Upon the successful completion of the self-management transactions in 2014 and the successful spin-off of our lodging platform in February of this year, the time was right to highlight and develop a brand independent from our sponsor. With our in-house acquisitions team to source and manage our strategic acquisitions, InvenTrust Properties Corp. will focus on expanding our multi-tenant retail platform, with acquisitions of open-air centers in select markets where there are opportunities for growth.

GlobeSt.com: Is there significance to the name that was chosen?

McGuinness: It is a creative combination of three important foundation pieces of our company: “In” stands for innovative solutions; “Ven” stands for venue and retail. The name also expresses the partnership we have with our retailers for continued success.

GlobeSt.com: Does the name change come with any significant changes to the operation of the company?

McGuinness: Many of our changes, which I detailed above, have already occurred over the last three years: a focus on retail and student housing asset classes, self-management and new technology to continuously improve our processes. Significantly, we have moved to a direct leasing model in three of our core markets: Atlanta, Dallas and Houston. In these regions we have “boots on the ground” market knowledge, with leasing and property management teams that work and live in the communities that our shopping centers serve. We will continue this strategy as our retail asset base concentrates in growth markets. Additionally, we have made, and will continue to announce, the hiring of senior personnel with deep bench strength in the retail arena. We have a “Think Like a Retailer” mentality to leasing and operating our centers, at every level of the organization. All of these, and future changes, will build high performing platforms positioned to grow and maximize shareholder value.

GlobeSt.com: Is the company still affiliated with The Inland Companies?

McGuinness: InvenTrust Properties Corp. is a completely independent entity. On December 31, 2014, we completed the final piece of our self-management process by integrating the property management team. Self-management has allowed us to expand our corporate infrastructure with important senior level hires, and upgrade technology processes and systems, so that we operate as a fully operational and independent company.

GlobeSt.com: What market characteristics are you looking for, before you invest in a market or property?

McGuinness: Job growth, increasing wages and population growth are all fundamental characteristics shared by markets we look to invest in. We will also look for opportunities to pursue attractive and accretive acquisitions in these markets in desirable locations with higher-than-average traffic patterns and limited supply growth. We believe investment opportunities exist in this space, particularly as national and regional retailers continue to place a premium on retail space at premier properties in leading markets. We are engaged with our communities, we understand local economic development and we work collaboratively with our retailers to achieve shared success. We may also opportunistically dispose of retail properties to take advantage of market conditions or in situations where a property no longer fits within our strategic objectives. We will look for opportunities to rotate the proceeds from these potential dispositions into our targeted retail markets, which we believe will drive stockholder value.