On Friday, October 6, Junior Achievement of Greater New Orleans (JAGNO) will honor its 14th class of Rising Stars at the 2017 City Stars Soirée. The celebration, presented by the Oscar J. Tolmas Charitable Trust, will take place at JA BizTown located on the City Park Campus of Delgado Community College.
The 2017 JA Rising Stars are Jennifer Bond, partner, Bond Moroch; Edgar “Dook” Chase, IV, owner/president, Chase Catering and Concessions, LLC and Dook’s Place Restaurant and Seafood Bar; Greg Dietz, Ted Neikirk, James “Jammer” Orintas, owners, Theo’s Neighborhood Pizza; Chase Mullin, founder and president, Mullin Landscape Associates, LLC; Donny Rouse, CEO, Rouses Supermarkets; and Scott Wolfe, CEO, zlien.
Junior Achievement empowers young people to own their economic success with its many hands-on economics learning experiences and business lessons. A part of this education is learning about successful role models and what it takes to become one. In 1984, JAGNO began inducting community business leaders into its Business Hall of Fame. To recognize and encourage young entrepreneurs showing early excellence and business potential, the JA Rising Stars award was first celebrated in 2003. Recipients are individuals under the age of 40 from the Greater New Orleans area who demonstrate leadership, vision, ingenuity and innovation. These Rising Stars serve as role models for students in business and in life. JAGNO encourages and challenges each honoree to continue to strive in their careers so that they may one day be honored as a Business Hall of Fame Laureate.
You are invited
Friday, October 6th
6:30 p.m. Patron Party | 7:30 p.m. Soirée
JA BizTown, 5100 Orleans Avenue
Delicious Cuisine and Libations, Silent Auctions, Rising Star Presentation
For tickets and more information:
www.501auctions.com/jagno or 504-569-8657
About Junior Achievement
Junior Achievement is the world’s largest organization dedicated to educating students about financial literacy, work readiness and entrepreneurship through experiential, hands-on programs. In our local area during the 2016-17 school year, Junior Achievement of Greater New Orleans brought this information to more than 32,000 students throughout 12 parishes in southeast Louisiana. Through unique programs, JAGNO offers students a glimpse into real-life situations by teaching sequential curriculum from kindergarten through 12th grade. Each program is delivered by volunteers from the community who share their business, financial and life experiences while teaching the JA curriculum. Through JAGNO’s programs and the volunteer’s commitment, young people’s dreams begin to take shape and the seeds of business models are born. To learn more about Junior Achievement and/or to make a contribution or volunteer, visit the website www.jagno.org or connect on social media through Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and LinkedIn.
Rising Stars
Jennifer Bond, Partner
Bond Moroch
In 2006, Jennifer jumped at the opportunity to move back to New Orleans and work with her brother, Skipper, to help rebuild his marketing firm, Bond PR. In a small office with one national client remaining as a result of the storm, Jen, her brother, and partner Jordan Friedman immersed themselves in the burgeoning entrepreneurial community in New Orleans to help grow the agency. Jen led the expansion of Bond’s food, lifestyle and consumer practice area.
Jen is proud to have built a company that is not only a leader in the marketing industry in New Orleans, but is also home to an incredible team, corporate culture, and roster of the city’s, and the world’s, finest brands and organizations, including Sucré, La Petite Grocery, west elm, Tiffany & Co., and Emeril Lagasse Foundation.
In 2016, the company merged with Moroch Holdings, Inc. to become Bond Moroch. With new partner Brad Hunter joining the leadership team, Jen is excited for what’s in store for this next phase of the company!
Prior to Bond, Jennifer worked in affiliate marketing at Turner Broadcasting in Atlanta for the company’s TNT and TBS cable networks. Jennifer has vast writing experience having been a contributor to Atlanta’s Jezebel magazine and freelance writer for cable networks, including HGTV and CNN en Espanol.
She is a graduate of Boston University’s College of Communication and has her master’s degree from Kennesaw State University. She has served on the Board of Directors for Hogs for the Cause for the last six years, is a former Board Member of the New Orleans Women & Children’s Shelter, and regularly volunteers with the Animal Rescue of New Orleans. While she’s an avid world traveler, she loves coming home and embracing everything New Orleans has to offer.
Chase Mullin, Founder and President
Mullin Landscape Associates
Chase Mullin is founder and president of Mullin Landscape Associates, a comprehensive landscape
design, build, and maintenance firm.
Chase’s passion for construction was cultivated at a young age while working on residential construction jobs during summer and Christmas breaks. In 2007, after working with a landscape architect and contractor, Chase founded the company with only his Jeep and a borrowed trailer. Chase credits much of his success to his working knowledge of the landscape trade, his enjoyment of the dynamic nature of the landscape, and his drive to be the best he can be at everything that he does.
Mullin has been involved in a number of noteworthy commercial projects in the community, including the Ace Hotel, Children’s Hospital Campus Renovations, Trader Joe’s Market, and Benson Tower paver project. While the company’s recently been involved with many high profile commercial projects, Mullin continues to deliver high value residential installation projects and maintenance services.
Community involvement is important to Mullin, and the company recently installed a citrus orchard as a donation to Sugar Roots Farm. Mullin continually donates to PAWS and CASA New Orleans. Chase is also involved with Bridge House, and actively mentors young people struggling with alcohol and drug addiction.
Chase resides in River Ridge with his wife Laura and sons, Trace and William Hayes. A health enthusiast, Chase exercises at Mullin’s on-site CrossFit facility nearly daily. An avid duck hunter and outdoorsman, Chase spends as much time as he can in south Louisiana’s marshes with Oliver, his British lab.
Edgar “Dook” Chase, IV, Owner/President
Chase Catering and Concessions LLC and Dook’s Place Restaurant and Seafood Bar
Edgar “Dook” Chase, IV is owner/president of Chase Catering and Concessions, LLC and Dook’s Place Restaurant and Seafood Bar in the New Orleans International Airport. He received his MBA from the University of New Orleans and his culinary degree from Le Condon Bleu Paris, France.
Edgar has been active in the hospitality industry for over 15 years; he started out in the “back of the house” at his grandparents’ restaurant, Dooky Chase’s as a teen, and eventually earned his way up to Restaurant Manager, as well as Sous Chef to his grandmother, Leah Chase. Upon returning to New Orleans, Edgar has worked in corporate America as a financial analyst by day, restauranteur by night, before finally transitioning back in to the restaurant world full time.
In 2013, Chase Catering and Concessions became the minority joint venture partner with Delaware North for all food and beverage concessions at the New Orleans Airport; concurrently, in February 2016, he opened Dook’s Place, a full service restaurant and bar, in the airport as well.
Edgar sits on the New Orleans Convention and Visitors Bureau Board of Directors, in addition to his service as a Covenant House board member.
Donny Rouse, CEO
Rouses Supermarkets
Donny Rouse grew up in the grocery business founded by his grandfather, Anthony J. Rouse, Sr. For years he worked in his family’s stores after school, and on weekends and holidays. Following his graduation from the University of Louisiana in Lafayette, Donny stepped into a management role at Rouses, working side by side with his father, Donald, and uncle, Tommy. As Rouses real estate specialist, Donny was called upon to help plan Rouses’ acquisition of A&P’s Southern Division, which doubled the company’s size overnight, and to oversee the company’s purchase of stores and shopping centers throughout Louisiana, Mississippi and Lower Alabama.
Donny has focused on increasing his company’s fresh, organic and gourmet offerings while spearheading new developments. Under Donny’s direction, Rouses recently acquired LeBlanc’s Food Stores, which included nine locations in Baton Rouge and the surrounding area. Rouses is now one of the largest independent grocers in the United States. It has repeatedly been voted “Best Supermarket” and “Best Place to Work,” by local, regional and national publications and organizations. In 2016, Donny assumed his new role as CEO of his family’s 56-year-old company. He and his wife, Kara, have two daughters and a son. He is a licensed pilot and avid hunter and fisherman.
Greg Dietz, Ted Neikirk, James “Jammer” Orintas, Owners
Theo’s Neighborhood Pizza
Theo’s Neighborhood Pizza owners Jammer Orintas, Greg Dietz and Ted Neikirk met in elementary school in Little Rock, Ark. Their passion for pizza began as they grew up together eating at their favorite neighborhood pizza joint. Fast forward 20 years and they ditched their office jobs to open a pizzeria in New Orleans. In 2004, they opened their first restaurant on Magazine Street. Since then, Theo’s has expanded to locations in Mid City, Harahan, Metairie and a food truck. Community involvement is an important component to Theo’s business model. They have partnered over the years with The Chartwell Center, Liberty’s Kitchen, Boys Hope Girls Hope, Evacuteer.org, Ronald McDonald House, Louisiana Children’s Museum, Carrollton Boosters, The Salvation Army of Greater New Orleans and the New Orleans Public Library. They have also been recognized by Gambit as 40 under 40 and Best Pizza Restaurant, featured in Pizza Today Magazine, and honored by The University of Arkansas as distinguished alumni.
Scott Wolfe, Jr., CEO
zlien
Scott is a husband, dad, and entrepreneur in New Orleans. Bothered as a lawyer at the unfairness for the little guys, Scott founded zlien to even the $1 trillion construction playing field and make payments easier, faster, and more predictable. Headquartered in New Orleans, zlien now has more than 80 employees and is used by thousands of contractors and suppliers nationwide to make payments easier on billions in contract value each year. Scott has led zlien through two rounds of venture capital financing, raising over $7 million in outside investment from national venture capital firms.
zlien is a natural combination of Scott’s life experience: his father and grandfather were general contractors, out of law school he practiced construction law as founding partner of Wolfe Law Group, and since high school he’s owned and operated a software and design company, The Web Lab.
Recognized by New Orleans CityBusiness as an “Innovator of the Year” and part of their “Leadership in Law Hall of Fame,” Scott has been on the Silicon Bayou 100 list every year since 2014, is a winner of The Idea Village & Jim Coulter’s IDEAPitch, and is the ACG’s reigning Emerging Growth Company. Scott is a graduate of Brother Martin High School, Southern Methodist University (B.A.), and Loyola University New Orleans College of Law (J.D.).
