#05 - GNO Inc. Establishing New Orleans as a Global Blue Economy Innovation Hub

140 Plays1 year ago

We mix it up with GNO Inc. President and CEO, Michael Hecht (a.k.a. DJ El Camino), about regional initiatives supporting the Blue Economy, Blue Tech, and resilient Gulf Coast communities. Michael explains the Greater New Orleans region’s Cha Cha style of economic development and innovation ecosystem development, grounded in a social equity and inclusivity agenda, powered by our exceptional creative culture heritage (with a bit of Lagniappe). Even in this complex age of climate crisis, all of the elements are in place for the Gulf Coast to make a great leap forward. We discuss how in the decades to come, the Louisiana Estuary can position itself to attract and cultivate an adaptive mix of talent, technology, and capital to preserve our homegrown Northern Caribbean character, while establishing global climate tech leadership and securing sustainable economic prosperity for our future generations.

Please visit the episode 05 webpage to find additional links, references and background information.

GUEST BIO:
Michael Hecht
President & CEO; Greater New Orleans, Inc.
Michael Hecht is President & CEO of Greater New Orleans, Inc., the economic development agency for southeast Louisiana. GNO, Inc.'s mission is to create a region with a thriving economy and an excellent quality of life, for everyone. Under Michael's leadership, GNO, Inc. has been named a “Top Economic Development Organization in the United States” by Site Selection magazine.

Before coming to GNO, Inc. Michael led the quarter-billion-dollar Katrina Small Business Recovery Program for the State. Previous to coming home to Louisiana, Michael worked for Mayor Michael Bloomberg in New York City, running the post-9/11 small business program.

Michael's entrepreneurial experience includes co-founding a conglomerate of restaurant ventures, including “Foreign Cinema,” named Restaurant of the Year 2000 in San Francisco. He began his career as a strategic management consultant in the US, Canada, Europe and Australia.

Michael holds an MBA from Stanford Graduate School of Business, and an undergraduate degree from Yale. Michael has been recognized as “One of the Ten People Who Made a Difference in the South,” “One of the 20 Business ‘Icons’ of the Tricentennial,” and “2018 CEO of the Year.”

With family roots in Louisiana back to the 1830s, Michael now lives in New Orleans with his wife, Marlene, who is currently pursuing a Ph.D. at Tulane, and their two teenaged sons.