Never Cross the Streams, It Would Be Bad
Just as with proton streams when battling apparitions, banshees, phantoms or poltergeists, you don’t ever want to cross your store’s wifi with your public wifi.
What’s the issue? We have a perfectly good Internet connection that we use for our business computers, cash registers and automation systems, why not open it up to the public so that we can attract more business to our store? Really, you’re just trying to enrich the cable companies by making us buy another Internet connection for our customers. And the national outfit that wants the contract to install public wifi at our mall says that they can firewall the public wifi from our business cash registers without a problem. Cross their collective hearts and hope to die, they do this all the time and they never have a problem.
The first issue is that the sales lady from that national outfit would probably throw her own mother under the bus to get you to sign the contract. The second issue is that firewalls are software with vulnerabilities that can be hacked – firewalls are better than nothing, but it’s not something that Stirling uses to protect our corporate network from a public wifi on a shared Internet connection.
By crossing your business Internet with public wifi, the only thing you’re really accomplishing is providing a road map for someone to sit in the parking lot and hack your business. In this bold new world of interconnectivity that we live in, it’s simply safer and easier to calculate the cost of a dedicated Internet connection for your public wifi upfront before providing public wifi in your business, store or mall.
Stirling Properties Completes its First Retail Development in Lake Charles, Louisiana
Stirling Properties is pleased to announce the completion of their first retail development in Lake Charles, Louisiana. Academy Sports + Outdoors was relocated to its new location on Derek Drive, adding an additional 22,000 square-feet to the store. The new 72,000 square-foot store was expanded to meet the demand of the growing Lake Charles community.
All of the land surrounding the larger Academy Sports + Outdoors is currently available for sale or lease. For more information please contact Ryan Pecot, Senior Leasing Executive, at rpecot@stirlingprop.com or 337-572-0246.
Jimmy Maurin and Roger Ogden, Founders of Stirling Properties, Give Back to LSU
Five Louisiana State Univeristy (LSU) business students – David Harms, Raju Marasani, Sawyer Chauvin, Saban Sellers, and James Guinn – received the 2015 ICSC Foundation Maurin Ogden LSU Scholarship Award. Funded by Jimmy Maurin and Roger Ogden, founders of Stirling Properties, this annual scholarship is awarded to a select handful of EJ Ourso College of Business students with an interest in Commercial Real Estate. The award provides an all-expense-paid attendance to the ICSC RECon Convention in Las Vegas.
David Harms, one of the award recipients, delivered the opening remarks as part of the ICSC Foundation Gala held on May 17th at the Wynn Hotel & Casino in Las Vegas.
More specifically, this scholarship is awarded to students enrolled in Finance 7720, Commercial Real Estate Investing, at LSU. This course is offered in both Spring and Fall semesters at LSU and taught by adjunct instructor Justin Landry of Stirling Properties. Each year Stirling Properties chaperones the five LSU Award Recipients to the convention, offering the students valuable exposure to industry leaders and potential employers at the convention.
“We’ve had tremendous success over the past two years with this scholarship award, in fact a handful of students have received jobs as a result of attending the convention,” said Justin Landry, Asset/Finance Manager for Stirling Properties. “None of this would be possible without the generosity of Stirling’s original founders, Jimmy Maurin and Roger Ogden who fund the scholarship yearly. There are no two people more committed to LSU, real estate and education.”
For more information about Finance 7720 – “Commercial Real Estate Investing” and its objectives contact Justin Landry at jclandry@stirlingprop.com or LSU Department of Finance at finance@tigers.lsu.edu.
Stirling Properties Welcomes Johnny Tolson to the Lafayette Team
Stirling Properties is pleased to announce the addition of Johnny Tolson to the Commercial Brokerage Division as Sales and Leasing Executive. Johnny will work from the company’s Lafayette, LA office located at 1819 W. Pinhook Road, Suite 200.
Mr. Tolson holds a Bachelor of Arts in Economics as well as a minor in Business and Communications from the University of Arkansas where he was a member of the baseball team. He was also an active member of Phi Theta Kappa, the Leaders on Campus Program, FCA, and involved in philanthropy work through Salvation Army and Samaritans Purse. During his college tenure, Mr. Tolson received the H.M. Ivy Scholarship, Circle of Excellence award, Who’s Who Among Students in American Universities, was an Academic All-American and earned First Team All-Conference and First Team All-Region All Region honors in baseball in 2012.
Representing both Landlord and Tenant needs, Mr. Tolson has gained knowledge and experience in many facets of the industry, including retail, industrial, office and specific site selection work.
Mr. Tolson is currently a member of the Realtors Commercial Alliance (RCA) and the Retail Brokers Network (RBN). He can be reached at 337-572-0275 or via email at jtolson@stirlingprop.com.
Stirling Properties Stewardship Event Raises Over $40,000
Stirling Olympics
This past Friday, employees and agents of Stirling Properties gathered for the 3rd Annual Stirling Olympics, an event hosted by the Stirling Stewardship Committee to raise money for charitable causes. The event was a HUGE SUCCESS, with over $40,000 raised for charity!
Employees and agents divided into 10 teams with each team choosing their team name, colors, flag, and song. Charities were voted on in the weeks leading up to the event, with ALS Association and Alzheimer’s Association chosen as recipients of this year’s donations. Each of these well-deserving charities was presented with a check for $20,000.
Teams competed in 8 events – Hula Hoop Chain, Bean Bag Toss, Rubber Chicken Toss, Backwards Basketball, Word Scramble, Egg Relay, Pin the Mustache on the Partner and Shopping Cart Relay. Scores were tallied at the end of the day and individual medals were given for each event. Teams were awarded medals for top overall, top fundraising, most team spirit, most creative, and best sportsmanship. Events were judged by Tara Hernandez (JCH Development), Steve Zito (Zito-Russell Architects), Will Boudreaux (Netchex), Steven Serio (Fishman Haygood Phelps Walmsley Willis & Swanson, LLP), and Chip Songy (Former Stirling partner).
The Gold Medal overall went to Team Badditudes…congratulations to Justin Landry, Jeanne Taravella, Samantha Marshall, John Reynolds, Rhonda Creel, Brittany Orr, and Angie McArthur. Congratulations also to Ain’t Life A Beach who earned the Silver Medal – Melissa Serpas, Robin Zemke, Nathan Handmacher, Will Barrois, Ellen McCain, Bill Peitri, Paula Biggs, Jessica Zeringue, Robin Hayles, and Dominick Costanza. Townsend Underhill, Elaine Fullerton, Melinda Brazzel, Lindsey Palmer, Donna Allsup, John Toomey, Michele Wallace, Joe Gardner, Julie Watson and Mark Pinero of Stirling Funk You Up took home the Bronze Medal and Top Fundraising. Most Team Spirit awarded to Snow White & the Funky Dwarfs, Most Creative awarded to Wheelin N Dealin and Best Sportsmanship went to D’Funk Allstars.
At the end of the day, in an effort to raise even more money, the ownership team participated in a Bubble Soccer game versus 10 employees. For each goal the employees scored, the partners had to pay $500 to the Stewardship Committee. 16 goals were scored for a total of $8,000! This additional money will be used by the Stewardship Committee to donate to other charities throughout the year.
A special thanks to the Stirling Stewardship Committee for all their hard work organizing the event and making it happen.
Stirling Properties Awarded Contract for Management and Leasing of Manhattan Place Shopping Center in Harvey, Louisiana
Stirling Properties has been awarded a contract to provide management and leasing services for Manhattan Place Shopping Center located in Harvey, Louisiana. The 137,315 square foot shopping center includes Target, Ross Dress For Less, Rue21, Lane Bryant, AT&T and more.
For leasing opportunities contact Rhonda Sharkawy at 504-620-8145 or rsharkawy@stirlingprop.com. For more information on Stirling Properties’ management services visit our website at stirlingprop.com/services/PropertyAssetManagement.
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