Forward New Orleans Coalition Releases Final Municipal Progress Report
Forward New Orleans (FNO) is a broad coalition of 25 civic, neighborhood, and business organizations. The group is tasked with creating an issues-based platform designed to educate voters and engage candidates for mayor and city council in seeking to identify and implement best practices that will improve opportunities and the quality of life for the people of New Orleans.
The coalition secured dozens of pledges from Mayor Mitch Landrieu and New Orleans City Council members more than three years ago around a long list of important goals for the city’s civic life. This week, it issued a scorecard showing that city officials have lived up to more than half of their promises and are making progress on most of the rest. Of the 102 objectives listed for the candidates in 2014, the winners have fully met or are deemed highly likely to meet 54. Another 44 are in the works, while four were listed as unfulfilled.
The final report measures performance and progress in 11 different categories, including criminal justice and law enforcement, city finance, blight removal, economic development, and infrastructure. It highlights successes, such as NOPD’s use of advanced technology to help increase public safety and officer efficiency, teamwork between the Department of Public Works and Sewerage and Water Board to track a $2.4 billion infrastructure improvement plan through the interactive roadwork.nola.gov website, and renewed focus on economic opportunities for small and disadvantaged businesses. But the coalition is also clear in its call for additional progress toward curbing violent crime, coordinating criminal justice agency resources, and implementing civil service reforms.
Click here to view an interview with FNO representatives on WWL-TV.
“Clearly, overall progress has been made, and a solid foundation has been laid on many fronts,” said Gregory Rusovich, Past Chair of the Business Council of New Orleans and the River Region and a Forward New Orleans coalition representative. “This progress is the result of a resilient and tenacious citizenry partnering with committed and dedicated political leadership.”
The report issued this week marks the group’s final scorecard for the current political cycle, as New Orleanians will be choosing a new mayor and council in October. Forward New Orleans will create a new agenda for the next four years. Stirling Properties’ President & CEO, Marty Mayer, will be participating on the task force to compile the new plan.
Forward New Orleans coalition members include Business Council of New Orleans and the River Region, Regional Black Chamber of Commerce, Broadmoor Civic Association, New Orleans Chamber of Commerce, Urban League of Louisiana, New Orleans Police and Justice Foundation, GNO, Inc. and the Young Leadership Council, among others.
Stirling Properties hires Amanda Goldman as Sales and Leasing Executive
Stirling Properties commercial real estate company is pleased to announce Amanda Goldman as Sales and Leasing Executive for its Commercial Brokerage Division in Alabama. Goldman will work from the company’s Mobile office located at One St. Louis Centre, 1 St. Louis Street, Suite 4100.
Goldman has been active in real estate in Alabama for five years. She is a candidate for the designation of Certified Commercial Investment Member (CCIM).
Following 11 years of service in the United States Air Force, Goldman has spent more than 30 years in sales, developing an expertise in working with both national and local businesses and providing quality service.
Current affiliations include membership in the CCIM, as well as the Alabama Chapter of CCIM, and the National Association of Realtors (NAR). A native of Manhattan, New York, Amanda currently resides in Daphne, Alabama, and has three grown daughters.
Amanda Goldman can be reached at (251) 375-2490 or agoldman@stirlingprop.com.
Stirling Properties is located at One St. Louis Centre, 1 St. Louis Street, Suite 4100 in Mobile, Alabama. For more information regarding our services, please visit us at stirlingprop.com.
Stirling Properties Announces New Tenants At Fern Marketplace in Shreveport
Stirling Properties commercial real estate company is pleased to announce new tenants at Fern Marketplace in Shreveport, Louisiana.
- At Home, the home décor superstore, has purchased 8.16 acres of land to build a 108,931-square-foot retail store. Construction is scheduled to commence by the end of the month with plans to open in the 4th quarter of 2017.
- La Madeleine Country French Café has purchased a 1.18-acre tract of land to develop a 7,500-square-foot free-standing restaurant location. Plans are to open in the fall of 2017.
Stirling Properties’ Senior Retail Leasing & Development Executive, Rhonda Sharkawy, was involved in both transactions on behalf of the Seller.
Previously announced tenant, The Halal Guys, is still on track to open in late March of this year, and Orangetheory Fitness plans to open in early April.
Fern Marketplace is a 14-acre retail development anchored by Whole Foods Market, consisting of roughly 200,000 square feet. The shopping center is located at the northeast corner of East 70th Street and Fern Avenue, near the intersection of Youree Drive. Tenants include At Home (opening 4Q 2017), Grub Burger, La Madeleine (opening Fall 2017), Lee Nails, Orangetheory Fitness (opening April 2017), The Halal Guys (opening March 2017), and Whole Foods Market. Most of these retailers committed to Fern Marketplace are either first-time locations within Shreveport or Louisiana, or both. 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 handles management and leasing for the Center.
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.
New Orleans is returning to the global stage
Last week, I had the pleasure of attending GNO, Inc.’s annual meeting appropriately themed “GNO Global.” The event focused on the reflection of New Orleans’s “global past, present progress, and world-class future.”
New Orleans was once the most diverse city in the country—the largest in the South—and served as a premier export metropolis. But during the course of history, we have become eclipsed by other major cities competing for the global spotlight. GNO, Inc. illustrates how the Crescent City is triumphing and coming back brighter than ever as a true global leader.
As we approach the 300th anniversary of the City of New Orleans, there is much to be proud of. From new international flights to workforce development and tourism growth to public policy reform, our region has recently celebrated many significant accomplishments.
Stirling Properties is pleased to be a continued supporter of economic development in New Orleans and the entire Gulf South region. We look forward to many more successes in the years to come as New Orleans re-establishes itself as a major economic partner.
Check out this video with Professor Richard Campanella, Historical Geographer and Author from Tulane University, that showcases New Orleans’s unique global history:
To view the video in its entirety, please click here.
Marty Mayer
Past Chair Emeritus, GNO, Inc.
President’s Message: The Year of Possibility!
Last year, around this time, I wrote a message about being prepared during times of uncertainty. Little did I know then how prophetic those words would really be during 2016. And now, as we cautiously welcome 2017, we face even greater uncertainty in our industry—and the country as a whole. So, being prepared is even more critical today than it was a year ago.
As we look back on 2016, we have faced many challenges. We’ve weathered an unstable economy, low oil prices, and community unrest. We lost a beloved Stirling Properties employee. We experienced unprecedented flooding in our region that killed 13 people and destroyed tens of thousands of homes and businesses. Several of our own retail centers and multi-family properties in Southeast Louisiana were significantly damaged. But, through it all, we have persevered.
Amidst all of the trials, Stirling Properties has made significant progress during the last year as we continue to grow and build on the comprehensive services and value that we bring to our clients and communities across the Gulf South region.
In 2016:
- We, along with partners CBL & Associates Properties, Inc., celebrated the grand opening of Ambassador Town Center, a 430,000-square-foot retail center in Lafayette, Louisiana. It was 100% leased within 6 months of development! Anchor tenants include Costco Wholesale, Dick’s Sporting Goods/Field & Stream, and Nordstrom Rack.
- We completed the development of Stirling Bossier—the last of 6 planned phases—in Shreveport. The 682,000-square-foot hybrid retail center is now 100% leased. Anchor tenants include Academy Sports + Outdoors, Target, Bed Bath & Beyond, Best Buy and ULTA Beauty.
- We broke ground on the new Offices at River Chase in Covington and announced the 1st tenant, Duplantis Design Group, PC. We also announced that Walk-On’s Bistreaux & Bar will be joining the River Chase mixed-use development later this year.
- We welcomed Whole Foods Market to Premier Centre in Mandeville, Louisiana, marking the 1st Northshore location for the popular upscale grocer. Whole Foods Market, along with Forever 21 Red, re-tenanted the space occupied by the former Albertson’s grocery store.
- We announced the development of a new mixed-use medical facility in LaPlace, Louisiana. Phase I of this development includes a lease to Ochsner Clinic Foundation for a roughly 20,000-square-foot freestanding emergency room and diagnostic center that is scheduled to open in the summer of 2017. This is just the beginning of our planned diversification strategy into healthcare.
- After many years of discussion, we announced The Home Depot is joining the tenant line-up at Hammond Square. This is the first location for The Home Depot in Tangipahoa Parish. Construction commenced late last year and the store plans to open by late 2017.
- We transformed the 1st floor of the Pan American Life Center in New Orleans and secured retail options such as Starbucks and Tsunami. We also welcomed Morris Bart Attorneys At Law to the center.
- We relocated our New Orleans office to the Pan American Life Center. This move is more representative of Stirling Properties’ future than just a new office. It demonstrates our unwavering commitment to the city, the region, and to the future, as we continue to build our brand.
In difficult circumstances, preparation and leadership are vital to an organization. Over the past year, I have witnessed first-hand how well our Stirling Properties team can come together to respond to crisis and uncertainty. What we have successfully overcome—and achieved!—this year, gives me the utmost confidence in our leaders and employees moving forward.
The financial market, unemployment, tax reform, a new Presidential administration—you name it—there’s still much uncertainty in the year ahead. There’s a lot of unknowns and “what if’s.” But as the saying goes, “When nothing is sure, anything is possible.”
With that in mind, Stirling Properties is embracing the unknown, thinking towards possibilities. We have a lot of exciting things in the pipeline for 2017. We’ve laid out some lofty goals for the year ahead. We will continue to diversify our services, explore new areas of growth, and expand our client base.
Who knows what obstacles we may face, but I know we have the right team in place to succeed. As we embark upon the unknown, I am more confident than ever that we are prepared to take advantage of any, and all, opportunities that may come our way.
So, let’s celebrate a year of uncertainty and infinite possibility!
‘Tis the Season For Giving
For the 5th year, Stirling Properties has participated in the Volunteers of America Christmas Wish project. Employees and agents donated Christmas gifts, food baskets and other essential items to local families across our Gulf South region.
Volunteers of America helps more than 2 million people every year in over 400 communities. The annual Christmas Wish Project helps bring joy and holiday cheer to families and individuals who might not have a Christmas at all. Through Volunteers of America, participating families submit three “wish list” gift items for each individual. Stirling Properties and employees were able to fill every single wish! In all, close to 30 families and more than 49 children, adults and seniors received Christmas gifts. Additionally, each family received a food basket with tasty treats for the holiday season.
Stirling Properties’ Stewardship Committee organized the company-wide event by partnering with Volunteers of America in Greater New Orleans, Greater Baton Rouge, Northwest Louisiana and the Southeast to serve the New Orleans Northshore and Southshore, Baton Rouge, Lafayette, Shreveport-Bossier City and Mobile communities.
In addition to donating to the Christmas Wish Project, Stirling Properties hosted the second annual Northpark Christmas Bazaar, Bake Sale and Raffle on Friday, November 18th. Local vendors, as well as employees of the Northpark office complex sold crafts, jewelry, ornaments, books, beauty products and many other great gift items.
The Bake Sale and Raffle raised nearly $2,000, which was donated in full to Volunteers of America’s Greater New Orleans’ Christmas Family Program!
Participating in this project is always a great reminder of the true spirit of the Holiday Season – giving and generosity. Stirling Properties is committed to supporting the communities where we live and work, and we will continue to support local nonprofits, community groups and charitable organizations throughout the year and beyond.
Thank you to all of the vendors, donors and shoppers who made this project a huge success. You are all on Santa’s nice list! We hope to see you next year.
For more information about Stirling’s Stewardship Committee, please visit our website or contact us by email at stewardship@stirlingprop.com.
