I happen to be visiting Manhattan this week. Besides the news about the subway shooting, the overall “hum” of this place being unmistakable and I mention this for two specific reasons. First, the bartender trainee at the restaurant last night was from Turkey. It was her first night on the job, and she had graduated from law school in Turkey but this newly minted attorney had decided to come to the U.S. and earn money! Second, in speaking to the manager of Javelina (which I’d recommend, although the habanero queso has quite a bite), the lion’s share of its revenue comes from delivery service business, and she is thinking about shutting down the expensive actual brick & mortar restaurant and strictly doing takeout and delivery. I found both tidbits interesting from an economics perspective since a) The U.S. continues to be land of opportunity, and b) the changes brought on by the pandemic will continue to change the business landscape. Speaking of
While the bond market is watching the world define a Ukrainian “invasion,” do you know why you should respect people who wear glasses? They paid good money to see you! What are operations people seeing out there? A recent STRATMOR workshop, led by Senior Partner Jim Cameron, indicated that there is a continued focus on automation & process, automated verifications, and keeping employees engaged. As the pandemic subsides, managers are grappling with a workforce that may have been hired far away from any offices, and how does a company work with key, valued employees in this segment? Meanwhile, originators are battling institutional buyers, all-cash buyers, and a pool of potential buyers who have been priced out of the market. We all know that not everyone deserves to, or can, buy a home, but this stat is an eye-opener: Roughly 69% of American households cannot afford a median-priced home, according to research from the National Association of Homebuilders.