Binswanger/Chesterton Blumenauer Binswanger Clive G. Mendelow has been promoted to vice chairman and chief operating officer of the Philadelphia-based company's Metro Group, a newly designated division of the four U.S. segments that make up Binswanger's American metropolitan commercial, industrial and advisory operation.
American Land Title Association Malcolm S. Morris, president and chief executive officer of Stewart Title Guaranty Co., has been installed as president of the Washington, D.C.-based professional organization.
Walden Residential Properties The Dallas-based REIT has appointed Michael E. Masterson chairman of the board and Marshall B. Edwards chief executive officer.
FPL Associates Consulting Richard Kateley has joined the Chicago-based firm as managing director and chief executive officer. He will direct the firm's management and compensation consulting.
Grubb & Ellis Douglas P. Frye has been named president of the Northbrook, Ill.-based firm's Institutional Services Group.
The Myrick Co. Richard S. Myrick Jr. has been named president and chief executive officer of the Atlanta-based commercial real estate firm.
Fallon Hines & O'Connor The Boston-based commercial real estate brokerage firm has named Joseph P. Fallon president.
The Commercial Network The Cleveland-based global organization of real estate professionals has hired James M. Bauer as president.
Appraisal Institute John W. Ross has been named executive vice president of the Chicago-based association of professional real estate appraisers.
Julien J. Studley Inc. Douglas W. Hall, a real estate executive and member of the Board of Directors, died suddenly on Oct. 5 in Evanston, Ill.
Helen Arnold, founder and president of Minerva Advisors, has been appointed managing director in New York-based Cushman & Wakefield's Advisory Services Group. NREI caught up with the self-styled "new idea enthusiast" and "cosmic thinker."
NREI: What will your role be in the Advisory Services Group?
Arnold: What it looks like I'll be concentrating on, at least in the near term, will be projects concentrating on user occupancy strategies. And that encompasses everything from looking at user portfolios to doing the benchmarking projects that I'm running at the moment.
NREI: How will you be putting these strategies to work?
Arnold: What's happening is, a number of companies who are already clients of C&W, or prospective clients who are not entirely content with their current situation, come to the company and inquire about what might be done for them. All kinds of situations are arising, from merger situations to the market tightening has accentuated both problems and opportunities for a great number of people.
NREI: What effect do you see benchmarking having on real estate?
Arnold: Benchmarking encompasses a very wide range of comparisons of things. Companies are now looking -- who isn't interested in costs and money? -- but they're also interested in trying to get a fix on differences in management practices, how transactions are conducted, how relationships are developed and conducted with all kinds of service providers.
NREI: What do you think makes your group unique?
Arnold: I think what is surprising here is the degree of excellent cooperation between very high-quality transactions people and the advisory services group staff as it's developing. I've always preferred to work in firms where there were people out there making the market. I have nothing against consulting firms and accounting firms, however, there's a certain level of knowledge and excitement that you just don't get when you're not in the transactions business.