Which of the countries in Central Europe is the easiest to build warehouses in? Which is the most difficult?

Poland. It's a more advanced country, we know a lot about it, we have been here for the longest time, we have the most resources. The Czech Republic is the most difficult right now because of the land restraints and the permit process.

In your opinion is there still a big demand for warehouse/industrial space in Eastern Europe ?

There is an amazingly large amount of demand. We are very busy doing a lot of the work all over Central Europe. Our main focus right now and where we see the most demand is in the south of Poland, especially around Katowice and Wroclaw.

What's the most unusual product that has been stored in one of your warehouses?  The weirdest thing left behind?

Its all been pretty traditional, but the strangest request we ever had was in Germany and somebody wanted to hold a wedding  in one of our facilities. They wanted to rent it for two days to have a wedding. We refused of course: we don't do weddings. Weirdest thing left behind - a client left behind six or seven pallets of chocolate milk (expired of course), but they weren't involved in that type of biz so we didn't understand that.

If you could live anybody's life for a week, who would it be?

Living person, Al Pacino. Dead person Karl Marx, he almost got it right, but there are a few things I could teach him.

You lived in China, how long?

On & off for nine months. I set up the ProLogis office there.

What is your favorite memory from there?

We were in a small town in China, very hungry and trying to order in a restaurant where the only menu was in Chinese and no one spoke English. The only way we could eat was to walk around from table to table with the waitress pointing at food we liked, not knowing what it was. So it was basically point and eat. About two years ago I was given the option to live in Shanghai or Warsaw, and I actually chose Warsaw.

Why?

Shanghai is a great place  to work , it's one of the more interesting cities in the world  the most dynamic, 24/7 cities in the world. But Warsaw is probably still a better city to live, in terms of quality of life, good people.

Which country has been your favorite to live in?

I have lived in the USA, Belgium, the Netherlands, Hungary, Poland, China. The most interesting country was Hungary/Budapest between 1992-95, that was when a lot of changes were taking place so a lot of change. There was a lot of excitement in a very short period of time and plus it's very beautiful…

What do you miss the most about USA?

I miss the ability to have a nice car, the beach, the lifestyle.

The least?

What I miss the least is the lack of culture.

Do you feel the Internet has made your job easier or more difficult?

The whole Internet and the IT revolution makes your job easier for getting information faster and it enables you to respond to questions easier. But it also enables people to shun responsibility, because they can send an email out & they consider the job done. People say, 'Oh I sent an email requesting something, therefore it's done." Traditionally, many many years ago, when they wanted an answer they had to actually ask you. So I spend a large portion of my day calling people. I much prefer to call people than send them an email. Seeing them face to face is always the best way.

Do you think the internet is addictive?

Highly addictive, as are Blackberries.

Do you have any tattoos?

Two. I have my university tattoo on my ankle, and on my left shoulder there's a Maneki - the Japanese good luck cat.

Do you want any more?

Hanuman, the Hindu monkey god of protection.

Any piercings?

Left ear.

What can you tell me about yourself that would surprise me?

I dropped out of school when I was 16 , between 16 & 17 I worked, I just wanted to work, I worked as a gardener/landscaper for a real estate company.

If you were stranded on a deserted island, what  would you want to have?

The complete works of the Grateful Dead.

Have you ever seen them live?

Many times. It's the same as with Bob Dylan concerts - you don't go there only for the music. Their best music was produced in the studios. There's a really good biography on the Grateful Dead written by one of their tour managers. He said that every one of their concerts was like jumping off of a cliff: either you soared or you crashed and you were picking rocks out of your teeth. So some of the concerts were great and other ones were good, but it was more the whole atmosphere that you went there for.

So did you own a pair of bellbottoms, love beads and have really long hair?

I did have long hair.

Do you have any pets?

I had two cats but they ran away or were catnapped when we moved here. I plan on getting 2 more.

If cats and dogs didn't have fur would you still pet them?

No.