To me, it’s always seemed like a good thing to give back just little of our time–maybe more–toward developing the next generation of professionals in our industry. Plenty of people certainly did the same for me. One way I serve is on the Advisory Council of the Auburn University Master of Real Estate Development program, …
Last Saturday evening, it was a privilege to be the guest of NPR Nashville and the Robinson family for the final showing of “A Prairie Home Companion” at The Ryman. (In case you aren’t familiar, it’s the only live music and variety show aired nationwide today, and has been on the air for more than …
Over the last week or so, we migrated from an onsite server closet to the Microsoft Office 365 cloud, for our email, Excel, Word and the rest of the Office suite. I will not say that the transition has been without headaches or easy, but I was told the change was for good reason. A …
Like other construction firms, we work with a lot of different companies that help us deliver. We’ve found that whether it’s construction, engineering or architecture, two things are vital: working with a firm that thinks creatively instead of always taking the textbook path, and finding the right person to work with at that firm. The …
We have been using pervious concrete paving for about 10 years now. In case you are not familiar with the product, I came across this clip that sums it up pretty well. Our success rate is pretty good, as long as we have had a decent drainage system underneath the concrete to allow the water …
Last week, I attended a dinner hosted by the Federal Reserve Bank of Atlanta. There was a good round of discussion during dinner with those in attendance, all sharing our individual thoughts and perspectives on current business and the economy. While none of this was necessarily deep analytical thinking, it was our “boots on the ground” …
Lately, we’ve been involved in several urban projects that have utilized historic tax credits. One is complete, one is almost finished, and one is just ramping up. While I feel the ins and outs of dealing with this system could easily fill a book, let me sum up our experiences with HTCs as briefly as …
Starting with the EPA Clean Water Act that became law decades ago, it seems new environmental regulations are always coming down the pike. It’s a complex business, as not all of the states are consistent in their means and methods. To add another layer, the EPA is expected to update their general permit requirements again soon. …
I recently attended an interesting dinner hosted by Five Loaves as a pop-up at a local bike and coffee shop near by, Woodlawn Cycle Cafe. The food was great and I enjoyed nice conversation with folks I would have probably never met otherwise. Five Loaves is a part of the Urban Avenues initiative, a group here in Birmingham that …
Last week I was able to attend ICSC’s Open Air Center (OAC) Summit in Scottsdale. This is my fourth time to attend the annual event, which is closed to 400 attendees running the gamut from landlords to brokers and folks like me. It’s always good discussion of key trends, challenges and the opportunities current to …
The experience one has when walking into an Apple store is unique. Clean and filled with intuitive wayfinding, I’d say. While it may seem like a lofty goal for a “live remodel,” the experience should be as similar as possible given the constraints of ongoing construction. We are currently updating the interior of a decades-old …
Last week, the South–and the world, really–lost a great thinker. Harper Lee, author of To Kill a Mockingbird, used storytelling to address the particularly sensitive topic of inequality in a time when discussion was taboo. In the process, she changed the hearts of many. I ran across this video list of inspiring quotes from the …