CRE Insight Journal Issue 3

COMMERCIAL REAL ESTATE

OFFICIAL PUBLICATION OF THE BUILDING OWNERS AND MANAGERS ASSOCIATION OF GEORGIA

JOURNAL

Issue 3, 2021

The Rise and Growth of Industrial Real Estate

by Natalie Tyler-Martin Page 20

The Evolving Community Manager Role Page 06

Behind the Curtain: Increased Tenant Transparency page 27

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Contents

The Commercial Real Estate Insight Journal is published for:

ISSUE 3 , 2021

BOMA Georgia 5901 Peachtree Dunwoody Rd, NE Suite C-300 Atlanta, GA 30328 (404) 475-9980 info@bomageorgia.org www.bomageorgia.org www.bomalegacy.org www.bomageorgiafoundation.org www.creinsightjournal.com

06 The Evolving Community Manager Role

by Jennifer (Ortiz) Fierro, Zeller

10 Preparing for Flu Season in 2021

by Krystle Johnson MSN, RN, CIC, Emory Healthcare

12 Bringing Technology to the Tenant Experience: The CODA Building

by Jacob Ruppel, Portman Management

16 Attracting Talent and Tenants in the “Multiverse of Work”

by Phil Mobley, Avison Young

20 The Rise and Growth of Industrial Real Estate

Editor-in-Chief: Gabriel Eckert, CAE, FASAE geckert@bomageorgia.org

by Natalie Tyler-Martin, Duke Realty

Executive Editor: Jacob Wilder, CAE jwilder@bomageorgia.org

24 Filtered Thoughts: Basics for Indoor Air Quality

Managing Editor: Molly Looman mlooman@bomageorgia.org

by Kevin Delahunt, BGE Clean Air, National Air Filtration Association

26 Behind the Curtain: Challenges and Opportunities with Increased Tenant Transparency

by Scott Baker, Baker Engineering

28 The Great Outdoors: The New Age for Commercial Outdoor Space

by Dusty Muck, Rubbermaid Commercial Products

31 Introducing the BOMA Georgia Foundation Leadership Society 32 Legislation and Construction Costs

by Katie Roberts, FiveAsh Stanley

34 Allied Member Service Directory 37 Advertisers on the Web 38 Exploring the Modern Tenant Experience

by Ashley Simien, Cousins Properties

The Wyman Company Advertising Representatives: Chris Chiccarello chrisc@thewymancompany.com Justin Olson jolson@thewymancompany.com Holly Patterson hpatterson@thewymancompany.com Katie White kwhite@thewymancompany.com

2021 BOMA GEORGIA OFFICERS President: Natalie Tyler-Martin, RPA President-Elect: Amanda J. Madrid, RPA, LEED GA, FMA Vice President: Laurie Harper Immediate Past President: Russell Copeland DIRECTORS Michael Knox, SMA, SMT, LEED GA Trace Blackmore, CWT, LEED AP Jess Moore Carla Moule Jennifer Corbitt Trenton Patterson Hal Moore Jack Kennedy Chonte’ Martin Grace Meyers, RPA INDUSTRY INSIGHT COMMITTEE Patrick Freeman, RPA, CPM, CCIM, LEED AP Stacy Abbate Scott Baker Amanda Bare Tyrone Chilcote Mike Ghinga Carrah Golightly Dannah Hagerty Michelle Hill Kinsey Hinkson, RPA, BOMI-HP

Constance Hodges Chonte’ Martin, BOMI-HP Jess L. Moore Paula Petakos Patricia Ramsey, RPA George Ridenour Brett Rockman Tom Rust Stephanie Scurlock Tammy Weeks Tiffany Wilson

Unless otherwise noted, all articles are written

by CRE Insight Journal Managing Editor Molly Looman © BOMA Georgia 2021

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5

Tenant Communication, Workforce Development

The Evolving Community Manager Role

and How They are Welcoming Tenants Back to the Office By: Jennifer (Ortiz) Fierro, Zeller In property management, there are specific scenarios one can prepare for. Yearly fire drills are performed, preventative maintenance for the building is completed, and quarterly life safety meetings are held. In addition, standard operating procedures are in place with action to take in case of an emergency. However, a worldwide pandemic is something no one anticipates. While the world was focused on direction from the World Health Organization (WHO) and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), tenants quickly lean to property management teams for support in navigating this “new normal”.

Unexpected Challenges When shelter in place orders were issued, many questioned what effect this would have on the commercial real estate industry. With employees not coming into the office, what would this mean for the property management team, especially those whose roles focus on tenant services and engagement. How could we continue to provide the same level of service to tenants from a distance?

Community Engagement Manager with Zeller Adriana Bibbs said, “Learning methods to keep social connections ‘alive’ while distancing has been the most challenging task, and re-engaging tenants who have not been in an office setting for a year, has proven to be just as challenging as tenants attempt to reacclimate themselves into their new day-to-day.”

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Insight • Issue 3, 2021

With all the challenges presented, we took this as an opportunity to provide exceptional service to tenants from a distance.

Lack of supplies was an unexpected challenge for many tenants.

Stepping up to assist tenants in finding personal protective equipment such as face masks, hand sanitizers, and office desk barriers was one of our top priorities. The best kind of service one can provide to tenants is the type that can be adjusted based on the current challenges. The best solutions to these challenges required the willingness to step outside our comfort zones and find new solutions.

COMMUNICATION IS KEY We hear that ‘Communication is key in all relationships.’ In the landlord and tenant relationship, that also applies. As information from WHO and the CDC was continuously changing, property teams would have to quickly adjust cleaning protocol and building policies.

Informing tenants as soon as possible about any building-related information updates was essential to stay ahead of all potential concern’s tenants may have.

With everyone working from home, constant communication became necessary. Most tenants were coming into the office on a rotating schedule. Discovering an efficient process to communicate information with more than just the primary office contacts became a new assignment for on-site teams.

Tashe Woods, Community Engagement Manager with Cousins Properties, said “Tenant communication plays the largest role in my daily responsibilities. -- We believe that consistent and clear communication is the key to building relationships at our properties.

We use our customer app to communicate construction updates, building events, neighborhood news, property announcements, restaurant & retail advertisements, COVID-19 changes, amenities updates, and more.”

The frequency and method by which the information was distributed changed dependent on the information shared. We always wanted to make sure tenants were comfortable and aware of what was happening at the office building, even if they were not physically present.

Surveys were an essential tool when addressing tenant concerns.

This involved taking a list of possible most common questions or concerns and outlining them in a survey to better understand a tenant’s level of comfort, needs, and intentions to return to the office.

Surveys allowed the property management team to prepare well ahead for tenants’ return. Surveys also gave tenants the opportunity to share their input on the satisfaction of services.

Changes to the roles The tenant service coordinator role is an outward-facing position of the property management team. It is primarily driven by interaction with tenants and focuses on creating exceptional experiences for employees at work. While there was a decline in day-to-day inquiries and tenant front tasks, the work did not stop.

“While tenants worked from home, we capitalized on the opportunity to complete construction projects, make upgrades to our buildings, and brainstorm innovative value-add programming,” Woods said. “We wanted our tenants to return to a refreshed environment with new amenities, enhanced HVAC, safer co-working spaces, contactless navigation, increased cleaning methods, and unique & safe social engagements.”

A typical day prior to the pandemic would consist of a tenant driving into the parking garage, walking through the building lobby greeted by the security team, and walking fast to catch the next elevator.

Lunchtime rolls around, and they head to the building fitness center for a quick workout and then grab lunch at the café before heading up back upstairs to finish the rest of their workday. All of these are building services provided to a tenant daily. How can we continue to offer the same services to tenants as they return to office?

Services have also expanded, and many tenant service coordinators are beginning to fulfill new roles to ensure a positive tenant experience.

“Our tenant service coordinator position has gotten more creative in order to stay in front of the tenants,” Anita Scarborough with Lincoln Property Company said. “One of the services we provide to the tenants is notarizing documents. I am a notary, but since I am often at different sites, the TSC recently got his notary so he could fill that duty when I am not in the office.”

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7

Tenant Communication, Workforce Development Tenant needs have not changed, they have just evolved. As tenants begin to return to their spaces, they know they will not be walking into the same building they left 16 months ago. It has become a mission to find solutions that allow tenants to return to a building operating as prior, but still addressing their new concerns.

Researching new cleaning policies, new technology for amenity centers, and staying up to date with CDC recommendations have been the most significant changes in tenant service roles.

Scarborough said this adaptive training is imperative to ensuring proper communication and a safe return to office.

“Adapting, adapting, adapting. Our role changes constantly and no two days are ever the same. Providing trained and responsive staff to respond to tenants comfort and needs timely is our ultimate goal,” Scarborough said.

As most people have been working from the comfort of their own home the past year and a half, enjoying commute-free mornings and the flexibility to work from pretty much anywhere, shifting employees back into the office has become a top priority for employers. It has proven to be a challenging task. Especially for tenants who are still allowing employees to come voluntarily. How do we make employees want to come into the office? By addressing tenants’ comfort, incentives and providing services that a tenant cannot receive at home.

Woods mentions her building uses a tenant app to inform tenants on building improvements and information on partnerships such as Copiana and Bee Downtown to launch sustainable, outdoor teambuilding activations, enticing them to return to the office for social connections.

Tenant needs have not changed, they have just evolved. As tenants begin to return to their spaces, they know they will not be walking into the same building they left 16 months ago.

Return to Work Many tenants expressed similar concerns at the start of the pandemic: “Is the building remaining open?” “What are some of the precautions we are taking to ensure tenants are safe?” As tenants prepare to return to the office, Woods said they were often asked what they were doing to make the building safe for return. This is the number one question many in the CRE industry have received.

Virtual town hall meetings for tenants are a great way to connect with tenants and further understand their return to office plans, schedules, and objectives. It gives the property management teams a chance to answer just ‘what is being done to make the building safe for return.’

As tenants return to the office, we are treating it as a new tenant moving in, welcoming them to the building. Having a standard return to office handbook with common questions or concerns regarding building hours, cleaning procedures, air filtration, amenity updates, and updated forms can help for a smooth transition. The town hall meeting is also a perfect opportunity to roll out any new building policies and remind tenants of the building procedures in place.

“Whether it is an odd smell and a sighting of ants, I find that addressing a concern quickly, and in person, when possible, the landlord/tenant relationships grows. The tenants know we care, and we will do what is needed to find a resolution,” Scarborough said.

With preparing for tenants to return to work, it is important to communicate that the property team is keeping their main question in mind.

“Our tenants can comfortably return to the office knowing that we have increased our disinfecting/air quality & standard cleaning protocols, configured common workspaces to allow for social distancing, and follow the latest CDC guidelines for commercial offices.” Woods said.

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Insight • Issue 3, 2021

“The efforts being made to excite tenants’ return to office have been challenging. As we navigate through the ‘new normal,’ many tenants are attempting to return to work with a completely new mindset and work environment,” Bibbs said. “Although incentives help to ease the worry of returning to office, reengaging tenants’ employees include planning events that cater to re-socializing employees and allowing them to experience life outside of the office.”

What is the future of any Tenant Service Role?

The pandemic showed just how essential the landlord and tenant relationship are. Tenant service coordinators, community engagement managers, and building concierges are primary roles in enhancing daily tenant experiences. Making the office appealing to employees is becoming a motivator when decision-makers are choosing a location to office out of. As the commercial real estate industry is focused on engaging tenants to return to the office, there could be an increase in demand for tenant service-focused roles for property management teams.

About the Author Jennifer (Ortiz) Fierro has been a Tenant Service Coordinator for Zeller for 2 years. She began her career in real estate six years ago in residential real estate management. She transitioned into commercial real estate in 2019. She has been and member of BOMA Georgia for the last year and half.

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Tools for Making Tenants Feel Safe and Welcome

In this video, Kinsey Hinkson with Granite Properties explains the tactics her organization has used to make tenants feel safe returning to the building.

By using honesty and research, property managers can ensure that their tenants understand all of the protocols and processes involved with re-entry.

Understanding Tenant Apprehension in the Return to Office

Some tenants are ready to return while others may have a few apprehensions about the building, their office and their coworkers. In this video, Kinsey Hinkson with Granite Properties discusses how to be compassionate to those needs and how to make your tenants feel comfortable returning to your building.

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9

Wellbeing

Preparing for Flu Season in 2021 By: Krystle Johnson MSN, RN, CIC Emory Healthcare

What is Influenza?

Influenza (flu) is a contagious respiratory illness caused by the influenza virus and it can infect the nose, throat, and lungs. People can suffer from a mild to severe case of the flu and complications from the flu can in some cases lead to death. Those individuals at a higher risk for complications from the flu include adults over the age of 65 years, pregnant women, young children, individuals who are immune compromised and those with underlying medical conditions, such as, heart disease, lung disease, diabetes, and kidney disease (6).

Flu (3)

Symptoms of the flu can be similar to symptoms of COVID and the common cold. Below you will find symptoms for influenza compared to COVID and the common cold (it is important to note, with any of the below you may not experience all the listed symptoms, or you may have a symptom that is not listed):

COVID-19 (4)

Cold (5)

Fever Cough

Fever Cough

Fever (unusual) Cough

Sore Throat

Sore Throat

Sore Throat

Runny or Stuffy Nose

Runny or Stuffy Nose

Runny or Stuffy Nose

Muscle or body aches

Muscle or body aches

Watery Eyes

Headaches

Headaches

Post Nasal Drip

Fatigue

Fatigue Nausea or Vomiting Diarrhea Loss of smell or taste

Is flu still important?

The answer is YES! The flu is still very important to consider and plan for. The CDC (Centers for Disease Control) estimated that during the 2019-2020 influenza season that there were approximately 38 million illnesses, 18 million medical visits, 405,000 hospitalizations, and 22,000 deaths (1). I hear you saying ok, but what about last year when no one had the flu? Well in 2020, there was a decline in influenza cases in the U.S. due to the 3 W’s (washing your hands,

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Insight • Issue 3, 2021

watching your distance, and wearing your mask) that were encouraged for protection from COVID. Once this guidance is no longer strictly adhered to, you will begin to see influenza and other respiratory illnesses in the community become more prevalent.

How do I prepare for the flu season?

Preparing for the coming Flu season will also maintain your preparedness for COVID and the common cold. The following are the top ways to prepare for what lies ahead (2):

1. Encourage vaccination.

a. Vaccination is the best way to prevent the flu.

b. Hold a flu vaccine clinic.

i. When holding a flu vaccine clinic besure to follow the most up to date CDC guidance on masking and social distancing for COVID.

2. Encourage respiratory etiquette and frequent hand hygiene. a. Cover your cough and sneezes.

b. Washing hands with soap and water for at least 20 seconds when hands are visibly soiled, before eating and after using the restroom.

Otherwise, encourage staff to use alcohol based hand sanitizer that contains at least 60% alcohol.

3. Purchase supplies.

a. Ensure you have tissues, masks, soap, alcohol based hand sanitizer, and environmental disinfectants available. b. If you have a respiratory etiquette station, ensure you have a trash can nearby and hand sanitizer.

4. Create a plan for frequent disinfection of high touch surfaces.

a. Elevator buttons, door knobs, light switches, shared work stations, lunch rooms, etc.

5. Review sick leave and work from home policies. a. Sick employees should stay home, or if they become ill at work they should be asked to go home until they are well.

i. The CDC recommends being 24 hours fever free, off of fever reducing medication, such as Tylenol and Ibuprofen, before returning to work. b. Consider making them flexible. c. Ensure employees know the process to follow when they or a family member are home sick with a respiratory virus.

i. This can include flu, influenza like illness (ILI), COVID, etc.

ii. Who do they notify, is it a paid absence, when can they return, etc.? d. During flu season can some employee’s transition back to working remotely if they have returned to the office?

6. Ensure you have a way to receive your local influenza, ILI and COVID case rates.

a. This will help prepare for staffing- if you have high rates in your community, it is likely that your business, either staff or customers, will be affected. b. If you are unsure on where to receive this data, connect with your local health department or refer to the CDC website.

www.bomageorgia.org • www.creinsightjournal.com

11

Tenant Experience, Technology

Bringing Technology to the Tenant Experience The CODA Building By: Jacob Ruppel, Portman Management When it comes to the topic of tenant experience, CODA is doing something a little different. John Portman Jr. believed in the ideas of collaboration and innovation. John Portman and Associates designed a building based solely on those two principles. The roughly 700,000 sq ft. office building located at 756 West Peachtree St. brings something to our tenants they have never seen before.

Our collaborative core is 17 floors of common area connected by a stunning continuous spiral staircase which tenants can travel from floor to floor. Broken into six different “neighborhoods,” the core offers unique and vibrant spaces to work, play, or relax. Our customers have taken exceedingly well to this space.

Portman wanted to forge an environment to inspire creativity through collaboration. This collaboration happens when all parties can openly share ideas, which happens best when everyone is relaxed.

We designed spaces where the comforts of home are here in the workplace. We made it a more natural habitat for our tenants in every way possible, understanding that everyone is different. The various types of work/break areas mirror our uniqueness and allow everyone to find their home in space in CODA. You can see on a walk through of CODA tenants are gathered around a whiteboard to solve X in an equation filling the entire board. On another floor, a group of co-workers breaking bread with members from another company, all enjoying a bite from one of our restaurants in the Collective Food Hall. And still, on another floor, you can find your solo habitants taking a minute to get away from it all and take in the incredible view of Georgia Tech Campus from 20 stories above street level.

Scenes such as exciting, dynamic spaces (the swings on the 9th floor) and inviting niches (the banquet cubes on the 12th floor) create this nurturing environment for people to come together.

The second principle is innovation. We wanted to do something that has never been done before and encourages others to do the same.

Since the beginning, Portman held conversations with our anchor tenant, Georgia Institute of Technology, about energy efficiency in an office building. The bridging of a tech-forward clientele and a Platinum energy-rated office building began to emerge. With the combination of new, state-of-the-art technology and time-tested energy practices, Portman created a one-of-a-kind building that can finally provide the data necessary for our tenants to push forward into the ever-growing effort to save energy.

The idea was a single pane of glass. We desired more intelligent control and management over our assets and facilities, but we wanted to do this through one platform. This approach is where the Hepta team and their EntroCim product came into play. We applied the same principles they created for data centers around the country.

Hepta created a first-of-its-kind software solution providing facility stakeholders with all the information they need to ensure the safe, optimized operation of the most critical aspects of our property.

EntroCim is not new technology, and Hepta has been growing it for a while now. We use this analytical platform to control our building systems and provide a customer portal where the building tenants can see energy consumption and building operations. This technology provided what CODA needed for the relationship and insight our tenants wanted. They can view space conditions and complex equipment operations for research purposes.

The idea is to promote community energy by designing fixed and fluid spaces that create synergies between academia and professionals through every square inch of CODA. 12

Insight • Issue 3, 2021

World’s largest spiral staircase at the CODA building. Credit :Portman Management Chilled beams and hydronic heating and cooling are some of the time-tested technologies used in the CODA building and are still considered one of the most efficient and consistent ways of controlling space temp. Sensors and pump modules (a package consisting of a pump, a VFD, and an actuating valve package) are used to sample and measure tenant areas then fed into the algorithm that decides what temperature water is required to heat or cool.

Pack this technology in with the two heat recovery Chillers, which recover energy from the condenser to heat the building and, the 4 DOAS (dedicated outside air systems) that provide 100% fresh and conditioned outside air while also recovering heat from the building; CODA delivers a safer and more comfortable environment to our customers.

CODA provides several sources of green energy to our customers, as well. We use reclamation heat from DataBank (the 80,000 square feet of highperformance computing space/data center) and a groundwater/rainwater reclamation system providing water to our landscaping and cooling towers.

ViewGlass’s self-tinting windows run throughout the core to minimize the solar load on the building, leading to better efficiency. We also decreased our elevator footprint by 25% while maintaining the same conveyance capacity and transporting 40% more passengers. Less elevator space equals more leasable space for tenants. We utilize the nation’s first TWIN passenger elevator system with two independent cars, one on top of the other, in one shaft. It also lets you introduce brand-new traffic concepts while setting a new standard in high performance.

Our tenants can feel cozy and contented, allowing them to worry less and innovate more.

This new take on an office building stirs the creative juices in our cohabitants and drives for prosperous effects in work and wellbeing. And when all that brainpower needs refueling, CODA has that covered as well.

Article Continued on Page 14

www.bomageorgia.org • www.creinsightjournal.com

13

Our chef-driven food hall, the Collective, is open to the public and quells even the pickiest of appetites! Your options span from Aviva’s homemade Mediterranean cuisine to Poke Burri’s inventive sushi, and Burro Pollo’s ceviches and cervezas to SmoQue Burger’s BBQ-inspired patties. Live Wire Coffee is there with a quick yet custom-made boost for a morning jump-start or the afternoon pick me up with caffeine or cake. When it is quiting’ time, grab a crafted cocktail coupled with a science experiment at By Weight and Measure, the new techniquedriven cocktail bar in Atlanta. You can also wind down on Fridays with live music in the plaza and movie nights on the roof during the warmer seasons.

The Portman team strives to facilitate the best workspace in Atlanta.

We hone our exceptional standards in service, making use of the technologically advanced Class T building and the home-feel environment to provide the best customer experience. The key to the future of tenant experiences is resilience and flexibility while maintaining the successful mantra of tenant-first. Here at CODA, we are on the first line in the new age of the workplace, leading the way to healthier and happier tenants.

About the Author Jacob Ruppel is the Assistant Chief Engineer for Portman Management Group in the CODA Tech Building. He has been with CODA from construction. He has been in the industry for close to eight years, working with Fifth Street, Regent Partners, and Cousins Properties. Ruppel is an Atlanta native and live in Marietta with his wife, and just gave birth to his first child. He enjoys music, cooking, carpentry, and the outdoors.

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BOMA Georgia is proud to promote and encourage the ENERGY STAR® ideals. ENERGY STAR® is a program of the United States Environmental Protection Agency, and it is one of the most important and impactful tools for building managers and owners. ENERGY STAR® Benchmarking is the primary program used for building energy consumption benchmarking. This benchmarking is the basis of ENERGY STAR® certifications and scores, as well as the incredibly useful Commercial Building Energy Consumption Survey (CBECS).

But how do you navigate the many resources ENERGY STAR® has to offer? What are the many benefits to working with ENERGY STAR®?

What can ENERGY STAR® do for you?

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Insight • Issue 3, 2021

This October, BOMA Georgia will release articles and videos each week covering a wide range of ENERGY STAR® topics, such as benchmarking, best practices for energy management, how to use your ENERGY STAR® Portfolio manager, and much more! These videos will aid and refresh commercial real estate professionals on the ENERGY STAR® programs.

ENERGY STAR® is an important tool in working against climate change, improving building operational efficiency and operational cost savings. This October BOMA Georgia and CRE Insight Journal is proud to work with ENERGY STAR® to promote cost efficient design, improving air quality, and protecting public health.

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15

Office, Tenant Experience

Attracting Talent and Tenants in the “Multiverse of Work”

By: Phil Mobley, Avison Young Over the past decade, users of commercial space have increasingly viewed their locations and spaces through the lens of talent optimization: Attracting it, retaining it, and getting the most out of it while at “work.” The most forward-looking companies looked at their workplaces not just as places to gather, but as a vital support system for their people.

To help their tenants deliver these high-performance, experiencefocused workplaces, building owners and managers ramped up their focus on amenities, both physical and digital. This came at a cost, of course. But in the context of competition for talent—and, by extension, lease deals—the investment was a bargain.

Or so everyone in commercial real estate thought until the COVID-19 pandemic forced most knowledge workers to retreat to their homes, many of them for a year or more. Now, some companies—especially the big tech firms who have long been at the forefront of workplace design—are selling a new twist on the workplace as a recruiting tool: The flexibility to work remotely.

Remote work is not new. According to a 2020 survey by Global Workplace Analytics (GWA), about a third of knowledge workers worked remotely at least one day per week before the pandemic.

Now, three quarters of them want to keep it up. And a Gartner study suggested that 60 percent would only consider a job that offered remote flexibility.

Has remote work rendered obsolete the kind of human-centred workplaces that cutting-edge employers have been building for the last few years? It now appears that the CRE industry will avoid the nightmare “death of the office” scenario.

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Insight • Issue 3, 2021

But the picture remains cloudy. In a systematic review of years of academic research and business data collected both before and during the pandemic, Avison Young uncovered some principles that will guide the next evolution of workplaces optimized for human performance. We call it “The Multiverse of Work.”

Why do we still need offices?

To the amazement of many, knowledge workers were quite productive at home during the pandemic. But maybe this should not have been so surprising. Academic research had already shown that, under the right circumstances, remote work could be a productivity accelerator. Ctrip, a Shanghai-based travel agency, conducted an experiment in 2013 that showed a 13% productivity gain among call center employees who started working remotely. When the company later opened the remote option to more employees, they saw an even bigger boost. They also reported higher job satisfaction and lower attrition.

But the full story is more complicated. Call center work is less complex and collaborative than most other knowledge work, not to mention easier to measure. Ctrip’s results may not be generalizable.

Furthermore, employees who worked remotely were less likely to be promoted, and when given the choice, half of them went back to the office. Other research suggests that workers spending too much time (more than about 50 percent) remote start to lose connections with co-workers and supervisors, to the detriment of performance.

Pandemic-era surveys also showed nuanced results. In the GWA survey cited above, only about one in every six knowledge workers sought to be remote every day, with the vast majority wanting the ability to go to an office at least occasionally. And according to workplace research firm Leesman, workers want to split their time roughly evenly between home (or another convenient remote location) and the office.

One reason for this is that not everyone has had as uniformly positive an experience working remotely. GWA has shown that, while 70 percent of all workers feel successful working at home, less than half of Gen-Zers (those under 25 who are currently entry-level employees) do.

Leesman’s research has revealed that these younger workers actually want more time in the office than their older counterparts. It stands to reason that a generation of workers who are more likely to live in smaller spaces with more people around them would therefore find it more difficult to create good workspaces at home.

Age is just one dimension. There are other challenges, including technology. For example, a 2020 Stanford study found that about a third of workers lack a reliable broadband connection capable of supporting video conferencing. For workers with technical challenges, unwieldy space configurations, and family or roommate distractions at home, access to an office is vital to success.

Serving the segment of workers who desperately need a dedicated workplace is not the only benefit of the office. For nearly all workers, corporate workplaces meet a broader spectrum of workplace needs far more fully than home offices can. The reasons for this are intuitive.

Reliable broadband and a quiet place to focus are workplace analogs to the basic needs for food, clothing, and shelter at the bottom of Abraham Maslow’s famed hierarchy.

Does workplace quality really matter?

In short, workers want the flexibility to work both remotely and at the office. And offices are optimal for some workers all the time and for all workers some of the time. Thus, the existence of a variety of workplaces is important. But what about the quality of those workplaces?

It turns out that quality is also crucial, both remote and at the office. According to Leesman, when workers have an inadequate home working setup—if, for example, they cannot close the door to a dedicated space, or they lack technical or ergonomic equipment—they will spend more time in the office than they might otherwise want. In that sense, a poor work environment at home pushes people to the office.

Article Continued on Page 18

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But higher-order needs for belongingness and recognition are just as important in the context of work as they are more generally. Without them, people cannot perform at their best.

Compared to a home office, a corporate workplace still offers a superior setting in which to collaborate, socialize, and to have achievements celebrated.

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Office, Tenant Experience In another sense, a great office can also pull people in. In Leesman’s analysis of one organization’s different locations, they found that those working at the high-performing office (as measured by their proprietary Leesman Index) wanted to spend most of their workdays there. By contrast, those relegated to the low-performing office wanted to work remotely more often than not.

What will life in the Multiverse look like?

What will this look like for knowledge workers? There is certainly no single answer. Companies in different industries will have different answers, and those competing in the same industry will doubtless experiment with various workplace models to attract talented workers.

But we can already place bets on some consistent themes that are likely to emerge.

First is a renewed focus on wellness. In the post-pandemic world, this will have many aspects, from air quality to mental health to surface cleaning to ergonomics. As just one data point, consider Herman Miller’s finding that 85 percent of people are experiencing at least some physical discomfort while working remotely! Long after COVID protocols have receded, the importance of wellness in the workplace will remain.

A second theme is workplaces fit more for the purpose of collaborative work, rather than simply a place to warehouse people doing individual tasks. The key word is choice, which here applies not only to where and when to come to the office, but also how to work once there. The best offices will offer a variety of work modes within the space (through, for example, providing various “neighborhoods”).

Importantly, purpose-built offices must still include dedicated space for focus work! It may be true enough that not everyone will need an assigned desk. Yet even if intentional collaboration will be the main reason for coming to the office, people still need spaces to detach, if only for a short amount of time. Neglecting this need will sabotage any office.

The rise of various flexible office solutions will be a third hallmark of the Multiverse. Many tenants will try to reduce their footprints to optimize for a smaller number of every-day attendees at the office.

But managing the ebbs and flows will be a huge challenge, and landlords that offer flexible suites or coworking areas onsite or nearby could be at an advantage.

The suburbs could be another opportunity for flex offerings to flourish.

As noted above, some workers need an office more frequently than others, but they may still want to avoid a soul-crushing daily commute. Companies that support these workers with flexible nearhome solutions will be well positioned to retain them.

Finally, expect an accelerated focus on PropTech. Making the most out of future workplaces will require technology to manage and measure access, utilization, and health. And the need for clear, seamless communication between building owners/operators and occupants has never been more apparent. These areas represent opportunities for tighter collaboration between landlords and their customers, possibly including sharing both data and the cost of implementation.

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Insight • Issue 3, 2021

The future world of knowledge work will be far more expansive than most people imagined just a few years ago. It will align not only with worker preferences for flexibility, but also with better results through optimal human performance. The solutions will be complex. But companies and buildings that execute it well will reap the reward of attracting the best and brightest to their spaces.

About the Author Phil Mobley has served the commercial real estate (CRE) industry as a researcher and consultant for over 15 years. He specializes in providing analyses that help the industry deliver high-value workplaces for tenants, a need that continues to evolve.

As Director of US Occupier Research at Avison Young, Phil shapes and leads the firm’s approach to understanding occupiers’ businesses and their dynamic need for commercial space. His work supports multiple service lines by identifying new ways to meet both landlord and occupier client needs.

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His presentation includes research, data analytics and trend predictions about the future of commercial real estte. You can view the webinar on CRE Insight 365 at https://creinsightjournal.com/the-multiverseof-work-webinar/

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19

Industrial Real Estate

The Rise and Growth of Industrial Real Estate

By: Natalie Tyler-Martin, Duke Realty As the world stayed home and people began to reconfigure their purchasing habits; change and pressure began to meet an already-evolving industrial real estate market. Over the past several years, industrial has seen growth physically, geographically, and operationally. The sudden increase in e-commerce and supply-chain needs has only accelerated the progress and demand in the sector.

From Then to Now Industrial buildings have not only changed in size and scale, but they have also changed in purpose. No longer are our buildings just being used for product storage and distribution, but now we house regional and national office functions hosting hundreds of employees and miles of conveyor systems. With a rise in grocery and convenience item delivery, industrial properties can also take on the distributor role to individuals participating in the gig-economy rather than a delivery service. E-Grocery is expected to grow from about 10 percent of grocery sales today to 25 percent by 2025, this expansion of services has meant the spaces themselves are forced to expand.

When I first began in commercial real estate, industrial buildings were considered “large” at 300,000 square feet with 32-foot clear ceilings. Now, million square footers and 40 +-foot ceiling heights are now common.

We have also seen the accelerated introduction of robotics and automated warehouses. While the use of technology continues to evolve, during a recent survey we found that 24 percent of customers over 100,000 square feet were using high automation within their operation. Many of our customers are still using traditional methods to pick and pack but finding efficiencies through coordination of supplier networks. As technology evolves, space uses will accommodate diverse needs for new automation and robotic requirements.

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Insight • Issue 3, 2021

One of the greatest differences over the last two decades is the demand on the supply chain network. The goal of our customers is to get to their product or services to their customers as fast as possible.

To make that happen they either need to get closer to their customer or get closer to transportation nodes or ports to expedite the delivery process. This means more industrial properties need to be built, creative repurposing projects are needed and existing buildings have to be demoed, modified or expanded. Industrial vacancy rates are so low that customers have to make quick decisions to secure a space.

Land availability close to dense populations is hard to find and the entitlement process is long and expensive.

Pressing Issues We saw at the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic the necessity of a resilient supply chain. As the world reopens and organizations begin to rediscover their demand and operational needs, the existence of a resilient supply chain is even more paramount. The increased frequency of online orders and the expanding cohort of users contribute to the supply chain stressors. Pair that with a higher online return rate, it creates a system that demands flexibility and abundance.

The idea of a resilient supply chain also affects the physical design and operation of a space as well. Expanding categories to fresh food requires a new demand for freezer-cooler facilities as well as supply chain bottlenecks forcing companies to move away from just-intime production to expand inventory capacities. Consumer shopping habits were already fueling industrial growth, but the pandemic was an accelerator for many organizations to expand their supply chain networks.

Delays within the global intermodal networks have caused production disruptions and have led companies to re-establish domestic manufacturing. This is a major change from the way the sector previously operated. As demand continues to increase and the speed at which consumers would like their products continues to rise, domestic manufacturing is a foreseeable solution to this dilemma.

We have to a partner to their operations by understanding their operations to a point knowing when to call in the experts but far enough away to make sure the customer takes ownership of their short- and long-term impact on the building.

Based on a study by Duke Realty, e-commerce saw a 45 percent quarterly YoY growth and became 13.9 percent of total retail sales. Based on that growth, there is an expected incremental demand of up to 400 million square feet through 2022. This accelerated shift to e-commerce means property managers and organizations need to accelerate their exercise of solution-oriented thinking. We need to be thinking about what the retail spaces of the future will look like if we continue to see this rate of growth.

This is where strong tenant relationships are hugely beneficial. We must be a partner to our customers and their operations by understanding pain points and knowing when to call in the experts. The expectations of our customers are changing, and property teams must be ready and flexible to address new challenges and areas for growth.

Article Continued on Page 22 www.bomageorgia.org • www.creinsightjournal.com

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What the Future Holds Beyond the operations and the adaptation to the accelerated growth in e-commerce , the greatest changes in the industrial properties of the future are going to be the buildings themselves. We are going to see more industrial properties closer to more densely populated areas. Whether this is new construction or conversions of existing property types, there is going to be a need for more fulfillment centers closer to urban areas.

Where possible, buildings may get taller. A few companies have already invested in multi-story industrial buildings and as this trend shifts to support an expanded inventory, that means organizations need more space. They may begin looking up instead of around.

With land availability remaining tight, multi-story buildings may be the solution to the industrial space problem. This will be an option for customers to combat the continued demand for both space and product. It also opens more options for potentially renovating spaces into industrial properties.

The tenant-property manager relationship in the industrial sector is evolving. It is becoming more hands-on and tenant oriented. Property teams will need to strategize about staffing and culture as we shift to a new tenant experience. And with that, we must work more so as a conduit for consultants to review and evaluate both the short term and long-term impacts of our tenant’s needed modifications to the building. While also maximizing the building’s future use capacity.

Finally, we are going to see more sustainability initiatives in the industrial space. Since 2018 Duke Realty has had a dedicated focus

on ESG. In 2019 we released our first Green Bond to support the development of LEED certified buildings, understanding the opportunity for sustainability initiatives through solar, lighting and metering projects. We are also working to understand our tenant’s sustainability goals and find ways to incorporate them into building design and operations. There is a lot of potential on industrial properties from both major sustainability change and everyday environmental practice.

The industrial commercial real estate arena is on the precipice of change along with the rest of the world. It is the engine for how we shop, work and supply. As the industry continues to grow, it will be up to property managers to discover new forms of efficiency, sustainability and tenant relationship.

About the Author Natalie Tyler- Martin is VP- Regional Asset Manager with Duke Realty Corporation where she oversees the Property Management group and operations for the more than 21 million square feet industrial in Atlanta, Raleigh and Savannah. She is an active member of the Building Owners and Managers Associations (BOMA) of Georgia where she serves as President.

She is a member of Commercial Real Estate Women (CREW) of Atlanta and 2016 CREW Atlanta Leadership Class. She serves as the Board Chair for the Aerotropolis Atlanta CIDs- Airport West, on the Board of Directors for the Atlanta Aerotropolis Alliance and WellStar Atlanta Medical Center Regional Health Board.

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Insight • Issue 3, 2021

Thank you to our BOMA Georgia Foundation Donors Since the Foundation was created in 2014, it has awarded nearly 500 scholarships to individuals seeking a certificate or professional designation in real estate. The Foundation has also produced over 12 research projects and white papers, all designed to give real estate owners and managers new tools to add value to their properties.

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23

Indoor Air Quality, Tenant Experience

Filtered Thoughts Basics for Indoor Air Quality By: Kevin Delahunt, BGE Clean Air, National Air Filtration Association What a different world we live in today compared to just 18 months ago. After many years in the filtration industry, I never thought I would see the increased status that filtration plays for the safe and healthy return of occupants to the built environment. When employees, tenants, occupants, and students return to work and school they come with an increased understanding of ventilation rates, microbial size, viral transmission, and MERV. Is your staff knowledgeable on these topics and able to articulate answers to these, and other difficult questions? Educate your front-line staff on all things COVID-19 and HVAC related. Their expertise will provide the piece of mind to all who are returning that the facility management team has taken every step to provide the highest level of air quality.

During the pandemic, I have given many presentations to various industry groups and my message has been consistent; The air quality in most Class A commercial buildings is exceptional, and substantially better than your home, the mall, schools, and elderly care facilities.

And why you ask? Class A commercial buildings have the mechanical system capacities, unlike the other facilities just mentioned, to provide adequate air changes, the introduction of more outside air, the ability to humidify or dehumidify, and to filter the air to remove virus size particles at an efficient level.

What most commercial buildings fail to do is to promote the quality of their indoor air. Make the invisible visible by displaying it openly and often. How reassuring would it be to enter a building and see the quality of the indoor air displayed on a monitor, or being able to access it on a phone app? The technology exists and could easily be considered a competitive advantage for the forward-thinking facility management team. If you do not do it, someone else will, and you might not like the results!

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Insight • Issue 3, 2021

The increased awareness in filtration has seen the rise in a myriad of alternate air cleaning technologies that may, or may not, be effective in reducing the airborne concentration of the SARS CoV-2 virus.

When asked about the efficacy of these technologies my answer is constant; take care of the basics first.

When asked about the efficacy of these technologies, my answer is constant; take care of the basics first, and then if you feel you need supplemental performance, look for third-party, peer reviewed documentation on any air cleaning technology you are considering.

The basics I am referring to are the use of mechanical filter systems, especially MERV 13 and higher, found in all commercial buildings.

There are good reasons why mechanical filters are consistently used, designed, and referenced. They are rigorously tested to meet current protocols and standards and have a long history of efficacy on virussize particles. What often gets overlooked when evaluating filter performance is two equally important elements:

• The filter itself

• The holding apparatus/framework that the filter sits in.

The often forgotten holding apparatus/framework takes on more importance when filter efficiency is increased. The best value for your IAQ dollar is eliminating unfiltered air bypass. The fix is often inexpensive with the use of caulking, gasketing, duct tape and sweat.

Reach out to your air filter supplier to validate your filter systems’ integrity; the goal being 100% of the air going through the filter. It sounds easy, but I know from experience that very few systems meet this challenge.

The servicing of air filtration products has taken on a more prominent role during the pandemic due to the realization that the virus is airborne, can travel substantial distances, and can remain viable for extended periods of time. We know that a MERV 13, and higher, filter can remove virus size particles efficiently from the airstream, therefore we can assume that the filter could be contaminated with viable SARS CoV-2 virus. Having a National Air Filtration Association (NAFA) Certified Technician (NCT), or industry trained in-house staff to perform this service reduces potential risk and liability. NAFA offers the NCT program to educate on all aspects of filter service. Contact www.nafahq.org for course details. It is an excellent program that will provide safe work practices and enhance operational skill level within your organization.

An unprecedented amount of money is earmarked for the replacement, and deferred maintenance of aged HVAC equipment, not just in commercial buildings, but schools and senior care facilities.

The pandemic exposed these facilities’ HVAC systems for lack of ventilation and filtration. For many existing HVAC systems, there is little that can be done as they are physically and mechanically incapable of improving either. We can, however, address these situations at the design stage.

It requires a conscious effort to improve air filtration specifications by looking at new air filter technologies, oversizing filter banks, increasing the available depth of filter banks and adding a second filter bank that can be mobilized for an extraordinary event. Building flexibility in your next design will allow you to proactively prepare for the next pandemic or wildfire smoke event. If we start today, we will not be having this same conversation 20 years from now.

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Ventilation, Filtration, and Indoor Air Quality have been three of the most important organizational health and safety issues discussed since the pandemic began. This heightened awareness will not diminish but will become the new benchmark for indoor environments. Some of the thoughts discussed may increase energy consumption and capital spending; however, the benefits will be a healthier and more productive environment for all who live, visit, work, and play in your facilities.

About the Author Kevin Delahunt has been active in the Filtration and Indoor Air Quality industry for over 40 years.

He is a Certified Air Filtration Specialist (CAFS) from the National Air Filtration Association (NAFA) and is a life member of ASHRAE and the Building Operators Association of Canada (BOA). He is currently the vice chair of the NAFA Guidelines Committee and is the lead author for the “NAFA Guidelines for Commercial Office Buildings”. Kevin continues to serve his passion for the industry by delivering numerous educational and training presentations. www.bomageorgia.org • www.creinsightjournal.com

25

Tenant Experience, Operations & Maintenance

Behind the Curtain

Challenges and Opportunities with Increased Tenant Transparency By: Scott Baker, Baker Engineering While energy performance has been the focus for most building owners, property managers, and building engineers for many years, there is now more of a push to see this reported.

In recent years, Environmental, Social, and Governance (ESG) reporting has had a swift uptick. For commercial real estate, this means reporting on our energy, emissions, water, and waste data as well as certifications earned at our buildings. Most of the requests for this data appear to be driven by building owners for either ESG reporting or internal reporting, but we are also seeing more tenants are requesting this data. These requests tend to be from tenants that are from national and international companies who are likely now reporting their ESG data. According to a November 2020 MarketWatch article, ESG investment “now represents 33% of the $51.4 trillion in total U.S. assets under professional management.” This has increased 42% from 2018.1

CREATING THE BENCHMARK One of the most popular ESG reporting assessments, GRESB2, was launched in 2009 with a focus on the real estate sector. For the environmental portion of the assessment, the topics include energy, emissions, water, waste, and health/wellness. It covers performance using energy, water, and waste data while also tracking leading indicators that include audits and certifications for energy, water, waste, and health/wellness. While the commercial office sector is a little more streamlined for reporting this data, as main utility meters are typically invoiced to the building owner or property manager, industrial and retail buildings are more difficult to report. In many of these buildings, utilities may have triple-net leases

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Insight • Issue 3, 2021

which limit access to energy and water data for building owners. In these buildings, property teams typically ask the tenants for their energy and water data for reporting. Considering data confidentiality and availability at the local store/branch level as well as a lack of understanding as to why this is needed, this can be a difficult proposition. Given such, many property managers will pitch the data request directly to the tenant by encouraging a partnership to reduce both energy consumption and cost. They may also provide assistance in reviewing energy and water efficiency projects that can help the tenant’s bottom line while also improving the environmental performance for the building owner.

In most major cities in the United States, mandatory energy and emissions benchmarking programs have been introduced through local laws or ordinances. A map and list of these cities can be found through the Environmental Protection Agency’s website3. In addition, in June of this year, the House of Representatives passed legislation that would require public companies to disclose ESG metrics. If passed into law, this would require publicly traded companies to report on energy and emissions. All such laws and ordinances require more transparency around this environmental data, whether at the building or portfolio level. When it comes to public disclosure and reporting, the market and legislation are currently in sync.

Most of the local laws and ordinances require use of the Environmental Protection Agency’s ENERGY STAR® Portfolio Manager4 - a free online tool - to benchmark and submit energy,

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water, and emissions data. This tool takes in inputs of energy data and building characteristics including building size, hours, and occupancy data and then for eligible property types will produce a 1-100 score. This score shows a comparison of the input property against the large data set of properties used to create the scoring calculation.

Tenant Disclosure At the building level, environmental performance disclosure provides transparency for tenants to take operating expenses and building energy performance into consideration when choosing their new office location(s). For larger national or international companies, disclosure at the building level helps tenants to compare branches across their portfolio as well. In many of these markets, potential tenants need to seek out this information on their own or through their leasing agent or broker. Some cities are taking this disclosure a step further. For example, in 2018, New York City passed Local Law 335, which takes the required building emissions reporting and assigns a letter grade based on the ENERGY STAR® score mentioned above. Much like restaurant inspection scores are available to restaurant patrons, these scores are displayed at the building entrance to inform occupants of the energy performance of their building.

In a few local jurisdictions, energy and emissions benchmarking is also being used as a steppingstone towards emissions reductions.

New York City, Boston, and Washington DC have implemented legislation aimed at reducing emissions. New York City has a goal to reduce emissions by 80% by the year 2050 and puts the responsibility at the building level to meet this requirement through Local Law 97. Washington DC plans to have a 100% renewable energy grid by 2032. Boston requires a 15% emissions reduction or an energy assessment can be performed to help guide buildings towards meeting future emissions reduction requirements. As these laws and ordinances build momentum, it will require landlords and tenants to work together to reduce energy consumption and emissions as building owners, property managers, and building engineers alone cannot achieve many of these metrics.

At the portfolio level, environmental performance disclosure allows for investors to make more informed decisions if environmental, social, and governance issues are important to them .

If climate change continues to be a focal point in the market, ESG reporting will included as a normal part of our job descriptions.

The other major area of transparency right now is around health and wellness. As building occupants are returning to the office in larger numbers, many want to stay informed as to what the building owner and property management teams are doing at their buildings to ensure their health and safety. Many property managers are being proactive in their communication to tenants by discussing how they have changed operations at their buildings. Such changes might include running building systems early and late to flush them out, increasing ventilation rates to dilute air recirculated in buildings, increasing filtration MERV ratings in their systems to filter out more particulate matter, implementing new technologies targeting virus and/or bacteria in the airstream, elevator distancing, touchless features within the building, and many others. If your property has

undertaken Fitwel building certification, the Fitwel Viral Response Module, WELL Health-Safety Rating, or other wellness certification, promote this and add labels. In some cities such as Washington DC, annual indoor air quality (IAQ) testing is a requirement. If your building has performed this testing or adapted technology to add IAQ sensors into your buildings, be ready to share the results. If the data or information to be shared does not positively reflect the building, be ready to provide context in the communication.

Preparing for New Territory In addition to proactive communication, being ready to address tenant requests around wellness is a good idea. The vendors serving commercial real estate can be leaned on to help provide answers and strategies around some of the questions tenants might ask, such as “What is the air exchange rate in the building and how many CFM of outside air is my space getting?”. They may also ask about advanced filtration systems and sanitization systems; understanding some of those technologies can facilitate good discussions. Another common question is around cleaning protocols. Having information from your vendor showing how the building has addressed cleaning in tenant spaces as well as restrooms, common areas, cafes, etc. can help put tenants at ease as they are returning or planning a return to the office.

While interviewing several people within the commercial real estate industry for this article, the topic of returning to normal came up.

Specifically, what are the expectations for the future related to wellness and what impact do those have on the office spaces of today? Though the coronavirus pandemic is slowing down in the United States, many businesses are already thinking ahead to the next pandemic and developing solutions to allow for business continuity. Many of the practices implemented within commercial real estate, such as hand sanitizing, tenant cleaning, and new tenant layouts with wider spacing and more flexible space options, are expected to remain in place for the foreseeable future.

As we move forward at our properties, being transparent and proactive while navigating a shifting landscape of environmental performance and health and wellness issues will be key to meeting the needs of our building owners, property managers, building engineers, tenants, and service vendors.

References:

1. https://www.marketwatch.com/story/esg-investing-now-accounts-forone-third-of-total-u-s-assets-under-management-11605626611 2. https://gresb.com/ 3. https://www.energystar.gov/buildings/program-administrators/state-andlocal-governments/see-federal-state-and-local-benchmarking-policies 4. https://www.energystar.gov/buildings/benchmark 5. https://www1.nyc.gov/site/nycaccelerator/resources/ll33.page

About the Author Scott Baker oversees the Technical Services Department which focuses on Energy Sta Certifications, Energy Audits, Energy Modeling, Commissioning, Retro Commissioning, and LEED related engineering tasks. He has experience working with multiple rating systems including: LEED-NC, LEED-CS, LEED-CI, LEED- EBO&M, and ENERGY STAR®. Scott has more than 12 years of experience in HVAC systems design and commissioning.

Scott has a Bachelor of Science in Mechanical Engineering Degree from the Georgia Institute of Technology.

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27

Tenant Communication, Design & Construction

The Great Outdoors

The New Age of Commercial Outdoor Space

By: Dusty Muck, Rubbermaid Commercial Products

The evolution of the workspace prior to the pandemic was evolving greatly as a new generation of workers were entering the workforce.

The economy was buzzing and talent recruitment was critical in this competitive environment. The commercial real estate industry was playing a pivotal role in this process with their tenants. Properties were called on to provide the right environment to help engage the new talent entering the workforce.

The incoming generation of workers had ideas different from those of the past. Motivating factors such as pay increases and healthcare benefits were not topping new hire lists. Instead, younger employees were looking for flexibility in scheduling and working environments.

They were looking to be a part of a community and wanting to be a part of something larger than themselves.

The CRE industry responded with open floor plans, collaborative work spaces, gardens and coffee shops. When the pandemic hit, thought leaders and experts rushed to compile and understand the data and what the consequences would be for the CRE industry. Moving in to 2021 and looking at 2022, we now have a clearer understanding of what the office will look like moving forward. Talent acquisition and retention, despite a global pandemic, remain a top priority for commercial real estate professionals across the country.

A perfect example of the avant-garde is Stream Realty’s newlyconstructed property, The Interlock. The Interlock boasts of 200,000 square feet of office space coupled with retail, bars, hotel, a roof-top restaurant, and swimming pool, and even a state of the art, funky putt-putt course.

“We really come from the focal point of retail. Which means we want people to drive by and see energy. You are more likely to come back and be a part of that. The idea is, I want people out eating, drinking, having fun. We were most focused on that,” Jeff Garrison, partner with SJ Collins Enterprises said.

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Insight • Issue 3, 2021

Garrison continued,”We always promoted patios and plazas, but we couldn’t get people in Atlanta to activate and gravitate (towards) them and spend money on them and it drove me crazy. Why? It was a lot of money and Atlanta is hot and they just didn’t put enough time and effort into it and there were not enough done really well that showed them the pathway to success. What happened is, COVID-19 has opened their eyes, they’ve seen how successful you can be and with very little money, you create a very active outdoor space. One that is not too hot, because Atlanta can get too hot. But they now know how to do it.”

Tiffany Wilson, Director of Business Development, Gray Contracting, is experiencing this same change in philosophy. “Prior to the pandemic we were mainly focused on interior renovations, such as bathrooms, hallways, common areas. Now we are getting many requests for outside,” she said. “We even have very industrial spaces requesting green spaces of sort. The requests vary from awnings, benches, to lighting, and music and even food truck parking lots with eating spaces outdoors. “ Generations previous had limitations on their ability to create such environments but technology has brought advancements that have helped bring this development to life.

The advancement in technology has created a major difference in structure and openness of properties. Higher ceilings and larger windows can create a sense of togetherness even in an indoor space.

This is all due to advancements in technology and structural design that have changed the ways property teams can design and utilize their spaces.

Jeff Garrison continued, “So in this building, the parking deck has 15 foot ceilings. If it is a traditional seven feet, that does not feel open and inviting. That technology didn’t exist when my granddad built their office space. It allows the indoor and outdoor space to blend and if

Photo of The Interlock’s outdoor space. Credit: SJC Ventures I need to cut it off, it can be. They couldn’t build windows over a certain size, because structurally they didn’t know how to do it.

Technology has allowed it. Part of it is technology advancements that structurally allow you to build indoor/outdoor space. “ “Take for example, this patio. We actually left this patio open.

When you are walking on that corner, I want you to see these people having a good time. They used the space we wanted them to, by leaving it open. The hotel is the same. The building is linear, but we actually bent the building back, and from here, you can see the hotel and you can see the lights. That was purposeful, because from this corner, this is the busiest corner, we have like 75,000 eyeballs a day that are going to be looking at this. If those 75,000 are like, I don’t know what is going on at the Interlock, but it looks super cool. I want to know what is going on,” Garrison said.

Garrison remarked on how building an outdoor community space goes beyond what is inside the property. He said that even the side walks need to reflect the collaborative and energetic environment a property team is trying to portray. By removing manhole covers, carefully pruning the trees and creating 30-foot wide sidewalks, it creates a space that feels safe, open and walkable.

A project such as this does not come without some significant hurdles. Investors may look curiously and suspiciously at plans with such large open spaces. Ultimately, investors want to see profitability.

Thus, they want to see profitability in every square foot and open designs with outdoor spaces means some space is not earning a rent in the short term.

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“What they (investors) first need to know is, the investment will pay dividends. People need to understand it does have value and it’s an intrinsic value which is creating energy and community for your place. It is tough for them to put a price on it, but when we will have an event, and people are having a great time, they are going to want to be here and they are going to spend money, but you really can’t underwrite it. So that is the challenge,” Garrison said.

The challenge is, they have to show that it does build value and how that, in turn, will lead to higher rents.

Garrison said that when you are creating positive energy, those community spaces can covert into sales.

“The challenge is they have to show it does build value But having that energy, that vibe, people start paying higher rents. If you are dealing with a person who is primarily budget minded, it is a very challenging task. These community spaces create energy and that energy does convert in to sales. But it may not day one, right?,” Garrison said.

Jess Moore, a property manager with Stream Realty said the key to a successful outdoor space is the property management. The team needs to be ready to show people how to use the space, how the space is different and create events that convince people to come to the space in the first place.

“You have to activate it,” Moore said. “You have to hold the events, bring people there, make them feel comfortable, until they are ready to venture out on their own.”

Garrison said that the activation can also come from the tenants. In an active outdoor space, tenants may devise ways to help the property management team cultivate the culture they want at the property. He said that this can be the extra mile a property manager goes to activate the space. Property teams need to be thinking about how existing tenants and products can contribute to a larger vision for the property.

“The energy comes from a retailer expanding their space for open air eating. It activates the energy. A space to itself is just a dead open space. You need to go out and look at existing product and see how they are building value,” Garrison said.

Creating an engaging outdoor space starts at the building design. Garrison said it would be difficult to do what they are executing now without the intentional design behind it. He said that you never want to get caught in a situation where a great idea comes after the property is built. That intentional thinking can be the difference between a fun space and a game-changing property.

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Insight • Issue 3, 2021

About the Author Dusty Muck is an Account Manager for Rubbermaid Commercial Products,

providing washroom solutions, cleaning, waste/recycling, material handling, and food service products to Commercial Real Estate, Healthcare, Travel/ Entertainment, Manufacturing, and Education facilities in Georgia. Dusty is currently Chair of the Membership Committee, a member of the Editorial Board, and works on the BOMA Government Affairs Committee, assisting strategies on legislative and regulatory matters affecting the commercial real estate industry in Georgia.

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BOMA Georgia Foundation Leadership Society Based on donor feedback, the foundation has created a new Leadership Society to recognize individuals and companies who have made a commitment to consistently support the foundation. Membership in this special society highlights a commitment to serve others and signifies a leadership role in advancing the real estate industry. Individuals commit to making and annual tax-deductible donation over three years, and companies over a period of three years. Donor List Updated 8/30/2021

INDIVIDUAL ANNUAL CONTRIBUTORS

Emerging Professionals ($125) Jacob Wilder Roni Page-Dowdy Sarah Francis

Diamond ($1,000) Billy Gray Gabriel Eckert Marie Worsham Mark Dukes

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Melody Frcek Orlando Ojeda Tiffany Wilson

Sapphire ( $250) Aaron Moriarty Amanda Bare Amanda Madrid Andrea Allen Carla Moule Chris Allen Constance Hodges Debi Gilbert Elaine Bare Emily White

Ian Hughes Jen Wright Judi Sponsel Kinsey Hinkson Laure Biel Laurie Harper Neschune Henry Russ Hazlewood Stacy Abbate

CORPORATE ANNUAL CONTRIBUTORS

Ruby ($1,750)

Everclear Enterprises Emerald ($5,000)

Emerald ($500) Brenden Welch Christine Bailey Dusty Muck Hal Moore

Mark Gallman Natalie Tyler-Martin Russell Copeland Shawn Benjamin Find out more information or donate at https://www.bomageorgiafoundation.org/leader

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Advocacy, Design & Construction

Legislation and Construction Costs

By: Katie Roberts, Fiveash Stanley At the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic, it was impossible to understand the myriad of ways a microscopic virus would upend all facets of our lives, from working, to educating our children, to purchasing toilet paper. The pandemic disrupted our healthcare infrastructure, our waste collection, even global trade and shipping.

Supply Chain Challenges While some of these issues are resolved, a critical issue remains for the commercial real estate industry: the high cost and limited supply of essential construction materials. As has now been well reported, plant closures and production cutbacks at lumber mills around the country and in Canada are largely to blame for supply issues.

On the demand side, people in lockdown suddenly decided to address home improvement projects or needed to properly convert their garage or sunroom to a home office or classroom. Or, with remote work options part of the mainstream, individuals opted to relocate altogether, causing a surge in the housing market and driving up demand for inventory.

As it relates to commercial real estate, COVID-19 has ushered in a paradigm shift in workspace design. Rather than maximizing worker density or large collaborative spaces, the priority is now creating safe, resilient working environments.

Changes in workspace design require materials though. Materials that are expensive and may be in short supply.

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Insight • Issue 3, 2021

Legislative Moves Recognizing the severity of the issue in Georgia, Speaker of the House David Ralston created the House Working Group on Rising Costs of Construction Materials in May. In announcing the group, the Speaker said, “we know that the rising costs of construction materials pose a threat to our continued economic recovery … [this] group will look into why these costs are increasing and recommend solution to alleviate the burden on those building for the future.”

The working group held their first meeting on July 8. During the 5-hour discussion, the working group heard from representatives of the lumber and concrete industries, individual trades (plumbing, electrical, HVAC, general contractors, etc.) and the logistics and hauling industries. Members of the working group heard testimony that the price of lumber increased by 300% from spring 2020 to spring 2021, peaking at $1,515 per thousand board feet on May 28, 2021.

Soaring lumber costs and construction materials have an obvious impact on the bottom line. Another major driver is the project’s timeline, particularly as it relates to plan review and inspection.

Thanks to proactive work by BOMA and other industries, builders in Georgia have been well-situated during the pandemic.

In 2019, the Association supported House Bill 493 to allow for private construction plan review and inspection of certain facilities after the local government failed to provide those services within thirty days. At that time, hospitals, nursing homes, jails, airports, and

2/14/2019

BOMA Ad 112818.jpg

high-rise buildings were specifically excluded from the purview of private plan review and inspection.

As local governments shut down due in the spring of 2020 due to the COVID-19 pandemic, Governor Brian Kemp suspended enforcement of the thirty-day waiting period and allowed for private plan review and inspection on the previously excluded facilities.

When the 2020 session resumed in June, a broad coalition of real estate and construction organizations came together to encourage private plan review on these types of facilities be made permanent. That effort was part of Senate Bill 377 and was signed into law on June 30, 2020.

While the 2020 effort addressed the issue of previously restricted facilities, it did not address the thirty-day waiting period. As a result, that same coalition came together to support this year’s Senate Bill 49. It allows for plan review, permitting, and inspection by private professional providers and critically, allows applicants to select this option at the onset of the process, rather than waiting thirty days for the local government to attempt to provide the service. The applicant is still required to pay the local government up to half of their regulatory fee if they opt for a private provider.

The Road Forward This legislative effort has allowed construction and development to continue during the pandemic, even though local government review offices have been shuttered or operating on limited staff.

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We all hope the days remaining in the pandemic are limited – but it will take some time for these market swings in construction materials to return to a predictable pattern. The commercial real estate industry will continue to adapt office configuration and tenant buildouts in the post-pandemic workspace, especially if a significant portion of the labor force remains remote.

As individual businesses and entire industries continue to react to the changing landscape, it should come as good news that the Georgia General Assembly is also exploring legislative solutions to aid in that effort.

As Representative Marcus Wiedower, Chair of the House Working Group noted, the legislature is “eager to find ways to help alleviate the burden of rising construction material costs on hardworking Georgians.”

For more information on the Working Group, please visit www.house. ga.gov or contact BOMA Georgia today.

About the Author Katie Roberts serves as Director of Government Affairs at Fiveash-Stanley, Inc. In this role, she is critical in managing legislative and regulatory issues specific to the industry.

Fiveash-Stanley is recognized as one of Georgia’s leading government and public affairs consulting firms and has represented BOMA Georgia since 2000.

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33

Allied Member Product and Service Directory

Air Filtration

Contractors

Environmental

Air Filter Sales & Service, Inc........................ (770) 939-1250 FilterPro USA LLC............. (256) 767-4158

Centennial Contractors Enterprises Inc................... (770) 613-2999 Gray Contracting................ (678) 530-9700 HL Contractors Inc............. (770) 727-2599 Humphries & Company....... (770) 434-1890 Innovative Engineering Inc.. (678) 883-5868 Kilcor Construction............. (678) 691-1561 Nova Commercial Interiors Inc........................ (770) 592-0260 PKS Paving & Concrete Construction....................... (404) 401-8551 Rand Construction Company............................ (770) 777-4177 Western Specialty Contractors........................ (678) 553-0170

Aquascape Environmental... (678) 445-0077 IES Mach........................... (404) 759-5391 S&ME, Inc.......................... (678) 438-7714 Sustainable Investment Group LLC (SIG)............... (404) 343-3835 The Morley Companies....... (770) 569-1100

Airduct Cleaning Ductz Of Greater Atlanta.... (770) 631-2424

Appraisal Consulting Fellers, Schewe, Scott & Roberts, Inc.................... (770) 621-9548

Asphalt Construction Miller Brothers Paving......... (770) 491-3090

Attorneys Andre Kill & McCarthy LLP.(404) 653-3005 Baker and Hostetler LLP..... (404) 946-9773

Audio Visual Services Vertical AV TV..................... (404) 352-2488

Bldg Mgt Consultants ViZZ................................... (404) 405-4341 Yardi Systems..........(800) 866-1144, x 1395

Bldg Services CBM Atlanta Inc................. (770) 988-9001 Engineered Restorations Inc. (7706)82-0650 IA INTERIOR ARCHITECTS (4045)04-0297 Painters on Demand........... (813) 498-9751 Sizemore Inc....................... (706) 736-1458

Building Automation Controls ENTEK............................... (678) 910-1326 Hoffman Building Technologies...................... (470) 387-1619

Carpet/Floor Mad Matter GA................... (678) 361-6704 ServiceMaster Cleaning & Restoration...................... (678) 766-0909 SOLID Surface Care, Inc... (770) 212-1692 Southeastern Commercial Flooring Inc........................ (770) 591-9980

Catering/Food Svcs Ben & Jerry’s...................... (404) 666-2232

Communications Kings III Emergency Communications................. (678) 438-1965

Computer Recycling Ecycle Atlanta..................... (678) 324-9760

Construction Products Tendon Systems LLC......... (470) 453-9947 The Home Depot Pro.......... (704) 305-2881 Yancey Power Systems....... (877) 278-6235

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Insight • Issue3, 2021

Electrical Allison-Smith Company....... (404) 351-6430 Eckardt Group.................... (678) 249-4954 J.R. Electrical...................... (770) 420-1530 Martin Technical, Inc........... (770) 590-7449 Mayberry Electric, Inc......... (404) 991-7007 Power and Enegy Services, Inc....................... (770) 739-9112 Prime Power Services Inc... (678) 898-4960 Titan Electric Georgia LLC. 770-480-6345 Vantix Electric..................... (678) 695-1052

Elevators/Escalators Fujitec America Inc............. (770) 209-0322 Phoenix Elevator of Georgia (678) 574-2447 ThyssenKrupp Elevator Corporation........................ (770) 250-6482

Employment Specialist BG Talent........................... (703) 343-3415

Energy Baker Engineering LLC...... (404) 307-3237 Envision Realty Services, Inc. (4045)79-8129 Mallory & Evans Service..... (478) 747-0551 McKenney’s Inc.................. (404) 635-4710 Trane.................................. (678) 775-4302 Yancey Power Systems....... (877) 278-6235

Engineering Harbin’s Mechanical Services, Inc....................... (770) 914-7060 IES Mach........................... (404) 759-5391 Innovative Engineering Inc.. (678) 883-5868 Martin Technical, Inc........... (770) 590-7449 Mayberry Electric, Inc......... (404) 991-7007 NOVA Engineering & Environmental.................. (770) 570-9171 PENTA Engineering Group Inc........................... (678) 282-1999 PM&A................................. (770) 480-7452 S&ME, Inc.......................... (678) 438-7714 Sustainable Investment Group LLC (SIG)............... (404) 343-3835

Equipment Rentals Stone Mountain Access Systems............................. (770) 908-2936 Sunbelt Rentals Inc............. (404) 525-1919

Facility Support PENTA Engineering Group Inc........................... (678) 282-1999 Stone Mountain Access Systems............................. (770) 908-2936

Financial Services Graham Group................... (404) 634-4652

Fire Protection AFA Protective Systems Inc. (7706)86-8018 Basesix Systems LLC......... (678) 833-8351 Century Fire Protection LLC (6787)75-4870 Chief Fire Protection Co. ... (404) 523-5478 Critical Systems/ADT Commercial........................ (770) 612-9172 Fire & Life Safety America Inc........................ (678) 283-5383 International Fire Protection.(770) 745-4530 Life Safety Solutions Plus LLC............................ (770) 843-3671 Mitec Controls Inc.............. (770) 813-5959

Fire/Water/Mold Restoration BELFOR Property Restoration......................... (770) 939-0128 BluSky Restoration Contractors........................ (770) 294-1779 BMS CAT........................... (678) 294-8783 Capital Restoration............. (770) 973-1666 Epic.................................... (770) 516-3491 Full Circle Restoration, A Cotton Company............ (770) 232-9797 Parker Young Construction, A RESCON Company........ (678) 634-8538 Remediation Group /RGI Commercial................ (404) 214-1470 ServiceMaster Cleaning & Restoration...................... (678) 766-0909 SERVPRO Of Decatur........ (404) 378-9998 SERVPRO of Norcross....... (770) 858-5000 SERVPRO of N. Lilburn/SERVPRO of N. Lawrenceville...................... (770) 997-5689 SERVPRO of Panthersville.. (470) 257-1716 Waterproofing Contractors Inc................... (770) 449-5552

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Power and Enegy Services, Inc....................... (770) 739-9112 Ultimate Service Associates.(918) 836-8701

SureLock Technology......... (678) 712-5346

Glass NGS Films and Graphics.... (404) 360-7866

Guard Services Allied Universal Security Services............................. (404) 898-1695 GuardOne Security............. (925) 783-6009 Marksman Security Corporation........................ (678) 644-0576 Walden Security................. (404) 937-1748

Health & Hygiene Products Essity Professional Hygiene.(859) 325-9479 GOJO Industries................ (330) 819-0044 Life Safety Solutions Plus LLC............................ (770) 843-3671 Rubbermaid Commercial Products............................. 470-356-5088

HVAC Addison Smith Mechanical Contractor Inc.................... (770) 832-9006 Air Filter Sales & Service, Inc..................... (770) 939-1250 Capital City Mechanical Services Inc...................................... (770) 449-0200 Daikin Applied.................... (770) 514-5880 Ductz Of Greater Atlanta.... (770) 631-2424 ENTEK............................... (678) 910-1326 Harbin’s Mechanical Services, Inc...................................... (770) 914-7060 Legacy Mechanical Services Inc...................................... (770) 432-1171 Mallory & Evans Service..... (478) 747-0551 Maxair Mechanical LLC...... (770) 714-9642 McKenney’s Inc.................. (404) 635-4710 Shumate Mechanical, Inc.... (678) 584-0880 Southeast Pump & Equipment Inc................. (770) 329-1417 Trane.................................. (678) 775-4302

Industrial Dock & Door Repair and Installation Miner Southeast................. (678) 730-4700

Insurance USI Insurance Services...... (470) 428-9754

Insurance Restoration, Mitgation, Content and Textiles Penco Restoration.............. (770) 683-7362

Interior Design IA INTERIOR ARCHITECTS.................... (404) 504-0297 Nova Commercial Interiors Inc........................ (770) 592-0260

Janitorial Able Services..................... (215) 764-9083 ABM................................... (678) 245-3273 Allied International Cleaning Services, Inc....................... (770) 426-8779 BCJ Building Services........ (770) 601-4880 Building Cleaning Solutions, Inc...................... (770) 833-4385 Building Maintenance Services Inc........................ (770) 218-2993 CBM Atlanta Inc................. (770) 988-9001 Chosen Janitorial Services.. (404) 274-3268 Constant Contract Services, LLC.................... (404) 583-8514 Distinguished Properties Cleaning USA Inc. (DPC)................................. (404) 418-1443 Environmental Service Partners.............................. (404) 500-2488 General Building Maintenance Inc...................................... (770) 457-5678 Georgia Pacific Corporation (770) 815-9552 HTH Building Services Inc..(770) 988-0084 Kimberly-Clark Corporation.(770) 289-3860 Planned Companies............ (571) 220-7475 Pritchard Industries SE....... (404) 231-1430 Pro Squared Janitorial Services............................. (678) 905-8885 Rubbermaid Commercial Products............................. 470-356-5088 Sizemore Inc....................... (706) 736-1458

Lake Management Aquascape Environmental... (678) 445-0077

Landscaping-Exterior Arborguard Tree Specialists (404) 299-5555 Baytree Landscape Contractors........................ (770) 457-3407 BrightView Landscape Services............................. (678) 441-4170 Brothers Property Management....................... (678) 436-6474 Color Burst......................... (770) 822-9706 Crabapple LandscapExperts (770 7)40-9739 Cumberland Landscape Group................................. (470) 423-4105 Gibson Landscape Services (404 9)91-1864 Greenwood Group Landscape.......................... (404) 881-6104 HighGrove Partners............ (678) 626-3469 LandCare LLC................... (678) 708-7761 Landmark Landscapes........ (404) 879-1739 Landscape Workshop......... (678) 714-5100 Mainscape, Inc................... (706) 580-8647 Nature Scapes Inc.............. (404) 663-5043 North Georgia Landscape Management....................... (770) 417-8737 Ruppert Landscape............ (770) 931-9900

Russell Landscape Group Inc........................... (404) 520-7903 SavATree............................ (404) 288-8733 Sesmas Tree Service LLC.. (678) 896-8352 South State Landscape Group, LLC.................................... (770) 533-3816 Southern Landscapes And Designs....................... (708) 602-0959 The GreenSeason Group, Inc.......................... 470-213-4747 Thrive Land Care................ (404) 598-1188 Yellowstone Landscape...... (404) 668-4508

Landscaping-Interior D & S Plants Unlimited........ (770) 977-3722 Foliage Design Systems..... (770) 451-0885 Life on Earth, LLC.............. (404) 630-9611 Plant Peddler, Inc................ (770) 432-2649 Sedgefield Interior Landscapes, Inc................. (770) 984-0171

Lighting Blue Frog Lighting.............. (404) 569-7995 E. Sam Jones Distributor Inc. (404 3)07-8504 Jones Lighting Services...... (205) 623-9121 Voss Lighting...................... (770) 438-8557

Managed Services Kastle Systems................... (404) 272-4765

Marble Restoration & Maintenance ADDCO Metal Maintenance Co...................................... (770) 985-5611 Mid America Specialty Services............................. (800) 544-4576 Natural Stone Services....... (404) 255-8133 Southeastern Commercial Flooring Inc........................ (770) 591-9980 Stone Specialty Services.... (404) 261-9111

Metal Finishing ADDCO Metal Maintenance Co...................................... (770) 985-5611 Mid America Specialty Services............................. (800) 544-4576

Office Furniture Atlanta Office Liquidators Inc.................... (404) 505-9623

Paint/Wallcoverings American Painting & Renovations Inc............... (770) 995-8787 Atlanta Painting Company... (404) 550-0101 Burke Painting, Inc............. (770) 582-0847 CertaPro Painters of Atlanta (404) 548-7940 Certapro Painters of Duluth & Norcross......................... (678) 895-5730 CertaPro Painters of Roswell (678)78-4088 Freeland Painting................ (770) 289-0887

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35

Allied Member Product and Service Directory

Horizon Painting and Renovations Inc........... (678) 332-9109 Oakcliff Painting.................. (404) 867-3707 Paint Applicators................. 919-949-4171 Painters on Demand........... (813) 498-9751 Sherwin-Williams................ 678-951-3214 Spectrum Painting Inc......... (770) 497-0101

Paper Products Essity Professional Hygiene.(859) 325-9479 Georgia Pacific Corporation (770) 815-9552 Imperial Dade..................... (404) 388-2939 Kimberly-Clark Corporation.(770) 289-3860

Pressure Washing ApolloPrimm Commercial Roofing............................... (770) 751-6191 Everclear Enterprises Inc.... (404) 876-9408 Kaney & Lane, LLC............ (404) 892-8246 SunBrite Services............... (770) 277-6363 Top Of the Line High Rise Service LLC....................... (404) 569-9544 Valcourt Building Services LLC..................... (770) 971-2000

Signage NGS Films and Graphics.... (404) 360-7866

Pump Service and Repair Monumental Equipment, Inc.

(7704)90-4001

Storage and Organization The Container Store........... (972) 538-4619

Parking Kaney & Lane, LLC............ (404) 892-8246 LAZ Parking....................... (404) 942-3900 Legacy Parking Company... 404-317-0638 ParkSimple......................... (404) 671-3193 Reef Parking....................... (678) 793-5846

Parking Deck Spectrum Painting Inc......... (770) 497-0101 Wildcat Striping, Sealing & Paving............................. (678) 937-9525

Relocation Services Page Relocation................. (770) 224-8184

Restoration Addco Restoration and Preservation Group, LLC.................................... (770) 688-5419 Knight Restoration Services.(404) 987-3074 Penco Restoration.............. (770) 683-7362 Tendon Systems LLC......... (470) 453-9947

ASCON Paving & Concrete (404) 379-3218 Asphalt Enterprises............. (770) 424-5001 Georgia Paving, Inc............ (770) 623-0453 GWP Paving...................... (678) 377-3113 Miller Brothers Paving......... (770) 491-3090 PKS Paving & Concrete Construction....................... (404) 401-8551 Rose Paving Company........ (678) 303-2500 The Surface Masters Inc..... (404) 821-2388

Pest Control Northwest Exterminating Co., Inc.............................. (678) 383-1011 Orkin Inc............................ (404) 888-2000 Peachtree Pest Control....... (770) 931-9099 Pest USA........................... (678) 287-6674 Rooter Plus!........................ (770) 962-9962

Plumbing Addison Smith Mechanical Contractor Inc.................... (770) 832-9006 Art Plumbing Company....... (678) 486-2525 HM Plumbing...................... (770) 792-1200 Legacy Mechanical Services Inc........................ (770) 432-1171 Southeast Pump & Equipment Inc................. (770) 329-1417 Trinity Plumbing LLC........... (770) 480-7687 ZPlumberz of North Fulton & Gwinnett......................... (404) 936-2113

Insight • Issue3, 2021

Tax Consultants Fellers, Schewe, Scott & Roberts, Inc.................... (770) 621-9548 Graham Group................... (404) 634-4652 Windham Brannon, LLC..... (678) 510-2735

Telecommunications

IMG Technologies, Inc........ (630) 737-9800

Airwavz Solutions............... (704) 907-7104 Ecycle Atlanta..................... (678) 324-9760 One Stop Communications.(770) 515-0100 SureLock Technology......... (678) 712-5346

Roofing

Tree Care/Tree Services

Riser Management

Paving Products

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GuardOne Security............. (925) 783-6009 Marksman Security Corporation........................ (678) 644-0576 Miner Southeast................. (678) 730-4700 Mitec Controls Inc.............. (770) 813-5959 Planned Companies............ (571) 220-7475 Prosegur ............................(404) 312-6162 Walden Security................. (404) 937-1748

All Roof Solutions Commercial Inc.................. (770) 425-5766 ApolloPrimm Commercial Roofing............................... (770) 751-6191 C.L. Burks Construction - Commercial Roofing Contractors LLC................ (706) 372-0509 Commercial Roofing Group LLC......................... (770) 831-9440 Core Roofing Systems........ (678) 514-2846 Empire Roofing Company Inc...................... (770) 948-7663 ENCORE ROOFING, INC. (770) 945-0100 Innovative Roofing Group.... (404) 351-8797 Meta Team, LLC................. (833) 817-6382 Parsons Roofing Company. (678) 756-0224 Roof Partners LLC.............. (404) 490-4647 Tecta America..................... (770) 769-1720 Tower Roofing.................... (770) 592-9889 Zurix Roofing Systems........ (706) 587-2009

Sealcoating The Surface Masters Inc..... (404) 821-2388

Security Allied Universal Security Services............................. (404) 898-1695 Alscan Inc........................... (404) 849-7129 Basesix Systems LLC......... (678) 833-8351 BOS Security, Inc............... (470) 496-1020 Century Fire Protection LLC (6787)75-4870 Critical Systems/ADT Commercial........................ (770) 612-9172 DataWatch Systems........... (470) 503-6077

Arborguard Tree Specialists (404) 299-5555 BrightView Landscape Services............................. (678) 441-4170 Jarvis Tree Experts.............. (678) 430-6216 SavATree............................ (404) 288-8733 Sesmas Tree Service LLC.. (678) 896-8352

Tropical Plants Foliage Design Systems..... (770) 451-0885 Life on Earth, LLC.............. (404) 630-9611 Plant Peddler, Inc................ (770) 432-2649

Urban Farming Copiana, LLC..................... (404) 313-4903

Waste Removal American Disposal Services (678) 736-0140 Waste Pro/Atlanta............... (770) 777-1447

Water Damage/Structure Drying BELFOR Property Restoration......................... (770) 939-0128 BluSky Restoration Contractors........................ (770) 294-1779 BMS CAT........................... (678) 294-8783 Capital Restoration............. (770) 973-1666 Epic.................................... (770) 516-3491 Full Circle Restoration, A Cotton Company............. (770) 232-9797 Parker Young Construction, A RESCON Company........ (678) 634-8538 Remediation Group/ RGI Commercial................. (404) 214-1470

Advertisers on the Web SERVPRO Of Decatur........ (404) 378-9998 SERVPRO of N. Lilburn/SERVPRO of N. Lawrenceville...................... (770) 997-5689 SERVPRO of Panthersville.. (470) 257-1716

Water Leakage Protection WaterSignal LLC................ (626) 222-7370

Water Treatment Blackmore Enterprises Inc..(404) 474-4352

Waterproofing Engineered Restorations Inc. (7706)82-0650 Everclear Enterprises Inc.... (404) 876-9408 The Morley Companies....... (770) 569-1100 Waterproofing Contractors Inc................... (770) 449-5552 Western Specialty Contractors........................ (678) 553-0170

Building Management Consultants/Software

Office Furniture & Supplies

Frazier Service Company https://frazierservicecompany.com

Atlanta Office Liquidators, Inc www.aoliatlanta.com

Contractors: General & Interior Design

Paving Products and Services

Gray Contracting www.graycontracting.net

Georgia Paving, Inc. http://georgiapaving.com/

Demolition

PKS Paving & Concrete Construction http://pksasphaltpavingatlanta.com/

The Morley Companies https://www.morleycompany.com/

Electrical Services

Wildcat Striping & Sealing https://www.wildcatstriping.com/

Eckardt Group https://www.eckardtgroup.com/

Pest Control

Mayberry Electric, Inc. http://www.mayberryelectric.com/

Window Cleaning

Elevator/Escalator Services

Top Of the Line High Rise Service LLC....................... (404) 569-9544 Valcourt Building Services LLC..................... (770) 971-2000

Energy Services

Take the Next Step with the Certified Manager of Commercial Properties Desgination Take the first step in building a successful career in commercial real estate with the new Certified Manager of Commercial Properties (CMCP). Designed for early-career property professionals who are looking to validate their industry knowledge, this new certification will take your career to the next level.

Head to https://www.bomi.org/CMCP.aspx

Phoenix Elevator of GA www.phoenixelevatorofga.com

Frazier Service Company https://frazierservicecompany.com/

Peachtree Pest Control http://www.peachtreepest.com/

Plumbing Products and Services Art Plumbing http://www.artplumbing.com/

Roofing Services and Products Specialty Roofing & Coatings https://src-roofing.com/

Water Conservation

Hoffman Building Technologies https://www.hbtech.com/

WaterSignal www.watersignal.com

Environmental Products and Services

Waterproofing

NOVA Engineering & Environmental https://www.usanova.com/

Engineered Restorations Inc. http://www.er-inc.net/

Southeast Pump & Equipment www.southeastpump.com

Everclear Enterprises Inc. https://everclearenterprises.com/

HVAC Services

The Morley Companies https://www.morleycompany.com/

Frazier Service Company https://frazierservicecompany.com/ Monumental Equipment Inc www.monumentalequipment.com Reliance Heating and Air Conditioning http://www.reliance-hvac.com/ Shumate Mechanical http://www.shumatemechanical.com/ Trane https://www.trane.com/Index.aspx

Top of the Line High Rise Service http://www.highriseservice.com/ Waterproofing Contractors https://www.wcinc.com/ Western Specialty Contractors http://www.westernspecialtycontractors.com/

Windows/Cleaning Equipment/Supplies Top of the Line High Rise Service http://www.highriseservice.com/

UA72 www.ua72.org

Landscape Contractors Arborguard Tree Specialist www.arborguard.com www.bomageorgia.org • www.creinsightjournal.com

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Tenant Experience, Technology

EXPLORING THE MODERN TENANT EXPERIENCE By: Ashley Simien, Cousins Properties Will an increased desire for a better tenant experience continue to influence the Commercial Real Estate industry? A priority for many landlords has been to create a positive and engaging tenant experience. Tenants want their employees to come to work and enjoy convenient on-site amenities and neighboring properties. Many landlords pride themselves on a diverse mix of tenants to enhance their relationship-building experiences within the buildings.

Several companies have approached landlords and developers with detailed specifications for building the perfect tenant experience for their company. The tenant’s human resource department plays a critical role in providing input for the building’s design and selection of amenities.

According to the software company ButterflyMX, “More than ever, tenants believe the workplace experience increases employee satisfaction, which increases the tenant’s ability to recruit and retain top-tier talent.” Recruitment and employee retention are recurring themes when discussing the tenant experience. Landlords contribute to the success of a company by providing spaces that enhance the employee experience.

NEXT LEVEL AMENITIES Landlords have had to reevaluate the amenities offered based on tenant demands for their workforce.

According to Deloitte’s 2021 Commercial Real Estate Outlook, “Digital transformation and tenant experience are a business imperative.”

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Insight • Issue 3, 2021

Providing modern conference centers with digital booking systems and teleconferencing abilities has become essential. As a result of this demand, providing access to these digital booking systems has drastically changed from working within a work order system or a call to Property Management. Many have adopted tenant experience platforms that provide curated experiences for all building occupants.

These applications provide real-time updates that can help create a community that supports surrounding tenants, especially in mixeduse properties.

Moreover, landlords should promote their environmental, social, governance (ESG) as an amenity instead of a company requirement.

According to the ESG software company Measurable, there is a “marked shift in tenant and consumer expectations—they expect a high degree of sustainability in the places they live, work, and shop.”

Goby’s report on ESG in CRE said, “Research from Morgan Stanley found that millennials are two to three times more likely to want to work for organizations that share their values, particularly when it comes to environmental and social issues. The ability to show progress in sustainability is becoming an increasingly valuable tool in attracting and retaining top talent.” As important as it is to acquire top talent, it is equally important to retain top talent.

In 2019, the CEO of Scoop Technologies Inc. issued a State of the American report that stated 62 percent of Americans would not apply for a job based on the commute and 30 percent have considered quitting their jobs because of their commute. As a result, many companies now consider public transit to be a part of the tenant experience. The advent of rideshare services has to be considered by companies when discussing employees’ commuting experiences.

Cushman and Wakefield’s report on Mobility Shifts in Commercial

Real Estate implies that rideshare services provide a convenience that is not received when commuting in your own vehicle or via public transit. It is essentially a door-to-door service that saves time from a traditional commute.

The need for drop-off and pickup areas around commercial buildings is increasing. Providing safe areas for tenants to access these services creates a positive experience.

In addition, health and wellness are a top priority for many tenants.

According to NAIOP, “Companies compete for the best workers with packages that extend beyond salaries and bonuses. Amenities such as cafes that feature locally sourced food, ample fresh air, and rooftop gardens play a pivotal role.” Providing areas for employees to take breaks from their computer screens or refresh their minds after an afternoon workout provides a great incentive to tenants and their employees.

Overall, amenities can make or break the tenant experience, and landlords must consider the needs of tenants when considering leasing trends.

VISIT US AT 445 STAR BOOTH AT THE 2021 BOMA SHOW

hbtech.com

In conclusion, landlords must create value for tenants to encourage them to return to the office. Being able to provide amenities that enhance their experience should outweigh the benefit of tenants working in comfort of their own home. Tenants do not have to experience commute issues, regulated breaks, or worry about their wellness in the comfort of their homes. We must find new ways to engage tenants and make the office lease more appealing than the work-from-home model. It is imperative we do so in order to compete in the evolving climate of the work place.

Ashley Simien is currently a Property Manager for Cousins

Due to social distancing, amenities that once created an amazing tenant experience had to evolve to a virtual model. Buildings once buzzing with thousands of people and events became nearly vacant.

(470) 387-1619

Before the pandemic, hybrid working models were becoming the norm. Tenant spaces were crafted to allow for hoteling and workforce flexibility. Office hoteling not only allowed for increased collaboration and teamwork, but it set the stage for companies to utilize a higher office density model. This left tenants with the task of finding ways to implement social distancing measures and more work-from-home opportunities.

About the Author

COVID-19 AND THE TENANT EXPERIENCE

Smart buildings.

Smart People.

Many landlords and tenants were left to find ways to continue to engage employees who now worked from home.

Properties. She has over 10 years of experience in commercial real estate and became a CPM (Certified Property Manager) through the Institute of Real Estate Management.

Ashley holds a BBA in Business Administration in Management Information Systems through Sam Houston State University and an MBA from Texas A&M UniversityCommerce.

The sophisticated equipment available today means you have the ability to understand your energy use like never before. Hoffman Building Technologies (HBT) knows exactly how to develop and implement building auomation systems to save money, reduce downtime and increase productivity.

Environmental Systems | Energy Supply and Load Management | Lighting Control and Retrofit | Gas and Water Management

Representing quality manufacturers

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