Everybody likes to think they’re important, but here in Louisiana we really are. Two sectors of our local economy are major components of the national, and global, economy: oil and gas, and renewable energy.

Outside of the oil companies who physically drill for oil, there is a huge industry of companies who do everything else – from building oil rigs to delivering groceries to the men and women who work on them.

One of the biggest offshore support companies in the world is headquartered here in New Orleans. Tidewater.

Joe Bennett from Tidewater is Peter Ricchiuti’s guest on Out to Lunch today.

So is Ben Foley, from Keystone Engineering. Keystone builds oil rigs, but Ben’s division of the company is building a whole other energy structure: offshore wind turbines.

It’s surprising the role these two New Orleans’ companies are playing in the global energy marketplace. 

Photos on this page taken at Commander’s Palace by Cheryl DalPozzal.