Business

Louisiana Lemonade Day 2019 Empowers Lives One Young Entrepreneur At A Time

NEW ORLEANS DATA NEWS WEEKLY — Far beyond making a glass of delicious lemonade, Lemonade Day empowers youth and their families to take ownership of their dreams and encourages them to become productive members of society – the business leaders, social advocates, volunteers and forward thinking citizens of tomorrow.

Published

7 years ago

May 6, 2019

Oakland Post

By Renetta Perry

There’s nothing perhaps more refreshing than riding around New Orleans on a sunny Saturday afternoon in May, seeing brightly decorated lemonade stands with young, smiling faces serving up glasses of sweetness and success. Louisiana Lemonade Day, now in its ninth year, has successfully created a template from which our youth can develop advanced entrepreneurial skills, backed and supported by the expertise of two of Louisiana’s most successful businessmen, John Georges (CEO of Georges Enterprises) and Todd Graves (Founder, CEO, Fry Cook & Cashier of Raising Cane’s Chicken Fingers). John and Todd both respectively operated lemonade stands as kids, giving them their first taste of business operation.

Far beyond making a glass of delicious lemonade, Lemonade Day empowers youth and their families to take ownership of their dreams and encourages them to become productive members of society – the business leaders, social advocates, volunteers and forward thinking citizens of tomorrow.

Giving Youth The Tools For Success

Though Lemonade Day may seem trivial in its presentation, prior to taking the stage on their stands, young entrepreneurs are given an Entrepreneur Workbook that teaches them the 15 lessons of Lemonade Day including creating budgets, setting profit-making goals, serving customers, repaying investors, and giving back to the community. Along the way, they acquire skills in goal-setting, problem solving, and gaining self-esteem, all which are critical components for future success. They keep all the money they make and are encouraged to spend some, save some and share some.

In addition, young entrepreneurs become versed in financial literacy, economics, college and career readiness, life skills and personal development. There is also the reassurance that comes with the support of the community. Lemonade Day is as much about community and engagement as it is about supporting young entrepreneurs. On Lemonade Day, the community is encouraged to get out there and buy glasses of lemonade and get to know the young entrepreneurs in their communities. There’s also plenty to do in the months and weeks leading up to Lemonade Day. Mentoring youth, serving as a guest speaker in schools, donating funds, sponsoring stands in front of businesses, helping stuff backpacks or any number of volunteer activities.

National Lemonade Day

With the ethic in mind that America was built on the back of small businesses and entrepreneurs taking risks and believing they could realize their dreams if they worked hard, took responsibility and acted as good stewards of their resources, entrepreneur Michael Holthouse created National Lemonade Day. Today’s youth shared the optimism of the American business ethic, but lacked the life skills, mentorship and real-world experience necessary to be successful. In 2007, Holthouse had a vision to empower today’s youth to become tomorrow’s entrepreneurs through helping them start, own and operate their very own business…a lemonade stand. Lemonade Day is a strategic lesson-based program that walks youth from a dream to a business plan while teaching them the same principles required to start any company. Since its launch in 2007 in Houston, Texas, Lemonade Day has grown from serving 2,700 kids in one city to 1 million children across North America. Lemonade Day sparks the spirit of entrepreneurship and empowers youth to set goals, work hard, and achieve their dreams.

Holthouse, is best known in the business world as the founder and President of Paranet, Inc., a computer network services company. As an Inc. Magazine Entrepreneur of the Year and a two-time Inc. 500’s list of fastest growing companies winner, Michael grew Paranet in 6 years to 27 offices, 1600 employees and revenues in excess of $100 million and ultimately sold the company to Sprint in 1997. Since then, he has focused on philanthropy, investments and a variety of business interests. Community involvement is an enormous part of Michael’s life, and he has served on a variety of children’s and civic boards.

His family foundation, Holthouse Foundation for Kids, focuses proactively on at-risk youth. His philanthropic venture is called Prepared 4 Life (P4L) which prepares middle school youth for life through fun, proactive and experiential after-school programs infused with life skills, character education and entrepreneurship. The most treasured part of Michael’s life is spending time with his wife Lisa and their four children.

Sweet Success

Louisiana Lemonade Day has grown to become a highly anticipated event each year and continues to impact the lives of countless families in our community. Whatever career paths participants choose, they will be left with indelible impressions of success, derived from the success of their self operated businesses. “Not every kid wants to be or will be an entrepreneur, but we need to help kids achieve something, no matter how big or small,” Charlie Hamilton, Lemonade Day National Board Chairman.

To support Louisiana Lemonade Day or to register your child to participate in upcoming events, visit their website: www.lemonadeday.org. Until then, see you at the stands!

This article originally appeared in the New Orleans Data News Weekly.

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Trader Vic’s Returns to Its Oakland Roots

Trader Vic’s, the internationally recognized brand and birthplace of the original Mai Tai, has officially returned to its roots in Oakland. Originally founded in 1934 on San Pablo Avenue before moving to Emeryville, the hospitality giant has launched Trader Vic’s Outpost at Oakland International Airport’s Terminal 2. The new full-service location offers travelers breakfast, lunch, dinner, and cocktails in a 108-seat space designed to celebrate the city’s status as a top national food destination. Visit the website to read more.

Published

2 days ago

October 19, 2026

Post News Group

Oakland Mayor Barbara Lee cuts the ribbon at the official opening of Trader Vic’s Outpost and Plum Market at Oakland International Airport. She is assisted by U.S. Rep. Lateefah Simon as Port of Oakland Board President Stephanie Dominguez Walton, left, and representatives from Trader Vic's, Plum Market, look on. Photo courtesy of the mayor’s office.

By Special to The Post

Oakland has always been a city of innovators, entrepreneurs, visionaries, and world-class hospitality. Trader Vic’s—the birthplace of the original Mai Tai – first opened in Oakland back in 1934 on San Pablo Avenue, long before becoming an internationally recognized global brand.

More than 50 years after it moved to Emeryville, Trader Vic’s is returning to its roots. Oakland Mayor Barbara Lee touts the return as another victory for Oakland.

“My administration is deeply committed to backing businesses like Trader Vic’s and Plum Market—partners who invest in our city, uplift our local workforce, and support thousands of local jobs,” Lee said.

The latest Trader Vic’s – called Trader Vic’s Outpost – is located at the Oakland International Airport in Terminal 2 near Gate 25 and had a soft opening in August.

With 108 dining seats, 28 bar seats and a counter for standing-room customers, travelers from around the world can have a full-service restaurant and bar experience or take-out for those with planes to catch.

Open from 6 a.m. to 10 p.m., breakfast, lunch, dinner, cocktails will be served.

Trader Vic’s returning to its roots confirms Condé Nast’s decision to name Oakland the #1 Food City in America two years in a row, and just earlier this month, ranked Oakland #6 on their list of Best Cities in the U.S.!

“The opening at OAK is incredibly meaningful for us,” said Rhett Rosen, CEO of Trader Vic’s Hospitality Group, according to the company website. “Trader Vic’s was born in the Bay Area, and this new location gives us the chance to welcome travelers with a taste of that original spirit before they take off. It brings together everything people love about Trader Vic’s — great cocktails, flavorful food, warm hospitality and a little sense of escape — in a place that connects Oakland to the world.”

Trader Vic’s is an Oakland institution and one of the region’s most recognizable hospitality brands, said Port of Oakland Director of Aviation Craig Simon on the web site.

“Travelers are increasingly seeking dining options that are memorable, locally rooted, and uniquely representative of the communities they are visiting. Trader Vic’s delivers all of that while providing a high-quality food and beverage experience for our guests. We are proud to welcome this hometown favorite to Terminal 2,”

The original Trader Vic’s in Oakland:

In 1934, with an investment of $500, Bergeron opened his initially small restaurant at 65th Avenue and San Pablo, serving comfort foods for lunch and dinner and beers and whiskeys. As his clientele grew, so did his restaurant, expanding space and menu options. After visiting this establishment, famed San Francisco Chronicle columnist Herb Caen proclaimed that the “best restaurant in San Francisco is in Oakland.”

There were as many as 25 franchises worldwide, including the U.S. Trader Vic’s is now headquartered in Martinez.

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Oakland Coal Terminal Backed by Trump Would Be Bigger, Dirtier Than Promised, Says Report

A recent feasibility study commissioned by potential investors says an Oakland coal terminal backed by President Donald Trump could export 13 million tons a year — three times the amount estimated in an earlier environmental review. Surprisingly, the report also contradicts devel

Published

2 days ago

October 19, 2026

Post News Group

East Bay residents have been fighting alongside No Coal in Oakland for more than a decade. Photo courtesy of No Coal in Oakland.

By Post Staff

Surprisingly, the report also contradicts developers’ and project advocates’ repeated pledges that the coal would be stored in a covered terminal. Instead, the millions of tons of coal shipped annually from inland states to the West Gateway terminal in Oakland would be stored in “two open-air bunkers,” with about 150,000 tons of coal per stockpile, before being sent overseas, according to the recent report cited by the L.A. Times. (https://ruic.utah.gov/wp-content/uploads/2026/09/Port-Study-RUIC-Bulk-Commodity-Ocean-Terminals-Study.pdf)

Residents and clean air advocates have long expressed concerns that coal dust would worsen pollution in West Oakland and throughout the East Bay.

The proposed site of the Oakland Bulk and Oversized Terminal (OBOT) is located at the former Army base near the Port of Oakland, which developer Phil Tagami has been trying for years to turn into a shipping terminal despite determined community opposition.

Trump announced a $75-million investment in the project in June, about a third of its estimated cost. The new terminal would be the largest coal export site on the West Coast, transporting coal to Japan, South Korea, Taiwan, Vietnam and Malaysia, according to the Trump administration.

Opponents say a new terminal would undermine years of progress cleaning up the air in West Oakland, which has a history of disproportionate pollution and high asthma rates due to its proximity to the port and other industry.

According to No Coal in Oakland organizer Ted Franklin, who has been active for 11 years in the fight to stop the coal terminal, the report indicates that investors may be looking for a cheaper way to build the terminal.

“We were shocked but not surprised” by the report, Franklin said. “Basically, it seems that the plan now is to store open piles of coal, which is a less expensive project than creating a completely enclosed facility.”

The threats that the project poses are real, but it faces a lot of economic and legal hurdles, he said.

Coal production is in permanent decline worldwide, he said, wondering who was going to “invest money in an industry that has no future.”

Further, the project has not yet attracted big investors. “There’s no bank, no financing, no financial institution backing this,” he continued.

A major legal hurdle facing the project is the passage of Assemblymember Mia Bonta’s bill, AB 40, the Community-First Coal Review Act, signed into law by Gov. Gavin Newsom on Sept. 30.

The law requires developers of large-volume bulk coal facilities to complete a full Environmental Impact Report (EIR) under the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA) before they can operate.

The law was specifically designed to block or delay the coal terminal project.

The report to potential developers was produced by consulting groups Norda Stelo and Wood Mackenzie in July and released this month. It was commissioned by the Rural Utah Infrastructure Coalition, made up of eight Utah counties that are considering investing about $43 million into the terminal to receive Utah coal.

The consultants produced their findings after visiting Oakland, examining engineering documents and holding discussions with Savage Cos., a Utah-based transport and logistics company selected to operate the facility

Research has shown that coal terminal operations can be dangerous to public health. The ports of Los Angeles and Long Beach moved away from open-air coal and petroleum coke storage three decades ago.

The report says that the site could process 12 million metric tons, or 13.2 million tons, of coal each year, three times more than the terminal’s approved environmental impact report from 2002 and its 2012 addendum. Neither document mentions coal specifically, but rather bulk commodities.

The coal arriving in Oakland could also be dirtier then had been previously stated, according to the report. Project officials previously said the terminal would handle only high-grade western bituminous coal from Utah, but the recent report says it will also handle Powder River Basin coal from Wyoming and Montana, known to be much dustier.

Nor does the report mention plans to cover the rail cars to prevent pollution, though project officials previously promised they would only utilize coal transported in covered rail cars.

“It appears the developers want to build something much bigger and more polluting than anything they previously revealed, either in court or to the West Oakland community,” said Colin O’Brien, deputy managing attorney at the nonprofit Earthjustice, speaking to the L.A. Times.

The report indicates that the project may be much more expensive and take longer to complete than anticipated. The Energy Department estimates the terminal will cost about $231 million, but the report places the price at between $430 million and $625 million.

The terminal will take 53 months to complete according to the report, significantly longer than Trump’s promise of exports beginning in 2028.

Ted Franklin’s column, “Utah Study Blesses Investment in Oakland Coal Terminal but Leaves Key Questions Unanswered” is available at https://nocoalinoakland.info/utah-study-blesses-investment-in-oakland/