ICSC President Sees Shopping Centers, Malls as ‘Dynamic Marketplace’

ICSC president Tom McGee offers his perspective on the retail real estate market and the impact of online sales.

By Arthur Zaczkiewicz on December 12, 2016

At last week’s International Council of Shopping Centers (ICSC) New York and National Deal Making trade show at the Jacob K. Javits Convention Center in New York, retail real estate executives hunted for deals, new concepts and new approaches to a market that is evolving rapidly as consumer shopping behavior changes.

For the ICSC, which is poised to celebrate its 60th anniversary in 2017, the state of the current market is challenging, but there are opportunities. As the global trade association of the shopping center industry, the ICSC positions itself as a community builder that drives the economy and helps foster “vibrant civic spaces,” noted ICSC president Tom McGee. Here, McGee shares his perspective on the retail real estate market, the impact of online sales and the role of the ICSC in serving 70,000 of its business members.

WWD: How are shopping malls/centers staying relevant in an ever-changing retail environment?

Tom McGee: The retail real estate industry is an integral part of building communities, fueling economies and inspiring innovation. Shopping centers and malls always have been a central gathering place for the community. They help to create and anchor vibrant civic spaces, providing an essential public place between work and home and a dynamic marketplace for commerce.

The industry is successfully evolving to keep pace with the needs of consumers, and right now the consumer is placing a high value on experience. It’s no longer just department stores; it’s grocery stores that offer eateries inside them, or movie theaters that include restaurants.

Additionally, centers are embracing entertainment tenants and amusement attractions like go-kart racing, indoor rope climbing, laser tag, skydiving simulators, escape rooms and more.

As time progresses, developers and retailers alike will continue to provide ever-more personalized, interactive experiences, emphasizing new touch points, time-saving services and meaningful consumer engagement.

WWD: How is technology playing into the evolution of the mall?

T.M.: Technology is being integrated into the shopping experience, just as it has been integrated into almost every aspect of our daily lives. People have access to information instantly, allowing them to be savvier and more informed than ever before. Digital channels and the ability to conduct research prior to a purchase have positioned consumers further along the purchasing funnel, making them more motivated when they arrive at a store. In fact, our research shows that omnichannel consumers spend 3.5 times more than other types of shoppers.

Click and collect is an example of the convergence of the physical and digital channels, as it intertwines the experience between online and offline in a tangible way for consumers and retailers.

Adapting this kind of omnichannel approach to meet consumer demand is essential to remaining competitive in the new retail landscape.

WWD: There is a perception in the market that e-commerce is set to take over in-store shopping. Do you agree?

T.M.: Not at all. Online retail continues to grow, but is doing so at a slower rate than in years past. The facts demonstrate the strength of our industry overall. For example, occupancy rates in shopping centers remain very strong – 93.4 percent in the mall segment – and sales continue to grow. While many may perceive online sales as dominating the market, in fact, online-only retailers represent about 3.5 percent of all U.S. retail sales. The reality is that physical stores continue to dominate retail sales with the shopping experience complemented by technology.

WWD: Some online-only retailers are taking their products to brick-and-mortar locations. Is this going to be a trend that shopping center operators can rely on as a new source of tenants?

T.M.: Yes, this is another example of convergence. Prominent pure-play e-tailers like Warby Parker, Bonobos and Blue Nile spurred the clicks-to-bricks movement, first testing physical locations via pop-ups and small-format stores and then committing to expanding their brick-and-mortar footprints after reporting significant returns.

We see synergy between physical and digital retail with research indicating a strong relationship between a physical store and online sales generated within that trade area. This is demonstrated by the “halo effect”– when the physical store thrives so too does the online business in that region; when a store closes, digital sales in that region also wane.

We view this convergence as an opportunity for retailers. Take the recent news of Wal-Mart’s purchase of Jet.com, as well as news of Amazon opening physical stores. Both demonstrate the importance of true convergence and alignment in retail. Digital and physical retail are meeting to create a seamless, winning experience for the consumer.

WWD: With all of the retailer closures, how is the retail real estate industry faring?

T.M.: Overall, across all of our key indicators, retail real estate is very healthy. There are more than 115,000 shopping centers that provide jobs to 12.7 million people. That means that every one in 11 jobs in the U.S. is connected to the industry. Additionally, we are seeing occupancy rates remaining strong at 93 percent and current demand for retail space outpacing supply.

Shopping centers truly fuel our economy both in the U.S. and globally. During the first quarter of 2016, 75 percent of American adults – approximately 184 million people – visited a mall at least once; on average they went 4.2 times. During nearly half (48 percent) of those visits consumers spent on discretionary goods.

WWD: With a new president in the White House and a Republican majority in Congress, what would you like to see lawmakers prioritize over the next few years?

T.M.: We are working on several top-priority legislative issues right now including “E-Fairness,” tax reform, and reforms to the Americans with Disabilities Act.

ICSC continues to aggressively advocate for federal lawmakers to enact E-fairness legislation that reflects 21st century retail. Under the current state sales and use tax system, local retailers must collect sales taxes on all sales, while their online-only counterparts are exempt. When a retailer does not collect the tax at the time of purchase, the consumer is responsible, by law, for remitting the use tax. This is rarely factored into the purchase decision and as a result local merchants suffer from this government-sanctioned price disadvantage. This flawed system hurts communities across the country, to the tune of $23 billion in lost sales-tax revenue.

Regarding tax reform, ICSC supports policies that are focused on growing the economy in communities across the country, spurring investment and new development. The right U.S. tax policy could positively impact decisions to develop or redevelop new retail and restaurant destinations that make a community great. Policy improvements can grow the economy in communities across the country, spurring investment and new development.

Hopkinton brewer granted pouring license

By Jonathan Phelps

HOPKINTON - Customers will soon be able grab a pint of beer in Start Line Brewing's new tasting room.

Selectmen in a 4-0 vote Tuesday night granted a farmer brewer pouring permit for Start Line, but the drinks will be limited to the 560-square-foot tasting room. Owner Ted Twinney initially sought to also serve in a shared dining area with the marketplace, but withdraw his request for the shared space after two selectmen - Todd Cestari and John Countinho - appeared opposed to the plan because of safety, control and other issues.

The brewery opened last month at Water Fresh Farm on Hayden Rowe Street and has been able to offer samples and sell its products "to go" before the permit. Only Start Line Brewing products can be served.

Before Twinney withdrew the request for the shared seating area, Selectmen Chairman Brian Herr attempted to come up with a compromise if the company agreed to install a barrier between the seating area and store. Part of the debate revolved around eight seats in the shared space that the bartender can't see from the counter.

Countinho worried about the business growing into a full-fledged brewery within a neighborhood.

"I am very pro-business and I appreciate the business growing, but it's the location of such growth," he said.

Twinney said the company doesn't have an intention to become a significant brew pub or even offer table service. He said he hopes most of the beer will be distributed to other stores and restaurants.

"If we make any changes we have to come back to you," he said.

Herr said he supported the plans because the business is set back from the road.

"I think it helps insulate it from the neighborhood," he said.

Selectman Brendan Tedstone said Start Line is catering to a niche that "Hopkinton wants based on the approval rating of its customers."

Twinney said he'll be back before the board in the future in an effort to expand into the marketplace.

The brewery idea came out of a friendship between Twinney and Water Fresh Farm co-owner Phil Todaro. The hops for the beer have been growing in Water Fresh's hydroponic greenhouse.

The marketplace sells locally grown produce using hydroponic greenhouse farming as well as meals using those same local ingredients, according to the store's website. The store also features cheese, baked goods, coffee and ice cream.

Another store in the building, Alima's Purse, offers a variety of handmade and fair-trade products from around the world, including home goods, jewelry and out-of-the-ordinary fashion accessories, according to its website.

Todaro said it's a natural fit.

"For us it was a perfect addition to what we already began," he said.

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Otto and Budweiser: First Shipment by Self-Driving Truck

Today Otto announced that one of their driverless trucks had completed a 120 mile beer run — making it the world’s first commercial delivery by an autonomous truck.

Uber-owned truck maker Otto teamed up with Budweiser and transportation officials in Colorado to make the historic beer run happen on October 20.

The truck was loaded up with 50,000 cans of Bud and began its journey in Fort Collins, making the 120 mile trek along I-25 to Colorado Springs.

Otto says that a professional truck driver was on hand to monitor the process from the sleeper berth, but that the driver’s seat was completely empty for the entire 120 mile journey: “By using cameras, radar, and lidar sensors mounted on the vehicle to “see” the road, Otto’s system controlled the acceleration, braking, and steering of the truck to carry the beer exit-to-exit without any human intervention.”

Though the driverless beer run was largely symbolic, Otto’s founders say that a live delivery was the next step in advancing autonomous driving technology: “We’ve tested with trailers, of course, but there’s nothing like actually doing the real thing, end to end.”

You can see video of the “driverless” Budweiser delivery below.

Bill Belichick Hates the NFL’s Microsoft Surface Tablets: ‘I’m Done’

Of course, the league rushed to their sponsor’s defense.

By Kyle Scott Clauss | Boston Daily | October 19, 2016

Bill Belichick isn’t a fan of more than a few things: losing, sleeves, the Jets’ front office, tardiness, smiling. The list goes on and on, and now includes Microsoft Surface tablets, after the curmudgeonly Patriots coach was seen slamming the device on the sidelines during a Week 4 matchup with the Buffalo Bills.

“As you probably noticed, I’m done with the tablets,” Belichick told reporters this week. “They’re just too undependable for me. I’m going to stick with pictures, which several of our other coaches do, as well, because there just isn’t enough consistency in the performance of the tablets. I just can’t take it anymore.”

Belichick’s answer was an uncharacteristically verbose one, clocking in at nearly five and a half minutes by one estimate.

“I would just say there are problems in every game. There were problems last week, but there were problems the week before that, too. Some are worse that others. Sometimes both teams have them, sometimes one team has them and the other team doesn’t have them,” Belichick said. “It was a problem last week. It’s basically a problem every week.”

Microsoft issued a statement in response to Belichick’s rant Tuesday, standing by the dependability of their product.

“We respect Coach Belichick’s decision, but stand behind the reliability of Surface,” the tech giant said. “We continue to receive positive feedback on having Surface devices on the sidelines from coaches, players and team personnel across the league. In the instances where sideline issues are reported in NFL games, we work closely with the NFL to quickly address and resolve.”

Unsurprisingly, rushing to the defense of its sponsor was the NFL, still in the midst of a five-year, $400 million marketing deal with Microsoft to promote its Surface tablets on the sidelines and on broadcasts.

“Since Microsoft has been a partner of the NFL and implemented their technology on our sidelines, the efficiency and speed of communication between coaches has increased,” the NFL said in a statement. “As with any technology, there are multiple factors that can cause issues within our sideline communications system either related to or outside of Microsoft’s technology. We continue to work with all of our partners to ensure the best systems are in place to give our clubs the greatest chance of success on a weekly basis.”

When You Find Out Your Neighbors Own Your House and They Try to Evict You

Check out our new home construction at www.fafardrealestate.com  and avoid this from happening to you!

By David Dayen

October 12, 2016

Danny Shedd's nightmare began with some cows.

When Shedd, a 12-year veteran with combat experience in Iraq and Afghanistan, finished up his military service at Fort Benning, Georgia, he and his wife, Jacinda, wanted to move to the prairie. The house they settled on in Big Cabin, Oklahoma, was perfect: a 5,400 square-foot, four-bedroom spot built in 2006, which mortgage giant Fannie Mae purchased in a foreclosure auction and was selling for one-third of its appraised value.

After inspections and appraisals, the Shedds closed on the house in June 2015, paying $172,425 cash—the product of years of saving. "They said congratulations on your new home," Shedd told me.

The vet's honorable Army discharge didn't come through until that August, so Shedd settled his wife and kids in the new digs before returning to Fort Benning. But Jacinda soon began complaining about the neighbors' cows lurking around the place at all hours. They would pass through a broken fence and eat the backyard grass, according to Shedd, with cow shit littering the space where his kids wanted to play. Shedd decided to rebuild the fence himself, enlisting a surveyor so he knew exactly where to place it.

The surveyor came back with bad news: According to the deed, the property Shedd paid for was actually ten wooded acres to the north, in a flood plain. The house his family was living in wasn't even on the property they had the rights to.

Worst of all, the neighbors are now saying the house belongs to them and are trying to get the Shedds evicted.

The bizarre situation speaks to a potential time bomb lurking behind an untold number of US residential mortgages. During the housing bubble that went bust in 2007 and 2008, mortgage companies routinely ignored longstanding property records laws. So defects—whether due to inaccurate deeds or fraudulent transfer documents—have sown chaos in county recording offices and foreclosure courts. These defects create ruptures in the "chain of title," confusing who holds true ownership over properties.

Shedd's plight shows the potential consequences for unsuspecting homeowners, who can become innocent victims of a housing market assembled on a mountain of fraud. The only question is how far the ruptures have spread.

In Shedd's case, the defect dates back to the original construction: The Careys, his neighbors, deeded the land to their daughter and her husband, James Stampes, to build a home, and Stampes took out a mortgage to pay for construction. But the legal description in the deed always reflected the wrong parcel—not the land the house was actually built on.

Stampes and his wife slipped into foreclosure in 2008, a protracted process eventually finalized six years later. Fannie Mae picked up the house at auction and sold it to Shedd. But for years, no one seemed to notice that the deed was inaccurate, and the wrong legal description of the property carried through. "Nobody put boots on the ground and figured out where the home is," Shedd told me.

When he got the bad news, and on advice from a real estate attorney, Shedd asked the Careys for a swap. The Careys would get the ten wooded acres, and Shedd would get the acreage under and around his new home. And initially, according to Shedd, the Careys agreed, only to change their minds a few days later. "The wife says we're not deeding you this land," Shedd told me. "This is a windfall for us."

The vet figured his title insurance company would resolve the matter, because title insurers are supposed to protect policyholders from defects in their titles. But when he appealed to American Eagle Title Insurance Company, the insurer retained an outside lawyer, Mark Kuehling, to review the claim. "The mistaken possession of the wrong parcel does not constitute a defect to the insured land," Kuehling wrote to the Shedds.

In other words, Shedd buying ten wooded acres instead of the house he thought he was getting wasn't the title insurer's problem.

Kuehling also pointed to an exception in the title-insurance policy, which said that the insurer does not have to pay claims if there are "any encroachments, overlaps, discrepancies, or conflicts in boundary lines, shortages in area, or other matters which would be disclosed by an accurate and complete survey or inspection of the premises."

In Shedd's closing documents, he did sign a "hold harmless" form certifying that he did not conduct a survey on the property, and that the title insurer would not be liable for "any damages due to any such discrepancies." But he appealed anyway, arguing he did have an inspection done, as per the title-insurance policy. In addition, all the marketing materials referred to an actual home, and the purchase contract was a residential contract—not a vacant lot contract with no residence. The improper contract constituted a title defect, Shedd argued.

But Kuehling insisted there was no title defect to the property described in the policy—a.k.a. the ten wooded acres. "I am sorry that this problem has affected your use and enjoyment of your home," he wrote. (Kuehling did not return a request for comment. Eric Offen, president of American Eagle Title Insurance Company, declined to comment.)

James Surane, a foreclosure defense attorney in North Carolina, is bewildered by the title-insurance company's decision. "The closing attorney and the title company are supposed to ensure the legal description is accurate, not the surveyor," he told me. "A survey would have disclosed the problem, but that doesn't shift responsibility to the homeowner."

Meanwhile, the Careys hired attorney Mark Reents and posted a notice to vacate on Shedd's door on January 6 of this year. "Be advised that you are a trespasser upon the Property," the notice read. The Careys gave the Shedds until February 15 to leave. When the Shedds refused, the Careys filed suit in May, seeking $20,000 in punitive damages in addition to the home. (Reents, the Carey family lawyer, did not respond to a request for comment.)

Through a caseworker in his local congressman's office, Shedd reached out to Fannie Mae, the quasi-governmental company that sold him the home. Fannie offered to intervene in the case against Shedd, and rescind the purchase contract: Shedd would get back his $174,425, plus additional expenses and up to $2,500 in legal fees, and Fannie Mae would get back the home. The intervention officially took place on May 31.

But when Fannie Mae sent out the settlement agreement to the Shedds in July, the company had changed the terms. The Shedds would have to continue to fight the case against the Careys and pay their own legal fees. Other parties involved in the case—the title insurer and the closing agent—would also be released from liability under the settlement. Plus, the agreement would be confidential, with a non-disparagement clause that would block the Shedds from saying anything negative about Fannie Mae in public.

"I said I will not sign that," Shedd told me. "Other people need my story." The veteran's then-lawyer subsequently tried to get all parties to go to mediation, but Fannie Mae refused, saying they would only take back the house and give Shedd his money.

Brent Rodine, current counsel for Fannie Mae, did not return a request for comment. Rosemary Clinton, an attorney with the closing company, known as Buffalo Land & Title, told me, "I can't answer any questions," citing pending litigation.

Shedd says he can no longer afford an attorney, and the family officially owns only an empty lot, with nowhere to live if and when they are evicted. Increasingly desperate, Shedd released a video on YouTube describing the entire story in detail, asking viewers to share his ordeal. "How many people are living in a home that they don't own?" he asked.

It's impossible to determine how many other residential properties have significant defects like this—but it would be a mistake to assume Shedd is the last homebuyer who's going to experience this kind of disaster. "From doing foreclosure defense work, 50 percent of the time I'll find defects in title, maybe more," said Surane, the foreclosure lawyer. "Lenders and underwriters were overburdened and made mistakes."

Central to Shedd's dilemma, it seems, was the cash purchase. "If this were financed, the bank would have done a minimal survey to draw the lot lines," according to Tara Twomey, an attorney with the National Consumer Law Center. "The fact that he paid in cash meant that he didn't have a second person doing due diligence."

American Eagle's insistence that they exclude a bad property description from claims raises the question of how bad this could get the further we get from the foreclosure crisis. While the survey exclusion is standard, could title insurers similarly refuse to pay out for all the mistakes that clouded properties throughout the 2000s? "Insurance agencies only make money if they don't have to pay out," Twomey said. "My guess is most people have no idea that this is excluded in their policy."

Shedd says he's working with state legislators in Oklahoma to require mortgage holders to conduct a survey prior to foreclosure, and to file that survey with the county land records office. That would have prevented his own nightmare.

"This consumes our conversation," Shedd said of his current life in the place he calls home. "Every time I mow the yard, I feel like I'm mowing the neighbor's yard."

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Residential Purchasing/ Construction Agent

FRE Building Company Inc. - Milford, MA

As a Residential Purchasing Agent your requirements Include: Knowledge of built environment Building materials technology Residential Construction methods Building systems Building energy conservation Computer-aided design Residential Structural design Construction/residential management Ability to negotiate contracts Research prices Order materials 2+ years of purchasing 2+ years of estimating 2+ years of construction As a Residential Purchasing Agent you must have Knowledge of residential condo and home construction Strong negotiation skills and the ability to finalize delivery deadlines Lumber company experience is a plus. Resume, salary requirements, and references required. We offer a competitive salary based on experience and knowledge. F.R.E. Building Co., Inc. is an equal opportunity employer. F.R.E. Building Co., Inc., is a business with a wealth of knowledge in the development and selling/leasing of single family homes, townhouses, and commercial properties for over 50 years. We are currently growing at a fast pace and are in need of great talent! Job Type: Full-time Required education: Bachelor's Required experience: Construction: 2 years Purchasing: 2 years Estimating: 2 years No relocation Offered Job Type: Full-time email resumes: mmunger@fafard.org

Civil Engineer - F.R.E Building Company

As a Civil Engineer working within our team you will be involved in:

• Storm water management design and compliance
• Civil Engineer Designs of site plans for residential subdivisions including utilities
• Remain in contact with town planning and construction boards including attending meetings when needed.
• Remain in contact with outside engineering firm on various projects.
• Using software such as CADD, HCS, AutoCAD, Microstation, GIS, Civil 3D, Hydrologic/Hydraulic models to complete these tasks.
• Additional tasks as needed.

Minimum Requirements to apply to be a Civil Engineer:

• Bachelor's degree in Civil engineering or other related field required
• Capable of using spreadsheet, word processing and standard office software
• Solid knowledge of industry standard computer software for the position (examples include software such as CADD, HCS, AutoCAD, Microstation, GIS, Civil 3D, Hydrologic/Hydraulic models)
• Proficient in Microsoft Office

Required experience:

• 3+ years experience as a Civil Engineer
• 3+ years of CADD
• HCS
• AutoCAD
• Microstation
• GIS
• Civil 3D: 3 years

No relocation offered

Job Type: Full-time

Job Location:

• Milford, MA

Required education:

• Bachelor's

Required experience:

• Engineering: 3 years
• Drafting: 3 years
• CAD: 3 years

email resumes to mmunger@fafard.org

MOMentous MOMents | in life |: Parental segregation at school functions

MOMentous MOMents | in life |: Parental segregation at school functions:     Being a parent of a child in school means that whether you like it or not you have functions and events to attend at school. Saturday wa...

Falling Back Into The Swing of Things

Summer vacations are over and it's time to get back to work/deal making. Give me a call today 508-881-1600 about these great opportunities in Ashalnd and Upton MA.

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HomeBiogas- turn Your Waste into Energy

HomeBiogas is a family-sized affordable biogas system. It converts any organic waste into clean cooking gas and a high quality liquid fertilizer for the garden. Your kitchen leftovers can turn into 3 hours of cooking per day. You’ll be cooking dinner with the gas produced from lunch’s leftovers. Pretty amazing, right?

HomeBiogas maintains a closed-loop eco-cycle: organic waste turns into energy and a liquid fertilizer byproduct which enables us to produce more food thus maintaining the critical cycle of life. Know exactly where your energy is coming from and where it’s going.

Many of us have tried to reduce the damage being done to our planet, but without addressing the larger issues, it often feels like a drop in the bucket.

This is a small product with a big impact.

By significantly reducing the damage caused by untreated organic waste, including air pollution, water contamination and the use of fossil fuels for energy, HomeBiogas systems respond to some of our most pressing environmental challenges today.

Our vision is to make our biogas system accessible and affordable for everyone. 

Join us and help pave the way for sustainable waste management. We’re in this for the long run.

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CNBC’s “Ground Zero Rising: Freedom vs. Fear” Premieres on Thursday, September 1st at 10pm ET

Monday, 29 Aug 2016 | 12:09 PM ETCNBC.com

ONE-HOUR ORIGINAL DOCUMENTARY REPORTED BY CNBC'S JIM CRAMER

CNBC ORIGINAL DOCUMENTARY GIVES AN UNPRECEDENTED LOOK INSIDE THE REDEVELOPMENT OF THE WORLD TRADE CENTER

ENGLEWOOD CLIFFS, N.J., August 29, 2016 – As the fifteenth anniversary of 9/11 approaches, the World Trade Center has emerged as a place reborn. It is the sacred ground where more than 2600 people lost their lives, and now something more: a vibrant public, commercial and retail space that stands as proof of American tenacity and resilience.

On Thursday, September 1st at 10pm ET/PT, CNBC presents "Ground Zero Rising: Freedom vs. Fear," a one-hour documentary reported by anchor Jim Cramer that tells the story of the revitalization of the 16-acre site complete with solemn memorial pools, a new park, an architecturally striking transit hub, and new office towers.

Taking more than six years and nearly $4 billion to complete, One World Trade Center is the most expensive skyscraper in the world. Two years after opening, 70 percent of the building is leased, though some prospective tenants have balked at the idea of moving to the site of the 9/11 attack. Chris Altchek and Jake Horowitz, founders of the digital media company Mic, tell CNBC what they had to do to address the concerns of some employees over the company's decision to relocate to One World Trade. Altchek says the building is, "a monument. Being in a place that inspires you every day…reminds you why you do what you do is important." Cramer also sits down with David Remnick, editor of The New Yorker, who says working at Ground Zero every day is a source of pride for his staff.

Rebuilding the full World Trade Center site has taken some 14-16 billion dollars in public funds and billions more in private investment. The Oculus, the World Trade Center's recently opened transportation hub, serves a quarter of a million riders every day but critics point to its $4 billion sticker price as a sign of reckless spending. Real estate tycoon Larry Silverstein has built two major towers at the site and has a third under construction. When asked if his investment in the new buildings is worth it, he tells Cramer, "From an economic standpoint, honestly, I don't know." But, he says, from a New Yorker's vantage point, it is "eminently worth it."

Standing at 1776 feet, One World Trade Center is the tallest skyscraper in the Western Hemisphere. Built with cutting-edge security features designed to thwart an attack, it may be not only a shield, but a target as well. It is touted as perhaps the safest building in the world, though some counter-terrorism experts say its elaborate fortification, including a strong concrete core, may be a defense against the wrong threat. Former FBI Special Agent Don Borelli tells Cramer today's "lone wolf" terrorists present the biggest current danger and make security concerns at the World Trade Center only more pressing. Borelli says there already have been "lots of credible threats" made on the building. CNBC gets a rare look inside the Operations Command Center at the complex where George Anderson, Director of Security for the World Trade Center, and his team keep watch over every square inch of the 16-acre site.

Cramer profiles Lee Ielpi, a retired New York City firefighter, who has been telling strangers his story for years as the co-founder of the 9/11 Tribute Center. Ielpi leads a group of tourists around the memorial pools at the World Trade Center and shows them one section of names etched in bronze belonging to New York Fire Department Squad 288/HazMat 1 – from which nineteen men perished, including his own son.

Cramer also tells the story of Greg Carafello, who fled from the 18th floor of the original World Trade Center's South Tower on 9/11. For many years, Carafello avoided the site at all costs, having lost his best friend in the attack. In 2015, when looking for office space for a new company, he chose an unlikely location: One World Trade Center. Now Carafello is the only tenant from the old Twin Towers to have moved into the new building. He is so committed to the site that he volunteers as a docent in the 9/11 Memorial Museum. When asked if he regrets his decision, he tells Cramer, "Not at all. I just find it the beginning of a new life for me."

For more information including web extras, log on to: cnbc.com/ground-zero-rising.

Follow @CNBCPrimeTV and @CNBC on Twitter, and join the conversation using hashtag #GroundZeroRising.

CNBC's "Ground Zero Rising: Freedom vs. Fear" will re-air on Sunday, September 11th at 10PM ET.