Real EstateRoundtable'sJeff DeBoer

Terrorism preparedness will once again take a front seat this year. A group of 12 real estate trade groups have banded together to tighten the industry-wide network of terror-related intelligence. The network, dubbed the Real Estate Information Sharing and Analysis Center, was formed in the days after Sept. 11 to increase the communication-level within the real estate community and between the industry and the federal government. As GlobeSt.com reported last week , ISAC chairman and Real Estate Roundtable president and CEO Jeffrey DeBoer has unveiled plans to hike industry awareness of the center, with GlobeSt.com and parent organization Real Estate Media an essential part of the initiative. In an exclusive interview, DeBoer sat down with GlobeSt.com to underscore the need for the campaign and the essential service of ISAC. In addition to the Roundtable, participating groups are BOMA International, IREM, ICSC, IFMA, NAIOP, NAREIT, NAR and NMHC. From the lodging industry come the American Hotel & Lodging Assn. and the American Resort Development Assn.

(In addition to the ISAC initiative, Real Estate Media is currently preparing the first issue of Property Protection Report, a monthly newsletter exploring how commercial real estate is affected by developments on the homeland security front. The newsletter launches in March.)

GlobeSt.com: What is the genealogy of ISAC?