CHICAGO — Rebuilding a business after a disaster takes much more than a hammer and nails. It often requires a new marketing plan or a restructured budget. Those are some of the business tools that MBA students from DePaul University in Chicago will bring to New Orleans in early December to continue an annual service project started in 2007 after Hurricane Katrina.

Full-time students from DePaul’s Kellstadt Graduate School of Business will be in New Orleans Dec. 1-8 to offer marketing, human resources and budgeting assistance to nonprofit organizations and small businesses.

“Even eight years after Hurricane Katrina, businesses can still use our help,” said Sean Maconachy, an MBA student. “As the next generation of business leaders, we see that progress is being made in New Orleans, and we want to be part of it.”

During previous visits, DePaul students have helped businesses improve budgets, map out marketing tactics and review operations for efficiency. Working with small business incubators and nonprofits, students and faculty have focused on projects that businesses can run with in the coming year.

“Giving back to the community is central to being a student at DePaul,” Maconachy said. “Our goal is to set up these businesses for success so they can continue to grow.”