For those of you that know us well, you know that meeting with companies and doing comprehensive research is embedded in the DNA of our firm. It’s how the business was built over 20 years ago. As part of our ongoing due diligence, we frequently meet with and check-in with the management teams of the companies in our portfolios. We have been investors in Federal Realty (FRT) for many years now, and we recently had the opportunity to attend their Investor Day. We were greeted by Dawn Becker (shown above) who gave us the lay of the land and told us about some upcoming projects that Federal Realty is working on. You may or may not be familiar with Federal Realty, but you are probably more familiar with Assembly Row – Somerville’s premier retail center which includes retail outlets, restaurants, a movie theater and apartments (and will also be PUMA’s new North American headquarters) – only a stone’s throw away from downtown Boston. Federal Realty is the mastermind behind this giant project, and they have several more high-profile office and retail centers located in urban areas around the U.S.