Stirling Properties Welcomes Thomas Bryan to the New Orleans Team
Stirling Properties is pleased to announce the addition of Thomas Bryan to the Commercial Brokerage Division as Sales and Leasing Executive. Thomas will work from the company’s New Orleans, LA office located at 615 Baronne Street, Suite 100.
Mr. Bryan began his Commercial Real Estate career in 2007 and has since accrued a wealth of knowledge through leasing, sales and property management experience. He is currently responsible for the marketing and leasing of approximately 350,000 square feet of retail space. In addition to his retail landlord representation, Mr. Bryan has worked extensively with national, regional and local retail clients in a tenant representation capacity, including Lee Nail Spa, Alton Lane, Devon & Blakely, School of Rock, and MetroPCS to name a few.
Mr. Bryan is a native of Richmond, VA where he most recently worked as a Sales & Leasing Associate for CBRE. He is a graduate of the College of Charleston with a degree in Business Administration.
Mr. Bryan can be reached at 504-523-4481 or via email at tbryan@stirlingprop.com.
President’s Message: Reflection, Rebirth, Resiliency
Next week, we will pause to commemorate the 10th anniversary of Hurricane Katrina. From the shock, disbelief and uncertainty in the days, weeks and months that followed, Southeast Louisiana and the Gulf Coast have persevered. New Orleans has risen up from the brink of death to emerge, as it once had been, into one of the premier cities in the U.S. and the world. The publisher of Forbes called it “the greatest turnaround of our lifetime.”
Recently, I found a memo that I sent to our Stirling team on September 13, 2005 (just 2 weeks after Katrina and coincidentally just 11 days before Hurricane Rita devastated western Louisiana and Texas). While still living through the fog of the disaster and the uncertainty about what our future might hold, I marveled back then at the generosity, kindness and out pouring of support from people within Stirling and also from all over the country. It was truly an amazing expression of caring.
I wrote “It is my hope, that somehow someday, from the rubble of those buildings destroyed and the memory of people that were killed that something positive can happen for our future. Maybe, from that beginning, we can find ways to put aside our differences and to come together to achieve even greater heights.”
As I reflect back today, I am stunned by what has happened in the last 10 years — truly it is beyond anything I might have dared to imagine.
Our city and region have rebounded economically, culturally and in quality of life issues, with top rankings in tech job growth, brain gain, entrepreneurship, economic development and improved schools. GNO, Inc. sums it up in their K10 Top 10. The region is now positioned as a hub for science and technology, for water management and emerging environmental industries. The city’s medical corridor, called the BioDistrict, is anchored by the new, world-class $2 billion University Medical Center and VA Hospital. A new, world-class airport terminal will also open in 2018.
My hopes about putting aside our differences have similarly exceeded my dreams with our Super Region consisting of the 22 parishes of Greater New Orleans, Houma-Thibodaux and Greater Baton Rouge working together in an unprecedented manner for the common good.
Equally impressive has been what has happened within our company in those last 10 years. We have grown in size and strength. Amazingly, almost 150 new people have joined our team since then. Consider the projects we have undertaken just in the Greater New Orleans area since Katrina:
- Acquisition of Pan American Life Center
- Fremaux Town Center
- Mid-City Market
- Fresh Market Redevelopment on St. Charles Avenue
- Multiple Walgreens, including the Walgreens on Magazine Street
- River Chase Expansion
- Magnolia Marketplace
- Offices at Mid-City Market (under construction)
Since 2010, the investments just within the City of New Orleans totaled over $156 Million. In many ways, our latest development to have its grand opening, Magnolia Marketplace on South Claiborne Avenue in New Orleans, is a fitting story of the 10th Anniversary of Katrina. From literally an abandoned, blighted, crime-ridden housing project rose a center of business, jobs, revitalization and rebirth of a previously downtrodden area.
While we have come a long way and have much to be proud of, ten years is not the end of the race. We must and will work together to continue to build on the progress of the last decade.
But before we begin the work of the next ten years, I would like to take a moment to pause and reflect, to thank all of you who were so caring during the dark days and to those of you who have come together to help create the success we have achieved together.
Coalition for Coastal Resilience and Economy (CCRE): Ecosystem Restoration Is Economic Development
As Chairman of the Coalition for Coastal Resilience and Economy (CCRE), I wanted to take a moment to introduce the coalition and give an update about the traction we’ve made in our first year. Launched in July 2014 by the economic development organization Greater New Orleans, Inc. (GNO, Inc.), CCRE is a business-led coalition tasked with creating an educated, informed voice of advocacy for sustainable restoration efforts in Louisiana’s wetlands, rivers, deltas, and coastline. It is made up of non-partisan, Southeastern Louisiana business leaders that believe investing in smart restoration today will ensure continuing economic opportunities in the future. CCRE will advocate for policies that promote, protect and drive resources to Louisiana’s coast.
RESTORE Act Meeting – August 2014
In the last year, CCRE members and I have participated in several unique coastal experiences, including seaplane and boat tours of Louisiana’s coastline, designed to increase awareness of the needs, opportunities and plans for coastal protection and restoration. We’ve met with government officials, including U.S. Congressman Steve Scalise, to collaborate and discuss the most effective ways to utilize RESTORE Act funds to revive and protect Louisiana’s wetlands and coastline. As we approach the Katrina Anniversary, coastal restoration and resilience is bound to be a part of the media coverage about the region’s recovery over the last ten years. In fact, there was a terrific piece in the New York Times recently “How to Save a Sinking Coast: Katrina Created a Laboratory.” To ensure that the narrative around coastal issues is appropriately framed—furthering the region’s position as an international leader in resiliency and restoration—GNO, Inc., on behalf of the CCRE, is reaching proactively to media via coastal overflights, interviews and panel briefings. Also, GNO, Inc. Chairman Michael Hecht and I penned a Letter to the Editor and submitted it to the New York Times, providing additional context to the recent John Barry story, “Is New Orleans Safe?” Restoring the wetlands along the Gulf of Mexico coastline is arguably the region’s most pressing environmental and economic issue. With the coming influx of funding from the RESTORE Act and other oil spill-related settlements, CCRE has a unique opportunity to ensure the continued prosperity and sustainability of Southeast Louisiana. Now is the perfect time to implement smart, long-lasting solutions to improve the coastline, communities and economy. I am excited about the role the business community will play in this effort.
Never Cross the Streams, It Would Be Bad
Just as with proton streams when battling apparitions, banshees, phantoms or poltergeists, you don’t ever want to cross your store’s wifi with your public wifi.
What’s the issue? We have a perfectly good Internet connection that we use for our business computers, cash registers and automation systems, why not open it up to the public so that we can attract more business to our store? Really, you’re just trying to enrich the cable companies by making us buy another Internet connection for our customers. And the national outfit that wants the contract to install public wifi at our mall says that they can firewall the public wifi from our business cash registers without a problem. Cross their collective hearts and hope to die, they do this all the time and they never have a problem.
The first issue is that the sales lady from that national outfit would probably throw her own mother under the bus to get you to sign the contract. The second issue is that firewalls are software with vulnerabilities that can be hacked – firewalls are better than nothing, but it’s not something that Stirling uses to protect our corporate network from a public wifi on a shared Internet connection.
By crossing your business Internet with public wifi, the only thing you’re really accomplishing is providing a road map for someone to sit in the parking lot and hack your business. In this bold new world of interconnectivity that we live in, it’s simply safer and easier to calculate the cost of a dedicated Internet connection for your public wifi upfront before providing public wifi in your business, store or mall.
Stirling Properties Welcomes Johnny Tolson to the Lafayette Team
Stirling Properties is pleased to announce the addition of Johnny Tolson to the Commercial Brokerage Division as Sales and Leasing Executive. Johnny will work from the company’s Lafayette, LA office located at 1819 W. Pinhook Road, Suite 200.
Mr. Tolson holds a Bachelor of Arts in Economics as well as a minor in Business and Communications from the University of Arkansas where he was a member of the baseball team. He was also an active member of Phi Theta Kappa, the Leaders on Campus Program, FCA, and involved in philanthropy work through Salvation Army and Samaritans Purse. During his college tenure, Mr. Tolson received the H.M. Ivy Scholarship, Circle of Excellence award, Who’s Who Among Students in American Universities, was an Academic All-American and earned First Team All-Conference and First Team All-Region All Region honors in baseball in 2012.
Representing both Landlord and Tenant needs, Mr. Tolson has gained knowledge and experience in many facets of the industry, including retail, industrial, office and specific site selection work.
Mr. Tolson is currently a member of the Realtors Commercial Alliance (RCA) and the Retail Brokers Network (RBN). He can be reached at 337-572-0275 or via email at jtolson@stirlingprop.com.
Stirling Properties Stewardship Event Raises Over $40,000
Stirling Olympics
This past Friday, employees and agents of Stirling Properties gathered for the 3rd Annual Stirling Olympics, an event hosted by the Stirling Stewardship Committee to raise money for charitable causes. The event was a HUGE SUCCESS, with over $40,000 raised for charity!
Employees and agents divided into 10 teams with each team choosing their team name, colors, flag, and song. Charities were voted on in the weeks leading up to the event, with ALS Association and Alzheimer’s Association chosen as recipients of this year’s donations. Each of these well-deserving charities was presented with a check for $20,000.
Teams competed in 8 events – Hula Hoop Chain, Bean Bag Toss, Rubber Chicken Toss, Backwards Basketball, Word Scramble, Egg Relay, Pin the Mustache on the Partner and Shopping Cart Relay. Scores were tallied at the end of the day and individual medals were given for each event. Teams were awarded medals for top overall, top fundraising, most team spirit, most creative, and best sportsmanship. Events were judged by Tara Hernandez (JCH Development), Steve Zito (Zito-Russell Architects), Will Boudreaux (Netchex), Steven Serio (Fishman Haygood Phelps Walmsley Willis & Swanson, LLP), and Chip Songy (Former Stirling partner).
The Gold Medal overall went to Team Badditudes…congratulations to Justin Landry, Jeanne Taravella, Samantha Marshall, John Reynolds, Rhonda Creel, Brittany Orr, and Angie McArthur. Congratulations also to Ain’t Life A Beach who earned the Silver Medal – Melissa Serpas, Robin Zemke, Nathan Handmacher, Will Barrois, Ellen McCain, Bill Peitri, Paula Biggs, Jessica Zeringue, Robin Hayles, and Dominick Costanza. Townsend Underhill, Elaine Fullerton, Melinda Brazzel, Lindsey Palmer, Donna Allsup, John Toomey, Michele Wallace, Joe Gardner, Julie Watson and Mark Pinero of Stirling Funk You Up took home the Bronze Medal and Top Fundraising. Most Team Spirit awarded to Snow White & the Funky Dwarfs, Most Creative awarded to Wheelin N Dealin and Best Sportsmanship went to D’Funk Allstars.
At the end of the day, in an effort to raise even more money, the ownership team participated in a Bubble Soccer game versus 10 employees. For each goal the employees scored, the partners had to pay $500 to the Stewardship Committee. 16 goals were scored for a total of $8,000! This additional money will be used by the Stewardship Committee to donate to other charities throughout the year.
A special thanks to the Stirling Stewardship Committee for all their hard work organizing the event and making it happen.
