2024
Community Partner
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MEET OUR TEAM Amy L. Foreman Publisher EDITORIAL
The Heart of Our Community Welcome to the inaugural issue of Faces and Places, a publication that I am incredibly proud to present to our cherished readers. Earlier this year, our team brought you the Faces of Nola Family , a celebration of the remarkable individuals who make our community vibrant and dynamic. We decided to embark on a new journey as well, expanding our focus to not only highlight the exceptional faces of our community but also the amazing places that define our local landscape. Faces and Places is a high-value, stand-alone publication crafted with the utmost care and attention to detail. From the beginning, my vision for this magazine was clear: it had to be a keepsake. We’ve spared no effort in ensuring it is printed on the finest quality paper, adorned with stunning design and artwork, making it a piece worthy of gracing your coffee table all year round. Our goal is to create a book that our community eagerly anticipates every year, one that readers will treasure and share with pride. As you delve into this book, I hope you enjoy it as much as we did creating it for you. The dedication and passion of our team are reflected on every page, and we look forward to continuing this tradition annually. Take the time to explore the stories of the wonderful people and places featured within. These individuals and businesses are not just participants in our publication; they are the backbone of our community, the driving force behind our local economy, and the heart of our shared experiences. Faces and Places is more than a magazine; it is a testament to the spirit of New Orleans. It celebrates the people who inspire us, the places that shape us, and the community that unites us. As you read through these pages, I hope you feel a sense of pride in our community and the incredible stories that make it unique. Please read it, keep it, and pass it along. But most importantly, enjoy it as much as we did. This is your book, a reflection of our shared journey, and a celebration of what makes New Orleans extraordinary.
Amanda Miller Managing Editor Amanda Ciani Austria Cohn Carol Evans Victoria Mikota
Madison Voorhies Associate Editors ART/PRODUCTION Alex Herring Senior Graphic Designer Tom Gonzales
Madison Graham Mckinna Sproles Graphic Designers ADVERTISING Crystal Barrett
Kayla Fricks Gomez Martine Melancon Ryn Whiteside Senior Account Executives Camille Cavin Jade Gray Jennifer Hoffmann Amy Phillips Shannon Vicari Account Executives COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT Teri Hodges Director of Community Partnerships Roxane Voorhies Community Outreach ADMINISTRATION Brandon Foreman Chief Executive Officer Laurie Acosta Director of Operations Alexis Alexander Senior Executive Administrator Sarah Miller Client Success Manager Elisabeth Barrett Kayleigh Montana Client Success Specialists Emmy Logan Accounting Coordinator CONTACT US editorial@familyresourcegroupinc.com
OFFICE (225) 292-0032 11831 Wentling Avenue Baton Rouge, LA 70816-6055
Brandon Foreman Chief Executive Officer Family Resource Group Inc.
Faces & Places of Nola Family is published by FAMILY RESOURCE GROUP INC. (FRG) and distributed free of charge. Subscriptions accepted. Only authorized distributors may deliver and pick up the magazine. Paid advertisements appear in FAMILY RESOURCE GROUP INC. (FRG) publications, including print and other digital formats. FRG does not endorse or evaluate the product, service, or company, nor any claims made by the advertisement. We reserve the right to edit, reject, or comment editorially on all materials contributed. We cannot be held responsible for the return of any unsolicited material. Faces & Places of Nola Family Copyright 2024. All rights reserved. Reproduction in whole or in part without writ- ten permission prohibited.
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The Face of ORTHODONTICS Dr. Allison Hamada PHOTO CREDIT: JULIE VERLINDEN PHOTOGRAPHY
includes enhancing their airways. Working with local specialists like myofunctional therapists and ENTs allows her to enhance patients’ overall health and long-term orthodontic stability. This is what sets Dr. Hamada apart as a functional orthodontist; she wants to find the root cause of the issue to produce the best possible plan of action for her patients. Dr. Hamada has also become a master of the Pitts 21 bracket system and helps teach this technique to other orthodontists alongside Dr. Thomas Pitts. This way, she can provide her patients with the best possible care and have fun while doing so. With the Pitts 21 system, they rarely have to remove any teeth at all, which is a huge deal for many patients seeking orthodontic work. Not only is she putting teeth back where they belong, but she’s helping them stay there. When not in the office, you can find Dr. Hamada enjoying family time with her husband, two daughters, and fur baby, or exploring local waters on her paddle board.
Dr. Allison Hamada is the cheerful, caring, and humble, but dynamic force behind Hamada Orthodontics. With three locations outside New Orleans, you’re guaranteed to find innovative, quality care wherever you go. Growing up, Dr. Hamada was a shadow in her father’s orthodontics office, watching him practice and even making retainers for him as a teenager. She saw how much joy her father found in his work, which ultimately sparked a fire in her. After graduating from the LSU School of Dentistry and Columbia University’s Orthodontic Program, she practiced for 13 years before deciding to take a new path in her career. She wanted to take a more meaningful and personal approach to her profession. Her passion as a doctor is creating uniquely customized smiles for each patient, which keeps her exploring new treatment options for even better results. When it comes to creating better and brighter smiles for her patients, Dr. Hamada doesn’t just focus on the teeth; she is fueled by providing the most value possible to her patients, and that
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The Face of NEUROSURGERY Koga Neurosurgery PHOTO CREDIT: JULIE VERLINDEN PHOTOGRAPHY
to them exactly what is wrong and how it can be fixed. After all, Dr. Koga believes “the brain is the most interesting organ in the body,” and is humbled by its complexity despite huge advancements in medical technology. Beyond clinical work, Dr. Koga immerses himself in discovery and research projects, including developing MRI brain maps to guide surgery and new biomaterials for spinal implants. “Neurosurgery is a field in its infancy, with a vast frontier awaiting discovery. I am not doing the same things today as I was five years ago,” says Dr. Koga. Dr. Koga is also involved in basic science research at the NIH and the testing of new medical devices in a laboratory setting. The main formula for success is the clinic staff. Every employee has been handpicked by Dr. Koga and has worked and grown over the years to a level of professionalism seldom seen in outpatient medicine. Patients compliment his assistants’ knowledge as often as the surgeon’s. The complexity of a surgical clinic requires a team with tremendous patience and people-skills. “My team shares my moral code of doing the right thing for each patient. We take responsibility, we stay late, we answer every question, we don’t rush our work, and we don’t rush our surgeries”. The clinic is adding more perioperative care such as nutrition, social work, and psychological services. “Patients undergoing neurosurgery expect and deserve technical excellence, but beyond the operation we have so many gaps for their long-term healing and wellness.” Dr Koga plans to reach more patients by opening additional clinics and traveling abroad to perform surgeries on patients who cannot come to the US.
Dr. Sebastian Koga, founder of Koga Neurosurgery, has positioned himself at the forefront of neurosurgery in the Northshore and Greater New Orleans areas. Each day, he and his team strive to redefine the boundaries of medicine, combining the precision of science with the artistry of personalized patient care. Inspired by his father’s path as a psychiatrist, Dr. Koga pursued his studies and graduated from the University of Oxford, Tulane University School of Medicine, and the University of Virginia neurosurgery program. After two additional fellowships and global training, he arrived on the Northshore in 2014, and built the region’s first comprehensive neurosurgery program. Dr. Koga aspires to provide a more personal approach to patients who are not treated as numbers but as individuals with unique needs. He aims to cultivate an environment that encourages local patients to stay in the region, reducing the need for medical tourism. The Koga Neurosurgery clinic specializes in brain and complex spinal surgeries. Dr. Koga has garnered a reputation for innovative solution in spine surgery. Patients travel from as far as Oregon, California, and internationally for revision spine surgery. These are cases which did not get better with conventional procedures or had multiple failed operations. Dr. Koga has an empathetic understanding of how illness, especially brain tumors, affects not just individuals but also their family and their entire support system. “For me, neurosurgery is a life-long all-consuming vocation. I always think I must do more and better tomorrow,” says Dr Koga. He works hard to educate his patients, explaining
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The Face of FLEXIBILITY StretchLab Metairie PHOTO CREDIT: JULIE VERLINDEN PHOTOGRAPHY
The studio’s mission to “Live Long” resonates with Grady’s values, stating “quality of movement equals quality of life.” StretchLab aims to improve flexibility and enhance clients’ overall well-being, fostering lasting connections and a sense of community. The studio’s core values of freedom, energy, community, growth, and care align with Grady’s ethos well. Their goals for 2024 include through partnerships with businesses and organizations in the community that have similar values regarding health and wellness initiatives. Daily, Grady speaks with people who want and need better flexibility because of lifestyle, work, or health conditions, but don’t know where to start. She hopes through increased increasing awareness about the benefits of 1:1 assisted stretching awareness and, thereby demand, more insurance programs and employers will begin to offer wellness programs that include 1:1 assisted stretching. “I love what I do and being a part of our client’s mobility journey is truly a privilege. The most fulfilling part is the ability to offer a service that changes people’s lives. They move better, feel better, and are able to do the things that matter to them,” Grady says.
Renee Grady’s venture into StretchLab Metairie was born from personal experience and professional insight. As the dedicated owner, she oversees the day-to-day operations, including hiring, sales, and marketing. With a background she described as “career gumbo” – blending health and wellness, commercial real estate, and a stint as a stay-at-home mom – Grady’s diverse expertise comes together in her role as a small business owner. StretchLab Metairie’s inclusive, open-concept studio offers customized 1:1 assisted stretching services. There’s no one reason why people find themselves at StretchLab. Clients come to increase their range of motion and flexibility, reduce muscle and joint pain, improve their athletic performance, and reduce tension and stress. Her commitment to hiring skilled professionals, known as flexologistsTM, ensures a knowledgeable team dedicated to crafting individualized stretching programs based on comprehensive assessments. Not only do they stretch, but flexologists educate their clients while they’re on the bench, helping them understand their movement patterns as well as giving them small, manageable homework assignments between sessions for maximum results. Grady emphasizes, “No two bodies are the same, so no two stretch sessions are the same.”
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