New Orleans: A City of Possibility

A recent email from Michael Hecht, CEO of GNO Inc., highlighted another positive ranking for New Orleans.  The city was named as one of the Top 20 “Cities of Possibility” in the World in Good magazine’s new “Good City Index”. To create this list of global “cities they are betting on,” the magazine looked at a combination of factors: …

National Poll Shows Overwhelming Support for Online Sales Tax Collection at Time of Purchase

As a follow-up to one of my previous President’s Messages about the Marketplace Fairness Act, I wanted to comment about a recently conducted national poll by the International Council of Shopping Centers (ICSC). The results of the poll show that the majority of American consumers (64%) are aware that they are required to pay state …

President’s Message: It’s a New Day in New Orleans!

Last week, we celebrated the Grand Opening of Mid-City Market in New Orleans.  This Winn-Dixie anchored, urban shopping center is a milestone for Stirling Properties, as it’s our largest ground-up shopping center development in the City of New Orleans in our company’s 37 year history!  It also represents one of the most significant retail developments …

Mobile, Alabama Garners International Attention

I wanted to share this article from Mobile’s Press-Register, “Mobile Chamber President: Area Must Capitalize on ‘Great Window of Opportunity’ after 2013 Paris Air Show,” that highlights how Mobile is now seen internationally as a new center for aviation and aerospace. It is a great article about the surging Mobile, Alabama market and it underscores …

Louisiana Tops Nation for Most Engaged Workers

There is not only a very interesting, but very important article about a Gallup study which was recently published. Louisiana ranked #1 in the nation for states whose workers were most engaged in their jobs – meaning they are inolved in and enthusiastic about their work.  Not only is this a feel-good story, but it …

President’s Message: What Happens in Vegas Doesn’t Stay in Vegas!

Last month’s International Council of Shopping Center’s (ICSC’s) RECon 2013 in Las Vegas was very encouraging.  Overall attendance for the retail real estate industry’s biggest annual global event was over 35,000, a 10 percent increase from 2012 and a post-Recession record.  Attendees and exhibitors, including retailers, developers, lenders and brokers, expressed optimism about the health …

Forbes ranks New Orleans #3 for Information Technology Jobs

In a recent Forbes article, “The Cities Winning the Battle for Information Jobs,” author and researcher Joel Kotkin ranks Greater New Orleans as #3 in the USA, behind only technology heavyweights Silicon Valley and San Francisco. In the article, he states “Perhaps the most dramatic player is third-place New Orleans-Metairie-Kenner, where information employment is up …

Marketplace Fairness Act Passes Senate

After many years of campaigning by ICSC and other trade organizations, the U.S. Senate voted 69 to 27 yesterday to approve S. 743, “The Marketplace Fairness Act of 2013,” moving the legislation one step closer to enactment.  As I mentioned in my recent President’s Message, the passage of this bill is critical to the Commercial Real …

President’s Message: Wouldn’t it be nice if all taxes were “voluntary”?

Typically, I steer clear of any politically-charged issue in my President’s Messages, but there is a bill currently pending in the Senate that falls into the “just plain common sense” category.  The Marketplace Fairness Act deals with the problem of uncollected sales taxes from the sales of internet retailers that do not have a physical presence in the state in which …