BIZ. Magazine - August 2013

We’ve Got HimDave Ramsey AnswersBusiness Questions

2013 Real Estate ReportInside this Edition

August 2013

DELIVERED TO BUSINESS LEADERS THROUGHOUT SHREVEPORT-BOSSIER

LISTEN UP!Podcast of the Month

Page 9

DowntownBoundResurgence Comes to District

2 Biz. Magazine • August 2013

The First Word

While vacationing with my family at the home of my sister-in-law and her husband, Itried to disconnect as much as possible. That being said, I found myself checkingemails each morning and forwarding things to be handled, etc. in my absence. Thisroutine left the rest of my day to enjoy time away from work. One morning, whilechecking his email, my sister-in-law’s husband read me an auto-reply from one ofhis colleagues, who was also on vacation.

“What of do you think of this auto reply?” he asked.

Since I don’t have the text of the auto-reply, the following is a paraphrase:

“Thank you for your email. I am on vacation this week, and would normally say that I have limitedaccess email. However, since we all have mobile devices and generally have access to email, I willsay that I will be checking things on occasion. Since this is a vacation, and my wife says I have torefrain from working, chances are I won’t be responding to your email. If it is absolutely criticalthat your issue be handled this week, please resend the email, marking it “urgent” and I will at-tempt to forward it to someone at the office at some point.”

My response was “Wow.” I was slightly impressed with this person’s honesty, but was otherwisetaken aback. Compounding my displeasure toward this auto reply was learning that it was writ-ten by the SALES AND MARKETING vice president of the company.

Giving (and hoping for) the benefit of the doubt, I asked if this was an “internal only” email ad-dress, or was it one for that would go to any person, including customers/clients? Apparently, itwas the latter.

Ouch.

The need to take a break and “disconnect” is real. In fact, I encourage my team to get awayevery so often. However, our clients are the reason we even have jobs (and paid vacations). Thisauto reply (in my opinion) says several things to clients about this person — and by extension— his company.

n Don’t bother me when I am on vacation.n Just because you are the client doesn’t give you special privileges.n We have no balance between business and personal lives at this company.n My family takes a back seat to work, most of the time.n Your need can wait till I get back (unless you mark it really, really urgent). Then it might get

handled — if you are lucky.n My company endorses my position on this by virtue ofthe continued existence of this auto reply.

It is a good thing to take a break from work. In fact, goodclients understand this, and are generally willing to waituntil after a vacation for a resolution to their needs. How-ever, a vacation is not a “right” to ignore a client — or acolleague for that matter.

Such a brazen attitude, like the one illustrated here, candamage or destroy a relationship. Every time we touch aclient or colleague, we either build up our relationship, ordamage it.

Emails (even auto responders) are but one way to “touch.”However, they still carry the building and/or destroyingpower of other forms of communications. Be sure you arecareful when you use them — even if you are on vacation.

Auto Reply BluesWhen on vacation, be careful of theimpression you make back at work

David Specht Jr.President of Specht Newspapers, Inc.

Read his blog about leadership atwww.DavidASpecht.com

He may be reached via email [email protected].

August 2013 • Biz. Magazine 3


Contents

Volume 4, Number 5 | ©Copyright 2013 by Specht Newspapers, Inc. All rights reserved. BIZ. is published each month by Specht Newspapers, Inc.at 4250 Viking Drive, Bossier City, LA 71111. Telephone (318) 747-7900. Information in this publication is gathered from sources considered to bereliable, but the accuracy and completeness of the information cannot be guaranteed.

20More Than a Fishing TournamentFLW bringing giveaways, celebrities to local area

16-17Real Estate - By the NumbersFind out how both residential and commercialrealestate performed in 2012.

27Dave Ramsey on BusinessNational radio host and best-selling author Dave Ramsey an-swers business questions.

3 Auto Reply BluesWhen on vacation, be care of the impression you leave

5 Stand Out From the CrowdSetting yourself apart in relationship building

6 Time for a CheckupWhere do you stand on your goals for 2013

11 Shoot to SucceedAdding video to your marketing plan makes sense

13 Are You Fanning the Flames?Have a plan to deal with clients when you fall short

31 Might As Well Get ComfortableBlue Southern Comfort Foods is a new namein an old place

Regulars

On the CoverDowntown Shreveport is a hub of real estateactivity as of late. Find out why.Starting on Page 14.

BIZ. News OnlineThe BIZ. website at www.nwlabusiness.com is Shreveport-Bossier’shome for business news, updated as it happens. In addition, users cansign up for a free BIZ. Daily Report to keep up with BIZ. news from thecomfort of their Inbox.

Want to advertise? http://nwlabusiness.com/2013-advertising-kit/

4 Biz. Magazine • August 2013 August 2013 • Biz. Magazine 5

Win-Win Powertools

Setting Yourself Apart Keyto Relationship Building

Have you ever wondered how many salespeople eachof your clients or prospects sees and talks to on theaverage business day besides you? You would be sur-prised! Maybe you should ask for the client’s perspec-tive of you and all the others wanting to sell productsand services. You’ll be pleasantly surprised at your

client’s reaction that you asked and cared.

Why should you care?

You should only care if you want tosuccessfully develop a deeper rela-tionship with your client andsell/help/serve him or her.

Your time-starved clients want youto cut to the chase and show themthe value. They will resent youwasting their time, which ismoney. You’ll end up on the longlist of sellers they don’t havetime to see or talk to. They havetoo many people to see includ-ing their own customers andemployees. They want you todo your homework so youknow and can understand their needs.They also expect that you know your product or serviceinside out, have practiced your presentation (regardless ofyour goal) and are ready to show them how your product orservice will help them.

Remember, I am a salesperson and have been one all my life…even before I had the title. I’m selling all of the time and my#1 product is me. When I saw the pencils pictured above, Iwas struck with how I wanted to be perceived in the world ofsales. I wanted to be the sharp pencil! I wanted to stand outfrom the crowded world of salespeople. I needed to because Iwas just an average seller. I studied and practiced. I continu-ally saw myself as sharpening my pencil. Steven Covey called

it “Sharpening theSaw®” in his book, The7 Habits of Highly Effec-tive People®.

Then it hit me. I realizedthat my clients see thepencils too. They toldme that THEY want towork with the sharppencil. They want to in-vest their time with sell-ers who know theirproduct and haveplanned, prepared andpracticed their presen-tation.

Look at the pencilsagain; like which pencildo you want to be per-ceived? With whichpencil do your clients orcustomers want tospend time andmoney?Good Selling!

Jerry FrentressSpeaker & Coach, Win-Win Power(ful)Tools for Sales, Service and EmployeeInterviewing. Website: www.WinWin-PowerTools.com.

Business Facebook:www.Facebook.com/WinWinPower-Tools . 453-6080 / Bossier City

Tools You Can Use

When it comes to winning in Business, ithelps to have the right “tools” for the job.

StandingOut

FromThe

Crowd


Randy BrownAdvertising/Marketing Guru

He is the Advertising Director forBossier Newspaper Publishing Com-pany, Inc., publishers of the BossierPress-Tribune and BIZ. Magazine

Randy may be reached [email protected]

Marketing B-S (Bossier-Shreveport)

Believe it or not, we are now more thanhalfway through 2013. At the beginningof the year, we talked about developinga comprehensive marketing plan. So, itis time for a checkup. If your marketingplan is anything like mine, it has experi-

enced both ups and downs at this point.

First, there are some things that have workedvery well. Secondly, there are some things thathave not worked so well. Finally, there are someparts of the plan that have not been imple-mented simply due to a lack of time or other ex-tenuating circumstances. These are very generalstatements. So, let’s dig a little deeper.

As far as the things you have tried that workedwell, applause and accolades are definitely inorder! Congratulations! Way to go! You did it!Celebrate your success in a BIG way! However, don’t get too complacent, as it willsoon be time for a repeat performance!

In terms of what did not work well, don’t letthese things impede your future progress. Don’tbe afraid to try again if this is something that youreally believe in. We must all learn to evaluatethe good, the bad and the ugly in these unsuc-cessful marketing ventures. We must always re-member beyond the shadow of a doubt that wewill live to see another day.

In discussing what you have not yet had time todo in relation to your marketing plan, stay thecourse. Evaluate where your are and decidewhether or not you still want to go after thethings that you have yet to do. Should you waituntil next year? Sometimes this is a hard ques-tion to answer. There is absolutely nothing wrongwith waiting until next year or beyond if (afterevaluation) you feel that this marking venture isworth the wait! There may be some opportunitycosts that go by the wayside in relation to theforegone revenue that will result from delayingthis opportunity. However, you must accept thisand move on. Again, there will be another day.

Also, be aware of the proper management ofyour time (as we reviewed last month). As wesaid then, time management is a real skill....a con-stant and ever changing balancing act.

At the conclusion of each marketing project (nomatter the outcome), sit down with your team,discuss the outcome(s). Be sure to take goodnotes. I place all of my project (debriefing) notesin a folder and file them together in a specific lo-cation so that I can easily access them in the fu-ture.

Plan to win, win often and win BIG! If In review,make sure that your marketing goals are: specific,measurable, attainable, relevant and time-bound.Put these five points together and they form theacronym SMART. When it comes to re-evaluatingyour marketing plan for the rest of 2013, remem-ber that You Must Be SMART! This will be hardand detailed work, but remember to make it funtoo! Good luck and good marketing!

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Time for a Checkup


Believe it or not, we are now more thanhalfway through 2013. At the beginningof the year, we talked about developinga comprehensive marketing plan. So, itis time for a checkup. If your marketingplan is anything like mine, it has experi-

enced both ups and downs at this point.

First, there are some things that have workedvery well. Secondly, there are some things thathave not worked so well. Finally, there are someparts of the plan that have not been imple-mented simply due to a lack of time or other ex-tenuating circumstances. These are very generalstatements. So, let’s dig a little deeper.

As far as the things you have tried that workedwell, applause and accolades are definitely inorder! Congratulations! Way to go! You did it!Celebrate your success in a BIG way! However, don’t get too complacent, as it willsoon be time for a repeat performance!

In terms of what did not work well, don’t letthese things impede your future progress. Don’tbe afraid to try again if this is something that youreally believe in. We must all learn to evaluatethe good, the bad and the ugly in these unsuc-cessful marketing ventures. We must always re-member beyond the shadow of a doubt that wewill live to see another day.

In discussing what you have not yet had time todo in relation to your marketing plan, stay thecourse. Evaluate where your are and decidewhether or not you still want to go after thethings that you have yet to do. Should you waituntil next year? Sometimes this is a hard ques-tion to answer. There is absolutely nothing wrongwith waiting until next year or beyond if (afterevaluation) you feel that this marking venture isworth the wait! There may be some opportunitycosts that go by the wayside in relation to theforegone revenue that will result from delayingthis opportunity. However, you must accept thisand move on. Again, there will be another day.

Also, be aware of the proper management ofyour time (as we reviewed last month). As wesaid then, time management is a real skill....a con-stant and ever changing balancing act.

At the conclusion of each marketing project (nomatter the outcome), sit down with your team,discuss the outcome(s). Be sure to take goodnotes. I place all of my project (debriefing) notesin a folder and file them together in a specific lo-cation so that I can easily access them in the fu-ture.

Plan to win, win often and win BIG! If In review,make sure that your marketing goals are: specific,measurable, attainable, relevant and time-bound.Put these five points together and they form theacronym SMART. When it comes to re-evaluatingyour marketing plan for the rest of 2013, remem-ber that You Must Be SMART! This will be hardand detailed work, but remember to make it funtoo! Good luck and good marketing!

Daily Business News. Delivered.

The BIZ. Daily Report.

Sign Up at www.nwlabusiness.com


Biz ToolsDo Something

The speed of business is ever increasing. The successful business leaderstays on top of the tools and information to help his company grow.

Books

What are we reading?The Go-Giver tells the story of an ambitious young man named Joe who yearns forsuccess. Joe is a true go-getter, though sometimes he feels as if the harder and fasterhe works, the further away his goals seem to be.

And so one day, desperate to land a key sale at the end of a bad quarter, he seeks ad-vice from the enigmatic Pindar, a legendary consultant referred to by his many devo-tees simply as the Chairman.

The Five somewhat counter-intuitive Laws Joe learns from this kind and caring man will make a huge differ-ence in both his personal and professional success.

What are they reading?

Walkable City: How Downtown CanSave America, One Step at a Time,

Jeff SpeckLiz Swaine

Into the Wild,Jon Krakauer

Sean Green

I Am A Church Member,Thom RainerDavid Specht Jr.

The Harbinger,Jonathan Cahn

Lisa Johnson

Order the book here.

App of the MonthIf you have files. You need Dropbox. This free app is a “cloud-accesible” repository for nearly anything you want to throw at it.From images and documents, to videos and applications, Dropbox keeps everything you use right where you need it.

Dropbox stores files in its cloud servers, but automatically syncs with all your devices. No waiting on uploads and downloadswhen you need a file.

Another nice feature of Dropbox is the ability to share files and folders with others — making it a great tool for collaboration.

The free edition comes with 2GB of space, but that can be expanded for free by adding referrals 500MB at a time (Up to 18GB.)

Dropbox is available for Apple, PC, iPhone, Android and a host of other platforms.


Books Listen Up

Worth Following

More Tools

Podcast of the MonthThis Is Your Life By Michael Hyatt

This Is Your Life is a weekly podcast dedicated to intentional leader-ship. It’s goal is to help you live with more passion, work with greaterfocus, and lead with extraordinary influence. The podcast is posted onWednesday morning of each week. If you subscribe, you will automat-ically get every episode for free.

Blog of the MonthUnCommonSernseMarketing with Amy Kinnairduncommonsensemarketing.com/blog

If you are looking for someone who is local and “gets it” when it comes to market-ing, both traditional and social, then Amy Kinnaird should be on your radar, and“must follow” list.

Amy says on her“about” page:

“My expertise comesfrom 30 years of mar-keting computers andsoftware, and traininghundreds of users intechnology. I have anatural ability to lookat a business and seewhere technology isneeded. You’ll appreci-ate how I can quicklycome up with solutionsand create a plan toimplement them.

“My corporate background includes 15 years at IBM as a Systems Engineer andMarketing Rep. I then worked 13 years for another tech company selling, training,and supporting software for school districts.

“Now in my own business, Uncommon Sense Marketing, I train business ownersand entrepreneurs. I teach them how to use the latest marketing tools and tech-niques to attract and keep clients. Being a marketing consultant with a very tech-nical background my clients experience the best of both worlds. I make the techiestuff easy to understand and enjoy brainstorming new ideas with them.”

SOURCE: UNCOMMONSENSEMARKETING.COM


EMPOWERINGthe Northwest Louisiana workforce

www.bpcc.edu

Amy KinnairdSocial Media Evangelist

She trains business owners and entre-preneurs how to use the latest mar-keting tools and techniques to attractand keep clients.

View Amy’s website at www.uncom-monsensemarketing.com.


Your business could benefit from the useof video marketing. By creating and shar-ing videos, you create a buzz about yourbusiness. While there are other videoplatforms, YouTube is your first stop. Afterall, Google owns YouTube, so your pres-

ence there helps your Google rankings. Considerthis: 100 hours of video are uploaded to YouTubeevery minute, and over 6 billion hours of videoare watched each month! Bottom line: people arecreating and watching videos like crazy.

With 1 billion unique visitors each month, youraudience is there. Often I hear this, “I don’t want to be on camera,so I don’t create videos for my business.” Luckily,the talking-head version isn’t the only way to go.One solution could be to video somebody elsedelivering the message. Or check out these ideas:

n Do a video tour of your office or facilityn Interview some of your key employees. Howabout showcasing the woman that answers yourphone or the guy working in your plant?n Get a video testimony from your happy cus-tomers

n Demonstrate how to use your new productn Show how your product is maden Answer frequently asked questions, one ques-tion per clipn Instead of writing your blog, share the sameideas in a videon You can do a screen capture demonstration ofsomething on your computer. This is a populartool for training.

Don’t forget that your fancy smartphone has a really nice camera on it.If you are out and see somethingthat would be of interest to your au-dience, why not take a short video toshare with your followers?

After you create yourvideos, you easily uploadthem to your YouTubechannel (which is free).Then you can post them onyour website, Facebookpage, Twitter, and Pinterest.You may also want to sharesome in LinkedIn.

Keep your videos short – usually no more than acouple of minutes. We’re all busy and our atten-tion span isn’t very long. Also, search enginescan’t really understand the content of your video,so do two additional things: 1) write and uploadthe transcript of your video and 2) add closed

caption text. These steps will help your videosshow up in searches.

It’s time to add this marketing tool to your busi-ness. Let the filming begin!

Uncommon Sense Marketing

Amy KinnairdSocial Media Evangelist

She trains business owners and entre-preneurs how to use the latest mar-keting tools and techniques to attractand keep clients.

View Amy’s website at www.uncom-monsensemarketing.com.

Shoot to Succeed...Adding video to yourmarketing mix is notdifficult, nor expensive


The Louisiana Small Business Development Center, part of the national net-work of “America’s SBDC’s,” plays a critical role in the health of small busi-nesses. The LSBDC at LSU Shreveport is nationally accredited, and assistssmall businesses to start and grow, to develop strategy and access capitalneeded for expansion, to provide advice on regulations, to prepare forgovernment contracting and to be first business responders when disaster

strikes. The Center also works with entrepreneurs from the pre-venture phase allthe way through business starts and expansions.

Small businesses are job creators and innovators. For example, America’s SBDCnetwork accounts for one job created every 7 minutes and a new business every36 minutes. In Louisiana between October 2011 and September 2012, the LSBDCnetwork accounted for 165 business starts, 964 jobs created and capital infusionof over $54 million. There were 5,108 clients counseled, and 7,884 entrepreneursattended training set up by the LSBDC network. The current client mix at theLSBDC, LSU-Shreveport, is 55% existing businesses and 45% startup, demonstrat-ing that any business, from conception through years of growth, can benefit fromthe expertise available at the Louisiana Small Business Development Centers.

The LSBDC-LSUS offers both training workshops and one-on-one consulting byprofessionals – who also have in-depth real-world knowledge. Many of the con-sultants are small business owners themselves and can offer insight and lessons-learned when starting and operating a small business. All the consultants inLouisiana act as a team and can rely on expert support advice from any of the 10Centers throughout the state. And one of the very special aspects of the consult-ant services is that they are at no cost to the clients. Also at no cost to clients is anationally focused research hub in Hammond, Louisiana. The Research Center of-fers numerous methods of learning about business status and competition; withdemographic and industry report information also available at no cost to theLSBDC clients.

The LSBDC-LSUS provides management andtechnical assistance to small business ownersand aspiring entrepreneurs every yearthrough no-cost face-to-face consulting, andlow-cost training. LSBDC is partially fundedby the U.S. Small Business Administration andLouisiana Economic Development, and LSBDCstaff are knowledgeable about programsthose organizations have to boost small busi-ness. Also offered monthly are no-cost “Start-ing and Financing Your Business” workshopsto aspiring and experienced business owners.Check out our website at www.lsbdc.org tofind the next workshop date as well as re-sources and small business planning tools.The LSBDC, part of America’s SBDC network,is a cost-effective way to create jobs, grow theeconomy, enhance American competitivenessand fulfill the American dream.

Business Development

Putting All thePieces TogetherCenter provides many services aimed at helping small businesses start up and grow

Rande KesslerDirector of the Louisiana Small Busi-ness Development Center at LSUS.

We all have times where for whatever reason we fall short of a customer’s expecta-tions and of our standards. We mess up. Things happen. Nobody’s perfect. But, howyou handle that is the difference between a true professional and one who wouldaspires to be. One of the keys I’ve found over the years is simply this: Tell the cus-tomer what you CAN do instead of what you CAN’T do. It’s just that simple.

If you’ve missed a delivery date, instead of telling themwhat you aren’t capable of — just tell them what you cando to make it right. Don’t focus on the negative, lean to-ward the positive.

Have an order for a customer get fouled up? Instead oftelling them all the ways you can’t solve their problem,how about focusing on the ways you can?The customer’sattitude and acceptance is drastically different based onhow you approach the situation.

As salespeople, we all have “fires to put out” from time totime—but, are you fanning the flames or putting the fireout?

Your reaction, attitude and willingness to solve the prob-lem dictates in large part how the customer views theissue.

Make it better. Not worse. Put the fire out–don’t pour fuelon it.


Sales Power Tips

Butch BellahButch Bellah is a Sales, Business andPersonal Development Coach andSpeaker working to help businessesnot only survive, but THRIVE in today’seconomy. He has been named one ofthe Top 100 Sales Experts to follow onTwitter where you can follow him on athttp://www.twitter.com/salespower-tips or on his website at www.butch-bellah.com. Reach him at 337-384-9204or by email [email protected].

Are You Fanning theFlames or Puttingout the Fire?Recovering from the inevitable shortcomings in sales


Cover Story

Everyone needs their own space. And for somebusiness owners, that means nesting in a placethat is unique, located amid the daily hustle andbustle. The historic buildings in downtown Shreve-port check all the right boxes. “I’ve not met a per-son who isn’t intrigued with the thought of owning

a historic building. If walls could talk — it’s amazing whatstories these buildings could tell,” mused Downtown De-velopment Authority Executive Director Liz Swaine.“They’re constructed in ways and with materials that areno longer available and even if they were-would cost atremendous amount. People feel a special kinship tothese buildings. They’re like a part of the history of whoand what we are, come to life.”

DDA encourages businesspeople to buy into down-town Shreveport and rehabilitate its buildings by offeringboth incentives and partnerships. The incentives includeinformation on State Historic Commercial Tax Credits, freepermits, and façade grants and low interest loans offeredby the non-profit Downtown Shreveport DevelopmentCorporation.

“As important as the financial help is, the help in work-ing through issues with permits, inspections, the StateFire Marshal, and making certain you have the electricityyour building needs are equally important,” said Swaine.“We help with that as well through a Performance Codeinitiative we began with the State Fire Marshal. This al-lows us to try to run some of the traps and get answers toquestions before construction begins, saving time, moneyand headaches.”

Among the various upcoming projects and ones cur-rently ongoing, the larger of the recently-completed proj-

ects include the old Ogilvie Hardware building’s conver-sion to apartments, the historic Central Fire Station’s con-version to the Shreveport Regional Arts Council’s newhome, the George T. Bishop building on Spring Street be-coming the new digs of Mark Prevot Design, and an entireblock of construction in the 700 block of Texas Streetthat has transformed three old buildings into new useswhile expanding and improving a fourth space.

Even though it’s a romantic notion to rid downtown ofurban blight while simultaneously finding a cool, hipplace to work, there are some important decisions to bemade.

“While everyone is intrigued with ownership of an his-toric building, not everyone should own one,” Swaine ad-

vised. “If the building has been vacant for a number ofyears, nothing will be up to code, there may be structuralor roof issues, it will lack modern fire safety. It’s importantto be realistic about the overall cost and have the capitalto complete the project.”

Even if you don’t want to work in one of the spaces,downtown has several success stories of business invest-ments.

In 1927, Ogilvie Hardware was the spot for home andoutdoor supplies. Now it’s just home.

In 2011, the building and the four acres it sits on werepurchased by Provident Realty Advisors, Inc., of Dallas,Texas, with the intention of developing 90-open conceptloft apartments. The project was made possible in largepart by the State of Louisiana’s Historic Commercial TaxCredits.

Reopened in October last year, the modern style ware-house has a new lease on life.

“I’m proud that there are companies like Provident Re-alty Advisors who are willing to take a risk and spend themoney needed to put a beautiful old building back intocommerce andmake money in the process,” said Swaine.

DDA is sweetening the pot by providing tools that helpbusinesses attain properties and make it easier, as well.

In October, the Downtown Development Authoritypartnered with State Fire Marshal Butch Browning, theCity of Shreveport and State of Louisiana to unveil a newway of encouraging development downtown by cuttingthrough red tape.

The partners launched a Performance Code plan


Cover Story

STORY BYSean Green

Everyone needs their own space. And for somebusiness owners, that means nesting in a placethat is unique, located amid the daily hustle andbustle. The historic buildings in downtown Shreve-port check all the right boxes. “I’ve not met a per-son who isn’t intrigued with the thought of owning

a historic building. If walls could talk — it’s amazing whatstories these buildings could tell,” mused Downtown De-velopment Authority Executive Director Liz Swaine.“They’re constructed in ways and with materials that areno longer available and even if they were-would cost atremendous amount. People feel a special kinship tothese buildings. They’re like a part of the history of whoand what we are, come to life.”

DDA encourages businesspeople to buy into down-town Shreveport and rehabilitate its buildings by offeringboth incentives and partnerships. The incentives includeinformation on State Historic Commercial Tax Credits, freepermits, and façade grants and low interest loans offeredby the non-profit Downtown Shreveport DevelopmentCorporation.

“As important as the financial help is, the help in work-ing through issues with permits, inspections, the StateFire Marshal, and making certain you have the electricityyour building needs are equally important,” said Swaine.“We help with that as well through a Performance Codeinitiative we began with the State Fire Marshal. This al-lows us to try to run some of the traps and get answers toquestions before construction begins, saving time, moneyand headaches.”

Among the various upcoming projects and ones cur-rently ongoing, the larger of the recently-completed proj-

ects include the old Ogilvie Hardware building’s conver-sion to apartments, the historic Central Fire Station’s con-version to the Shreveport Regional Arts Council’s newhome, the George T. Bishop building on Spring Street be-coming the new digs of Mark Prevot Design, and an entireblock of construction in the 700 block of Texas Streetthat has transformed three old buildings into new useswhile expanding and improving a fourth space.

Even though it’s a romantic notion to rid downtown ofurban blight while simultaneously finding a cool, hipplace to work, there are some important decisions to bemade.

“While everyone is intrigued with ownership of an his-toric building, not everyone should own one,” Swaine ad-

vised. “If the building has been vacant for a number ofyears, nothing will be up to code, there may be structuralor roof issues, it will lack modern fire safety. It’s importantto be realistic about the overall cost and have the capitalto complete the project.”

Even if you don’t want to work in one of the spaces,downtown has several success stories of business invest-ments.

In 1927, Ogilvie Hardware was the spot for home andoutdoor supplies. Now it’s just home.

In 2011, the building and the four acres it sits on werepurchased by Provident Realty Advisors, Inc., of Dallas,Texas, with the intention of developing 90-open conceptloft apartments. The project was made possible in largepart by the State of Louisiana’s Historic Commercial TaxCredits.

Reopened in October last year, the modern style ware-house has a new lease on life.

“I’m proud that there are companies like Provident Re-alty Advisors who are willing to take a risk and spend themoney needed to put a beautiful old building back intocommerce andmake money in the process,” said Swaine.

DDA is sweetening the pot by providing tools that helpbusinesses attain properties and make it easier, as well.

In October, the Downtown Development Authoritypartnered with State Fire Marshal Butch Browning, theCity of Shreveport and State of Louisiana to unveil a newway of encouraging development downtown by cuttingthrough red tape.

The partners launched a Performance Code plan

Real Estate Report

Old SpacesAre MadeNew AgainDowntown Shreveport sees resurgence,thanks to grants, programs & building owners

People feel a specialkinship to these buildings.They’re like a part of the his-tory of who and what we are,

come to life.

Liz SwaineDowntown Development Authority

Executive Director

Continued on Page 19


Real Estate Report

Most Expensive Home Soldin Bossier Parish in 2012:343 Spring Branch Road (on Lake Bistineau)4.1 acres5,878 sq. ft.$1.3 millionSold July 27, 2012

Most Expensive Home Soldin Caddo Parish in 2012:910 Ockley St.Shreveport$1.36 million

Residential Real Estate Report providedby the Northwest Louisiana Association ofRealtors:

Statistics are Year To Date ending in July

2013 Average Sales Price Year to Date “YTD”: $172,3562012: $167,701

2013 Median Sales Price YTD: $160,0002012: $152,800

2013 YTD Sold Transactions: 20302012: 2079

Current Housing Inventory (in months) 6.39 2012: 5.39

2013 YTD Top 5 Neighborhood home sellingData*:� North Bossier 257� South Bossier 143� Haughton 138� Ellerbe Road Area 124� Broadmoor West 123

2012 YTD Top 5 Neighborhood home sellingData*:� North Bossier 267� Ellerbe Road Area 145� South Bossier 140� Haughton 123� LSU-S area 112

*Does not include new construction/development

www.nwlar.org

By the Numbers — Residential

When you watch things on national television and see someareas that have really struggled dueto prices going up quickly and crash-ing, we didn’t have that here. Our in-

creases were slow & steady.

Robyn Locke, Association Executive forthe Northwest LouisianaAssociation of Realtors


Real Estate Report

Office Market

Downtown: U. L. Coleman Company, Ltd. conducts surveys atthe end of the first and third quarter of each year, of the 21multi-tenant office buildings composing 2.14 million rentablesquare feet in the Shreveport Central Business District.

The latest survey indicates an overall occupancy rate of 85%,which is down 3% compared to third quarter of 2011. Aver-age rental rates range from $12.31 to $13.66 per square foot.

No surveyed downtown office buildings have sold during2012. One surveyed downtown office building sold during2008, with none sold in 2009,2010 or 2011.

Suburban: The suburban market incorporates 42 multi-tenantoffice buildings with a total of 1.68 million square feet ofrentable space, including 298,070 vacant square feet. Thesuburban office building market indicates an overall occu-pancy rate of 82%, which was down 5% compared to thirdquarter of 2011.

Rental rates increased slightly during this period, with a$0.19 per square foot increase in the average rent quoted.None of the surveyed suburban office buildings sold in 2012,while one sold in 2011.

Retail Market

Occupancy for the overall retail market was 92.2% in thefourth quarter of 2012. There was one sale of inventoriedproperty in 2012. University Shopping Center, located at thecomer of Youree Dr. and E. 70th St., sold for $29,571,400 or$146.64 per square foot.

In the second quarter of 2012 the 300 section of theShoppes at Bellmead was added for an increase of 19,702square feet. Three new properties were added in the secondquarter of 2011. Bayou Plaza, a specialty retail center com-prised of three buildings totaling 51,360 square feet onYouree Drive in Shreveport, Northwood Shopping Center, a20,848 square foot specialty center on North Market in northShreveport, and Villaggio Main Street, a 56,275 square footspecialty property on E. Texas in Bossier City were added.

Stirhng Bossier, located at 1-220 and Airline Drive, opened inthe fourth quarter of 2007. Phases II - IV at Stirling Bossierwere added in the fourth quarter of 2009. Phase V has been completed and will be added to our list of inventoried properties in 2013. Phase VI is under-way and we will continue to monitor this and other new retaildevelopments.

Industrial Market

The industrial market is comprised of two categories:office/service center and multi-tenant warehouse. FiveBossier City bulk warehouses were added to the survey in thefourth quarter of 2010 for a total of 140,130 square feet. Thecurrent survey contains 83 properties of which 66 are bulkwarehouses and 17 are office/service center properties.

The quarterly survey now samples 502,631 square feet of of-fice/service center space, and 7,510,755 square feet of bulkwarehouse space. The lower than average bulk warehouse oc-cupancy is due to a number of large buildings at the Slack In-dustrial Park having available space as well as multipleGeneral Motors supplier buildings being vacant during thisperiod. The table is provided to show trends in rental ratesand occupancy for these two property types from 2006through the fourth quarter 2012.

Source: U.L. Coleman Company

Commercial Real EstateWhen it comes to locations, Shreveport-Bossier’s market continues on an upward trend.


Spotlight

Anew, energy-conscientious community is on the wayto the Shreveport riverfront. According U.L. ColemanCompanies’ Marketing Manager Ed Prokopf, his com-pany’s latest development, Coates Bluff at Wright Is-land is the “newest environmentally focusedcommunity with one and two bedroom residences

that will promote energy savings.”The 252-unit development under construction in Shreve-

port off Clyde Fant Parkway, is just minutes from downtownShreveport and the I-20 corridor.

The luxury apartments feature activity programming andconcierge level services, providing residents resort-style liv-ing right in their own back yard.

“You cannot see it from the road. You’re so tucked in towhere the trees are that it creates a whole new environment,”Prokopf said. “What’s going to make this community unique isits rich, Louisiana-style, plantation feel. You see a lot of de-signs like this in Baton Rouge.”

This is one of the several projects the company has under-taken. But it’s long-anticipated residential and commercialcombination development in south Bossier, Walker Place, is

still awaiting approval. The property was initially delayed by a Bossier City lawsuit

filed four years ago. The residential-commercial combinationdevelopment is still on hold despite a settlement betweendeveloper U.L. Coleman Companies and the city in December2012.

“The status has not changed. It’s still in planning,” EdProkopf, Marketing Manager for U.L. Coleman, said. “There arestill some additional considerations that have to be weighed,measured and considered.”

A settlement in December 2012 saw the city grant thecompany a desired curb cut on the Arthur Ray Teague Park-way, plus millions in infrastructure costs, and donated landfor a city park. U.L. Coleman Company agreed to fund$100,000 to implement regulations to provide standards forfuture residential and commercial development in the Barks-dale Boulevard corridor in South Bossier.

For a list of amenities for Coates Bluff at Wright Island orto apply, call 318-868-9000 or visit http://coatesbluff.ulcole-man.com/

Luxury with ConscienceCoates Bluff development to incorporate environmentallyfocused elements with top-notch amenities

An artist’s rendering of the overheadview of the Coates Bluff development.

STORY BYAmanda Crane

“You cannot see itfrom the road. You’re so

tucked in to where the treesare that it creates a whole

new environment

Ed ProkopfU.L. Coleman Companies


aimed at getting together everyone whowill have oversight on a historic remodelbefore plans are drawn and significantmoney is spent. The goal is that these“preliminary reviews” will result in better,smarter and potentially less-expensiveways for owners to improve their buildingsand get them back in commerce.

“This has been tremendously helpful inopening up a pipeline to the State FireMarshal’s Office. SFM Butch Browning isvery business-minded and wants his officeto assist getting buildings back into com-merce, as vacant and under-utilized build-ings do no one any good. Chief PlansExaminer Don Zeringue has been givingquick, personal attention to projects thatcome through this committee. It seems tohave helped in not only speeding theprocess but helping us negotiate some is-sues to save the building owners money,”

said Swaine.In downtown Shreveport and in cities

and towns across the state, the Commer-cial (Historic) Tax Credit has helped in-crease money to state and local coffers byreturning underutilized, vacant and se-verely neglected buildings to commerce.

Louisiana’s credit works by offering upto 25% of qualified costs on a historic re-habilitation up to $5 million. Those creditscan be sold for cash within five years orkept and used toward a future tax bill.

“This is really the most important toolwe have. When you consider that stackingState Historic Tax Credits and FederalCredits can return up to 45% of the in-vestment in a building, no wonder devel-opers from all over the country areinterested,” Swaine said.

Since the tax credits were first ap-proved by the legislature in 2002, down-town Shreveport has seen 11 projectscompleted, including artspace and Robin-son Film Center. Prior to the construction,those two buildings were vacant and un-used and their return to usefulness hasmeant more tax revenue, more jobs andmore opportunities.

Cover Story

What’sHappeningDowntown?

New construction: The Emmett HookPerformance Center, Millennium Film Stu-dios, and a soon-to-be-constructed Fam-ily Dollar Store on Common Street.

Under construction: Municipal Audito-rium, the old Sears building and two ad-joining buildings in the 600 block ofTexas Street, the historic Johnson Build-ing in the 400 block of Milam Street, thePetroleum Building and Home FederalBank in the 600 block of Market Street,and CoHabitat’s new space in the RedRiver District among others.

Upcoming projects: The Allen Build-ing’s conversion to the new SouthernUniversity School of Nursing in the 600block of Texas Street, and the possibleconversion of another large vacant build-ing to upscale apartments in the 300block of Texas.

Downtown: Taxcredits helpin many waysFrom Page 15


NWLA Tourism

Organizers have announced details ofthe 2013 FLW Forrest Wood Cup,FLW Outdoors’ largest bass fishingtournament of the year, which willbe held on the Red River in Shreve-port-Bossier, Aug. 15-18. In addition

to daily launches at Red River South Marinaand weigh-ins at CenturyLink Center, theevent will include the FLW Expo at Shreve-port Convention Center, 10 a.m.-4:30 p.m.,Aug. 16-18. One of the outdoor industry’slargest expos, the FLW Expo offers fans abusy schedule of celebrity appearances, ed-ucational seminars, giveaways and more. Ad-mission is free.

Here are some highlights of the 2013 FLWExpo:

Meet Swamp PeopleCast Members

On Saturday, Aug. 17, Swamp People™ on

History® cast members Troy Broussard andHarlan Hatcher will meet fans and sign auto-graphs at the FLW Expo, 12-4 p.m. Fans willhave a second opportunity to meet SwampPeople™ cast members when Troy Landry,Chase Landry, Troy Broussard and HarlanHatcher meet fans and sign autographs, 12-4p.m., Sunday, Aug. 18, at the FLW Expo.

Giveaways The first 500 children ages 14 and under

to be admitted to the FLW Expo on Saturday,Aug. 17 and Sunday, Aug. 18 will receive acoupon redeemable for a free rod and reelcombo and tackle kit courtesy of 1130 AMThe Tiger. The coupons may be redeemed atthe main exits of the CenturyLink Center fol-lowing tournament weigh-ins on Saturdayand Sunday.

Fishing SeminarsA variety of free fishing seminars will be

offered at Shreveport Convention Centerduring the FLW Expo. A seminar focusing onantique fishing lures will be held, 11 a.m.,Saturday, Aug. 17. Pro fishing legend andoutdoor television host Hank Parker willpresent a fishing seminar, 3 p.m., Sunday,Aug. 18, with the first 30 fans in attendancereceiving a free lure. A total of 10 free semi-nars will be offered throughout the event.

FLW encourages fans to park at the Centu-ryLink Center and catch a free ride to theShreveport Convention Center on a dedi-cated shuttle. Shuttles will run continuouslybetween the CenturyLink Center and theShreveport Convention Center, 9 a.m.-4:30p.m., Aug. 16-18.

For complete details of the 2013 FLW For-rest Wood Cup, visit www.sbfunguide.com orwww.forrestwoodcup.com.

Troy Broussard and HarlanHatcher of Swamp People will

be at the FLW Expo.

Photo By David BrownThe FLW Expo will be held at theShreveport Convention Cetner Aug.16-18.More Than Just

a Fishing TournamentFLW Expo to include giveaways, celebrity appearances

STORY BYChris Jay


Join the Chamber today!

Helen Godfrey-Smith, Chairman Elect, Murray W. Viser, Chairman, Woody Schick, Past-Chairman, Tom Brice, Chris Haskew, Dick Bremer, Dr. Phillip Rozeman, Robert L. Dean, Johnette Magner, Jacqueline Scott, Scotty Amos, Kent Rogers, Steve Roop, Troy J. Broussard, Robert Lewis, Pete Zanmiller, Dr. Joseph McCulloch, Boyd Parker, and John Coutret. Board Members not pictured: Rich DesCoteaux, Marianne Nelson, Janice Sneed, and Daniel Van

Congratulations


Your businessis our business.

Allegra Marketing Print Mail

0813

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0813Liz SwaineDowntown DevelopmentAuthority Executive Director

Downtown Development


Liz SwaineDowntown DevelopmentAuthority Executive Director

Awise person once joked that a clean deskwas the sign of a sick mind. I’m happy toreport that based on that criteria, mymind is very healthy indeed. I’ve finallycome to the conclusion that ‘organized’clutter can be a good thing when the rea-

son behind it is activity — and there is seriousactivity in downtown Shreveport. Multi-milliondollar developments, both finished and soon-to-launch, dot the landscape.

The City of Shreveport and Caddo Parish havejoined forces to give a big boost to a new art andculture district called Shreveport Common, stateand federal historic tax credits are giving devel-opers more reason to save our inventory of his-toric buildings, and downtown venues continueto be ‘the’ place for popular events. Downtown ishitting its stride. Again.

Up through the 1950s, downtown was the firstplace people shopped, went to the movies, ate,worked, socialized and went to church. As sub-urbs and shopping malls developed, downtownsacross the country went into decline.

During this period, many also lost most of thehistoric buildings that made them unique.Shreveport did not.

Downtowns that are positioning themselves totake advantage of the trends in smart growth andsustainability are returning in a big way. Theyoung entrepreneurs and important ‘creatives’love the ease of living near where they work, the‘recycling’ of old buildings, and the art and vi-brancy that downtowns attract.

Up-and-coming Millennials are now moving to aplace that speaks to them, then finding -or creat-ing- a job. This is quite different from moving to aplace simply because that’s where the job is lo-cated. It’s a brave new world out there. Down-

town Shreveport is working to engage theseyoung trendy professionals with co-workingspace, educational and networking opportunitiesand entertainment while not losing sight of ourtraditional business models.

The Downtown Development Authority and sisterorganization Downtown Shreveport Develop-ment Corporation provide incentives for businessand building rehabs, work with city permits, zon-ing, the State Fire Marshal and others to ease theoften-confusing path of construction and expan-sion, offer advice and networking opportunitiesand provide a commonsense bridge betweenbusiness and government.

More than 12,000 people work downtown Mon-day-Friday, formerly vacant buildings now houseart galleries, movie theaters, apartments, condos,office and event space and more is on the way.The place where it all began will soon be theplace where it’s happening again.

Downtown BoundDowntown Development

Why businesses may want toconsider locating downtown


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Briefly

2013 Willow CreekLeadership Summitto be held at First United Methodist of Shreveport

The Global Leadership Summit is a two-day,world-class leadership event experienced bymore than 170,000 leaders around theworld, representing more than 14,000churches. It’s telecast LIVE from Willow’scampus (near Chicago) every August.

Throughout the fall, Summit events takeplace in an additional 300+ cities, 92 coun-tries—and translated into 42 languages. Thisevent is crafted to infuse vision, skill devel-opment and inspiration for the sake of localchurch transformation.

A LITTLE BIT OF HISTORY…Founded in 1992, Willow Creek Association(WCA) is the organization behind The GlobalLeadership Summit. They serve pioneeringpastors and leaders around the world by cu-rating inspirational leadership, intentionalskill development and experiences that helplocal churches thrive.

SERVING LEADERS IN THE ARK-LA-TEX…First United Methodist Church in Shreveportis privileged to take part in this two dayevent, helping serve leaders in the Ark-la-tex.Each year for the Summit, we transform BainHall on the First Shreveport campus into afirst-rate venue for the live simulcast, fullyequipped with state of the art projection andmedia power stations in order to give youthe best experience and help you feel likeyour in the midst of the conference withouthaving to travel or provide costly overnightexpenses for your staff.

We would love for you and your team to en-gage with us through the vision, training andresources provided by the 2013 WillowCreek Leadership Summit.

To register visit:http://firstleadership.org/2013/06/05/2013-willow-creek-leadership-summit/

LWCC Promotes TwoLouisiana Workers’ Compensation Corpora-tion (LWCC) has announced two new promo-tions: Angie Risley is now the manager offinancial reporting, and Shelly Vigé is thepremium audit manager.

Risley has been with LWCC since 2003 whenshe was hired as a senior accountant. Shehas also held the title of senior financial ana-lyst.

Risley, who was born and raised in Lafayette,earned her B.S. degree in finance, with aminor in accounting, from SoutheasternLouisiana University.

Vigé was born in Baton Rouge and raised inBrusly. She is one of a handful of employeeswith more than 20 years of service to LWCC,having joined the organization in 1992. Shehas held a number of positions in that time,including agency relations coordinator inMarketing and business analyst in Informa-tion Technology Services. Vigé was most re-cently a technology and operationsspecialist.

Vigé earned her Chartered Property CasualtyUnderwriter (CPCU) designation in 2007 andis an active member of the Bayou Chapter ofthe CPCU Society.

LWCC (www.lwcc.com) is a private, nonprofitmutual insurance company that is the largestwriter of workers’ compensation insurance inLouisiana. The company carries an “A” (Excel-lent) rating from A.M. Best.

Feds: Louisiana Adds Morethan 28,000 Jobs over the YearBATON ROUGE — Louisiana’s private sectoradded 28,400 jobs over the past year, ac-cording to seasonally adjusted data for Junereleased by the Federal Bureau of Labor Sta-tistics.

For 34 consecutive months, private sectoremployment has increased from the samemonth in the prior year.

Total nonfarm employment – private andgovernment employment – in June was1,946,500, an increase of 21,700 jobs overthe year.

Angie Risley Shelly Vigé

It’s like receiving a business book each month.

Don’t Miss a Single Issue!



Creating a no-gossip culture

Dear Dave,

I have a small business with 17 people in the main office and another 44 mobile techs in thefield. We had a merger last year, and although we’ve overcome rivalries and other difficulties,gossip is a huge issue in the office. How can we solve this problem and still maintain morale?

Chad

Dear Chad,

I have a zero-tolerance policy for gossip. Gossip will absolutely destroy an organization, andmost places that have gossip running rampant are just cesspools. I can’t imagine wanting to bea part of a situation like that. Gossip is small-minded, it shuts down everyone involved, and theworst gossip of all is when workers gossip about the person who pays them!

It’s really simple at my place. My team knows they need to go to someone in leadership ifthey’ve got a problem or something’s bothering them. They know better than to stand aroundand complain to the receptionist about something someone in another department did or said.Negatives go up, and positives go down. If you’ve got a problem, you take it to someone whocan fix the problem.If I walked into the kind of mess you’re talking about, I’d call a staff meeting, and we’d defi-nitely cut that cancer out. I’d have no problem telling them if they want to keep their jobsthey’d better cut out the gossip and stop acting like a bunch of teenage drama queens. I’m nottalking about being a bully. I’m talking about being clear and blunt about what will and will notbe tolerated in your organization.

You may have to be a tough guy for a while and fire a few people. That’s okay, because thereare lots of folks out there looking for work who can take their places. But as a result, you’ll beleft with people who want to work there, who want to be responsible, mature team members,and a culture that defends itself against gossip.

—Dave

The first team meeting

Dear Dave,

Our company is about to have it’s first-ever employee meeting. Do you have any suggestionson how to conduct something like this?

Brooke

Dear Brooke,

If you have an existing company, and you’ve never had anemployee meeting in the past, I think the first one shouldbe spent explaining why you’ve decided to have employeemeetings.

We have staff meetings every week with all 300 teammembers, mainly for the purpose of communication be-tween the different departments and divisions. We cheer-lead when things are going right, and lots of times I’ll reademail letters bragging on various team members.

Now, no company is perfect, and sometimes there’s house-cleaning to be done. That kind of stuff isn’t always pretty,but we tell the truth and shoot straight with the teamabout these issues. Occasionally, I’ll even use one of themeetings to teach on the principles of the way we run thecompany. This can cover accounting, marketing, or even theconcepts of unity and loyalty.

Just do things gradually, and don’t hit your team with toomuch right off the bat. You might even take suggestionsfrom your team as to what they feel would be beneficial inyour meetings.

—Dave

Dave RamseyDave Ramsey is America’s trustedvoice on money and business. He’s au-thored four New York Times best-sell-ing books: Financial Peace, More ThanEnough, The Total Money Makeoverand EntreLeadership. The Dave Ram-sey Show is heard by more than 6 mil-lion listeners each week on more than500 radio stations. Follow Dave onTwitter at @DaveRamsey and on theweb at daveramsey.com.

Dave Says — On Business

Business Q&A


The old business saying: loca-tion, location, location is sotrue in economic develop-ment. Companies move tocommunities that have goodsites and locations. That’s why

North Louisiana Economic Partnership(NLEP), a regional economic develop-ment organization, has dedicated re-sources to helping communitiesidentify and create marketable, devel-opment-ready sites.

NLEP is working with our state andlocal partners to increase our portfolioof available sites in order to createmore economic opportunities. TwoLouisiana programs: Economic Devel-opment Site Readiness and LouisianaCertified Sites focus on improving thestate’s and the region’s asset inven-tory.

The Louisiana Certified Sites programdesignates industrial or commercialproperty as development ready afterthe site passes a rigorous reviewprocess. The property is evaluated bya third party engineering firm for spe-cific site details, including title work,zoning restrictions, environmentalstudies, soil analysis, and surveys. The

Certified Sites designation enhancesthe marketability of the site, becauseit assures potential buyers that theproperty has been checked out. Thecertification also indicates thereshouldn’t be any major surprises thatcould derail a project. In today’s fast paced business envi-ronment, companies are looking forsites that they can build on within ashort time frame. Certified sites oftenallow companies to fast track theirprojects. The program also forceslandowners to do most of their home-work up front, so they can respondfaster to a company’s request for in-formation as it searches for availableproperties.

Currently, there are six certified siteswithin NLEP’s 14-parish region. A 313acre site off of I-20 and GreenwoodRoad in Shreveport, a 90 acre tract atthe Port of Caddo-Bossier, Ward II In-dustrial Park’s 950 acre site in CaddoParish, the 700 acre Charleston Indus-trial Park in Ouachita Parish, and the725 acre Millhaven North BusinessPark in Monroe were certified underthe Louisiana Economic Development(LED) program. A 360 acre tract at thePort of Natchitoches was certified by

McCallum Sweeney Consulting as partof CLECO’s SmartSites program. Sincereceiving the Certified Sites designa-tion, these properties have attractedinterest from prospective companies. NLEP and its local partners assistedmany of these property owners in un-dergoing the rigorous and lengthy cer-tification process. Our goal is to certifyat least two sites in each of the 14parishes that we serve.

Another program recently launched byLED, the state’s lead economic devel-opment agency, is the Economic De-velopment Site Readiness program.This program focuses on identifying,improving and marketing industrialsites that can be competitive globally.Those sites are eligible for partialstate funding to pay for services thatwould improve their competitiveness,including environmental studies andassessments, wetland delineation andmitigation, lot layout plans, gradingand drainage plans, other site prepwork and marketing materials. For more information on the LouisianaCertified Sites and the Economic De-velopment Site Readiness programs,visit www.nlep.org and click on site se-lection.

From the Bossier Chamber

The residential real estate market in Northwest Louisiana has been remarkably resilientcompared to other markets in the country and even across the South for the past sev-eral years. This resilience can be attributed to many individual components: the expan-sion of Barksdale Air Force Base, the drilling and production activity in the HaynesvilleShale and the continued success of the film and gaming industries. These factors haveprevented our region from experiencing the rapid and significant home price apprecia-

tion that other parts of the country have encountered.

While it appears markets are beginning to firm up in some of the harder hit areas (i.e. California,Nevada and Florida), regulations that have been written as a result of the financial crisis arejust now starting to hamstring the lending services industry. At a time when American financialinstitutions need to be positioned to help with the recovery, these same institutions are “bat-tening down the hatches” to prepare for the implementation of these new and unnecessaryregulations. You may be asking yourself, “Why is Jason ranting about regulations in a pieceabout real estate?” Well, I am glad you asked!

Financial services in general and the availability of efficient lending services in particular arecrucial to the market to facilitate the sales transaction. There are scores of real estate salescontracts that have not been able to close because the lending component of the transactioncould not deliver financing.

Since most home buyers finance the purchase, the lending component of the transaction iscrucial. With the regulatory burden that is being added to the financial services industry, thesetransactions will become more difficult to close. That said, I would offer the following advice tothose looking to buy a home in the future.

First, it is never too early to contact your lender to find outwhat the requirements are for the loan you will need topurchase your home. Second, choose a lender based ontheir knowledge of the market, the process of buying or re-financing a home and the likelihood the lender will be ableto close the transaction as you have requested. Third,choose the loan product that is most suited for your plansregarding the home. Fourth, always attempt to put at leastten percent of the purchase price down when buying ahome.

Finally, make sure you have a payment that you can livewith today and in the future; a financially mature buyershould always be cognizant of the difference betweenwhat they can qualify for vs. what they can actually afford.

The availability of quality, affordable housing is one posi-tive attribute that makes Bossier-Shreveport a great placeto live, work and raise a family.

Real Estate, from theBanks’ PerspectiveLending institutions sometimes hamstrung by newregulations passed in wake of financial crisis

Jason SmithCitizens National Bank

Jason is 2013 Chairman of the Board ofthe Bossier Chamber of Commerce.

On the Economic Development Front

Scott MartinezPresident, NLEP

He is the President of North LouisianaEconomic Partnership (NLEP), a public-private partnership dedicated to pro-moting economic development inNorth Louisiana. Send comments [email protected].

AttractingBusiness

NLEP helps communities become ready for economic development


From the Bossier Chamber

The residential real estate market in Northwest Louisiana has been remarkably resilientcompared to other markets in the country and even across the South for the past sev-eral years. This resilience can be attributed to many individual components: the expan-sion of Barksdale Air Force Base, the drilling and production activity in the HaynesvilleShale and the continued success of the film and gaming industries. These factors haveprevented our region from experiencing the rapid and significant home price apprecia-

tion that other parts of the country have encountered.

While it appears markets are beginning to firm up in some of the harder hit areas (i.e. California,Nevada and Florida), regulations that have been written as a result of the financial crisis arejust now starting to hamstring the lending services industry. At a time when American financialinstitutions need to be positioned to help with the recovery, these same institutions are “bat-tening down the hatches” to prepare for the implementation of these new and unnecessaryregulations. You may be asking yourself, “Why is Jason ranting about regulations in a pieceabout real estate?” Well, I am glad you asked!

Financial services in general and the availability of efficient lending services in particular arecrucial to the market to facilitate the sales transaction. There are scores of real estate salescontracts that have not been able to close because the lending component of the transactioncould not deliver financing.

Since most home buyers finance the purchase, the lending component of the transaction iscrucial. With the regulatory burden that is being added to the financial services industry, thesetransactions will become more difficult to close. That said, I would offer the following advice tothose looking to buy a home in the future.

First, it is never too early to contact your lender to find outwhat the requirements are for the loan you will need topurchase your home. Second, choose a lender based ontheir knowledge of the market, the process of buying or re-financing a home and the likelihood the lender will be ableto close the transaction as you have requested. Third,choose the loan product that is most suited for your plansregarding the home. Fourth, always attempt to put at leastten percent of the purchase price down when buying ahome.

Finally, make sure you have a payment that you can livewith today and in the future; a financially mature buyershould always be cognizant of the difference betweenwhat they can qualify for vs. what they can actually afford.

The availability of quality, affordable housing is one posi-tive attribute that makes Bossier-Shreveport a great placeto live, work and raise a family.

Real Estate, from theBanks’ PerspectiveLending institutions sometimes hamstrung by newregulations passed in wake of financial crisis

Jason SmithCitizens National Bank

Jason is 2013 Chairman of the Board ofthe Bossier Chamber of Commerce.


Chris JayPublic Relations and Social MediaManager, Shreveport Bossier Conven-tion and Tourist Bureau. He is amonthly contributor to Biz. Magazine.



Chris JayPublic Relations and Social MediaManager, Shreveport Bossier Conven-tion and Tourist Bureau. He is amonthly contributor to Biz. Magazine.


Lunch Break

Blue Southern Comfort Foods, a tiny,neighborhood eatery with a fantasticsignature burger, recently opened at1173 Louisiana Avenue in Shreveport. Ifthe location seems familiar, that’s be-cause it has been home to a series of

beloved, eccentric restaurants, including theBurnin’ Spear Caribbean Cafe and Slap YourMama Barbecue. The menu at Blue offers up ahandful of popular Southern dishes, includingbarbecue shrimp ($12) and braised short ribs($11.95), as well as a trio of handmade burgersand seasonal side items.

Typically, I’d do my best to briefly describe allthree of the meals I’ve had at Blue, but there’s notime for that. We need to talk about the BlueBurger ($9.95) as soon as possible. A fist-sizedserving of high-quality ground beef topped withshredded Gruyère cheese, homemade baconmarmalade and mixed greens, this hamburger in-stantly became one of my favorites in town.What it lacks in enormity (compared to, say, the

burgers from Fumblebrewski’s) or old-fashioned,don’t-mess-with-perfection appeal (a la Gullo’s,Rollin’ in the Dough or even George’s Grill), itmore than makes up for by being covered inhomemade bacon marmalade. The hashtag“#YOLO” should really be stamped next to itslisting on the menu.

“I just believe in buying the best ground beefthat I can,” Manning said of the burger. “A burgerdoesn’t need to be stuffed with all sorts ofthings. Just buy good meat, that’s the key.” Struckdumb by the awesome powers of bacon mar-malade, I was unable to ask any follow-up ques-tions.

Blue is small, off-the-beaten-path, and lacking insignage, but food lovers should make the effortto seek it out. The restaurant is open for lunch,Monday-Friday, and dinner, Tuesday-Friday. Call(318) 762-1909 to place a call-in order.

Might AsWell GetComfortable

Familiar address offers memorable tasteThe BlueBurger

Blue Southern Comfort Food is located onLouisiana Avenue in Shreveport.

Chris Jay reviews local food every Tuesday at www.20x49.com.


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BIZ. Magazine - August 2013