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Andy Cox reflects on how 
his latest chapter began (access required)

By Deon Roberts, editor
Published: January 27,2012

In 2005 and 2006, companies were expanding left and right in Charlotte. Building permits were skyrocketing, and if you were in the construction industry, times were good. Really good.


10 reasons why you should 
be reading the Meck Times (access required)

By Deon Roberts, editor
Published: January 22,2012

My 4-year-old son is sort of obsessed with David Bowie. When he was 3, he wanted, for Halloween, to wear the pirate costume that Bowie dons in the video for “Rebel Rebel.” Much to my wife’s relief, my son settled for a Jack Skellington (as in “The Nightmare Before Christmas” movie) costume versus a glam pirate one. My [...]


If I worked in economic development, I’d totally link to this column (access required)

By Deon Roberts, editor
Published: January 16,2012

Winter isn’t feeling very wintery in much of the U.S., and the warm temperatures are putting people in a panic. For example, in Ohio, up around Lake Erie, the ice fishing industry is still waiting for some ice and, in the meantime, losing money.


Could this mean taco trucks in The Vue? (access required)

By Deon Roberts, editor
Published: January 6,2012

Over in the Charlotte-Mecklenburg Planning Department, there have been talks about what to do with all the vacant and underused lots scattered across the city.


From NAR, a lump of statistical coal (access required)

By Deon Roberts, editor
Published: December 16,2011

As if things weren’t bad enough, NAR has another reason to reach for bottles sealed with cotton (or corks). In a revelation that could make some question the trustworthiness of NAR’s figures and sully its reputation forever – OK, maybe that’s going a bit too far – the association this week announced that its home sales data going back about five years might be too high.


Steak and potatoes for CRCBR 
but no more alphabet soup (access required)

By Deon Roberts, editor
Published: December 10,2011

At first, it was known as the Charlotte Region Commercial Property Exchange. A mouthful of a name, it became shortened to CRCPE, still a beast among acronyms. So everyone just started calling it CPE. But to the Charlotte Region Commercial Board of Realtors, which owns CPE — a database of commercial properties for sale in the region — [...]


Before DNC, condo owners should go to their docs (access required)

By Deon Roberts, editor
Published: December 2,2011

The dollars signs are already in property owners’ eyes, even though the Democratic National Convention isn’t until September. That a lot of convention-goers will be in need of a place to crash near Time Warner Cable Arena has some Uptown residents, in particular, hoping to cash in. A little Googling this week brought me to a Craigslist [...]


Education, education, education (access required)

By Deon Roberts, editor
Published: November 26,2011

In January, the U.S. government released a report on what caused the financial meltdown of 2008. Of course, every American has already read it, front to back, perhaps even multiple times, and to their children, so there’s no need for me to go into too many details about its findings. By the way, it made it on [...]


And who said no one in 
real estate is making money? (access required)

By Deon Roberts, editor
Published: November 18,2011

Michael Williams, the CEO of Fannie Mae, won me over this week when, while testifying on Capitol Hill about big fat Fannie executive bonuses and multimillion-dollar salaries, he said this: “These are challenging jobs under challenging circumstances and we need to pay and reward the people who are doing the jobs.” The “challenging jobs under challenging circumstances” [...]


Tonight we’re gonna bowl like it’s 1959 (access required)

By Deon Roberts, editor
Published: November 12,2011

It’s getting chilly around Charlotte, which makes it a good time to transition from outdoor exercising activities to indoor ones. (Or a good excuse for stopping exercising altogether, if you ask me. We mammals will need fat for winter, after all, so pass the chips and dip.) But if you must keep the blood going in the [...]