Business Beat: Realtors association to relocate | Business Beat | news-journal.com – Longview News-Journal - NEWS TODAY

Breaking

Saturday, August 20, 2022

Business Beat: Realtors association to relocate | Business Beat | news-journal.com – Longview News-Journal

The Longview Area Association of Realtors will soon begin construction on its new home on the Fourth Street extension north of Hawkins Parkway.

The new office will about double the space the association has at its current building on Judson Road, from 2,560 square feet to 4,975 square feet, said Bill Maxwell, CEO of the Longview Area Association of Realtors. The current office was previously expanded and is landlocked. Additional expansion isn’t possible.

“We’ve outgrown it,” Maxwell said of the current office.

Growth is part of a general trend for Realtors associations, said Jessica Holmes, this year’s chairwoman of the association, with the past year in particular bringing growth to the local association. What was originally the Longview Board of Realtors was organized in 1944, and the National Association of Real Estate Boards issued the organization a charter in 1945. The organization changed its name to the Longview Area Association of Realtors in 2000.

Maxwell said in the past 10 years, the number of members of the local board of Realtors and the number of people who participate in its multiple listing service that tracks properties up for sale has grown 252%, from 525 members in 2013 to 1,324 this year. Maxwell has led the association’s office for 24 years, with the number of employees who work there growing from three to five in the past four years.

The new building will provide more meeting and training space, as well as more office space and larger bathrooms. The new location also will provide easy access to members in the association’s outlying areas.

Maxwell and Holmes said the new facility and the land it is located on represent a $1.5 million investment. The building was designed locally by Kelly Flatt, and Reich Builders will handle construction. Maxwell and association members Skip Martin and Martha Weant have guided the project for the association.

The association expects to be in its new home in about a year.

New restaurant planned

A Houston-area chain known for its fried chicken and “New Orleans-inspired Creole comforts” is coming to Longview.

Frenchy’s has installed its sign in front of the building where Catfish King previously was located at 2338 Mobberly Ave. Information about when the location will open was not immediately available.

Percy “Frenchy” Creuzot Jr. opened his first restaurant in 1969. The small sandwich shop was located in Houston’s Third Ward on Scott Street, the company’s website says.

“Opening the original ‘Frenchy’s Po-Boy’ was a big risk for Percy, but one that paid off in the long-run thanks to his entrepreneurial spirit and commitment to bringing a much-needed Creole revolution to the local food scene,” the website says. “The business took flight after Percy’s signature-seasoned Fried Chicken, inspired by old New Orleans family recipes, became a staple on the Frenchy’s menu. Not straying far from their roots, the Creuzot family paired it with classic Creole sides like dirty rice, collard greens, and red beans that had rich flavor with French, Spanish, Caribbean and African influence.”

Frenchy’s has 11 locations in the Houston area.

Big Lots sets grand opening

Discount retailer Big Lots will celebrate the grand opening of its new store at 98 Midtown Plaza in Kilgore on Aug. 27. 

“Our team has been working hard to bring the Kilgore community an amazing new store, and we’re so glad the day is finally here,” said Bruce Thorn, Big Lots president and CEO in a prepared statement. “We’ve put a lot of thought into the layout, design and presentation to make the experience the best it can be. Whether they’re new to Big Lots, or haven’t visited in a while, we hope that shoppers will stop by during our grand opening weekend to meet our friendly associates and explore the store.”

The new store is 37,534 square feet. “Doorbuster offers” are set for Saturday and Sunday along with scratch-off cards for the first 100 customers with the potential of up to $250 off a purchase.

Name change

Waitr in Longview and Tyler has a new name, along with the rest of the online and on-demand delivery company. The new name, ASAP, reflects the company’s new “deliver anything ASAP” business model. 

“ASAP’s new vision is delivering to consumers, same day, from any type of business. In preparation for the rebrand, the company accelerated the expansion of its services in recent weeks, signing agreements to launch delivery of a wide variety of items such as alcohol, sporting goods, luxury apparel, auto and electrical parts, and other need it now products,” information from the company said.

“ASAP expresses our new brand identity, building on our original delivery ethos,” said Carl Grimstad, CEO and chairman of the Board of Waitr Holdings Inc. “The strategies we have implemented have reinforced our ‘anything, anywhere ASAP’ vision, making us the go-to company for a wider range of products and services. And of course, our emphasis on working with businesses to make them more successful will never change.”

Recommended for You



from Business – My Blog https://ift.tt/BW2eENs
via IFTTT

No comments:

Post a Comment