National Association of REALTORS® Names Stirling Properties’ Beth Cristina as Regional Vice-President
Stirling Properties’ Senior Broker Associate, Beth Cristina, ALC, has been selected by the National Association of REALTORS® (NAR) as 2019 Regional Vice President. She will oversee Region 10 which encompasses Louisiana and Texas.
In her new role as Regional Vice President, Cristina will be responsible for serving as a spokesperson for the association, identifying problems or opportunities within the region, and assisting wherever possible. She will also be accountable for attending state conventions and annual meetings of the National Association and chairing the regional caucus meetings to conduct business affairs and exchange information. Cristina will join 13 other elected individuals who are appointed to administer the work of the National Association in their respective regions.
“I am honored to be elected as the NAR 2019 Regional Vice President for Louisiana and Texas,” said Cristina. “I am very motivated and will continue to be a driving force in all of NAR’s efforts to serve its members.”
Cristina has over thirty-eight years of successful experience in commercial real estate sales, leasing, development, and investments. Her qualifications include retail and office market analysis, tenant/landlord and purchaser/seller representation, marketing sales, leasing strategies, and consulting services. She has earned numerous awards and recognition throughout her career, including Outstanding Achievement in Commercial Real Estate (2011), Realtor of the Year (2010), and Woman of the Year (2005).
She is affiliated with several business and professional organizations, including Realtor Land Institute (RLI); Louisiana Realtors (LR), where she served as 2015 President; New Orleans Metropolitan Association of Realtors (NOMAR), where she served as 2005 President; and Commercial Investment Division (CID) of NOMAR, where she served as President for 2000 and 2008. Most recently, she served as NAR’s 2018 Commercial Committee Chair and assumed the position for one year.
The National Association of REALTORS® is America’s largest trade association, representing over 1.3 million members, including NAR’s institutes, societies, and councils, involved in all aspects of the residential and commercial real estate industries. Membership is composed of residential and commercial realtors who are brokers, salespeople, property managers, appraisers, counselors, and others engaged in the real estate industry. Members belong to one or more of approximately 1,200 local associations/boards and 54 state and territory associations of REALTORS®.
Beth Cristina can be reached at (504) 620-8127 or bcristina@stirlingprop.com.
Stirling Properties Celebrates Groundbreaking of Dana Incorporated Service and Assembly Center in Slidell, Louisiana
Marks 1st of industrial expansion efforts in Fremaux mixed-use development.
Pictured L to R: Michael Unrein, Dave Hunt, Craig Nichols, Ed Greif, Mayor Greg Cromer, Parish President Pat Brister, Don Shea, Councilman Val Vanney, Councilman Kenny Tamborella, Councilwoman Leslie Denham, Debe Levis, Townsend Underhill
Stirling Properties and St. Tammany Parish community leaders celebrate the groundbreaking of the new Dana Incorporated (NYSE: DAN) Service and Assembly Center at Fremaux Park in Slidell, Louisiana. A formal turning-of-the-dirt ceremony was held with Honorable Pat Brister, St. Tammany Parish President; Honorable Greg Cromer, Mayor of Slidell; Ed Greif, General Manager of Off-highway for the Americas with Dana Incorporated; Don Shea, CEO of East St. Tammany Chamber of Commerce; and Townsend Underhill, President of Development with Stirling Properties. Fremaux Park is the mixed-use property surrounding the Fremaux Town Center retail development.
Stirling Properties is developing the nearly 32,000-square-foot industrial facility located at the corner of Town Center Parkway and Old Spanish Trail for Dana. The new site will house the relocation and expansion of its service and assembly center, which specializes in repairing and refurbishing large-scale industrial gearboxes. The company’s current operations in Slidell will transition to the larger facility to meet the growing demand for industrial gearbox service, repair, and refurbishment.
Construction on the site began in November and is expected to be completed in the summer of 2019. Bradley Cook, Sales & Leasing Executive with Stirling Properties, worked with the company to identify and secure the location.
Bradley Cook, Debe Levis, Marc Bourgeois, Billie Semmes, Townsend Underhill, Cher Levis Hunt, Dick Cyr, Patrick Malik
Dana is a world leader in highly engineered solutions for improving the efficiency, performance, and sustainability of powered vehicles and machinery. Dana supports the passenger vehicle, commercial truck, and off-highway markets, as well as industrial and stationary equipment applications. Founded in 1904, Dana employs more than 30,000 people in 33 countries on six continents.
“Dana in Slidell has a highly experienced team of service and repair professionals who are committed to meeting the needs of our customers,” said Dave Hunt, director of service and manufacturing operations for Dana Off-highway Drive and Motion Technologies. “This new facility will grow our service and repair business, while expanding our capabilities to manufacture gears on-site, reducing lead times for our customers.”
“A project of this scope—with projected growth to double in size and employment—this is a tremendous opportunity for Slidell and the entire parish,” said Greg Cromer, Mayor of Slidell. “Fremaux Park is a great development with retail, residential, and business all combined. It’s what we want to do—live, work, and play in one place. This is exactly how we want to grow our community, and this is how we are going to do it. We thank Dana for helping to lift up our community and becoming a good corporate partner, and we look forward to a long relationship with them.”
“I want to thank Dana Incorporated for choosing Slidell — and St. Tammany Parish, to locate this facility. We know you have a choice and we appreciate you choosing us. We look forward to the economic invigoration and diversity this facility will spur,” said Pat Brister, St. Tammany Parish President. “We appreciate the upcoming employment opportunities for our educated and ready workforce. We look forward to a good working relationship with Dana.”
“Stirling Properties is thrilled to welcome Dana to Fremaux Park and celebrate the groundbreaking of this site,” said Townsend Underhill, President of Development with Stirling Properties. “This is a huge economic win for Slidell and the surrounding greater New Orleans region. Dana is a world-wide company with a global footprint. This new facility will be a unique operation nationally—and the building was designed with ample flex space to allow for future expansion. We look forward to working with Dana and having them as an anchor tenant in the Fremaux Park development.”
Fremaux Park is part of the roughly 350-acre regional mixed-use development located at the southwest corner of Interstate 10 and Fremaux Avenue in Slidell, Louisiana. It includes Retreat at Fremaux Town Center’s 296 luxury residential apartment units, Saltgrass Steak House (coming soon), and Springhill Suites by Marriott soon under construction. Additional phases are coming soon with added residential, retail, industrial, and office park. The adjoining Fremaux Town Center, anchored by Dillard’s, Dick’s Sporting Goods, Kohl’s, and Best Buy, includes more than 640,000 square feet of retail and restaurant options.
For leasing or sales information, contact Ryan Pécot at 337.572.0246 / rpecot@stirlingprop.com or Bradley Cook at 985.246.3720 / bcook@stirlingprop.com.
Excitement Grows As The Fort Moves To Completion
Congratulations to Angie McArthur & Jeff Barnes, leasing agents with Stirling Properties, on the launch of the new container park in Spanish Fort Town Center!
Stirling Properties is so excited, we can’t CONTAIN it! The Fort, a new container park coming to Spanish Fort Town Center, is 100% leased and on-track to open in December. An official opening date and grand opening festivities will be announced soon.
Upon completion, The Fort will consist of approximately eight shipping containers that will be repurposed and transformed into functioning restaurants and shops, and will share a common open-air environment where patrons can sit and dine.
All tenants in the container park have been secured, including Beakers Coffee/Sno Biz, Blues Burger, Deuce Coop, Dickey’s Barbeque Pit, Dragonfly Taco Bar, Happy Pizza, Soul Bowlz, and Tap Station. There will also be a retailer on-site stocked with “The Fort” official merchandise.
Last month, The Spanish Fort City Council approved the new development as an entertainment district, allowing patrons over the age of 21 to openly carry alcoholic beverages outdoors. This is a significant designation for The Fort, making it easier for visitors to move freely through the shared space of restaurants and shops.
Property owners, Dallas-based Cypress Equities, broke ground on the container park in September and the containers arrived on site in October. The Fort was initially expected to open in November of 2018, but construction delays due to inclement weather have pushed the opening back to December.
Angie McArthur, Broker Associate, and Jeff Barnes, Senior Investment Advisor/Broker Associate with Stirling Properties, serve as the leasing team for Cypress Equities and have been working with the overall Spanish Fort Town Center project since 2015.
“The addition of such an innovative concept has already created a new wave of energy and anticipation for Spanish Fort Town Center,” said McArthur. “And all of the excitement around The Fort has translated to new leases within the retail center. It’s thrilling to see the momentum of this project moving into the new year—and as a result, we look forward to welcoming new tenants to the space very soon!”
Spanish Fort Town Center, anchored by Bass Pro Shops, Kohl’s, and JCPenney, is a 230-acre premier master-planned development located at the intersection of Interstate 10 and U.S. Highway 98 in Baldwin County. The center includes 450,000 square feet of retail and restaurant space, an apartment community, hotels, banks, and entertainment options.
Over the last year, Stirling Properties has helped to successfully secure more than 44,000 square feet of new leases for the retail center, adding Urban Air Trampoline and Adventure Park, Beauty World (currently under construction next to Kohl’s), Direct Furniture, Oishi Japanese Bar & Grill, and Tots2Teens Fun Salon to the diverse tenant lineup. McArthur and Barnes are also currently in negotiations with various retailers that will add another 30,000 square feet of shopping and dining options to the center.
In conjunction with the new container park, Spanish Fort Town Center is also launching “The Village,” a unique boutique retail concept that will consist of small and specialty shops such as food options, fitness providers, clothing, gifts, candles, accessories, and salon services. Spanish Fort Village will deliver a pedestrian- and family-friendly, urban environment unlike anything else in the market area. Leasing for space is currently underway. These units are located across from Urban Air Trampoline and Adventure Park and The Fort.
For Spanish Fort Town Center leasing & sales information, contact Jeff Barnes, CCIM, at (251) 375-2496 / jbarnes@stirlingprop.com or Angie McArthur at (251) 375-2481 / amcarthur@stirlingprop.com.
Retail Market Survey: Shreveport-Bossier City, LA
Stirling Properties releases its Shreveport-Bossier City Retail Market Survey for mid-year 2018.
According to the assessment—compiled by Stacy Odom and Karen McElroy, Broker Associates with Stirling Properties—the Shreveport–Bossier City retail sector is currently in the midst of a recovery phase. After experiencing a period of increased retail vacancy, the area is seeing the entry of new discount retailers, new-to-market retailers and food concepts, as well as multi-store operators gobbling up available inventory of second-generation space. Without notable new development in the market, this aids in decreasing vacancy rates, particularly among neighborhood shopping centers.
The retail market survey identified a total of fifty-seven (57) multi-tenant retail centers with a minimum of twenty thousand (20,000) square feet in Shreveport-Bossier City with 90% total occupancy as of mid-year 2018.
Looking to the future, the emergence of healthcare facilities in retail settings and the potential for mixed-use redevelopment projects backfilling big-box stores are both noteworthy national trends expected to influence the Shreveport-Bossier City market, possibly having an additional impact on retail space moving forward.
Click here to view and download the complete Shreveport-Bossier City Retail Market Survey.
This report is intended to give the reader a broad understanding of the market as well as specific information about the available square footage, occupancy and rental rates of each retail center greater than twenty thousand (20,000) square feet. It was created to be a resource for agents as well as tenants, landlords, developers, lenders, fellow brokers and anyone else looking for information about the Shreveport-Bossier City retail market.
5.11 by Karl Malone coming to Metairie, Louisiana
“The Mailman” delivering purpose-built apparel and gear to local market.
5.11 by Karl Malone in Ruston, Louisiana
Stirling Properties commercial real estate company announced that 5.11 by Karl Malone retail store is coming to Lafreniere Plaza Shopping Center in Metairie, Louisiana. This is the second Louisiana retail location for the company.
5.11 by Karl Malone will offer men’s and women’s apparel and clothing, footwear, bags and packs, accessories, and professional gear by 5.11 Tactical, the world’s leading innovator of purpose-built gear. The global brand features superior tactical apparel and gear for law enforcement, first responders, tactical operators and recreational enthusiasts from head to toe.
NBA Hall-of-Famer Karl “The Mailman” Malone will operate the Metairie location. The store will encompass 5,070 square feet of retail space at 6601 Veterans Memorial Boulevard and plans to open by January of 2019. Malone also operates the only other Louisiana franchise in Ruston that opened late last year.
“We are excited to bring 5.11 purpose-built gear to the Metairie market and surrounding New Orleans area,” said Malone. “The 5.11 brand is built on the foundation of durability, quality and value. Our store will be well stocked with the perfect performance clothing and accessories for any professional or recreational mission.”
The FBI training academy adopted the original 5.11® pant as its training pant in 1992, forging a decades-long relationship that drives 5.11®’s commitment to public safety and the first responder community. The company began developing a more extensive law enforcement line in 2003 working with public safety professionals to create gear that meets the needs of real people in the field. In 2012, 5.11 expanded its women’s collection to include premium uniforms, covert clothing, fitness apparel and more. Today, 5.11® is expanding into the outdoor and fitness markets with products like the Vaporlite short and the ABR trainer.
Carly Plotkin, Sales and Leasing Executive with Stirling Properties, is the listing agent for Lafreniere Plaza Shopping Center. Karla Smith of CBRE represented 5.11 by Karl Malone in the lease transaction. The retailer will join co-tenants HomeGoods, T.J.Maxx, Sandro’s Trattoria, State Farm, Subway, Pickleberry Kids, and several others in the center.
For leasing information, contact Carly Plotkin at cplotkin@stirlingprop.com or (504) 620-8120.
Loft18 Coming to The Shops at Sawyer Yards in Houston, Texas
Stirling Properties serving as brokerage tenant rep in company expansion.
Loft18 Rendering
Stirling Properties commercial real estate company is pleased to announce that Loft18 indoor golf and entertainment complex is joining the tenant lineup at The Shops at Sawyer Yards in Houston, TX. Stirling Properties is serving as the brokerage representative for the company in its national expansion efforts.
Loft18, founded in New Orleans, Louisiana, is an innovative, interactive golf concept featuring custom-built, state-of-the-art Full Swing Golf simulators that showcase nearly 100 championship courses to deliver precision play at its finest for golfers of all experience levels. And for non-golfers, Loft18’s full-service bar and restaurant offers gastro-pub fare, craft beer and cocktails, and New Orleans’ famous service and hospitality.
This marks the second retail location for Loft18. It will occupy approximately 6,950 square feet of space located at 2313 Edwards Street on the western endcap of The Shops at Sawyer Yards. Buildout is underway, and it is expected to open in the summer of 2019.
The Shops at Sawyer Yards is a 40,000-square-foot urban redevelopment project located at the corner of Edwards and Sawyer Streets, in the heart of the Washington Avenue Arts District. The Shops at Sawyer Yards features creative office space, retail, and entertainment spaces for lease. Other tenants in the project include Sticky Chicken, Awesome Bites, Pokeology, Bayou City Smiles, Polish Parker & Roe, Local Pho, Poitín, Satori Salon, and Orangetheory Fitness.
Sawyer Yards in Houston, Texas
“After researching and scouting various locations, we decided to expand the Loft18 concept to The Shops at Sawyer Yards because of the unique property offerings and access to the growing local population,” said Greg Whitman, President/Owner of Loft18. “We are excited to open our doors next summer and to deliver the ultimate indoor golfing experience—complete with award-winning golf simulators and club-level dining and drinking—to the Houston area. Whether you like golf or not, you will have a good time at Loft18.”
The Loft18 concept came about four years ago by three long-time friends with backgrounds in hospitality, sales and entertainment and a fervent love for the game. Seeing a niche in the golf entertainment industry, the group opened its first location on Metairie Road in Metairie, Louisiana, a suburb of New Orleans last fall.
Now, the company is planning expansion in several major markets across the country, as well as developing external partnership opportunities in other areas such as Dallas, Nashville, Chicago and Atlanta to name a few.
Lauren Ryan and Thomas Bryan, Sales and Leasing Executives with Stirling Properties, represented Loft18 in securing the historic Houston location, along with Bruce Wallace and Radkey Jolink with CBRE out of Houston, TX.
“Stirling Properties is thrilled to represent Loft18 in their expansion efforts, and to help facilitate the process of identifying and establishing relationships with co-brokers in other markets to scout out the ideal locations for this exceptional company,” said Ryan. “Loft18 was the first locally-owned golf simulation and entertainment complex in the New Orleans area, and they are setting the course for a unique entertainment experience that will be highly successful in any market.”
For leasing information, please contact Lauren Ryan at lryan@stirlingprop.com / (504) 620-8124 or Thomas Bryan at tbryan@stirlingprop.com / (504) 620-8138.
