We have been busy planning CREW 2013 the last several months
and have not been able to attend to Frontline. There is strong evidence
that the commercial real estate market is picking up. Office and retail
leasing has accelerated and as a consequence vacancy rates have declined.
Several sales of commercial properties have also taken place by users that are
taking advantage of low interest rates and moderate asset pricing to reposition
their real estate situations.
The CREW Planning Committee met in September, October and
November and shaped an outstanding program for CREW 2013 which will be held at CenturyLink Center on April 19th,
2013. The theme this year is Shifting Gears -- Are You Gaining Momentum ?
One of the subjects identified for presentation is the
effect of Data Centers on real estate in our area. With the presence of
Google, Yahoo! Cosentry and others, the CREW Committee observed that this “new”
real estate has had and will continue to have an impact on our available
development land, employment and general economic vitality.
Acknowledging that the Mayoral election taking place in
early April (primary) and early May (final) will have an impact on our economy
and growth, the CREW Committee has extended an invitation to each of the five
candidates for the final two candidates to speak about their thoughts, visions,
plans and goals for 2013-2017. All of the candidates have accepted our
invitation and we are looking forward having the two Mayoral finalists address
questions that effect our industry.
We are also excited about our planned “Crisis of
Confidence: How We Fix a Flat Tire” Keynote Roundtable. This will
include conversation with Nebraska’s
top business leaders on how they view the current economy, their expectations
for the near and longer term and how their views relate to job create and real
estate.
As you can see CREW 2013 is shaping-up to be the best CREW
event in its 24 year history! We are excited to have you join us!
My next Frontline post will be about trending topics in the
world of commercial mortgage-backed securities (“CMBS”) , and particularly the
issue of whether or not the new CMBS are in fact truly non-recourse.
(photos from past CREW events)
