As Thanksgiving approaches, things are very different from last year — the understatement of the year. But the commercial real estate community has plenty to be thankful for, including: 

• Record venture capital spending, $13.6 billion invested in Massachusetts this year, per Crunchbase. 
• Strong IPO activity. Twenty-seven companies have gone public in 2020, nine more than in 2019. 
• Moderna is at the forefront of a COVID-19 vaccine. Our healthy and growing life science industry is a unique strength. 
• Seven universities here ranked in the top 50 in the U.S., per U.S. News and World Report. 
• Boston leads the nation in NIH funding year after year after year and received $2.2 billion in FY2019. The state received $3 billion. 
• The local and national debt markets are alive and well, offering investors historically low interest rates. 
• Investors continue to chase land deals, emphasizing their faith in the market’s recovery. 
• Industrial hasn’t missed a beat, with strong e-commerce, last–mile distribution, GMP manufacturing, and local/regional demand pushing year-to-date absorption of 1.8 million SF. 
• Life science demand is positive, reaching 700,000 SF of year-to-date growth, with recent deals suggesting that nothing is slowing in the fourth quarter. 
• Subleases have created tremendous value options for office tenants in the city. 

In light of that good news, we wish you and yours a safe and happy Thanksgiving.