Last Friday, we had the pleasure of co-hosting the first “Future of Affordable Housing Summit” alongside the Downtown Development District. What is Take 5? Take 5 is a five-minute recap of key takeaways from ULI Louisiana’s latest events. In the spirit of member connectivity and continuous conversations, we invite you to pop in and catch-up on the topics you may have missed! Take 5 Breakfast Keynote by Angela Brooks Welcome by Mike Meredith, VPG Construction and Davon Barbour, DDD Career Transformation and Mission: Angela Brooks' career and experience at Covenant House shaped her missio ..read more

Last week, GNO, Inc.’s CEO and President Michael Hecht shared the City’s plans for infrastructure upgrades that will begin this summer and continue until Super Bowl LIX in February 2025. Not only do national events spur economic development in and around any city, but the long-range effects of these improvements s can be invaluable to any community. Here’s a brief recap of updates to come: New colored lighting on the Crescent City Connection bridge Resurfacing of Poydras Street and dozens of other roads Repair of streetlights along the I-10 corridor (from MSY to downtown), plus the F ..read more

Exploring Project Viability and Community Education in Real Estate Development Introduce yourself: Name, current role, and how you ended up in your current position. I’m David Hecht, founder and principal of Formwork Development, a boutique real estate development firm I established about ten years ago in New Orleans. We currently have projects in New Orleans and a few other markets across the Southeast. My background is in architecture; I practiced for about a decade before transitioning to real estate development. This architectural foundation informs all my work, driving a design-focused a ..read more

In a bold move signaling the evolving landscape of brand management, Cracker Barrel, under new leadership, has embarked on a rebranding journey. This pivot reflects a growing recognition that even well-established brands must continuously reassess their image and audience alignment to stay relevant in today’s dynamic market. Cracker Barrel, known for its old-country store aesthetic and Southern-style dining, has been a staple in American culture. However, the recent shift in leadership underscores a strategic reevaluation of its target demographics. The changing preferences and values of co ..read more

How Strategic Messaging Can Shape Neighborhood Culture and Overcome Development Challenges Effective marketing, communications, and community engagement are crucial for various real estate developments. Whether it's filling a targeted occupancy rate for a new hotel, attracting new tenants to a commercial mixed-use space, or earning the trust of regulatory agencies and neighbors for a converted historical property, marketing and communications are key to success. Beyond that, they can also drive lasting change, influence perceptions, and shape neighborhood culture. Recently, our team was cap ..read more

As today’s world becomes more and more digitally connected every day, social media has become a powerful tool for real estate developers to connect with their target audiences. As the landscape of marketing evolves, commercial developers must harness the potential of social media platforms to stay competitive and relevant. By effectively utilizing social media, developers can enhance their brand visibility, engage with potential clients, and showcase their projects to a broader audience. How can developers leverage social media to maximize their impact and achieve their business goals? Buil ..read more

If your team is an essential component of your differentiation strategy or you offer a service-oriented business, you may be surprised to learn that your Team page (or your About page) is one of the highest trafficked page on your site. This is because your potential clients want to know (and see) who they are working with or may want to do research on your team ahead of time. If your headshots are not professionally taken by a brand photographer, you may lose credibility points, or diminish your clients’ first impressions. Are your headshots taken with an iPhone? While smartphone cameras h ..read more

ROBERT LEBLANC Founder + Creative Director, LeBlanc + Smith Meet Robert “Ro” LeBlanc, the visionary behind LeBlanc + Smith, a boutique hospitality brand celebrated for its collection of restaurants, bars, and hotels across the Gulf South and beyond. Ro sheds light on the significance of community engagement through his latest venture, Barrel Proof Nashville, the second location following the success of its Lower Garden District counterpart. Tell us about Barrel Proof Nashville (“BPN”), and its importance to you? We opened BPN in December of 2023. This was our first project in Nashville, but ..read more

We’ve all been there, it’s time to write your next blog and you stare at a blank screen asking yourself, what should I write about today? Will my audience find it useful? Sometimes we put so much pressure on ourselves to write content that will get stellar results that we end up repressing our creativity and in turn are unable to type one word. Thankfully there are some techniques to help get our creative juices flowing so we can develop good, effective, and consistent content to keep our readers engaged and coming back to read more. Build an Ideas Library Sometimes thoughts, ideas and in ..read more

On March 28th, we had the pleasure of attending the ULI Louisiana + NOLA Business Alliance Real Estate Breakfast with guest presenter Andy Kopplin, BioDistrict New Orleans Board Chair and President + CEO of the Greater New Orleans Foundation. Andy presented the BioDistrict’s newly approved strategic plan, which will guide efforts and funding priorities as the district is set to receive self-generated tax revenue for the first time in 2024. What is Take 5? Take 5 is a five-minute recap of key takeaways from ULI Louisiana’s latest events. In the spirit of member connectivity and continuous c ..read more