Heartfelt Moves: Love, Kindness and Introspection

By Keith Sherman, Business Development at Swartz and Associates

2024 was a year of heartfelt moves for me.

Heartfelt Moves: Love, Kindness and IntrospectionIn early December of 2023, my beloved Dad passed away at the age of 98. A life well lived indeed.

I was delighted and honored to be asked by my older sister and brother to eulogize this incredible man, my mentor, my hero, my Dad. So, as you might imagine, I spent that month interviewing family, friends and researching what my Dad stood for, accomplished and legacy he left with us. We had a celebration of life in early January 2024 at Temple B’Nai Israel in Little Rock, Arkansas, where I grew up.

During this same period, I was still in the afterglow of our first son getting married, the wedding officiated by one of my best friends since 1980, David Swartz. On top of that, I was considering stepping away from almost four decades in the marketing and advertising business. Talk about a full range of emotions!

There are no strangers.

Dr. Jerome Kalman Sherman (Jerry as most folks knew him) lived life to the fullest. He never met a stranger, he loved meeting people and building relationships, he was always curious and finding ways to make a difference in their lives. Reflecting on his life reminded me to do the same in both my personal and professional life.

Heartfelt Moves: Love, Kindness and Introspection

I took these lessons to heart when my dear friend David Swartz called me to see if I would be interested in joining him and his brother, Don Swartz, at Swartz + Associates, and I accepted the opportunity. Working with folks I’ve known for decades, and incorporating the things I enjoy most – building relationships, making a difference, being true to myself, learning and continuing to lead a life of service – was a perfect fit.

Love, Kindness and Introspection

Heartfelt Moves: Love, Kindness and IntrospectionToday, I have been with Swartz + Associates for over a year, thriving by reconnecting in a big way to my hometown, Dallas-Fort Worth, and other markets where I’ve lived, worked and made a difference. It’s fun, fills my soul and I am good at it. Oh, did I mention that the newlyweds just bought a home in Kansas City, where Swartz + Associates has its home office?

Not only has it been a year of significant change, but it has shown me what a difference love, kindness and introspection can create.

Cheers to a Fantastic 2024!

Cheers to a Fantastic 2024!By Deb Bartnett, Client Research Specialist at Swartz and Associates

Cheers to a Fantastic Year! What a way to celebrate the completion of a great year at a local Kansas City Gem. Swartz + Associates, Inc. (SAI) wrapped up an eventful and successful 2024 with a fabulous company party. It was a busy year adding many new clients, appealing properties, and finalizing outstanding appeals. Our team’s dedication and hard work did not go unnoticed.

In recognition of our achievements, Don treated us to a fun-filled evening at one of Kansas City’s iconic landmarks – J. Rieger & Co Distillery. It was a perfect way to toast our collective successes and to kick off our excitement for the year ahead. It’s easy to get caught up in the daily grind and overlook our accomplishments. It was refreshing to be treated to a celebration of a fantastic 2024 and to enjoy time with our coworkers (and a few spouses) in a laid-back and fun setting.

Cheers to a Fantastic 2024! Cheers to a Fantastic 2024! Cheers to a Fantastic 2024!

The J. Rieger Story

We chose J. Rieger & Co. Distillery for our celebration because it’s a success story in itself.

Founded in 1887, the distillery was shut down during Prohibition but was reborn in 2014 in Kansas City’s Electric Park District. The vibe is both lively and comfortable, and the distillery even features a 40-foot slide – the coolest way to exit a bar! J. Rieger offers a wide range of delicious cocktails made with their own spirits, along with incredible food. If you’re ever in Kansas City, be sure to check it out.

The SAI Story

As for SAI, we had a lot to celebrate. In 2024, we obtained 50 new clients, reviewed and analyzed nearly 2,500 properties, appealed 300+ properties, resolved over 350 appeals with successful reductions for our clients, performed 20 appraisals, and processed over 200 business personal property declarations. Our success wouldn’t have been possible without the dedication and hard work of our entire team, from Don to our marketing guys, analysts, and Ops group. We are fortunate to work for a company that recognizes our hard work and acknowledges our contributions.

Here’s to continued achievements in 2025 and beyond!

Cheers to a Fantastic 2024! Cheers to a Fantastic 2024! Cheers to a Fantastic 2024!

The Swartz Report: Pay Attention to Valuation Notices in 2025

By Donald Swartz, President

The Swartz Report: Pay Attention to Valuation Notices in 2025As the 2025 property tax season officially kicks off, we are in the process of sending out renewal letters to our clients, continuing our representation in real estate, business personal property, asset valuations and private rail cars. Several of our clients have entrusted our services for over two decades, and I am continually excited to represent our clients’ interests each and every year.

This year is no exception as we will experience reassessment in many states where we have a significant presence. Iowa, Missouri and Colorado will all be subject to the revaluation of real estate in 2025 and we anticipate increases in value based upon community needs. School districts continue to need money to operate to the best of their abilities; operating costs associated with various city, county, libraries and other districts continue to rise. Property taxes are the major source of income for some of these entities listed and increasing values generates income without increasing the annual mill levy (tax rate).

What does the mean to the average taxpayer?

A couple of things…

  1. Pay attention to the valuation notice mailed out to you in the upcoming months. If the valuation has increased over the previous year, ask yourself if the increase is warranted or does it appear excessive?
  2. If the value increase appears high, file an appeal to the local level and prepare your case with comparable sales of similar type properties. If this is not something you are comfortable in doing, contact a property tax representative (such as us) to review your situation.
  3. DON’T WAIT UNTIL YOU RECEIVE YOUR TAX BILL! Too often, taxpayers do not pay attention to the notice of valuation and do not realize the consequence until a tax bill is received later in the year. In most jurisdictions, this is too late to appeal the value. BE PROACTIVE!!

Hopefully this will spark interest in paying attention to the valuation notices, many of which will be processed and mailed to taxpayers in the next 30 days.

Railcar update

On the railcar side, each year Mark Phillips (of our office) prepares a savings summary for our clients who own private railcars. The cars are assessed property taxes at the state level (for the most part) and are apportioned based upon the amount of time or miles a car spends in an assessing state. There are many components to review in an effort to reduce the property tax liability and we are at the forefront of taking advantage of these allowances. Repairs and Maintenance Tax Credits, obsolescence studies, speed studies, idle time adjustments, lack of state situs and a review of state computations are several aspects we review as part of our compliance practice.

To put this in perspective, in 2024 we exceeded $6,800,000 in tax savings for our collective private rail car clients. Almost 30% of the savings were based upon appeals or discussions with the state representatives based upon a correction of errors in assessment calculations. Looking back on the savings estimates since I acquired the company in 2018, our lowest annual savings to our clients has been just under $6,000,000. What a tribute to our Indurante employees who continually put our clients first! This may explain why we continue to be the leader in the private rail car industry in providing property tax services – handling approximately 35% of all private rail cars and 70+% of the fleet manager market.

WELL DONE!

We look forward to another exciting year – please let us know how we can help.  As always, please reach out to me – or .

Finding friends at the 2024 Radiology Society of North America conference

By Gary A. Stone, ASA, Manager at Swartz and Associates

Finding friends at the 2024 Radiology Society of North America conferenceThis is my first blog post! As an employee of Swartz + Associates, I have been asked to do many things. I cannot say blogging would be one of them when I first joined Don Swartz’s team in 2005. I am one of three people that volunteered for this task. I cannot speak for the others who are blogging this month, but it seems rather daunting to step out of my comfort zone and share my thoughts.

I consider myself an extroverted introvert. I do enjoy socializing, but I recharge when I’m alone. I am also a private person. In spite of that, I also have a desire to be “known”. I think we all have this dichotomy within our personalities with varying degrees. One way we become “known” is by networking. Networking is a business buzzword that that I think is ultimately all about making friends.

Networking at the RSNA Conference

This month, I had the opportunity to make two new friends, Alan Moretti of Radiology Oncology Systems and Ian Schnurbusch of Mindray Imaging. I met both gentlemen in person at the RSNA (Radiology Society of North America) 2024 conference in Chicago.

Finding friends at the 2024 Radiology Society of North America conference Finding friends at the 2024 Radiology Society of North America conference

Alan Moretti

I included “in person” because it was Alan that invited me to the conference. The invitation came when he and I were speaking on the telephone in November. The conversation came about because I was conducting research for an equipment appraisal for a local radiology group. Alan has decades of experience in the medical industry. Some of his roles include working for a major medical system in Chicago, a business owner, a consultant and many others throughout his career. His invitation was unexpected and I was so grateful to receive it.

Ian Schnurbusch

While I was walking the floor at the convention, I also met a young man, Ian Schnurbusch. Why this chance meeting stood out to me is  that we had so much in common. These include attending Southeast Missouri State University and being members of the Pi Kappa Alpha fraternity. However, the thing that was uncanny is his family is from the same area of Missouri as my family. My maternal grandfather’s sister married into the Schnurbusch family. I’m not saying we are long lost relatives… But it was fun to have so much in common with someone I met at a conference in Chicago with thousands of people attending from all over the world. What are the odds?

Finding friends at the 2024 Radiology Society of North America conference Finding friends at the 2024 Radiology Society of North America conference

It’s all about making friends.

I think when it comes to networking, many of us make it more complicated than necessary. It’s true that some folks do it with an agenda. I think we all do  that to a degree. When done with humility and sincerity, it’s simply about making friends. I don’t know if I will be able to help them in the future. I just know that I’m a little bit richer for meeting them. And I think that is a great way to approach business networking opportunities.

Finding friends at the 2024 Radiology Society of North America conference Finding friends at the 2024 Radiology Society of North America conference

2024 property tax reductions we achieved for our clients

By Eric Owens, Director at Swartz and Associates

2024 reductions we achieved for our clientsWhat do we define as success for our company? At the end of the day our main purpose as a property tax consultant is to save our clients money through the reduction in real estate tax dollars.

While the savings are the end result as a property tax consultant, we are solely focused on the valuation put in place on a commercial property. When that property is over-valued by an assessor, then that is when our services are needed to help find a solution to the valuation problem.

Some people aren’t aware of the numbers we are talking about. So we thought it would be a good idea to share some of the successes we had in 2024, including how much we were able to save our clients.

Below are some of the reductions we achieved for our clients in 2024:

Big Box Retail – Wisconsin – $10,100,000 Value Reduction – $135,000 Real Estate Tax Savings
Industrial Warehouse – Wisconsin – $4,200,000 Value Reduction – $102,000 Real Estate Tax Savings
Multi-tenant Office – Iowa – $8,000,000 Value Reduction – $350,000 Real Estate Tax Savings
Single-tenant Office – Iowa – $5,300,000 Value Reduction – $143,000 Real Estate Tax Savings
Multi-tenant Retail – Iowa – $15,300,000 Value Reduction – $470,000 Real Estate Tax Savings
Apartments – Missouri – $7,900,000 Value Reduction – $120,000 Real Estate Tax Savings
Apartments – Missouri – $5,800,000 Value Reduction – $82,000 Real Estate Tax Savings
Big Box Retail – Ohio – $2,700,000 Value Reduction – $75,000 Real Estate Tax Savings
Special-Use Property – Kansas – $5,200,000 Value Reduction – $130,000 Real Estate Tax Savings
Big Box Retail – North Carolina – $8,800,000 Value Reduction – $98,000 Real Estate Tax Savings
Single – tenant Office – Iowa – $5,400,000 Value Reduction – $153,000 Real Estate Tax Savings

As a company, we are looking forward to 2025 and continuing to provide successful results for our valued clients.

If you or someone you know is interested in having us review and appeal real and business personal property tax valuations, please give us a call.

KC Holiday Boutique and The Coveted Parking Pass

By Katy True, Operations Manager at Swartz and Associates

KC Holiday Boutique and The Coveted Parking PassOne of the many things I appreciate about the Swartz + Associates, Inc. office is the fantastic location. We are on College Boulevard, right in the heart of Johnson County, KS, next to the Overland Park Convention Center (OPCC). This prime spot comes with a wonderful perk: we receive coveted parking passes for the KC Holiday Boutique held at the OPCC!

If you weren’t aware, the KC Holiday Boutique is a festive marketplace where attendees can shop for holiday gifts, see works from local artisans, experience inspiring holiday displays, and much more! The KC Holiday Boutique has been a tradition since 2011 where it is estimated more than 45,000 people explore over 350 vendors of which about 60% are local. It’s a shopping experience for sure, but there are tons of things to do for family and friends. And yes, since thousands of people show up for this event, parking can be a real problem.

KC Holiday Boutique and The Coveted Parking PassA highlight for me is taking the Friday afternoon off during the KC Holiday Boutique to enjoy shopping with my friends. This year’s parking pass was hot pink. Thanks to our parking pass, we didn’t have to worry about our car being towed. This might seem trivial, but just ask the shoppers who came out with loads of Christmas gifts, bags hanging on both arms, only to see that their car is no longer where they left it!!! Yikes. I understand why it might be tempting to park in our lot – it is conveniently close to the OPCC and often has plenty of open spaces. However, throughout the day, tow trucks were continuously circling the area, and unfortunately, several cars were towed.

What truly makes the KC Holiday Boutique special is the lively atmosphere. The energy of the crowd, eager to explore the latest trends, discover unique gifts, and enjoy the holiday spirit. For me, one of the best parts is spending quality time with friends as we navigate the bustling aisles, share laughs, and make memories. The blend of lively crowds, festive decorations, and the change to support local businesses creates a wonderful experience that I look forward to every year. Being located right next to the Overland Park Convention Center is just another perk of working at Swartz + Associates!

The Swartz Report: A Recap of 2024

By Donald Swartz, President

As the holiday season and the year comes to an end, I reviewed my blog from December of 2023 and thought I would reflect on whether we have in fact, moved forward.

On the Personal Side

The Swartz Report: A Recap of 2024 With Personal and Professional UpdatesFrom a personal standpoint, we definitely stepped outside the box, heading out of town during the Christmas week to Nashville with our children. The last time the four of us were in Nashville, Aaron was competing in the Elementary School National Chess Championships at the Gaylord Opryland Resort (over 15 years ago!!!)

We went back to visit The Gaylord and also visited many of the Nashville sites including Broadway Street, The Country Music Hall of Fame, the National Museum of African American  Music, Belmont University, Vandy, The Listening Room and several dining establishments! It was quite the week and a great city to visit. Additionally, I experienced my first NHL game as the Predators defeated the Canes (shockingly my first game was not the Vegas Knights!! – I guess I will have to compare and contrast at some point down the road😊)

On the Business Side

From a business standpoint, last year I mentioned the phrase, “if you are not moving forward, you are moving backward.” How did we do?

We added another business developer to the Swartz team, bringing Keith Sherman to the fold in early January.

Keith has provided insight to the group on marketing ideas and has helped us establish our presence in Arkansas and the Dallas Metroplex.

Last month, David Swartz and Keith attended the Marcus Evans Tax Conference where we were scheduled to meet 10+ tax directors of various companies. We have had follow up calls with half of the companies we met and our hope is to represent their property tax interests in the 2025 year.

We are currently in the process of refining and adding elements to our database, creating more efficiencies to run a variety of reports.

The improvements will assist in our targeted emails to clients and prospects regarding reassessments, county or statewide updates and appeal deadlines. It will also allow us to navigate the tremendous amount of data we have collected over the years in a more efficient manner.

The Indurante team continues to flourish as we add more companies for the 2025 year. 

In 2024, we were able to successfully transition a large client to our “we pay all” format. In this environment, we are responsible for the timely payment of all property taxes paid to the appropriate states and/or counties. This relieves the burden of the taxpayer being responsible for tracking the multitude of deadlines to make payments. (If you are an Indurante client currently not taking advantage of this service, and would be interested in learning more, please reach out as we would be pleased to let you know how this process is implemented!)

We are hiring!

We will have a new Indurante employee scheduled to start in Mid-January and I will talk more about this employee next month. Additionally, we are currently looking for an additional member for the Swartz team as we anticipate a significant increase in work with reassessment in several states and increased portfolio sizes on the horizon.

Did we move forward in 2024? I believe the answer is a resounding YES and I look forward to an exciting 2025!

Happy New Year to everyone!!! As always, I appreciate your comments and feedback and .

The Swartz Report: You Don’t Know, What You Don’t Know… But “I Do”

By Donald Swartz, President

You Don't Know, What You Don't Know... But "I Do"It has been quite a month since my October blog and bear with me, I promise this will all come together!

  • In the past two weeks, my mother turned 86 and my father turned 93. They have been such important people in my life and have helped me grow personally and professionally. I would like to think they are responsible for my entrepreneurial spirit and my keen interest in continually connecting with people and the importance of friends and relationships.
  • Also, within the past month, we lost my father’s sister, Kay Swartz Bucksbaum. Aunt Kay was definitely the matriarch of the family and a true powerhouse in terms of community and civic involvement, the greater good and most importantly, the strong family bonds.  To get an idea of the accomplishments in her life, please click on this link – it is worth the read.
  • Karen and I recently celebrated our 34th wedding anniversary and saying “I do” to each other. How did we celebrate? We attended a wedding for the son of two of our very close friends (Karen and I actually met each other at their engagement party 😊). Talk about full circle???

You Don't Know What You Don't Know... But "I Do" You Don't Know What You Don't Know... But "I Do"
You Don't Know What You Don't Know... But "I Do" You Don't Know What You Don't Know... But "I Do"

Because we were at the wedding weekend, David Swartz and Keith Sherman attended a Marcus Evans conference in Orlando for the company. They spent a few days meeting with various tax directors and C-level employees who met with us specifically to discuss tax issues they are looking to address. I won’t go too much into the details as they have also posted about the event on LinkedIn recently. You may follow them on LinkedIn to learn more about the Tax Summit.

David Swartz: linkedin.com/in/david-swartz-chfc%C2%AE-2881626a/
Keith Sherman: linkedin.com/in/keithsherman/

“I don’t know what I don’t know”

This is a phrase they heard quite often from their meetings, and I’ve heard this exact verbiage countless times over the years. By offering possible solutions to their real and business personal property needs, we are confident we can provide the answers to “I don’t know what I don’t know”. One scheduled meeting with a Vice President of Corporate Tax, indicated we could discuss property tax issues with their Senior Indirect Tax Analyst. This analyst turned out to be someone we had previously worked with for over 15 years before moving to their current position with a different company. We believe there is a strong possibility of earning this new client and their business. You don’t know what you don’t know!!!

Okay, okay – How do we wrap this together??

EASY – Family First, always!! Take care of family and friends and things tend to work themselves out. We celebrate birthdays; we mourn the loss of loved ones; we participate in celebrations with dear friends (which in this case, allowed my brother and Keith to connect and expand business relationships). Transparency and vulnerability build trust and relationships – both personal and professional. Never has it been so apparent than the last 30 days.

Wishing everyone a peaceful and Happy Thanksgiving. Be sure to give thanks for the people that you get to celebrate the holidays with. I know I will!

The Swartz Report: Planning Meetings!

By Donald Swartz, President

The Swartz Report: Planning Meetings!Recently, we completed our annual fall planning meetings for both Swartz + Associates, Inc. and Indurante & Associates, Inc. I always look forward to these meetings as we look back on the successes (and challenges) over the past year and what we can do to continue to make a difference for our clients and operate as successful companies.

Resolving Appeals

2024 has been challenging in ways I have not experienced in most of my working career. While our pipeline is full and caseload is significant, the ability to resolve appeals from prior years, some dating back to 2020, remains tricky. Many of the appeals are backlogged at the respective State courts as hearing officers and judges are playing catch up from the pandemic. As the courts shut down for several months and/or years, the cases to be heard lay in waiting. It is difficult to discuss a 2023 or 2024 case when the jurisdiction is stilling trying to work through appeals in years prior.

Luckily, our clients are patient and understand the “long game” that has become necessary in an effort to achieve success.

Our employees with each company understand this and I am very appreciative of their patience as well. With this backdrop, our meetings were candid, engaging and as usual, a few excellent ideas were developed. It will be up to all of us to implement the strategies discussed and I am as excited as ever for the upcoming year.

Reimagining Existing Ideas and Plans

Jason Terry - Blue GurusWhile we always want to grow our business, sometimes reimagining existing ideas and plans can be our most effective tool. Jason Terry, the “guru” of Blue Gurus led Swartz + Associates in a detailed two hour discussion of how to expertly manage and efficiently use data we already have in our possession; how to implement the tools we have in our possession to make us better and how to expand our reach.

In Las Vegas, the conversations were similar to what I described above and additionally, continue to find ways to efficiently handle the amount of data we collect on an annual basis from our clients.

As with most companies, change is a constant.

We will be without two employees as of year-end who have been with our respective companies for several years. They will be difficult to replace, but I am excited to present these opportunities to a new skill set with fresh ideas, fresh eyes and a fresh beginning. All of our managers and directors remain in place and are enthusiastically accepting the challenge of “what’s next?” What’s next in terms of employees, what’s next in our pursuit of clients, what’s next in succeeding for our clients and what’s next in our world of technology.

I am very excited to see what’s next for Swartz and Indurante and cannot wait to share our stories for the 2025 year.
Don

The Swartz Report: “LIVE, AND IN PERSON”

By Donald Swartz, President

As you may have read in an earlier posting on LinkedIn, David Swartz, Keith Sherman and I recently attended the 25th anniversary conference of TOMA (Theatre Owners of Mid-America). I was fortunate to be asked to participate in a panel discussion during the conference, and was very pleased to be a part of this. Along with Jason Roos, of Valbridge Property Advisors and Alicia Grant, legal counsel with Norton Rose Fulbright, we covered the topic of property taxes (both real estate and business personal property) and the nuances associated with the valuation of theaters.

Having worked with both Jason and Alicia on property tax matters, I felt a comfort level and ease of “back and forth” that you don’t always see in panel discussions. They made this very easy and with our moderator, Mike Hagan of B&B Theatres leading the discussion, I’ve never had an hour move so quickly talking about property taxes. 😊

More importantly, the conference reinforced my belief in the value of meeting with people face to face.

While we have become comfortable with Teams, Zoom, Google Meet and others, there is no substitute for personal interaction. The side bars after presentations; the casual conversations in the halls before the next session; cocktail receptions and evening activities… These simply cannot be replicated on virtual platforms. I am still a big fan of virtual meetings as we conduct at least two each week between my Swartz office and the Indurante team. “Seeing” everyone is much better than the conference calls I was initially introduced to in the 1980s and 90s. Technology has made the world a much smaller place, but the opportunity for live, in-person interaction is the best.

Hopefully, we will have the opportunity to prove this interaction as David and Keith will be attending a Tax Summit this November in Orlando. Presented by Marcus Evans, we will be one of approximately 30 vendors scheduled to have 1:1 in person meetings with at least 12 companies interested in learning more about our business and the world of property taxes. This is a major step outside of my comfort zone, and I am excited to see the benefits. (You may be reading about this in my November or December blog post!)

As we get ready for the last quarter of the year, we are already preparing for 2025.

The Swartz Report: “LIVE, AND IN PERSON”Our Swartz planning meeting will take place in Kansas City in Mid-October, followed by our Indurante planning meeting the next week in Las Vegas. This allows us the opportunity to openly discuss what went right, what needs improvement and how we may continue to be efficient and responsive to our existing and prospective clients. I always look forward to these meetings, as I know opinions and suggestions are free flowing.

Throw in meaningful fall baseball with the Royals and I just don’t know what to do with myself! Believe me, I will try to figure it out…

As always, I appreciate your comments and feedback. Please reach me at or

Happy Fall to everyone!