Tee It Up with Grady Brame, Executive Vice President at Stirling Properties
We all know that Grady is a huge golfer. But did you know that he has played among some of golf’s greats, including Phil Mickelson, Justin Leonard and David Duval? He’s played in three U.S. Amateur competitions with Tiger Woods. Although they weren’t actually playing against one another, according to the scorecard, you could say that Grady beat Tiger!
Grady has played amateur golf around the country and says “the more success you have, the more opportunities you will receive.” He believes much of what he has learned on the golf course is applicable to the commercial real estate (CRE) industry. So we thought it would be fun to sit down with him to get a little insight on both.
Where does your passion about golf & real estate come from?
“The love of golf runs in my family! My father was a scratch golfer, and his father played too. We have a long list of relatives that play. Both of my sons share a love of the game, and my oldest son has taken it to a professional level.”
Grady’s attraction to golf is fueled by the thrill of competition and the determination to get better. That same logic drives his love for real estate, and got him started in the industry.
“I was attracted to Stirling Properties because it was exciting and a new opportunity for me—commercial real estate was fun! I loved the idea of building new projects. The industry was challenging, but we were successful. Over the years, I’ve learned so much, and I feel that my experience really adds value to our Stirling team. Golf has given me personal achievement and fulfillment, Stirling Properties has given me professional fulfillment.”
In your opinion, how are golf & commercial real estate similar?
They are both competitive. I compete on the golf course to win, and I compete at the office to make a project or a real estate deal successful.
In golf, you’re competing against fellow golfers, yourself and the course. In CRE, you compete against other developers contending for the best sites and negotiating with tenants on leases to get the best deal to make a project prosperous. In golf and CRE, the outcomes—or score—will tell you if you’re on the right track. At Stirling Properties, we separate ourselves from the competition by continually striving to improve.
What golf etiquette can you apply to commercial real estate?
- Respect: Golf is an honorable game. You play by the rules, not because there is a referee or umpire enforcing them, but because it’s the right way. At Stirling Properties, we’ve always done things the right way. We treat employees, clients and tenants with respect. We’ve always been honest, held ourselves to high ethical standards, and never take shortcuts. Now, that’s paying back in dividends. A famous golfer once said, “In golf as in life, it is the follow through that makes the difference.”
- Managing Expectations: I consistently see golfers on the course expecting to beat their last score, or play better than their handicap on every hole. They set unrealistic expectations, and are usually disappointed. We always want to be the winner and put our best forward, but we need to remember not to oversell our position for investors, employees or lenders. People rely on us for projections and budgets. Predicting the future with absolute accuracy is like hitting a hole-in-one. But we have a great team in place that has been able to manage the process without overselling or setting unrealistic expectations.
- Mastering the Fundamentals: Sports psychologist, Dr. Bob Rotella noted, “A golfer has to train his swing on the practice tee, then trust it on the course.” Stirling Properties has stayed relevant and ahead of the competition for more than 40 years, because we are good at what we do. We trust our skills and instincts. We extensively evaluate every project at hand for the best possible outcomes. Sometimes, it’s about quality, not quantity.
- Control the Controllable: We will never have absolute control. In golf, there will always be the threat of wind, an ill-fated bounce or some little imperfection on the course that we have no control over. The same is true in CRE. You have to be adaptable. Do your best to manage what you can’t control, but build in contingencies for projects or deals so that if you do have a bump in the course, the deal can still work.
Any advice for young people entering the CRE industry?
For anyone new to Stirling Properties—or the industry—my first suggestion is to listen and learn. You can learn a lot more from listening to others than talking on your own. You can acquire much from the people that have experience in this industry, both how to succeed and how to fail. Learn from their triumphs and mistakes! A lot of professional golfers have an entourage of coaches and experts helping them to perform.
Listen to what Grady has to say about the importance of teamwork:
[vimeo 187254033 w=640 h=360]#StirlingProud
Walk-On’s Coming to River Chase in Covington, Louisiana!
Stirling Properties, NAI Latter & Blum and Greenleaf Architects announce Walk-On’s Bistreaux & Bar is coming to River Chase mixed-use development in Covington, Louisiana. This will mark the 1st Northshore location for the highly anticipated sports restaurant and bar.
This week, the company closed on the purchase of 1.82 acres of property located on the northwest corner of Stirling Blvd. and Brewster Road next to Sam’s Club. Construction on the site will commence within the next couple of weeks. The restaurant will occupy roughly 9,600 square feet and is expected to open by the summer of 2017, according to Arkel Constructors who has been chosen as the General Contractor.
Stirling Properties’ Senior Retail Leasing & Development Executive, Rhonda Sharkawy, represented the property owners, and Beau Bourque with NAI Latter & Blum represented the tenant. Greenleaf Architects was selected to design the custom restaurant for the new Northshore location.
The popular restaurant started by two LSU students in Baton Rouge has thrived over the years, and expanded into multiple locations. The next stop for Walk-On’s is right here in St. Tammany Parish, and Greenleaf Architects is fortunate enough to work closely with Walk-On’s Enterprises in making this happen. As a firm full of LSU graduates who frequented the original location on Burbank Drive throughout college, this is truly an honor for Greenleaf Architects. The Covington location will include a rooftop bar, “The Upper Deck”, an element unique to the design by Greenleaf Architects. The Upper Deck will feature group seating and additional space for catching a game under the skyline of St. Tammany Parish.
“Stirling Properties is pleased to welcome Walk-On’s Bistreaux & Bar to River Chase,” said Townsend Underhill, Senior Vice President of Development at Stirling Properties. “They join a dynamic assortment of restaurants, retailers, hospitality, multi-family, and office users offering a one-of-a-kind, mixed-use destination for the entire region.”
“Among other attributes, low stress ingress & egress and complementary anchor/junior anchor tenants together with Stirling Properties’ and St. Tammany Parish’s commitments to developing a live/work/play environment that improves quality of life attracted Walk-On’s to River Chase. I look forward to seeing Greenleaf Architects’ exceptional design come to life,” said Beau Bourque, Sales & Leasing Associate with NAI Latter & Blum.
River Chase is a 253-acre premier mixed-use development located on the southeast corner of Interstate 12 and LA Highway 21 in Covington, Louisiana. The center includes retail, restaurants and entertainment options, as well as a Holiday Inn Express, Regal Cinema, 500+ luxury residential apartment units, and a 48,000-sqaure-foot class A office building currently under construction. Stirling Properties developed River Chase and currently manages and leases the property.
Anchored by Target, Belk, JCPenney, Best Buy, Marshalls, Ross Dress For Less and Sam’s Club, River Chase shopping center occupies 945,000 square feet, and is the largest open air retail center in Louisiana. Additional tenants include Carter’s, Cato, Charming Charlie, Chuck E. Cheese’s, Cost Plus World Market, Dickey’s Barbecue Pit, Family Cuts, Fidelity Homestead Savings Bank, Five Below, GameStop, Hibbett Sports, Holiday Inn Express, In Style Salon, John V Salon & Spa, Justice, Lane Bryant, Maurices, Men’s Wearhouse, Michaels, Nevada Bob’s Golf, Nutrishop, Oreck Vacuums, Pink & White Nails, Regal Cinemas, River Chase Cleaners, Rooms To Go (opening 2017), rue 21, Sephora, Shoe Carnival, The Children’s Place, ULTA Beauty, Verizon Wireless, Walk-On’s Bistreaux & Bar, Which Wich and Zoe’s Kitchen. Outparcel tenants include Chick-fil-A, LongHorn Steakhouse, Regions Bank, Taco Bell, Texaco and Wendy’s.
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.
Stirling Properties Welcomes Magnolia Yoga Studio To the New Bienville Basin District
Studio Grand Opening on Friday, September 16th!
Stirling Properties is pleased to welcome Magnolia Yoga Studio to the Bienville Basin District in New Orleans. The long-awaited studio will be located at 301 Basin Street and plans to open its doors on Friday, September 16th!
Stirling Properties Sales and Leasing Executive, Joe Gardner, handled the transaction and worked extensively with the tenant to secure the 2,000-square-foot site, and to select a contractor for the build-out process, which started earlier this year.
The Bienville Basin District is an up-and-coming mixed-use community rising in the footprint of the former Iberville housing development. The Bienville Basin redevelopment began in 2013 and has since gained significant traction. The 23-acre district includes more than 800 mixed-income residential units, restaurants, retail, parks and recreational areas. The full development plan is expected to cover 300 blocks bounded by Rampart Street, Tulane Avenue, Broad Street and St. Bernard Avenue.
New Orleans has recently been credited with attracting young, business-savvy entrepreneurs to the city. Magnolia Yoga Studio Owner & Chief Yoga Officer, Adrianne (Ajax) Jackson, a California native of mixed Mexican- and African-American heritage relocated to New Orleans seeking business opportunities to bring her dream of a yoga studio to fruition. She was particularly drawn to the revitalization and vibrancy of the Basin community.
“Our mission is to support growth, healing, and empowerment through the art of yoga and community,” said Ajax. “We are thrilled to be opening our doors here in the Basin and hope everyone will come out to see what we have to offer. Just remember: You don’t have to be good to get started, but you have to get started to get good!”
Magnolia Yoga Studio is intent on getting more yoga to more people, more often. The goal is to educate the community on the benefits of yoga and to provide accessibility. The studio plans to create collaborations with businesses, hospitals, recovery centers, schools and with incarcerated youth.
“Magnolia Yoga Studio is the quintessential example of the types of diverse business opportunities and establishments that the mixed-use Basin community has to offer. We are proud of what this neighborhood has become, and are especially excited to see young, talented, minority business owners—such as Ajax—finding a home here in our city and helping to become a part of this historic renovation,” Pres Kabacoff, Executive Chairman of the Board, HRI Properties.
The redevelopment of the Bienville Basin District site is a much welcomed addition to downtown New Orleans. This prime real estate, just steps from the French Quarter with both the Canal Street and St. Charles Avenue streetcars running nearby and the Rampart Street expansion underway, provides convenient access to all of the city. It is quickly becoming a sought-after neighborhood to live, work, shop and play.
Stirling Properties has been at the forefront of commercial real estate brokerage, development/redevelopment and management in New Orleans and the entire Gulf South region. With notable accomplishments such as Mid-City Market, Magnolia Marketplace, and the Pan American Life Center first floor redevelopment, Stirling Properties is a key contributor to the revitalization efforts of the City of New Orleans and surrounding communities.
“We are committed to New Orleans and the Gulf South region,” said Gardner. “We are thrilled to be involved in such significant revitalization projects, such as the Bienville Basin District, and look forward to bringing even more retail tenants and businesses to this vibrant market.”
Stirling Properties Brokers Acquisition for The Learning Tree, Inc. in Mobile, Alabama
Stirling Properties is pleased to announce the sale of property to The Learning Tree, Inc. in Mobile, Alabama, that will be used to house office and support staff, as well as allow for future school expansion.
The property is located at 5451 Able Court in Mobile, adjacent to The Learning Tree’s current facility, and was purchased from F&S. The acquisition includes four existing office/warehouse buildings totaling 15,190 square feet. With the new location, office and support staff will now be located next door to the school facility, rather than across town, creating a much more efficient and effective operation. They plan to occupy the space early 2017.
Nathan Handmacher, Stirling Properties Senior Sales & Leasing Executive in Mobile, handled the transaction. “My son attended Woody’s Song School, which is a program of The Learning Tree, so this transaction was rather personal and fulfilling for me,” said Handmacher. “I’m thrilled that we were able to help the school acquire this property that will streamline their operations, so they can continue to focus on the great work they do for the young people in our community.” Handmacher also volunteers for The Learning Tree and serves on the Board of Trustees for the group.
The Learning Tree is a nonprofit organization dedicated to providing educational, residential and support services for children and adolescents with developmental disabilities, including autism. Programs are designed to help children lead more fulfilling and rewarding lives.
Access to educational opportunities and support services for families and children with developmental disabilities is crucial for their success and growth. In addition, educational expansion leads to economic development and increased job opportunities within the community.
The Learning Tree serves more than 600 children and families from across the state of Alabama and the southeast region of the United States. It operates seven programs in the north, central and southern regions of the state including residential and non-residential schools for children ages 5-21, as well as preschool services.
Stirling Properties is proud to serve the commercial real estate needs for Mobile and the surrounding Gulf South region. Stirling Properties manages more than 17 million square feet of property, with close to 100 million square feet of properties and land for sale or lease in the region. We specialize in brokerage services, development & redevelopment opportunities, acquisitions & investments, and property and asset management, over a wide array of property types.
Nathan Handmacher can be reached at nhandmacher@stirlingprop.com or (251) 342-7229.
#StirlingProud
