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
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 Bradley Cook as Sales and Leasing Executive
Stirling Properties commercial real estate company is pleased to announce Bradley Cook as Sales and Leasing Executive for its Commercial Brokerage Division. He will work from the company’s Covington office located at 109 Northpark Boulevard, Suite 300.
Bradley Cook joined Stirling Properties in 2016 as a Sales and Leasing Executive in the Commercial Brokerage Division. He has extensive experience in the commercial real estate industry, with a focus on industrial and investment properties, urban core redevelopment, as well as land development.
Previously, Bradley worked as an Associate Advisor for AREA Real Estate Advisors where he garnered knowledge and skills in sales, acquisitions, development, tenant and landlord representation, and buyer and seller representation. In this role, he created urban core redevelopment opportunities, and led the charge to promote an 8-million-square-foot ground-up industrial development in Parkville, Missouri.
Prior to his commercial real estate career, he was the Fitness Director for Franco’s Athletic Club, the Program Development Director for Spectrum Health and Fitness, as well as Cardiology Account Executive for GE Healthcare, covering more than 200 accounts across the Southeast. Cook was pivotal in the growth and expansion of Franco’s Athletic Club through their locations on Magazine St. and the new CrossFit Franco’s, which holds Louisiana’s first Reebok CrossFit retail location.
Born in New Orleans and a resident of the Northshore, Bradley earned his Bachelor’s degree and Master of Science degree from Louisiana Tech University. He holds multiple health and fitness certificates in the Exercise Sciences, as well as a lay counselor certificate that enables him to work with men and women in the areas of self-identity and relationships. He is a strong local advocate for the special needs community on the Northshore having started the iCAN Fitness Program at Franco’s Athletic Club and serving on the Board for The Zac Slay Experience.
Cook holds a commercial real estate license in Missouri, Kansas and Louisiana and is a CCIM Candidate.
Bradley Cook can be reached at (225) 505-6009 or bcook@stirlingprop.com.
Stirling Properties and CBL and Associates Properties, Inc. Install Public Walking Trail at Ambassador Town Center in Lafayette
Ambassador Town Center developers, Stirling Properties and CBL & Associates Properties, Inc., are pleased to announce the installation of a public walking/jogging trail for the surrounding community.
The new outdoor path borders the 12-acre retention pond located behind Costco Wholesale, which was dedicated to the City of Lafayette as a public greenspace. Roughly ¾ mile, the trail was installed as a municipal amenity along the top of the pond, and was landscaped similar to how river levees are used throughout the state. New fountains were also added to enhance the outdoor space. Additionally, the new trail can be combined with adjacent Beaullieu Park via sidewalk along the recently constructed Lake Farm Drive, offering an interconnected exercise and leisure opportunity. The walking/jogging path is free and open for public use.
“Stirling Properties is committed to the Lafayette community. Our hope is that Ambassador Town Center will become more than just a retail center, we want it to be a true community center,” said Townsend Underhill, Stirling Properties Senior Vice President of Development. “The addition of the walking trail will not only enhance the aesthetics of the area, but will provide local residents and shoppers with a great place to exercise and get some fresh air.”
Ambassador Town Center is a roughly 60-acre retail project anchored by Costco Wholesale and Dick’s Sporting Goods/Field & Stream, consisting of more than 430,000 square feet. Located at the southeast corner of Lafayette’s ‘main-at-main’ intersection, Ambassador Caffery Parkway & Kaliste Saloom Road, the development also includes Avalon Salon & Spa, BJ’s Restaurant & Brewhouse, Blaze Pizza, Chuy’s Mexican Restaurant, Costco Gasoline, Dickey’s Barbecue Pit, Five Below, Freddy’s Frozen Custard & Steakburgers, Half Shell Oyster House, Just 4 Him Men’s Haircut Lounge, Marshalls/HomeGoods, Nordstrom Rack, Off Broadway Shoes, Panda Express, Panera Bread, PetSmart, Phone Zone, Professor Bob Beans Coffee Bar & Ice Cream Lab, Red Robin, Subway, Tao Asian Cuisine, World of Beer, Verizon, and more supporting shops and restaurants to come. Most of the retailers committed to Ambassador Town Center are either first-time locations within Lafayette or Louisiana, or both. At completion, Ambassador Town Center is expected to be the premier regional shopping and entertainment destination, as well as a vital economic contributor to the area.
For more information, please visit stirlingproperties.com or cblproperties.com.
For leasing information, contact Ryan Pecot at 337.572.0246 or rpecot@stirlingprop.com or Tim Gilmore at 423.490.8358 or Tim.Gilmore@cblproperties.com. For information on Ambassador Town Center, please visit ambassadortowncenter.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.
Change in Management and Leasing of Perkins Rowe In Baton Rouge, Louisiana
Stirling Properties announces that Texas-based Trademark Property has purchased a minority ownership interest in Perkins Rowe mixed-use retail center in Baton Rouge, Louisiana, and will be taking on daily management and leasing of the property effective August 1, 2016.
Trademark will be joining Crawfish LLC in the ownership of the high-profile property. Trademark is a full-service real estate firm focused on investments, development and institutional services of experiential, mixed-use and daily needs properties, and will be bringing services of Perkins Rowe in-house.
Stirling Properties currently holds the contract for leasing, sales, and property and construction management services at the center and will be transitioning daily responsibilities to Trademark.
Stirling Properties has managed Perkins Rowe since 2013 and is credited with bringing the property to its full potential. Plagued by a challenging history of financial, legal and construction challenges, Perkins Rowe today is a one-of-a-kind community, shopping and residential center. Stirling Properties successfully increased retail occupancy to nearly 90% and office occupancy remains high at nearly 100%. Property apartments and condominiums are complete and in commerce, and all litigation issues have been resolved. Perkins Rowe is now a leading destination in the metro Baton Rouge area. No other property offers the convenience of living, shopping, eating, and entertainment, without ever getting in your car.
“Our goal was to turn the property around and achieve a positive return on investment for the ownership group. We are extremely excited about where Perkins Rowe is today, and believe this is a great place to turn over management,” said Donna Taylor, Senior VP of Asset Management & New Business Development with Stirling Properties. “We’ve committed a tremendous amount of time and resources to this project—along with the ownership’s financial commitment—to ensure that Perkins Rowe would shine as the premier up-scale mixed-use project it was originally envisioned to be.”
Perkins Rowe is a roughly 710,000-square-foot premier mixed-use retail, office and residential development located at the corner of Perkins Road and Bluebonnet Boulevard in Baton Rouge, Louisiana. Opened in 2007, Perkins Rowe is a strong mix of retail brands and soft goods retail stores, entertainment venues and restaurants.
