Month: December 2019

George Smith Partners on the rare ground lease on Brentwood condo complex

Posted on December 23, 2019 by - Client News

Ground leases on condo complexes are rare in Los Angeles, and that’s why it was so unusual when Century City-based George Smith Partners was approached to help finance the purchase of one.

The condo complex, at 239 S. Barrington Ave. in Brentwood, was built in the 1950s. The developer of the property “ran into a bit of trouble and decided the best way to realize some (money) out of the project was to convert the ground to a ground lease,” said Jonathan Lee, who led the George Smith team arranging the financing. David Stepanchak also helped with the financing.

Read the full article: Rare Condo Ground Lease Sells in Brentwood (Los Angeles Business Journal)

 

George Smith Partners’ Malcolm Davies on choosing the right capital advisor

Posted on December 18, 2019 by - Client News

Borrowers are beginning to show a higher level of scrutiny in choosing a capital advisor. The business was once more about industry relationships, but today, borrowers are looking at key factors to make sure that the deal is meeting their needs and accomplishing their business plan.

“It’s extremely important,” Malcolm Davies, principal and managing director of The Davies Group at George Smith Partners, tells GlobeSt.com. “The business is much more sophisticated than even a decade ago. My favorite expression is ‘It’s not just who you know, it’s how you know how to get them to do your deal.’ Obvious factors include the advisor’s connections, their comparable experience and their competency level.”

Read the full article: Borrowers Are Showing More Scrutiny in Choosing a Capital Advisor (GlobeSt.com)

CompoSecure featured in the Wall Street Journal

Posted on December 5, 2019 by - Client News

More than 32 million metal credit cards are in circulation worldwide, up from around five million five years ago, according to the Nilson Report, a trade publication. While that is a tiny fraction of the four billion credit cards in circulation, Nilson forecasts the number of metal cards to quadruple in the next two years.

For many bank customers, the heavier the card, the greater the cachet. Plastic cards typically weigh about 5 grams, metal cards can weigh five times that.

CompoSecure, a New Jersey company, has produced metal cards in the U.S. for AmEx, Capital One, JPMorgan and others. Jon Wilk, the chief executive, said international sales, led by the U.K., Germany, Russia, the United Arab Emirates and Singapore, are five times as high this year as in 2017.

The cards are often made with stainless steel, titanium or a blend of metals. Some are entirely metal, others include a sheet or two of plastic. CompoSecure has made cards of gold for banks in the Middle East, Singapore and the Czech Republic.

Read the full article: Once a Tool of the Elite, Metal Credit Cards Now Turn Up Everywhere (Wall Street Journal)

One More Thing: The 2020 PR Calendar

Posted on December 4, 2019 by - eNewsletter

Don’t start planning a holiday escape just yet. Get the team around a 2020 calendar, layer in the strategies below, decide the goals and let your team decide “how” to get there and then get out of the way. The calendar sets you free:

  • Press releases are not dead though everyone keeps saying so. If we have news, a press release is the best way to tell the facts. Media need the news quick and clear. What’s on the company’s news calendar for Q1? Keep releases to one page, grab ‘em with a headline and go easy on the quotes and hyperbole. Maximize press releases through wire distribution, website content and social media posts. It’s cheap SEO.
  • Awards calendar: Which ones and what are the deadlines? This is easy. You probably applied for some of them last year. Start the 2020 calendar with those, then research more. Have a goal for 5 to 10. We have to play to win. Awards are all around us in business journals, Inc. 5000, and your trade organizations. It’s easy and effortless—because a good PR agency does it for you.
  • What does the 2020 social media calendar look like? If we’re not sure, let’s dig in. Your current social media analytics are X. They should be Y (Y being at least as good as the closest competitor.) Fine-tune a campaign to grow followers. Customize for different platforms. Recognize that more than half (54%) of customers use social media to research products or services prior to purchase.
  • Podcasts are the 2020’s TV and the medium of choice for everyone in a car, plane, train or on a walk. They connect brands to a captive audience and have the leisure to really tell the story. The average podcast is 43 minutes and provides sharable links that can be added to an email signature line. Game it and ask the team to come back with the best podcasts for the business. Winner gets a free turkey!
  • Book speaking gigs and pin them to the 2020 news calendar. Trade shows are calendared so prepare for a media push for each now, not one week away. Plan to make a newsworthy announcement on the show. Stir the pot. Let’s not miss any opportunity.

Don’t end the year without an action calendar. Sure, there will be a few holes, but this one tactic puts us at ease to enjoy the holidays. Time away gives us an opportunity to recharge and imagine new ideas and solve problems. So, let’s get to work. There’s only a few weeks left.

TaskUs to host CX Briefing today in Los Angeles

Posted on December 3, 2019 by - Client News

TaskUs, the leading tech-enabled business services company delivering customer support, AI operations and content security to the world’s most innovative companies, will be hosting CX Briefing today in Los Angeles. TaskUs created the customer experience blueprint for disruptors who have become household names and its invitation-only events have become known as the place where industry icons and emergent leaders come together to share best practices.

“We have an impressive group of speakers addressing some of the most important issues in business today,” said Jaspar Weir, Co-founder and President of TaskUs. “Cord-cutting and AI are topics that are shaking up the status quo and changing the rules when it comes to customer communication and expectation.”

Read the full announcement: TaskUs Brings Industry-Leading CX Event to Los Angeles