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 of the U.S. retail real estate industry. I also noticed more young people coming into the industry, a trend I haven’t seen in many years…or maybe I’m just getting old.
It was quite obvious to me that everyone at the convention was more relaxed, but busier than in recent years. Our Stirling team had a full slate of productive meetings for all our properties, and we were all touting the strength of the Gulf South market. There was significant interest in our current development projects – Mid-City Market that will open next month in New Orleans, Fremaux Town Center under development in Slidell, and our recently announced Magnolia Marketplace project in New Orleans. We expect to finalize many deals from our meetings for these and other properties.
[wpvideo 0nNAm2jd]Another exciting development at Stirling Properties is the opening of our new office in Mobile, Alabama! Our new office will help us to expand our presence in the region in an area that is experiencing exponential growth. You will be hearing more specifics about this in the very near future!
The window of opportunity is definitely open for us now and we are all working hard to take advantage of this momentum. What happens in Vegas doesn’t stay in Vegas – it will produce positive outcomes for us at Stirling and the Gulf South. Stay tuned for more news!
Stirling Properties’ Commercial Agents among Top Producers at Annual CID Awards Ceremony
Stirling Properties’ commercial agents were honored during the New Orleans Metropolitan Association of Realtors Commercial Investment Division’s 20th annual awards banquet held Friday, April 5, 2013 at the New Orleans Country Club.
Leading the way was Rhonda Sharkawy, who received the F. Poche Waguespack Award for having the highest volume of sales and leases in the marketplace for the year. Rhonda’s volume for 2012 included 72 deals and totaled more than $25 million. This is her third consecutive year to receive this honor and one of only a handful of women to achieve it since it was created back in 1964.
In addition to celebrating the top producers and transactions of 2012, the awards ceremony also recognized commercial agents who passed the $2 million mark in sales. Also recognized was Gaines Seaman who received the Overall Top Office Producer Award with more than $18 million in volume and Joe Gardner who eclipsed the $2 million for the first time with a volume of $4.6 million.
Stirling Properties Announces New Tenant & Expansion at Clearview Mall
Stirling Properties is pleased to announce the addition of Twin Peaks Restaurant and the expansion of Blue Cliff College at Clearview Mall.
Twin Peaks has leased 7,910 square-feet of restaurant space at Clearview Mall and will offer customers made-from-scratch food and ice-cold draft beer in a mountain sports lodge setting. Twin Peaks opened their first Louisiana location in Baton Rouge in 2011 and the second Louisiana location will be in Houma opening in early May. Clearview Mall will be their first location in the New Orleans area and is anticipated to open in the Fall of 2013.
Blue Cliff, which currently occupies 9,800 square-feet for their Massage School, will be expanding their first floor by 2,763 square-feet to include their Cosmetology School. The Cosmetology School is being relocated from its current location on Cleary Avenue in Metairie.
Spaces are available for lease ranging from 720 to 12,976 square-feet at Clearview Mall. In addition, office space ranging from 10,000 to 50,000 square-feet is also available for lease. For information about retail leasing opportunities contact Rhonda Sharkawy, Retail Leasing & Development Executive for Stirling Properties, at rsharkawy@stirlingprop.com or call (504) 523-4481. For information about the Offices at Clearview Mall contact Rick Skelding, Senior Broker Associate for Stirling Properties, at rskelding@stirlingprop.com or call (504) 620-8126.
Stirling Properties Awarded Property & Construction Management & Office Leasing Contract for Louisiana Boardwalk
Stirling Properties has been awarded a contract to provide comprehensive property and construction management and office leasing services for Louisiana Boardwalk, a 562,250 square foot retail/mixed-use development on the waterfront of Bossier City, Louisiana. Garrison Investment Group of New York recently acquired Louisiana Boardwalk and will relaunch the retail center as The Outlets at Louisiana Boardwalk.
The Louisiana Boardwalk was developed along the Red River, directly across from Shreveport. The twin cities of Shreveport and Bossier City, the state’s third largest market, hosts a bustling convention center, numerous casinos and hotels, which draw over 11 million visitors each year.
Opened in 2005, the project is anchored by the only Bass Pro Shop within a 3 ½-hour drive. A strong mix of outlet retail brands and soft goods retail stores, additional entertainment venues and several restaurants complement the anchors.
The development features approximately 69,000 square feet of 2nd story office space, and a high performing Marriott Courtyard Hotel. The Margaritaville Hotel and Casino will open this summer, adding 400 hotel rooms and a significant additional draw to the project.
For information about office leasing opportunities available, contact Stacy Odom at sodom@stirlingprop.com or Karen Hannigan at khannigan@stirlingprop.com or call 318-797-4393.
For more information about Stirling Properties’ management services, please contact Donna Taylor at 985-246-3758 or via email at dtaylor@stirlingprop.com.
About Garrison Investment Group
Garrison Investment Group is an asset based investor with more than 60 years of experience in shopping center acquisitions, development, leasing and asset management. Headquartered in New York City, Garrison owns a total of 38 shopping centers comprising 8.2 million square feet of leasable space in regional malls, lifestyle centers and neighborhood community shopping centers across 12 states. For more information, please visit www.garrisonretail.com.
Stirling Properties Launches New Corporate Website www.StirlingProperties.com
COVINGTON, LA – Stirling Properties announces the launch of our newly redesigned and updated corporate website, www.StirlingProperties.com. The new website features streamlined navigation and improved functionality for a better online experience. In addition, Stirling Properties has rebranded our Facebook, Twitter and Stirling Insights blog.
New website features include:
- Quick Commercial Property Search
- Improved navigation to our core services – brokerage services, development/redevelopment, acquisitions/investments, and property/asset management
- Ability to search Our People
- Case studies highlighting the services we offer, including case studies about The Fresh Market and Pan American Life Center in New Orleans, Hammond Square in Hammond, River Chase in Covington, and Stirling Communities – Multi-Family in Baton Rouge and Lafayette
- Access to the latest news, press releases and market research
- Stay connected with easy navigation to our Social Media sites, including Facebook, Twitter and Stirling Insights blog
The new corporate website can be viewed at www.StirlingProperties.com.
New Orleans Most Improved City for Business in Wall Street Journal
Yet another testament to what is happening in the Greater New Orleans region in such a short period of time. Once rated dead last by this same ranking, New Orleans jumped an incredible 44 spots to become the most improved city in the nation. Wow! Click here to read the full article.
