In today's technology driven business world, social networks have become increasingly important to professional development and success. Specifically, a diverse network built on trust can increase one's power and reach exponentially through exposure to unique skill sets and knowledge. This methodology can be applied to illustrate RPAI's success in the execution of our focused operational platform, which benefits from the synergy between the local knowledge and networks of our diverse leasing team and the scale and depth of our national tenant contacts and relationships.

Almost two years ago, RPAI announced a strategic plan to focus our concentration of properties within 10 to 15 core markets, a significant reduction from the approximately 80 markets in which RPAI operated at that time. The strategic plan looks to reposition our assets to amass 3 to 5 million square feet of retail within each core market, thus not only improving our focus but also creating significant scale within each market and therefore increasing RPAI relevancy to its regional retail partners as well. One example of this is our significant presence in the Dallas-Forth Worth area, where RPAI owns approximately 4 million square feet, ranging in asset type from lifestyle centers such as Southlake Town Square and The Shops at Legacy in Plano to grocery and power anchored centers such as Lincoln Park and Parkway Towne Crossing. As our portfolio within DFW grew, so did our local operational teams, thus allowing us to maximize our knowledge of and presence within the MSA, resulting in a better understanding of its needs as well as shopping and traffic patterns. We are able to leverage this first hand, real time knowledge to assist retailers in their site selection process and assessment of a new market, as evidenced in the numerous first to market deals that RPAI has brought to Texas, including Columbia Sportswear and HMK.

Our successes in DFW further illustrate how the decentralization of our leasing efforts through the creation of dynamic local operational teams has and continues to allow RPAI to capitalize on each one's unique skill sets and intrinsic knowledge obtained from living and working within its respective markets.  As we continue to have open dialogues with our national retailers about opening and expansion plans, we are able to optimize the reach of our expansive network by leveraging the invaluable and unparalleled insight regarding local trends and dynamics in order to continue to be a true market leader.

Maria Pope Toliopoulos is Senior Vice President and the Director of Leasing for RPAI, Inc., where she oversees the regional leasing directors and managers in the leasing of the Company's portfolio. She is a licensed attorney and member of various trade organizations, including the Hellenic Bar Association, where she served on the Board of Directors and currently serves on the advisory committee, and the International Council of Shopping Centers (ICSC), where she holds a Certified Retail Property Executive (CRX) designation. The views expressed here are her own.