Stirling Properties Welcomes 1st Northshore Sephora and Announces Updates to River Chase in Covington, Louisiana
Stirling Properties commercial real estate company is pleased to welcome the 1st Sephora to Northshore New Orleans, and announces new updates to River Chase mixed-use development in Covington, Louisiana. 
- The popular national beauty-retail chain, Sephora, will occupy 2,100 square feet inside JCPenney department store. Utilizing a smaller footprint, the retail chain will feature the signature Sephora look and beauty assortment. This will mark the fifth Sephora location in Louisiana, and the first for the Northshore. A grand opening is scheduled for June 17th.
- Pre-leasing opportunities have begun for Phase 1 of the Offices at River Chase, a new Class-A office building that will be located at the southwest corner of Brewster Road and Stirling Blvd. The site is now being cleared, and construction of the first 45,000-square-foot, two-story office building is anticipated to begin in the summer of 2016, with initial tenant occupancies planned for 10 to 12 months later.
- Site work has commenced on the new 36,000-square-foot Rooms-To-Go next to Zoe’s Kitchen. The furniture retailer is relocating from its current store on Hwy. 190 in Covington, and is on track to open in the first quarter of 2017.
- Construction has begun on Springs at River Chase, through a joint venture with Continental Properties. The new 296-unit luxury apartment community will be located at the southwest corner of Interstate 12 and Brewster Road. The property will feature floor plans ranging from studio to three-bedroom, and community amenities will include a clubhouse, resort-style pool, 24-hour fitness center, dog park, attached and detached garages, car care center and a pet spa. The first units will be available in August 2016, with anticipated fully built out completion in first quarter, 2017.
- Plans are also underway for the development of 182 single-family luxury homes, adjacent to Springs at River Chase apartment community, through a joint venture with Southern Lifestyle Development. Phase I will include the completion of 81 luxury homes.
- Salon by InStyle is open inside JCPenney, as part of an exclusive collaboration with the editors of InStyle magazine to reinvent its salons nationwide. The new concept salon features the latest in haircare, styling and products. A grand re-opening was held last week.
- Five Below, a new-to-market bargain retailer, which sells everything for $5 or less, celebrated its grand opening earlier this month. This is one of only three stores located in Louisiana.
River Chase is the premier mixed-use development on the Northshore, located amidst 253 acres of prime interstate property adjacent to the Tchefuncte River, with direct access to Interstate 12 via two interchanges that bound the eastern and western borders of the development and Louisiana Highway 21. The center includes retail, restaurants and entertainment options, as well as a Holiday Inn Express, 14-screen stadium style Regal Cinema and residential apartment units. Additional residential and office developments are coming soon. 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. River Chase continues to be a leading regional shopping and restaurant destination, as well as a vital economic contributor to the region. Additional tenants include John V Salon & Spa, 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, Justice, Lane Bryant, Maurices, Men’s Wearhouse, Michaels, Nevada Bob’s Golf, Oreck Vacuums, Pink & White Nails, Regal Cinemas, River Chase Cleaners, rue 21, Sephora (open July 2016), Shoe Carnival, The Children’s Place, ULTA Beauty, Verizon Wireless, Which Wich and Zoe’s Kitchen. Outparcel tenants include Chick-fil-A, LongHorn Steakhouse, Regions Bank, Taco Bell, Texaco and Wendy’s. “Stirling Properties has been at the forefront of commercial real estate investment and development in St. Tammany Parish and surrounding areas of South Louisiana. We were instrumental in bringing large-scale retailers here,” said Townsend Underhill, Stirling Properties Senior Vice President of Development. “St. Tammany remains one of our most important areas and we are proud to call the parish home to our Corporate Office.” Stirling Properties developed River Chase, with Phase I beginning in 2002, and currently holds the contract for management and leasing of the center. Stirling Properties has developed more than 3.7 million square feet totaling $465 million since 2010, and manages nearly 17 million square feet of property, almost exclusively in Louisiana. Other Stirling Properties management and development projects in St. Tammany Parish include Fremaux Town Center (Slidell), Stirling Slidell, The Crossing (Slidell), Premier Centre (Mandeville) and Northpark Corporate Center (Covington), just to name a few. Stirling Properties was also influential in creating supporting infrastructure, such as the I-12 corridor connecting River Chase and Brewster Road to Hwy. 21 in Covington. For more information, please visit stirlingproperties.com. For information on River Chase, visit river-chase.com. For retail leasing and sales, contact Rhonda Sharkawy at (504) 620-8145 or rsharkawy@stirlingprop.com. For office leasing and sales, contact Ryan Murphy at (985) 246-3771 or rmurphy@stirlingprop.com.
Stirling Properties Commercial Real Estate Agents Among Top Producers At Annual NOMAR CID Awards Ceremony
Stirling Properties commercial real estate agents were honored during the New Orleans Metropolitan Association of Realtors (NOMAR) Commercial Investment Division (CID) 23rd Annual Achievement Awards ceremony, held Friday, April 8th at the Audubon Tea Room.
Chris Abadie, Rhonda Sharkawy, Gaines Seaman
Leading the way was Rhonda Sharkawy, Senior Retail Leasing and Development Executive, with more than $28 million in sales volume for 2015. Sharkawy was inducted into the CID Hall of Fame after having received the prestigious F. Poche Waguespack Award for highest volume of sales and leases in the greater New Orleans area for the last five consecutive years. She is one of only a handful of women to receive this esteemed award since its inception in 1964.
Gaines Seaman, Sales and Leasing Executive, received the Overall Top Landlord Office Lease, Top Tenant Rep Office Lease and the Overall Top Office Producer, with nearly $19 million in production for 2015.
Joe Gardner, Sales and Leasing Executive, Beezie Landry, Senior Investment Sales Advisor, Sharkawy and Seaman were also among Achievement Award recipients, for obtaining total commercial credit sales and leasing in excess of $2.5 million.
The goal of the Commercial Investment Division (CID) Awards is to review and recognize individual achievement among commercial real estate practitioners who are members in good standing of the New Orleans Metropolitan Association (NOMAR) of REALTORS®.
Stirling Properties Awarded Management Contract For Fern Marketplace In Shreveport, Louisiana
Stirling Properties commercial real estate company was recently awarded the management contract for Fern Marketplace in Shreveport, Louisiana. Stirling Properties handles leasing opportunities for the center and will now take on daily management.
Fern Marketplace is a 29-acre retail project anchored by Whole Foods Market, consisting of roughly 275,000 square feet. The shopping center is located at the northeast corner of East 70th Street and Fern Avenue, near the intersection of Youree Drive, which is the most heavily populated corridor of retail and services in Shreveport and Northern Louisiana. National retailers located within one mile of this center include Super Target, Belk, Bed Bath & Beyond, Old Navy, JCPenney, Kohl’s, Dick’s Sporting Goods, Barnes & Noble, Lowe’s, Cost Plus, World Market, T.J.Maxx, and Sam’s Club, just to name a few. The area growth rate, high income level and location will be sure to allow the tenants at Fern Marketplace to experience substantial retail sales. Most of the retailers committed to Fern Marketplace are either first-time locations within Shreveport or Louisiana, or both.
Currently, the only business open at the shopping center is GRUB Burger, which opened in January of this year marking its second Louisiana location. Whole Foods Market is scheduled to open in the Fall of 2016. This will be the sixth Louisiana location for the organic food chain store.
Fern Marketplace Phase I consists of roughly 75,000 square feet and tenants include Grub Burger (now open), Lee Nails (opening Spring 2016), Whole Foods Market (opening Fall 2016) and much of the remaining square footage is in different stages of negotiation with announcements to occur over the coming months. Phase II consists of roughly 200,000 square feet of which various type uses will add to the mix of the first phase.
“We are confident in the future and prosperity of this area. Fern Marketplace is positioned in an excellent location that is experiencing tremendous growth and attracting new retailers,” said Donna Taylor, Stirling Properties Senior Vice President-Asset Management & New Business. “We are happy to continue our long and successful brokerage and property management history in the Shreveport/Bossier City market.”
Stirling Properties has been at the forefront of commercial real estate management, investment and development in Shreveport/Bossier City and surrounding areas of North Louisiana, and is committed to bringing quality development and retailers to the area. At completion, Fern Marketplace is expected to be a premier regional shopping and entertainment destination, as well as a vital economic contributor to the area.
Stirling Properties currently manages almost 17 million square feet of property, with 81 million square feet of property and land for sale or lease, almost exclusively in Louisiana. Other Stirling Properties management and development projects in Shreveport/Bossier City include, Stirling Bossier Shopping Center, Eastgate Shopping Center and Old River Marketplace, just to name a few.
For more information, please visit stirlingprop.com.
For leasing or sales information, contact Rhonda Sharkawy at (504) 620-8145 or rsharkawy@stirlingprop.com. For asset management information, contact Donna Taylor at (985) 898-2022 or dtaylor@stirlingprop.com.
Louisiana State University Takes 3rd Place In Global ARGUS Software University Challenge
Propels national spotlight on growing educational real estate programs
Stirling Properties commercial real estate company is pleased to announce students from Louisiana State University (LSU) E.J. Ourso Business School have placed 3rd in the global 2016 ARGUS Software University Challenge.
For the past several years, ARGUS Software has hosted the competitive challenge for university students from around the world aspiring to be real estate professionals. Through this challenge, students create real-world investment strategies through informed decisions using ARGUS solutions. A panel of judges from the academic community and industry participated in reviewing the case studies and nominating the winners.
More than 40 top real estate programs from national universities participated in the competition. The team from LSU—Jason Wyman, Eddie Saa, Jacob Kerr, Alysha Meadors and Robin Day—was coached by Stirling Properties Asset/Finance Manager, Justin Landry. Landry serves as an adjunct professor teaching Finance 7720 (Commercial Real Estate Investing). This is the 5th year an LSU team has competed in the ARGUS Software Challenge, and marks the 1st time placing under Landry’s leadership.
“Our team is thrilled to have placed among the top three teams in the country, especially among such prestigious schools and highly respected real estate programs,” said Robin Day, 2016 ARGUS Software University participant from LSU. “We were given the invaluable opportunity to learn from real-world scenarios. The challenge was a direct correlation to the types of trials real estate industry professionals encounter on a daily basis. Working as a team from various backgrounds allowed us the chance to share ideas and learn from one another. We created a more robust solution by combining our diverse knowledge bases than any of us could have accomplished individually.”
LSU’s team secured $2,000 for their university through ARGUS Software. In addition, the students were bestowed the 2016 ICSC Maurin Ogden Foundation LSU Scholarship Award, funded by Jimmy Maurin and Roger Ogden, founders of Stirling Properties. Through the scholarship, students will receive all-expense-paid attendance to the ICSC RECon Convention in Las Vegas. Each year Stirling Properties chaperones five LSU Award Recipients to the convention, offering the students valuable exposure to industry leaders and potential employers.
“This scholarship has been tremendously successful, and we’ve had a handful of students who received jobs as a result of attending the conference. But none of this would be possible without the generosity of Stirling’s founders, Jimmy Maurin and Roger Ogden. There are no two people more committed to LSU, real estate and education,” said Landry. “We couldn’t be more proud of this team of students. They have worked so hard for all that they have accomplished this semester.”
Coming on the heels of other recent LSU E.J. Ourso Business School advancements, this is another significant win that students and supporters hope will propel a national spotlight on the growing finance and real estate programs at the university.
For more information about Finance 7720 (Commercial Real Estate Investing) and its objectives contact Justin Landry at jclandry@stirlingprop.com.
Stirling Properties is located at United Plaza, 8550 United Plaza Boulevard, Suite 303 in Baton Rouge, Louisiana. For more information regarding our services, please visit us at www.stirlingproperties.com.
Stirling Properties and CBL & Associates Properties, Inc. Celebrate Grand Opening Of Ambassador Town Center In Lafayette, Louisiana
Stirling Properties and CBL & Associates Properties, Inc. celebrated the Grand Opening of Ambassador Town Center today. A formal ribbon cutting ceremony was held with City-Parish President Joel Robideaux, Former City-Parish President Joey Durel, LEDA President & CEO Gregg Gothreaux, and Lafayette area community leaders.
Joey Durel, Gregg Gothreaux, Jason El Koubi, Joel Robideaux, Ryan Pecot, Marty Mayer
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 will also include 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, Marshalls/HomeGoods, Nordstrom Rack, Off Broadway Shoes, Panda Express, Panera Bread, PetSmart, Phone Zone, Professor Bob Beans, Red Robin, Subway, Tao Japanese Cuisine, World of Beer, Verizon, and more supporting shops and restaurants to come. The retail center is currently 97% leased. Most of the retailers committed to Ambassador Town Center are either first-time locations within Lafayette or Louisiana, or both.
“We are excited to celebrate the grand opening of Ambassador Town Center and bring a unique customer experience to the Lafayette market,” said Michael Lebovitz, Executive Vice President, Development and Administration, CBL & Associates Properties, Inc. “This development brings a number of exciting retail and restaurant options, most of which are new to the market.”
“We are confident in the future and prosperity of this area. Ambassador Town Center is positioned in an excellent location that is experiencing tremendous growth and attracting new retailers,” said Townsend Underhill, Stirling Properties Senior Vice President of Development. “We are happy to continue our long and successful development history in the City of Lafayette.”
Ambassador Town Center has already created approximately 2,200 construction jobs, and is expected to generate roughly 1,700 permanent jobs and nearly $9 million annually in estimated sales tax collection, providing a huge boost for the local market.
Stirling Properties and CBL & Associates Properties, Inc. formed a joint venture to develop the center, and with less than two years of planning, construction began in January of 2015. Though not initially contracted to develop the highly anticipated retail center, Stirling Properties and CBL were able to adapt and deliver the project in an exceptionally timely manner when previous developers could not. The first tenant, Nordstrom Rack, opened earlier this month to significant crowds despite fierce weather conditions. Costco Wholesale and Marshalls/HomeGoods opened last Thursday, and more tenants are expected to open their doors within the week.
Stirling Properties has been at the forefront of commercial real estate investment and development in Lafayette and surrounding areas of South Louisiana. At a time when the local economy is fragile, Stirling Properties is bringing quality development and retailers to the area. 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.
Stirling Properties has developed more than 3.7 million square feet totaling $465 million since 2010, almost exclusively in Louisiana. Other Stirling Properties developments in Lafayette include Ambassador Row, Ambassador Row Courtyards, Stirling Lafayette and Village at Southpark, just to name a few.
For more information, please visit stirlingprop.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 Celebrates Team Members At Annual Stirling Honors Event
Stirling Properties commercial real estate company recently celebrated its 17th Annual Stirling Honors to recognize the successes and accomplishments of the Stirling Team over the past year. The Stirling Honors luncheon was held at the beautiful Civic Theatre in New Orleans. A Commercial Celebration Dinner was also held to honor Commercial Agents and to grant Commercial Production Awards at the Hotel Monteleone in New Orleans. 
Although fierce weather conditions engulfed the area, Stirling employees were treated to a day of fellowship, food and festivities. A flash-mob dance troupe from Dancing Grounds kicked off the morning with high-energy and excitement. Sonny Lee, Founder and President of Son of a Saint nonprofit organization, delivered the keynote speech and renowned New Orleans musicians, Tanya & Dorise, closed out the event. Marty Mayer, Stirling Properties President & CEO, served as the event host and emcee, and discussed the importance of seizing opportunities within the industry. OPPORTUNITY remained the overarching theme of the day, inspired by the famous quote from basketball coaching legend, John Wooden: “When opportunity comes, it’s too late to prepare.” 
Commercial Award recipients received recognition for Bronze, Silver, Platinum, Diamond and Ruby production levels based on individual Adjusted Gross Commission figures for 2015. Special recognition was given to Rhonda Sharkawy, Senior Retail Leasing and Development Executive in New Orleans, for being the Top Commercial Agent in 2015!
COMMERCIAL DIVISION AWARDS
Ruby Award 2015:
Emerald Award 2015:
Diamond Award 2015:
Platinum Award 2015:
Gold Award 2015:
Silver Award 2015:
Bronze Award 2015:
Also recognized were employees and agents who achieved special anniversaries with the company. Service Awards were given to 5, 10, 15 and 20-year milestones.
SERVICE AWARDS
5 Years of Service Ed Moore – Covington, LA Office Ryan Murphy – Covington, LA Office John Reynolds – Covington, LA Office Mike Washburn – Covington, LA Office Jimmy Gomez – New Orleans, LA Office Gregory Gautreaux – New Orleans, LA Office Nancy Rome – New Orleans, LA Office Joseph Kimble – New Orleans, LA Office Solomon Lewis – New Orleans, LA Office 10 Years of Service Marcia McGarrity – Covington, LA Office Laura Wallace – Covington, LA Office Dick Cyr – Covington, LA Office 15 Years of Service Lynn Blanchard – Baton Rouge, LA Office Tina Crouchet – Covington, LA Office Chris Abadie – Covington, LA Office Elizabeth Schmelling – Covington, LA Office Beezie Landry – Covington, LA Office Nancy Stallings Dischler – Covington, LA Office 20 Years of Service Lee de la Houssaye – Covington, LA Office
