Rebuilding the labor force for multifamily
Several days earlier, the writer, narrator, producer, actor and former host of the popular television show Dirty Jobs delivered the same message to a...
Class warfare and how the Vietnam war finally ends
“He got rid of the intellectual elites,” said my guide. “Brutal—but I think it saved our country. I mean, consider what happens to a...
Economics: supply and demand
For those of you who’ve been in a cave recently (and one without internet access), United Airlines recently encountered a situation where they had...
Time for tax reform
Not since the days of Ronald Reagan, Bill Bradley and Jack Kemp has a wholesale overhaul of America’s tax code been as seriously considered...
Follow thy prospect
The growth of new websites is hyperbolic with an estimated 140 thousand websites launching each day. Digital ad sales for the first half of...
The ever-prescient landlord
In August 2016, Seattle, Wash., a city where the U.S. Census bureau estimates that 48 percent of the population are renters, the city council...
Net neutrality: the real story
Since Donald Trump’s election, the rhetoric surrounding net neutrality’s imminent demise has been frenzied. Every move by newly appointed Federal Communications Commission (FCC) chair...
The real deal on getting bumped
A total of 928.9 million domestic and international travelers flew on U.S. and foreign air carriers in 2016, beating the previous record of 897.9...
Philanthropy in America is becoming an ideological arms race, says author
Many have become philanthropists, and they are reshaping public policy, and society, as they see fit. And because of their numbers, they have far...
Taking the Internet of Things beyond four walls
The idea of a smart home is an appealing one. Light switches that turn on and off when you enter or leave a room,...
Multifamily construction loans are harder to find
“We are still finding attractive options for good projects where the economics pencil,” says Jeff Sause, director with capital services provider HFF. “There is...
How the homeownership crunch cost the U.S. $300 billion last year
The reasons for the shift in housing patterns are numerous, ranging from the demographic (delayed marriage) to the financial (fast rising home prices). Of...
Which amenities matter to renters?
As the building boom in downtown Chicago rolls well into another year, competition among developers in attracting new renters has hit a fever pitch....
In Baltimore, Under Armour’s owner makes a $5.5 billion bet on his city
It wasn’t just the luxurious look of the 128-room hotel that made news. The building, once featured on the television show Homicide, part of...
Face-to-face is 34 times more successful than email
Despite the reach of email, asking in person is the significantly more effective approach; you need to ask six people in person to equal...
Cool heads prevail
I recently stood in front of an executive team, allowing their unproductive to-ing and fro-ing to continue a little longer. It was a gold...
The U.S. apartment boom, measured in construction cranes
Sightseers in Chicago should keep their eyes open for cranes—the towering, metal kind. The Windy City has more cranes for residential projects currently dotting its...
Businesses: rev your mobile engines
The automobile industry has long thrived in a world where cars were parked 95 percent of the time. But that’s changing. In October of...
We can heal nation through housing
As we have seen time and time again, individuals, families and children able to afford quality shelter live better, healthier lives. Unfortunately, it is well...
