09/13/2016 | By John Cumbelich

Kent and I grew up together in the 1970s and 1980s. Same neighborhood. Same school. Same church. My dad was our little league coach and his dad owned the restaurant where we all went after games or birthdays or boy scouts for pizza. Kent ...

07/14/2016 | By John Cumbelich

Commercial real estate brokerage firms spend thousands of dollars annually on signs. Paper and vinyl signs, wooden signs and banners. Window signs and monument signs. For Lease signs. For Sale signs. Coming Soon signs. Signs in a variety of shapes and sizes. And what exactly ...

05/17/2016 | By John Cumbelich

Successful businesses of all kinds have to work hard over years or decades to develop the respect of their customers, vendors and peers.  The hard work of forming a reputation for quality and service is never ending, and provides management with a constant pressure ...

03/01/2016 | By John Cumbelich

The first great philosopher of the 21st century, Mike Tyson, wisely observed “Everyone has a plan, until they get punched in the mouth.”  The Great Recession of 2008 – 2010 recalibrated the best of plans like a Tyson uppercut.  During the recession, every market ...

01/25/2016 | By John Cumbelich

As far as trends in retail real estate development go, none during my 30-years in the industry has been more counter-productive or government-driven than residential over retail mixed-use development (RRMU). Pick just about any Bay Area city and you will easily identify any number of RRMU ...

01/04/2016 | By John Cumbelich

In the commercial real estate business, like all complex and sophisticated fields, every market participant relies on market data to succeed.  Good data allows principals such as landlords and tenants to frame lease terms, or buyers and sellers to establish a fair price. Good data ...

10/20/2015 | By John Cumbelich

Travel the state, travel the country or travel the world and plan to shop or dine at your favorite place. California Pizza Kitchen is in China. GAP is in Saudi Arabia. Papa John’s is in Malaysia. Tiffany & Co. is in Argentina. It’s not just ...

09/22/2015 | By John Cumbelich

For the past eleven years (since I moved into my current home) I have driven past two establishments every morning at 7:30 am on my way into the office. By my calculation, this equates to approximately 2,700 unique observations that contemplated every kind of ...