Bisnow's Worst Kept Secret - Time To Confess
50 years ago, you could launch a new website without everyone knowing. Times have changed. If you hadn't heard already, we tore down our old website and replaced it with one that is advanced, dare we say edgy, and integrates technology, content and commerce in the trillion dollar B2B media space. (A fancy way of saying it's now easier to search for your own name to see how often you're in Bisnow.) Consider this your welcome mat.
Our techies and those-who-stare-over-their-shoulder have worked really hard on our new website, and we encourage you to give it a look. You'll be able to check out news throughout the day on desktop or mobile, browsing by city or topic or most read stories. You'll find new types of content only appearing on the site that are a little more educational than our usual offerings, though we hope equally quick to read, like "Everything You Need to Know about EB-5 Financing," or provocative slideshows, quizzes, listicles and interactive maps.
 Folio Magazine was kind enough to give the site a whirl and reports "Bisnow's New Site Is Like Buzzfeed and Vox and Thrillist. [Its] B2B site goes after new media models in a big way." We'd love if you read the whole article here. But if you're in a rush, here are a few choice quotes:
The site will also feature personality pages, landing pages that collect all the stories about a particular person, company or brand.
Just as Bisnow has historically used irreverence to punch up its B2B content, the site now offers bite-sized content that still tries to inform. |
|
|
Top stories on Bisnow.com
|
Canadian Olympians Are Changing The Student Housing Game
Purpose-built student housing is a proven asset class in the US, but it's been slower to take hold north of the border. A pair of Canadian Olympians is working to change that. Podium Development Corp's Oskar Johansson and Bernard Luttmer—former Olympic sailing team members who competed in Athens in '04 (Oskar's pictured left at the closing ceremonies, with sailing silver medalist Mike Wolfs and Bernard)—have launched University Suites, a 399-unit student-housing condo project that's 500 metres from Queen's University and downtown Kingston. The complex is aimed at attracting students and local professionals.
 With a competitive job market leading more people to return to school in pursuit of second or third degrees, there's an opportunity to target mature students and faculty members with higher-quality, investment-grade housing options, Oskar tells us. The project is by PRK Developments, a JV between Podium and Reichmann International Development (Brookfield Multiplex is the construction manager; Kingston-based Varsity Properties will manage the property). University Suites will have a gym, study areas and 17k SF of ground-floor retail. (Suites come with an option for a three-year leaseback, making the condo units a turnkey investment.)  Podium has been in the development game for the past 10 years, with projects across Ontario, most of them student-housing focused. Now the firm is looking to expand into the GTA. They've secured several properties here, notes Bernard (snapped with Oskar at the University Suites sales centre in Toronto), and will soon have product coming down the pipeline. Privately developed student housing may be an emerging asset class in Canada at the moment, but Oskar predicts “we'll see a lot more purpose-built investments around universities and college in the years to come.” |
|
|
Dragons' Den Star Reveals He's the El Mocambo Buyer
|
Dragons' Den star and entrepreneur Michael Wekerle revealed last week that he's the purchaser of the legendary El Mocambo club on Spadina Avenue. He bought the property for $3.78M and says he plans to keep it going as a live-music venue. “It's a firm deal,” says Royal LePage Commercial's Neil Warshafsky, who brokered the transaction between Michael and club owners Sam Grosso and Marco Petrucci. The deal is expected to close in December, Neil tells us. |
|
Michael—a music fan who sings and plays guitar—discovered the Elmo was on the block when its iconic palm tree sign was put up for sale, he explained during a fundraiser concert last Thursday that was intended to be the final show at the venue before it shut down. “He's very passionate about rock and roll,” says Neil (pictured), noting that Michael and his team will give the place "several key upgrades" but plan to retain much of the club's look and character, including its exposed brick and original flooring. “When we walked through there, his visions for the place were spot on.” |
|
|
|
Jon Stewart Sells
Tribeca Loft for $17.5M
Daily Show funny man Jon Stewart has sold his 6,000 SF Tribeca penthouse for $17.5M in what was last week's most expensive NYC residential trade. To see who bought it, and which Entourage star also lives in the building, click here. |
|
|
|
Concert Properties Supports At-Risk Youth
Concert Properties has launched a partnership with Youth Without Shelter, an Etobicoke-based emergency residence and referral agency, that will see it provide one homeless youth with one month of shelter for every condo sold in the first phase of its latest project, The Kip District. Concert sales VP Catherine Diraison and development VP Kelly Wilson are pictured at left with Youth Without Shelter ED Wendy Horton and the organization's development manager Judy Leroux. The first building to go on sale in the five-tower Kip District—a mixed-use community on Dundas Street West, just west of Kipling Avenue—will be 28 storeys, with 283 units, which translates into $213k in donations for Youth Without Shelter. |
|
|
|
The Bisnow Agency
Bisnow has the capacity to deliver your advertising message to over 500,000 subscribers in 36 e-newsletters and attendees at 250 events across North America. Now, we can also help you create and design the most effective advertising communication to reach our readers and attendees. Our in-house Bisnow Agency provides creative services for all of your marketing needs, with skilled, knowledgeable professionals who understand your message. Services include graphic ad and website design, video production, collateral material, event signage, social media and more. We know our readers and we know you, so it's win-win. Let us help you creatively connect with our loyal audience of decision-makers. For more info on The Bisnow Agency, contact Will Friend at will@bisnow.com. |
|
|
