Founded: 1916
Client Since: 2003
Number of Employees: 80
Locations: New Orleans, Metairie, Baton Rouge
“Educating our employees on the value of their benefit plans and the role they can play to manage their personal health care costs helps us to get the most value from our benefit spending. The Hartwig Moss Benefits team has been a tremendous resource for us over the years.”
- Bob Penick, CFO
About Latter & Blum:
Behind the LATTER & BLUM and CJ BROWN signs, you’ll find a well-established, professional real estate firm that offers a wide range of residential and commercial services. You’ll also find knowledgeable people who take pride in their company and careers. They genuinely care about the communities in which they live and work.
It’s this unmatched range of services combined with the people behind the signs that make the difference at LATTER & BLUM and CJ BROWN.
Turn of the 20th Century, New Orleans
LATTER & BLUM was founded in 1916 by two young entrepreneurs, Harry Latter and Joseph E. Blum, in the flourishing port city of New Orleans. In its early days, the company specialized in commercial real estate, but later branched out into residential sales.
LATTER & BLUM remained in the Latter family for 70 years, sustaining a strong foothold in the real estate industry. This family tradition helped lay the groundwork that allowed LATTER & BLUM Companies to flourish into the largest and most successful real estate company in the Gulf South.
Robert W. Merrick, CCIM, MAI, SIOR, CRE, purchased LATTER & BLUM in 1986. A visionary and nationally respected appraiser and broker, Merrick restructured the organization, and in ten short years had lead LATTER & BLUM in an incredible growth cycle.
Today, LATTER & BLUM and CJ BROWN is comprised of a residential division, commercial division, property management, insurance and financing services.
The residential division has 28 branch offices, which include three new LATTER & BLUM franchises in Louisiana and Mississippi. After a long and successful history in the Greater New Orleans region, in 1993 the company expanded into the Mississippi Gulf Coast region, and two years later purchased CJ BROWN REALTORS®, a respected real estate company established in 1917 and now Baton Rouge’s largest.
Arthur Sterbcow, ABR, ABRM, CCIM, CRB, CRS, GRI, President of LATTER & BLUM Companies, states, “‘One-stop shopping’ for our real estate clients is one of the valuable advantages that LATTER & BLUM/CJ BROWN offers. We represent RESIDENCE Magazine, properties for high-end buyers and sellers internationally. We are a part of ‘Leading Real Estate Companies of the World™.’ The organization is comprised of the finest names in real estate, a global network of industry leaders. And, the Luxury Portfolio Fine Property Collection™ is the luxury face of a well-established international real estate network, dominated by many of the world’s most powerful independent luxury brokerages.”
And so vital to the success of the company, LATTER & BLUM and CJ BROWN has been able to attract nearly 1,000 agents with its extensive training program, large client base, and high-end technology support.
Key Accomplishments as Servicing Broker:
- Consolidated an assortment of ancillary benefits plans.
- Introduced multiple health plan options.
- Introduced High Deductible Health Plan and associated funding vehicles as options.
- Completed multiple location enrollment meetings with personalized employee enrollment packets.
