Pan-American Life Insurance Group Renews Long-Term Commitment to New Orleans Market
Extends 10-Year Lease Terms at Pan-American Life Center in New Orleans, Louisiana.
Stirling Properties announces that Pan-American Life Insurance Group has signed a long-term lease extension thru 2031 of its office space at Pan-American Life Center in New Orleans, Louisiana. The company will also retain naming rights of the newly renovated building.
Pan-American Life Insurance Group, one of New Orleans’ largest employers and a leading provider of life, accident and health insurance throughout the Americas, occupies a total of 84,014 square feet of office space on four floors of the Pan-American Life Center located at 601 Poydras Street in New Orleans’s CBD. This marks one of the largest lease renewals in the New Orleans office market since 2019.
Founded in New Orleans, Pan-American Life Insurance Group is currently celebrating its 110th Anniversary and a rich history of corporate philanthropy and community service in New Orleans, supporting dozens of organizations across the arts, education and public safety.
“Pan-American Life Insurance Group is pleased to extend our office lease in the Pan-American Life Center and continue our long-term commitment to the New Orleans community and surrounding South Louisiana region. We look forward to renewing our promise to serve as a lifeline to our customers, their families and their businesses,” said José S. Suquet, Chairman of the Board, President & CEO of Pan-American Life Insurance Group.
Gaines Seaman, Senior Advisor with Stirling Properties, serves as the exclusive leasing agent for the office tower and worked with Pan-American Life Insurance Group to secure the lease extension.
“Pan-American Life Insurance Group has been an integral part of the New Orleans office community for many years, and we are honored to help cement that relationship for many more years to come. Pan-American Life Insurance Group’s renewed commitment to and investment in our area further validates the resiliency of the New Orleans office market. The recent lobby renovations and added amenities to the Pan-American Life Center make it an attractive office location for corporations, large or small,” said Seaman.
The Conference Centre on 11
The Pan-American Life Center is recognized as one of New Orleans’ most prestigious office towers, boasting high-quality tenants in addition to housing the national and regional headquarters of many premier corporations. The class-A building encompasses roughly 673,000 square feet of office and retail space and an eight-story parking structure. The local ownership group of the Pan-American Life Center recently made a renewed investment of $7 million in renovations of the building as a sign of its deep commitment to ensure that it remains a premier office location in New Orleans. The renovations included a redeveloped café, state-of-the-art conference center and upgraded ground floor lobby to better position the building in the evolving office landscape.
The new Café on 11 is a restaurant-style, full-service cafeteria featuring a modernized dining area and exciting new menu. The Conference Center on 11 offers multi-purpose meeting space in various sizes and configurations, including a ballroom, tiered-seating amphitheater featuring high-tech audio/visual equipment, ample break-out areas and collaborative spaces, full-service catering and on-site event management and technology assistance. Other unique amenities in the building include a grab-and-go mini-mart, coffee bar, Royal Shoeshine & Repair Station and dry-cleaning pick-up lockers.
The Cafe on 11
Office tenants in the building include Pan-American Life Insurance Group, IBERIABANK, Morris Bart Law Offices, McGlinchey Stafford, Merrill Lynch, Lugenbuhl, Wheaton, Peck, Rankin & Hubbard and Stirling Properties. First-floor retail tenants include Smoothie King, Starbucks, Tsunami and IBERIABANK. Stirling Properties’ affiliates own the property and are the exclusive management and leasing agents for the Pan-American Life Center.
For more information on the Pan-American Life Center, visit www.panam-neworleans.com. For leasing information, contact Gaines Seaman at gseaman@stirlingprop.com or (504) 523-4481.
The Wharf Reaches Record-Breaking Occupancy on Alabama Gulf Coast
The Wharf at Orange Beach, a popular shopping, dining and entertainment venue on the Alabama Gulf Coast, has reached a record-breaking total occupancy of 98% in 2021 — up from 93% in May 2020.
On the cusp of a completely full venue with only four unoccupied spaces remaining on The Wharf property, the growth has gained much interest from businesses in a range of sectors including restaurants, real estate, entertainment and retail. New tenants that have recently joined The Wharf family include Local Life OBA, Cool Shots Selfie Museum, HUK Performance Fishing Apparel, Southern Athletica, Poppy’s Boutique, Maho Shades, MA Beauty Lounge, Gulf Coast Athletics, Compass Media, the Coastal Alabama Business Chamber and The Wharf Welcome Center, The Spice & Tea Exchange, Murder Point Oysters, The Coastal Leaders Property Group, Coco LOUIE, Joanna A Boutique, Claremont Property Co., Wise Living Real Estate and more on the way that have yet to open. Nearly all are owned by area residents, making The Wharf one of the highest concentrations on the Gulf Coast of locally-owned businesses.
“As The Wharf enters its 15th year, we’re excited to welcome new establishments that will contribute to our continued success,” said Kristen Hammack, management team leader at The Wharf. “We are always looking for ways to better serve and meet the needs of both visitors and locals, and each of these new businesses brings something unique to our offerings. We pride ourselves in being a safe, family friendly venue where you can experience everything from getting married and purchasing a home to renown fishing tournaments, creative culinary options, unique shopping, energetic concerts and more — a place where ‘life’ happens.”
Tom Thumb also recently acquired and broke ground on 3.94 acres of land located at the intersection of Canal Road and Wharf Parkway East for the development of a convenience store and gas pumps. And just behind it, a 127,000 sq. ft. storage facility is currently under construction. The Wharf partnered with Jeff Barnes, broker with Stirling Properties, who is serving as the commercial leasing agent for the property and responsible for securing each of these new tenants.
“We are thrilled to work with The Wharf and welcome new businesses to Orange Beach. Despite the numerous struggles over the last year, the significance of this record-breaking occupancy for The Wharf truly demonstrates the resiliency of the community and the tenacity of locally-owned businesses, as well as the tremendous efforts of the entire team at The Wharf,” said Jeff Barnes, CCIM, senior investment advisor for Stirling Properties.
“The positive momentum is fostering new opportunities for the undeveloped parcels of The Wharf, like the new Tom Thumb and fast-serve establishments and self-storage facility. Our market dynamics and growth are very encouraging, and we are poised for continued success. We look forward to welcoming even more great tenants to The Wharf soon.”
Just last month, Shades Sunglasses and Casual Apparel, with 10 locations in four states across the Southeast, confirmed their highest-ever, single-day record in sales across all stores at its Wharf location. Shades owners, Joe and Mary Jernigan, have also recently opened HUK Performance Fishing Apparel and Coco LOUIE at The Wharf.
“Our sales during the car show a few weekends ago were higher than any Black Friday, Christmas, Memorial Day or other major-shopping holiday that we have seen,” said Joe Jernigan. “Because of the expected growth at The Wharf, we decided to open up two additional stores this year, and both businesses have already exceeded projected business model expectations. Shades at The Wharf has surpassed all other locations in sales and is on track for its best year ever since its inception in 2004 — up 30% from 2019.”
With this growth, The Wharf has made various infrastructure and general property updates along with a substantial upgrade to the nightly light show that now features state-of-the-art lasers named the SPECTRA Laser Light Experience. The spectacle is viewed by more than 115,000 visitors each year.
The Wharf Amphitheater, which was nominated for the 2019 Academy of Country Music Awards Outdoor Venue of the Year, has also received recent upgrades and will be welcoming back the C Spire Summer Concert Series this year with its first socially distant event kicking off on April 25 featuring NEEDTOBREATHE. Other top-charting industry artists are slated to perform in 2021 including the popular Luke Bryan, Jon Pardi, Brantley Gilbert, Brooks & Dunn and more.
Along with concerts, The Wharf is excited to safely welcome back annual events such as car shows, festivals, food events and holiday celebrations with more than 50 events slated for the remainder of 2021.
For the latest news and updates on what’s to come at The Wharf, visit alwharf.com, or follow along on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter at @thewharfoba. For commercial real estate information pertaining to The Wharf including executive office suites, traditional office suites, retail space and commercial sites for development, contact Jeff at 251-975-8222 or via email at jbarnes@stirlingprop.com.
About The Wharf
Located in beautiful Orange Beach, Ala., The Wharf is an official entertainment district with hundreds of family friendly events throughout the year. Enjoy shopping, drinks and dining at our 60+ unique stores, bars and restaurants. Stay onsite at the SpringHill Suites by Marriott hotel or Levin’s Bend Condominium, catch a movie at the 15-screen AMC Theatre, experience a trip around one of the Southeast’s largest Ferris wheels, take a train ride down Main Street, grab a game of mini golf, explore all that nature has to offer on a boating excursion or catch a nightly SPECTRA Laser Light Experience show — the options are endless. The 10,000-seat Wharf Amphitheater hosts a variety of well-known entertainers, and The Wharf Marina is home to some of the largest in-water boat shows and saltwater fishing tournaments on the Gulf. For more information or to book a reservation, visit alwharf.com.
Mandina’s Restaurant Coming to Spanish Fort Town Center
Stirling Properties, in partnership with Cypress Equities, announces New-Orleans-based Mandina’s Restaurant will be joining the tenant lineup at Spanish Fort Town Center mixed-use development in South Alabama.
Mandina’s Restaurant has been a New Orleans institution since 1932, serving Italian and Cajun-Creole seafood, steaks and pasta. This marks the third location for Mandina’s Restaurant and the first outside of Louisiana. The original restaurant is located on Canal Street in New Orleans. A local franchisee opened the second Mandina’s on the Northshore of Lake Pontchartrain in Mandeville, Louisiana, and is now venturing into Alabama. The newest Spanish Fort location will occupy 3,997 square feet of space located on Bass Pro Drive across from “The Fort” Container Park. Menu items and operation will closely resemble that of the Mandeville restaurant.
Angie McArthur, Broker Associate, and Jeff Barnes, Senior Investment Advisor/Broker Associate with Stirling Properties, serve as the leasing team for the property owners, Dallas-based Cypress Equities, and helped to secure the new restaurant for the center. The duo has worked with the overall Spanish Fort Town Center project since 2015.
“Stirling Properties is thrilled to welcome Mandina’s Restaurant to Spanish Fort Town Center and be a part of the evolution and growth of this dynamic community center. The addition of more great restaurants and retailers continues to attract patrons and diners to the development and benefits the surrounding retailers—this is a true destination location for everyone,” said McArthur. “We are proud of the great strides made to move this project forward—from Cypress Equities’ investment in the Pavilion and park to the revitalization of the small shops and the latest addition of The Fort. We look forward to welcoming more great tenants and amenities to Spanish Fort Town Center soon!”
Spanish Fort Town Center, anchored by Bass Pro Shops, Kohl’s, Cavender’s, La-Z-Boy, Urban Air Trampoline & Adventure Park and The Fort Container Park, 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, a residential apartment community, office space, hotels, banks and entertainment options.
Over the last two years, 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, Direct Furniture, Oishi Japanese Bar & Grill, Dixie Dental, The Fort restaurants and Cavender’s to the diverse tenant lineup. McArthur and Barnes are also currently in negotiations with various businesses that will add another 140,000 square feet of hotel and other uses.
For Spanish Fort Town Center leasing & sales information, contact Angie McArthur at (251) 375-2481 / amcarthur@stirlingprop.com or Jeff Barnes, CCIM, at (251) 375-2496 / jbarnes@stirlingprop.com.
Stirling Properties awarded leasing of Canal Place shopping center in New Orleans
Targeting high-end local & regional retailers to join strong national retail presence.
Stirling Properties, in partnership with O’Connor Capital Partners, has been awarded the leasing assignment for Canal Place, Downtown New Orleans’ premier shopping destination, located at 333 Canal Street on the edge of the historic French Quarter.
Anchored by Saks Fifth Avenue, Canal Place is a 3-story, 260,000-square-foot upscale shopping center featuring more than 30 retailers, including luxury fashion and beauty brands, boutique clothing stores and home goods, as well as restaurants, a food court and theater. The Canal Place tenancy boasts a dynamic mix of high-end national stores such as Louis Vuitton, Tory Burch, MCM, lululemon, Anne Fontaine, Anthropologie, Tiffany & Co., J Crew, Brooks Brothers, and vineyard vines, to name a few.
Stirling Properties’ commercial advisors Carly Plotkin and Lauren Ryan are serving as the leasing agents for the property. Working with the team at O’Connor Capital Partners, they are targeting best-in-class local and regional tenants to complement the strong national tenancy already present at Canal Place.
“We are excited to work with Canal Place, one of the most prestigious, renowned shopping centers in our region. As part of our marketing and leasing efforts for the property, we are focused on bringing the best local and regional retailers to the center, further expanding its great retail mix, while also highlighting the local flair of New Orleans and our surrounding region,” said Plotkin.
“With its proximity and walkability to New Orleans’ CBD, French Quarter, Riverwalk area, and all the exciting new developments coming on-line this year, Canal Place is uniquely positioned in the heart of everything, making it the perfect location for high-quality brands looking to expand their customer base,” said Ryan.
Canal Place also offers direct frontage to the Canal streetcar line, cruise line terminal access and is connected to Westin New Orleans Canal Place Hotel, creating opportunities to capture local and visiting customers. Multiple leasing opportunities range from 8,860 square feet to 385 square feet, including retail and second generation restaurant space and food court stalls. Short term operators can be accommodated, as well as long-term tenancies.
For leasing information on Canal Place, contact Carly Plotkin at cplotkin@stirlingprop.com / (504) 620-8120 or Lauren Ryan / lryan@stirlingprop.com / (504) 620-8124.
What’s Happening at Hammond Square?
Stirling Properties announces updates on redevelopment project in Hammond, Louisiana
Stirling Properties announces new updates to the ongoing redevelopment project at Hammond Square shopping center in Hammond, Louisiana.
- Five Guys restaurant is celebrating its grand opening today, November 16. The 2,450-square-foot fast-food chain featuring made-to-order burgers, fries and hot dogs is located on Hammond Square Drive next to Chipotle, near the entrance to the shopping center. Chipotle celebrated its grand opening in August of this year.
- Firestone Complete Auto Care has finished construction on its 6,000-square-foot retail space, located on 1.15 acres on West Minnesota Park Drive, near Academy Sports + Outdoors. The automotive company plans to celebrate its grand opening on Friday, November 20.
- Becky Blount Photography is back at Hammond Square this holiday season, offering Santa portraits for customers while closely following mandated safety guidelines. Portrait sessions are by appointment only beginning November 28. Please visit Becky Blount Photography on Facebook for more details.
- Enterprise Rent-A-Car will be opening its new location on December 14. The car rental and leasing company will be located at Palace Centre East, across the street from Hammond Square, next to Walgreens.
- Le Saigon Asian restaurant will also be relocating to the shopping center in a newly developed space. Construction has begun on the 2,375-square-foot building located off CM Fagan Drive, next to IHOP. It is expected to open in the spring of 2021.
- HomeGoods and Michaels are now expected to open in February of 2021. Walk-On’s Sports Bistreaux is also expected to join the tenant lineup with projected opening dates to be announced.
Stirling Properties commercial real estate company is nearing completion on the $15 million multi-tenant redevelopment project at Hammond Square. Demolition of the former Sears and Rite Aid buildings was completed last year to make way for the new retailers.
Rhonda Sharkawy, Senior Retail Leasing & Development Advisor with Stirling Properties, handled the lease transactions on behalf of the landlord.
Hammond Square is Tangipahoa Parish’s premier shopping destination, located on approximately 100 acres at the northwest corner of Interstate 12 and US Highway 51 Business (SW Railroad Avenue) in Hammond, Louisiana. It is the 2nd largest open-air center in Louisiana, encompassing over 852,000-square-feet of more than 40 national and local retailers, shops and restaurants, including Dillard’s, Target, The Home Depot, JCPenney, Academy Sports+Outdoors, Best Buy, T.J.Maxx, ULTA Beauty, Books-A-Million and AMC Theatres. Stirling Properties redeveloped Hammond Square and currently manages and leases the center.
For more information on Hammond Square, visit www.hammondsquare.com or facebook.com/hammondsquare. For leasing and sales information, contact Rhonda Sharkawy at (504) 620-8145 or rsharkawy@stirlingprop.com.
Adapting to Change
Stirling Properties celebrates first-ever virtual annual honors event!
Stirling Properties celebrated its 22nd Annual Stirling Honors last Friday in a first-ever company-wide virtual format. The event recognized and distinguished the successes of Team Stirling and the company over the past year, despite recent challenges stemming from the COVID-19 pandemic.
Stirling Properties’ President & CEO, Marty Mayer, served as the emcee for the presentation and discussed how today’s challenging landscape requires adaptability in our company and the commercial real estate industry. Mayer said, “Companies that can adapt and meet the changing environment will survive and find opportunities for success—this has always been one of our strong points. It’s one of our core values, a characteristic of our company, See Beyond the Present: We adapt and evolve for long-term sustainable success.”
He and Stirling Properties’ partners thanked Team Stirling for their hard work and dedication. Lynn Blanchard and Krystal Atkins were acknowledged as recipients of Stirling Properties’ most prestigious honor, the 2019 Exceeding Excellence Award, presented for extraordinary employee actions that exemplify the values necessary to further the success of the company. Brokerage Division Award recipients received recognition for Bronze, Silver, Platinum, Diamond, and Ruby production levels based on individual adjusted gross commissions from 2019. Special acknowledgment was also given to Rhonda Sharkawy, Senior Retail Leasing and Development Advisor in New Orleans, for achieving the Top Commercial Producer Award —this is the 5th consecutive year she has earned this accolade, producing over $1 million dollars in commissions.
BROKERAGE AWARDS
Ruby
Rhonda Sharkawy (Top Producer), New Orleans
Chad Rigby, Baton Rouge
Emerald
Ryan Pecot, Lafayette
Diamond
Ryan Murphy, Covington
Joe Gardner, New Orleans
Scott Macdonald, Baton Rouge
Jeff Barnes, Mobile
Jason Scott, Pensacola
Platinum
Saban Sellers, New Orleans
Nathan Handmacher, Mobile
Justin Langlois, Baton Rouge
Gold Award
Thomas Bryan, New Orleans
Bradley Cook, Covington
Angie McArthur, Mobile
Carly Plotkin, New Orleans
Seth Citron, Lake Charles
Steve Legendre, Baton Rouge
Silver Award
Charles Cornay, Baton Rouge
Melissa Warren, New Orleans
Lee de la Houssaye, Covington
Karen McElroy, Shreveport
Stacy Odom, Shreveport
Andrew Dickman, Mobile
Bronze Award
Dottie Tarleton, Baton Rouge
Beth Cristina, New Orleans
Gaines Seaman, New Orleans
Jill Meeks, Mobile
Ben Graham, Baton Rouge
Also recognized were employees and agents who achieved special anniversaries with the company. Service Awards were given for 5, 10, 15, 20, 25, 30 and 35-year milestones.
SERVICE AWARDS
35 Years of Service: Sharon Amacker – Covington, Donna Smith – Covington
30 Years of Service: Rick Skelding – New Orleans, Dottie Tarleton – Baton Rouge, Monica Milazzo – Covington
25 Years of Service: Lee de la Houssaye – Covington
20 Years of Service: Lynn Blanchard – Baton Rouge, Tina Crouchet – Covington
15 Years of Service: Mark Salvetti – Covington, Marcia McGarrity – Covington
10 Years of Service: Jim Short – Baton Rouge, Richard Frazier – Baton Rouge, Ryan Murphy – Covington
5 Years of Service: Lesley Huval – Southpark Storage, Sharon Horton – Westland Plaza, Angela McArthur – Mobile, Sean Montreuil – New Orleans, Andrew Dickman – Mobile, Joyce Ori – Mobile, Valda Butler – Covington, Griffin Lennox – New Orleans, Robin Hayles – Mobile, Helen Giang – Covington, Thomas Bryan – New Orleans, Mitch Gauthier – Covington, Patty Meyer – Covington, Rachel Jerkins – Mobile, Jason Franklin – Mobile, Rachel Fonseca – Covington, Sarah Schoonmaker – Covington
