Forging connections in our community is what Melara Enterprises is all about. We connect leaders in the community through our events, experiences, community partnerships and content. We connect readers to the news and intelligence that informs and entertains. We connect clients to highly targeted and engaged audiences on a plethora of platforms. We connect businesses to opportunities for growth with our custom content and marketing solutions. And we connect rising leaders to a bright future through our executive and custom training.
is to be a company of excellence, innovation and impact every day.
is providing high-value news, information, training and solutions to our community, enabling them—as well as our clients and employees—to connect and to become more knowledgeable and successful.
The pursuit of excellence is the essence of everything we do.
We believe integrity underlies all that we do. We never compromise our integrity or honesty. Our credibility is key to our success.
We are constantly looking at “a better way” to serve our clients and are always open to change and market trends. We anticipate the future and move accordingly.
Our people are our greatest asset, and we are committed to helping them develop and grow.
We have enjoyed much community support as we’ve grown. We feel a commitment to give back and help others.
Creative work produced by Melara Enterprises has been recognized year after year at the national level for its excellence by The Telly Awards, The ADDY Awards, the Society for Professional Journalists, the Alliance of Area Business Publishers, the Society for Features Journalism and others.
Our company has been built on teamwork. Everyone has an important role and must be committed to one another—which is essential to winning and our success. We stand together.
The satisfaction of our customers and the success of our co-workers both depend upon clear, effective and on-going communications. Ask, listen, confirm and follow through. We don’t assume anything.
Our life’s blood is the quality of our products and service. Just enough is not enough. We don’t take shortcuts, and we do sweat the details.
Our tradition of excellence has made our company highly recognized and respected in our community. We are each ambassadors of these brands from the day we join the team, through our actions, words and appearance. Protect the brand and enhance it.
Part of our DNA is taking time to celebrate our successes with our teammates and our families.
We continually seek ways to exceed our goals, our past achievements and our customers’ expectations.
Our company embraces the inevitable change in the marketplace and adapts rapidly to meet new challenges. Our ability to adapt is critical to our ability to grow, remain relevant and continue our success.
Being a team means everyone is important and has a role to play in contributing ideas, voicing concerns, helping others and solving problems. Sitting on the sidelines is not an option.
Supportive and cooperative co-workers build trust and achieve greater results for the team. We offer help when it is needed and treat everyone with respect.
We, the employees of Business Report, 225, inRegister, 1012 Industry Report, Studio E, Leadership Academy and 21st Century Business Forum are the owners of Our Way, and we are responsible for its development, execution and success every day!
Our employees are our most important resources.
Melara Enterprises embraces inclusivity and values our diverse community. We want to build diverse teams based on qualifications, merit, and business needs, and are proud to be an equal opportunity employer that does not discriminate on the basis of race, religion, color, national origin, gender, sexual orientation, age, marital status, veteran status, or disability status.
uthor, entrepreneur and longtime media executive Julio Melara launched Melara Enterprises when he acquired Louisiana Business Inc. from his longtime partner, Rolfe McCollister. The company operates four major vertical media brands—Baton Rouge Business Report, 225, inRegister and 10/12 Industry Report—each with robust websites, digital newsletters, community events and more.
Under Julio’s leadership, the multimedia company is diversifying into new products and services for clients and the community. This includes Studio E, which provides custom creative and marketing services to clients. Additionally, the Baton Rouge Business Report Executive Leadership Academy provides management- and executive-level training to rising leaders and organizations as well as custom training solutions.
In 2020, Julio founded the 21st Century Business Forum. This monthly webcast with affiliates across the country is designed to provide insight, ideas and inspiration from top business people and thought leaders in America to entrepreneurs, small business owners and executives as they face unprecedented change in the marketplace. Guests have included Forbes CEO Steve Forbes, championship coach Nick Saban, top CEO Junior Bridgeman and others.
Melara Enterprises is a regional multimedia company that produces market-leading vertical brands that reach decision-makers in business and industry, the influential and affluent and rising young professionals. Our B2B and B2C teams provide premium news and entertainment for our readers and unique marketing opportunities for our clients, connecting with about 4 million readers annually across multiple platforms and earning nearly 23 million views and impressions. We also produce celebrated experiences and events, including the Power Breakfast, Business Awards + Hall of Fame, Influential Women in Business, the Business Symposium featuring Best Places to Work and Top 100 Private Companies, Forty Under 40, 225 Hot Off the Press and more. Our content and creative studio offers custom end-to-end solutions for companies and organizations, and our executive leadership academy helps prepare our future leaders.
BusinessReport.com is the top source of news, analysis and information on business in South Louisiana for decision-makers in the private and public sectors. In addition to producing the twice-daily Daily Report, our award-winning staff publishes a monthly business magazine, Baton Rouge Business Report, that provides deeper analysis, commentary, special reports and features for our executive-level readership. Business Report also produces multiple live community events such as Best Places to Work, Top 100 Private Companies, Influential Women in Business and more, and maintains critical data about top companies in key sectors of our community, all with the aim of providing valuable information, insight and experiences for our readers and advertisers.
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225 is a lifestyle brand for young professionals that covers the people, places, food, events and arts and culture that make Baton Rouge such a unique, special place to live. It is a free news source, continually publishing content on 225batonrouge.com, the 225 app and its social media presence on instagram, Facebook, Twitter and LinkedIn. The 225 Daily newsletter is published five times a week, and new editions of 225 Magazine are released 12 times per year on newsstands around the region, along with the annual publication Tiger Pride, published in the August edition. Since its 2005 launch, the brand's mission has been to help Baton Rouge and explore, discover and connect on a deeper level with their community. Explore any of 225's channels and you’ll find content as varied as a review on that new restaurant you’ve been dying to try, coverage of local trends, profiles digging inside the minds of a local community leaders making waves or athletes catching attention on the field, interviews with local bands and artists, visually driven photo essays and style shoots, and in-depth coverage of people making our city a better place.
inRegister is an upscale lifestyle brand that brings a distinctive voice to coverage of the people, places and organizations that enrich the lives of the residents of the Capital Region. From philanthropy to culture to features on fabulous homes, inRegister brings readers an insiders’ view of the very best of Baton Rouge. The monthly inRegister magazine, inRegister.com and the inRegister@Home newsletter cover the can’t-miss events while also spotlighting the people who make our area a better place. inRegister is more than an expression of the community it serves. We are committed to strengthening the fabric of Baton Rouge through signature events, media partnerships, strategic print and online advertising opportunities and community sponsorships.
10/12 Industry Report provides news, data, analysis and insight into the petrochemical and oil and gas industries in South Louisiana, as well as industrial expansion along the 10/12 corridor from Lake Charles to New Orleans. 1012industryreport.com and 10/12 Weekly keep decision-makers and other readers apprised of critical news as it happens, while the biannual print edition features profiles and interviews with important industry executives and comprehensive features on current industrial trends, projects and companies. Readers of 1012industryreport.com, 10/12 Industry Report and 10/12 Industry Weekly newsletter comprise top-decision makers in industry including executives, business owners, contractors—and community leaders who impact this sector.
From analysis and viewpoints on key issues impacting industry to local and regional news from across the corridor, the award-winning 10/12 Industry Report brand is a key component in the toolkit of anyone involved in making decisions about future projects in this geographic arena or marketing to this very important target base.
Melara’s marketing division, StudioE, provides clients with a one-stop shop for deeper solutions with direct access to our in-house marketing experts, digital operations team, training programs, creative services, video production, and media brands. Collectively, we offer our customers value that no other media company or marketing company can. Our research methodology is a multifaceted framework designed to guide our strategic approach. We believe in a comprehensive full-funnel model that cultivates brand awareness, sparks genuine interest, encourages thoughtful consideration, and cements lasting customer retention. Our commitment lies in gathering a deep understanding of your unique audience's demographics, pain points, interests, and behaviors to address each stage of the customer journey to optimize outcomes and foster long-term relationships. We believe in developing an efficient and cost-effective campaign strategy built on hitting client KPIs and ultimately achieving desired goals. StudioE’s toolbox is unique to every project; we focus on a creative and data-driven approach to guarantee outcomes.
The Business Report Executive Leadership Academy has become a sought-after, energizing and career-enhancing program. Offered twice yearly, in the spring and fall, the program is presented in five sessions on Fridays. Class size is limited to ensure a personalized experience.
This exclusive program for advancing professionals and entrepreneurs offers the best of personal development, professional growth, leadership exposure and insight from guest CEO speakers. High performers are nominated by their CEO to participate in the academy to elevate their leadership skills. Entrepreneurs and small business owners can also apply.
This unique learning experience will enable participants to grow via personal and professional development, leveraging innate leadership strengths; guest speakers who provide leadership exposure and fresh perspectives; and a professional network of like-minded peers from a cross section of industries and organizations.
Launch Media is an award-winning, full-service visual communication company with a proven track record for expert and innovative execution on projects of all sizes. We believe in result-driven strategy and providing dynamic visual solutions that further your goals. We empower organizations with visual tools and content that matters, so that you can market, distribute, and communicate more effectively than ever. We understand the importance of developing intimate client relationships because we know that the key to success means understanding company motivations, concerns, and long-term goals. We work with you to strategically conceptualize, design, produce and distribute visual content – video, motion graphics, and digital media – that creates meaningful and lasting impact for you.
Melara’s Digital Ops Team is unique from other digital marketing companies. Our team is local, and we offer our clients access to our owned and operated sites, giving exposure to our exclusive audiences. Our clients also have access to 50+ premium inventory sources, guaranteeing unparalleled reach and frequency to target anywhere in the country. We can explore new customer niches and data advantages over our competitors. The key to a successful campaign is tracking and optimization. Our digital operations team works directly with our clients to identify a baseline for website traffic and engagement and a plan of action for a lift in traffic and conversions. We provide digital marketing services, including SEO, SEM, banner ads, pre-roll video, device ID targeting, streaming TV, and social media ad campaigns. We pride ourselves on a performance guarantee, ensuring quality impressions and providing monthly transparent reporting.
Julio is an entrepreneur, publisher, author, and national speaker. He is passionate about serving, giving value, and helping people & organizations seize their full potential! He is also the founder of Business Report's Executive Leadership Academy and The 21st Century Business Forum. An accomplished national speaker, he is the author of Do You Have The Time For Success?, It Only Takes Everything You've Got!, Keys To Performance, and Mental Snacks – Nourishment For Your Mind and Fuel For Your Life! He was honored with the E.A. “Pete” Goldsby Lifetime Achievement Award.
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Liz provides marketing insights and strategies to grow the sales teams for all Melara Enterprises brands. She and her own team connect advertisers with the affluent and influential readers of inRegister, a monthly lifestyle brand about people, homes, cuisine and social events that make our community an extraordinary place to live. In her decade-plus years in media sales, she excels at creating integrated marketing campaigns for clients and has been recognized with the distinguished Excellence in Sales and Marketing Award.
Penny has a passion for journalism that makes a difference, epic photography, engaging graphic design and platforms that provide new opportunities for storytelling. She is a national award-winning writer and editor with over three decades of experience in metro markets, including Chicago, Kansas City, Dallas and Baton Rouge. She manages the product lines for Melara Enterprises, including 225, inRegister, and the Greater Baton Rouge Business Report. Her expertise is multimedia publishing, media relations, and strategy.
Erin leads the business development of Melara's digital operations and StudioE teams, reinventing client-audience connections through comprehensive marketing strategies and KPI-driven outcomes. She has been recognized with the Louisiana Press Association's President's Award (2006, 2018), the 2011 Louey Award, and SME's 2022 Excellence in Marketing. Her teams also received the 2023 MarCom Platinum Award for their Energy Smart campaign efforts.
Guy oversees the day-to-day management of Melara Enterprises. His extensive corporate experience includes president of a manufacturing and global marketing firm and senior communications manager for The Dow Chemical Company. Past leadership positions include board chairperson of the U.S. Department of Commerce’s District Export Council, St. Joseph’s Academy, Manufacturing Partnership of Louisiana, and the Iberville Chamber of Commerce; he currently is a board member and Vice Chairperson for St. Vincent DePaul Baton Rouge.
Tiffany leads the business office at Melara Enterprises. She manages financial reporting and analysis for the company, as well as human resources and other business functions. She has an MBA and graduated with honors from Nicholls State University. She brings more than six years of experience in accounting and finance to Melara Enterprises. In her spare time, Tiffany enjoys traveling, cooking, and taste-testing all the great restaurants Baton Rouge has to offer.
Jennifer is an award-winning magazine editor with more than a decade of experience leading lifestyle and design magazines. She has been the editor of 225 Magazine since 2014, and has led the brand into new frontiers with a digital-first philosophy, a daily newsletter, engaging events and exclusive original content for social media platforms. Through its many print and digital channels, 225 has become the must-read publication for discovering Baton Rouge arts, food, events and people. Jennifer is also an active board member of the Arts Council of Greater Baton Rouge and a founding member of the Arts Ambassadors.
Riley, an LSU graduate, joined inRegister magazine as an intern, quickly sharing her passion for Baton Rouge with readers. As editor, she showcases the city's people, places, and events that make it special. Her award-winning stories, from hidden gardens to animal sanctuaries, reflect her deep love for the Capital City. Riley's role as editor infuses the magazine with fresh enthusiasm, a place that holds a special spot in her heart.
Timothy is a globally recognized, award-winning creative with extensive domestic and international experience. He has honed his skills as a versatile and skilled creative professional, working with some of the top names in the industry, including Amazon Studios, Weta Digital, and NBCUniversal. As the Creative Director, Timothy is dedicated to delivering results that exceed clients' expectations and drive business growth.
Manny brought his extensive media sales experience to the company in 2011, spearheading the 225 BEST EATS promotion. Under his leadership, this initiative not only continues to thrive but also earned the accolade for Best Overall E-Commerce program. Subsequently, he served as a marketing consultant for 225 Magazine, while concurrently managing 225 BEST EATS. Over the past decade, his dual roles have significantly boosted sales and fostered stronger client relationships. Manny's adept people skills have not only secured client trust but also facilitated his current role as the Business Development Manager for Melara Enterprises. In this capacity, he devises and implements strategic solutions for businesses both externally and internally.
James is the ‘people person’ at Melara Enterprises. He and his team manage audience needs for all our brands, ensuring readers get our content on newsstands and in their mailboxes and inboxes. They also deep dive into analytics so our writers and advertisers better understand our audiences and the kind of content that resonates. A self-taught web developer with a degree in economics from LSU—is the resident expert on all things digital.
John has worked on hundreds of projects, spanning industries from industrial construction and HR to nonprofit and healthcare. Over 17 years, he has transformed a startup 2-man video outfit into a full-service multimedia production company with clients nationwide and worldwide. John is a proven leader with a reputation for quality service, management, and execution. As any good leader knows, with success comes philanthropic effort. John enjoys serving on boards with Preserve Louisiana, Cap City Beer Fest in association with the Companion Animal Alliance, and the Arts Council of Greater Baton Rouge.
With a passion for connecting talented individuals with rewarding opportunities, Michelle has significantly contributed to the healthcare, oil & gas, corporate business development and sales, and national talent acquisition sectors over the last 20 years. Throughout her career, Michelle has forged strategic partnerships with key stakeholders and organizations, both within and outside her industry. She understands the importance of collaboration and has a track record of cultivating mutually beneficial relationships that drive growth and success within her sales team and our clients as the Director of Consumer Sales.
Kelly and her team are on a singular mission to help area businesses and South Louisiana thrive. She’s the one to see to get your brand in front of Business Report’s highly targeted audience of C-Suite executives and organizational leaders, whether it be via a multifaceted digital campaign, on screen and in the script of a major community event like the Business Awards & Hall of Fame, or front and center in the legendary Top 100 Private Companies issue or other editions. A graduate of LSU’s Manship School of Mass Communications, she’s a seasoned integrated marketing professional who is passionate about B2B messaging.
Devyn is a digital ad guru specializing in dominant display, SEO, and social campaigns. She and her team execute and optimize “full-funnel” campaigns that redefine how Melara Enterprises’ partners engage with the Greater Baton Rouge area and beyond. She received her degree in digital advertising at LSU’s Manship School of Mass Communication. With her balanced left and right-brain thinking, she enjoys helping others comprehend the intricacies of this dynamic field. When not immersed in her work, you can find her plant shopping or savoring a cup of coffee at a local coffee shop.
Amy has more than a decade of experience in the creative, multimedia world. She said goodbye to entrepreneurship where she owned her own marketing agency to join Melara Enterprises and elevate our creative endeavors to the next level. She is an active philanthropist as the founder of the annual Flower Fest benefitting St. Jude, she sits on the board of Engage Louisiana, participates with YEA and Junior Achievement to help foster young entrepreneurship. Amy believes in a strong team collaborative spirit and uses her expertise to piece together a beautiful, yet strategic product.
Hoa, an LSU graduate with a BA in Graphic Design, has been the Art Director at Melara Enterprises for over 20 years. His main duties as Art Director include overseeing the design and layout for multiple magazines, including The Baton Rouge Business Report, 225 Magazine, inRegister, 1012 Industry Report and many other publications. He has won several National awards for his designs.