Commercial Investment Real Estate Magazine
Folio Eddie Award, Honorable Mention for Work by a Single Author
In 2021, I was awarded Honorable Mention by Folio: for Range of Work by a Single Author for my work in Commercial Investment Real Estate magazine.
CIRE magazine is an industry-leading suite of publications of CCIM Institute, reaching 45,000 industry professionals. The strength of the magazine — and my work in it — is its flexibility to cover different subjects in different manners. My submission for the Eddie included features, Q&As, and departments that educated readers while reinforcing the CCIM Institute brand.
Submitted work included:
— Feature on Hospitality Sector (Spring 2021)
— Q&A on Diversity in CRE (Fall 2020) )
— Building Tech Feature (Fall 2020)
— Financial Analysis Story (Summer 2020)
— Tech Case Study (Winter 2021)
— Seniors Housing Interview (Summer 2020)
Commercial Investment Real Estate, Winter 2022
Stated plainly, the outlook for commercial real estate heading into 2022 looks good. But as with any economic forecast, such a straightforward statement comes with an asterisk — one, in this case, that looks a lot like a spikey coronavirus particle that has become all too familiar in the last two years
Following a 2021 where sectors like industrial and multifamily outpaced pre-pandemic performance, and struggling markets like retail and office found some footing, many industry experts are expecting good things in 2022, provided the U.S. and global economy don't face an unforeseen calamitous event.
“There's a bit more realization that [COVID-19] is here — that it's going to be more of a constant,” says Jim Costello, CRE, senior vice president of Real Capital Analytics. “We are in a situation where we have to figure out how to adapt as opposed to the pandemic being something that will have a definite end.”
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I write regular cover stories for Commercial Investment Real Estate magazine, often covering trends in various sectors of the industry. Writing to an engaged membership, I frequently check in with subject matter experts to produce multi-sourced articles that inform CRE professionals on the state of the market.
Pool & Billiards For Dummies, March 2010
So some hotshot kid walks into a pool hall, thinking he’s destined to be the next great hustler. He starts tooling around a table, making a few shots but missing plenty more. After an hour or so, he walks up to the counter, where an old-timer is jockeying the cash register with his face buried in yesterday’s sports page.
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Yes, all 384 pages have to do with the cue sports, but various sections of the book called for different voices. From tackling ultra-technical concepts to introducing chapters in a conversational tone, I had to juggle a number of different writing assignments.
While offered plenty of creative freedom in writing the book, I had to produce all print-ready copy in less than four months. As challenging as it was rewarding, this project exemplifies my ability to produce high-quality work while still meeting strict deadlines.
Billiards Digest, May 2014
”Get up, Jarrod. Just get up. You’re OK. You’re OK.”
Jarrod Clowery was engulfed by flames when the pressure cooker packed with nails and ball bearings exploded a few feet from him. The 35-year-old carpenter, and top regional pool player, was climbing a metal guard rail after hearing an explosion a block to his left when he was blasted onto Boylston Street. He stood up, his singed gym shoes pressing pavement within sight of the 2013 Boston Marathon finish line.
The only thing Clowery could hear was the voice inside his head.
“Just get up. You’re OK. You’re OK.”
His hands, wrapped around the guard rail when the second bomb exploded less than five feet from him, were badly burned, but he counted 10 fingers. His legs, exposed through a shredded pair of jeans, were pockmarked by dozens of carpenter nails, ball bearings and splinters from the nearby tree.
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One of the most challenging writing projects I’ve handled, this story focused on a survivor from the 2013 Boston Marathon bombing. Jarrod went through a difficult rehabilitation process, but pool helped him recover his hope.
Modern Casting, February 2015
The common axiom “no detail is too small” carries enough truth to have become a part of business parlance. But for Christie, one of the world’s largest manufacturers of complex audiovisual projection systems, little details can have big consequences.
Consider the challenges for Christie engineers in complex, tight tolerance, abstract designs, where high-definition projection systems can turn the entire façade of a massive resort hotel into a blank canvas, or the precision required for high-definition wall-projection systems in command centers monitoring electrical grids. To allow these systems to operate precisely and reliably, Christie depends on castings.
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For both Modern Casting and Metal Casting Design & Purchasing, I wrote feature-length profiles of both metalcasting facilities and end users of cast components.
Writing for a trade magazine, I had to deliver technically dense material in a conversational yet qualified voice. This particular story allowed for a tone more made for consumer publications while still covering the nuts and bolts required by an article in an industrial trade magazine.
Modern Casting, Novel Solutions, Various Dates
If cartoons have taught me anythi… Wait a minute. Of the many lessons I’ve learned from cartoons, one concept that’s clear is inspiration strikes quickly. The light bulb goes on above your head and the great idea seems so simple.
In “Originals,” Adam Grant argues, while such lightning strikes may happen, they aren’t as common as people think. His take on “how non-conformists move the world,” as the book’s subtitle reads, examines in depth what goes into these memorable innovations. Using social science studies combined with telling anecdotes, Grant tries to combat the common misconception that ground-breaking advances are somehow a result of fate.
Click here to view the digital edition
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Billiards Digest, Wingshots, October 2018
If Danny Kuykendall didn’t love pool, “Open Bar,” his new memoir/instructional for running a successful poolroom for a quarter-century would have been a much different exercise. The owner/operator of Danny K’s in Orange, Calif., even after all these years, displays a passion for the game and the business behind the game that is refreshing and quite evident over his nearly 200 pages.
If you ever had a beer with a buddy and thought how great it’d be to open your own joint, this book delves into the do’s and don’ts of running a pool room.
Billiards Digest, BD News, Various Dates
The first time promoter Barry Behrman organized a spring companion to his long-successful U.S. Open 9-Ball Championship, things didn’t work out exactly as planned. Held in April 2001, the Masters 9-Ball Championship failed to attract the expected interest from both players and spectators. Behrman lost nearly $50,000, while the top dozen players departed Virginia owed upwards of $40,000.
Unfortunately for the top eight finishers at Behrman’s 2011 Masters 10-Ball Tournament — held March 1-5 at the U.S. Open’s home in the Chesapeake (Va.) Conference Center — this year’s event ran according to a nearly identical script.
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BD News, a page dedicated to breaking news, was the only section of the magazine reserved for hard news stories, which shows my ability to write straightforward briefs on deadline. While much of the magazine was in the final stages of production, I was often charged with tackling reporting and writing pieces in a few hours.
Chicago Tribune, August 2006
You jammed the minivan full of towels, trowels, and water wings; you braved the chaos of summer traffic and your reward is a car full of sweaty, splash-thirsty kids who don't want to hear about a swim ban.
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My most significant contribution during my internship with Chicago Tribune Tempo section, "Beach is closed? We have options!" is a brief summary of -- you guessed it -- options for parents when bacteria counts at city beaches cause problems for summer plans. My goal in writing such a piece was to deliver practical information in a playful, yet direct voice.
