We were meeting with a customer last week in Cleveland and stayed downtown, something I enjoy in the cities where we travel. When I arrived at the hotel, we noticed a classic building across the street, clearly historic, but the signage read “Heinen’s Grocery Store.” Puzzling. When I walked in the former Cleveland Trust Company …
Imagine yourself as new hire in a company. You’re full of different ideas that maybe counter to the culture of the company, as you see it. Do you pull yourself in line with your company’s culture, or maybe risk speaking up? Simply put–fit in or stand out? That’s a difficult position, and research indicates that …
If one is not careful, it can be easy to get lost in your own bubble. While we are in the construction business–service providers–I make a conscious effort to look beyond securing new projects. After all, if there is no capital or product demand, it usually doesn’t matter how hard we work to get new …
Last weekend, I got to be a part of The University of the South’s “Beyond the Gates,” program, something I have done for many years. It’s a weekend to help mostly Seniors prepare for their lives after graduation, only 3 short months away. As I got to visit with the some 90 or so students …
I’m a co-chair of our ULI chapter for the state. In a recent meeting, James Fowler, who leads planning, design and construction for UAB, started talking about “Road Diets.” While I had never heard the term, it made a lot of sense after I heard him explain. The initiative is to make urban campuses more …
Last spring, I wrote about a great retail site with tough soils, and how we were approaching the job. Nature then turned this project into a case study in weather extremes, from the record-setting drought over the summer, to late fall monsoons. In case you are not familiar with Geogrid, it is basically a woven polymer …
A week ago last Thursday, we lost one of the most vibrant sports reporters a basketball court has ever known, when Craig Sager passed away at the age of 65. Here was a man who rose from a small-town Midwestern upbringing to become one of the most recognizable sports reporters on the basketball scene. He …
I’ve been in the middle of estate planning the last year or so, and in the summer 2015, purchased some substantial life insurance. It was a hefty premium indeed. The agent bugged me for months, repeatedly showing up at the office unannounced to ask for the order. I finally signed the papers, and can you …
I just returned from the ICSC National show, the 2nd largest retail show in the country. Optimism was fairly decent, but then again it’s a retail conference. A few things I heard on the floor and in the taxi lines: If investors are willing to risk secondary equity at 12%, we may be closer to …
A few months ago, I attended a ULI-sponsored lunch where Anita Kramer, their SVP of Capital Markets and Real Estate, shared her thoughts on Emerging Trends in Real Estate. I was seated at her table, and as we talked, she shared that she believes there will be a shortage of unskilled and skilled workers in …
Over the years, I have heard contractors, and for that matter, the many service providers in this industry, say something like, “I’m not interested. That job/customer is just too small for me.” While this can certainly be wise strategy, to me, a decision to exclude work needs to be approached with much wisdom. The reality …
I’m a morning person, so I usually come to work all fired up. Then lunch time hits. As the afternoon progresses, I sometimes go from turbo to first gear. I have found a walk outside around our place, even if it’s only 15 minutes, can move the gear up a bit. Here’s my quick value …