By Traci Claussen, LiveGreenNOW

On Saturday, February 6th, with the scenes of Mardi Gras and Super Bowl occupying our collective gray matter, the citizens of New Orleans are thrice blessed with another major event that will send a message to the world about our great city: the New Orleans Mayoral Race.

If your vote is easily swayed by glossy ads in your mailbox or negative campaign ads on local broadcast stations, then devote an hour of your life to a relaxed setting with the candidates one-on-one hosted by local business groups in local settings, like the Speakeasy Series at the Icehouse, and actually visualize a candidate in 3-D.

The Speakeasy Series, put on by the Urban Conservancy and Trumpet Group, has given concerned voters an intimate look at the leading candidates in the New Orleans Mayoral race, from Nadine Ramsey to James Perry, John Georges to Troy Henry, Rob Couhig and maybe even Mitch Landrieu.  No panel debates, no stump speeches, just an opportunity to get face-to-face with the challengers and discuss the stuff that matters. In preparation for the upcoming mayoral race, the Urban Conservancy distributed a candidate questionnaire to the top candidates for New Orleans Mayor. Five of them responded. See their answers here.  If you missed any of the candidates, check out the video stream.

Understanding the politics of a cultural mecca like New Orleans is now compulsory. It has been more than 4 years since the devastation of that man-made disaster called Katrina, and New Orleans continues to struggle with her injuries: crime is at an all time high; infrastructure is at an all-time low; and yet, hope still thrives here, rising like a phoenix from the ash. Katrina brought an eco-urban wave to the Crescent City swelling with fresh ideas that could actually help RE-brand New Orleans as a prototype for the future of America, while reuniting the old with the new.  New Orleans brews with entrepreneurial spirit poised to make our city the model for a clean economy, along with a culture of intellectual property expressed through technology, music and the arts.

As you look at the candidates for mayor, even if you are favoring one over another right now, consider the cause-effect impact your vote will cast. Get to know what may not be comfortable for you in a candidate, and push for a deeper understanding of what electing your candidate will mean to us, globally.

Candidates chosen to appear at the Speakeasy Series are required to have raised $25,000 in campaign contributions as reported to the State of Louisiana’s Ethics Administration website.

Other local civic and business groups providing concerns for the community:

Forward New Orleans is a diverse, issue-focused community-led initiative pioneered by the Business Council of New Orleans and the River Region in collaboration with more than 30 civic, neighborhood, and business organizations, all committed to improving the quality of life in New Orleans.

NOLA Recycles 2010 asks Mayoral candidates to sign their Mayoral Candidate Statement on Recycling and agree to implement the measures outlined should they be elected into office. What does your candidate have to say about this important issue?

GreenCollaborativeNOLA Civic leaders in sustainable practices have led an important innovative movement in New Orleans in an effort to transform the rebuilding process into a game changing opportunity for our city to create safer, energy saving buildings, landscapes, neighborhoods and infrastructure. How does your candidate stack up?

League of Women Voters is a non-partisan organization that has posted the questionnaire responses of mayoral candidates, encouraging informed and active citizen participation.

Join us for an up-close and personal discussion with the leading candidates in the New Orleans Mayoral race. No panel debates, no stump speeches, just an opportunity to get face-to-face with the challengers and discuss the stuff that matters.

When Trumpet purchased The Icehouse in 2007, one of the visions was to create a base that could serve the New Orleans community. Not only with the great ideas that would percolate from a place built for collaboration, nor just a home for a collection of unique and varying perspectives on business, community and living. We saw a need for a community development space, where gatherings of all sorts could be held in participation with friends and neighbors in this experience and generally move New Orleans forward.

So, as we approached what will arguably be the most important election in New Orleans history, we partnered with fellow Icehouser, The Urban Conservancy (Stay Local!). Seems they had similar feelings. Together we’ve put together a series of events for the community to get up-close and personal with the candidates in a more real, personal way. Not a debate, not a speech. Just a conversation over pizza and soft drinks. There will be no agenda and no set list of questions. We’ll just let the conversation go where it wants to. After all, that’s how the world really works, right?

Details:
Jan 18, Jan 25, Jan 26, Jan 29 | 6-7 pm
The Icehouse, 2803 St. Philip Street, NOLA 70119

Enter through the green door on the corner of St. Philip and North White. Press the large red button to ring the bell. Please respect our neighbors when parking.

Come out and meet:
Nadine Ramsey:  Monday, Jan 18
James Perry: Monday, Jan 25
John Georges:  Tuesday, Jan 26
Troy Henry: Wednesday, Feb 3 @ 12noon
Rob Couhig: Wednesday, Feb 3 @ 6pm

No RSVP required.

Additional Candidate Information

Nadine Ramsey
http://www.nadineramsey.net/
http://www.facebook.com/pages/Nadine-Ramsey-for-Mayor/194340368902?v=info
http://twitter.com/nadineramsey

James Perry
http://www.jamesperry2010.com/
http://www.facebook.com/pages/James-Perry/44367664564
http://twitter.com/jamesperry2010

John Georges
http://georgesformayor.com/
http://www.facebook.com/pages/John-Georges-for-Mayor-2010/159119196238
http://twitter.com/johngeorges2010

Troy Henry
http://www.troyhenry.com/
http://www.facebook.com/group.php?gid=204487195637&ref=share
http://twitter.com/troyhenry

We live in a world where storks no longer only squawk and walk, but now talk – and help deliver major marketing campaign messaging with much success. Meet Sammy the Stork, grand pooh-bah of the Louisiana Department of Health and Hospitals Louisiana Department of Health and Hospitals new movement, The Stork Reality The Stork Reality, houses a series of videos where Sammy is interacting with the target audience- young, active, vibrant members of the general public; essentially the same audience Sammy is capturing when visiting bars and nightclubs. The campaign has proven to be highly interactive in-person and online, which has created an effective way to create a conversation.

Sammy can also be found on Facebook and Twitter offering reflections, news updates and key messaging to fellow bird watchers.

So keep your eyes peeled for the 7-foot Sammy and his flock… He may have a special delivery for you when out enjoying an adult beverage to two or if you are following online. Tweet, Tweet!

NEW ORLEANS, LA - October 22, 2009 - Since 1997, Trumpet has been a formidable player within the New Orleans marketing arena and beyond. Continuing to build on its legacy of innovation, the company recently launched affiliate Trumpet Ventures, which will be led by Trumpet founding partner, Robbie Vitrano. Trumpet Ventures will work exclusively with selected start-up companies, assuming a financial and operational role, offering executive leadership and coordination with the investment community.  Trumpet will continue to be led by co-founding partner and Executive Creative Director, Pat McGuinness, and a long-established five-person executive leadership team who will now acquire ownership in the company. 


Vitrano will remain in the role of chairman of the original organization, while Chief Operating Officer Jude Chauvin will maintain overall responsibility for business operations and profitability. Additionally, Malcolm Schwarzenbach and Jenny Dalton will shepherd client relationships as Director of Account Service and Director of Project Management, respectively.  Matt McGuinness, Creative Director, will share overall creative responsibilities.  Scott Couvillon will contribute to strategy and client development. This reorganization and distinction of disciplines will allow Trumpet to continue its focus on creative business solutions and customer development for established marketers while Trumpet Ventures serves the special needs of fledgling businesses.



“Instead of simply providing a menu of marketing services, Trumpet Ventures will facilitate proof of concept for start-ups. We help craft the entire go-to-market plan, and leverage our relationships in the investment world to form a much more complete partnership with our client,” said Vitrano. One prominent example is NakedPizza, with whom Vitrano has taken an active role in overseeing the branding and marketing-related activities in order to help this promising New Orleans-based concept reach its full potential. “It’s a concept that cannot only have significant impact for New Orleans, but in our society at large, where our current eating habits are the root of much bigger social and economic problems.”



The Trumpet Ventures model is not new to Trumpet, but rather an organic outgrowth of long-held business practices. “We’ve always said our best fit is with businesses that think like a start-up. They’re ambitious, personally invested in the business idea and understand the market value of attention. Their status definitely isn’t quo. That could be a funded start-up or an established brand launching a new product, facing a market challenge or needing to turn things around,” said Trumpet co-founding partner, Pat McGuinness. “The bottom line is that they are still heated by the fire that started the business and welcome us upstream, where we not only effect external communication, but collaboratively impact internal operations or product development, because in today’s transparent market business strategy is marketing strategy.”



Trumpet was founded during the dotcom boom of the late 1990s, and that entrepreneurial DNA has matured into a company with a reputation for helping to grow local businesses onto the national stage. Early clients include iSeatz, 2009 Inc. 500 Honoree (#67) and TurboTrip, which was acquired by Hotels.com in 2002. Also that year, Trumpet began to incubate and was instrumental in the successful development of The Idea Village, the organization that has played a critical role in the growing entrepreneurial community in New Orleans.



As evidence of their commitment to the New Orleans region, after Hurricane Katrina Trumpet resigned its largest client, California-based Real Mex Restaurants- the world’s largest casual dining Mexican restaurant group- in order to return to its roots and help New Orleans plant new ones.  “That’s what a near death experience does to you. It puts into sharp focus the things that are important,” stated co-founder Pat McGuinness.  “Shouldering up with ambitious people and organizations that were focused on the ‘Category 5’ silver lining of Katrina is where we needed to be.”



That clarity led to Trumpet’s nationally award-winning work for the New Orleans Police and Justice Foundation (NOPJF) “Get Behind the Badge” police recruitment campaign (2009 National Gold Addy©) and the New Orleans Metropolitan Convention and Visitors Bureau (NOMCVB) “24Nola.com” efforts, earning national accolades in both traditional and digital media categories. It also led to activity and partnerships with the new businesses that have succeeded in reshaping the national reputation of the resilient city into a place that is reinventing itself, drawing a new wave of energetic young people seeking an opportunity to make their mark. This has been documented in recent articles from Entrepreneur Magazine, The New York Times and more.



Today, Trumpet owns and operates the Icehouse, a renovated 12,000-square-foot entrepreneurial hub located in the historic neighborhood of Faubourg St. John. It is home to six start-ups with whom Trumpet is building on its legacy of taking companies “from IOU to IPO” as Robbie Vitrano states. Additionally, Trumpet currently leads a roster of local clients who are each gaining national attention and distribution, such as thriv Natural Performance (athletic apparel), iChill (relaxation shot), Bruise Relief (family remedy turned medical solution), as well as established brands like Church’s Chicken, Rehage Entertainment (producers of Voodoo Experience and Essence Festival) and Renaissance Hotels (Marriott-owned properties).



From his desk in the Icehouse, Trumpet Ventures chief Robbie Vitrano is working on an aggressive plan to address the overwhelming interest in franchise opportunities for NakedPizza. “The hope with all [Ventures] clients is to get to a spot where we can utilize Trumpet more than we already are. I’ve always liked those guys.”



Trumpet:

Designs connections between brands and communities, providing a range of advertising and marketing services to traditional and nontraditional clients. The focus at Trumpet is simple- identify and activate market opportunities that earn advocates, create momentum and achieve cultural influence on behalf of the brands we represent. We are editors, curators, designers, anthropologists and inventors. Trumpet delivers key insights, actionable definition and a clear foundation for communications strategy that allows for authentic branded communication.


Trumpet Ventures:

Focuses on go-to-market strategy, proof of concept and investor relations for select start-up companies, assuming a financial and operational role, offering executive leadership and coordination with the investment community.


General Information:

Phone is 504-525-4600 
www.trumpetgroup.com
www.icehousenola.com

2803 St. Philip Street
New Orleans, Louisiana 70119 
Faubourg St. John

Trumpet’s go-to-market strategy for iChill has created a significant energy the newest product in the “relaxation shot” category. Social media generated the growing interest and has helped secure distribution with 7-11 c-stores (over 6,400 locations), interest from Walmart and establishing relationships with independent brokers nationwide.

We have carved a niche that is expanding market share based on giving bloggers and online advocates the tools they need to create a discussion about the space and the product.

Users can upload video, post images, access twitter posts and participate in contests powered by social media tools. The effort officially starts the week of August 17, and is an active case study to follow in real time.

Recent press:

ABC’s Good Morning America

Convenience Store News

Poytner Online

Ever gotten a nasty bruise before a big event? This brand is for you. Bruise Relief is an old home remedy New Orleanian Barbara Cranner has been using for years, and is now sharing with the world.

And the world is listening.

Bruise Relief’s patent-pending formulas are the first topical gel and serum to specifically address the problems of bruising due to minor injuries and medical procedures. Trumpet implemented a blogging strategy incorporating postings on the organization’s website, a series of ambassador programs, outreach to “mommy bloggers” and microblogging on Twitter (@BruiseRelief) to create a discussion about the multiple uses of the product and identify company advocates in target markets.

Recently, our tactical mix generated tens of thousands of profiles in less than a week - an interview on The Hugh Hewitt Show complimented by high Twitter activity and a free sample offer.

Trumpet has also discovered opportunities to create new discussions within unique long-tail communities online who were interested in using the product as a general bruising remedy. Off-the-wall events included passing product to participants of the Running of the Bulls event in the French Quarter hosted by the New Orleans Roller Derby team.

Bruise Relief has secured distribution with 7,800 CVS locations, and is aiming to roll out soon at Walgreens and Target. The New Orleans startup is averaging 10,000 units per month in sales, with year-end sales projected to exceed 20,000 per month.

With this growing success, Trumpet has prepared the go-to-market plan for Dr. Holmquist Healthcare’s next product, Bruise Relief Ultra.

thriv Natural Performance is out of the gate and giving away a free workout shirt to the first 500 people who want to be a part of thriv1st.

Just visit www.thrivnp.com, answer a few simple questions and the perfect workout shirt is yours. thriv is changing the game in athletic apparel with their patent-pending fabric bamco, a blend of bamboo and organic cotton that is a comfortable, sustainable alternative to petroleum-based polyesters.

The brand will be available at select Sports Authority stores and other retailers this fall. Trumpet is leading customer development through strategic planning, branding, website design and development, online and offline marketing, environmental design, social media and promotions.

thriv Natural Performance company is family-owned and dedicated to the concept of pure athletic performance.

As citizens of historic New Orleans, each of us at Trumpet is proud to be close to the most significant Riverfront development project in our lifetime. Reinventing The Crescent will not only offer river views and recreation, but it will also will become an icon of New Orleans - a new chapter in the story of the city.

The St. Louis Cathedral in the Quarter marked New Orleans as a “European City”. In the 20th Century, the Superdome represented New Orleans as a “Commercial Oil and Gas” success. And in the 21st Century the city will be known as an “Entrepreneurial Bohemia” with the riverfront as its icon. Recently, The Times-Picayune, published an article about this project that we recommend anyone interested in the future of the city read: ” Bywater-Marigny Park Will Offer River Views, Recreation” by Bruce Eggler, The Times-Picayune - Saturday July 04, 2009.

Those that live in New Orleans have felt the entrepreneurial-post-Katrina spirit growing for years; however, it is validating to have that movement recognized nationally. After a week of touring New Orleans and interviewing those that are leading the movement, Entrepreneur Magazine released an article and a video that presents New Orleans as leading the entrepreneurial hub. A must see for any businesses starting up in New Orleans, considering going down that path or just interested in forward thinking economic development.

Each day at the ICEHOUSE, we work with start-ups to build a better New Orleans — profitable, responsible and sustainable. Recently, our efforts with start ups, which expand from branding and strategy to business planning and partnerships, were acknowledged in a recent New Orleans Times-Picayune article: Entrepreneurial Hubs are Springing Up Across the City and Spurring Economic Development by Allison Good, The Times-Picayune - Sunday July 19, 2009. As a supporter of start-ups, it’s great to see the influence we are having on the local movement and at the same time see how that movement is translated and recognized nationally.

Execution:

KODA launched yesterday (public beta - see note below about how it’s connecting). www.koda.us

Dukky’s fully automated site  launched on Friday.  Shawn Burst’s brilliant concept has been brought to life.  www.dukky.com

Michael Karnjanaprakorn, Trumpet Alum and part of our extended family, quit his day job yesterday to launch his grand vision - Mike plugs his huge, international network into nola generously - you’ll be hearing a lot about it soon.

Kyle Berner embarked on his road show in support of the buzz around Feelgoodz and the very cool Whole Foods distribution partnership.

NAKEDPizza has become a socio-economic phenomenon - literally, poised to become a national player by this time next year (Investor/partner Mark Cuban demonstrating the power of the bully pulpit tossing shout outs on ESPN just yesterday).  They’re test driving Twitter beta tools.  Very heavy.

EcoPark made its first important hire - Mary Jo Webster, formerly a senior heavy with Starbucks to lead the effort.

SENO is putting its board together and in collaboration with the New Orleans Institute is putting is in talks with IDEO about some very cool things for nola.

Sean Cummings’ Entrepreneurs’ Row is like the ‘27 Yankee’s batting line up-  The Receivables Exchange, Lifestyle Revolution, Free-Flow Power, Audio Socket et al

Chris Schultz goes live with Launchpad at The IP sharing the good with Turbo Squid, IV, et al. and golden boys iSeatz.  Also, great scheming with him and Steve Rehage on Tribe/Con collaboration with Voodoo - stay tuned.  Rehage is monster, nationally recognized multi-media machine and amazing local asset.

Barbara Cranner’s vision for a family recipe called Bruise Relief has gone coast to coast, now on almost 7000 CVS pharmacy shelves across the country, with big interest from Whole Foods, Walgreens, etc - a little marketing is going a long way.

Al and Todd Andrews’ new natural-fabric sports performance line - thriv - will also be debuting this holiday season at Sports Authorities across the country. Their proprietary natural fabric blend of bamboo and organic cotton is generating buzz throughout the industry.  Byron Scott is on board as an advisor and investor.

Tom Fischmann’s leading a great team in bringing IP created at Pennington to life as a fully realized business with a potentially transformative impact.

Karen Gabois is plotting the full scope of citizen journalism - a poignant concept as traditional media evaporates around us.
Pike Barkerding’s Bideo has returned home from Austin to launch.

Cool Hand Nuke beta- launched last month.

Project 30-90 is getting buzzed, plugged in and ready for its close-up. 

Stay Local is investigating ways to scale the great things they’re accomplishing in New Orleans.

The pipeline is full at GNO Inc., etc.

Idea Village has been funded to scale up IDEAcorps, etc.  Tim and the gang are everywhere from Harvard to Google these days.
David Crais is EVERYWHERE, sharpening policy, connecting ideas and provoking

And there’s a mayor’s election in 11 months that will present an unprecedented bully pulpit on which to tell the authentic story of the new New Orleans - not spin, but the one we’ve committed ourselves to. There’s been a pretty good flow of context-correct media of late - from Fast Company to the New York Times, to BBC.  Thanks to Skipper, Sean, Tim, Nic, Mike H, etc. a bunch more press coming later this year.  The indication is that people with big audiences like our story.  That about as sure as it gets for justifying investment in communications.

The cool thing is that I’m forgetting about a dozen other cool things - and this is just the stuff Trumpet’s touching.  There’s so much more I have no idea about.  That is a good thing.

The Entrepreneurial Eco-System is coming together.  To be certain there are no guarantees - such is the way of entrepreneurship - each of these will survive on their grit, merit and a bit of pixie dust.  Early stage, pre-revenue money is still one of the fundamental needs - proving concept is vital and pretty much what Trumpet Ventures and many of you are engaged in, but challenging with no cash flow.  But the new economic reality is being populated with startups and/or those who think like one.  Again, a place NOLA holds pole-position.

Regardless, there’s no denying that all of it is happening because innovators and risk-takers in our area are now able to reach out and more easily get the technical, financial and perhaps most importantly, the philosophical support they needed to ACT and EXECUTE.  Better alignment of resources. 

Another happy, maybe-not-so-much-an - accident is that so many of these companies are operating as, what our own uber-entrepreneur John Ellstrott would call, Conscious Capitalists.  Social benefit, social innovation, sustainable profit.  Very cool brand for New Orleans.  Some people think it’s about the most seductive thing in the world to the new generation of knowledge workers.  Suppose the trick is to convert on it while protecting what makes us compelling and unique.  So tension.  And necessary for innovation.

Spread the word.


P/S
Jeff Berger of KODA will be with us today and in NOLA through the weekend.  He’s staying at IH.  Please say hello and I encourage you to congratulate him on the launch of KODA.  Jeff’s a Tulane graduate, from Boston, who built his concept with the bright lights at IDEO, honed the tech at Pivotal Labs (Twitter, etc.) and is now working with us (and with the great support of Tulane and Loyola) to take KODA to market.  Jeff’s been a good partner to Trumpet and New Orleans.  I’ve enjoyed getting to know him through the process and business relationship.  I believe in his vision and I’m glad we’re having the opportunity to add value to it. 

It’s relevant to Trumpet in that our relationship is about helping to turn a business idea into a sustainable brand.  In the very different context of the runway, investment, fail-fast tech development (agile), etc. of a Startup.  Startups are different.  That’s pretty much what our evolution has been about.

It’s relevant to New Orleans in that KODA is investing its resources in the community with the goal of expanding its presence: A smart, high-tech - low impact business, that facilitates the hiring/retaining of intelligent, engaged and passionate people and a tool for facilitating the success of other organizations by assisting them in more authentically living their business mission and unleashing the full capacity of the next generation of workers.  Recent study says that Sounds like hand-in-glove for that new New Orleans we’re working toward.

Trumpet recently designed the Homeowner’s Manual for the good people at Brad Pitt’s Make It Right Foundation. The organization is bringing people home to the 9th Ward of New Orleans, into safe and healthy homes built with sustainable materials.

Inspired by the courage and hope of the residents he met, Pitt resolved to do whatever he could to help them rebuild. Just as importantly, he wanted to help recreate and nurture the unique culture and spirit of the Lower 9th Ward, which symbolizes the soul of New Orleans. He understood instinctively that a New Orleans rebuilt without the Lower 9th Ward would never be whole.

He began by working with Global Green to sponsor an architecture competition aimed at generating ideas about how to rebuild sustainably. Pitt worked with local community leaders as well as experts from around the world to develop viable ideas for the Lower 9th Ward. That successful project inspired Pitt’s new focus: Make It Right.

The Mission of Make It Right is clear: it is to be a catalyst for redevelopment of the Lower 9th Ward, by building a neighborhood comprised of safe and healthy homes that are inspired by Cradle to Cradle thinking, with an emphasis on a high quality of design, while preserving the spirit of the community’s culture. The goal is to accomplish this quickly, so that the first residents can begin returning to their homes as soon as possible.