Business Specialties Investments
Behringer Harvard Sells Houston Office Property
July 8, 2008

Behringer Harvard announced today the sale of Enclave on the Lake, an approximately 171,000-square-foot office building in the Energy Corridor of west Houston, Texas. This asset was one of the 36 properties purchased during the first acquisition phase of the company's Behringer Harvard REIT I Inc. Investing in April 2004 with other tenants-in-common investors under the sponsorship of Behringer Harvard, Behringer Harvard REIT I Inc. acquired a 36 percent interest in Enclave on the Lake. As a result of this disposition, the REIT and other TIC investors will realize an annualized cash-on-cash return of approximately 19 percent.

 
Recent Investments Headlines
NTS Takes Raleigh M-F in $39M Deal
Aug. 29, 2008
NTS Realty Holdings L,P, has announced an agreement to purchase Courtney Estates in Raleigh, N.C., from Courtney Estates Holdings L.L.C. for a price of $39 million.
SoCal Lender Kicks Off Another $100M Mortgage Pool Fund
Aug. 28, 2008
Los Angeles-based Wilshire Finance Partners has introduced Wilshire Income Fund II, its second real estate mortgage pool fund. The fund will raise $100 million to make commercial property loans. This time around, however, the company will be able to welcome investors and borrowers from beyond the borders of the State of California.
nickSchorsch American Realty Closes $53M Deal For 39 Surplus Wachovia Branches
Aug. 28, 2008
American Realty Capital L.L.C. has closed on a $53 million deal to acquire 39 bank branches from Wachovia Corp. Under an agreement to purchase Wachovia’s surplus bank branches, American Realty plans to buy more than 70 branch Wachovia locations over the next year.
Maguire Wraps Up $211M Orange County Office Sale
Aug. 28, 2008
Los Angeles-based Maguire Properties Inc. has closed the disposition of Main Plaza, selling the 607,000-square-foot trophy office complex in Irvine, Calif., to Shorenstein Properties L.L.C for $211 million including the assumption of $161 million of project level financing.
Conoco to Sell Gas Stations for $800M
Aug. 27, 2008
ConocoPhillips has reveled plans to sell 600 company-owned gas stations across the nation to PetroSun West in an $800 million deal that will mark the firm’s exit from the volatile retail gas business.
 

 

Westfield Nabs Interest in U.K. Retail Owner
August 29, 2008
By: Tonie Auer, Southwest Correspondent --Less than a week after Simon Property Group acquired a 3.14 percent stake in U.K. retail property firm Liberty International, Australia-based Westfield Group has stepped up to take a 2.96 percent interest in Liberty. Liberty...

L.A. Live Conference Center Topped Out
August 29, 2008
By: Judy Feldman, Contributing Correspondent --Schuff Steel Co. has topped out the new conference center that is part of the L.A. Live development in Los Angeles. The 27-acre development (pictured) began with the construction of the Staples Center where the...

Catskills Hotel Project Gets $525M in Redevelopment Funding
August 29, 2008
By: Scott Baltic, Contributing Editor --Redevelopment of the site that was once home to the Borscht Belt's legendary Concord Hotel, in Kiamesha Lake, N.Y., has taken two major steps forward. In one, Concord Associates L.P., joint venture partner of Empire...

First Publicly Accessible Space in World's Tallest Tower Opens
August 29, 2008
By: Amanda Marsh, Associate Editor --The Olympics may be over in China, but the exciting events haven't stopped there. The highest publicly accessible built space (pictured), part of the tallest building in the world - the 101-floor, 1,614-foot Shanghai World...

Equity Residential Gets $550M Loan
August 28, 2008
By Barbra Murray, Contributing Editor -- Chicago-based Equity Residential Inc. has closed on $550 million in financing, putting up 15 of its multi-family properties as collateral. Originated by Wells Fargo for repurchase by Fannie Mae, the secured interest only loan...

It's All In The Message
August 29, 2008
By Mike Myatt, Chief Strategy Officer, N2growth --Top CEOs understand the power, influence, and leverage created by great messaging. Do you ever find yourself sitting back and marveling at those chief executives who always seem to have the right thing...

Do You Have A Bad Attitude?
August 22, 2008
By Mike Myatt, Chief Strategy Officer, N2growth --Show me a CEO with a bad attitude and I'll show you a poor leader. While this sounds simple enough at face value, I have consistently found that one of the most often...

Is Family Business a Good Idea?
August 15, 2008
By Mike Myatt, Chief Strategy Officer, N2growth --Oh what a conundrum! Family business: Should I, or shouldn't I? In my opinion there really isn't a right or wrong answer to this question. It is simply a matter of personal preference....

What to Do When Marketing Goes Wild
August 08, 2008
By Mike Myatt, Chief Strategy Officer N2growth --Have your company's marketing initiatives wandered astray? Is the proverbial tail starting to wag the dog with respect to your current marketing campaigns? How do you know when marketing is out of control?...

Six Mistakes Real Leaders Avoid
August 01, 2008
By Mike Myatt, Chief Strategy Officer, N2growth --I recently had a reader ask: "Is there a simple test that can be used to quickly determine an executive's leadership ability?" The short answer is yes. There are, in fact, a great...