Stirling New Orleans

Beth Cristina serves as Senior Advisor / Broker Associate with Stirling's commercial real estate team, working from the company's New Orleans, Louisiana, office. Specializing in both landlord and tenant representation, she has been a commercial real estate leader in New Orleans and across the southeast region for more than 44 years.

Beth has extensive experience in commercial real estate leasing, sales, development, and investments. Her knowledge and expertise range from vacant land to single-tenant and high-rise office buildings. Her qualifications include office and retail market analysis, tenant/landlord and purchaser/seller representation, marketing, sales and leasing strategies, and consulting services.

Accreditation:

Accredited Land Consultant (ALC) of the REALTORS Land Institute

Business Affiliations:

Louisiana REALTORS - (LR)

2022 Director

2020 Director

2017 Director at Large

2016 Immediate Past President

2015 President

2013 Secretary-Treasurer

2012 Vice-Chair of Strategic Planning Committee

2011 Division Chair for LR Commercial

2010 Chair for LR Commercial Committee

2010 Vice President Region 4

New Orleans Metropolitan Association of REALTORS (NOMAR)

2005 President

Commercial Investment Division of New Orleans Metropolitan Association of REALTORS (CID of NOMAR)

2008 President

2000 President

Member of Gulf South Real Estate Information Network, Inc. (GSREIN MLS) - 2017 & 2023

National Association of REALTORS (NAR)

2024 Vice-Chair Commercial Economic Issues and Trends Forum

2022 Chair Commercial Research Advisory Board

2020 Director

2019 Vice President (Region 10)

Carly Plotkin joined Stirling in 2016 and serves as an Advisor with the company's commercial real estate team. She has extensive knowledge in the commercial real estate industry with a primary focus on tenant and landlord representation and a strong concentration in the retail and hospitality markets. She has worked with national, regional and local clients in both marketing and leasing capacities.

Previously, Carly worked with The Howard Hughes Corporation, where she led local marketing and development efforts for the overhaul of the former Riverwalk Marketplace into the nation's first downtown outlet center, The Outlet Collection at Riverwalk in New Orleans.

Since joining Stirling, Carly has been an active member of ICSC and held a position on the Next Generation Leadership Board, in addition to serving as ICSC's NextGen State Chair for Louisiana.

Ms. Plotkin is also an active member of the New Orleans Metropolitan Association of Realtors (NOMAR) Commercial Investment Division (CID), where she served as a volunteer on the Programs Committee, and the Retail Brokers Network (RBN), where she served as RBN's NextGen Southeast Committee Chair. Carly was also the recipient of the 2017 "Rising Star Award" at the NOMAR-CID Annual Achievement Awards ceremony.

Currently, Carly is affiliated with several nonprofit and volunteer organizations, including the Anti-Defamation League, as well as proudly serves as a Board Member for the New Orleans Jewish Community Center. Ms. Plotkin is also a graduate of the New Orleans Business Alliance's inaugural Economic Development Ambassadorship Program and received her B/S in both Marketing & Communications from Tulane University's A.B. Freeman School of Business.

Gaines Seaman serves as a Senior Advisor with Stirling's commercial real estate team and has specialized in landlord and tenant representation of office space for over 18 years. His inventory includes over 1 million square feet of Class A space comprised of the Heritage Plaza building in Metairie, Louisiana, and the Pan American Life Center in the Central Business District of New Orleans, LA.

Notable lease transactions include Northwestern Mutual, Merrill Lynch, Halliburton, DXC Technology, Pan-American Life Insurance Group, Freeport-McMoRan, Postlethwaite & Netterville, Audubon Engineering, Bourgeois Bennett, Wegmann Dazet, LaPorte, Carr Riggs & Ingram, Lugenbuhl, McGlinchey Stafford PLLC, Morris Bart, Thompson Coe, and Jackson Lewis.

Since joining Stirling in 2008, Gaines has received many company and industry awards, including the Overall Top Producer Award from the New Orleans Metropolitan Association of REALTORS (NOMAR) Commercial Investment Division (CID) for the highest volume of sales and leases in the greater New Orleans area.

Gaines has served on the Board of Lighthouse Louisiana and numerous committees within Metairie Park Country Day School.

Mr. Seaman is from New Orleans and has a BBA from the University of Mississippi with an emphasis in Marketing.

Juhmad M. Hollis joined Stirling in 2022 and serves as an Advisor, Associate Broker with the company's Commercial Brokerage Division. With over 17 years of real estate experience, he began his career at Sil-loH Properties, LLC., in Birmingham, Alabama, working alongside his father and sister. As a guide, advisor, and educator, Mr. Hollis developed a deep understanding of the industry, effectively communicating with clients, empowering them, and providing real-time solutions to challenges. In December 2012, he assumed the role of President/CEO at Sil-loH Properties, LLC., holding the position until October 2015 when he transitioned to BRIK Realty as their Qualifying Broker. In 2017, Mr. Hollis established Sil-loH Realty New Orleans after relocating to Louisiana.

Mr. Hollis currently serves as the Immediate Past President of the Gulf South Real Estate Information Network and served as a Director on the New Orleans Metropolitan Association of REALTORS and Louisiana REALTORS. He has contributed to the Alabama Association of REALTORS, Birmingham Association of REALTORS Board of Directors, and presided as President of the Greater Alabama Multiple Listing Service.

A member of Kappa Alpha Psi Fraternity, Inc., Mr. Hollis has also mentored with Son of Saint in New Orleans and actively participated in the National Association of REALTORS, serving on the Diversity Committee and Federal Finance and Housing Committee. He is an At-Large Member of NAIOP and is on his "Path to the Pin" to earn the coveted CCIM designation.

Mr. Hollis, a graduate of the Alabama Association of REALTORS, Birmingham Association of REALTORS, and Louisiana REALTORS Leadership Academies, and is currently pursuing a Bachelor of Arts in Business Administration with a concentration in Management from Morehouse College. He holds Louisiana and Alabama Real Estate Licenses.

Kaelan McArthur is an Advisor with Stirling's commercial real estate team, working from the company's New Orleans, Louisiana office. Her areas of focus include the sales and leasing of retail, office, and industrial properties, with representation of both tenants and landlords. Her specific geographical expertise is in the Gulf South market area.

A Mobile, Alabama native, Kaelan brings over a decade of invaluable experience in restaurant management spanning Louisiana, Mississippi, and Alabama. Her tenure in this industry has given her an insider's understanding of the unique challenges new restaurant and retail owners have when starting their business and allows her to successfully guide clients with their commercial real estate needs. This background has not only honed her customer service skills but also her prowess in cultivating enduring relationships with clients.

Since joining Stirling in 2022, she has adeptly leveraged her skills to forge strong client relationships while facilitating lease negotiations and commercial real estate acquisitions across Louisiana, Mississippi, Alabama, and Florida.

Lauren Ryan joined the Stirling team in 2014, specializing in tenant and landlord representation for leasing and sales transactions in the retail market throughout Louisiana.

Previously, Mrs. Ryan worked at Horizon Bank in Austin, TX, as Assistant Vice President of Development and Marketing. She was a member of the Real Estate Council of Austin, where she served on multiple committees and was selected to participate in the Leadership Development Class.

Lauren is a member of the New Orleans Metropolitan Association of Realtors (NOMAR), the Commercial Investment Division of NOMAR (CID), where she volunteers on the Programs Committee, International Council of Shopping Centers (ICSC), and the Retail Brokers Network (RBN). In 2016, she received her first NOMAR/CID Achievement Award for transactions totaling over $2.5 million.

An active community member, Lauren sits on the Board for Ascension DePaul Foundation New Orleans, previously Daughters of Charity Foundation, where she volunteers on their Keeping Our Promises Gala committee for the annual fundraiser. Lauren also participated in the Young Leadership Council and was a committee member for the Dress for Success annual fundraiser, the Start The Adventure In Reading (STAIR) annual fundraiser in addition to volunteering with the STAIR afterschool program. She was also selected to be part of the Economic Development Ambassadorship Program through the New Orleans Business Alliance.

Mrs. Ryan is a graduate of Southern Methodist University with a bachelor's degree in Business Administration and a Minor in Communications.

Mac Bauer has been a member of Stirling's development team since joining the company in 2011. His strengths include recognizing market opportunities and appreciating property value. Mr. Bauer has led the development of notable projects such as: Academy Sports + Outdoors in Lake Charles (72,000sf new construction); the Offices at Mid-City Market in New Orleans (55,000sf historic renovation); a freestanding Emergency Department and Imaging Clinic for Ochsner in Laplace (19,500sf new construction, hybrid building); a 600+ unit self-storage facility in Hammond (93,000sf new construction); bankruptcy acquisition and partial conversion of a former hospital in Lacombe (205,000sf building); refinancing and construction closeout of a new rehab hospital in Jefferson (135,000sf new construction); and repurposing of a retail building into a multispecialty clinic in Bossier City (25,000sf PEMB retrofit).

Prior to joining Stirling, Mr. Bauer was a principal with Bauer & Company, Inc., which, over the course of 25 years, developed several single-tenant properties (e.g., Walgreens, Winn-Dixie, etc.), a mixed-use condominium building (625 St. Charles) in the heart of New Orleans' warehouse district, and the city's first motorcoach resort (French Quarter RV Resort), just two blocks from the French Quarter.

Previous positions with Deutsche Bank, JP Morgan and Christie's, in Germany and New York, provided Mr. Bauer immeasurable insight into the arenas of financial modeling, investor relations, international asset management, and valuation services. Bauer graduated from Rutgers University in 1999 with a bachelor's degree in Art History and is fluent in German.

Melissa S. Warren, CCIM is a Senior Commercial Real Estate Advisor and the New Orleans metropolitan market leader for Stirling. She has provided clients with commercial real estate advisory services since 2001. As a Senior Advisor with Stirling in New Orleans, LA, Ms. Warren focuses on industrial, office, and retail sales, leasing, and tenant and landlord representation.

On behalf of clients, Melissa has been responsible for conducting investment, market, and financial analysis and negotiating purchase and lease contracts. She coordinates transaction due diligence, site selection services, and user decision analysis, and assists clients with planning and zoning matters. Additionally, Melissa has represented medical clients with medical retail and office site selection services. Before joining Stirling, she was the leasing agent for East Jefferson General Hospital in Metairie, LA. She has represented financial institutions in the disposition of distressed commercial assets and excess branch disposition. Over the years, she served numerous industrial and bioscience clients providing them with the services of site selection, market analysis, shipyard disposition, industrial park and river terminal land acquisition, ground-up development, and asset disposition.

Ms. Warren's organizational service includes Board Member and President Ex-Officio of the NOMAR-CID (New Orleans Metropolitan Association of Realtors - Commercial Investment Division); and Board Member of LACDB (the Louisiana Commercial Database). Commercial Real Estate professional affiliations include CCIM (Certified Commercial Investment Member), ICSC (International Council of Shopping Centers), NOMAR-CID, NAIOP (the Commercial Real Estate Development Association), and New Orleans CREW (Commercial Real Estate Women). Melissa serves on the Board of the Louisiana SPCA, and volunteers with New Orleans City Park, and Habitat for Humanity.

Before joining Stirling, Ms. Warren was a senior real estate advisor for Grubb & Ellis/ Sawyer Commercial in Gulfport, MS. In 2006, she was designated a (CCIM) upon successfully passing the comprehensive final exam and passing the CCIM Institute's panel judgment for the portfolio of qualifying industry experience.

After Hurricane Katrina, the mayor of Gulfport, MS selected Ms. Warren to co-chair the committee to rebuild Gulfport Harbor's Jones Park where she helped spearhead fundraising, architectural charrettes, and development designs for the rebuilding of the park.

Ms. Warren graduated from Mississippi State University in 1992 with a Bachelor of Arts degree in English. She holds Louisiana and Mississippi real estate licenses.

Rhonda Sharkawy joined the Stirling team as Development Director, where she was involved in retail ground-up developments and redevelopments. In 2002, she transitioned to the Commercial Brokerage Division as Senior Retail Leasing & Development Executive. For over twenty-five years, she has worked on new retail developments, redevelopments, and leasing existing shopping centers. In addition, she represents over a dozen national retailers throughout Louisiana and Mississippi. Rhonda is well seasoned in all aspects of commercial retail real estate.

After completing a bachelor's degree at Loyola University in New Orleans, Sharkawy earned a master's degree in Land & Real Estate Development, as well as a Master's degree in Construction Science from Texas A&M University-College Station.

When she is not working, she is busy with non-profits in the New Orleans area and loves traveling, the arts, music and activities in nature.

Commercial Real Estate Honors and Awards:

National Association of Realtors (NAR), Commercial Real Estate Division (CID) Awards:

- Hall of Fame: 2015-2017

- Poche Waguespack Award: 2009- 2014

- Top Overall Retail Lease: 2004 - 2007, 2010, 2011, 2013

- Top Overall Retail Sales: 2008

- Top Overall Retail Producer: 2001 - 2014 & 2018-2021

- Nationwide Commercial Award (NAR): 2011 - 2020

- For 5 consecutive years, Sharkawy received the Waguespack Award given by the Realtor's Commercial Investment Division for achieving the highest volume in the industry of sales and leases in the marketplace for the year. She is the first agent in Stirling's history to receive the award and one of only a handful of women to achieve this honor since it was created back in 1964.

- In 2015-2017, Rhonda was inducted into the New Orleans Association of Realtors Commercial Hall of Fame for the Waguespack Award. She is the first woman to receive this prestigious honor.

Stirling Awards:

- Top Commercial Producer: 2003-2006, 2008-2013, 2015-2020

- Most Commercial Transactions: 2003-2022

CoStar Awards:

- Power Broker, Top Broker Award: 2015-2018-2019

New Orleans City Business Awards

- Excellence in Real Estate

- Ones to Watch, Top Private Companies

- Power Generation (Given to young innovative achievers whose success in business & organizations set the pace for the future of our region.)

Saban Sellers is a member of Stirling's Investments Division, serving as an Investment Advisor for Multifamily sales. While serving as an Investment Advisor, Saban is extensively involved in all facets of the multifamily investment advisory process, including underwriting, market analysis, and transaction management. His diverse skill set and specialization of both acquisition and disposition of multifamily assets are key to successful brokerage transactions for their clients. To date, Saban has been involved in over $540 million in transaction volume totaling over 5,700 units.

Prior to Multifamily Investment Advising, Mr. Sellers focused on retail sales and leasing in both tenant and landlord representation throughout Louisiana.

Mr. Sellers is a graduate of Louisiana State University's E.J. Ourso College of Business with a Bachelor of Science in Finance and is a member of the National Multifamily Housing Council (NMHC).

Thomas Bryan, a 15-year veteran of the commercial real estate industry, has made a vast contribution to the retail landscape both locally and nationwide, with a concentration in the Southern United States. Based in New Orleans, LA, he has produced nearly $100M in transaction volume over the last two years alone throughout the country.

Thomas has been instrumental in rollouts for retailers in the electronics, experiential retail, family entertainment, fitness, and soft goods sectors, to name a few. He has facilitated the expansion of medical/office occupiers as well. This experience and expertise have created a nationwide network of contacts and information available to his clients. He divides his focus on retail, office, medical, and industrial tenant and buyer representation as well as investment sales acquisition. Most recently, he completed the rollout of a boutique fitness studio securing 189 locations nationwide. He has also been integral in the negotiations and development of retail anchor pursuits in relation to investment acquisitions.

Prior work experiences include brokerage services with CBRE out of the Richmond, VA, office and property management/operations with Tishman Speyer out of Washington, DC.

Thomas has been an active member of ICSC, the Urban Land Institute (ULI), the Retail Brokers Network (RBN), and Business Networking International (BNI). He is active in his community as a State Board Member for the Louisiana Cystic Fibrosis Foundation and actively involved in Habitat for Humanity.

Thomas is a 2004 graduate of The College of Charleston in Charleston, SC, with a bachelor's degree in Business Administration.