Business Briefs for March 22, 2008

• Advocate staff and wire reports
• Published: Mar 22, 2008 - Page: 12A - UPDATED: 12:05 a.m.

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BR ranks 142nd in business, careers
Baton Rouge ranks 142nd in Forbes Magazine’s new list of the 200 best cities for business and careers.

New Orleans ranks 161st, Shreveport is 162nd and Lafayette 163rd.

The overall ranking was based on where a city ranks in nine categories. Baton Rouge fares better than average on the cost of doing business (50th); job growth (43rd); and net migration (78th).

The city does poorly when judged by cost of living (106th); educational attainment (126th); culture and leisure (134th); colleges (159th); income growth (181st); and crime rate (187th).

Raleigh, N.C., finished first, followed by Boise, Idaho; Fort Collins, Colo.; Des Moines, Iowa; and Lexington, Ky.

A ranking of smaller metro areas has Alexandria at 128; Houma at 133; Lake Charles at 144; and Monroe at 156.

Forbes’ sources were Economy.com, Sperling’s BestPlaces and the FBI Index of Crime.

Storefront work grants available
Businesses in Old South Baton Rouge can apply for grants to improve their storefronts in a new program from the Center for Planning Excellence and the Old South Baton Rouge Partnership.

The grants, funded by the East Baton Rouge Mortgage Finance Authority, will be up to $5,000 for one-story buildings and $7,500 for two-story buildings. Property owners and businesses seeking the grants contribute an equal amount to receive a grant. Grant applications can be downloaded at osbr.org, by calling CPEX at (225) 267-6300 or the OSBR Partnership at (225) 803-8095.

The incentives are part of a continuing project started by the Baton Rouge Area Foundation to revive Old South, between LSU and downtown.

Sushi eatery set at Citiplace site
Restaurateur Derek Chang has bought the former O’Charley’s Restaurant in Citiplace and plans to relocate his sushi restaurant there later this year.

Sales records show Chang paid just under $2 million Thursday for the O’Charley’s property. The seller is listed as JFC Enterprises LLC of Nashville.

Chang took over Koto of Japan on College Drive four years ago, renaming it Derek Chang’s Koto Sushi Bar and Hibachi Grill.