The Business of Partnerships

[Kimberly Williamson]
The New Orleans Downtown Development District actually invests a significant amount of money in the city police department in an effort to increase enforcement in the downtown area. And that partnership has resulted in a reduction of crime. Still, the perception is that downtown New Orleans isn't safe. In reality, it is safer than anywhere else in the city. We need to send out that message and continue our joint commitment to ensure that it stays safe.

The city is also recruiting some high-end retailers, and those new arrivals will lure even higher-end retailers into the area. Canal Street is New Orleans' main retail core and a central street in the downtown area. Right now, there's a proliferation of gift and T-shirt shops on Canal Street. That's not going to change overnight because many of those merchants are locked into long-term leases. But if New Orleans can come together with a shared vision for Canal Street, we'll achieve a much more vibrant, lucrative downtown. We need to bring in the private sector as a partner in all of this so that we have true public-private partnerships. Those will allow us to leverage the resources, both human and financial, from the community.

[Stephen Sabludowsky]
Earlier this spring, I met with a group of individuals from the media and other organizations in order to assess whether there was value in discussing Internet and New Media-related issues in a public forum. I initiated that conversation because I felt that the success of the Internet in New Orleans was largely dependent upon the media's approach. From those discussions, I determined there was an interest in forming a specific Internet-based organization that would include representatives from as many civic, professional, and media groups as possible. Shortly after solidifying the Internet Coalition, the New Orleans Technology Council requested that we become their official Internet committee.

One of the real purposes of the Internet Coalition is to allow universities, media, and businesses large and small to band together and improve New Orleans' standing in the international Internet community. There are so many professions in the community that, to date, have not really been plugged into the Internet: advertising, PR, banking and financial services, small business, and the government. If the Internet Coalition can help bring these different communities together and educate them about the value and risks of the Internet and e-commerce, then it will enhance the community's overall Internet knowledge. In the future, when people put together projects, they will be able to talk intelligently about technology and include industries such as advertising, banking, venture capital, and the government. The Coalition's goal is to provide information and education to New Orleanians so they can feel more comfortable with and confident in Internet projects. Our goal is to provide not just an online community of Internet users, but an offline community that's familiar with resources and willing to collaborate. They should be able to use the same language so that the community can be competitive.

Starting this fall, the Internet Coalition will begin a regular discussion series that will bring in guest speakers and panelists to discuss Internet-related issues ranging from e-commerce to promotion of Internet Web sites to funding Internet projects. We are also creating 'Internet week,' which will combine the efforts of many private and nonprofit community organizations, and media and educational institutions to demonstrate New Orleans' Internet strengths.

[Carla Fishman]
The medical centers for Tulane and Louisiana State University are located near the business district in New Orleans, and they're only a block away from each other. We have all come to realize that the whole is greater than the sum of the parts, and if we are going to move forward in this state, we need to do it together. By trying to compete in individual silos, we can't make the same sorts of strides we could if we worked together. For example, the Tulane and LSU medical centers decided to spearhead an initiative that focuses on the importance of gene therapy and molecular medicine, which will allow diseases to be treated at the genetic level. Together, the two schools took this message to the state, presented it to the legislators and said, "Here's a real opportunity for us as a state."