The New Orleans Ernest N. Morial Convention Center has been honored with the highly coveted New Orleans Top Workplaces 2021 Award by The Times-Picayune | The New Orleans Advocate.
The award is based solely on employee feedback gathered through a third-party survey administered by employee engagement technology partner, Energage, LLC. The anonymous survey uniquely measures 15 drivers of engaged cultures that are critical to the success of any organization including alignment, execution and connection. This is the fifth year NOENMCC has been recognized with this award.
It has been a year of achievements for NOENMCC, as they were also honored with the 2021 National Top Workplace Award in January 2021. MCCNO also received the National Award because of their admirable leadership throughout the unprecedented times of the COVID-19 pandemic and their ability to adjust the facility to suit the needs of the community.
“It is an honor to receive this award once again, as it illustrates the leadership, collaboration and care that our staff fulfills every day,” says Michael J. Sawaya (pictured left), convention center president. “Despite the challenges of the past year, especially throughout the COVID-19 pandemic, our team has worked together to deliver emergency services to the community, and we are extremely proud that we were able to keep our staff employed. We remain dedicated to maintaining and cultivating a positive work environment and are very proud of the exceptional team we have built.”
The Convention Center strives to cultivate a strong internal community that passionately serves their external customers, while displaying the spirit of New Orleans in an inclusive work environment.
“The unprecedented events of 2020 put the best qualities of the role of our convention center in our community front and center,” Sawaya adds\. “We were able to use our facility for everything from treating COVID-19 patients to giving hurricane evacuees a place of respite. It is a role we don’t take lightly, and we are proud to have a wonderful team that makes our convention center one of the very best in the nation.”
The convention center also focused on several critical improvements during the pandemic, including the beautification of Convention Center Boulevard, as part of its $557 million, 5-year capital improvement plan. The MCCNO team worked throughout the pandemic to advance the improvements in order to welcome visitors back into the facility. Each employee’s hard work aided in the improvement process, leading to the creation of one of the top meeting destinations in the country and an outstanding workplace in the New Orleans community.
MCCNO Opens Second Annual Morial Awards Nominations
The New Orleans Ernest N. Morial Convention Center announced the opening of their annual Morial Award nominations. The purpose of the awards is to recognize businesses, big and small, and promote the economic growth of the local small business community.
The Morial Awards were established in honor of former Mayor Ernest N. Morial and his legacy as a highly successful citizen, civil rights activist and political pioneer. As the first Black mayor of New Orleans, from 1977-1986, Mayor Morial championed the Convention Center’s construction and saw it as the way to promote economic development for our city’s local and diverse small businesses.
Beginning in 2020, the Morial Awards take pride in honoring a small business and corporation that has proven to be innovative and aggressive in their growth strategy and economic impact. The selection panel is looking for exceptional contributions to the sustainability and growth of local communities and small businesses across the great state of Louisiana.
Airware Transportation and Logistics was recognized as the 2020 Small Business of the Year and Woodward Design+Build was recognized as the 2020 Corporation of the Year.
“Supporting local businesses is an important pillar of the work we do at the Convention Center,” says Michael J. Sawaya. “There are many deserving companies in our area, and it is an honor to recognize them for the outstanding work that they do.”
The Ernest N. Morial Exhibition Hall Authority, the governing body of the convention center, has been a champion of active involvement of Small Emerging Business Enterprises and Disadvantaged Business Enterprises as a guiding principle for how business is conducted at the Convention Center. Recognizing businesses that actively align with that vision is key to continuing the progress that has been seen in recent years, as well as to honor the incredible legacy of Ernest N. Morial.
“Recognizing local businesses who play an incredible role in our economy is an honor,” says Jerry Reyes (pictured right), president of the Authority. “Local companies are the backbone of what makes our city special, and any opportunity to recognize them for their achievements is a key part of the Authority’s mission of the convention center’s mission and, particularly, the SEB committee.”
The Morial Award winners will receive a custom-sculpted work of art by New Orleans visual artist Sheleen Jones, who is renowned for using her craft to pay homage to the heroes of our city. The winners will also receive the Urban League of Louisiana’s full suite of capacity-building and training, technical assistance, and will have all expenses paid to attend the National Urban League annual convention.
“As we honor the legacy of our convention center’s namesake, we cherish the opportunity to review the impressive nominations submitted by our local businesses,” says Bonita Robertson (pictured left), chairperson of the Authority’s SEB/DBE Committee. “In 2020, 28 companies were nominated; 25 small businesses and three corporations, each with an incredible story to tell. We look forward to learning more about each of our nominees this year and embarking on the challenge of determining the companies who will be selected as the Morial Award recipients.”
Applications for the Morial Awards will be open until July 31. The finalists will be recognized at an event in October, following the selection panel’s review of all applications.
For information on submitting a nomination, visit www.morialaward.com.
With 1.1 million square feet of prime exhibit space, in an entirely contiguous hall, the New Orleans Ernest N. Morial Convention Center provides the largest single exhibit space in the country, features an award-winning staff, first class amenities, and is the sixth largest convention center in the nation. A leading contributor to the city’s robust tourism economy, the Convention Center’s event activity has produced $90.1 billion in economic impact since its 1985 opening, including $5.7 billion in new tax revenue for state and local governments. For more info, visit mccno.com.
