The stories in the Spring and Fall issues of The Next Perspective in Real Estate® highlight the building of Next Realty and 25 years of business, from transactions to other signature moments. Following are other interesting tidbits and anecdotes and little-known facts about life at Next.
In the beginning—Very soon after Sportmart was sold, Andy sent in two LLC applications. One was for Next Realty and the other was for Next Capital, which never turned into anything but offered potential.
Where it all began—Next Realty’s first office was located at One Northfield Plaza in Northfield, IL. As the company grew, it expanded at Northfield Plaza, moved to Northbrook and then, in 2015 relocated to its current home at 5215 Old Orchard Road in Skokie.
Hochberg for Congress—in 2000 Andy announced a run for US Congress to replace retiring Representative John Porter. While there is no telling the impact Andy could have had as a congressman, the House of Representative’s loss (Mark Kirk won the election) was a NET gain for many others, including Next Realty, its investors, colleagues and numerous philanthropic organizations that have benefitted from the time Andy has spent building a business and giving freely of his time and talents.
How I met my partner—in a company profile in 2008, Hochberg talked about “building the firm one person at a time, one relationship at time.” The story went on to explain, in the words of Marc Blum, that he and Hochberg met on the Internet before he joined the company in October of 2001. “And it wasn’t through a dating service,” he quipped. (The two were introduced through a mutual technology investment.)
Next Parking—the formation of Next Parking in 2001 was the realization of an opportunity to be an early adopter of technology/automation in the parking industry. Next recognized that it could create greater financial and operational efficiencies by improving management practices and minimizing the “slippage” of cash payments (as much as 30%) in a labor-intensive business.
A cross between a bunny and a turtle—in the early years, the firm sought to creatively communicate its traits of being able to act quickly, like a rabbit, while proceeding methodically and with purpose, like a turtle. The result: the Burtle®, a customized stuffed animal that is a collector’s item!
The display case—everyone likes memorabilia and the stories they tell. In Next’s offices there is a display case with dozens of mementos of milestones and accomplishments. Items in the case include reminders of key events at Sportmart as well as the pens used in signing major lease, purchase and sale contracts. Andy once joked that the quality of the pen could depend on the size of the deal.
So near and yet so far—the property that has been the closest to Next’s offices (whether in Northfield, Northbrook or Skokie) is Wilmette Commons which is 0.9 miles away. The farthest distance to a property ever owned by Next? The Alakea parking lot in Honolulu which is +/-4,250 miles away.
Frequent flyer plan—whether touring potential acquisitions, visiting the current properties or heading to ICSC in Las Vegas and parking conferences across the country, Next Realty racks up the travel miles. On average, key members of the management team log tens of thousands of air travel miles each year!
