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NAREE Lands Andres Duany Exclusive at Spring Journalism Conference in Atlanta

ATLANTA  (May 21, 2013) – New Urbanism visionary Andres Duany, one of world's most influential architects and urban planners, will address the National Association of Real Estate Editors’ 47th Annual Real Estate Journalism Conference in Atlanta in early June.

 

NAREE’s conference – “Designs on the New Urban Grid” -  will bring scores of journalists from around the country to Atlanta June 5-8 to focus on housing, commercial real estate and urban planning.

 

"Duany is the godfather of the New Urbanism movement," said real estate columnist Ralph Bivins, NAREE conference advisor. "He has changed the way communities are being built and the way cities will be designed in the future. In short, his ideas have changed America - and the world."

 

Duany will speak Friday, June 7 at the substantive one-hour “NAREE Symposium: The Next Evolution of New Urbanism” at the Hilton Atlanta.

 

David Bodamer, editor of National Real Estate Investor, will moderate the symposium, which will include two noteworthy New Urbanism developers: Jackie Doak, chief operating officer of Dart Realty (Cayman) Ltd.; and Steve Nygren, president, Serenbe.  Doak will discuss The New Resort Town of Camana Bay, a 500-acre mixed-use development in the heart of Grand Cayman built using New Urbanism principles. Nygren is developing the Serenbe eco-village, a 1,000-acre sustainable community south of Atlanta.

 

Duany - hailed by The Atlantic magazine as “The Man Who Reinvented the City” – is co-founder of DPZ Architecture in Miami. His New Urbanism principles prescribe the antidotes to urban sprawl and auto-dominated lifestyles with focus on walkable, sustainable communities.

 

“We are honored to have Mr. Duany speak at our conference,” said NAREE President Kris Hudson, a Wall Street Journal reporter. “Attendees will be enriched by this opportunity to learn more about New Urbanism, in conjunction with other real estate topics.”

 

Along with speakers addressing home building, hotels, luxury housing, mortgages, and online real estate, the NAREE conference will carry the new urban design theme with speakers and tours including:

 

• Marianne Cusato, the designer who created the Katrina Cottage as a cost effective substitute for FEMA trailer housing victims of Hurricane Katrina in New Orleans. She designed the Katrina Cottage during a Duany-led charette in Biloxi, Miss.
• Mark Toro, partner of North American Properties, will host a NAREE tour of the Atlantic Station mixed-use project in Midtown Atlanta.
• Matt Bronfman, CEO, Jamestown, will host a tour of Ponce City Market, the largest adaptive re-use project in Atlanta’s history, with a redevelopment of a massive Sears warehouse.
• A Saturday walking tour of Serenbe, including its 25-acre organic farm and Farmer's Market in the main village. Serenbe's streetscapes are lined with blueberries and connect with country walking paths.
• Matt Hudgins, a contributing writer to the New York Times, will lead the “Workplace Debate: Downtown vs. the Suburbs” with panelists John McColl, Cousins Properties; Robert Bach, Newmark Grubb Knight Frank; Rob Metcalf, Jones Lang LaSalle and David Kitchens, Cooper Carry.

 

"NAREE 13 will bring journalists from the Los Angeles Times to the Chicago Tribune, the Washington Post and Boston Globe to Tweet, blog, report and write about the driving forces of where the next generation will live, work and play,’ said Mary Doyle-Kimball, NAREE Executive Director. “ I expect Mr. Duany will tell us not only about his vision of the future but also what might be done to re-make the sprawl in the suburbs. Just as millions left the farm in the post-World-War II era, millions are flocking to the urban core today."

 

Equipping journalists to better report and interpret the real estate design and development is a vital component of the NAREE conference, Doyle-Kimball said.

 

The NAREE University sessions, covering digital media, blogging, Twitter and other journalism topics, will provide invaluable peer learning opportunities.  NAREE University peer faculty will include contributors and journalists from the Orlando Sentinel, Wall Street Journal, Commercial Property Executive, the Cleveland Plain Dealer, the San Diego Union-Tribune, Sarasota Herald-Tribune, MSN Real Estate, Unique Homes magazine, AOL Real Estate, Chicago Tribune, Atlanta Journal-Constitution and Los Angeles Times. 

 

 

 

Visit www.naree.org for more information.

 

Mary Doyle-Kimball, NAREE Executive Director

 

561-391-3599

New York truly must be the Real Estate Capital of the World, because they hang signs stating as much. Great ad for CBRE, too.

NAREE Real Estate Journalism Conference Fertile Ground for Freelancers

ATLANTA (May 19, 2013) - Why Should a Freelance Writer Come to NAREE 2013?

Recently a freelancer covering the broad field of real estate wrote into the NAREE office asking what could she get out of attending's NAREE's 47th Annual Real Estate Journalism Conference in Atlanta June 5-8 -- especially since travel budgets are so tight.

Here are some good reasons: Of the freelancer writers already registered for NAREE13 from Austin, Houston, Chicago, Salt Lake City, the Washington DC area and New York -- each has been to several NAREE conferences in a row. Editors from Bloomberg, Wall Street Journal Digital, Washington Post, Atlanta Journal Constitution, Unique Homes, MSN Real Estate, Inman News, Design New England magazine, Commercial Property Executive, Senior Housing News, Student Housing Business, Southeast Real Estate Business, Northeast Real Estate Business, Sarasota Herald-Tribune, National Real Estate Investor, World Property Channel, Vendome Group, and others are also registered for NAREE's conference at the Hilton Atlanta downtown.

Plus plenty of industry blog sites now use the work of bonafide freelancer journalists and many of the folks who run those blogs are coming to NAREE as are an amazing group of industry experts who will speak at the NAREE conference -- providing new story ideas for months to come. Only at NAREE13 can you interview experts under one conference roof on topics as diverse as -- net-zero homes, online real estate, new urbanism, home price forecasts, QRM and hard to get loans and trends in office design and building.

Opening day, Wednesday, June 5 at 4:30 PM there is a session specifically for freelancers in the digital age, plus networking time at NAREE's Opening Reception at 5 PM, the walk over to the W high-rise tour/reception from the Hilton at 6:15 and NAREE's President's Hospitality Suite which opens at 9:00 PM. NAREE president Kris Hudson, Wall Street Journal, and vice president Daniel Taub, Bloomberg, will welcome the group.

On Thursday morning, June 6 at 8 AM, NAREE Board Secretary Mary Shanklin of the Orlando Sentinel will talk on the new dawn of entrepreneurial journalism during her panel on "Digital Journalism: Covering New Ground." Lots of networking time for freelancers and editors is also built into the afternoon tours (beginning at 2:30 PM) and receptions and, of course, the NAREE President's Suite at 9 PM.

NAREE's Meet the Press (MTP) on Friday at 3:45 PM at the Hilton is an excellent vehicle for freelancers to see most of the editors mentioned above for three-minute one-on-one sessions. And to get to know them better after MTP, freelancers can attend the TGIF Reception, Journalism Awards Reception and the NAREE Suite at 8:30 PM at the Hilton. Here's a list to date of journalists who have agreed to have tables at NAREE's Meet the Press, chaired by past president Sue Doerfler, Arizona Republic: Alyssa Abkowitz, Wall Street Journal; Lauren Beale, Los Angeles Times; Jerry Becker, MSN Real Estate; Ralph Bivins, RealtyNewsReport.com; David Bodamer, National Real Estate Investor; Andrea Brambila, Inman News; Steve Brown, Dallas Morning News; Harold Bubil, Sarasota Herald-Tribune; Oshrat Carmiel, Bloomberg; Matt Carter, Inman News; Steve Cook, Real Estate Economy Watch; Polyana da Costa, Bankrate.com; Daniel DiClerico, Consumer Reports; Candy Evans,CandysDirt.com; John Gittelsohn, Bloomberg; Matt Goldstein, Reuters; Dion Haynes, Washington Post; Matt Hudgins, Freelance writer - New York Times; Kris Hudson, Wall Street Journal; Michelle Jarboe McFee, Plain Dealer; Valerie Kellogg, Newsday; David Levitt, Bloomberg; Lily Leung, San Diego Union-Tribune; Camilla McLaughlin, freelance writer – Unique Homes; Mark Moffa, Unique Homes; John Nelson, Texas Real Estate Business; Lynn Peisner, Student Housing Business; Gail Ravgiala, Design New England; Doug Sams, Atlanta Business Chronicle; Jarred Schenke, Bisnow; Mary Shanklin, Orlando Sentinel; Randy Shearin, Shopping Center Business; Lew Sichelman, Syndicated Columnist; Daniel Taub, Bloomberg; Scott Trubey, Atlanta Journal Constitution; Mary Umberger, Columnist - Chicago Tribune; Matt Valley, Seniors Housing Business; Alicia Wallace, Boulder Daily Camera; Lois Weiss, NY Post and others. (Complete list at MTP Sign-up Desk.) Make your reservations at the Hilton Atlanta today! NAREE's room block expires Monday May 20 at the close of business. Call 800-hiltons or visit www.hilton.com and ask for "NAREE's $119 rate." Register for the NAREE conference at www.naree.org. NAREE's Atlanta conference is just two weeks away.

Don't miss this chance to meet colleagues covering residential real estate including mortgage trends and commerical real estate including retail, hospitality and mixed-use with multifamily, senior housing and student housing. Contact Mary Doyle-Kimball Executive Director NAREE 561-391-3599 madkimba@aol.com.

AJC Editor Kevin Riley to Talk Newspaper Survival at Real Estate Journalism Conference

ATLANTA (May 16, 2013) - Kevin Riley, editor of The Atlanta Journal Constitution, will discuss Newspaper Survival Tactics at the 47th Annual NAREE Spring Journalism Conference June 7. The conference will be held June 5-8 at the Hilton Atlanta.

The timing of the Q-and-A with Riley is perfect because this week, the AJC stopped giving away all its content for free and launched its paid myajc.com. Of course, payment for content is the key survival tactic for major newspapers.

Riley (shown in photo with Katie Couric) will be joined by Matt Kempner, longtime AJC Business page reporter and editor. Riley's talk, part of NAREE University, starts at 8 a.m. Suzann Silverman, editor of Commerical Property Executive will moderate the Q-and-A with the AJC's top newsman.

On the conference's opening day, June 5, AJC commercial real estate/economic development reporter Scott Trubey will offer his observations of the Atlanta skyline from atop the W Downtown Atlanta Hotel & Residences.

Just before the event at the W, longtime business columnist Maria Saporta will discuss "The Different Atlantas" at the conference's opening reception at the Hilton Atlanta. Saporta, who covered business and wrote an influential column at the AJC, now writes for Atlanta Business Chronicle and Saporta Report.

For more information or to register for the National Association of Real Estate Editors Spring Journalism Conference, click here.

The Wilbert Group is providing pro bono communications for the conference, and President Tony Wilbert is co-chairing the Host Committee and will be on a panel focused on real estate and Twitter (of course).

 

 

Atlanta Commercial Real Estate Community Rallies Around Member in Need

ATLANTA (May 13, 2013) - Atlanta's commercial real estate community is praying for one of its best-liked members this week.

Dean Giordano, senior vice president of PM Realty Group, suffered a stroke over the weekend and is in serious condition at Grady, home of the Marcus Stroke & Neuroscience Center. Dean's friends and family have set up a page on the CaringBridge website for friends to get updates.

Giordano is one of Atlanta's top landlord reps and handles leasing for more than 2 million square feet of office space.

NAREE Unveils Scenic Eco Town Tour of Serenbe

NAREE Unveils Scenic Eco Town Tour for SATURDAY Morning, June 8
 
Book Your Conference Travel Plans Now to Include NAREE's 'Sojourn to Serenbe'

ATLANTA – NAREE is offering a captivating tour of Serenbe
(www.serenbe.com), one of the most innovative new urban-style country
villages in the world, on Saturday morning June 8. The Serenbe Sojourn
will wrap up NAREE's 47th Annual Real Estate Journalism Conference in Atlanta.

According to Felicia Feaster's piece in the Miami Herald: "As a day
trip, Serenbe is bliss, a fresh grass-redolent, shockingly
restful sojourn to the country only 30 minutes from Hartsfield-Jackson
International Airport. But what was once just a chance to feed a horse
a sugar cube and shop the local farmers market, has recently
transformed into a research odyssey. Spending the day at the
sustainable community of Serenbe has morphed from a mere country idyll
into an occasion for intensive green research."

NAREE members will enjoy a walking tour of Serenbe's all-encompassing
take on sustainable design, time to explore the Farmer's Market and
sample the much touted cuisine from the "Farmhouse."

Serenbe's 25-acre organic farm is a short walk from the main village.
Blueberries are part of the edible landscape and streets -- lined with
"green" houses-- connect to country walking paths of this 1,000-acre
sustainable community. The developer, Steve Nygren, a former Atlanta
restaurateur is leaving 70 percent of its land undeveloped. Mr. Nygren
will speak on NAREE's "Next Evolution of New Urbanism” panel on Friday
morning at 10:10 a.m. His daughter, Garnie Nygren will lead NAREE's
Saturday Sojourn.

NAREE conference attendees will board the Saturday bus at the Hilton
Atlanta, NAREE conference headquarters, at approximately 10 a.m. and
arrive back at the hotel about 2 p.m. A stop at the Atlanta Airport on
the way back may be scheduled upon request.

Conference advisor, Ralph Bivins of RealtyNewsReport.com says, "NAREE
13 covers the confluence of the commercial real estate and residential
real estate markets from financing, developing, building and sales
replete with economic forecasts, tours and 'Twitter and the Fourth
Estate.' "

Other tours will feature high-rise luxury condos and an in-depth look
Atlantic Station, a multi-billion dollar, 138-acre new urban venture
built on an old steel mill site fifteen minutes from the Hilton.

A major addition to NAREE’s Saturday programming this year will be the
“Saturday Morning Review” – as top editors and writers examine and
discuss the winning entries of the NAREE Journalism Awards, announced
the night before. Led by Lauren Beale, a long-time, award-winning
veteran of the Los Angeles Times, this high powered learning lab will
get inside the minds NAREE's most acclaimed journalists.

Scores of real estate journalists -- staff and freelance writers,
editors, columnists, bloggers and authors -- will hear the latest industry
trends from leading experts at "NAREE - 2013," the only conference
which brings newsmakers from every aspect of real estate under one roof
for journalists to meet, interview and tour trend-setting developments.

Make your reservations now at the Hilton Atlanta. NAREE's special room
block deadline is approaching fast. Call 800-HILTONS or look for the
hotel link under the "Spring Conference" tab on www.naree.org.
Journalists who work full time for bona fide media are eligible for
NAREE's special media rate of $139. Non media members can ask for the
special conference rate of $149. Hotel rooms are going fast, so please
book your hotel asap.
Use this link to the hotel or find it at naree.org:
https://resweb.passkey.com/Resweb.do?mode=welcome_ei_new&eventID=10585230

Conferees can attend skill building and tweaking sessions at NAREE
University's workshops on digital media, blogging, freelancing, data
visualization and the back story on winning awards in real estate
journalism.

Highlights of NAREE's Atlanta conference on Friday, June 7 include:

• 63rd Annual Real Estate Journalism Competition Awards Ceremony - 6:30
PM.

• 6th Annual Bruss Real Estate Book Awards Luncheon - Noon.

• NAREE's popular 17th Annual Meet the Press - 3:45 PM. This mini media
tour lets registrants sign up for a series of three-minute, one-on-one
interviews with dozens of journalists from around the nation.

The Hilton Atlanta, located at 255 Courtland St NE Atlanta, GA 30303,
was chosen as the NAREE conference hotel because of its central
location in the heart of downtown. Some of the best attractions in the
city are close by including:

• CNN Center

• The Georgia Aquarium, one of the world's largest

• Centennial Olympic Park

• Turner Field -- NAREE is holding an optional "Take Me out to the
Ballgame," Tuesday, June 4 at 7 PM. (Atlanta Braves vs. Pittsburgh
Pirates).

• The historic Fox Theatre

• World of Coca-Cola museum

• High Museum of Art

• Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport is a 15 minute drive
or reachable by MARTA.

-From the Airport take the MARTA train to the Peachtree stop near
Hilton. Cost is less than $5.

The NAREE Conference "Designs on the New Urban Grid" begins at 8:30
AM, Wednesday, June 5 at the Hilton Atlanta in downtown.

The NAREE Conference is open to all journalists, authors, editors and
communicators covering the broad field of real estate - residential,
commercial and mortgage and finance, as well as sustainable urban
design and green building. Register today for the conference online at
http://www.NAREE.organd save. The conference will begin at 9:00 a.m.
on Wednesday, June 5 and end Saturday, June 8 at 2 p.m., following the
outstanding Serenbe tour.

About NAREE
Celebrating 84 years of service to journalists covering residential,
commercial and financial real estate, home and urban design, and green
building, NAREE helps members advance their careers as editors, staff
writers, columnists, freelancers, bloggers and authors. Founded in 1929,
the organization has 650 members nationwide.

CONTACT: Mary Doyle-Kimball

Atlanta Developer Plans 470-Room Hotel in Savannah's Historic District

ATLANTA (April 22, 2013) - An Atlanta-based hospitality development firm just filed plans for a large hotel at the former Georgia Power property on East Bay Street in Savannah.

North Point Hospitality Group, which has several hotel properties in Savannah, plans to develop a 470-room hotel with 42,000 square feet of retail and commercial space at 600 East Bay St., according to a filing with the Georgia Departmet of Community Affairs. North Point would develop the mixed-use building as managing member of East River Street LLC, the property's owner.

North Point Hospitality is led by JK Patel and S. Jay Patel. Early this year, North Point Hospitality opened the first dual-branded Hilton hotel in Georgia (Hilton Garden Inn/Homewood Suites) in Midtown Atlanta.

Georgia Power listed the property (shown in photo by former colleague Steve Bisson) for sale in 2009, according to the Savannah Morning News.

The new hotel, which would be adjacent to the Marriott property that housed Olympic athletes who participated in water sports during the 1996 Summer Games, will be completed by 2019, the filing shows.

Georgia Department of Labor: AirTran Airways Lays Off 283 Workers

AirTran Airways has alerted the Georgia Department of Labor that is plans to lay off 283 workers. The WARN ID alert says the layoffs occurred this week.

I'm sure we'll hear more about this soon.

Savannah's First Whole Foods Taking Shape

It's nice to see a commercial development The Wilbert Group helped announce coming to fruition. This photo from Jeff DeHart of S.J. Collins Enterprises shows a center it is developing on Victory Drive in Savannah. The anchors will be Whole Foods and PetSmart. Originally scheduled to open in 2014, the Whole Foods store, Savannah's first, could open as early as October.

Hendon Rocks Roars Back at ICSC RECon with Jenny McCarthy, Kick-Ass Lineup

Hendon Rocks, Atlanta developer Charlie Hendon's big bash at ICSC's RECon show in Vegas, is back at The Joint at the Hard Rock Cafe and better than ever. And he's got MTV star Jenny McCarthy in tow.
Check out this lineup. It's reminiscent of the rocking go-go days of past and a good sign retail is rebounding.