stirling

Summer Celebrations for Mom and Dad at the Square

The Place to Celebrate...Hammond Square

Mother’s Day and Father’s Day remind us to say “Thanks” for everything our parents have done for us over the years. Hammond Square wants to also take part in saying thanks to the moms and dads that take their kids to the Square for new school outfits, frozen treats at Menchie’s, sporting goods at Hibbets and Foot Locker, and whatever else that finds you driving down Palace Drive.

Hammond Square partnered with North Oaks Health Systems, the local hospital, to put on a free Women’s health event the weekend before Mother’s day. The heart and stroke screenings helped make sure Mom was on track for many Mother’s Days to come. We had some great tenant participation, with Dillard’s free bra fittings, their cosmetics extravaganza, and a summer fashion show! We brought in a Pampered Chef representative to show Moms and people shopping for Mom some new gadgets for the kitchen. A financial planning representative from Primerica was set up to answer any financial health questions anyone may have had.

We made sure to have some fun activities for everyone. North Cypress, a local health club close to the mall, hosted two free fitness classes, Zumba and Body Combat. Unfortunately, we found out most people out for a day of shopping are not ready for a professionally-led athletic class! North Cypress is a great partner to work with, we just have to try something different for the next health event. Painting With A Twist was another free activity we had for the day. An art  instructor teaches everyone, from kids to adults who have never picked up a paint brush, how to paint a scene in 1 hour. We had moms, kids, and dads as art students for the day in this fun and relaxing activity. All who participated were excited to head home with their very own Louisiana sunset work of art!

We knew we had a little more of a challenge to honor dads for Father’s Day. Most men don’t think of heading to a shopping center to have some fun with the kids, so we had to get creative…and we had to break out the big toys! This Saturday, June 15th, the day before Father’s Day, Hammond Square is working with Louisiana Cat, Volvo Rents, Evergreen Tractor, the local Police and Fire Department to host Dad’s Day at the Square. In the parking lot across from Albasha from 10 am to 2 pm, we will have large construction machines, tractors, ATV’s, a new police car and a fire truck. This is Dad’s chance to get up close to the machines and even see a couple of big toys he might want to add to his collection!

Dad won’t walk away empty handed from the event. We have a craft table where little ones can make their Dad some great gifts from a giant fish, to a fancy guitar, and even an oversized tie. From Hammond Square, 100 Dad’s will receive mugs and 100 kids will get hard hats!

We want to bring out the silly side of Dad as well. Hammond Square brought in fun photo stand in’s. Dad can become a surfer man, a giant hot dog, a captain of a boat and a few other fun adventure scenes you’ll have to come by to see. The best thing is you use your own camera to take dad’s picture so no waiting to get something back. It is Facebook ready instantly if your dad, or you, are into social media.

Our Mother’s Day event was an overall success. We hope to say the same thing about our Dad’s Day at the Square. See you this Saturday!  Shop local. Shop Tangi!

President’s Message: What Happens in Vegas Doesn’t Stay in Vegas!

Last month’s International Council of Shopping Center’s (ICSC’s) RECon 2013 in Las Vegas was very encouraging.  Overall attendance for the retail real estate industry’s biggest annual global event was over 35,000, a 10 percent increase from 2012 and a post-Recession record.  Attendees and exhibitors, including retailers, developers, lenders and brokers, expressed optimism about the health of the U.S. retail real estate industry.  I also noticed more young people coming into the industry, a trend I haven’t seen in many years…or maybe I’m just getting old.

It was quite obvious to me that everyone at the convention was more relaxed, but busier than in recent years.  Our Stirling team had a full slate of productive meetings for all our properties, and we were all touting the strength of the Gulf South market.  There was significant interest in our current development projects – Mid-City Market that will open next month in New Orleans, Fremaux Town Center under development in Slidell, and our recently announced Magnolia Marketplace project in New Orleans.  We expect to finalize many deals from our meetings for these and other properties.

[wpvideo 0nNAm2jd]

Another exciting development at Stirling Properties is the opening of our new office in Mobile, Alabama!  Our new office will help us to expand our presence in the region in an area that is experiencing exponential growth.  You will be hearing more specifics about this in the very near future!

The window of opportunity is definitely open for us now and we are all working hard to take advantage of this momentum.  What happens in Vegas doesn’t stay in Vegas – it will produce positive outcomes for us at Stirling and the Gulf South.  Stay tuned for more news!

June 12, 2013|Blog, Corporate, President's Message|

Stirling Properties’ Marty Mayer to Serve as Divisional Vice President of ICSC

Marty Mayer

Marty Mayer, President & CEO of Stirling Properties, has been elected to serve as the Vice President of the International Council of Shopping Centers’ (ICSC) Southern Division. This was made official during ICSC’s Annual Meeting of Regular Members, held during ICSC RECon in Las Vegas, Nevada.

As an ICSC Divisional Vice President, Mr. Mayer has also been appointed to serve on the Government Relations Advisory Committee.

Mr. Mayer currently serves on the Executive Committee of ICSC’s Worldwide Board of Trustees and has previously served as the Co-Chairman of ICSC’s Open Air Center Committee and as Louisiana State Director and Louisiana State Operations Director for ICSC.

Stirling Properties Collects Donations for Tornado Food Drive

Tornado Food Drive - June 2013

Pictured: (Top Row, L-R) Marty Mayer, Cyndie Quave, Tracy Gandy, Ellen McCain, Tara Slater, Samantha Marshall, Courtney Lehman, Jeanne Taravella, Marsha Smalley, Sharon Amacker, Eugene Schmitt, Chris Abadie; (Bottom Row, L-R) Gena Randall, Monica Milazzo, Marcia McGarrity, Tina Crouchet, Judy McKee, Beezie Landry, Jeff Marshall, Nancy Stallings, Amanda Pfeil, Paul Mastio, Kristy Beach, Laura Wallace, Elizabeth Schmelling, Dina Moran, Karen Bachemin, Gerry Catanese

In an effort to help with the disaster relief in Oklahoma, employees and agents of Stirling Properties collected donations of non-perishable food items for the St. Tammany Fire Protection District #1 in Slidell, Louisiana.  Firemen of the district are collecting and organizing donated items and will personally deliver them.  On Saturday, June 8, the donations will be transported to Norman, Oklahoma for distribution to residents affected by the recent tornadoes.

There is still time to donate!  They are accepting donations at fire stations throughout the Slidell area until Friday, June 7.

Stirling Properties & JCH Development to Develop Magnolia Marketplace Shopping Center in New Orleans, La.

Stirling Properties and JCH Development today announced the joint venture to develop Magnolia Marketplace Shopping Center in New Orleans, Louisiana. Construction will begin with the first building in the center, a 6,000 square foot building, with a 3,000 square foot Capital One bank branch. The Central City shopping center will be located at the intersection of South Claiborne Avenue and Fourth Street, adjacent to the larger future phases of the Magnolia Marketplace Shopping Center.

“We are proud to bring a high quality development to a severely underserved portion of the Claiborne corridor and return yet another vacant and blighted property in the City to commerce”, said Jordi Goodman, Development Manager for Stirling Properties.

“Our team is excited to introduce new services and shopping experiences, in a location that is accessible to the neighborhood as well as to all of New Orleans’ residents” said Tara Hernandez, President of JCH Development.

The 6,000 square foot center will serve as a catalyst to future development along the Claiborne corridor and will precede the balance of the Magnolia Marketplace Development located at South Claiborne and Toledano Streets slated for commencement in fall of 2013.  Once completed the center will be 138,000 total square feet.  Stirling and JCH have secured leases for 108,000 square feet with established national retail tenants. Stirling is currently in negotiation with tenants for the remaining spaces in the center and other tenant announcements will be forthcoming.

For more information, contact Jordi Goodman at jgoodman@stirlingprop.com or  985-898-2022, or for leasing information contact Rhonda Sharkawy at rsharkawy@stirlingprop.com or  504-523-4481.

Forbes ranks New Orleans #3 for Information Technology Jobs

In a recent Forbes article, “The Cities Winning the Battle for Information Jobs,” author and researcher Joel Kotkin ranks Greater New Orleans as #3 in the USA, behind only technology heavyweights Silicon Valley and San Francisco. In the article, he states “Perhaps the most dramatic player is third-place New Orleans-Metairie-Kenner, where information employment is up 28% since 2009”. The information sector in metro New Orleans “is very broad-based, including companies in digital effects, videogames, software development as well as a burgeoning film and television industry,” writes Kotkin. “The recent decision by General Electric to place its new technology center and its 300 new technology jobs in New Orleans is another sign of the Crescent City’s emergence as a viable information hub.” Additionally, when you consider the recent announcement of IBM in Baton Rouge, it is even more impressive for our super region in general.

Based on the employment growth in the IT sector over the long-term (2001-2012), mid-term (2007-2012) and the last two years, as well as momentum, the Top Ten Tech metros are:

  1. Silicon Valley
  2. San Francisco
  3. New Orleans
  4. Bostom
  5. Austin
  6. Atlanta
  7. San Antonia
  8. Raleigh
  9. Phoenix
  10. Nashville

You can read the entire article, including more detail on the methodology, here.

Go to Top