Real Estate Exchange Sessions

One of the most productive uses of my time on behalf of my clients has been spent at real estate marketing sessions. What is a marketing session you ask? It is meeting where real estate professionals gather together for the sole purpose of presenting properties to qualified buyers and brokers representing qualified buyers from all over the country. This goes on for days! Every few minutes another presentation is made to the group and each presenter then asks if there are any takers. I am always amazed at the number of takers on the properties. Not every transaction consumates but if I can show my seller three offers to consider I feel that I am adding value by spending the time and money it takes to be here. This week (Oct 28th and 29th) I am attending the Indiana Real Estate Exchangers (IREX) meeting in Indianapolis. It is the largest such event in Indiana and is held every year. There are many of these sessions held through out the year in different parts of the country. The grand daddy of sessions are the national meetings held by the (SEC) Society of Exchange Counselors. Next month I will be attending the SEC meeting in Palm Springs California. There will be somewhere between 100 and 200 investors, brokers and other real estate professionals there. If you woulld like your property presented to real buyers who can perform call me! There is still plenty of time to get ready for that meeting with a custom marketing package put together by the Ruggieri Team.

To learn more about IREX click here: http://www.irexinc.org/bylaws.html

Whats Up With Economic Development

On Thursday October 23rd I was able to attend the annual meeting of the Champaign County Economic Development Corporation held at the Alice Campbell Alumni Center on the campus of the University of Illinois. It was a dismal dreary evening outside and everyone had to use an umbrella just to make it into the building without getting drenched. Dismal and dreary outside but warm, exciting and full of energy inside. The venue was positively elegant and the food, refreshments and appointments all impeccable and commensurate with a black tie affair but this evening was not a stuffy one. Current board Chair Tim Hoerr was an outstanding host and conducted the meeting with a deft mix of executive style and disarming humor. The speakers included Quesnell Hartman, President of EPIWORKS a firm specializing in the production of semi-conducting wafers for the communications industry and Gary Durack CTO and CEO of ICYT MISSION TECHNOLOGY a company that produces highly specialized cell sorters and other high technology equipment for the medical and pharmaceutical markets. Both speakers were engaging and very informing of the issues not only germane to their individual industries but also to the larger story of the EDC and what it has done to promote business and jobs in our county. I was particularly happy to see Dr. Hartman on stage as a keynote speaker at such an event. It seems to me that it was only yesterday that I met Quesnell and his partner Dave Ahmari. They were just young graduate students with an idea at the time hunkered down in the old Technology Commercialization lab on the South Farms. When I first met them they were literally running their company from one room in the lab with a one table a few chairs, a computer and a phone. I had the priveledge of working with them to find a building for the new business that they planned to start. Well to make a long story short we found them a building helped them get a clean room designed and built inside of it along with offices and labs and the rest as they say is history. Way to go guys! Champaign County is proud of you! To learn more about EPIWORKS click here http://www.epiworks.com/

A Word From Better Capital Partners

Reports indicate that 2009 will see one of the highest numbers of bank closings in US history. According to reports the hundredth bank will be closed and taken over by the FDIC next weekend. Just about a week ago the FDIC closed the ninety-ninth bank for the year. California in particular, has been one of the hardest hit states with one of the higher bank failure rates in the country. The FDIC took over the San Joaquin Bank in Bakersfield, California, making it the tenth bank closing in the state. There are reports of more closings to come within the state. Even with this grim news, many believe that 2009 will not have as many bank closings as there were in 1980, which had 534 failures. Reports indicate that 2009 should do better than 1992 as well, which had 181 banks fail. 2009 may not be as bad as previous years, in history, but according to the FDIC, currently there are 416 banks in its “at risk” category. This indicates that there are many more bank failures to come in the months ahead. FDIC does not indicate which banks are in this category, to curb the mass withdrawal of money from the banks at risk of failures. Many bank closings have been caused by the real estate boom of the mid-2000s. It is clear that many banks are still at risk and will continue to be at risk of failure for some time. Written By: Maulik Shah, AVP, Sperry Van Ness Better Capital Partners.

Prairie Spark Investment Forum

Recently I had the privilege of attending a special presentation by entrepreneurs of their business plans to a group of qualified investors. This was at the third annual Investment Forum Sponsored by Prairie Spark and Eastern Illinois University held at Sara Bush Lincoln in Charleston. I must say I was impressed. Not only with the people and the companies that were presenting but with the whole event. Here was a meeting of both business people with their ideas for start ups but also investors who could write checks if they decided to do so! There was also a group of high school students who were allowed to attend the event because of a special program they are enrolled in through their High School in Effingham. So here I was like a fly on the wall watching entrepreneurs make a case for investment in their businesses, investors diligently studying each presentation and students from high scholl drinking it all in! I was blown away! Would that every community could have such synergy between the business comunity, the educators and the banking and investment folks. I think that the are doing realy great things down in Effingham, Matoon and Charleston. Maybe there is something in the water. If so I want to drink the kool-aid! If you would like to learn more click www.eiu.edu/~cei

New episode of One on One with Alex Ruggieri featuring Mike Yager

Watch an all new episode of One on One with Alex Ruggieri featuring Mike Yager. Mike Yager began his business when as a young man he borrowed $500.00 to purchase some patches and T-shirts which he had planned to sell at a Corvette car show. The rest as they say is history. Today Mike is the largest supplier of Corvette and Volkswagon accessories and supplies. He employs a couple of hundred people and just opened his first office in China. I really enjoy Mike's contagious attitude. He really lights up a room with his smile. The thing is this guy is for real. Its not hype. He carries his passion with him and he loves his business as much as he loves life! I get a kick out of that. Click here to watch!

Sale Lease Back Strategies

I have a good friend by the name of Greg Finley. He is a commercial broker with Sperry Van Ness Fiducia in Garden City MO. I have been following his blog and read a very informative article of his regarding Sale-Lease backs. I am putting a link for you here so that you may also benefit from his expertise!

Alex Ruggieri Is Featured in CCIM Magazine

Commercial Investment Real Estate magazine is the premier national Trade publication for commercial real estate. Recently I was contacted by CIRE magazine. The editor asked if I would be willing to share some of my thoughts on marketing and public relations with their readers. The demographic for CIRE includes real estate professionals from all strata's of the real estate profession including bankers, developers and syndicators. Their readership also includes commercial real estate practitioners as well as a very high percentage of CCIM's. The elite designation of some of the most professional commercial brokers in the country. Naturally I readily agreed. The piece turned out better than I expected because it was set to be a Q and A type interview but when the article came out it was really something more. A full color two page spread featuring a couple of photographs of yours truly. Anyway it was a humbling experience to be asked and I felt it a privilege to be asked to participate is such a prestigious publication. If you would like to read the article click on the photo of CIRE magazine and see pages 12 and 13 or click here.

New Show on Business leadership to Premier on Channel Three This Sunday at 10:00a

I've been telling you all about the new TV show we have been recording episodes for these past weeks. Well the very first show will air this Sunday on Channel three at 10:00a and will feature Dr. Rick Workman. Dr. Workman is President and CEO of HEARTLAND Dental Care a collection of more than 250 hometown dental practices located in multiple states throughout the country. In addition, Heartland Dental Care has served consulting clients throughout the United States, in Puerto Rico and in Canada.. Heartland Dental Care is currently affiliated with more than 320 dentists and more than 2400 team members. In addition to publishing numerous articles in trade and industry publications Dr. Workman has also received many acknowledgements of his achievements in business including the Dental Executive of the Year by Excellence in Dentistry Inc Magazines Top 500 fastest growing companies in America and the Ernst and Young Entrepreneur of the Year award in the Master category. Put simply Dr. Workman in an amazing guy and I feel that he is a great example of both entreprenuership and business leadership. What a better way to start seasom four of the show and to begin on a new network than with an exceptional interview with Dr. Rick Workman! Hope you all tune in!

Great Teachers make a BIG difference!!

I have the priveledge of interviewing one of the great teachers in our area this week. He comes in to the studio tomorrow at Channel 3. His name is Craig Lindvahl. Craig is a nationally recognized filmmaker and educator. His television work is regularly seen on PBS stations across the country, and has been seen on NBC, CNN, and The Learning Channel. His latest documentary is slated to air on the Major League Baseball Network in December. He is the recipient of twelve Mid America Emmy Awards, for producing, writing, camera work, and composing, and the Studs Terkel Award for contributions to the humanities. He is a recipient of the prestigious Milken National Educator Award, has twice been recognized as a finalist for Illinois Teacher of the year. He was recently named the Illinois “teacher-preneur” of the year, and was also recently honored with a “Leaders in Learning” Award from the cable television industry. In more than thirty years of teaching, Lindvahl has taught every grade k-12, and in his work as a filmmaker and musical director he has worked in nearly 20 countries and with young people from more than 25 countries. Along with his teaching partner, former Illinois Teacher of the Year Joe Fatheree, Lindvahl has participated in a number of groundbreaking educational endeavors, including the establishment of a nationally known filmmaking program and a new, multi-district entrepreneurship class that is funded almost entirely by business investors. Both Lindvahl and Fatheree devote a great deal of time to mentoring teachers, encouraging young people to enter the field, and assisting schools in hiring and retaining the best possible teachers. I am so looking forward to meeting. I will certainly post you on when his program will air so that you can tune in!!!!