Economically, "we are still significantly behind the rest of theUS," relayed Bluestone in reporting that 63,000 natives have fledMassachusetts since 2000 to destinations as far a field as Arizona,North Carolina and Florida. The most troubling aspect, he said, isthat the 25- to 34-year-old age group is leading the exodus,thinning a segment critical to survival of any community. "We areseeding Red Sox nation" beyond New England, Bluestone advised tothe RealShare Boston audience of 375 attendees, imploringstakeholders to "redouble efforts" to reduce housing costs and stemthe outflow.

Speaking only for a few minutes, Bluestone's remarks resonatedthroughout the half-day conference, as the Northeastern Universityprofessor's outlook was supported several times by some andchallenged by contrarians. Veteran Boston broker William McCall,who spoke immediately after Bluestone, also fretted over tepidstate employment levels, which despite an 8,000-position increasein the first quarter, is still down by 100,000 since the recessionof 2001 took hold. "I'm having a hard time believing we're going tosustain [the recovery] because we're not creating enough jobs--it'sas simple as that," said McCall, who also questioned the ability oflandlords to push office rents and talk that new speculative officespace is needed in Boston.

McCall's discussion was engendered by a "Fact or Fiction"program in which Paradigm Properties president Kevin McCall and theun-related broker answered either/or to nine questions, thenelaborated on their selections. RealShare Boston offered a varietyof formats to keep the topics fresh and create interaction amongthe roster of high-level speakers and the audience. Iconic Bostondevelopers Thomas Alperin, Ronald Druker and Stephen Karpparticipated in a town meeting arrangement in which they assessedlocal market trends and handicapped the industry's ability tocompete in an increasingly tight financial environment.