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NAI Rampart, through its predecessor NAI Latter & Blum, has been operating in Louisiana for more than 100 years. How does that kind of longevity benefit you in a turbulent economy?
To me, it means our team has seen it all. We’ve been through crashes, recessions, COVID, and – unfortunately – natural disasters. All of those challenges are part of life and part of business. And like the people of Louisiana, we’ve survived. We don’t blink. We see ourselves as a new company moving forward, carrying the same experience, expertise, and history of NAI Latter & Blum – with many of the same team members – but forging our own path. With time and a lot of hard work, we want to make NAI Rampart synonymous with commercial real estate in Louisiana… and beyond.
How are you approaching interest rates, and how should borrowers approach them?
You shouldn’t automatically sit on the sidelines simply because interest rates aren’t where you’d like them to be. In commercial real estate, if the property still makes financial sense and offers a strong return, it can still be worth pursuing. It ultimately comes down to your underwriting and how the deal performs under current conditions. Trying to time the market – whether it’s stocks or interest rates – is incredibly difficult. We’re unlikely to return to a 4–5% rate environment anytime soon, so waiting for the “perfect” rate can lead to missed opportunities. If your investment still works in today’s climate and shows healthy returns despite higher rates, holding off in hopes of a small dip could cost you. If your deal only works when interest rates are 1–2 percentage points lower, it may not be the strongest investment. Also, your need matters. If you need a property for a business, and the perfect fit for your business presents itself, you have to weigh the higher carrying costs because of the rate versus the benefit to the company.
All politics is local. So is all real estate. What sets Baton Rouge and the Capital Region apart?
Our company, and I personally, see Baton Rouge as a place of real opportunity. Having LSU and Southern based here is extremely important. Being the center of state government matters just as much. The industrial and chemical corridor provide steady employment in solid, well-paying jobs. The river and port access serve as a major conduit for the country. Surrounding parishes like Ascension – really everything around Greater Baton Rouge – are prime for development. There’s land to grow, and investors have already started taking advantage of it. There’s a thriving business and corporate culture here that’s impressive. We have a governor in office now who is focused on creating a business-friendly environment. You have people actively working on developments, doing deals, and bringing in new businesses. There is so much opportunity in this space that I believe Baton Rouge is going to lead the way in real estate and development across Louisiana for years to come. Baton Rouge checks a lot of boxes – and I think more people have been seeing that or are starting to see that, myself included. It’s a hotbed of opportunity going forward.
The way people live and work is changing. How has your business changed to keep up?
Latter & Blum, now Rampart, is a remarkably technologically advanced and innovative company in its use of AI. We have a group of people that have already mad AI a normal part of our daily process. I used to spend hours creating models and doing analysis of properties and projects to see if they make sense. And because of work that’s been done on our backend, that data could be crunched and put into a present value analysis in minutes as opposed to hours. There’s always going to be a human element. You need to have somebody that’s there putting their finger on the pulse, interpreting the data. But it saves time. We are providing services, a look and a feel and a sophistication that you think you get only out of New York and Miami. And it’s important to us to be on that cutting edge.
Success in real estate is a long game. What is your long-term outlook for this market, and your business?
Rampart/Wurth Holding, Inc. and NAI Rampart have the ability to create opportunities, create jobs, build wealth, and help people develop and grow this state. Our company can lead in every aspect of real estate – management, sales, leasing, development, and investment. There’s nothing we believe we can’t do right now, and we aim to prove that as we move forward. Having a hub in Baton Rouge – one of the most important areas of the state, and frankly, an area I believe holds some of the greatest opportunity in Louisiana – is extremely important to us. We do want to expand outside the state, but the difference between our company and many others is that we’re not looking to grow just to sell to someone else or a bigger company from outside Louisiana. We want to be a Louisiana success story. We want to be the company that’s strategically acquiring others outside the state – so that when people look at us, they say, “That’s a Louisiana company that made it.” I believe we can make that happen.
Learn More About Rampart/Wurth Holding, Inc.
