Stirling Properties Philanthropic Spotlight
Everyone loves getting flowers. They miraculously lift our spirits and bring a smile to our face. And some people need that pick-me-up more than others.
Stirling Properties Senior Vice President, Donna Taylor, recently discovered the power of flowers through a nonprofit organization called Bouquets of Hope.
Taylor’s daughter was just married in Memphis, Tennessee. The ceremony and reception areas were beautifully decorated with exquisite floral arrangements and bouquets, along with those held by the bridal party. All of the festivities went off without a hitch, and the happy couple departed for their lifelong journey. But what do you do with all of those flowers after the wedding?
Ironically, Taylor saw a news program on a nonprofit organization that founded a program called Bouquets for Hope. The organization collects flowers from weddings and events, rearranges them, and delivers them to local nursing homes, hospitals, hospice homes, rehabilitation centers, and anywhere there is a need to brighten someone’s day. In addition, the ministry also serves as a job training and employment opportunity for clients.
From the Taylor wedding, volunteers were able to create 50 bouquets that were delivered to seniors at Christian Care Center. They were thrilled to receive the arrangements, especially the gorgeous bridesmaids’ bouquets! Taylor hopes that by sharing this message, others will do the same.
Here at Stirling Properties, community philanthropy is a big deal. We pride ourselves in giving back to the communities that support us. The company encourages our leaders and employees to give their time and resources to support nonprofit organizations and community groups, and we couldn’t be prouder.
Every act of kindness, no matter how big or small, can go a long way. So we encourage everyone to get out there and brighten someone else’s day!
#StirlingProud
Beware the Broad Brush
There has been much debate in the media this week about Donald Trump’s taxes and the need for Congress to overhaul America’s tax system. In yesterday’s editorial debate of the USA Today, the editorial board makes its point for real estate tax policy reform and the overly generous tax benefits received by commercial real estate property owners.
The opposing viewpoint, authored by Real Estate Roundtable President and CEO, Jeff DeBoer, emphasizes that all business investments, including real estate, be allowed to recover its capital investment cost through depreciation and amortization. He goes on to point out that it is irresponsible to specifically target the tax structure of the real estate industry, which accounts for a large percentage of America’s jobs and economic activity.
The current value of the US commercial real estate investment is approximately $6.0 trillion, leveraged conservatively at approximately 55% (over $2.7 trillion of equity; $3.3 trillion of debt). This investment is responsible for billions of dollars in economic activity, supports approximately 9 million American jobs, and contributes 13% of the nation’s gross domestic product. Real estate activity accounts for nearly 25% of the taxes collected at all levels of government, including income, property and sales taxes. Property taxes alone constitute 40% of the state and local tax base. Taxes derived from real estate ownership and transfer represent the largest source, which in some cases, is approximately 70% of local tax revenues, helping to pay for schools, roads, law enforcement and other essential public services.
Further, the US real estate industry is an inherently domestic product that cannot be offshored through inversions or other tax schemes. If Congress does take on Tax Reform in 2017, it should be noted that much of our country’s real estate investment is made locally by individuals seeking solid, long-term returns with a desire to improve their neighborhoods and serve the communities in which they live.
Let’s not use Mr. Trump’s personal tax situation as a means to hurt our local communities and our nation’s economy by using a broad brush approach!
Stirling Properties Welcomes Northern Tool + Equipment To Lake Charles, Louisiana
Stirling Properties is pleased to welcome Northern Tool + Equipment to Park Plaza in Lake Charles, Louisiana. The company will be located at 3131 Gerstner Memorial Drive and plans to open in November of 2016.
Park Plaza Shopping Center is a 172,949-square-foot multi-tenant, neighborhood retail and restaurant center located at the intersection of I-210 and LA-14 in Lake Charles’ retail hub. Northern Tool + Equipment will join a great mix of established local and national retailers, including Family Dollar, Save-A-Lot, Altitude Trampoline Park, Citi Trends, Osaka Hibachi Restaurant, Beauty Supply, Louisiana Wireless, L.A. Fashions, Liberty Tax, Subway, EZ Checkloans and Sam’s Southern Eatery.
Stirling Properties Sales and Leasing Executive, Seth Citron, handled the lease transaction with Clay Mote of Dallas-based Venture Commercial. Northern Tool + Equipment will occupy 19,109 square feet in the former Conn’s space. This will mark the third Louisiana location for the company.
Family-owned and operated for more than 35 years, Northern Tool + Equipment has grown into a billion-dollar company with 95 stores in 19 states nationwide. It provides over 40,000 carefully chosen tools via catalogs, website and retail stores. The Northern Tool + Equipment store in Lake Charles will offer Louisiana residents a wide selection of portable generators, pressure washers, air compressors, power tools, welding equipment and many more quality equipment products, as well as a complete line of emergency storm supplies.
Lake Charles has recently made headlines as a major growth leader in southwest Louisiana, driven by massive industrial projects. According to recent reports, Lake Charles’ economy grew 8.3%, the 3rd-fastest in the nation, and job growth and sales taxes are exceeding the national average. This progression is quickly attracting new retail developments and tenants to the market.
“Lake Charles is one of the hottest areas in the state with upwards of $80 billion in anticipated industrial projects driving significant growth and job opportunities,” said Citron. “This is an exciting time for progress, and we are starting to see major retailers taking notice. Stirling Properties is proud to be a part of that growth, and to have the opportunity to help bring quality retailers to the area.”
For sales or leasing information, contact Seth Citron at scitron@stirlingprop.com or (337) 572-0273.
Mid-City Market 100% Leased!
Addition of new retail & restaurant tenants
Stirling Properties commercial real estate company welcomes new tenants to Mid-City Market in New Orleans, Louisiana, and is pleased to announce that the center is 100% leased.
ASI Federal Credit Union will occupy the last remaining 2,541 square feet of space. Build-out of the space is underway, and the company plans to open in January of 2017. This will mark the 2nd Mid-City location for ASI Federal Credit Union.
Previously announced Mr. Ed’s Oyster Bar & Fish House successfully opened earlier this week, marking the 4th location for the popular New Orleans restaurant. It occupied the former Pei Wei Asian Diner space.
Stirling Properties Sales & Leasing Executive, Joe Gardner, handled both transactions.
Located on 6.5 acres at the northwest corner of North Carrollton Avenue and Bienville Street in Mid-City New Orleans, Mid-City Market is a 109,000-square-foot urban infill shopping center. Anchored by Winn-Dixie, the center is home to a diverse mix of local and national retailers and restaurants including Office Depot, Jefferson Feed Pet & Garden Center, Panera Bread, Verizon Wireless, Felipe’s Taqueria, Mr. Ed’s Oyster Bar & Fish House, Five Guys Burgers and Fries, Ochsner Health Center, GNC, Pinkberry, Pizza Hut, Shine Spa + Specialties, LA Nails Spa, and Mariposa Salon & Spa. Stirling Properties developed Mid-City Market and currently manages and leases the center.
Stirling Properties broke ground on the development in early 2012 and celebrated a grand opening in July of 2013. Mid-City Market is Stirling Properties’ largest ground-up retail development in New Orleans and represents one the of the most significant retail developments in the city following Hurricane Katrina. Stirling Properties acquired the vacant, blighted site and returned it to commerce after a $40 million investment. Mid-City Market now serves as the retail and restaurant center of the community, delivering new jobs, new tax revenue and new energy to this vibrant corridor. The retail center is credited with creating over 500 new jobs for the area.
Mid-City Market was designed to incorporate extensive pedestrian features, contextual urban and adaptive reuse architecture, and to complement the adjacent Lafitte Greenway pedestrian and bicycle pathway, melding the retail center to the culturally rich urban neighborhood and extensive architectural history.
“Stirling Properties remains committed to the City of New Orleans and surrounding communities. Our mission is to create economically sustainable retail developments that produce long-lasting benefits to the communities in which they are built—and Mid-City Market is a perfect example of that,” said Grady Brame, Executive Vice President for Stirling Properties. “This center provides services to a great number of local residents and visitors, and is a dynamic economic contributor. We are proud of its progress and success.”
Stirling Properties has been at the forefront of commercial real estate management, investment and development in the greater New Orleans area and surrounding Southeast Louisiana region. Stirling Properties has developed more than 3.7 million square feet totaling $465 million since 2010, and currently has more than 114 million square feet of property and land for sale or lease. Other Stirling Properties management and development projects in New Orleans include, Offices at Mid-City Market, Magnolia Marketplace, Fresh Market and Pan American Life Center, just to name a few.
Ambassador Town Center 100% Leased!
Stirling Properties and CBL & Associates Properties, Inc. welcome four new tenants to Ambassador Town Center in Lafayette, Louisiana. Developers are pleased to announce the center is now 100% leased!
5 Star Nutrition has leased 1,759 square feet of space, with an anticipated opening in November. This marks the company’s 2nd location in south Louisiana, and 5th location for the state.
Orangetheory Fitness will occupy 3,300 square feet and is expected to open in December. This will be the 4th Louisiana location for the company.
Sprint will occupy 1,286 square feet and anticipates opening later this year.
Newly leased I Love Juice Bar is celebrating its 1st Louisiana location. It will occupy 1,250 square feet and also plans to open later this year.
Rounding out the tenants, previously announced Just 4 Him Men’s Haircut Lounge celebrated its grand opening last week, and Half Shell Oyster House is still on track to open next month. They join 30 other retailers and restaurants that call the shopping center home, including anchor tenants Costco Wholesale and Dick’s Sporting Goods/Field & Stream. Last month, developers also installed a public walking/jogging trail at the site for community use.
“The growth of Ambassador Town Center since its opening six months ago is impressive,” stated Michael Lebovitz, executive vice president, development and administration, CBL & Associates Properties, Inc. “We’re thrilled to add additional national names like Orangetheory Fitness – one of the fastest growing fitness franchises in the country – to our line-up and continue to offer the Lafayette community a vibrant and dynamic lifestyle destination.
“We are extremely proud of the success at Ambassador Town Center,” said Townsend Underhill, Senior Vice President of Development for Stirling Properties. “Getting a retail center of this size 100% leased within 6 months of its grand opening is a huge accomplishment in any community. The progress of this center truly represents the strength of the Lafayette market, especially during this challenging economic time.”
Ambassador Town Center is a roughly 60-acre premier regional shopping and entertainment destination, as well as a vital economic contributor to the area. With more than 430,000 square feet of retail space, the center offers a great variety of national and local shopping and dining options. Most of the retailers opened at Ambassador Town Center are either first-time locations within Lafayette or Louisiana, or both.
Located at the southeast corner of Lafayette’s ‘main-at-main’ intersection, Ambassador Caffery Parkway & Kaliste Saloom Road, the development also includes 5 Star Nutrition, Avalon Salon & Spa, BJ’s Restaurant & Brewhouse, Blaze Pizza, Chuy’s Mexican Restaurant, Costco Gasoline, Dickey’s Barbecue Pit, Five Below, Freddy’s Frozen Custard & Steakburgers, Half Shell Oyster House, I Love Juice Bar, Just 4 Him Men’s Haircut Lounge, Marshalls/HomeGoods, Nordstrom Rack, Off Broadway Shoes, Orangetheory Fitness, Panda Express, Panera Bread, PetSmart, Phone Zone, Professor Bob Beans Coffee Bar & Ice Cream Lab, Red Robin, Sprint, Subway, Tao Asian Cuisine, World of Beer and Verizon.
Stirling Properties and CBL & Associates Properties, Inc. formed a joint venture to develop the center, and construction began in January of 2015. The companies currently manage and lease the property. Ambassador Town Center has been credited with creating approximately 2,200 construction jobs, roughly 1,700 permanent jobs and nearly $9 million annually in sales taxes for the City of Lafayette.
Stirling Properties Names Justin Landry Vice President Of Finance
Stirling Properties commercial real estate company is pleased to announce that Justin Landry has been promoted to Vice President of Finance. Landry is a leader in the company’s Baton Rouge office located at 8550 United Plaza Boulevard, Suite 300.
Landry joined Stirling Properties in 2007 and is responsible for evaluating the economic feasibility of new development opportunities for the company. He serves as the lead on all development proforma and financial modeling. In addition, he is lead on debt placement for new developments and refinancing in preparing and soliciting permanent loan packages, and negotiating those loans with lenders. Landry is also asset manager in charge of the company’s entire multi-family portfolio throughout Louisiana.
“Justin is an integral part of our Stirling Properties team, and this promotion is well-deserved,” said Townsend Underhill, Senior Vice President of Development for Stirling Properties. “He has assisted in the placement of more than $1 billion of interim and permanent financing, and has significantly aided with the recent development of Ambassador Town Center. He’s played a key role in major acquisitions such as Turtle Creek Crossing, Retreat at Acadian Point, and Ansley Place, just to name a few. He is certainly worthy of this recognition, and we are proud of his success.”
Landry holds a Bachelor of Science degree in Finance from Louisiana State University. He is an active member of ICSC (International Council of Shopping Centers). He currently sits on the ICSC Scholarship Committee, and is former Committee Chair for ICSC’s Next Generation – Louisiana Chapter. In addition, he serves as an instructor at Louisiana State University teaching Finance 7720 (Commercial Real Estate Investing). Justin Landry can be reached at (225) 922-4340 or
Justin Landry can be reached at (225) 922-4340 or jclandry@stirlingprop.com.
