Kevin Huber, Author at Grupe Huber Company

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Choosing Happiness, Having Hope in the Future, and Other Observations

By Kevin Huber,February 8, 2022February 10, 2022

Choosing Happiness, Having Hope in the Future, and Other Observations

by Kevin Huber, President & CEO
February 8, 2022

“Happy New Year!”

We’ve all said that, or heard it spoken to us, in a greeting over the last few weeks…Do you feel happy is my question?

With all that is going on in the world today – the Omicron variant, rising inflation, geo-political instability, roller-coaster stock market moves, national political division, and our own business and family issues – one could see why being happy might feel elusive.

So, why is it that during times of crisis, some people seem naturally happier than others, have less stress and seem more clear-minded with better self-control despite their circumstances?

Many of the skills that Sandy and I have learned to deal with stress were learned from Sandy’s father and mother. We also believe that having faith in a positive future gives you the power to deal with the crisis of today. Lessons like these have allowed us to weather adverse conditions with our happiness intact.

I recently remembered an article that Sandy’s father Fritz wrote several years ago (33 to be exact) that resonates with me today just as much as it did when it was written. Some of life’s lessons are timeless, so I thought I would share that article with you and hope that it helps you to develop or improve the skills that will help you find happiness amongst all the issues of today.

Just to put things in perspective and demonstrate that there were plenty of stressful issues when Fritz wrote this article, let me remind you what was going on around 1989. The Cold War was still going on. The Berlin Wall didn’t fall until November of ’89. The Exxon Valdez Oil Spill occurred. The Loma Prieta Earthquake killed over 60 people. The Iran-Iraq War had just ended, but tensions in the Middle East persisted (ultimately leading to the Iraqi Invasion of Kuwait in 1990 and the Oil Price Shock/Recession of that time. It was the tail end of the Savings and Loan Crisis which redefined how The Grupe Company would finance projects going forward, and the 30 Year Mortgage rate was a whopping 10.3%! (Imagine how that would affect home purchases today!). Certainly, there was plenty to be worried about. You’ll also note that Fritz’s article has a “second installment” which was also one of my favorite articles about leadership skills that are innate and those that can be taught. I’ll share that with you in a future Newsletter. I hope you enjoy Fritz’s article as much as I did.

All of us at Grupe Huber sincerely wish you a happy 2022.

Fall 1989

Observations
Greenlaw “Fritz” Grupe, Jr., Chairman/CEO

Recently, I was called upon to speak before the University of the Pacific’s Business Forum. The audience was to be a mixed group of 600 experienced managers, professors, and students. Therefore, I tried to tailor my remarks so that each group would derive some “take home value.” Because the feedback was so good, I thought I would try to summarize it for two Blueprint articles; this being the first one. I hope my thoughts here trigger a new idea or reactivate an old one.

The excellent managers of the 90’s are going to be the happiest ones. Since happiness is a by-product, not an end in itself, how will managers achieve it.

First, I submit that life won’t get any better than it is today. This is it. You’ve arrived. Are you happy? Are you in control? If you’re in control, you’re a winner. Only losers place the blame.

Socrates said, “If all misfortunes were laid in one common heap, whence everyone must take an equal portion, most people would be contented to take their own and depart”.

Second: It is important to distinguish between accomplishment and accomplishing. Accomplishment, such as the winning of a race, gives short term good feelings. Those good feelings don’t last. The process is the key; it is the continuation of accomplishment which produces the lasting good feelings.

Third: You have to distinguish the urgent from the important. You can get trapped in completing only urgent things and end your career having accomplished nothing important.

Fourth: A balanced life is a clear route to happiness. As Yogi Berra said, “90% of the game is one half mental.”

In regards to balance, I want to discuss stress. How do some people deal better with it than others? First, let’s understand stress:

1. It’s a matter of perspective. Is it really going to make a difference 100 years from now?

2. Symptoms of stress:
a. If I’m so successful, how come I don’t feel I have it made?
b. How many colds or illnesses do I have?
c. Do I feel I’m always in the slow lane of traffic or at the grocery store?

Controlling stress is imperative because stress decreases your energy and your passion for other things, yet makes you feel you’re working harder than anyone else. Most important, you become insensitive to the feelings of others and as a result drive people away from you. Relationships, so important to everyone’s future, cannot be built on guilt or martyrdom.

3. Success is when you feel safe; many don’t feel safe without stress. If everything is going smoothly, they’ll go in and stir up the pot or take on a new challenge.
Why do people allow themselves to get stressed out?
a. Many people just want to be stressed. It’s exciting. The adrenaline flows. Have you seen the sign: If you’re not stressed, you just don’t understand the situation?
b. Many enjoy acting like a martyr. “Look what I stand for in the face of everything.”
c. Some can act more important. “Look at all I’m doing.”
d. All businesses cause stress; it’s hard to step out of your “business” culture. (In ours, it has been popular to work excessively, stressfully.)

Here are some things that will increase your stress level:
1. Waiting for someone else to change.
2. Waiting for justice.
3. Waiting for people to know you’re right.

Here are some ways you can decrease stress.
1. Exercise.
2. Start and end the day on a happy note. (most morning newspapers and television news programs present negative news. Wait until the evening to catch up on the news.)
3. Make sure the patterns of your days please you, and include activities for which you have a passion.
4. Evaluate the amount of bliss and passion you experience. Make up a list of things that may not require anyone else to make you happy. Here are some of mine:
a. Music
b. Dreaming/visioning
c. Solitude
d. Views of the environment
e. Smells
f. Knowledge
g. Sports
h. Business
i. Raising animals
j. Meditation, a relationship with God

Remember, if you won’t give yourself a little bliss, you won’t allow others to have it either. If success is when you feel safe, and if you don’t feel safe without stress, you’re going to have a real problem with success.

We all must accept responsibility for the pace, quality and balance of our lives.

In summation, there are eight things I believe managers in particular and really everyone should consider:

1. A balanced life (spiritual, family, work, personal time, personal health);
2. Relationships, intimacies;
3. Passions, bliss;
4. Success without undue stress;
5. Continuing education;
6. Leadership versus the traditional boss; doing the right thing versus doing things right;
7. Communication of a clear vision of the future to co-workers and family;
8. A clear vision of our global environment.

So, to conclude this segment, I wish you happiness because I know it is the by-product of a successful contributing person in society.

In my second installment in our next Blueprint, I’ll address the question: is leadership an art or a science? If it is partly art, which part then can be taught?

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Real Estate Development as a Science & Art

By Kevin Huber,October 17, 2021October 21, 2021

Real Estate Development as a Science & Art

by Kevin Huber, President & CEO
October 13, 2021

For almost 35 years in early December, I made Italian sausage and salami with the Cortopassi and Avansino families. For many of those years, Dino Cortopassi was also making wine (much of which we consumed during our lunch on Salami Day). I remember Dino telling me that making wine takes two disciplines – science and art. Dino explained that the “science” of making wine was to pick and crush grapes that had ripened to a certain level of sugar, place that juice in a container and let the sugar ferment into alcohol – voila! You have wine. The “art” is making that science experiment taste good.

Since then, I have often thought about how real estate development and construction also include elements of science and art. Civil engineering, structural engineering, traffic engineering, Title 24, all the federal, state, and local codes, title matters, and legal matters are all part of the technical or “science” of real estate development and construction. Creating a project that is architecturally appealing to buyers or tenants, one that blends with the landscape and environment in a harmonious way, creating a sense of arrival and place, having it be the location where people want their wedding, prom, or graduation picture taken; these elements constitute the “art” of a project.

Long-term projects almost always face changes in the economy, demographics, buyer/tenant tastes, and political or legal dynamics that require the developer to adapt and make course corrections. The final project seldom looks the way it was initially envisioned. Adapting to these changes and being financially stable enough to weather them is also necessary to bring a project to fruition. Much like a winemaker adjusts each vintage based on that year’s growing conditions and other environmental influences on the wine while it is being fermented or aged, continual adjustments are made in the development and construction process in hopes that the final product is perfect.

When we start a project we take into account topography, surrounding land uses, existing infrastructure, transportation and access, the market and expected demand for the proposed uses, the existing general plan and zoning designations, which designations are needed for the intended use, and what the architectural look should be. I’ve been asked many times, “with all of the things you have to consider, how do you know what you are going to plan and build on a particular site?”

“The Sculpture is already complete within the marble block before I start my work. It is already there, I just have to chisel away the superfluous material.”

– Michelangelo

We get a lot of projects presented to us, many of which we pass on immediately, and many of which we do further investigation on only to conclude that we don’t believe it makes sense to continue pursuing the project. When the Grupe Huber team has determined that we do want to pursue a project, we develop a philosophy and vision for what that project should look like when it’s complete.

We then take all the aforementioned issues into account, and through our discussions with our architects, engineers, attorneys, city or county staff, and market studies, the vision begins to take shape. We begin to see the renderings of that vision in land plans, building elevations, landscape plans, and color schemes. This is where the dance between science and art truly emerges. Often, elements of your design are not feasible for one reason or another, so we push, pull, and tweak until we arrive at a plan our whole team approves. However, by holding true to a certain set of guiding principles led by our vision for the project and by the core values of our company, what we hope finally emerges is a project that was “meant to be”, and one that not only we are proud of, but that the entire community is proud of. If we accomplish this, then we feel like we got the “art” part right.

I feel proud that Grupe Huber Company has the experience and expertise, the patience and perseverance, and the financial stability to undertake the projects we build, always with the mission to improve the communities in which we live and work.

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Focused on the Future

by Kevin Huber, President & CEO
March 29, 2021

As I reflect on the last 12 months, I am reminded that on average it takes 66 days of a behavior change to form a habit. Think about that… 66 days, yet we have all had our behavior disrupted for over 360 days. If you are like me, there are definite changes that you’ve accepted as your “new normal.” Some of these may be positive changes, and some may be ones you hope to change “post-COVID.” Everyone has a story the past year and, just as I am, you are likely fatigued by all the COVID commentary, which is why I want to talk about the future and how I intend to think about it going forward.

I want my future to consist of at least these 5 things:

- Maintaining a strong foundation.
- Focusing on what is truly needed for success.
- Taking care of people.
- Having goals beyond financial success that improve the lives of others.
- Taking risks.

As I sit in my office at University Park, I am watching the new 50-bed post-acute care rehabilitation hospital start construction. The first thing they have done is remove between 6’-10’ of soil and replace it with new soil and base rock that will allow for a much stronger foundation. This reminded me of the importance of a strong foundation. In our lives, I believe that a personal foundation mainly consists of four components: our Family, our Friends, our Faith, and a Good Education. When these components are bound together, they create the basis for a strong foundation. Without a strong foundation, anything we build can crumble.

When I reflect on past learning experiences, I am reminded of when my CFO/CTO for the corporate housing company I sold to Marriott in 1999 was designing a proprietary software for our company with an outside firm. When she presented the preliminary outline and budget, she broke it down into three categories. The first were things we absolutely needed to include, which became our base budget. Next were features that she felt would be nice to have and had the potential to add some value to our services, and that added an incremental increase. The third was what she called the “cool factor” which included features that were not necessarily going to add value, but that would seem cool. Of course, this added a third layer of cost. Since we were running on a tight budget, we chose the features that we needed and the ones that we had confidence would add value. We passed on the “cool factor” features. As I think about my personal and business decisions, I plan to focus on what I need and some things, that by having them, I am confident will add value. I’ll leave the “cool factor” for people cooler than me!

Through the pandemic, we did not layoff any employees, we created a new 401k plan with a safe harbor match, and an improved menu of health benefits. I have had multiple employees pull me aside and thank me for helping them make it through this past year and improve their financial situation. I know in my heart that if one of these people were recruited by another company, unless the opportunity was substantially better than their current situation, they will feel as loyal to us as we feel to them. Taking care of people when they need it will result in them taking care of others when they need it.

Our family has a history of community involvement with a variety of educational, charitable, and community organizations. Some of the most rewarding experiences and relationships we have built are through endeavors that aim to serve others. If your goals are focused only on you, then you will be the only one working on them. When you help others reach their goals, you’d be surprised how you find yourself reaching your own goals along the way. I plan to continue having goals that improve the lives of other people, not expecting anything in return. I have found that when I have done so, the reward is always returned to me in some meaningful way.

Finally, I believe that taking risks is part of what creates meaning in our lives. In a speech that I heard Senator Alan Simpson give he said “if you’re damned if you do, and damned if you don’t- then do!”.

Senator Simpson went on to quote Leo Buscaglia’s thoughts on Risks, which goes as follows:

To laugh is to risk appearing a fool,

To weep is to risk appearing sentimental.

To reach out to another is to risk involvement,

To expose feelings is to risk exposing your true self.

To place your ideas and dreams before a crowd is to risk their loss.

To love is to risk not being loved in return,

To live is to risk dying,

To hope is to risk despair,

To try is to risk failure.

But risks must be taken because the greatest hazard in life is to risk nothing.

The person who risks nothing, does nothing, has nothing, is nothing.

He may avoid suffering and sorrow,

But he cannot learn, feel, change, grow or live.

Chained by his servitude he is a slave who has forfeited all freedom.

Only a person who risks is free.

The person who risks nothing, does nothing, has nothing, is nothing. I plan to continue to take risks and experience another year full of meaningful experiences.

I hope my thoughts have helped you think about your future. What will you focus on? Share it with us on social media!

My Warmest Regards for a bright future!

Kevin

Cubical designs with some reflecting image in it

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Our New Brand: Two Names, One Company, And a Family You Can Trust

September 29, 2020
By Kevin Huber, President & CEO

Over the past few months, you’ve been introduced to the Grupe Huber Company, formerly known as Grupe Commercial Company. Neither of these two names are new to you — and that’s the point. Over the years, both the Grupe and Huber families have built strong relationships in the Central Valley and beyond. We’re native Californians, and our work with the land and the people who live here means something to us. We created Grupe Huber Company so we could continue to build upon that foundation and develop a legacy that will carry all of us into a bright future.

The projects Grupe Huber takes on are designed to strengthen our communities, enrich the lives of our employees, and return healthy profits to our shareholders and investors. We are continuing to develop commercial projects, expanding upon our existing 1.5 million square feet of office, retail and storage projects. In addition, with the experience of our leadership team, we are adding new residential opportunities to our portfolio — but we’re not going to build just for the sake of building. There’s a real meaning and purpose behind everything our company tackles.

A little more than a year ago, we sat down and really began to think through the core values of this new company. These reflect who we are as a business, but they’re much more than that. They reflect who we are as people, too.

Integrity. We will always strive to do what’s right, even when it’s not easy. That means no cutting corners, no sacrificing quality for quantity, and nothing built solely for profit.

Invested. We promise that we will use our financial strength and experience to create a better world. Our projects will benefit our loved ones, our employees, our tenants, and our communities.

Resourceful. Where other people see problems, we see opportunities. In an upcoming University Park newsletter, you’ll read about how the lake at University Park came to be. That was a logistical problem that became a source of pride and beauty. It’s a small example sampled from many years of work, but it speaks to how we approach and solve challenges.

Quality. If you know us, you know that we don’t do anything by half. We have a proven track record of execution and success, and we create projects that are built to last.

Service. We will leave this world better than we found it. That starts with treating our tenants and customers with respect and always overdelivering on their expectations.

These five core values may sound simple, but they give us a blueprint for our projects and for our future. Every single thing we do is designed to fit within these values, from the way we communicate with you in our newsletter to the way we work with municipalities on new design plans to the way we show appreciation to our tenants. What you see is what you get with Grupe Huber. We’ll always be genuine and transparent with you.

Our new company has a new home, too, and that home is a reflection of what we do. It’s in the Spruce Building at University Park, a 1929 structure that Sandy and our team of partners restored with a lot of care and attention. We could have put up a new building so we could start fresh — but that wouldn’t have been us. Spruce has great bones, great history, and a new mission and purpose. It will be solid for generations to come. You could say that it’s the perfect metaphor for Grupe Huber.

Our company name may be new, but we’re still the same people you’ve worked with for years. Grupe Huber is two names you know, one company, and a family you can trust.

Choosing Happiness, Having Hope in the Future, and Other Observations

Real Estate Development as a Science & Art

Focused on the Future

Our New Brand: Two Names, One Company, And a Family You Can Trust

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Beyond the Blueprint