I just returned from the ICSC ReCON conference in Las Vegas, which some refer to as “the Super Bowl of real estate.” About 40,000 from the industry attended, and I found a sense of resilience and optimism. Now more than ever, bricks and mortar businesses are competing with pure Internet sales to create the ultimate …
RFID (radio-frequency identification devices) have been around for about 10 years. These microchips with antennas transmit data wirelessly and are about the size of the head of a match, up to the size of a business card. They were initially used for pallet and case control at the distribution level, but we’re seeing them do so …
In the cycles we live in, nothing is ever in balance. Five years ago, there was plenty of labor available, but a minimum of projects. Now we’re seeing an ever increasing list of opportunities out there. I see the shortage of skilled labor increasing, along with skilled subcontractors, architects and building contractors. A substantial amount …
I remember meeting with one of our retail clients a while back when an interesting question came up: “How much do you wax the floors?” Wax them too much and it’s a waste of money. Neglect waxing, and customers consciously or unconsciously stay away from a store that isn’t properly maintained. The key is finding a sweet …
For us, monitoring and documenting jobsite progress is important for a number of reasons. Being able to see a job’s development is a value-add for the customer, giving them peace of mind when it’s not easy to visit the site. Our project managers have an easier time overseeing jobs in a wide geographic area when …
This year, I was fortunate to attend The Masters, hosted at Augusta National Golf Club, as the guest of a friend who is the son of a former Masters champion. After my time of 4 days there, I got to thinking about the means and methods of being successful on course vs in business: Stay after it. When a …
As we emerge from the largest financial crisis we’ve seen in 8 decades, companies have a unique opportunity for expansion. But growth presents a new set of challenges, so it’s also a good idea to plan cautiously for the future. We all need a cushion, and the art is finding the sweet spot of just …
In commercial construction, we have found it’s easy to get in a rut. Sure, we build different types of structures, but we are often dealing with a similar set of trade contractors—structural steel, MEP, masons, paint, etc. After years of working in the industry, most of us have a list of folks we trust. We …
These days, salt gets a bad rap. The USDA tells us that sprinkling too much on food can result in high blood pressure. We’re encouraged to steer clear. But in ancient times, salt represented a lifeline. It’s main role was as a preservative. In the absence of refrigeration, that was exceptionally important. So important, that Roman …
Tim Cook leads one of the largest global corporations, with sales approaching $200 billion, but you’d never know it. I had the opportunity to visit with Steve Jobs’ Apple successor recently at the Auburn University Lifetime Achievement Awards, and found him to be engaging, insightful and most of all, humble. Cook came from modest beginnings in rural …
Impressive things are happening in the “Black Belt” town of Greensboro, Alabama. The area was named for its rich topsoil when cotton was king, and is now facing a variety of challenges. For the last few years, a grassroots group of folks from around the nation have focused their efforts down South, inciting change in …
We recently started work on the renovation of a 100-year-old structure in the city as the Construction Manager for The Lyric Theatre, a project which has proved interesting for many reasons. One is the history lesson we are getting about construction practices in 1913. The foundations, rebar and structural steel have proven particularly interesting. We …