22
• JULY 24, 2020 • Midlands Business Journal
Commercial Office Space Directory A section prepared by the staff of the Midlands Business Journal
July 24, 2020
Metro office space market offers more questions than answers by Dwain Hebda
Real estate experts say the future holds more questions than answers about office space in Omaha. While the market was strong leading into the COVID-19 crisis, there’s dissention as to what the market will look like post-pandemic. “I am optimistic companies’ [office] size requirements will remain static,” said JP Raynor, commercial real estate broker and principal with Investors Realty. “My thought is, any downsizing due to a small portion of a company’s employees working from home will be Morrissey offset by the company increasing the square-foot-per-employee to provide social distancing.” Raynor said conversations with his clients have shored up this optimism. “The overall sentiment is employees can work from home successfully but are not as efficient and many miss the culture and collaboration an office provides,” he said. “All of my clients, which were actively in search of office space before the pandemic, continued their search with little change to
their size requirements.” That aside, Raynor said there are other trends the office market has had to pay attention to attract tenants. “There has been a shift in office design from exterior offices to interior offices with workstations closer to windows, allowing natural light to permeate the entire office,” he said. “In many cases, square-footper-employee has been reduced since the great recession to reduce cost.” Coworking spaces, a booming trend in offices for years, are likely to cool as health concerns over social distancing conAndersen tinue. “We will see companies shift away from spaces that offer collaboration between employees and other tenants,” said Spencer Morrissey, associate with NAI NP Dodge. “Employers want to be proactive and responsible in terms of providing a clean work environment to lessen legal liability issues. “We can see companies creating assigned seating, separating the workstations and alternating shift schedules, which can all promote social distancing.”
JP Raynor, commercial real estate broker/principal with Investors Realty, at a newly constructed office space near 168th and Pacific streets, ready for tenants to begin their improvements. Morrissey said another trend that got majority of their employees live, reducing started prior to the pandemic that is likely to commute time,” he said. “Many of the new be spurred by the “new normal” is officing office parks will feature retail and restauoutside of traditional city corridors. rants, outdoor spaces and parks creating “There are many Class A office build- more amenities within walking distance.” ings under construction along West Dodge Even with future uncertainty, Omaha is Road. A future trend we can expect to see is still faring better than a couple of years ago office users moving to the suburbs where a and is in considerably better shape than other parts of the country, said Kristi Andersen, senior associate at Colliers International. “The office vacancy rate in the Omaha metro is up slightly from the first quarter of 2020. In the first quarter, vacancy was 6.9% and our new numbers show second quarter vacancy at 7.4%,” she said. “However, we still have less vacancy than we did in 2018. “For perspective, nationally, the office vacancy rate in the first quarter of 2020 was 10.3%, so Omaha remains strong.” Andersen agreed that the new officing boom area in Omaha continues to lie out west and said the construction market is keeping pace with that trend. “We are seeing healthy leasing activity in west omaha with new Class A buildings currently under construction and in demand,” she said. “Some companies are looking at more of a hybrid approach where a portion of their workforce remains remote and the rest of their workforce comes back to the office. We have not seen a huge shift at this point, but we are watching it closely and will be ready to be a resource for our clients as they work through the changes.”
Commercial Office Space Directory — inside JULY 24, 2020
THE BUSINESS NEWSPAPER OF GREATER OMAHA, LINCOLN AND COUNCIL BLUFFS
$2.00
VOL. 46 NO. 30
Tech to support residents’ well-being positions Dial Senior Living well
THIS WEEK 'S ISSUE:
by Michelle Leach
Benson’s Dripped and Draped focuses on empowering women with trendy boutique. – Page 2
40 er d Un 40
Entrepreneurial Cortney Sells thrives on making the impossible a reality. – Page 4
e
Lif
e
nc
ura
Ins
Pandemic causes people to plan ahead, look at life insurance options. – Page 5
Dial Senior Living was in a favorable position to take on the unique challenges of the pandemic, and its independent, assisted and memory care communities are further refining the technologies and processes that have helped to bridge the distance between families and residents, and to assure effective health and safety measures. “Dial is at an advantage with regards to pandemic preparedness because we have a fully integrated platform called LifeLoop to connect our residents with their outside network of family and friends,” said President Ted Lowndes. “We have continually strived to be ahead of the curve with technology, as well with our lifestyle programming.” The roots of the organization based at 11506 Nicholas St. in Omaha can be traced back to 1959, when Joel Cattleman, Bob Burnika, Don Day and Jack Karns created the first Dial Company: Continued on page 9.
President Ted Lowndes … Off its 20th anniversary year, senior living management company marked by ongoing investments in programs, technologies to enhance resident lifestyles. (Courtesy of Dial Senior Living)
GMP Pros profits from instilling transparent culture, offering innovative solutions to clients by Gabby Christensen
Launched in 2013 with a focus on pharmaceutical manufacturing, GMP Pros was established on the pretext of going against the status quo to find better solutions that achieve better results, according to co-founders Eric and Stephanie Clark. The Clarks, who aren’t new to the industry, had a desire to build
the company that they’ve always wanted to work for. Now serving as president of the startup, Eric Clark has worked in manufacturing for more than 25 years. Stephanie Clark, executive vice president of operations, has over 25 years of experience in corporate roles as well. The seasoned duo said they Continued on page 9. Tobi Mathouser, president and CEO of Goodwill Omaha, left, and Janelle Ellis, director of retail operations, at Goodwill’s new location at 8457 West Center Road.
Organizations reopen with emphasis on flexibility, client support services by Michelle Leach
Co-founders Eric and Stephanie Clark … Poised to provide pharmaceutical manufacturing expertise as jobs may move back to U.S.
Editor’s note: This article is part of a series sharing firsthand experiences from local organizations on how their respective industries are adapting to COVID-19. Upon reopening, local organizations have shifted gears to better accommodate employees and clients. Prime Therapeutics has been helping clients get the medica-
tions they need through the pandemic, and the Omaha contact center staff has reportedly been doing so with greater accuracy. “At Prime, we firmly believe that employees know and feel when they are prioritized and, when they are prioritized, morale goes up,” said Director of Member Services Alicia Miller. “And when morale is up, so are the more measurable results Continued on page 8.