We’ve found that these days, our customers want real. Not promises or polish; but honesty. It seems that research agrees with what we are seeing, and the search for real transcends industry lines. Online, people identify more with iPhone videos than heavily edited commercials. At grocery stores, consumers are asking where their produce comes from, …
On the eve of D day, President Roosevelt led our nation in prayer. Every word was powerful, but the end particularly resonates with me: Help us to conquer the apostles of greed and racial arrogancies…let all of men live in freedom, reaping the just rewards of their honest toil. Regardless of which God you maybe …
Structured parking decks sometimes get a bad rap. We tend to think of these structures as utilitarian, cold and cavernous. They have long been functional eye sores, but times are changing. Even thought the economy has put additional focus on costs and revenues, we’re more attune to environmental concerns. Good urban design is continuing to …
Recently, I was talking with one of our project managers about the integration of good management and strategic leadership with solid customer relationship skills. There’s no doubt this is an awesome (and hard to find) combination. While I do think good leaders need to have a little DNA for this trait in the beginning, in …
As our communities in-fill and become more dense, more multi-level structures will be introduced. Post-tensioned slabs are becoming a larger part of the design and construction mix here. We’re seeing these systems become a more economical and viable option. Is Post-tensioning right for your job? When dealing with multilevel structures–whether residential, parking, office or …
I often hear coworkers referred to as your “work family” and it’s true. We spend a lot of time with our team. Just like family, we may have a few disagreements–where to go for lunch that day, or whose turn it is to empty the community dishwasher–but when it comes to supporting the arts, I’m …
It’s ICSC week, always a big indicator of what’s ahead with the retail portion of our work. As GlobeSt.com reported, research and panels throughout the RECon event see growth on the horizon. The industry is breathing a slow, tentative sigh of relief. I attended with 30,000 of “my closet friends” and felt the convention as a …
This is the fourth year for our Community Garden. What started with a few tomato plants has expanded to fruit trees and a much larger vegetable patch. New additions this year include: Two large mounded beds. “Melon Mountain” will include six varieties of melons; “Squash Mountain” will be home to 5 varieties of squash and a …
Last fall, I wrote about getting past the hype of BIM and making it a reality on construction sites. Here is a way we are continuing to use and see BIM beyond the construction drawings. Augmented reality might be useful to you as well… Augmented reality (AR) is defined as: “a live, direct or indirect, view of …
When mapping out our corporate campus back in 2006, we allowed for expansion space in the floor plan. It seemed like a smart move for a growing company, and I stand by the decision. However, challenges the economy has presented the last few years mean the extra space did not fill up as quickly as we anticipated. …
Starting few years ago, it seems commercial developers and cities began approaching parking differently. It wasn’t that long ago when 4-5 parking spaces per 1,000 sf of development was the standard. Now, it is more like 3-4 spaces. It’s estimated that in the U.S., we have 500 million surface parking spaces, roughly equivalent to the …
Peter Drucker, a great thinker in management theory and practice, was often quoted on the importance of shaping “the futures that have already happened.” As we are seeing this Recession in the rear view mirror, we are thinking more about this aspect of our company. Is our procedural playbook thick enough? At times would a …