2009 October | CPE Blog

RealTech with Peter Boritz: Get More Website Traffic

Business Management, Technology, Web/Tech No Responses »

Oct 192009

Your website speed can be a key indicator of how many visitors go to your website and spend time learning about your organization. In addition, potential and current clients who wait too long for web pages to load may be reluctant to return to your site. It has been proven that as little as a five percent increase in your website speed can increase page views by as much as twenty-five percent. Below are some tips to increase the speed of your website.

When it comes to your homepage, use facts and keep the page clean and simple. Avoid using Flash videos or animations/graphics that take too much time and bandwidth to load. In the amount of time it takes one of these large files to load, you may have already lost a potential client.
place video links on your homepage. Links from video sites such as YouTube not only take time to load, but often make a web page look cluttered and distracts from the information you want visitors to see.
If you need to place video on your site, make certain that the host of the video is within a close proximity. The longer distance the information has to travel, the longer it will take for the page to load.
Measure the speed of your site to identify the areas which need improvement. There are various websites, both free and paid, that can check your site for browser compatibility, optimizes images and JavaScript and more.

Some useful sites are:

In today’s market, having an informative and well-performing website is key for your business to succeed. Don’t lose opportunities and new customers because your website is too slow.

Hessam Nadji: Real Estate & the Economy

Economy No Responses »

Oct 192009

RealTech with Peter Boritz: Tools to Improve Productivity

Technology No Responses »

Oct 142009

Greenbuild 2009 – Main Street Green: Connect to the Conversation

Uncategorized No Responses »

Oct 132009

Each year, the U.S. Green Building Council hosts its Greenbuild Conference & Expo, the world’s largest green building conference. Greenbuild 2009 is heading to Phoenix. The American Southwest is a region with unique environmental and social challenges and opportunities, and the imperative is clear: green building can and must come home to all people, boosting the quality of life on main streets across the country and the world. Every year, Greenbuild attracts leading architects, building owners, developers, contractors, educators, students, service providers and manufacturers, providing education and networking opportunities for everyone connected to the building industry.

With its humble beginnings of 4,100 attendees in Austin, Texas seven years ago, Greenbuild 2009, held November 11-13, 2009 in Phoenix, AZ is expected to attract 25,000 people and boasts over 100 educational sessions and 1,800 exhibit booths on the tradeshow floor. Former Vice President Al Gore will be the keynote speaker at the Opening Keynote & Celebration, followed by a performance by Grammy Award winning musician and environmental activist Sheryl Crow. While Greenbuild is known to engage the most progressive discussions of the day, it is good to note that Greenbuild is valuable for everyone, whether you’re a green guru or not. There are educational sessions on topics ranging from green leases and valuation to the business case and technical implementation methods of LEED for Existing Buildings.

With the economic downturn forcing more organizations to focus on the existing building stock, USGBC has seized the opportunity to deliver a host of existing building-specific educational sessions. Sessions include:

“How the LEED for Existing Buildings Certification Process Transforms Your Operations and Engages People”

“The Value of ENERGY STAR®”

“Economics of Corporate Sustainability”

“Greenwashed or Green … Single or Triple Bottom Line?”

“The Green Lease: A Two-Way Street”

“A Revolution in Existing Buildings – LEED for Existing Buildings: Operations and Maintenance”

“Existing Buildings: Opportunities for Development”

“High Profile Green Operations – Marquee LEED for Existing Building Projects”

Greenbuild is a forum to engage professionals from various industries and sectors and listen to peers talk about their experiences The many networking and educational opportunities, along with a first-ever Greenbuild job fair, are among the top reasons to attend Greenbuild,where you can listen to otherswhile making connections with likeminded businesses. Greenbuild is where the industry collaborates on sustainability, finding ways to save money, improve performance and reduce environmental impact.

More information on Greenbuild is available at www.greenbuildexpo.organd I hope to see you in Phoenix!

Retail Leaders Gather in Dallas

Global Green Design No Responses »

Oct 072009

Challenging times, continued re-tuning, and celebrating the few successes. There were many key insights to learn from this group of industry leaders, gathered in Dallas recently for the International Retail Design Conference. New strategies for value and environmentally conscious consumers and brands, localization and regionalism, global retail development in markets like China, India, Middle East, Latin America, experience based retail design, and community connections were discussed in depth. Here is what some of them had to say during our 3 days in Dallas together.

From Burt Tansky, CEO of Neiman Marcus

“Once you acquire a taste for luxury it remains, it doesn’t disappear, though it may be dormant for a while”

Also “Trends come and go, quality and great design are always in style”

Keys to NM brand “Improve, Innovate, Improvise”

“Luxury never changes” – as part of a dialog that Neiman Marcus is not trading down (though they are broadening some of the merchandise ranges, and experimenting with midday dash sales)

He did admit “I can’t get out of Costco for less than 200$” and his fondness for shopping at Costco..

New Neiman Marcus Store at The Bravern, Bellevue

John Mulliken, VP Store Planning and Development, Louis Vuitton

“Louis Vuitton never goes on sale” and “We must create the highest level of customer experience”

On keys to LV brand — “Craftsmanship, Innovation and Technology”

Others, overheard

“Don’t plan 2010 budgets on today’s (20-25%) reduced construction costs – material and labor costs will rise”

“There is nothing like a good recession to get you to run a better business”

“Do more with less” – repeated by many…

On budgets “no renovations, new stores, travel – significant restrictions on all capital expenditures

James Smith, Director of Store Design, Anthropologie, on winning the retailer of the year award

Anthropologie has been doing “local” since the 1980’s – the key is operational ownership at the store – merchandising, design, and visual display –

“Empower the people in the stores”

“No two stores are the same”

“Create a canvas to build on but allow the opportunity for empowering local teams to interpret and create”

What will the industry look like next spring? Who will be thriving? Luxury retail numbers continue to slide. Meanwhile, look at new innovations like Uniqlo’s ramp up of their global expansion on current same store sales increases of 30%++ Look at their new +J Jill Sander line, released October 1st – timeless design and detailing at a fraction of the cost of the full line label.

The reflective trends such as pride in thrift related to post-great-recession values and re-localization of big brand rollout stores are strong indicators of a long term shift in the market. It is true that great design and quality are always in style, but at what cost? The value proposition is a foundational key to the new consumer mindset and bottom line. There is a new found pride in thrift rather than bling. There is also an interesting alignment of these values with new developments in sustainability and environmental consciousness. Re-use, re-cycle, re-purpose – all good for the environment and the pocketbook.