Customer Reviews

The Commercial Real Estate Revolution: Nine Transforming Keys to Lowering Costs, Cutting Waste, and Driving Change in a Broken Industry

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For me, this book differs from most with this one solid point: it has enough in-depth information to keep me engaged and offers tools, websites, and other books for more information. The Real Estate Revolution covers a LOT of material, but does so in such a way that is not too elementary - like many business books are - without reading like a textbook. This is the first book - business book, textbook, novel, whatever - which I have defaced with so many notes, suggestions to myself, and highlights of items that I need to revisit or research.

Already I have been developing schemes and figuring out partnerships with other business owners to make some of these concepts work. This book will be required reading for our experiment.

I have not finished the book yet. In a way I hope I never will(!) because it illuminates, storyboards, and routes us out of the mess we are all in in a way that is (I rarely say this about non-fiction) mesmerizing. The writers CERTAINLY have been shadowning me clandestinely and watching me flounder in the DBB (design-bid-build) tar pits for years. Otherwise, how could they know so much about the bog we wallow every single day? The insights are spooky. Is my office bugged? But the mesmerizing part is the viability, the plausibility of an emerging Better Way that won't cause "good people [like me!] to do bad things." This is book of structured hope. It is substantive without being preachy or wistful or redundant. Back to reading!

This book builds a business case for creating less expensive, higher-quality, and sustainable green buildings that meet the needs of builders and users. It provides a simple model that demonstrates how owners can develop a sustainable building, and reduce their construction costs.

The book illuminates how competent contractors with the best intentions are constrained by inefficiencies of an out-dated process. It gives owners a roadmap to enable the process. Rex Miller presents the case for moving from a paradigm of deciding, designing, and delivering buildings to one of strategic alliances with earlier engagement by key stakeholders that have financial incentive for performance.

Leaders from top companies in the industry present the research and case studies, which prove that this concept can go beyond fixing the process, to transform it. This book is a must-read for anyone who is involved in building construction.

This quartet of construction industry professionals has pulled together the cutting edge techniques for building sector project delivery of any sort, not just commercial buildings.

Led by Rex Miller, they have compiled an impressive collection of interviews, case studies, methodology descriptions and inspirational messages that points the way for a system change of the construction project delivery world. Every architect, contractor, subcontractor, equipment manufacturer and/or supplier, owner, manager, real estate agent, climate change policy maker and building sector educator will find value in this reformulation of the optimal delivery system of any building.

Be prepared to be inspired or in some instances even jarred to think outside the box.

Since 1988 I have offered consulting services, based primarily in most of the key areas this book describes. I agree wholeheartedly with the conclusions and recommendations found in this thorough and encouraging read. One thing that was a bit of a surprise, and that I found quite significant, was the assertion that about 50% of cost in Design/Bid/Build construction of buildings is waste. I knew intuitively it was outrageous, having participated as an Engineering designer, and a Project Manager as Subcontractor, General Contractor, Construction Manager, and Owner's Representative, yet this finding is eye opening for sure. Leadership and Cooperation are the two areas on which I focus, and that are heavily emphasized in this book. These two aspects of project execution are the primary driving, or causal elements in any project, yet are almost never consciously developed through a rational strategy, and then measured to monitor performance within them. The Commercial Real Estate Revolution is a thoughtful and wise guide to shifting the culture of an entire industry to recognize and benefit from these fundamental spiritual principles.

This truly groundbreaking book is not an evolution. It is, as it says, a revolution. The Mindshift experiment that led to this book acknowledged and documented the problems in the industry we all experience. Then, rooted in the ideas of Covey's "Speed of Trust", they ventured into Blue Ocean territory exploring a whole new way of working together. The challenges we face will not be transformed with a technical fix. This book outlined the adaptive change that can usher in a new day.

Trust and collaboration are the capital of the Future. This book teaches you where to find it and how to spend it to achieve sustainable structures of real value.

They had me at Hello! This book is packed with information and examples of how to repair outmoded building practices. It uses an easy-read, informative, humorous style that illustrates how 9 keys have been successful for large and small projects throughout the U.S. Collaboration and communication is the answer for lowering costs, reducing waste and building sustainable. Read this book; you'll be motivated to become the change that transforms our broken industry.

For those of us in the design and construction industry, the past several years have been disorienting. Rapid change has rendered our previous ways of doing things ineffective. It probably goes without saying that the future belongs to those who not only understand the shift but who also move quickly to innovate.

Rex Miller, Dean Strombom, Mark Iammarino and Bill Black--not only offer stunning clarity on the state of the industry, but also outline a path forward.

This little book isn't just the "business book of the week." It is the manifesto that could change the industry.