Raising The Bar: The Life and Work of Gerald D. Hines

by Mark Seal

Gerald D. Hines stands at the top of the international real estate investment and development world. A Purdue graduate with a degree in engineering, Hines may have arrived in Houston in 1948 for a nine-to-five job at a heating and air conditioning company, but before long he was making the deals that would transform Houston’s skyline. Later, with his revolutionary idea that great architecture was good business, he was reshaping the skylines of the world. Today, Hines is a respected global organization with a presence in 20 countries that has developed, redeveloped or acquired more than 1,100 properties. Raising the The Life and Work of Gerald D. Hines tracks one man’s incredible rise, from building small office/warehouses to manifesting Houston icons like The Galleria, One Shell Plaza, and Pennzoil Place to cultivating the national and then global expansion of his company. It paints the portrait of a man who himself is a study in a child of the Depression and a citizen of the world; an engineer who still carries the slide rule that has guided his career yet commissions daring feats of art and architecture; a reserved and humble man in a field known for being brash and aggressive who takes on physical challenges with wild abandon. With enlivening anecdotes and revealing characterizations, Raising the Bar reveals the man behind the premier real estate company in the world like never before.

Genres: Biography, Business

402 pages, Kindle Edition

Published September 14, 2016

About the author

A journalist for thirty-five years, Mark Seal is a contributing editor at Vanity Fair and the author of Wildflower: An Extraordinary Life and Mysterious Death in Africa, about the murdered wildlife filmmaker and naturalist Joan Root. Seal was a 2010 National Magazine Award finalist for his Vanity Fair profile of Clark Rockefeller.

He lives in Aspen, Colorado.

Reviews

[Heather Tietz · Rating 3 out of 5]

It is an interesting read if you are into architecture and one of the leading developers who shaped Houston, Texas and later some of the largest cities in the world. Gerald D. Hines was a force of his time and his company has grown to international standard. The book does take some odd turns and I would say you can find better books about this man on the market. However, I still felt it was a interesting read and would recommend it if this is a topic or person that interests you.

[Adam · Rating 4 out of 5]

Mr. Hines always wanted to get better. I like how he under promises and over delivers.

What my 👂 herd 👇

In real estate you just try to put the odds in your favor
My pockets and patience are wearing thin
He was known as The scholar of the dollar
He's got a quick financial mind
He's high powered
Cuddle up and do a deal with me
My life is rather good
I'm under the influence of some good food and people
Go deep go strong go long

[Denny Troncoso · Rating 5 out of 5]

Excellent book for entrepreneurs and developers. He was an adventurist, a philanthropist, a developer and so much more.

Vegan diet
Meditation
Diet
Competitive
Calm developer
Hard to focus on one thing before meditation
Reversed heart disease
Bet the house at the beginning all debt then all equity then none of his money for no risk
Great design point of difference every building
Very detailed oriented
Bad delegator initially
Then let go and became great
Real estate is a local business where decisions need to be made with local project team
Treated negotiations fairly
Partnered with great people in different parts of world.
Saw talent show empowered it

Leadership role
New innovations to what is practical and doable

Better building leases up faster for same price.
Bid work every aspect of building system evaluated. Bid during drawings to make adjustments as necessary instead of change orders.
Pick up pennys along the way.
Better building than competition
Spend 2 hours with every sub that was bidding. Going through proposal to understand everything that was in it.
encouraged subs to find good ideas to save money during bidding stage

Any necessary revision proposed in study during contractors proposal

Buildings machine to make money
Environment for the enterprise

Sustainable buildings commitment
Design for efficient energy use

Gritty

Very Humble person despite very experienced in many areas

Focused on being great at everything do in it right. Including bicycle riding. Never introduced himself as gerald hines.

Mountains bonding events for executives build relationships
Suffer together

Innovation is a state of mind never believed in status quo

[Marcus Bourn · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was a great book for me as a person in real estate. I really enjoyed Gerald Hines’ story. I recommend this book for anyone who has a passion for real estate and life.

[Jose Noboa · Rating 5 out of 5]

Amazing book. Highly recommend

[Mark Bunch · Rating 5 out of 5]

A great real estate book. Learn how and why and Gerald Hines become the top developer.

[Jake · Rating 3 out of 5]

Couldn’t finish it but still ok.

[Ralleygato · Rating 3 out of 5]

Insight into a legendary figure. Remember this is not meant to be a Pulitzer Prize entry. It is a coffee table book probably commissioned by, and written for, his descendants and associates.