nwla business monthly - september 2012

Published By Specht Newspapers, Inc The Heartbeat of Northwest Louisiana Growth September 2012

The TotalPackageDavid Alvis Knows a Thing or two aboutrunning a restaurant. He shares whathe has learned as the keys to success.

2 | September 2012 | BUSINESS MONTHLY

BUSINESS MONTHLY| September 2012 | 3


ON THE COVER RESTAURANTS IN NWLA

A Little Cooking, A Lot of Profits

FEATURES

14 TourismKims Seafood Makes National News

13 Work this WayThe Restuarant Industry as aQuality of Life Indicator

5 The First WordNo Coasting on Fridays

5 On the Economic Development FrontThe Rise of Digital Media in North Louisiana

11 From the Bossier ChamberAre You Up To Date on Employment Laws?

11 Win-Win PowertoolsTwenty-Five Winning Habits to Adopt

12 Insurance MattersGreen Cars = Lower Injuries

12 Marketing B-S (Bossier-Shreveport)Additional Elements for Marketing Your Business

PERSPECTIVE

Volume 3, Number 7Copyright 2012 by Specht Newspapers, Inc. All rights reserved. Business Monthly is published each month by Specht Newspapers, Inc. at 4250Viking Drive, Bossier City, LA 71111. Telephone (318) 747-7900. Information in this publication is gathered from sources considered to be reliable,but the accuracy and completeness of the information cannot be guaranteed.

David Alvis knows a little something about running a restaurant.With three of them in the area, he gives us some business insight. ...Starting on Page 6

CONTENTS

Find More Online at www.nwlabusiness.com


In just a few short years, Louisianahas risen to the top of the nationalrankings in digital media growth.Business Facilities, a leadingeconomic development journal,named Louisiana as the No. 1state for the digital mediaindustry. The magazine pointsto major Louisiana hubs likeShreveport-Bossier as a drivingforce behind the extraordinarygrowth, propelling the state tothe top of the charts.

According to BusinessFacilities, Louisianas digitalmedia industry is one of thefastest growing in the nation,growing at a rate of more than100%. The state has almost19,000 skilled software developers andmore than 100,000 professionals with askill set conducive to digital media or soft-ware development. In addition, its infor-mation sector, including software publish-ing and telecommunications, has experi-enced the second fastest growth rate in thecountry since June 2009.

To highlight the emergence of the digi-tal media sector, Shreveport-Bossier willhost the first annual DigiFest South 2012,September 7th- 9th at the Bossier CivicCenter, 620 Benton Rd., Bossier City.Presented by the Bossier Arts Council,DigiFest South is a digital arts festival andtechnology expo that celebrates how digitaltechnology combined with artistic creativi-ty shapes modern society. The event willalso showcase the many digital media andtechnology companies that are growingand flourishing in North Louisiana. Doorsopen 12:00 pm - 9:00 pm on Friday andSaturday and 12:00 pm - 6:00 pm onSunday. Tickets are $10 for Adults, $5 forstudents for a one-day pass and $15 for athree-day pass.

The idea that became DigiFest Southcame about as a way to recognize the digi-tal artists and how they have combinedtechnology and creativity to transform ourway of life, said Clint McCommon,DigiFest Committee Chairman.

The three-day event includes a digitalart exhibition, tech expo, TEDx talk series,video game competition, career fair, filmfestival and interactive activities for allages. Participants include the most cuttingedge companies, organizations and educa-tional institutions in the region, includingthe Oscar-winning Moonbot Studios andaward-winning Twin Engine Labs.

Digital media, which includes videogames, animation, mobile applications and

interactive software, is a multi-billion dol-lar industry. A new study byPricewaterhouseCoopers estimates the

U.S. digital media market share will reach$134 billion of an estimated $517 billionglobal market in 2014. The American digi-tal media market accounts for 26 percentof the global market, up from $81 billion in2009 or a 19 percent share.

Louisiana intends to capture a big sliceof the digital media pie by offering thestrongest digital media incentives in thenation in order to recruit new digital mediacompanies or grow existing ones. TheLouisiana Digital Interactive Media andSoftware Development Incentive offers a25% tax credit for expenditures made in-state and a 35% tax credit on payrollexpenditures for Louisiana residents withno annual caps on the tax credits. Workmust be performed and the facilities mustbe located in Louisiana. This credit can betransferred to other Louisiana taxpayers.

To highlight this rapidly growing sectorin our economy, North LouisianaEconomic Partnership (NLEP), a regionaleconomic development marketing organi-zation, will bring in journalists fromnational trade publications such asAnimation Magazine to cover our digitalmedia industry. The journalists will visitdigital media companies across the regionand attend DigiFest South 2012. NLEPsgoal is to generate positive exposure for theregions flourishing digital media sector,nourished by a positive business climatestatewide and supportive local and region-al partners.

CHRISTINE RAMBO is Vice President of Communications forNorth Louisiana Economic Partnership (NLEP), a regional eco-nomic development marketing organization. Send commentsto [email protected]

PERSPECTIVE ON THE ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT FRONT

CHRISTINE RAMBO

Opinion

DigiFest and MoreThe Rise of Digital Media

in North LouisianaI saw the following post on

Facebook last week...

Friday is finally here!!!! Pleasewhisk me away to the beach where thesun shines, the beer is cold, life is sim-ple, the cabana boys are plentiful, andthe weekends are endless.

While I am as big a fan ofFridays and beaches as thenext person (sans the part ofabout the beer and cabanaboys), there is a disturbingtrend among many withregard to this last business dayof the week...

Coasting on Friday to theweekend

As a salesperson in my mar-ket, it has become a common occur-rence that catching up with someoneon a Friday afternoon is next toimpossible. People seem to think theweekend starts somewhere aroundnoon on Friday.

When did this happen? Did it startwith "Casual Friday" and evolve fromthere?

As someone who wants to outper-form the competition, and be valu-able to my company, I feel the"Friday Coast" is detrimental.

Fridays are good for... Sales. If you are in a good mood

because the weekend is almost here,then your prospects probably are aswell. Get out there and see thembefore they take off.

Planning. Even if your contactshave bailed early doesn't mean youhave to. Use this time to get nextweek in order. Pencil (or type) inimportant deadlines and dates. Getyour materials ready so you can hitthe ground running next week.

Learning. If all is quiet aroundthe office, then cue up some trainingvideos on the computer. Find thingsthat are applicable to your line ofwork and get educated.

Meetings. Before you discountthis with rolled eyes, just follow mefor a moment. I meet with my leader-ship team each Friday over lunch.We bring take-out food into the con-ference room and review, learn,brainstorm, etc. We then set actionsteps to follow through for the next

week. The Friday meeting is morerelaxed than any others during theweek. On Monday, I touch base to seeif my team has thought about the dis-cussion over the weekend. Moretimes than not, they have.

If you love what you do, then hope-fully weekends are nice, but not thefocus of each week. Give your allevery day not just Monday-Thursday.

DAVID SPECHT JR. is vice president of SpechtNewspapers, Inc. Read his blog about leadershipat dspecht.blogpot.com He may be reached viaemail at [email protected].

DAVID SPECHT JR.

Opinion

No Coastingon Fridays

PERSPECTIVE THE FIRST WORD

Follow DavidOn Twitter: @dspechtbossieron Facebook: david.a.specht

Or Read His Blog:www.DavidASpecht.com


FEATURE RESTAURANTS IN NWLA

BY SEAN GREENDavid Alvis is a restaurateur who

has grown an empire in Bossier Citywith a simple philosophy and onebelief give customers the wholepackage and treat your employeeslike family.

The owner of Texas StreetSteakhouse, Silver StarSmokehouse, Kellys Place, andSilver Star Catering has become syn-onymous with customer serviceand quality when it comes to thelocal restaurant industry.

The toughest business is therestaurant business. Its hardbecause you have to have great food,great service, great employees, agreat facility. Its not about therecipe, its about the whole packageand piecing that together, thats thehardest part, he said.

Sitting in his office above TheVenyu an events center owned byAlvis that will soon be a weekdaysoup and salad bar that serves sand-wiches off Benton Road, a quickglance around show that the wholepackage even reaches as far as hispersonal workspace. Its dark woodsand modern rustic furniture would-nt look out of place at any of his busi-nesses.

The idea that giving customerseverything is ingrained in who he isand what his businesses offer, whichsets them apart from the industry asa whole.

Chain restaurants have messedthis business up. Its a mindsetwhere these (chains) are apologizingfor bad food and bad service. We putout a great product that we donthave to discount, said Alvis.

He cooks his food like a good steak start with a great cut of meat anddont mess it up.

Someone asked me How longdoes it take your barbecue to cook?And I told them, When its done.

Different meat comes off at differenttimes, we dont cook by time. Wecook by temperature and feel.

His whole package philosophyalso extends to his catering service.

We take the absolute best prod-uct we can take. When we go to acatering job, were looking for cus-tomers, said Alvis.

Just talking to him, its easy to seehow Alvis has become a hit with cus-tomers and employees. His anecdot-al, fun loving nature is infectious.

And that nature extends down tohis employees.

My kitchen staff has been withme forever and were like family. Forexample, I put out work schedules(for servers) around their schoolschedules their education is very,very important to me, said Alvis.

And that belief of family alsoeffects how they execute his philoso-

phy. His employees follow a code:The answer is, always, Yes.

If they call me and need some-thing, the answer is, always, Yes. IfI need them to come in early or pickup an extra shift, the answer is,always, Yes, said Alvis.

And he makes sure to pick theright people from the get-go.

Where a lot of people struggle inthis business is turnover. You haveto find the right employee and thatstarts in the hiring process, saidAlvis. If you do a great job of hiring,you have a better employee.

Some of those employees have fol-lowed Alvis along his journey.

He opened Country Tavern inShreveport in 1997 before moving toBossier City with Texas Street Grillin 2005. He then opened Silver StarSmokehouse on Benton Road in2006 and moved it to its current loca-

tion off Highway 80 in July 2011. Herecently took over and renovatedKellys Place seafood buffet inHaughton in November 2011.

As his roster of restaurants hasgrown, his expansion has alwaysbeen a careful decision.

Soon, his businesses will grow toinclude an outdoor concert stage andconcessions stand behind Silver StarSmokehouse. Then, to the left of therestaurant, he will construct a 500-person events center.

It has to be calculated. Can we dothis and not put ourselves in a bind?

SEAN GREEN is managing editor of the Bossier Press-Tribune and a contributor to Business Monthly. He maybe reached via email at [email protected].

The Total PackageDavid Alvis believes it takes more than a good product to bring success

Photo By Randy BrownSilver Star Smokehouse Owner David Alvis takes a look at meat on his smoker prior to the arrival of guests during the lunch hour.


Ibegan this part of my careerten years ago as my wife,Andrea, and I founded Win-Win. The plan was to help clientsgrow their businesses by sharingthe BASICS of sales, serv-ice and hiring the right per-son. Following the start ofthe recent recession, arti-cles and speeches aboutGetting Back to theBasics were flying. I keptgetting blank stares when IaskedWhy did you everleave?

What are the basics? Whathad I done over my 30-yearcareer on the street and in the man-agers chair that was successful? Onething led to another as friends andclients requested that I write themdown. I realized that Im a step-by-step guy and always broke down mychallenges into the basic steps.Actually, they were more than steps.They were habits because I usedthem over and over to approachopportunities and challenges.

I surprised myself and wrote abook entitled 25 Winning Habits.It was only 100 pages with briefchapters and stimulating quotes;after all, these habits are fundamen-tal and simple. Before you ask, Idont know why I ended up with 25.

Check out Jerrys WinningHabits

1. Its all about the client. Whenthe client wins, youll win.

2. Listen. If you listen, the clientwill tell you how to sell them.

3. Prospect every day. Thatsevery day.

4. Start early. I sold more before10 than I ever did after 10.

5. Re-position the competition.Understand the skill of positioning

6. In-person is best. You are atyour best when you are face-to-face.

7. Embrace the power of ThankYou Notes. Everyone appreciates athank you and are shocked and sur-

prised you took the time to hand-write one.

8. Use the 3 Ps. Plan, prepare andpractice.

9. Ask for long term. Why not?

10. Ask for appointments. Valuetheir time and yours.

11. Weekly contact. Its requiredto build relationships and handlingthe competition.

12. Invest 30-minutes in youevery week. Never stop growing.Enhance the value of what you areselling.

13. Customize and personalize.Make your proposal about the client,not you.

14. Ask the critical questions. Youneed to know how the client feelsabout your product or service.

15. Conduct the clients annualphysical. Today, its down to everyquarter. Things are changing rapid-ly.

16. Ask for the order. PPP! Yourclient expects it.

17. Learn Why? Why did theysay no and why did they say yes.Its the only way you can move for-ward.

18. Become market savvy. Beaware of what is happening in yourclients market.

19. Provide exceptional service.The second order comes from out-standing service provided with thefirst order.

PERSPECTIVE WIN WIN POWER TOOLS

JERRY FRENTRESS

Opinion

Twenty-Five WinningHabits to Adopt

There was a time when employ-ment law was exclusively theconcern of the company attor-ney, but those days are a thing ofthe past. Employment Laws evolveand staying up to date can be chal-lenging, but businesses cant affordto skate blindly around grayareas of interpretation.These days, what you dontknow about employmentlaw can hurt you or yourorganization.

At the next BossierChamber Business Builder,we aim to bring you practicalinformation that applies toyour workplace right now.Join us as we host Cook,Yancey, King & Galloway foran Employment Law Seminar onSeptember 20th at the University ofPhoenix.The half day seminar beginsat 8:30 with breakfast and registra-tion and concludes at 12pm with around table discussion over lunch.

Topics include:Because I said so! Washington

and Baton Rouge enforcementphilosophies...is the governmentintruding on your business?

HR meets CSI- Nothing up mysleeve but keep your hands off mythumb drive

Take this job and love it!Dealingwith difficult employees

Today, its more important than

ever to know and understand the lawand how it applies to your company.From business owners and managersto human resource professionals, thisseminar will provide a wealth of infor-mation to take back to the workplace.

The seminar will feature speakers

Price Barker, Michael Lowe, BrianCarnie and Adam Gates. Dont missthis opportunity to learn from some ofthe best practitioners and profession-als in the labor and employmentarena.

Meals are provided by ErnestsOrleans. Cost to attend is $20 forMembers and $30 for FutureMembers. Space is limited, so reserveyour seat today! For more informa-tion, contact Jana Morgan [email protected].

LISA JOHNSON is Presiednt/CEO of the Bossier Chamberof Commerce.

PERSPECTIVE FROM THE BOSSIER CHAMBER

Are You Up to Date onEmployment Laws?

LISA JOHNSON

Opinion

See, Frentress, Page 14


The odds of being injured in acrash are 25 percent lowerfor hybrid drivers than peo-ple driving nonhybrid vehicles,according to a new report bythe Highway Loss DataInstitute, an affiliate of theInsurance Institute forHighway Safety.

"Weight is a big factor," saidMatt Moore, HLDI vice presi-dent. "Hybrids on average are10 percent heavier than theirstandard counterparts. Thisextra mass gives them anadvantage in crashes that theirconventional twins don't have." Henotes that other factors, such as how,when, and by whom hybrids are driven,also may contribute. Researchersincluded controls to reduce the impactthese differences may have had on theresults.

It used to be that car buyers had toforego safety if they opted for fuel effi-ciency. Not so anymore. Consumershave more options than ever beforewhen choosing a safe and fuel efficientvehicle.

"Saving at the pump no longermeans you have to skimp on crash pro-tection," Moore said.

In the study, HLDI estimated theodds that a crash would result ininjuries if people were riding in a hybridversus the conventional version of thesame vehicle. The analysis included

more than 25 hybrid-conventional vehi-cle pairs, all 2003-11 models, with atleast one collision claim and at least onerelated injury claim filed under person-

al injury protection or medical paymentcoverage in 2002-10.

Even with advances in occupant pro-tection, larger vehicles still are saferchoices than smaller ones. Althoughhybrids share the same footprint andstructure as their conventional counter-parts, they outweigh them because ofthe added heft of battery packs andother components used in dual-powersystems, according to HLDI. At about3,600 pounds, a hybrid Honda Accordmidsize sedan, for example, can weighas much as 480 pounds more than a con-ventional Accord. The Toyota Prius andHonda Insight were excluded from thestudy because they are only sold ashybrids.

KARY LANDRY is a State Farm agent in Bossier City.

KARY LANDRY

Opinion

Good News For GreenDrivers; Lower Injury Odds

PERSPECTIVE INSURANCE MATTERS

The 4 Ps of Marketing, Part 2

2.) Price What will youcharge for your product or serv-ice? What are consumers willingto pay? Essentially, what pricewill the market bear? The deter-mination of this element willdetermine the profitabilityof your business andhenceforth, your businesssuccess or survival. Anychange that you make inthe pricing structure ofyour product or service willhave a profound impactupon your marketingplan/strategy and as such,will impact thesales/demand for what youare selling. Yourproduct/service pricing structureshould compliment the other ele-ments of your marketingplan/strategy.

3.) Promotion How will youprovide information to your cus-tomer about your product orservice? There are several meth-ods of communicating informa-tion about your product or serv-ice to the marketplace.Advertising is an essential ele-ment and is a must! It is oftensaid that a business that is like-ly to fail is a business that failsto advertise. Please, do not thinkof advertising as a businessexpense or just solely a cost ofdoing business. It is not!!Advertising is an investment inyour business and more impor-tantly, an investment in the longterm success and viability ofyour business. This will be a keyelement for determining yoursuccess. An advertising mix willbe your best course of action. Assuch, print advertising, radio,billboards, television and intodays world, the internet, areamong the advertising vehiclesthat should be used in a combi-nation/mix format in order toensure that you are reaching allof the demographic segments in

the market for your specificproduct or service. In terms ofpromotion, you should also takeadvantage of and know when touse public relations, personalselling and sales promotion inorder to fully implement yourmarketing and promotional

plan/strategy. Advertising canbe considered any form of prod-uct/marketing communicationthat is paid for. Again, this is notan expense, it is an investment!Public relations is anything thatis not paid for including: pressreleases, sponsorships, confer-ences, exhibitions, trade shows,etc. Public relations and know-ing when to make use of it there-of, can also be an essential ele-ment in determining your mar-keting/business success.

4.) Place Finally, we arriveat the final component of the 4Ps of marketing. How are yougoing to bring your product tothe market? In other words, howare you going to distribute yourproduct? This is the componentwhere the concept Location,Location, Location....its allabout your location comes intoplay.

This is what we always hearin terms of why a particularbusiness is successful or some-times, why a business is not suc-cessful. For sure, this compo-nent is definitely of vital impor-tance. However, as we have

RANDY E. BROWN

Opinion

Additional Elements forMarketing Your Business

PERSPECTIVE MARKETING B-S (BOSSIER-SHREVEPORT)

See, Brown, Page 14

NEWS BUSINESS BRIEFS

Travel ResearchTrend Luncheon Sept. 10The Shreveport-Bossier Convention and TouristBureau will host a Travel Research TrendsSeminar, featuring guest speaker and researchguru Judy Randall of Randall Travel Marketing onMonday, Sept. 10. The free seminar will include asession for attractions, 9 a.m. to noon and a ses-sion for hotels, noon to 3 p.m. Both sessions willbe held at the University of Phoenix at theLouisiana Boardwalk. Lunch will be included fromnoon to 1 p.m. Randall has an extensive history

in the tourism and travel industry with a focus onresearch-based marketing. During this seminar, Randall will teach attractionsrepresentatives how to do their own research withlittle to no budget and show hoteliers how to inter-pret data for future forecasting. Space is limited and participants are encouragedto register early athttp://travelresearchtrends.eventbrite.com/.Contact Sarah Williams, communications coordi-nator, at [email protected] or (318) 425-0645for more information. Visit www.shreveport-bossier.org/research to see Randalls 2011 report.

###

If y mu Co by Shr Bur 711


As I write this, HurricaneIsaac is about 12 hours awayfrom shore just a few hoursfrom where I live. Weve doneeverything we can to be preparedor at least we think we have. Onenever really knows. After all,we should be preparedforwhat? Anything?Everything? Nothing?

Thats a tall order.As salespeople, we need to

be prepared for anything,everything AND nothing. Weshould have contingency plansfor working with an account,meeting with a prospect andfilling a gap in our calendar.The best way to keep ones selfbusy is always have a backup plan.Always.

Thats easier said than done.Here is something I like to do after

a sale, a meeting, a speaking engage-ment or a business trip. Ive beendoing it for years and didnt actuallyrealize what I was doing until a fewyears ago. After all this time, I foundwhat I was doing was being pre-pared.

After I finish with one of the above,I carve out some quiet time in myschedule and literally downloadeverything out of my brainwrite itall down. If Ive taken notes and havemultiple pieces of paper in my pocket,I get them all out and keep a file ofideas, things I need to follow up on orMORE IMPORTANTLY things Ishouldve done before the event.

This is where the Be Preparedcomes in. Many times, it is only afterwe are unprepared that we usuallyremember how to be prepared orwhat we need to do to prepare.

So, the next time you finish ameeting or a trip or whatever, takesome time to digest everything. Makenotes. Write down everythingeverylittle thought. Think through theentire process. What could or shouldyou have done differently? Whatwent well? What didnt? What should

you have done more or less of? Whoshould you have notified before theevent that slipped your mind?

Youll find this exercise is veryvaluable and will eventually lead towhere you are thinking of things

before an event that wouldve neveroccurred to you before.

Good luck! And, if you are in theGulf Coast areabe safe!

Lagniappe: In South LouisianaLagniappe is defined as a littlesomething extra. Heres yourLagniappe for today:

Yes, my family and I are safe. Wearent in the actual eye of the storm,so it gives me time to have a perspec-tive on being prepared without hav-ing to suffer the consequences othersare going through.

BUTCH BELLAH is Vice President of Operations for alarge, regional wholesale distributor. He is a Sales,Leadership and Personal Development Trainer andSpeaker working to help businesses not only survive,but THRIVE in todays economy and was recently namedone of the Top 100 Sales Experts to follow on Twitter.You can follow him on at http://www.twitter.com/sale-spowertips or reach him by email [email protected]. You can also view his dailysales blog/website at http://www.butchbellah.com.We welcome your input and suggestions.

PERSPECTIVE SALES POWER TIPS

Be Prepared Not Justfor Boy Scouts Anymore

One of the key roles of theNorth Louisiana EconomicPartnership is marketing ourregion to companies and to talentneeded by those companies as adesirable place to be. Companiesinvest capital and createjobs in our communities,and access to a larger poolof talent with a variety ofskill sets makes it easierfor companies to succeed.But what are the factorsthat make a communitydesirable?

Traditionally, when eco-nomic developers marketedto companies, the factorsthey focused on most weretied to business costs, avail-ability of major inputs, anddistance to key markets(either customers, suppliers or both).Are there available properties thatmeet a companys needs, are key util-ities in your area priced high, low oraverage in relation to others, arethere interstates, ports or rail linesthere? These are the traditional indi-cators that economic developers haveused to describe a communitys desir-ability to a company.

Today, economic developers facedifferent considerations. Over thelast few decades, talent has becomeradically more mobile, and is morelikely to base the decision of where tolive on quality of life factors, notwhere the jobs are. And as talent hasbecome more mobile, the question oftalent and its local availability hasbecome a much larger considerationfor companies. Richard Florida,author of The Rise of the CreativeClass and several other books analyz-ing why members of the creativeclass, those working in innovativeindustries where design, creation andproblem-solving are central activi-ties, find certain cities more appeal-ing and choose to locate there, hasidentified specific location qualitiesas determinants for attracting cre-ative talent: openness, diversity andtolerance.

There are many conversationsthat could stem from this assertionand how the Shreveport-Bossier areastacks up, but in one particular areawe have seen a significant rise indiversity and that is in diningoptions. This is not referring to local-ly-owned versus chain restaurants,but instead the increasing diversityin types of food available to residents.Even into the 1990s, there was littlechoice beyond typical American-stylefood, Americanized Chinese andItalian.

But today, drive from I-220 to theJimmie Davis Bridge in Bossier andyou will pass a Vietnamese souprestaurant, a Mexican bread and tor-tilla bakery, an authentic NewOrleans style seafood and poboy shop

run by a former shrimp boat captainof Vietnamese descent, a Mexicanseafood restaurant and butcher, anAsian-Southern fusion restaurant,and an Asian restaurant featuringdelicious Vietnamese sandwichescalled banh mi. Cross the river ashort distance and you will findIndian, Japanese cuisine and sushi,Greek and, over by Cross Lake,authentic Dominican fare.

If you visit many of the restau-rants at lunch, you will notice that alarge number of the customers are inflight suits from Barksdale Air ForceBase, hospital scrubs, or bearing thename badges of information technolo-gy companies. In the military and inhealth care, talent moves around,often several times during a career.In that moving, they experiencemany different cultures and oftendevelop an appreciation for locationswith a variety of options to satisfytheir tastes and interests that havebeen shaped by exposure to diverseexperiences.

So the next time you hear about anew restaurant with a cuisine youvenever eaten or maybe a name youcannot pronounce, take a look at it alittle differently. Even if you are notbold enough to go try it, understandthat the increasing diversity of diningoptions makes the Shreveport-Bossier community one that is moreattractive to newcomers and long-time residents alike.

ANGIE WHITE is Vice President, Workforce Marketing forthe North Louisiana Economic Partnership and overseesits workforce marketing program NEON, the NorthLouisiana Employment Opportunities Network. Visitwww.workthisway.org.

PERSPECTIVE WORK THIS WAY

ANGIE WHITE

Opinion

Restaurant Diversity asQuality of Life Indicator

BUTCH BELLAH

Opinion

hopefully proved above, this ismost certainly not the only ele-ment that should be consideredas a part of your marketingplan/mix.

Essentially, you should select aplace or location that makes iteasy for your customers to accessor get to your product. Heavytraffic locations can be great forexposure and perception, but cansometimes be bad and very irri-tating to both present and poten-tial customers in terms of conve-niently being able to access yourbusiness location.

Just think of some of the busi-ness locations you have experi-enced as a consumer. How eagerare you to go to these locations? Ifyou know that traffic is going tobe a major hassle both in andaround the particular businesslocation and that you are going tohave a major headache enteringand exiting the business location,you will think twice about goingthere, especially if you are in ahurry.

In this situation, consumerswill often choose a business whosells a similar product (and evensometimes pay a slightly higherprice) just for the convenience ofnot having to fight all of the traf-fic and people surrounding a par-

ticular place of business. On theother hand, adequate to hightraffic flow is a key element foryour success. So, this will be abalancing act. Again, place/loca-tion is an extremely importantpart of the product/business mar-keting equation, but not the onlypart of the mix!

In conclusion, we have exam-ined the four essential elementsof a marketing plan.Implementation of all of theseelements as a part of your planwill exponentially increase thechances for the long term sur-vival of your business....thoughas you well know, there are noguarantees in the risk orientedworld of business and marketing.Good luck in developing yourbusiness/marketing plan and alsoin implementing the elementsdiscussed above both in yourbusiness and your planningprocess. It will be hard work andvery challenging, but it will alsobe a whole lot of fun!

RANDY BROWN. is Advertising Manager of theBossier Press-Tribune and a 11-year veteran ofmarketing and media in Northwest Louisiana.He may be reached via email [email protected].


Many residents have eitherheard the story of KimsSeafood or stopped by totaste their south Louisiana-stylepoboys and other dishes.

However, as many as nine millionlisteners throughout the coun-try had a chance to learn aboutthe Bossier City eatery and itsowner Duc Duong when RedRiver Radio news producerfeatured them on AmericanPublic Medias MarketplaceMoney, a radio program aboutbusiness, the economy andsurrounding events onMarketplace.org.

The nearly four-minute seg-ment was included as part ofthe programs commemoration of the7th anniversary of HurricaneKatrina last month. The segment isalso available on MarketplaceMoneys website, which is a part ofthe larger American Public Media, anonprofit organization, that is thesecond largest producer and distribu-tor of public radio programming andthe largest owner and operator ofpublic radio stations in the nation.

The producer called me earlier (inAugust) and said they were going tobe doing a series of stories looking atlife seven years after Katrina and heasked if I could do a profile on some-one who moved away and started anew life, said Kate Archer Kent,news producer for Red River Radio. Ikind of thought about it, wentthrough my story log of every personIve written about and I rememberedfive years ago I interviewed Duc in2007. So, I thought he would be areally interesting feature for theshow.

Kent spent time with Duong at hisrestaurant where he shared his storyabout how he and his family evacuat-ed, first from Vietnam to NewOrleans when he was nine and thento Bossier City as an adult with hiswife and children followingHurricane Katrina.

He shared other interestingnuggets as well, like how he openedKims Seafood with $100,000 he bor-rowed from friends and family.

Today, the restaurant is one of the

areas popular spots for a taste ofNew Orleans favorites like the friedshrimp poboy.

Duong said, he doesnt plan toreturn to New Orleans to live andconsiders Bossier City home. Its a

lovely city. You dont have as muchcrime and the fast pace of a big city,he said.

Duong also said hes humbled byhow well the area has received himand his restaurant. I would havenever thought that I would get thisbusy, absolutely not, he said. I dontknow what the people think of mebeing Asian and cooking Cajun stylefood. I would have never known howthat would turn out, but they receiveme well and I appreciate it.

Kent said shes not surprised at allby Duongs success

He and his wife never even took aday off for the first three years afterthey opened and even today, heworks 14-hour days. Thatsadmirable for anyone who owns abusiness to be so faithful to peopleyou serve, she said. Its just such anincredible story for him to have all ofthe knowledge and wherewithal anddetermination to make it afterKatrina when so many in NewOrleans were feeling down and out.He had the amazing self determina-tion to make his restaurant a go inBossier and thats something anyonecan be inspired by.

DONECIA PEA works with media relations at theShreveport-Bossier Convention and Tourist Bureau.

PERSPECTIVE TOURISM

Kims Seafood makesNational News

DONECIA PEA

OpinionContinued from Page 12

Brown: Look at your locationthe way a customer would

20. Feel uncomfortable. Thats howyou know you are growing.

21. Stay ahead of the learningcurve.

22. Smile at the phone . Your cur-rent and future clients can hear asmile.

23. The folder. Have one for everyclient and have it with you. (They stillmake folders.)

24. Database. Make it easy to com-municate with your clients.

25. Its all about the clients suc-cess. Im repeating #1 because itsthat important.

As time passed, clients and sales-people shared other Winning Habitsand it motivated me to publish a sec-ond book with the creative title25More Winning Habits. Go figure.

JERRY FRENTRESS, AKA: "The Power Tools Guy," is aSpeaker and Trainer for Sales, Service and Life. Visit hiswebsite at www.WinWinPowerTools.com, or onFacebook: www.facebook.com/winwinpowertools.

Continued from Page 11

Frentress: Why limit yourselfto just 25 winning habits?

nwla business monthly - september 2012

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