The Kushner Group buys 2 more properties for $93 million
A New York real estate company that bought a $42.4 million property in Lafayette late last year has bought two more for a combined $93 million.
Kushner Cos., once run by Jared Kushner, son-in-law and former advisor to former President Donald Trump, bought the Robley Place Apartments1100 Robley Drive, for $52.8 million and the Ansley Walk Apartments, 1200 Robley Drive, for $40.2 million from Key Real Estate of New Orleans, according to land registers and a Colliers representative brokering the deal Has.
Kushner Cos. bought La Veranda at Polly Lane, a 220-unit complex at 210 Polly Lane, in December, records show.
The group, according to its website, has a portfolio of 17,000 units and nearly 10 million square feet of retail, office, industrial and hospitality assets and over $15 billion in real estate holdings. The company bought 7,000 homes in the southeastern United States last year and has established a presence in Florida, Texas and Georgia.
Key Real Estate recently purchased 15 acres of vacant land near the Our Lady of Lourdes Regional Medical Center in August, but announced no plans.
Robley Place, which opened in 2016, is a 248-unit luxury condominium complex with high-end features such as a resort-style swimming pool, CCTV gated access and housekeeping services.
Expert hires 50 from special boot camp
Perficient, a digital consulting firm with an office in downtown Lafayette, hired 50 graduates of its fall training boot camp.
The second Bright Paths program, an initiative to advance STEM education and career opportunities for underrepresented constituencies and communities, was offered at the Lafayette and Detroit campuses. The students completed software engineering courses, learned about the consulting business, made contacts with mentors and developed their own innovative applications.
The camps were held in partnership with Strayer University’s Hackbright Academy, a coding boot camp and software engineering program for women, and Devmountain, a design and coding boot camp designed to equip students with the skills to pursue a career in engineering to begin, performed.
All qualified graduates received offers in the field of software engineering and development. To date, 67 candidates from diverse technical backgrounds, including many women and minorities, have been hired under the program.
“Perficient is focused on bringing more diverse insights, backgrounds and skills to the industry to drive innovation and benefit our communities,” said Vice President Mary-Beth Ostasz. “Each student brought curiosity, innovation, passion and inspiration throughout the program. These qualities will stand them in good stead as they collaborate with other like-minded colleagues at Perficient to create innovative digital-first solutions for our clients.”
Downtown live music venue sold
After over a year on the market, The Artmosphere Bistro has a new owner.
The 3,560-square-foot bar and live music venue in downtown Lafayette has been sold to Troy and Lauren Trahan of Lake Arthur, Land Records Show.
Seller Berry Kemp, who purchased the building at 902 Johnston St. in 2003, first put the business and building up for sale in October 2020. The business closed for a time when the state imposed restrictions on bars and restaurants earlier in the pandemic.
Kemp bought the building in 2003, records show.
FlyGuys appoints former Waitr president as chairman
A former Waitr president has been named CEO of FlyGuys, a Lafayette-based drone services company.
Joe Stough, a 30-year enterprise software entrepreneur and former President and COO of Waitr, will serve as strategic advisor and leadership coach. He joined Waitr in 2018 shortly after the IPO and has held several positions including first seed investor and founding member of the board. Since then, he has focused on building Louisiana’s tech economy.
“There is nothing more important to a young entrepreneur than a good mentor,” said Flyguys CEO Adam Zayor. “Business leaders face a multitude of problems that only experience can solve. FlyGuys is very fortunate to have such an accomplished CEO as Joe Stough on our team. The value he has already added to FlyGuys is an asset that cannot be overstated.”
Prior to Waitr, Stough was the sole founder of Syntex Management Systems Inc., which provided software and analytics to the energy, chemical and other heavy industrial companies. He was also the original designer behind the leading software and analytics platform IMPACT, used in 100+ countries and 20+ languages with enterprise contracts and worldwide implementations for ExxonMobil, ConocoPhillips, Chevron, Shell, Total and LyondellBasell and others.
Acadian Ambulance donates AED to Loreauville VFD
Acadian Ambulance donated an automated external defibrillator to the Loreauville Volunteer Fire Department. The device assists volunteer firefighters in responding to emergency medical calls.
Members of Acadian’s Hub City response team presented the AED to the Volunteer Fire Department in a presentation at Loreauville City Hall.
“The Loreauville Volunteer Fire Department has been a valuable asset to our operations and the community at large,” said Troy Guidry, Regional Vice President of Acadian Ambulance. There is no doubt that residents of Loreauville benefit.”
