King Krebs & Jurgens Congratulates Water Challenge Winner

On March 24, four local entrepreneurs competed in New Orleans’ 2014 Water Challenge, sponsored by King Krebs & Jurgens in partnership with The Idea Village and the Greater New Orleans Foundation. Now in its fourth year, this award-winning program identifies and supports entrepreneurial solutions that apply innovative approaches to how we live with and manage water in Southeast Louisiana. This year’s winner, ORA Estuaries, is a company that sells proprietary technologies developed specifically for estuary restoration.

ORA Estuaries sells the OysterBreak™, a structure designed to use an oyster’s inherent nature of clustering and shell building to further coastal protection. These structures are made of OysterKrete®, a marine-grade, cement-based material designed specifically to grow oysters. As Tyler Ortego, ORA Estuaries’ engineer put it, these cost-effective units protect coastline by “letting the oysters do the work.”

This year’s Water Challenge began in Fall 2013, when eight participating entrepreneurs began receiving resources and customized coaching to accelerate the growth of their venture. Len Brignac, an intellectual property attorney with King Krebs & Jurgens, was among those who volunteered time to coach the competitors, meeting with each entrepreneur to counsel how new companies can identify and protect their intellectual property assets.

In January 2014, the field was narrowed to four finalists, each of whom continued to receive resources and coaching to refine and strengthen their pitches. Demetria Christo of EcoUrban pitched cistern covers that help create the garden people dream of while cultivating a greener New Orleans. Julia Kumari Drapkin of iSeeChange pitched a climate almanac and information service for the 21st century. Wayne Erdman of RiverView Construction pitched an innovative fast-deploying flood barrier called the Aqua Flood Barrier™.

As winner of the Water Challenge pitch competition, ORA Estuaries will receive additional legal services and office space in King Krebs & Jurgens’ New Orleans office for one year as the firm’s Entrepreneur-in-Residence. The company can be reached at 225.372.5570 or www.oraestuaries.com.