Robert Schout Email & Phone Number

A third of our income as a company comes from market research that proves a project will work in simple and concrete ways. For example our skills allow us to transfer demographic data into a variety of useful tools for retail development. These tools include the ability to accurately project sales over a ten year period along with rent per square foot or meter, and also recommend the proper mix of tenants in a retail project. This mix which we call the "merchandise mix" allocates retail space over 22 categories of retail stores. Having a balanced mix is the key to optimizing sales and therefore rents. Our cash flow projections and operation income projections are normally for ten years and include sales and rent by tenant for the entire period under the merchandise categories we recommend space be placed in.In Michigan, we used this system to re-merchandise stores in The Holland Michigan CBD with great success. A result is the award winning Holland downtown mixed use project.Our market research reports cover a variety of countries outside of the United States. We have provided to our clients market research reports on projects in the Dominican Republic, Germany, Russia, Australia, Thailand, Mexico, Costa Rica, and the Bahamas. These studies include maps using our ArcGIS system to show demographic data. In some cases such as the Dominican Republic we have grown market feasibility studies into full scale reports on the history and prospects for the country itself. These studies are complete economic base studies which define the direction of the entire country. The Dominican Republic study also included a complete analysis of the residential, office, and retail sectors in Santo Domingo.In Kiev Ukraine, we completed a redesign and releasing plan for a 1.5 million sq ft retail office project which increased net rental income by 8 times the amount which would have been achieved under the original plan, which was 50 per cent constructed when we were engaged.

Ada Michigan

We also work as a contract developer. This activity is carried out by professional project managers who are given entire projects to build, lease, and finance. These projects tend to be done under a fee agreement which is part of the development agreement with the owner. In some cases we build projects for institutions without any paperwork between us and our client or the contractor and architect. In these cases we keep the team together by paying them monthly within a few hours of billing for each construction draw. Our contract development team allows us to take over a project that is in trouble or organize a project that is difficult to visualize for what might be a major national developer in the United States. We discreetly do our job and disappear once the problem is solved.

Southfield And Troy Michigan

Demographic & Economic Research, Site Selection, Department Stores Studies, Financial & Cost Projections, Trade Area Research, Land Acquisition. Started when the company had built one mall, when I left, we had 19 malls under ownership. Over the years, the owners of the company A Alfred Taubman, and Richard Kughn let me learn and mentored me. During my time at the company, I sat in on construction meetings , went to make department store deals with Taubman, and with him developed an understanding of retail math and demographics. I wrote an article on mapping computer graphics with two harvard professors who got the article published in Harvard Business review. In 1977, we completed the acquisition of the Irvine Ranch. We defeated so to speak Mobil Oil Chairman Raleigh Warner, who was rather desperate to buy the ranch in order to access an El Paso natural gas pipeline which ran adjacent to the ranch in riverside canyon. When we closed on The Irvine Acquisition in 1977 August, we had raised 344 million in 15 days. In September, 1977 Mobil started construction of an alternate pipeline through northern panama. By January 1981, I left Taubman for a very unusual reason. My wife and I wanted to move back home to western michigan and adopt more children. Taubman, always, both as my mentor and friend, became a strong supporter of what we were doing. He remained a friend and supporter of my unusual life mission until he passed away. After 1981, We adopted another 8 children, something impossible to do without the support of the extended families we both had in west Michigan. We never looked back.

Dearborn Michigan

Credit Underwriting, Board level investment memos for finance of aircraft hulls, locomotives, structured real estate finance, industrial finance, Main frame computer lease funding, general commercial industrial finance as part of 6 man team. Herb Mercer who trained me was a McNamarra whiz kid who came from GE Capital to Ford Credit. In 1968 the year I workef our little group in commercial and industrial finance generated 60 percent of Ford Credit Profits. One of our group, Bill Odum was later for many years the Chairman of Ford Credit.

Southfield Michigan

Served as Assistant Mortgage Manger for US and Canadian Portfolio of residential and commercial mortgages. Also on Investment Committee with Manager of Department. Wrote a paper on residential land values in Montreal areas of MT Royal and Ouetremont, This paper got me a job at Taubman. It was here that I started traveling all over the USA and Canada on loan underwriting.

Wyandotte Michigan

Assistant cashier,Assistant Manager of Mortgage Department at a small town bank in the downriver area of Detroit.The bank is now part of Charter Bank, which is a regional bank in the midwest. As Assistant Manager of the mortgage department I made appraisals, underwrote credit , and did a variety of jobs as assigned by the events. It was an opportunity to be mentored by the owner and bank chairman, who had taken the bank ( and a savings bank in the same town) through the depression. It was a great training ground and allowed me to do things like repossess boats and motorcycles and work with a number of wonderful people.

Del Ray, Southwest Detroit Michigan Area

Worked as a law clerk to a general practice attorney while in law school at Wayne State.

Grand Rapids Michigan

Furniture assembly and sanding

Oak Bottom Ranger Station, Somes Bar California

Ran a three man crew in remote area of northern california. Crew work included initial attack on fires in area with few roads. Ran 22 animal pack string used to bring supplies to lookouts in forest ( Klamath National Forest) and wilderness area ( Marble Mountain Wilderness Area) . Work included managing pick up crews made up of local indians and then trying to reach fires up to 40 miles from roads using trails over 100 years old left over from gold rush days. Lived on the Salmon River near the Klamath River. I went trout fishing every day in the Salmon River and did a lot of Salmon fishing as well. During this time, we had to carry rifles ( for the Bears) and Pistols ( for rattle snakes), It was a good time and made it possible for me to go to college with lots of cash each year.

Willow Creek Guard Station

Supervised 4 man crew and maintained communication with Hayden Hill Lookout for fire assignments , timber stand improvement, and general firefighting in initial attack area 20 miles on a side at Willow Creek Guard Station 16 miles South of Adin California. No electric, wood stoves and water from willow creek. Due to the regular forman not showing up for work for the season, I was made foreman at 20 years of age.

Big Valley Ranger District, Modoc National Forest, Willow Creek Guard Station

Crew Member of 4 man crew. Drove fire truck and other duties.

Juris Doctor, Law

Ba, Economics, Political Science

High School, Learned To Think

Activities and Societies: band pep band vp of junior and senior class