Since we are at the beginning of the year, we thought it would be the perfect time to take a look back at some of our Four on Fridays from 2014. Below are links to and excerpts from four of those Q&As. These interviews provide a peek inside some of Atlanta's top commercial real estate companies as well as insiders’ takes on the market.
Key excerpt:
Describe the role that you and your company have played in the ongoing revitalization of Hapeville, Ga.
Burt: I live in Hapeville, and many of our projects have been in this community. We were the first developers to begin working in Hapeville’s Virginia Park neighborhood, and we have been very active in the revitalization of the city’s historic downtown.
Key excerpt:
In which property sectors and geographic areas are you seeing the strongest investor demand? Do you expect that to change at all in the coming year?
Sonenshine: Investor demand currently is strongest for multifamily properties and core industrial, retail and office properties that offer stable cash flow. Due to high pricing, the demand should start to shift to more Class B and C assets. Expect retail to be the weak sister for the foreseeable future.
Key excerpt:
Tell us about your experience serving on Mississippi Gov. Haley Barbour's Governor's Commission for Recovery, Rebuilding & Renewal in the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina.
Holstein: It was quite an honor to be selected by then-Gov. Haley Barbour to serve as the representative of Harrison County, Miss., on the commission. Harrison was one of the coastal counties devastated by Hurricane Katrina.
Most people associate New Orleans with the massive destruction of Hurricane Katrina, when in actuality the storm made landfall on the Mississippi Gulf Coast with a 30- to 40-foot tidal surge. Our home and those of my mother and my father-in-law were totally destroyed, along with over 80,000 families’ homes in the three coastal counties of our state. Gov. Barbour charged the commission to create one of the largest post-natural disaster plans in history – in only 90 days. The plan, named “Recovery, Rebuilding & Renewal,” resulted in the creation of a proven template for future similar disasters.
Key excerpt:
Bisnow recently named you to its Atlanta Power Women in Commercial Real Estate listing, and you're also active in CREW, an organization dedicated to advancing the achievements of women in commercial real estate. What do you consider the primary challenges facing women in the industry today?
Hughes: I am seeing more women enter the commercial real estate industry and more women at decision-making levels, which is great! Achieving true balance continues to be a challenge for some women in real estate, but I am a firm believer that balance is possible as long as you stay true to your priorities and are deliberate about your commitments.