Following the publication of my article titled, “Real Estate Developers Don’t Need to be Jerks— We Must Build Trust,” I received an incredible avalanche of messages and calls from industry colleagues and fellow developers in Miami and across the country—echoing my sentiments about the need to stop the jerky behavior and create an environment of trust and collaboration. There were a few particularly amusing responses, including someone who called my article “aggressive”—but that person is subject to jerky behavior himself, so I took that as further evidence that I am on the right track and must remain steadfast in my work addressing this issue.

Most significantly, on the heels of that article, I became motivated to do something I’d had on my mind for years and had been waiting for the right opportunity to implement. Specifically, I call it a “Community Immersion.”