High demand for industrial warehouse space in Polk County remains strong Gary M. Ralston, managing director of SVN Saunders Ralston Dantzler Real Estate, says the demand for industrial warehouse space should remain strong, thanks to the county’s location between the Orlando and Tampa Bay markets, as well as Polk’s proximity to I-4 and overall growth. Polk’s population, for example, increased 20% from 2010 to 2020, and the research firm Esri forecasts the 725,046 population will grow 15% faster than Florida’s overall growth over the next five years. [Source: Florida Trend]

Tourists love to shop and there are few markets where retailers are stronger than in Miami. The city is experiencing record levels of domestic tourism and an influx of new residents. Its markets have flexed their retail demand muscles with six consecutive quarters of positive net absorption, according to Marcus & Millichap’s Q2 report.

Adam Hendry is CEO of Tzadik Properties, a multifamily property management company based in Miami, FL and Sioux Falls, SD, and one of the largest owner-operators in South Dakota. Hendry has more than 15 years of progressive management experience in the real estate and property management industry, with an emphasis on strategic planning and the establishment and management of long-term strategic partnerships.

Damac Properties of Dubai will purchase for $120M the Miami Beach-area oceanfront property that was the site of a condo tower collapse in June that killed 98 people. Damac was the only bidder to submit an offer by a court-imposed deadline of last Friday for the site of the June 24 collapse of one of the Champlain Towers apartments. According to the Associated Press, Damac earlier this month raised its cash deposit from $16M to $50M on the 1.8-acre beachfront site. The property was listed by Avison Young.

What passes for strategy in many businesses, government agencies, and military operations is ultimately just a mix of wishful thinking and a jumble of incoherent policies. In The Crux: How Leaders Become Strategists, UCLA professor emeritus Richard P. Rumelt argues that leaders become effective strategists when they focus on challenges rather than goals, pinpointing the “crux” of their pivotal challenge—the aspect that is both surmountable and promises the greatest progress—and taking decisive, coherent action to overcome it. I had the chance to connect with Professor Rumelt recently to discuss his paradigm-busting theory about strategy and how companies big and small can identify and surmount their biggest challenges.

"A story without a message is like a person without a soul." - Stan Lee Good VPM tells an organization’s story in the simplest, clearest way. For all our cognitive sophistry, we humans are attracted to a clear and simple narrative. The slickest blockbuster can feel like nothing more than hours of colorful noise if there is no clear story providing a payoff. In the same way, investing in data visualization that is not driven by clarity about the key things that people need to know (and need to know now) can become little more than digital wallpaper.

Long before the COVID-19 pandemic, companies were already seeing the significant benefits that Industry 4.0 technologies can provide when adopted at scale. The pandemic’s disruptions have underscored that integrating advanced technologies better equips organizations to achieve operational excellence—the foundation of long-term resilience to and sustained competitive advantage. Recent evidence shows that the move towards digital transformation is gaining momentum across virtually all sectors. In fact, in a survey of more than 400 global manufacturing companies, 94 percent of respondents indicated that Industry 4.0 helped them to keep their operations running during the crisis, and 56 percent said the digital transformation they undertook was essential to their pandemic responses. Conversely, for those companies that hadn’t scaled—or even begun—their digital transformation, the past year has served as a serious wake-up call to review operational strategies and refocus on Industry 4.0 capabilities. #innovation

Operations are at the heart of the business, so becoming a first-time Director of Operations (DoO) is a project in itself. You’ll lead the strategic cornerstone for the whole organization and – hopefully – the successful culmination of years of company growth. On the one hand, it’s an opportunity to solidify the team’s effectiveness and efficiency. On the other hand, it’s only natural that you will hit some bumps along the way as processes need restructuring, cultural shifts occur, and new business models are established.

Developer Camilo Miguel Jr., CEO of Coconut Grove, Florida-based Mast Capital, has teamed up with private equity firm Rockpoint Group to acquire a 2.8-acre site in Miami's Brickell financial district where Mast plans to develop 1,250 residential units, including 400 units in an 80-story condominium tower. There, the developers plan to sell nearly $1 billion worth of residences.