Editor’s Desk
What’s in a Name?
My wife and I are expect- ing our third child later this spring. With all the joy and excitement that surrounds this blessed event, there is one task
associated with parenthood that
I have always found particularly
daunting: What do you name
the baby?
Now, I’m sure for some people this is an easy process. Pick
a cherished family name or your
favorite fruit (Apple?), and you
are all set. But I tend to over-think the whole naming process.
I run through every possible
nickname—both positive and of
the “fatty Matty” childish variety. My last name doesn’t exactly
roll off the tongue, so it needs
to tee that up—not easy. Then
you have to research what the
name means—is it vain to think
my parents had “gift of god” in
mind when naming me?
And then there is the biggest
naming obstacle of all, my wife.
We both have our own ideas
of what sounds good, our pre-associations with certain
names—a Tricia broke my
heart once, so that’s out—and
our ideas for what we want the
name to convey. Can a name
suggest both power and beauty?
Having edited Real Estate
Portfolio magazine for nearly
nine years, I have come to
think of it like a child. I have
seen the magazine grow up and
evolve from a glossy associa-
tion newsletter into the leading
publication for REITs and real
estate investment information.
So when the idea to consider
renaming the magazine was first
suggested, I instantly became
defensive. Imagine someone
telling you that you had to
change your 9-year old’s name.
But then I thought about how
far the magazine has come. It
is reaching a growing audience,
many of whom are seeing it for
the first time. In addition, the
magazine is intrinsically now
tied to NAREIT’s Web site,
REIT.com (call it the magazine’s
younger sister). It is important
to make that relationship more
visible.
The acronym REIT is at the
core of everything NAREIT
does, so it was important to embrace that brand in the new title
of the magazine. But it is also
clear that REIT magazine offers
readers much more than just
news on real estate investment
trusts; it provides a window into
the gamut of real estate investment today. And with that,
REIT: Real Estate Investment
Today was born.
Now, I wonder if my wife
would go for “REIT” if the
baby’s a boy?
PUBLISHER
Steven A. Wechsler
ASSOCIATE PUBLISHER
Sheldon M. Groner
EDITOR IN CHIEF
Ron Kuykendall
SENIOR MANAGING EDITOR
Matthew Bechard
ASSOCIATE EDITOR
Allen Kenney
VICE PRESIDENT, SALES
Chris Flood
V.P. & GENERAL MANAGER
Jeff Henriksen
ART DIRECTION & PRODUCTION
TMG
NATIONAL ADVERTISING SALES
Kathleen Thomas
Phone: (202) 721-1497
ADVERTISING TRAFFIC MANAGER
Anita Handy
Phone: (202) 331-7700
ARTICLE REPRINTS
PARS
Phone: (212) 221-9595
e-mail: reprints@parsintl.com
2010 EDITORIAL
ADVISORY BOARD
Jamie Behar
Promark Global Advisors
Ralph Block
The Essential REI T
William E. Hauser
Prudential Real Estate Investors
Peter Slatin
Real Capital Analytics
REIT® is the magazine for investing in the
REIT and publicly traded real estate industry.
It is published bimonthly by the National
Association of Real Estate Investment Trusts®
(NAREIT), 1875 I Street, NW, Suite 600,
Washington, DC 20006-5413. Phone 202-
739-9400.
©Copyright 2010 by the National Association of
Real Estate Investment Trusts®. NAREIT and
REIT are the exclusive registered trademarks of
the National Association of Real Estate Investment Trusts, Inc.
Opinions expressed herein do not necessarily
reflect those of the publisher or editors, nor
do they necessarily represent the policies or
positions of NAREIT. Investors should consult
with their own investment, legal or tax advisers
regarding the appropriateness of investing in any
of the securities or investment strategies discussed in this publication. Nothing herein should
be construed to be an endorsement by NAREIT
of any specific company or products or as an
offer to sell or a solicitation to buy any security or
other financial instrument or to participate in any
trading strategy. NAREIT expressly disclaims any
liability for the accuracy, timeliness or completeness of data in this publication. Unless otherwise
indicated, all data are derived from, and apply
only to, publicly traded real estate securities. Any
investment returns or performance data (past,
hypothetical, or otherwise) are not necessarily
indicative of future returns or performance.
We welcome your opinions and comments.
Please send them to the above address.
REIT is the recipient of multiple SNAP Excel
Awards for Overall Excellence and Design
Excellence
Matthew Bechard
