National Association of Realtors (NAR) Names Stirling Properties’ Beth Cristina as Commercial Committee Vice Chair
Stirling Properties’ Senior Broker Associate, Beth Cristina, ALC, has been selected as the 2017 Commercial Committee Vice Chair for the National Association of Realtors (NAR). She will assume the position on January 1st, 2017.
Each year, the incoming NAR president-elect appoints vice chairs to help lead and guide the 1.2 million-member association. Their role is to navigate issues that matter to realtors and home owners, such as economic forces, demographic shifts, and technological innovations that are reshaping the $3.3 trillion residential and commercial real estate industry.
“I am confident and qualified, and bring the right credentials to the job. Having served on NAR commercial committees since 2004, I’m comfortable in the trenches,” said Cristina. “I believe the work of the volunteer leadership team is crucial to the future of our industry. Commercial real estate is consistently changing, and I’m looking forward to leading a committee that will help our members and clients to be successful.”
Ms. Cristina has over thirty-six 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.
The National Association of Realtors is America’s largest trade association, representing over 1.2 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.
Beth Cristina can be reached at (504) 620-8127 or bcristina@stirlingprop.com.
Stirling Properties Names Carly Plotkin as Sales and Leasing Executive
Stirling Properties commercial real estate company is pleased to announce Carly Plotkin as Sales and Leasing Executive for its Commercial Brokerage Division. She will work from the company’s New Orleans office located in the Pan-American Life Center at 601 Poydras Street, Suite 2755.
Plotkin has extensive knowledge in the commercial real estate industry, with a primary focus on tenant and landlord representation, and a strong interest in the retail and hospitality market. She has worked with national, regional, and local clients in both marketing and leasing capacities.
Previously, Plotkin worked with The Howard Hughes Corporation, where she led local marketing and development efforts for the overhaul of the former Riverwalk Marketplace into the nation’s first downtown outlet center, The Outlet Collection at Riverwalk in New Orleans.
Prior to that, she served as Marketing Manager at the historic Hotel Monteleone and headed marketing efforts for projects such as the hotel’s 125th Anniversary, and The Carousel Bar & Lounge redesign and reopening.
A native of Winter Park, Florida, Plotkin is a graduate of Tulane University with a Bachelor’s degree in Consumer Behavior/Marketing and Management. She obtained her real estate license in 2015.
Plotkin is a member of the International Council of Shopping Centers (ICSC) and currently holds the role of ICSC’s Next Generation Committee Chair for the state of Louisiana. She is also a member of the Retail Broker’s Network (RBN) and NOMAR CID (New Orleans Metropolitan Association of Realtors Commercial Investment Division). Plotkin is affiliated with several nonprofit organizations, including Loyola University Executive Mentor Program, Cystic Fibrosis Foundation, Ochsner Cancer Institute and French Quarter Festival, Inc. Most recently, she was accepted into the Anti-Defamation League’s 2016-2017 Glass Leadership Institute program.
Carly Plotkin can be reached at (504) 620-8120 or cplotkin@stirlingprop.com.
Stirling Properties and Dorsey Development Announce New Tenants At Gentilly Retail Center In New Orleans
Stirling Properties and Dorsey Development announce new retail and restaurant tenants at the newly developed Gentilly Retail Center in New Orleans, Louisiana.
- Dollar Tree, a popular discount retail chain that sells items for $1 or less, will occupy 10,000 square feet.
- rue21 specialty discount retailer of young men and women’s casual apparel and accessories will occupy 6,917 square feet.
- Footaction national athletic footwear and apparel retailer will occupy 4,847 square feet.
- Kids Footlocker, offering kids shoes and clothing, will occupy 3,500 square feet.
- LA Nails and Hair Spa will occupy 2,368 square feet.
- WingStop, aviation-themed restaurant with a focus on chicken wings, will occupy 1,800 square feet.
All of the listed tenants are expected to open in early September of 2016.
Gentilly Retail Center is a newly developed retail strip center located at 4242 Chef Menteur Highway in the Gentilly neighborhood of New Orleans East, near Walgreens and the recently opened Walmart Supercenter. The surrounding commercial corridor is supported by one of the oldest suburban residential areas in Orleans Parish, Gentilly Woods, as well as Pontchartrain Park and the Baptist Seminary. The development project is currently underway and is expected to be completed by early September of 2016.
“We are eagerly anticipating the completion of Gentilly Retail Center. With such a great mix of tenants, we expect it to be a prominent shopping destination, as well as vital economic contributor to the area’” said Paul Dorsey, III, owner of Dorsey Development.
Dorsey Development is the property owner and developer. Dorsey Development is an integrated (development & construction) commercial real estate company located in New Orleans doing business in the Gulf South—having developed over 1.2 million square feet of retail for national retailers such as: Dollar General, Langenstein’s, Planet Fitness, Whitney Bank, Sav-A-Lot, Stage, Cato Corporation, Shoe Show, Napa Auto Parts, Citi Trends, Subway, Pizza Hut and others.
Dorsey purchased the property in 2015 from Lanasa Center Inc., represented by broker Jennifer Lanasa Evans of JLE & Associates.
Stirling Properties Sales and Leasing Executive, Joe Gardner, worked with Dorsey Development to bring the tenancy together, and the shopping center to life.
“Stirling Properties is proud to work with Dorsey Development in bringing quality restaurant and retail tenants to Gentilly Retail Center, and this growing marketplace. It’s been exciting to watch it all come together,” said Gardner. “We look forward to perpetuating and providing greater shopping and dining options for the area in the future.”
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 currently has more than 99 million square feet of property and land for sale or lease. Other Stirling Properties management and development projects in New Orleans include, Mid-City Market, Magnolia Marketplace, River Commons and Pan American Life Center, just to name a few.
For leasing information, contact Joe Gardner at jgardner@stirlingprop.com or (504) 620-8140.
Stirling Properties Names Mike Bucher Vice President Of Development
Stirling Properties commercial real estate company is pleased to announce Mike Bucher has been promoted from Development Director to Vice President of Development. Bucher will manage and lead the company’s new office location at the Pan American Life Center in New Orleans.
Bucher joined Stirling Properties in 2014 as Development Director, responsible for leading new and ongoing development projects, including ground-up development, redevelopment and joint ventures as part of the company’s initiative to expand its services across the Gulf South. In addition to these responsibilities, Bucher will also be tasked with new business development, specifically focused on the New Orleans market. He will assume the role of lead point of contact for all New Orleans commerce.
“New Orleans continues to be one of our most important areas for commercial real estate management, development, brokerage, and investment, and we look forward to expanding our presence in this market,” said Bucher. “We are well situated to focus on growing our business by offering our full range of services out of the new Pan Am office, and our central location will make it easier for us to recruit and retain the best talent New Orleans has to offer.”
“Mike has been a great leader and an integral part of Stirling Properties’ growth, and we are proud to announce his promotion,” said Marty Mayer, President & CEO of Stirling Properties. “We recently expanded into a larger space at the Pan American Life Center in New Orleans’ CBD, and we are excited to have Mike at the helm of this new venture.”
Prior to joining Stirling Properties, Bucher was a Development Associate at Federal Realty Investment Trust in Boston, MA, where he was primarily responsible for the project management and financial analysis for Assembly Row, the Trust’s 5-million-square-foot, mixed-use development in Somerville, MA. Bucher managed the planning and underwriting of the project, including 325K square feet of nationally-branded retail, 100K square feet of Class-A office space, and a joint venture partnership that built 450 market-rate apartment units.
Bucher holds a Bachelor of Science in Business Administration from Villanova University, and a Master of Business Administration from the University of Virginia’s Darden School of Business, with specializations in corporate finance and investment banking. He is an active member of the National Association of Office and Industrial Properties (NAIOP), the Urban Land Institute (ULI), and the International Council of Shopping Centers (ICSC), for which he was a member of the Centerbuild “20 Under 40” inaugural class of 2013.
Mike Bucher can be reached at (504) 523-4481 or mbucher@stirlingprop.com.
Stirling Properties Relocates New Orleans Office To Pan American Life Center
Stirling Properties commercial real estate company is pleased to announce the relocation of its New Orleans office to the Pan American Life Center at 601 Poydras Street in New Orleans, Louisiana.
The company has moved from its former location at 615 Baronne Street—where Stirling Properties has been located for the past 25 years—and combined more than 30 employees, commercial brokers, and building management staff into one central office. Stirling Properties occupies more than 6,700 square feet of office space on the 27th floor of the Pan American Life Center.
“Stirling Properties is committed to the greater New Orleans area and business community, and we are expanding our presence in the market. New Orleans continues to be one of our most important areas for commercial real estate management, development, brokerage, and investment,” said Mike Bucher, Stirling Properties Vice President of Development. “Our new location will enable us to better focus on new business, as well as position us to recruit and retain the best talent New Orleans has to offer.”
“As part of Stirling Properties’ growth strategy, we are expanding into a larger space, located in the heart of the city—in a building that Stirling owns. It just makes sense,” said Marty Mayer, Stirling Properties President & CEO.
Stirling Properties acquired the Pan American Life Center in 2010, and currently manages the property. Earlier this year, plans ensued to transform the building into a mixed-use office and retail space, housing tenants such as Starbucks, Tsunami Sushi and Morris Bart, with additional occupants in the works.
For more information, visit stirlingproperties.com.
Starbucks Open At Pan American Life Center In New Orleans
Stirling Properties commercial real estate company welcomes Starbucks to the Pan American Life Center located at 601 Poydras Street in New Orleans’ Central Business District. A soft opening will be held today, and the coffee franchise will be officially brewing for the weekend.
Stirling Properties acquired the Pan American Life Center in 2010 as part of its expanding portfolio in the New Orleans market. A plan to convert the first floor to retail and restaurant space with more exterior exposure commenced late last year, and the build-out work was completed back in March.
Other tenants on track to join Starbucks on the ground level include Tsunami Sushi (opening late-summer of 2016) and Morris Bart concierge service. Additional retail space is available for lease.
For leasing information, please contact Rhonda Sharkawy, Stirling Properties Senior Retail Leasing and Development Executive, at rsharkawy@stirlingprop.com or (504) 620-8145. For office information, contact Gaines Seaman, Stirling Properties Sales and Leasing Executive, at gseaman@stirlingprop.com or (985) 620-8187.
