I am fortunate to be a part of the Master’s of Real Estate Development (MRED) program at Auburn University. It’s a 2-year tract targeted at people who have been out of school and working for a while. The focus is “training a new generation of executives to build places that matter.” I enjoyed sitting on a …
If I was a college football player, I would want Dabo Swinney for a coach. Like most Division I coaches, he’s talented in strategy and implementation, but to me, what sets him apart is his empathy, passion and ability to see things others may not. That’s all true both on and off the field. A few years ago, a …
In some ways, current retail direction mirrors retail of the past, with a renewed emphasis on neighborhoods, the storefronts where we live and “the experience.” It seems retail is becoming more focused on community, creating spaces where people spend time with friends and family. Shopping is part of the experience, but not the only goal. …
Ten years ago this summer, I made a trip to Maine, where I spent a week with the cabinet makers of Thos. Moser crafting a couple of rocking chairs. I was reflecting on that trip today, and got to thinking that if one wishes to be in your children’s memories tomorrow, you have to be …
This month has been a rough one for the Auburn family, as we lost legendary quarterback Pat Sullivan. He played under coach Shug Jordan, along with my friend Dick Schmalz, one of Sullivan’s favorite receivers. I had a conversation with Dick this week about Coach Jordan. He served in the Army as a Captain during …
It’s the season for holiday parties, when we’re often catching up with folks we haven’t seen in a while and meeting a few new faces. It’s a good time to dust off best practices for getting to know people, whatever the setting. Here are a few that have proven most powerful for me: Name recall. …
Switch on the tv, and you’ll hear an almost endless stream of negativity. “Our nation has never been more divided,” they say. I have never felt this way about most of the towns and cities where we build, as the changes I’ve seen have been mostly positive. It turns out that there’s whole movement of …
Several years ago, I wrote a post about Van Halen’s contract with their promoters. They have a clause in their agreements stating that the band should always be provided with M&Ms backstage, and none should be brown. The devil is in the details. At first glance, this may seem a bit eccentric, but if you think about it, the “no …
We have been fortunate to participate in a number of adaptive reuse projects over the years, with the most recent being the conversion of a former industrial warehouse into commercial office space. We’re now in the early stages of converting an abandoned school into a company’s primary office. We’ve learned a lot along the way, …
At some point in life, I feel like many of us are guilty of reaching that “got to have” goal we set for ourselves and then not hitting the “pause button” after we get there. Instead, we just set off chasing another goal. Sometimes it’s hard to stop and reflect on what has been accomplished, …
Each year, we make a pilgrimage to South Dakota, west of the Missouri River, near the Black Hills, to spend a few days with our friends at Lame Johnny Ranch. We spend our days chasing pheasants wherever the dogs’ noses lead us. This was my 30th year to make the trip, and I’ve watched as …
If there is one constant in life, it’s change. When it comes to habits, things swing one way, then another, before finding the equilibrium for a while. Then the cycle starts over. We’re starting to see that trend in retail. For years, we’ve heard “brick and mortar retail is doomed,” but it seems the pendulum …