Hornets Host Event in Arena for Oil and Gas IndustryBy: Calder Hynes, Hornets.com August 3, 2011 
The oil and gas boom of the 1980s is commonly credited as being the catalyst behind much of the development of the Poydras Street corridor in downtown New Orleans. Three decades later, the Hornets are again involving the two industries in what will hopefully result in another blossoming just a block removed from Poydras, at 1500 Girod Street, more commonly known as the New Orleans Arena.
I want to make this place not just a special place, but I want to make it a place where Game 4 against the Lakers in the playoffs (a thrilling 93-88 Hornets victory) is commonplace, head coach Monty Williams remarked to a group of oil and gas industry professionals about the mood at the Hive generated by the sellout crowd of over 18,000 fans in attendance that night.
It should be like that all the time. I want you guys to know that we value that. I knew that evening, Easter Sunday, that we were going to win that game, because we had not only our players playing at a high level, but the atmosphere in the arena was crazy.
Tuesday night, the 56th event of the 100 Events in 100 Days initiative, brought Williams vision a little closer to reality as he, General Manager Dell Demps and a group of Hornets employees hosted the group of prospective season-ticket holders and gave them a taste of the perks that committing to the Hornets for a season can bring. The night included dinner and drinks at various locations throughout the arena, and was the second of five similar events focused on building relationships with local industry, following the construction gathering last week, with finance, legal and medical taking place over the next two weeks.
The oil and gas industries were an obvious choice for inclusion in the series, as Southern Louisiana is responsible for a significant portion of the nations oil refining and also has a large corporate base for both onshore and offshore natural gas production. In fact, the state ranks in the top 10 in both oil production and reserves in the United States, while its 17 petroleum refineries can distill 2.8 million barrels per day, second-most in the nation.
Again reminiscing about the scene at the arena in the waning moments last years final playoff victory, Monty offered, I always go back to the last three or four minutes of that game. Nobody was sitting down, everybody was standing up. Thats intimidating, if you have a crowd like ours explode like you all did that night, its an advantage for us. Thats what I want to make this place. Thats my commitment. Im passionate about my job, Im passionate about this city. I want to win big here someday and I want to do it with you.
With the continued hard work from himself, the entire organization and an assist from those at this and future functions, Williams dreams may just come to fruition.CLICK HERE TO VIEW PHOTOS
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