For the first time in history, four generations are working side by side in the workplace — Traditional Workers, Baby Boomers, Generation Xers and Millennials — each with distinct needs, habits and work styles that can impact key business practices and strategies. While often perceived as a challenge, generational differences offer corporate real estate executives one of their greatest opportunities to add value to the enterprise.Effective workplace strategy starts with four universal elements: empowering employees through workplace, work habits and technology; understanding the attitudes and habits of different generations; establishing a concrete implementation process; and developing a vision for the…

With investors in search of healthy possibilities amid the market’s many risks, the premium on access to fast, accurate information has only increased. REIT sponsor Behringer Harvard’s affiliation with financial information processing and software firm DST Systems Inc. is helping it provide just that for potential investors.In February 2008, Behringer Harvard became the first direct participation sponsor to have its funds listed on TA2000, an online data transfer and record-keeping system, as well as DST Vision, the firm’s account management platform. Behringer Harvard’s goal at the time was to offer the financial advisors and clients invested in Behringer Harvard-sponsored REITs…

The recession continues to advance, but some hotel developers are still seeing opportunities for growth outside the United States. Just a day after announcing that InterContinental Hotels Group partnered with Crocus Group to build the world’s biggest Holiday Inn in Moscow, the firm announced that it has inked a deal with Tiger Developments to build a 17-story 192-room InterContinental Hotel in Edinburgh, Scotland, due to open in 2013. The hotel will bring InterContinental to Scotland for the first time and will form part of Tiger Developments’ proposal to regenerate the Haymarket area, creating offices, restaurants and shops.  The Moscow project garners…

There is a multi-billion-dollar list of casino projects, mired by a veritably frozen credit market and the embattled economy, that have been halted or scrapped altogether, but the current state of the gaming market is not deterring the Ohio Jobs and Growth Committee. The group just submitted to the Ohio Attorney General a casino gaming ballot proposal that, should it make it to the November ballot and pass, will amend Ohio’s constitution to allow the development of four new casinos–the state’s first–with a total minimum private investment of $1 billion. If voters give the green light this fall, the door will…

The U.S. Department of Labor released state-by-state unemployment numbers on Wednesday, and fully 49 of the 50 states experienced higher unemployment in January compared with December. The sole exception was Louisiana, which fell from 5.5 percent to 5.1 percent. Continuing revitalization of the state, which began in the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina, gets the credit for those positive numbers.Michigan, hub of the auto industry, still has the highest unemployment rate: 11.6 percent. South Carolina, Rhode Island and California are next, all with rates above 10 percent (the national average is currently 8.1 percent). Wyoming, whose economy is driven by mineral…

In today’s market, it is critical to protect yourself from the legal risks involved in conducting real estate transactions. And when it comes to due diligence, technology can help. Poor or insufficient due diligence can lead to litigation, and the seller can be considered to blame. Among the questions that can come up: Was the asset fully exposed? Did the seller provide the entire document repository necessary to close on the deal? In the case of an incorrect estimation of value, who is to blame for the miscommunication? If a deal falls apart, who is responsible? Technology can address such…

Sustainability and the environment is something every individual and many businesses have decided should be a priority for the 21st century. With much of the print media’s circulation substantially reduced, due in part to the availability of information via the Internet, through e-books or in other electronic format, we have thankfully started reducing our dependence on paper. But nothing in life comes without a price. With so much of our information now transmitted electronically, we are relying heavily on data centers and their associated infrastructure. According to statistics from the U.S. Department of Energy, data centers are a huge growth…

In spite of stumbling economies around the world, IHG is continuing its expansion across Russia and has signed a deal with Crocus Group to build the world’s biggest Holiday Inn in Moscow, with an investment of more than $100 million from Crocus. There are already seven IHG branded hotels open in Russia and a further 13 in the pipeline, making IHG the largest international hotel operator in the country.Located in Crocus City in the Krasnogorsk area of Moscow, the eighth Holiday Inn will offer meeting facilities occupying 26,900 square feet, three restaurants and a 12,900-square-foot health club. Construction is scheduled…