The good news is, you’ve got Google. So if you want, in the next couple of minutes, you can look up the word “polymer.” P-O-L-Y-M-E-R. When you do, you probably won’t be much wiser about what a polymer is, and guaranteed you won’t be able to figure out what “polymer monitoring” might be. All you need to know is, it’s a big deal and without it you wouldn’t listening to this on your phone, computer, or in your car – because you wouldn’t have one.

Alex Reed joins Peter Ricchiuti on this edition of Out to Lunch lunch to explain all this. Alex is the President of Advanced Polymer Monitoring Technologies.

Rob Warren joins Peter for lunch today too. Rob is another guy with a great idea. This one’s a bit easier to understand. It’s called Gigsy. It’s a company that can do the same thing you can do with your phone – take photos. But Rob’s company takes it to a new level that turns a loner occupation into a team sport.

In entrepreneurial circles you hear the term “thought leaders” thrown around. It’s one of those buzzword phrases, like “influencer,” that can apply to just about anybody with a Twitter account. But Robert Warren and Alex Reed  give the term “Thought Leaders” some real meaning. They both have original ideas that they’ve turned into real world businesses that are adding to the continued growth and diversification of the New Orleans economy.

Photos in the wine room at Commander’s Palace by Alison Moon.