Ed had a simple approach as an investor in the commercial real industry and mind you he started with no credit, no cash and no income but having a hunch, vision, experience and a determined drive to do the hard work. His formula for success was to focus on distressed retail properties on busy commercial streets that have been neglected by the present or even a multitude of prior owner(s) then applying a minimalist strategy for improving the property in order to change the public’s perception of the property along with harnessing the power of liquidity with a “Buy Cheap, Sell Cheap and Keep It Moving” mantra.   Back in the late 80’s and throughout the 90’s there were a lot of vacant and undervalued commercial buildings in St. Louis City on high traffic thoroughfares.  Ed took on the challenge of turning around many of these blighted properties in blighted neighborhoods as records in the St. Louis Assessor’s will show.   It was a high risk investment operation, but for someone with little to lose, the risk was irrelevant.   After five or so years of this strategy,  Ed began to accumulate equity, credit and capital and decided to back off the high risk ventures and to begin taking a long term ownership approach by holding property that was relatively easy to own in comparison.  With the lowered risk and the intention of holding for a long period of time it made a much more reasonable real estate business to own and operate. Today, Ed owns a portfolio of properties spanning from the Midwest to California.