Way of Southwest Alabama. 

Commissioner Hope has seen first hand the potential of the BioDistrict on the regional economy and knows what it will take to be successful. He will serve as the Representative of the New Orleans Business Council. 

Working Paper 8 Published
 Working Paper Creates Refined BioDistrict Plan 

Working Paper 8 is now complete and available for review. The purpose of Task 8, Preferred Plan, was to use the stakeholder feedback gathered during the Task 7 alternatives workshops to create a single, refined plan for the BioDistrict.

The next step, and perhaps the most critical, is to combine research gathered with the other efforts that have emerged since the inception of this process, i.e., the Iberville CNI, Champion Square Entertainment District, and the Claiborne Corridor Study.

BioDistrict New Orleans continues to believe that working with stakeholders, community groups, elected officials and members of the City, State and Federal agencies - who have an interest in seeing the bioscience industry succeed in New Orleans, will yield the best result.

Click here to access and review Working Paper 8 and the comprehensive plan for BioDistrict New Orleans.

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