Ross of Highcap Group: Staying ahead of the curve

Name: Larry Ross Title: Managing Principal Company/Firm: Highcap Group Years with company/firm: 5 Years in field: 28 Years in real estate industry: 28 Telephone: 646-546-5112 Email: [email protected] URL: www.highcapgroup.com Real Estate Associations/Affiliations: What are you hoping to accomplish by attending and/or exhibiting at the show and what is different about this year’s show? Building new and existing relationships. Recent shows have demonstrated a feel-good environment. Are retailers finding the types of properties that they want right now and are tenants happy with the sites available to them? There is definitely a growing shortage of product so well located space/properties are in strong demand. In the current economic climate what kinds of deals are out there and who is the typical buyer? Consumer? The typical buyers these days are well capitalized funds, REITS and foreign money The recession, rising gas prices and the housing crisis has created a new trend. Generation Y’ers are now staying in the city and the baby boomers are actually returning to the city from the suburbs. How has this affected your business and NYC retail in general? When you walk down the streets of Manhattan and you see the restaurants buzzing, hotels full and the theater district packed, people are spending money which helps business thrives, increases property values and attracts investors locally and abroad. One year after the devastation of Hurricane Sandy, the redevelopment of many of New York’s damaged areas has shed some light on this disaster with additional plans for expansion in the locations affected by Sandy. How will this affect NY retail and your business in particular? The storm has made business owners think twice about where they want to be located and where land/property owners want to invest there money. How did your company withstand the recession and what changes have you made to grow and succeed during the recovery of the retail market? Our experience and relationships helped us get through the rough period and we have been ramping up ever since in order to keep up with the fast paced market. How does your company use social media? Has social media been a beneficial tool in generating more business? We use Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn and any other we feel are new and relevant. Yes, we pride ourselves in staying ahead of the curve.