The best Krise-mas forecast

Gary Jackson may be a talented economist, but Randy Krise is a better economic indicator.

Jackson is the director of the Regional Economic Research Institute at Florida Gulf Coast University in Fort Myers. The economics professor recently was invited to speak to the Real Estate Investment Society, a group of institutional investors in Southwest Florida.

Jackson flipped through a PowerPoint slide presentation, pointing to improving economic conditions. Job creation is rising, taxable sales are growing and airport traffic is increasing, he noted.

But the best indicator of an improving economy was the luncheon's sponsor, Randy Krise, who leads a commercial real estate brokerage firm called Krise Commercial Group. Krise handed everyone who attended the lunch a Christmas card with a $10 bill inside.

We say it's a sure sign that good times are ahead when commercial real estate brokers start giving money away.