HOW BROOKFIELD PROPERTIES WEATHERED THE PANDEMIC
Five years ago, I interviewed my friend and client for the very first edition of this newsletter. Wayne is the vice president of engineering for Brookfield Properties, a commercial real estate company based in New York. He lives here in Texas and oversees a dozen commercial buildings, including 11 in Houston and one in Nashville.
UNLIKE MOST BUSINESSES, MY SCHEDULE RESOLVES AROUND YOU
A few weeks ago, I was working on a project in South-Central Texas that showed me exactly what customer service isn’t. The project should have been pretty straightforward. It was located at a beautiful, expensive home, and the homeowner’s attorney…
ONE OF HOUSTON’S TOP MOLD EXPERTS
Two years ago, I took a class on asbestos inspection here in Houston and ended up sitting next to another expert in the field: mold assessment consultant Justin Soliz. Justin owns the local company HTX Mold Consulting and has more than 15 years of experience in insurance adjusting, restoration, and forensic reviews of buildings with problems.
MEET MIDGE, OUR FAMILY’S FIRST DOG!
I’ll never forget the moment my youngest daughter, Monica, met her dog for the first time. It happened in the back of our family Suburban in the parking lot of the William P. Hobby Airport, and it was the sweetest thing I’ve ever seen in a rear-view mirror. But I’m getting ahead of myself! Before I tell you about that moment in 1994, I should probably share the story of how Midge, Monica’s German shepherd pup, came to be in our SUV.
WHAT DOES THAT MEAN FOR YOUR BUILDING?
Houston, we have a problem: ozone pollution. If you’ve lived in the city for a while, then you probably know we have an uncomfortable amount of ozone swirling in Houston’s air. In fact, our ozone levels are so high that, on many days, they don’t meet National Ambient Air Quality Standards (NAAQS) set by the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). That means the air is considered unhealthy for some people to breathe safely.
THEY ARE OFF THE TABLE, BUT I’M STILL HARD AT WORK!
In an ideal world, I wouldn’t be writing this article. It isn’t that I don’t want to stay in touch with you — believe me, I do — but I have some disappointing news. Do you remember back in the January edition when I wrote about the vacation my wife Kaye and I were planning to take to Mexico? Well, it didn’t happen.
HOW TO PROTECT YOURSELF FROM COVID-19 SCAMMERS AND THEIR FAULTY FILTERS
Every industry includes scammers and con artists willing to do anything to make a buck — even with indoor air quality. When the COVID-19 pandemic broke out, these snake oil salesmen jumped on the opportunity to make money off of honest people’s fears.
MEET THE PEOPLE WHO CHANGED MY WORK FOR BETTER
Indoor air quality (IAQ) is a niche industry, but just like basketball, cooking, and app development, we have our own celebrities! These giants of the field aren’t household names like LeBron James or Gordon Ramsey, but maybe they should be.
THE HOME AIR FILTER HACK YOU NEED FOR NEXT FIRE SEASON
Last summer, my daughter, Monica, called me in a panic from her home in Napa, California. Wildfires were raging through the state, and she was struggling with smoke entering her house. For the first three weeks, the wind had been on her side, but after that, it was funneling dirty air directly into her community.
HERE’S TO LEARNING, RELAXING, AND RECHARGING!
For almost a year, apart from the trip to Wisconsin that I detailed in last month’s newsletter, my wife, Kaye, and I have stayed home to reduce our exposure to COVID-19. I know that it was the safe thing to do, but with luck, that isolation will change in 2021!