How We Started

Author Ross Williams |   

"Only In New Orleans"

A forgotten about demographic in the economy and workforce are professionals with down syndrome. Studies have unanimously shown they are highly capable of providing value to companies. However, there are no systems and laws in place to ensure their employment. While many businesses carve out positions for specific skillsets, few and far between carve out roles for professionals with down syndrome. During late April 2020 and the pandemic's opening wave, Only in New Orleans CEO, Calvin Phipps, decided to pursue a new entrepreneurial venture deeper than an economic pursuit. The lower-ninth ward native and successful serial entrepreneur who retired from his corporate career at the age of 30, identified an opportunity to address an unaddressed nuance of business.

Once Phipps's aunt, who was also his next door neighbor, passed away, he grew closer with her surviving daughter, Destiny Luke. While the two cousins grew simultaneously side by side in New Orleans, Phipps took heed to his younger cousin’s ability to progress in multiple facades of life. In many ways, she found ways to outperform people with no legal disability and nullify misconceptions about her condition.

Throughout Calvin Phipps’s corporate career, he developed a reputation for putting his colleagues in the best positions to succeed. When he professionally ventured into one of his passions, fashion, he identified an opportunity for his younger cousin, Destiny, to excel professionally. Destiny Luke proudly fills the role of an Only in New Orleans brand ambassador and often generates the highest traction of engagement on the company’s social media pages when she gracefully models the luxury bucket hats. When supporting Only in New Orleans, you are supporting a black-owned business that uplifts the forgotten about.