Author: Tom Silva

We've all heard the term "branding" but for most of us it’s seemed like just another name for the familiar business of marketing.

As more and more people shop online, industry experts say that e-Commerce has the potential to eclipse traditional retail shopping. And with the increasing number of mobile sales transactions, this transition could happen sooner than we think. Launched in 1999 as an exclusive online purveyor of floral arrangements and gifts, Flora2000 is a particularly good […]

The nation’s CEOs are bullish about their prospects for the new year, according to annual PricewaterhouseCoopers survey of more than 1,300 chief executives, which was released on Wednesday.  A full 39 percent were “very confident” that their company’s revenues would grow this year (up 3 percent from a year ago). More than 60% of the […]

I was struck recently by an interview conducted recently by McKinsey & Company with Ogilvy Public Relations Worldwide Global CEO, Christopher Graves. Discussing India, Graves was opining on what the country needs to do to improve its prospects and attract foreign direct investment. Graves said, “India has often baked into part of its investment brand a […]

There is roughly 55m SF of office spec and construction nationally at a time when the vacancy rate has dipped to 15.2 percent. Seems like a lot until you consider past recessions. Robert Bach, Director of Research – Americas, for Newmark Grubb Knight Frank offers an interesting look at the building boom that caused the […]

This post is another article about Millennials. Like Time Magazine‘s May feature, “The Me, Me, Me Generation” and countless other cover stories, it’s full of assertions and a few accusations. Unlike Time however, my accusations are directed at us older folk. Simply put, we don’t have a clue about the Millennial Generation and it’s liable […]

In the largest bankruptcy filing by a city ever, Detroit filed Chapter 9. The effect of bankruptcy could be devastating on the public sector. The man at the center emergency manager for the city, Kevyn Orr, who has since been negotiating with Detroit’s many bondholders and other creditors about restructuring the city’s debt. Those negotiations […]

Ever wonder who is buying the new Lamborghini Veneno? That’s the  $3.9 million car. Or the $43,000 Brioni Vanquish II men’s suit? Or the $30 cup of coffee made from Kopi Luwak beans? Despite the recession the luxury good markets continues to thrive. The US gilded class leads the world in luxury goods purchases with […]

On the latest episode of The Alter Group Podcast on Real Estate, Charles Krawitz used his 25 years of experience in financing of thousands of transactions, and the sale of highly distressed loans and REO assets to give us an inside look at the recovery of the banking sector.  Banks now hold 49% of all […]

You’ve heard about  Warren Buffett and Bill Gates trying to get their fellow billionaires to give away half their money to charity? Well, now their challenge is resonating outside the United States. Twelve new magnates have joined the Buffett-Gates “Giving Pledge” bringing the total to 102. Who are they? Richard Branson, the Virgin Airlines eccentric; […]