Development Team

John M. Engquist

John M. Engquist is one of the area's largest residential real estate developers with over 3,000 home sites in three states and plans for further expansion. Engquist Management is the managing member of the Americana development team. Engquist has served as President, Chief Executive Officer of H&E Equipment since September 2005. He had served as President, Chief Executive Officer and Director of H&E LLC from its formation in June 2002 until its merger with and into the Company in February 2006. He served as President and Chief Executive Officer of Head & Engquist Equipment, LLC (Head and Engquist) from 1990 and director of Gulf Wide Industries, LLC from 1995, both predecessor companies of H&E LLC. From 1975 to 1990, he held various operational positions at Head & Engquist, starting as a mechanic's helper. Mr. Engquist serves as a director on the boards of a number of private companies. He also serves on the Leadership Council of St. Jude Children's Research Hospital in Memphis, Tennessee, as well as on the Board of Directors for Business First Bancshares, Inc. in Baton Rouge, Louisiana.

Mr. Engquist owns 53% of the membership interest in New Towne Development Group, L.L.C. and serves as the Chairman of the Board of Managers. Mr. Engquist is a former board member of Baton Rouge Business Bank and Cajun Constructors, Inc. Mr. Engquist is developing residential real estate in North & South Carolina as well as Louisiana.

Charles Landry

As a practicing lawyer, Charles Landry is providing oversight for the Americana development. His practice is concentrated on real estate development, real estate finance, land use and zoning, and business and commercial law. He has represented numerous parties in a wide range of real estate transactions, which included residential developments (including Traditional Neighborhood Developments) office buildings, shopping malls and centers, hotels and medical facilities, golf course communities, and industrial developments. He has also been very involved in advancing Greater Baton Rouge's high-tech, information, and entrepreneurial economic sector. He was instrumental in the formation of the Louisiana Technology Park, and serves as General Counsel to the Research Park Corporation.

Mr. Landry is the co-Editor of The Foreign Investor's Guide to the Legal Aspects of Doing Business in Louisiana, an extensive analysis of the laws of the United States and the State of Louisiana as those laws may impact a party wishing to invest in Louisiana.

In the September 18, 2012 edition of the Baton Rouge Business Report, Mr. Landry was identified as one of the 30 most influential people in the Capital Region over the past 30 years.

Mr. Landry was named the 2006 Businessperson of the Year by the Baton Rouge Business Report and Junior Achievement. The Business Awards are annually awarded to the top local executives or entrepreneurs. Started in 1984, the awards are based on successful demonstrations of leadership, vision, ingenuity and innovation. This is the first time the Businessperson of the Year award has been given to an attorney. He has been a frequent lecturer at Louisiana State University's Paul M. Hebert Law Center and numerous continuing education seminars on the subjects of complex real estate transactions, title examination, land use planning, secured transactions, and real estate workouts.

Steve Oubre

Steve Oubre was one of the original Master Planners of Americana. Mr. Oubre has practiced architecture since 1976, co-founding Architects Southwest in 1980. The firm specializes in the urbanist development of greenfield, infill, and brownfield places, cultural architecture, as well as educational and campus planning, with work throughout the Gulf South, and receiving design recognition on local, regional and national levels. Mr. Oubre holds a Bachelor of Architecture degree from the University of Louisiana at Lafayette, where he served as an adjunct professor.

Mr. Oubre continues to serve as a visiting critic and lectures frequently on design, new urbanism, and the smart growth planning. Recent speaking engagements on the "Smart Growth Movement" include Senator Mary Landrieu's Smart Growth Coalition at University of New Orleans; Louisiana APA Conference; University of Louisiana at Lafayette – School of Architecture; Texas Tech University - School of Architecture in Lubbock; and Alabama's Orange Beach Smart Growth Coalition.

Mr. Oubre helped pioneer the new urbanist movement in Louisiana beginning in 1993 with the award winning new urbanist project, The Village of Ile de Canne, in association with Andres Duany and Elizabeth Plater-Zyberk. Most recently, Mr. Oubre worked along with Duany Plater- Zyberk and the Louisiana Recovery Authority.

The Louisiana Recovery Authority is the planning and coordinating body that was created in the aftermath of hurricanes Katrina and Rita to plan for the recovery and rebuilding of Louisiana. The authority is working with Governor Kathleen Blanco to plan for Louisiana's future, coordinate across jurisdictions, support community recovery and resurgence, and ensure integrity and effectiveness. Working in collaboration with local, state and federal agencies, the authority is also addressing short-term recovery needs while simultaneously guiding the long-term planning process.

As a member of the Congress for the New Urbanism, Mr. Oubre studied and worked during the nineties on creating spaces that re-address the art of building for people. Currently, Mr. Oubre's planning focus is comprised of Urbanist projects in Louisiana (most notably--The Village of River Ranch in Lafayette, Louisiana), Mississippi, Texas, and Arkansas.

Michael Hogstrom

Michael Hogstrom is one of the primary home designers for Americana and the Owner and Managing Principal of Onsite Design and Development LLC (est. 2006) based in Baton Rouge, LA. Onsite Design shares project experience and typologies in the arena(s) of:

• Custom Home Design
• Production Builder Sets (Spec Design)
• Land Planning in TND, Mixed-Use Centers, and New Urbanist Infill
• Smart Growth Development

Michael governs business leads, business planning, project design, and leads development efforts for 50+ projects annually in addition to projects self-developed by Onsite.

Hogstrom has worked, studied, and researched in architecture and planning studios in Houston, Cambridge, Memphis, London, Paris, Edinburgh, Princeton, and now Louisiana. He has completed 12,000+ residential units in over 30 states throughout the past 15 years. Onsite eclipsed its first annual revenue of $1M in 2013 and is primed to double that effort in 2014.

Son to a Medical Physicist and a Reverend/Chaplain, Michael, has joined his family and his wife, Public Educator, in Baton Rouge to promote Smart Growth and New Urban strategies throughout the great state of Louisiana. Educated at Drury University – Michael holds Bachelor degrees in Architecture and in History of Architecture with minor studies in Global Studies, English and Literature, and Studio Design. He has worked for several 'Top 50' architecture firms across the country from 2000-2012. Michael is completing his first Baton Rouge development in Mid City – E'tage Gardens – a residential urban infill project ($2.5M).

Michael works closely with CPEX, Mid City Redevelopment Alliance, Smart Growth Coalition, Capitol Region Builder's Association, and the LA Chapter of United Green Building Council. Michael is a member of AIA, APA, USGBC, ULI, CRBA, and Alpha Strategic Partners (Bocage Group). Nominated for Baton Rouge Business Report's 40 Under 40 – Michael and his young and talented team of architects and designers have made a huge impact on Baton Rouge in a very short amount of time.

Michael Sullivan, AIA

Mike Sullivan will be one of the premiere home designers of Americana. Sullivan is a principal with Looney Ricks Kiss, one of the most respected full-service architectural, planning and interior design firms in the United States. LRK's expertise is in creating places that engage people, nurture community, enhance urban life and will stand the test of time for future generations He champions LRK's mission to offer innovative solutions and service to the client while solidifying the firm's position as a leader in "place making" and smart growth development. Committed to the goals of designing livable and walkable communities, Mike strives to capitalize on the intrinsic value of the setting and maximize users' experience to enhance the value and quality of each project. Mike is a graduate of LSU and currently resides in Baton Rouge.

Becky R. Walker 

Becky Walker plays a multi‐faceted role in her involvement with Americana. She oversees and manages two very distinct, yet related, areas of focus, serving as both the Director of Community Relations and Director of Design Development.

Becky has 22 years of professional experience as a licensed interior designer. She received her bachelor’s degree in interior design in 1993. She spent the first 10 years of her career in business development for a national contract furniture group. 12 years ago, she started her own interior design firm, The Design Studio, based in Baton Rouge, LA. Becky continues to grow her business, acting as the owner and principal designer.

Becky and The Design Studio (TDS) team have received many awards throughout the years, and she continues to actively support the local community. In the last 12 years, TDS has been recognized in eight different categories for House and Home Magazine’s annual award series. Her most recent honors include the 2014 Baton Rouge Growth Coalition – Good Growth Award for H&E Equipment Headquarters as well as the Platinum Award from Professional Builders, a nationally recognized publication.

Becky has been on several community committees and has help raised thousands of dollars to help support different community causes.

• Junior Achievement Committee: 2000
• Prevent Child Abuse Committee: 2001‐2002
• Junior League: 2003‐2011 (2008,2009,2010 – Committee Chairman on Holidays)
• Trinity Episcopal School Auction: (2011, 2012 –Chairman, 2013)
• Our Lady of the Lake Fiesta Fundraiser: 2014
• Bust Breast Cancer – Woman’s Hospital: 2013,2014,2015

Through leadership in business and community, along with acquired knowledge, skill, and
experience, Becky’s true success is the ability to coordinate logistics to create profitable end results. The natural marriage between design and community relations allows her to fulfill her many roles on the Americana team.

Commercial Properties Realty Trust (CPRT)

Commercial Properties will develop the commercial aspect of Americana. Baton Rouge businessman Wilbur Marvin founded Commercial Properties Realty Trust in 1951 to acquire, develop and lease neighborhood and community shopping centers. In 1992, Mr. Marvin established the Wilbur Marvin Foundation-a private, community philanthropy administered through the Baton Rouge Area Foundation-and structured CPRT as his Foundation's for-profit arm in order to generate funds for civic and charitable causes.

Today, CPRT, led by Carolyn E. Martin, is a successful real estate investment trust (REIT) that makes significant financial and quality-of-life contributions throughout not only the Greater Baton Rouge community, but also to the neighborhoods surrounding CPRT properties and developments across the Southeastern United States. Martin has overseen the rehabilitation of shopping centers, complex financing for the reclamation of a hotel into a signature downtown property and other new large scale developments. Commercial Properties manages a superior portfolio of assets that includes shopping centers, office complexes and apartments in Louisiana, Texas, Mississippi and Puerto Rico.

In 2013, CPRT announced a $55 million Multi-Use Development in downtown Baton Rouge that will be the home for the new IBM Services Center and 525 Lafayette residential tower. Through a unique partnership between the State of Louisiana, the city of Baton Rouge, LSU, and the Baton Rouge Area Foundation, IBM will bring over 800 jobs to the Baton Rouge market. Commercial Properties is building two other residential buildings in downtown and recently opened Acadian Village, an upscale center that is the home of the first Trader Joe's Grocery store in Louisiana.

The Baton Rouge Area Foundation and Commercial Properties Realty Trust will develop and manage the world-class 30-acre Water Campus. It will be home to the Water Institute of the Gulf, the coastal restoration and protection authority, and a river modeling center operated by LSU. The Campus will be programmed to house scientific, engineering, construction and governmental agencies to create a vibrant experiential environment designed for developing process-based predictive models that link physical and ecological processes. When fully built out, this urban, riverside campus anticipates well over 2,000 occupants and inspire international collaboration with other global water campuses and universities.

CPRT and Engquist Management are developing 5401 North, a 400-acre sustainable lifestyle community in Raleigh, N.C. and Americana in Zachary, Louisiana, a premiere development located in the number one ranked school district in the state.