My parents recently retired and did what retired folks are supposed to do—sell the family homestead, load up the moving van and move to sunny Florida. During the packing, or should I say discarding, my dad came across stacks and stacks of my old Sports Illustrated issues dating back to the 1970s.
Flipping through them was a trip down memory lane, recounting the athletes who were so ingrained as part of my childhood—Fred Lynn, Tony Dorsett and Dr. J. Even though their glory days in their given sports are long past, the impact and memories of these athletes and so many others has stayed with me to this day.
As the modern REIT industry has evolved over the past several years, there have been a number of key individuals that helped shape the industry’s growth but have since moved on to other opportunities. Even though their day-to-day activities may no longer be REIT-specific, these former REITsters still keep an eye on the industry they played such an important role in developing. In our article "Where Are They Now?" we catch up with Jamie Handwerker, Steven Hash, Jordan Heller, Jeff Olson and David Sherman to get their take on the current REIT market, changes they’ve witnessed and their advice for current industry analysts.
Also In This Issue
The publicly traded real estate industry made a lot of investment banks very happy in 2003. "Capital Forecast" looks at the steady flow of IPOs, debt issuance, equity and preferred offerings and asks leading dealmakers if it will continue.
While investment bankers have been riding high on a wave of deal activity for over a year, Wall Street analysts have had to adjust to changing rules and strict regulations. "Playing by the Rules" looks at how firms are handling the new guidelines and what that means for REIT coverage.
Also in this issue, we sit down with two prominent individuals from outside the industry to get their view on issues impacting REITs and REIT investors. In "Capital Markets," well-known economist Lester Thurow explains why globalization can be a good thing for real estate. In "Window on Washington," Senate Majority Leader Bill Frist shares his views on pending REIT legislation and the value of REIT investing.
Matthew Bechard
Editor in Chief
