In the United States people congregate for entertainment in buildings, like multiplex movie theaters, or dedicated chunks of real estate like Broadway in New York, and Disney World in Florida. Here in Acadiana, we have a parallel universe of popular entertainment. None of it involves massive permanent construction. It requires only an open field or a…

The saying “Beauty is in the eye of the beholder” assumes a democracy of things. Meaning every object, from a speck of sand to a skyscraper, has the potential for beauty, if we decide it’s beautiful. Even if you believe that to be true, you have to admit that some objects are just more obviously beautiful…

Out to Lunch host Peter Ricchiuti shows up to Social on Johnston Street with nothing but a good idea: find guests at the restaurant, have lunch and talk business. What transpires is both a testament to the quality of Social’s diners and employees and the ready availability of characters and talent in every part of…

The Independent and Abiz publisher Cherry Fisher May sits in for Peter Ricchiuti on this edition of Out to Lunch Acadiana. Cherry kicks off by noting the old adage in property development is “Land is valuable because they’re not making any more of it,” whereas in reality, in the United States there’s around 80,000 square…

We go online for just about everything today. News, weather, music, banking, clothes, shoes, books – pretty much everything you’re looking for, you just have to Google it and it will pop up. For example, try Googling “Golf balls.” You probably won’t be surprised that no matter where you are in the world the first thing…

If you grew up around Lafayette and Lake Charles and you’re a certain age, you might know Don Begneaud. If you’ve got kids – and you leave out the part where he dropped out of college – Don Beagneaud’s story is inspirational. Don started out as a welder, riding a bicycle to classes while a…

When we talk about emergency services we think of the three types of first responders, police, fire, and medical, as equals. Although they are indeed equal in their vital function of saving lives, they’re not equal financially. When a police car or a fire engine shows up, the vehicles and the people in them are funded…

In business, when we talk about “exports” we’re referring to a complex set of conditions that need to be fulfilled to get products out of the United States and into other countries. One of the first problems an exporter faces is finding a market where his or her products are going to be desirable. Or…

If you’re in business and you’re lucky or talented enough to be doing well, it’s not long before you start comparing your business with others that are doing better. And start wondering how you could do as well as they are. Or better. We do the same sort of thing, consciously or unconsciously, in our personal…

We’re in an era of the Sharing Economy. Home sharing business Air B’n’B has a capital valuation of over 10 billion dollars. Car sharing business Uber is closer to 20 billion. This mindset finds its way into day-to-day business as well. Ground rules that used to be based on competition are becoming infused with a…