Real Estate Industry

Real State with Jim

Not many people when they grow up think that one day they will work in the Real Estate Industry. This was certainly true for one of my managers Jim Barr. Jim came to the University of Cincinnati in 1988, as an undecided major at the College of Business, and at the time where UC didn’t have a college of business building and Sigma Sigma commons was still a desert of a parking lot. Jim spent most of his undergraduate years exploring and testing the waters of a variety of different majors from accounting to engineering and found in conclusion to his search that wasn’t that” ah ha” moment like most of his friends did when they declared their major earlier in their undergraduate. “At the time there wasn’t much available as far as class selection in the business school”, Jim said. “It was a basic curriculum, with not as much variety as the business school has today”. Jim was in his senior year and had co-oped with two companies in Cincinnati. Still in his final year didn’t know what the next couple of years looked like for him. “I was a little nervous; I had enough credits to graduate with business major, but still had no idea what I wanted to do with my life. I sat down with my advisor, and still to this day remember the conversation we had. I was freaking out and she said, “Jim, you are twenty years old, you aren’t supposed to know what you in life, you will work in a hundred different jobs in your life and probably in a hundred different areas you never thought you would be in, the only way you will find something is just be spontaneous and DO IT! Here is a list of classes that are going to be offered in spring quarter, choice some that are different, remember be spontaneous.”  From that moment on Jim had an open mind about school, he looked down at the piece of paper and saw the first thing that caught his eye, “Principals of Real-Estate”. It was a new class, Jim said. “I had no idea what it initialed but I was just doing what my advisor said to do” And from that point forward, the beginning of Jim Barr’s career in Real Estate started.

Jim and Real Estate:

Shortly after graduation, Jim Barr was hired by Phillips Edison Company as a Jr. Leasing Agent. Phillips Edison Co. “owns and operates a diverse portfolio of retail real estate assets across the country.” Phillips Edison primarily owns grocery shopping centers. “My job at the beginning of my career was working with short term leases with small businesses that are located off to the side of anchoring grocery chains.” Jim said. (An anchor is usually the largest part of the shopping center, usually a grocery store. Examples are Kroger, Giant Eagle, Meijer, etc...)  I really enjoyed what I was doing; I was with a company that invested a lot in me and had a great company culture, Jim said. I was in an industry that was continually growing company that had a great vision for the future. After a couple years being at the company Jim, moved up through the ranks holding various different types of positions at the company that involved leasing, where he is now currently the Director of Leasing.

Real Estate Industry:

In recent years working in the field real estate at any capacity was a difficult task due to the recession. When most people think of real estate, they quickly connect to what is relevant in their lives, which for most people is their house, apartment, and townhouse. And when the economic cashed happened, millions homes were foreclosed on with a majority of the homes still foreclosed on to. The real estate market was non-existent. People weren’t buying because they didn’t know if tomorrow would be last day at work. The number will never be exact, but millions upon millions of people around the world lost their jobs due to the recession and buying real estate wasn’t the top priority at the moment.

When the economic crisis came apparent, and the real estate market started to make a plunge we had no idea what would happen to the company, Jim said. The last time this event occupied was the great depression and that was long before anyone in this company was alive. We thought we would have to start making cuts like most companies were doing. We reviewed our current clients and tried to figure out which companies would survive and ones that might perish due to the rough times.  We came to the conclusion that instead of people going to “Jeff Ruby’s they would instead go to Ruby Tuesday’s.” What actually happened was completely different than we thought. Our properties and some of our largest clients actually made more money than ever before. Our business actually grew in size during the economic recession. People started cutting back on non-essential items, like restaurants. People still needed to eat so they started going to the grocery store to buy their food. The shopping centers had more traffic and most of the companies that were leasing from us prospered. 

Words of Wisdom:

Some of the final moments Jim and I had with our interview were about my current Co-op at Phillips Edison. I asked him to give some pieces of advice he thought would help in my career at Phillips Edison and for the future. He said:

·         Never burn bridges with co-workers, clients, or friends, it is important to be humble and courteous to everyone you meet from the time you are in college to when you die, you never know where someone will be in 10 years

·         Some things in life you can’t control, some days will be rougher than others, the difference between people who are successful and those who are not is solely dependent on your attitude, attitude is everything

·         Never eat lunch alone for the rest of your career, people bond over food, and one of the best ways to get to know someone is to eat with them; get to know the people you work with, chances are you will be working with them for awhile

·         Take a chance every day to stop what you are doing and take a deep breath and pause for  moment, if you don’t one day you will wake up very old and wish you did

In conclusion the interview the interview with Jim went very well. I got the opportunity to learn a little about him and also about the company I’m currently working for now and in the spring for my Co-op.

 

 

Carl H. Lindner

             Carl H. Lindner was regarded as one of the most successful individuals in the world. Many people haven’t heard of Mr. Lindner, as he shied away from the public media, but many of his successful companies were amongst the most successful and well-known companies in American History that include: United Dairy Farmers, Great American Insurance, Chiquita, Cincinnati Enquirer and Cincinnati Reds.  Not only was Carl H. Lindner a business man he was also community engaging. His impact around the Cincinnati area has been nothing less than inspirational. This blog will cover the success and amazing life story of Carl H. Lindner touching on his generous support of the community and continue excellence in business.

            Mr. Lindner first started his career after dropping out of school at the age of 14 to help run the family business, known today as United Dairy Farmers. He started working for his father delivery milk to neighbors around town. When WWII was amongst the United States his brothers’ were sent off to war, with his father suffering from sickness, young Carl had no choice to take over the family business fulltime. Within 15 years he had grown the business to 100 store locations and since then the business has more than doubled today with stores within the Tri-State area. Years later Mr. Lindner was the founder and chairmen of the board of the $25 billion American Financial Group, Inc., “a diversified financial holding company principally engaged in property and casualty insurance and the sale of retirement annuities and supplemental insurance”, known today as Great American Insurance Company.(http://business.uc.edu/about-us/lindner.html#sthash.NYcMCCCr.dpuf). As his success grew so did his interest in acquiring new businesses. Shortly after succeeding in the financial industry he acquired notable companies such as Chiquita Brands, Cincinnati Enquirer, Fisher Foods, Cincinnati Reds and other small businesses within the Cincinnati area. While he expanded these organizations he added wealth and jobs to the Cincinnati community lowering unemployment. Over a lifetime of business Carl H. Lindner created over 70,000 jobs within the Cincinnati and Tri State community.       

            Carl H. Lindner has always had the community in his heart and has put the thoughts of others before his own. In 1997 the UC College of Business announced the naming of its new honors program the Carl H. Lindner Honors-PLUS program, which is funded by an endowment from Mr. Lindner. On June 21, 2011 the University of Cincinnati’s Board of Trustees voted to name the University of Cincinnati’s College of Business after the Carl H. Lindner College of Business in honor of Mr. Lindner’s extraordinary support of the university and his legacy of entrepreneurship and excellence in business.

One of the largest donations in UC’s History came from the Lindner family which totaled $30 million dollars to create Craig and Frances Lindner Center of HOPE (Helping Other People Excel). ”This center is an innovative, free-standing mental health facility that provides state-of-the-science in- and out-patient care, utilizing the most advanced treatment options and diagnostic capabilities. The facility is jointly operated by UC Health and the Lindner Foundation and staffed by UC Health physicians.” (http://business.uc.edu/aboutus/lindner.html#sthash.NYcMCCCr.dpuf)

            In 1989, the Lindner Family with the help of other families in Cincinnati founded the Cincinnati Hills Christian Academy. This academy was founded to give kids the education need to succeed in life.  Two criteria that the Academy was founded on was, the school had to be Christ-centered extension of their homes and that the curriculum offered be such that students would have the training necessary to enter the country’s finest institutions of higher education. This school would be a place where students would be encouraged, through a growing faith and knowledge, to learn and serve. Carl H. Lindner wanted to give kids the opportunity to get an education that he wasn’t able to receive. There are 2 locations around the Cincinnati.

            On October 17, 2011 at night, Carl H. Lindner passed away at the age of 92. Even though his time on Earth has passed, the legacy of Carl H. Lindner still stands as strong as it did when he was alive. At the time of his passing many of his friends spoke highly of Carl H. Lindner life and contribution to the Cincinnati Community. Former Speaker of the Ohio House William G Batchelder said, “I was deeply saddened to learn of the death of my dear friend, Carl Lindner. He was a successful entrepreneur and selfless philanthropist who dedicated his life to giving back to the community. He has certainly left his mark on the great city of Cincinnati, as his legacy of creating jobs and devoting his life to serving others through his charitable contributions will continue to inspire all those who had the privilege of knowing him. Carl was a man of incredible integrity who devoted his time, energy, and livelihood to serving others so that they could live the American dream, just as he did. I know he will be sorely missed by his family and friends, as well as all in the city of Cincinnati – the city he cherished and called his home.”

            At the time of his death the Lindner family made a statement to the City of Cincinnati. “While our father's business and community pursuits were unequaled, the real measure of a person is his family. More than anything else, Dad was a loving husband and devoted father, grandfather, and great grandfather. He struck a successful balance between his family and his career that we all hope to achieve.” He was recognized not by his own achievements but recognized as a person who pushed others to their own. He was generous, humble and one of his sayings he often gave others simply expressed his gratitude for his success, “Only in America, Gee, am I lucky.” We are lucky to have been part of his life.

The Tough Mudder

For this blog assignment I’ve been given the opportunity to talk freely about any topic I feel sparked an interest in my life. Recently I’ve been getting involved volunteering at Tough Mudder events in the local surrounding areas near Cincinnati. You might be asking yourself what is a Tough Mudder, and why am I choosing to talk about it? Well first, it’s just the event itself; it’s about what purpose behind this event and I will later explain what it benefits.

The Tough Mudder is recognized as “probably the toughest event on the planet” physically and emotionally. It was created to replicate some of the training that the British Special Forces go through daily. Tough Mudder is 10 to 12 mile hardcore obstacle courses designed to test your all around strength, stamina, mental grit and camaraderie. With races on 5 different continents it is one of the biggest racing events in the entire world. The Tough Mudder isn’t considered a race but a challenge; it is a challenge to even the most professional runners. This race pushes you to your physical and mental limits and just before you don’t think you have enough to go on…. it pushes you even further to limits never thought possible. With 36 obstacles the Tough Mudder could potential throw at you, which include the Electric Eel, Everest, Island Hopping, Ladder of Hell, Mud Mile, Trench Warfare, King of the Mountain, Kiss of Mud, and underwater tunnels, and much more you can see average only 78% of participants complete the race. With most dropping out due to injury, dehydration, or lack of stamina you can see why as said before is considered “probably the toughest event on the planet”. If you aren’t convinced, please go ahead and check out the obstacles you could potential face on the website at Toughmudder.com.  

 

 

 

 

 

The Tough Mudder was founded by Englishmen Will dean and Guy Livingstone. Dean came up with the idea while at Harvard Business School, and it was a finalist in the Harvard Business School’s annual Business Plan Contest. He brought on Guy Livingstone to act as Chief Operating Officer. On an $8,000 marketing budget, they used Facebook to launch the first Tough Mudder event on May 2, 2010 at Bear Creek Resort in Allentown, PA. Since then, the number of Tough Mudder events has increased exponentially with 14 events in 2011, 28 in 2012, and over 50 events in 2013 and 2014 scheduled. (toughmudder.com)

Once a year there is a World’s Toughest Mudder competition held. This isn’t like any Tough Mudder. It is the top 5% of Tough Mudder applications from both the men and women. This extreme competition puts the World’s most hardcore “Mudders” through a grueling 24-hour challenge designed to find the toughest man, woman, and 4 person team on the planet. (ToughMudder.com) The winner is decided by the most amounts of laps completed in the fastest time. The winner receives cash prizes and bragging rights for a year.

 

The Tough Mudder is partnered with the Wounded Warrior project which comes to the purpose of the Tough Mudder. The mission of the Tough Mudder and the Wounded Warrior project is to honor and empower Wounded Warriors that have served overseas. Part of the money raised for the Tough Mudder is donated to the project and to this date has raised over 6.1 million dollars for Wounded Warriors.

I have a lot of close friends and family that have served in the military so participating in the event would mean a lot to me. I’m hoping to participate in the next Tough Mudder in Columbus this May. There is a lot of preparation needed to be done if I want to finish the event. There are tips and training guides online about how to prepare for the Tough Mudder that include cardio and other forms of exercise.

If you are looking to participate in the Tough Mudder, DO IT! It will be an exhilarating experience that you will never forget. You can receive more information from the website Toughmudder.com. There are also videos of types of training and Tough Mudder races that show the types of obstacles you can encounter. But sign up now prices will increase the closer it gets to the event!

 

Social Media and You

It’s amazing that in this day and age how closely connected we are with people on the internet.  Social Media has given us the opportunity to connect with people around the world we never thought possible. Today you can find almost anything about a person just by looking at their Facebook, Twitter, or Instagram. Social Media is your online digital fingerprint; it defines who you are as a person better than your closest friends.

This brings us to our group’s topic of Social Media. In particular, this blog will talk about the types of things that employers look for while “stalking” someone’s social media site to find information about you.  In simple terms, how Social Media can help or hurt you from getting a job.

Recently, we’ve always heard about keeping your Social Media site conservative, and watch what you put out there for people to see.  Some of this is true; we have to be careful what you post because you never know who could be potentially being glancing over your profile. However, believe it or not, as much as it is true to keep your profile clean and conservative, employers also want to see that other side of you. They aren’t looking for that black and white profile with a thousand privacy settings; throw some color in there to make it interesting.

With the changing of generations in the workforce, employers are more focused now more than ever in finding true creative talent. Megan Casserly, writer for Forbes magazine says, “Wedding pictures? Great. Baby photos? Even better. Photos with friends at parties, beaches and concerts? An absolute must.” Arguing that fact that you actually could get hired solely from what a recruiter saw on Facebook while looking at pictures of you having a blast at the concert last week. There’s a sense that a profile with no character has probably been scraped of some racy stuff or else the person has no social skills and won’t fit in.” (Meghan Casserly Forbes.com) Recruiters that use Social Media, have found 18% of the time they have hired candidates solely based on how their Social Media page. The common areas that they look for that they have hired people for are: “Profile provided a good feeling for the candidate’s personality and fit (50%), Profile supported candidate’s professional qualifications (39%), Candidate showed was creative (38%), Candidate showed solid communication skills (35%), Candidate was well-rounded (33%), Other people posted good references about the candidate (19%), Candidate received awards and accolades (15%)” (Kit Eaton Fastcompany.com)

This is not giving you full rights to post the keg-stand you are going to potential do at homecoming game next Saturday. Employers will still have their boundaries, and misuse of alcohol is one of them. Erik Sherrman, writer for jobs.aol.com says, “40% of hiring managers look at social networks of applicants to determine if they would be a good fit for the job.” Unfortunately, “1 out of every 10 applicants is denied from being hired because of things said and or posted on social networking sites.” (Sherman jobs.aol.com)

Employers look for certain things that could disqualify someone from getting the job. Those things include, “Provocative or inappropriate photos or posts, content about drinking or using drugs, bad-mouthing a previous employer, sharing confidential information from a previous employer, poor communications skills, discriminatory comments based on race, gender or religion and lies about qualifications” (Sherman jobs.aol.com) 35 % of the time employers have found something on a candidates profile that could cause the individual to not be hired. (Kit Eaton Fastcompany.com)

If you are worried about what you have on your Social Media site, don’t fret! Here are some tools you can use to help improve your site.

·         DO clean up digital dirt before you begin your job search. This includes sketchy photos and inappropriate comments or posts that could potentially look bad in the employers eyes

·         Do consider creating a professional Facebook page almost like a LinkedIn that way when an employer searches for you they might stumble upon the professional Facebook

·         Changing your last name to the middle, ex. Girls do this a lot, keeps random people (employers from finding them)

·         Do be positive on Social Media, no one wants to see a Debbie Downer

·         If you have inappropriate photos on Instagram, DELETE THEM!

·         If under 21, try to reframe from posting pictures of yourself drinking

·         Drunken twitter post and or pictures, remove them

·         If you are worried about certain things, you can always result in setting some things on your profile as private, or friends only. If you have pictures that project positive things, set them as public so the employer can see them

·         Logout and search yourself like anyone would and see if they randomly searched you

·         Google yourself and see what pops up under web search and images

 
Social Media is a very powerful tool; it can be used for many different ways. It’s completely up to you what you post or share with others. But be aware, what you post on the internet will probably most definitely stay on the internet. Whether you delete it or not, people have seen whatever you posted, and people will talk about it. The best piece of the advice is being careful what you post, but don’t be afraid to show off your personality, be true to yourself and always be positive.

Mouthwash Product Comparison

For our blog assignment, our group decided to review products that we used in our daily lives. For my assignment, I reviewed three different types of mouthwashes; Listerine Total Care, Crest Pro-Heath, and Colgate Total Advantage. All the products were the best products available from each manufacture. I will be reviewing/comparing the products based on two different things. One is the duration of freshness, and quality of the concealing bad breath after eating. I made some rules to make the review of the products consistent.

Rule 1: Use the mouthwash twice a day for three days

Rule 2: Rinse for at least 45 seconds to 60 seconds

Rule 3:  After using the mouthwash, wait 30 minutes before consuming food

Rule 4: After eating, use mouthwash within 30 minutes

Listerine Total Care:

The first product that I tested was Listerine Total Care. I've used Listerine products for a couple years now, but never the Total Care. My first reaction when using the Total Care was the alcohol was very strong and was hard to rinse my mouth for the total 60 seconds as recommended. But the freshness in my breath after use was awesome and quite amazed with the results. The freshness lasted between 2 to 3 and half hours and usually slowly went away with use of beverages and food overtime. I liked the fact that the freshness wasn't overpowering but at the same time wasn't dull, it was a happy medium. and the concealed bad breath great too with no after taste of the food after using it. I rate this product 5 out of 5.

Crest Pro-Health Clinical:

The second product, Crest Pro-Health was the next product. Crest Pro-Health was a Alcohol-Free mouthwash. Which had a less intense feeling while rinsing with it. It did have a little bit of chalkiness in the taste after I used it, which I didn't experience in the other brands. Overall all I thought the freshness compared quite well to Listerine. The effectiveness of the freshness lasted 2 to 2 and half hours. However, I think the freshness was more pleasant, then the slightly stronger Listerine. It also concealed the after taste of food well and have no negative comments. I rate this product 4.5 out of 5. and the reason so is I prefer the Alcohol then Alcohol-Free but if I you are the opposite, I say go or it, awesome product.

Colgate Total Advantage:

 The last product I tested was Colgate Total Advantage. This product also has a Alcohol-Free formula like Crest Pro-Health. Rinsing was easy, however didn't provide the best taste in my opinion. Freshness lasted between 2 to 2 and half hours like the Crest brand, but I felt like there was after taste apparent when using it after eating. Overall the product performed, but wouldn't be my number one choice if I was choosing mouthwashes.  I rate this product 3.75 out of 5.

Final Assessment:

After over a week of testing products, I've come to the conclusion that there are many benefits that each product brings to the table. In my personally opinion weighing the positives and negatives of each individual product to fit my needs, I found that the Listerine Total Care was the better product overall based on the criteria I reviewed the products on.