HAHNVILLE, La. – Rio Morado LLC, owned by members of the Besthoff family, has announced the development of Luling Business Park and Enterprise Center in Luling, La.
“We see a need in greater New Orleans for large, modern distribution facilities with high ceilings, 50-ft column spacing, and ESFR sprinkler systems,” said Besthoff family spokesman Andrew Marcus in a press release. “We will begin to meet this need by building a 250,000 square foot distribution building within the overall master plan of the site, which calls for over one million square feet of flexible distribution space. After extensive due diligence, we believe this is the best possible development site for distribution in the region, and St. Charles Parish has been great to work with through the whole process.”
Sydney Besthoff served as chairman and CEO of K&B Incorporated, a retail drugstore chain in the Gulf South that was sold to the Rite Aid Corporation in 1997. The Besthoffs have a long history of property development in the metro New Orleans area. They said they chose the Luling site because of its proximity to the Louis Armstrong New Orleans International Airport, its interstate highway connections to New Orleans and Baton Rouge markets, and the “pro-business reputation” of St. Charles Parish. Construction on the business park and enterprise center is slated to begin later this year.
Gerard Henry, vice president of Max J. Derbes Inc., will market the site. Michael Hecht, president and CEO of Greater New Orleans Inc., is a champion of the project.
“Greater New Orleans was founded as a trade and logistics hub, and that historical economic function is now more important than ever,” said Hecht. “The Luling Business Park and Enterprise Center will be perfectly placed to help the region play a major role in next-wave distribution, where true competitive advantage is found in location, logistics, and workforce. GNO, Inc. congratulates President Jewell and St. Charles Parish, as well as the Besthoff family, and looks forward to supporting the success of the Center.”
Leasing and build-to-suit inquiries can be directed to Gerard Henry at (504) 733-5985 or Gerard@MaxDerbes.com. More information can be found at www.lulingbusinesspark.com.
