ProfNet Experts Available on Corporate Apologies, Turnkey Investments, More

NEW YORK, March 3, 2014 /PRNewswire/ -- Below are experts from the ProfNet network that are available to discuss timely issues in your coverage area. If you are interested in interviewing any of the experts, please contact them via the contact information at the end of the listing. To receive these updates by email, send a note to [email protected] with the industries you cover, and we'll add you to the appropriate edition. 

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EXPERT ALERTS

• Rising Rental Demand, Lagging Sales, Spurs Turnkey Investments
• Companies May Dip into Chip-and-Pin Cards
• Making Patent Trolls Pay for Frivolous Lawsuits
• Tracking Corporate Apologies for Authenticity

MEDIA JOBS

• Business Reporter – The Boston Globe (MA)
• Economy Editor – Bloomberg News (NY)
• Police Reporter – The Denver Post (CO)

OTHER NEWS & RESOURCES

• ProfNet Success Story: Philippa Gamse
• The Q&A Team: Most Annoying Social Media Features
• Media 411: Al Jazeera Journalists Detained in Egypt

EXPERT ALERTS:

Rising Rental Demand, Lagging Sales, Spurs Turnkey Investments
John Gutman
Director of Acquisitions
MACK Companies
The combination of increasing rental demand and lagging home sales has created opportunities for investors looking to take advantage of this trend but disinterested in becoming a property manager. As John Gutman, director of acquisitions at MACK Companies, one of the largest owners and managers of single-family rentals in Chicago, explains, "Rental demand shows no signs of waning, and with many first-time buyers still opting to rent rather than buy, the near- and long-term potential for rental property income is strong. With turnkey properties, the individual buys a property that has been fully vetted, redeveloped or rehabbed, tenanted and has a property manager in place to handle the day-to-day operations of sustaining a positive cash flow for the investor. Turnkey investing also allows an investor to operate in markets outside of where they live, thus dramatically expanding their opportunity to diversify their portfolio."
To find a reputable turnkey provider, Gutman suggests first conducting an online search. Find a market you may be interested in and do a Google search based on that market and "turnkey." From there, investors should find answers to the following questions: How long have they been in the industry? At what volume are they operating (how many homes are under management, how many people are employed, what is their buying capacity, etc.)? What are their investors saying about them? What are their tenants saying about them? Once a reputable turnkey provider is found, the investor can allow the provider to do the work for making the property a lucrative investment, allowing the investor to focus on his or her job, family and hobbies -- and not the rental property.
Gutman can speak to the myriad considerations investors face when identifying a property that fits their investment policy. He is proficient in the Chicagoland single-family rental market, and works with both domestic and international investors.
Media Contact: Julie Liedtke, [email protected]

Companies May Dip into Chip-and-Pin Cards
Steve Stein
Attorney
Thompson & Knight in Dallas
"Demand is growing for U.S. retailers, banks and credit card companies to accelerate the introduction of chip-and-pin technology to combat cybersecurity risks. Rather than a magnetic stripe, chip-and-pin cards feature an embedded microcomputer chip with encrypted data, greatly enhancing security at the point of sale and making the theft of card numbers less profitable for hackers because the cards are much more difficult to replicate and use. More than 1.6 billion chip-and-pin cards are already being used worldwide. The federal government is historically hesitant to impose a single-technology standard on American businesses, as evidenced by our competing mobile phone platforms versus the European adoption of a single standard. However, newly proposed legislation, as well as the threat of costly class-action litigation, may put increased pressure on companies to adopt more secure and proven solutions for credit and debit cards."
Media Contact: Barry Pound, [email protected]

Making Patent Trolls Pay for Frivolous Lawsuits
Matthew Anderson
Intellectual Property Attorney
Munck Wilson Mandala in Dallas
"The U.S. Supreme Court is preparing to hear two cases in which businesses are seeking to recover attorneys' fees for the cost of defending frivolous lawsuits. The cases ask the Court to revisit the Patent Act and the Federal Rules of Civil Procedure and invoke 'loser pays' fee-shifting in patent disputes. Making fee-shifting more common in patent litigation could be one tool to help control the rise in filings from so-called patent trolls or non-practicing entities. Even frivolous patent lawsuits can be extremely expensive for businesses to defend. The court has an opportunity here to expand the definition of what constitutes an 'exceptional case' that allows fee-shifting. A broader application of fee-shifting could discourage trolls from filing suits that are frivolous or primarily aimed at 'shaking down' the defendants for quick settlements."
Media Contact: Robert Tharp, [email protected]

Tracking Corporate Apologies for Authenticity
Tom Fox
FCPA and Compliance Ethics Lawyer and Blogger
Tom Fox Law in Houston
"The New York Times – inspired by public apologies offered by New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie, bank executive Jamie Dimon, and sports star LeBron James – has launched the 'Apology Watch' column on the popular 'DealBook' blog and on Twitter to monitor the public apology reflex and track individuals' actual follow-through in behavior and policy. The sincere apology after a corruption enforcement or any corporate compliance error needs to be followed by the kind of accountability and correction these reporters are looking for. Along with any corporate apology must come 'yes' answers to questions such as: Did your company remediate the issue that caused the violation? Did you terminate those responsible? Were there internal penalties against senior management or the board that oversaw the conduct in question? Was your company truly accountable?"
Media Contact: Mary Flood, [email protected]

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MEDIA JOBS:

Following are links to job listings for staff and freelance writers, editors and producers. You can view these and more job listings on our Job Board: https://prnmedia.prnewswire.com/community/jobs/

• Business Reporter – The Boston Globe (MA)
• Economy Editor – Bloomberg News (NY)
• Police Reporter – The Denver Post (CO)

See more listings here.

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OTHER NEWS & RESOURCES:

Following are links to other news and resources we think you might find useful. If you have an item you think other reporters would be interested in and would like us to include in a future alert, please drop us a line at [email protected]

• PROFNET SUCCESS STORY: PHILIPPA GAMSE. After sharing her ProfNet success story with us on our Facebook page, we caught up with Philippa Gamse, president of Websites That Win International, to get some tips for how to successfully respond to reporters' queries. Check out what she had to say: http://prn.to/NesPGI  
• THE Q&A TEAM: MOST ANNOYING SOCIAL MEDIA FEATURES: We all have certain social media features that make us want to scream. We asked our network of experts which social features they find the most annoying, and here is what they said: http://prn.to/1ckFbTQ
• MEDIA 411: AL JAZEERA JOURNALISTS DETAINED IN EGYPT. The staff of Al Jazeera has come together to support four colleagues who have been imprisoned in Egypt for several months and are calling on the rest of the world to help these journalists regain their freedom by getting the word out to as many people as possible to put pressure on Egypt. Read on for more information about this case: http://prn.to/1hmo0Gy  

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SOURCE ProfNet