Historic Louisiana

opened there in 1991, and bought C. J.
BROWN Realtors when owners of that wellestablished
company, founded in 1917, decided
to sell. The firm also expanded into the newly
energized economy of the Mississippi Gulf
Coast area, where three offices were opened in
1994. With these acquisitions and expansions,
LATTER & BLUM became one of the nation’s
largest independent real estate companies. The
company now encompasses over twenty-three
offices and is ranked as the twenty-first largest
independent real estate company in America.
With its own dynamic growth paralleling
that of the New Orleans region, LATTER &
BLUM continues to lead the way in business
and community success in the Crescent City.
The company’s contributions extend far
beyond the realm of business, to its role as a
good neighbor to the New Orleans area, where
it has played a major role in many projects and
programs to improve the quality of life for all.
The company’s leaders have continued to
support community endeavors of all types,
including donation to the city of the Latter
family home for use as a public library, support
of local schools, college scholarships offered to
children of LATTER & BLUM employees, and
continual support of such charitable
organizations as United Way. Current Chairman
and CEO of the company, Robert Merrick,
recently donated funds to the University of New
Orleans College of Business to establish the
Merrick Chair in Real Estate Finance.
“At LATTER & BLUM Inc. and C. J. BROWN
Realtors, we are interested in being good
neighbors, as well as in serving your real estate,
property management, commercial appraisal,
and home insurance needs,” Merrick said. “We
take pride in our community and in the eightyfive
year family tradition which helped lay the
groundwork that allowed our companies to
flourish into the largest and most successful real
estate company in the Gulf South.”
✧
Above: Robert W. Merrick, chairman and
CEO, LATTER & BLUM Companies.
Left: The Milton H. Latter Memorial
Library was donated to the city of New
Orleans by the Latter family.
SHARING THE HERITAGE
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