RealShare NJ Panel: Stable Economy Will Benefit CRE Industry

The industry outlook panel at Tuesday’s RealShare New Jersey conference. From left: Jeffrey Steigerwalt, vice president and commercial lender, Real Estate, ESSA Bank & Trust; Ken Spahn, regional director, Ports and Intermodal, Dewberry, a private engineering and consulting firm; James Morris, administrative vice president, Commercial Real Estate/Group Manager, M&T Bank; Fred Schmidt, president and COO, Coldwell Banker Commercial; and at the lectern, moderator Brian Whitmer, executive director, Cushman & Wakefield. (Steve Lubetkin photo/StateBroadcastNews.com)

FLORHAM PARK, NJ—The economy remains relatively stable overall, despite hurricanes battering the Texas coast, the change of administration and regulatory environment in Washington, say panelists on the “State of the Industry: An Outlook of New Jersey’s CRE & Capital Markets” panel at this year’s RealShare New Jersey conference, held Tuesday in Florham Park, NJ. Brian Whitmer, executive director, Cushman & Wakefield, moderated the panel.

“Commercial real estate has benefited. It’s somewhat the same report I could have given you four years ago, slow, steady, almost boring,” said Fred Schmidt, president and COO, Coldwell Banker Commercial. “But slow, steady, and boring is not a bad thing, so we’re seeing a relatively good economy.”