Eastbank Shopping Center

Gonzales, Louisiana

Eastbank Shopping Center was acquired in 2004 for $2,750,00 and an occupancy of 70%. With roughly $1,000,000 in rehab costs, the property was brought up to 100% occupancy, which include a new lease to Fred’s Pharmacy for 32,000 sf. Three outparcels were also created and and sold for $1,500,000. In 2015, this property was sold to a second investment group ALSO controlled by one of JRE Private Equity Group’s principals, Donnie Jarreau, for $5,750,000 – a net profit of over $2,000,000.

In a completely unforeseen turn of events, this property lost over 50% of its tenants due to bankruptcy and relocation. Dollar General (20,000 sf), Anytime Fitness (10,000 sf), and a local Mexican restaurant (7,500 sf) were performing so well at this location that they ALL vacated, opening free-standing, new-construction locations within 1/2 mile of the property. At the same time, Fred’s Pharmacy (with over 500 stores at the time) filed bankruptcy, vacating their 32,000 sf space.

In the last 3 years, JRE has backfilled ALL of this space, bringing the center not only to 100% occupancy, but also secured an ADDITIONAL build-to-suit contract with Citi-Trends! Distributions have resumed at this property, and current property value is approximately $11,000,000, with significantly higher NOI than it had when purchased.

This case study is to illustrate that not all real estate investments go “as planned,” but JRE has continually demonstrated that it can actively manage properties during the “best of times,” but also in the “worst of times.”

Address:

318 W Highway 30, Gonzales, LA

Total Square Footage:

128,000

Notable Tenants:

  • Tractor Supply
  • Ollie’s Bargain Outlet
  • Dollar Tree
  • St. Vincent De Paul
  • Ideal Market Mexican Grocery
  • Citi-Trends
  • Rent-A-Center

View More Showcased Properties

At JRE Capital, our philosophy of strategic planning and personalized service has powered our success for over 25 years. We treat each new client like a unique individual to formulate strategies best suited to address your specific needs. We get to know you, your goals, where you are today, and above all, where you want to be tomorrow.

At JRE Capital, our philosophy of strategic planning and personalized service has powered our success for over 25 years. We treat each new client like a unique individual to formulate strategies best suited to address your specific needs. We get to know you, your goals, where you are today, and above all, where you want to be tomorrow.

JACOB MCCAIN

ASSOCIATE DIRECTOR, ASSET MANAGEMENT & ACQUISITIONS

Jacob McCain serves as Associate Director of Asset Management and Acquisitions at JRE Capital. Jacob assists in the sourcing and evaluation of new acquisitions, along with current portfolio leasing, lease administration and asset management. Since joining the team in 2020, Jacob has assisted JRE Capital in evaluating and underwriting over $750,000,000 million in potential acquisitions, leading to $70,000,000+ of actual transactions. Jacob has proven himself to be an integral part of the JRE family, and continues to add value significant for all of its investment partners. Prior to joining JRE Capital, Jacob served as Commercial Sales and Leasing Executive at Maestri Murrell Real Estate and was responsible for assisting in retail investment sales, landlord leasing representation, and tenant leasing representation. As an active member in the local real estate community, Jacob serves on Young Leadership Council for Baton Rouge’s Growth Coalition, and is also an active member of the International Council of Shopping Centers (ICSC). Jacob holds a BS from Louisiana State University’s Engineering Department.

DONNIE JARREAU

PARTNER

Donnie has been behind some of Baton Rouge's most successful developments, with a portfolio of investments stretching from Lake Charles, Louisiana, to Pensacola, Florida. His passion for real estate and development is apparent, and those who work with Donnie enjoy the enthusiasm that has made him successful. In his nearly 25-year career, Donnie has developed and acquired over two million square feet of commercial, retail, office and multi-family property. Recognizing that every property, situation and client is different, Donnie sees that each new experience brings its own unique challenges, circumstances and advantages. When others skim the surface, he digs in. With creativity, dedication and diligent problem solving, Donnie is able to make his deals work. Many of his projects, like Southdowns Shopping Center, Perkins Road Hardware redevelopment, Drusilla Shopping Center, and Eastbank Shopping Center, have been diamond-in-the-rough properties that, once reenergized, have helped transform entire neighborhoods and streetscapes. Donnie has had several new development successes as well, including the 50,000 square-foot Perkins Palms mixed-use development and the 100-unit Elysian, a workforce housing complex designed to accommodate a wide array of mixed-income residents in Mid-City Baton Rouge. Over the past decade, Donnie has acquired over $170,000,000 in retail Shopping Centers through different partnership-structured syndications that encompass well over 1,000,000 square feet. Outside the office, Donnie is a valued community member who volunteers with a variety of local organizations. He served on the Board of the Baton Rouge Growth Coalition, is Board President of the Options Foundation (which provides housing and services to the mentally ill), and has been a committed mentor in the Kids Hope program for many years. Donnie also founded Everyone Plays Sports Foundation, a non-profit organization that donates sports equipment to local schools and addresses child obesity issues. Donnie is a lifelong Baton Rouge area resident, married to Barbara Parsons Jarreau and proud father to six children.

JOSH CAMPBELL

PROPERTY MANAGEMENT/ PARTNER

Following a successful tenure in commercial property management with one of the largest regional property management firms in Louisiana, Josh joined Donnie Jarreau Properties in 2019 as a partner in the business, overseeing a commercial property portfolio of over 1.5 million square feet. The current portfolio is comprised of Class A office space, multifamily, property owners' associations, and several community and grocery anchored retail properties stretching from the Texas / Louisiana border along I-10 to the Florida panhandle. Rebranded as Jarreau Real Estate Management, Josh now manages all aspects of the property management business. Joshua's role includes asset management and owner communication; vendor management; business efficiency modeling and implementation; tenant and leasing relationships; project management and the financial reporting function. Josh is a licensed real estate broker in the State of Louisiana and a member of the Greater Baton Rouge Association of Realtors and NAR.

TREY WILLIAMS

MANAGING PARTNER

Though a native of Monroe, La, Trey has lived in and has been an active member of the commercial real estate industry in Baton Rouge and across South Louisiana or the past 15 years.  After graduating from the LSU MBA program with a concentration in Real Estate Finance, Trey began his career as a commercial real estate appraiser.  He then moved on to NAI/Latter & Blum Commercial Realtors, where he earned the company’s “Rookie of the year” award in his first year.  Shortly thereafter, Trey earned the National Realtor Association’s prestigious CCIM designation, was named to the Baton Rouge Business Report’s “Top 40 under 40” list, and was post recently appointed to the Louisiana Association of Business and Industry's (LABI) Emerging Leaders Council.  In addition to his 15 years in Commercial Real Estate, Trey has also been an entrepreneur and small business owner, co-founding both the City Pork Restaurant Group and also Southfin Southern Pokè.  Today, Trey’s full time commitment is to his partnership with Donnie, Josh and the investment partners of JRE Private Equity, bringing them commercial real estate investment opportunities that they would not normally have access to.  Trey is a father of 4 small children, an active member in his church, serves on several local non-profit boards, enjoys the outdoors, and has a passion for many odd and unusual things (feel free to ask!). First and foremost, though, he has a passion for Commercial Real Estate and wants to see it become an easily accessible asset class for the right investors.