A Great Way To Relax and Enjoy Louisiana Nature

 Louisiana Tours and Adventures is the place people can go to relax and enjoy Louisiana nature at its finest. Captain Mike Jones loves exploring the Tchefuncte River and is a native of Madisonville.

“The river was always a cool place to be. I’ve always enjoyed everything about the water. I feel at home when I’m out there,” Capt. Mike said. “I love to ski and fish and see all of the wildlife. I think it’s the best place around. Growing up, that’s where I spent all of my time and where I learned so much about nature and the area’s rich history.”

Small groups of family or friends can go along on Captain Mike’s pontoon boat to see what the river has to offer. He has been doing tours through the Tchefuncte and its surrounding waterways. Wildlife along the tour can consist of turtles, deer, wild hogs, raccoons, alligators, owls, nesting ospreys and much more.

“I have a standard two-hour tour where we leave and make a big loop along the river and through a maze of cypress swamps. During the tour, I provide a narration on the history of the area and point out alligators and other wildlife,” Capt. Mike said. “I’m good at spotting them and pointing them out to people. It’s a way to see the region in a different way.”

“I really enjoy it personally because I get to see the animals progress over the years and see how their populations change,” Capt. Mike said. “We’re able to get really close to them. It’s always a real treat for people.”

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A New Owner For Netchex

 GrowthCurve Capital has purchased Covington-based Netchex. Netchex, a leading provider of cloud-based human capital management and payroll software, has been acquired by GrowthCurve Capital.  

Netchex was established in 2003 and is the leading provider of human capital management and payroll software solutions. The company focuses on small to medium-enterprise markets.

“Netchex is one of the fastest growing HCM technology companies in the industry, and we’re proud of the significant differentiation and strong brand that we have developed in the marketplace,” Boudreaux said in a news release. “GrowthCurve is the ideal partner to support the next phase of Netchex’s growth, and their expertise in AI, human capital, and scaling data-centric companies will provide a strong foundation for our vision to make HCM easy, intuitive, and a core value driver for the SME market. We also thank Primus Capital for their partnership and support while they were investors in Netchex.”

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Tickets Sales to Covington Filmmaker's Movie Goes to St. Tammany Art Association

 The movie, by Covington filmmaker and photographer Andrew Boyd, is about a retired sugarcane farmer and his family. Joe Judice and his family have been in the sugarcane industry in St. Martin Parish since the 1800’s.

“You spend a career meeting and filming and photographing people, and you know a good story when you see one. This looked like a great story,” says Boyd.

The movie is called Sugar in Their Blood and was funded by Boyd himself. He tells their story through interviews of the family and of professionals in the industry. You learn of the history and challenges of the industry. Joe and his brother Robert own Judice Brothers Farms which opened in 1964 between Loreaufille and New Iberia. The 2,600 acres is now run by Robert’s son Robert Jr. and Joe’s sons Jim and Justin. The family allowed Boyd to film the day to day operations of the farm.

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Better Affordability Brings More Buyers

 The first quarter of 2023 saw 56% of prospective home buyers actively in the process of purchasing a home. This is up from the fourth quarter of 2022 at 46%. This is due to the improved affordability expectations.

With the improved affordability, buyer demand is up as well as the competition. Unfortunately, this leads to potential buyers having a harder time finding the home of their dreams. In fact, 71% have spent 3+ months searching for a new home which was up from the 65% reported in the fourth quarter of 2022.

As for each region, the number of prospective buyers actively looking for a home rose in every region in the first quarter of 2023. The Northeast went from 50% to 63%, Midwest from 42% to 45%, the South from 47% to 51% and the West from 44% to 66%.

These results are derived from the Housing Trends Report (HTR). This report is produced by the National Association of Home Builders’ Economics team. The team measures prospective home buyers’ perceptions about the affordability and availability of homes for sale in their market. The Housing Trends Report runs every quarter to track changes in buyer’s perceptions over time.

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All of Tammany Trace Is Now Open For Summer

 This spring the entire length of Tammany Trace has now been fully opened to the public. The new bridge that runs over Little Bayou Castine in Old Mandeville, part of Tammany Trace, is now open. The ribbon cutting was April 20th on the $1.7 million bridge project. The bridge is one of the thirty two bridges that run along the thirty one miles of Tammany Trace.

Tammany Trace is actually Louisiana’s first Rails to Trails conversion that began in 1992 with federal money. The parish purchased the abandoned rail line from the Illinois Central Railroad for $1.4 million. The project was completed and opened in 1994.

The bridge that was there was a wooden structure that was not in good condition and needed to be replaced. In fact, there are other bridges along the trail that will also need to be replaced in the future. The area that was replaced was a 265-foot span that is over the marshy area that crosses over Jackson Ave. The bridge was redone with metal and concrete that was built offsite to reduce the cost. The design is not impacted by pilings so there is no negative environmental impact.

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An Increase in Housing Demand Sparked by Lower Rates

 It is reported that the share of prospective buyers increased by 5 points in a single quarter at the end of 2022. The retreat in mortgage interest rates during the first quarter of 2023 (from the 20-year peak reached in the fall of 2022) led a record share of adults in the US. 

This meant that 18% of adults said that they plan to purchase a home within a year. The share rose in every region across the country from the last quarter of 2022 to the beginning quarter of 2023. The Northeast rose from 11% to 19%, the Midwest from 10% to 14%, the South from 14% to 17% and the West from 14% to 23%).

This also was the case with first-time buyer share which also rose in all four regions between the last quarter of 2022 and the first quarter of 2023. The Northeast saw an increase from 64% to 66%, Midwest 58% to 67%, South 60% to 68% and the West from 62% to 75%.

These results are derived from the Housing Trends Report (HTR). This report is produced by the National Association of Home Builders’ Economics team. The team measures prospective home buyers’ perceptions about the affordability and the availability of homes for sale in their market. The Housing Trends Report runs every quarter to track changes in buyer’s perceptions over time.

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Brasa Will Open A New Location

If you live in Old Metairie then you are familiar with Brasa. The steakhouse will be expanding and will now have a second larger location in New Orleans. The new location will occupy the old Morton’s steakhouse in the Canal Place shopping center.

Owners Edgar Caro and Antonio Mata will renovate the space and hope to open its doors in October 2023. Brasa is a local concept that was the idea of the business partners. They want to change the space to have a Latin American flare. The original Old Metairie location was named Brasa Churrasqueria and is now called Brasa South American Steakhouse. ” This is the same menu, concept and vibe as Brasa, but we can do more here,” explains Caro.

The renovation will start with putting in open windows that will bring in tons of natural light. The space will also be painted in brighter colors and there will be tropical plants added for the Latin American design. They will add a huge dry-aging case and a display of high-end spirits at the entrance when you first walk into the restaurant. There will also be a dedicated lounge and three private dining rooms. The biggest change will be the added outdoor dining patio by the Canal Street Entrance.

“The idea is to keep the bones of Brasa, the essence of Brasa, and bring it here to downtown New Orleans,” Caro says. “We’re very excited about being part of the revitalization down here.

The partners are excited and look forward to the opening. They know that the downtown location will bring in the tourists who tend to spend more money when on vacation. The new location will add Wagyu steaks and grilled oysters among other seafood dishes.

“This will be the flagship for us,” Mata says. “I think we paved the road for what we want Brasa to be with the first restaurant, and it’s been successful. Now we’re ready for this,” added Caro.

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