Have you heard this one? Bill Gates walks into a bar… Actually, it’s not a joke. It’s a lesson about the definition of averages. Bill Gates walks into a bar. There’s 20 people in there. The average net worth of everybody in the bar is now 5 billion dollars.

In a similar manner, New Orleans business boosters like to say these days, “New Orleans is the fastest growing tech city in the country.” As of right now it’s technically true, thanks largely to the Bill-Gates-walks-into-a-bar effect of a company called DXC Technology.

DXC is the world’s leading IT company. It employs 170,000 people in 70 countries. They have an annual revenue of more than 24 billion dollars. In mid-2018, DXC took over what used to be the Freeport McMoran Building, across from the Superdome, and opened an operation called The New Orleans Digital Transformation Center.

Terrell Boynton is Director and General Manager of DXC Technology’s New Orleans Digital Transformation Center.

DXC is not the only technology game in town. Far from it. There are other New Orleans tech companies of a significant size. There are also very small tech companies. Some of whom are doing ground-breaking work. Like Pat Morin’s  Start Up Food Biz, an online step-by-step guide for any person who’s starting up a food business. Whether it’s a food truck in Louisiana, or a chicken processing plant in Michigan, Start Up Food Biz walks you through every legal and technical requirement that you need to comply with to set up your business. It’s reportedly the very first piece of business technology specifically designed for food businesses.

Out to Lunch with Peter Ricchiuti is recorded live over lunch at Comander’s Palace. Photos by Jill Lafleur.