'Economy Watch' with Dees Stribling: No Major Upsets

Some fairly good news this week, but most importantly, no major economic upsets.

MetLife Buys Chicago Tower from LYND

A subsidiary of MetLife Inc. has purchased EnV, a 249-unit luxury apartment tower located in Chicago, from LYND Development Partners, the original builder.

Multifamily Veteran Suzanne Lovelace Joins RealtyCom Partners

RealtyCom Partners, a nationwide telecommunications consulting and asset management firm specializing in the apartment industry, has hired Suzanne Lovelace, CAM, as executive vice president.

CRA Announces Jack Kern as Chief Investment Research Officer

Continental Realty Advisors (CRA)  has hired Jack Kern as chief investment research officer. In this role, Kern is responsible for the direction of CRA’s investment focus, all research initiatives, knowledge management programs and investor relations support. Kern brings over 25 years of experience in real estate research to CRA, with particular expertise in evaluating and forecasting markets, opportunities and operating platforms. Prior to joining Continental Realty Advisors, Kern was the managing director at Kern Investment Research for over four years, specializing in the multifamily sector. Previously, Kern directed the research unit at publicly traded Archstone-Smith, based in Englewood, Colo., where…

Jake Harrington Named On-Site’s CEO

Campbell, Calif.—On-Site.com has promoted Jake Harrington as chief executive officer. Harrington co-founded the company in 2001 and has provided strategic, operational and marketing leadership to On-Site for the last decade. He previously served as chief revenue officer and business development director. After graduating from Duke University, Harrington built On-Site’s presence in New York, which remains one of its most successful markets. Fellow company founders Scott Jones and Tom Harrington now serve as chief technology officer and chairman of the board of directors, respectively. On-Site began as a modest startup aimed at helping apartment managers fill out forms within a small…

Economy Watch: Retail Sales Eke Out December Gain

U.S. retail sales in December edged up only slightly compared with November, seeing an increase of 0.1 percent.

Tampa Workforce Housing Project Debuts with a Blend of the Old and New

Metro 510, a 120-unit workforce housing property in downtown Tampa, Fla., has made its debut, flaunting a design by Urban Studio Architects that successfully blends the contemporary with the historic.

Bank of America Veteran Joins Northwood Ravin as CFO

Raleigh, N.C.—Northwood Ravin LLC has announced that Don M. Ward, Jr. has  joined the company as chief financial officer. Adam Golden is a new vice president of development in Raleigh. As chief financial officer,  Ward will oversee operations, financial, accounting and informational technology functions and drive strategy. He was previously  vice president in the Commercial Real Estate Bank at Bank of America Merrill Lynch, and had been with the bank since 1996.  During his 15 years in the commercial real estate industry, he has served in a variety of roles and closed over $2 billion of commercial real estate loan…

Rafael Cestero Named President & CEO of The Community Preservation Corp.

Rafael E. Cestero, former Commissioner of the New York City Department of Housing Preservation and Development, has been named by the Community Preservation Corp. (CPC) Board of Directors to serve as President and CEO of the non-profit organization and its for-profit development subsidiary, CPC Resources Inc.

Atwell Opens Denver Office

Denver—National land development consulting firm Atwell LLC recently announced the opening of their newest office location in Denver. The firm’s Denver area operations will be led by Blake Calvert, PE, who brings 17 years of experience managing entitlements and engineering design of large mixed-use communities, multi- and single-family developments, commercial sites, parks and community centers. Calvert’s responsibilities have ranged from project management, civil engineering, entitlements/agency approvals, master planning, community outreach and sustainability consulting. Prior to joining Atwell, he was group director of engineering for Nolte Associates. Utilizing Atwell’s turnkey capabilities, Calvert will be tasked with managing the Denver operations, growing…