Tag Archives: CRE

6 Steps to Building a Career in Commercial Real Estate

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100_0642On February 24th, NAIOP Massachusetts hosted a career panel where dynamic young professionals from the Developing Leaders program offered helpful advice on how to jumpstart or further a career in Commercial Real Estate. Speakers included Molly Davis, Associate Director at Newmark Grubb Knight Frank; Katie Grimes, Business Development Associate at Red Thread; Chris LaFrance, Associate Director of Acquisitions at Intercontinental Real Estate Corp.; Tucker McCrabb, Research Analyst at AEW Capital Management; Jennifer Price, Assistant Vice President at Colliers International; and Sarah Weatherbee Walker, Senior Director at Keller Augusta Partners, who moderated the program.

100_0652At the event, Keller Augusta Partners shared these tips below for college students who are interested in a career in Commercial Real Estate.

The Commercial Real Estate industry is very competitive. Successful candidates must be able to demonstrate experience and interest in the CRE field early and often. Here are some helpful ways to break into the industry:

  1. Coursework
    • Be sure to do exceptionally well in real estate classes (impress your professors!) and maintain high GPA
    • Highlight significant projects or case work from your courses on your resume
  1. Internships
    • Full time summer positions
    • Part-time /semester opportunities
    • Contract work
  1. Industry Professional Organizations
    • Seek out a student membership or student rate for attending events
    • Join committees to make more meaningful connections, don’t just attend events
  1. Leadership Roles within On-Campus Organizations
    • The event planning process is a great reason to reach out to industry professionals
    • This becomes an excellent resume talking point
    • If your school doesn’t have a group, create one!
  1. Networking
    • Utilize your Alumni, Personal & Professional network to build up your industry contacts
    • Be specific about your job search & career objectives during networking/outreach conversations
    • People want to help but being vague puts more work on them
    • Create your 2-minute elevator speech and practice it!
  1. Skills
    • Academic performance (GPA/Test Scores) is highly regarded at top firms
    • Strong emphasis on quantitative skills across many positions

100_0659Below are some additional resources available from NAIOP Massachusetts.

Student Association Membership (SAM) program
Open to any full-time student who is not otherwise employed in the industrial, office, multifamily, mixed-use or related commercial real estate industry. Must present a valid school ID and current full-time schedule.

Benefits include: free admission to networking events and educational programs, opportunities to meet industry leaders and decision makers, access to NAIOP’s national database, special Student Association Membership (SAM) Career Dinners and informational interviews.

University Membership
Available to colleges and universities offering undergraduate programs in real estate and includes up to 25 student memberships.

NAIOP Massachusetts Job Board
Includes full-time jobs and internships. Open to all, NAIOP Members can post jobs for free.

100_0657View all photos from the event.

Speaking of Real Estate

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NAIOP Massachusetts is kicking off a video series we will be calling “Speaking of Real Estate”.

The idea behind this effort is to interview leaders in the commercial real estate industry, including developers, owners, investors, as well as some of the heads of the major professional service firms that support our business.

We are starting with a very candid discussion between Tom Alperin, President, National Development and Marc Margulies, Founder and Principal, Margulies Perruzzi Architects. They cover a range of topics that include affordable housing, new design considerations, shared economy, and looking to the future for the industry.

We plan on bringing you the opportunity to hear from individuals that are in the forefront of creating our new urban and suburban “live, work and play” environments. Who are some CRE leaders you would like to hear from in this series? Let us know in the comments section below.

Event Recap: Leadership Lunch + Learn at 101 Seaport

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The following blog post was written by Chloe Louise Bouscaren, Marketing and Business Development at CBT Architects.

“An Inventive Setting to Spark Inventive Thinking”

IMG_20151111_122627151On Wednesday, Nov 9th NAIOP hosted a Members-Only Leadership Luncheon at 101 Seaport Boulevard, the new home for PricewaterhouseCoopers, a multinational professional services network. PwC relocated 3000 employees from 125 High Street to Boston’s Seaport District. Shawn Hurley, the Executive Vice President and Regional Manager of SKANSKA USA Commercial Development hosted NAIOP on the building’s 7th floor, the only space that has yet to be leased. Shawn was joined by Charley Leatherbee, VP of Development; Levi Reilly, Director of Development; and Patrick Sousa, Manager of Development, who all played important roles in the success of this high-profile project.

IMG_20151111_121118778The newly constructed 17-story, 440,000 RSF, LEED Platinum state-of-the-art office building was developed by SKANKSA USA Commercial Development Team in Boston. Highlights included a chilled beam mechanical system, triple glazing curtain wall, 300 underground parking spaces, world class retail by WS Development, expansive views of the harbor and Seaport, conference and training centers, and virtually column free floorplates. 82% of the building is occupied by PwC, tenants Red Thread and Skanska will be joining them soon. NKGF’s Dave Martel and Bill Anderson are responsible for the leasing and deal negotiation.IMG_20151111_120951643_TOP

Located on what will be the new Seaport Square Green, 101 Seaport connects directly to Fan Pier Park, creating a continuous public space that reaches Boston Harbor and connects to the Harborwalk Grand civic lawn to support active recreation and public events.CBT2

SKANSKA is also currently working a neighboring 17-story office tower, 121 Seaport, as well as Watermark Seaport, a 300-unit residential complex both on neighboring parcels.CTjJnD2VAAAiuyx.jpg large

For those who have yet to hear Shawn’s presentations on SKANKSA’s developments in the Seaport and beyond, his confidence and presence is unparalleled. Shawn has an innate way of making an audience feel comfortable and that day, we all felt we were part of something big. SKANSKA is clearly making development history in Boston and Shawn and his group are leading that charge the titans of the real estate industry. Hats off gents.

Quick Project Stats
Project Cost: $290M
Project Duration: 26 months
PwC Employees: 3000 (20% more people in 12% less space)
Designer / Design Firm: Jonathan McGuiness, Jacobs Engineering Group

NAIOP’s on-going Leadership Lunch and Learn series is open only to Members and offers unparalleled access to top local real estate leaders. Attendees get an inside look at the area’s most active CRE companies and hear about their latest developments, recent activity, upcoming projects, and more. Not yet a NAIOP Member? Join today!

My Top Ten Predictions for 2015

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2015It is that time of year when we try to look forward and plan accordingly. For the commercial real estate industry coming off a rather good year, we have to wonder if we are at the top or still growing?

Here are my predictions for the coming year:
1. Foreign buyers will outspend domestic investors for Boston and Cambridge properties and will make a dent in some communities along 128 (e.g. Burlington and Waltham). They will also be a major buyer of Boston condos.

2. Boston properties will be seeing a record number of office properties changing hands with some of those properties having already transferred ownership within the last 3 years.

3. No surprise that office rental rates in Boston and the surrounding areas will be increasing. I predict a minimum of 10% over this year. Apartment rents will continue to rise with some resistance in the newest buildings.

4. The Wynn Casino construction project will not be starting in 2015.

5. There will be one speculative office building announced in Cambridge, that’s it.

6. Design firms will have their busiest year renovating spaces and providing greater efficiency for existing tenants.

7. Construction costs are going to be up substantially, especially in downtown Boston, with greater difficulties getting multiple competitive subcontractor bids.

8. Boston will experience a major hurricane this coming Fall with substantial flooding due to storm surge.

9. The Federal Reserve will finally raise rates.

10. Boston will be selected by the US Olympic Committee to represent the US bid for the Summer Olympics.

Boston’s Game-Changing CRE Developments on Display at 2014 NAIOP MA Bus Tour

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The following blog post was submitted by David Fleming, Principal at PACE Communications Group, a marketing firm that works with CRE companies to promote properties and help lease space.

Elisif_20140514_6876The 2014 NAIOP Massachusetts Bus Tour,“Changing the Game in Boston Real Estate” lived up to its name as attendees got an up close look at game-changing development projects across the city. The tour covered dozens of new and redevelopment projects in Allston, Brighton, the Fenway, Back Bay, the South End, and the Seaport/Innovation District.

Here are just a few highlights:

Game-Changer in Brighton: NB Development’s Boston Landing

Elisif_20140514_6950The tour kicked off in Brighton as attendees watched a presentation on NB Development’s exciting new Boston Landing project. NB Development Group managing director Jim Halliday, HYM Investment Group founder Tom O’Brien, founding principal of Elkus Manfredi Architects, David Manfredi, and others provided an overview of the spectacular transit-oriented, mixed-use project.

When complete, Boston Landing will feature 650,000 square feet of office, 180 hotel rooms, 65,000 square feet of retail, a world-class indoor track facility, a dedicated MBTA commuter rail station, and significant public space. A game-changer in Brighton, for sure.

Skanska & WS Development Star at Seaport Square

Elisif_20140514_7068At the Boston Innovation/Seaport District, attendees visited another game-changer, Seaport Square. Here, Skanska USA is building three projects totaling close to 1.2 million square feet. Project partner WS Development is responsible for bringing the ground level retail to each building.

Brian Sciera of WS Development explained the company’s mission at Seaport Square is to create energy and excitement where buildings meet the street. To WS Development, energy means retail. And, fashion retail, in particular.

“The backbone of any good retail district is its fashion component,” said Sciera. “Fashion brings that energy to the street by driving interaction between people and buildings.”

Sciera said WS Development is in discussion with several well-known retailers, but was not at liberty to disclose names.

The Skanska USA buildings at Seaport Square are:

  • 101 Seaport: located on Parcel L1 across from the Boston Innovation Center, the office tower will be the new Boston headquarters for PwC
  • 121 Seaport: located onParcel L2,the 17-storybuilding willconsist of 400,000 RSF of office space and ground level retail
  • Watermark Seaport: located on Parcel K, the project will consist of a six-story building and 17-story residential tower, including 346 luxury rental units and 25,000 square feet of retail (Watermark Seaport is a JV with Twining Properties)

Fenway’s Other Big Papi: Samuels & Associates

Elisif_20140514_7119When you’re talking about development in the Fenway Triangle, you’re talking Samuels & Associates. With more than $1 billion invested in the neighborhood, Samuels is Fenway’s other Big Papi.

Just down Boylston Street from The Trilogy and 1330 Boylston, the NAIOP tour buses rolled by Samuels’ latest two projects: The Van Ness and The Verb. The Van Ness is a 22-story, 320-unit apartment building that’s under construction and will be home to downtown Boston’s first Target. And, recently underway, The Verb is a 43,000-square-foot boutique hotel project at the site of the former Howard Johnson’s.

At the Landmark Center, bus tour attendees were treated to lunch by area favorite Tasty Burger. Samuels’ Joel Sklar and Peter Sougarides were onhand to discuss the company’s Landmark Center expansion project, which they described as a complete “rethinking of the former Sears building.” In addition to renovating the interior, updating infrastructure, and removing the above ground parking garage, Samuels plans to create a “world class food market” anchored by Wegman’s.

By adding the Landmark Center expansion to development projects The Van Ness and The Verb, Fenway’s other Big Papi has struck again.

A Game-Changing Tour

Elisif_20140514_7224Highlighted by Boston Landing, Seaport Square, and the new Fenway Triangle projects, NAIOP Massachusetts’ “Changing the Game in Boston Real Estate” bus tour lived up to its name—and then some.

Highlights from Boston: The Investment World’s Newest Heavyweight

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Elisif_20140417_6337This post was submitted by T.J Winick, Vice President at Solomon McCown.

Event Photos  |  Curbed article  |  Banker & Tradesman article  |  Recap Video

NAIOP’s recent event, Boston – The Investment World’s Newest Heavyweight, assured us once again that Boston is in the city to invest in when it comes to commercial real estate.

Throughout the event, panelists including Charles River Realty Investors President Brian Kavoogian, Cushman & Wakefield New England Area President Rob Griffin, AEW Managing Director Bob Plumb, DivcoWest CEO Stuart Shiff, and Blackstone Principal Jacob Werner touted Boston’s young and vibrant workforce along with its high level of innovation, top-notch schools and universities, and impressive CRE market. “[Here in Boston] it’s a very well educated labor force that draws from traditional financial services, technology and a growing biotech business,” said Werner.

The city is the 5th largest office market in the U.S. and is currently second only to San Francisco in terms of CRE vacancies. While panelists made several favorable comparisons between Boston and the “City by the Bay”, San Francisco is, unquestionably, the leader in development. It has a total of 3.5 million square-feet under construction at the moment, compared with Boston’s 2 million square-feet. San Francisco’s overall rental rates are overall back at 2007 levels while Boston remains approximately 20 percent below 2007 rates; in fact, Boston’s rental rates are still considered “cheap.” However, based on the city’s similarities (coastal, hubs of innovation) and with the belief that San Francisco is a bellwether, Boston’s CRE outlook remains bullish. “There’s real scarcity in [Boston] and scarcity is how you ultimately create value,” noted Kavoogian.

Another area of comparison: Massachusetts trails only California when it comes to NIH Funding. According to Cushman’s Griffin, Massachusetts General Hospital alone receives more NIH dollars than 90% of states. He also noted how the biotech and biopharmaceutical sectors continue to add more and more jobs and create new drugs. “If you’re a global investor and you look at Boston,” said Plumb, “you’ve got all the ingredients for job growth.” And the Boston area’s hottest markets for start-ups (Boston, Cambridge, and Waltham) have experienced an impressive 318 new deals as the market has bounced back. “Focusing on those markets that are both gateway and technology-related markets has been appealing to us,” said Shiff.

In addition to those three markets, there is also hope for Boston’s Central Business District (CBD) despite all the Seaport District’s development. The CBD is currently experiencing 15 percent in rent growth. The panel felt that once the CBD integrates more residential and retail projects into its urban dynamic, it will become “gold”.

Although the panel’s take was overwhelming positive, they did caution listeners to keep a couple of things in mind: Boston has 25,000 new apartments (many which are luxury) inside Route 128 currently under construction. It’s crucial the region creates jobs that meet those rents and attracts a suitable workforce. Also, in terms of capital markets, the industry needs to start thinking about rising interest rates–which are likely to increase as the economy continues to slowly improve.

We Need Jobs, But Also Skilled Workers

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computer_handsThe Boston Globe recently reported that “the state’s tech sector is growing fast, but a shortage of qualified workers is preventing Massachusetts from becoming the capital of the nation’s innovation economy”, according to the 2014 State of Technology Report released by the Mass Technology Leadership Council. “Creating the jobs isn’t the hard part – filling them is the hard part,” said Tom Hopcroft, chief executive of MassTLC. “We can’t find enough people with the skills to fill all of these tech jobs.”

These are not the only types of jobs that remain open according to this Boston Globe graphic, which shows that it is not just the high end tech jobs that are having trouble finding workers.

So, what is worse – not having the jobs, or not being able to provide the workers for those companies that are expanding? It should be the former.  Trying to create new jobs is not only difficult, but there is actually no proven way to do it.  If what we have is a gap in training, or the proper transportation to access trained workers, we should be able to remedy that.

Local and state government should be partnering with local community colleges, vocational schools, and universities to work directly with those businesses that are fortunate enough to be growing and hiring.  If we don’t fix this imbalance expeditiously, we may have bigger problems.  Companies will begin expanding elsewhere and, then not having any local jobs to fill would be a lot worse.

Highlights of NAIOP’s You Can’t Get There from Here

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Elisif_20140207_3248This post was submitted by Allyson Quinby, Account Supervisor at Solomon McCown.

View event photos  |  Read Curbed article  |  Watch event video

Real estate professionals gathered at NAIOP’s “You Can’t Get There from Here” event to discuss one of the top priorities in Boston right now: improving transportation. It was exciting to hear about all the projects that are in the works, upgrades to the system already underway, and new technology that will allow commuters to get from point A to point B more efficiently.

The audience was fortunate enough to hear from Secretary of Transportation Richard Davey, who served as the keynote speaker, followed by a panel of experts including Michael Cantalupa of Boston Properties, Donald Cooke of VHB, Marilyn Swartz-Lloyd of MASCO and Yanni Tsipis of Colliers International.

Secretary Davey explained how MassDOT will make numerous improvements to the city’s existing infrastructure with a $12.4 billion Capital Investment Plan that aims to make the lives of commuters easier and spur economic development. The much-needed green line extension to Somerville and Medford as well as the South Coast Rail extension to Fall River and New Bedford will make a huge difference for those who live outside Boston. These new public transit lines will deliver an option that’s much less expensive than driving, which means fewer cars on the road and a significant reduction in traffic congestion and of greenhouse gases (something the Secretary said was a major initiative for MassDOT).

Additionally, a Silver Line Gateway will provide a new route from Logan International Airport to Chelsea to service one of the greatest transit-dependent populations in Greater Boston. Secretary Davey called it a “game changer.” As panelist Michael Cantalupa further noted, transportation plays a vital role in any city’s development. As Boston continues to boom with new office buildings and other high-rise projects, it’s critical these new developments remain accessible through increased transportation options.

Secretary Davey assured the audience that money is being invested in the system’s aging infrastructure, which means the need for new transit cars will finally be addressed. In fact, the state will purchase new Red/Orange Line cars and make upgrades to signal systems in an effort to eliminate the on-going problem of constant breakdowns. Millions will also be poured into the state’s highway system. For example, the alignment of the I-90 Turnpike Allston Interchange will reconfigure ramps and straighten the highway to simplify the roadway, as well as allow more room for development.

Diesel Multiple Unit (DMU) Service is another initiative MassDOT will be implementing. The service will allow more affordable cars to utilize our existing commuter rail line that runs from the South Bay Rail Yard to the South Boston Waterfront. This will open up whole new possibilities for those looking to travel from the Seaport District to Back Bay, a route for which there is currently no efficient method of transportation.

It’s no secret here in Eastern Massachusetts that traffic has a paralyzing effect on local transportation on a daily basis. So it was welcome news to hear that MassDOT is collecting and analyzing years of data to deliver real-time traffic technology. This will not only inform commuters where traffic is, but how bad it will be at what time and why. Secretary Davey announced that by the end of 2014, the real-time traffic message signs that have appeared on major highways will be instituted across the Commonwealth; making Massachusetts the first state in the country to do so.

While the planned investments are exciting, a proposed ballot question could prevent many of these important projects from moving forward. Under the landmark transportation legislation passed last year, the gas tax will be indexed to inflation in the coming years. This will be only a penny or two per gallon at most, but will provide the funding needed to ensure these projects are a reality. The proposed ballot question would repeal the gas tax indexing and would eliminate this crucial source of funding. NAIOP and other business groups are strongly opposed to the ballot question and will be working to fight this initiative in the coming months.

Transportation impacts all of us, and it was fascinating to hear Secretary Davey and the featured panelists give us a sneak peak of what’s in store for the city of Boston and throughout Massachusetts.

The Seaport’s Time Has Come

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P1090057For many years, the transformation of the Boston Seaport District into a vibrant mixed-use market seemed to always be decades away. For those of us who participated in the NAIOP Seaport Walking Tour, we know that this massive area across Fort Point Channel is finally living up to the hype.

David Manfredi, Principal at Elkus Manfredi, began the program by describing the development over the last 10 years, which includes 2.3 mm sq. ft. of office, 750 new residences, 1,700 hotel rooms, 40 restaurants & cafes, 3 acres of parks, and the ICA and the convention center. This transformation was enabled, in part, by the massive public sector investment in infrastructure and the success of the pioneering development, including the Federal Court House and the Boston Convention and Exhibition Center.

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Anyone who has been down by the waterfront recently knows there is an enormous amount of construction currently underway, including another 1.8 mm sq. ft. of office, 1,100 apartments, 120 hotel rooms, 30k sq. ft. of retail and many more restaurants, and .5 acre of park space. Highlights include:

• Residences at 399 Congress
• Watermark Seaport apartments
• Boston Wharf Tower apartments
• 411 D Street apartments
• Pier 4 Apartments
• Waterside Place mixed use
• Marriott Residence Inn
• A Loft & Element Hotels
• Tavern Rd, Blue Dragon restaurants
• Bee’s Knees store
• One Channel Center (State Street Bank)
• Block L1 Seaport Sq. (Price Waterhouse)
• 49, 51 and 63 Melcher Street offices
• Vertex at Fan Pier
• Channel Center park
• Q park
• District Hall Innovation Center

Upcoming construction includes yet another 1.1 mm sq. ft. of office, 700 residences, 750 hotel rooms, 300k sq. ft. of retail and many more restaurants, as well as an expansion of the BCEC.

Thousands of new employees will be working in this district, with a likely significant number choosing to live in the area, and all of them spending at least some time in the many restaurants and shops along the waterfront. The need for diversity, options and vitality in this mixed-use area is clear. There is probably more happening in the Seaport District right now than in any other area in Massachusetts (or in any other major metropolitan area across the country, for that matter), and it doesn’t look like it will be slowing down anytime soon.

View photos from the event.

Coffee with Colleagues at Synergy Investments

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The following blog post was submitted by David Fleming, Principal at PACE Communications Group, a marketing and PR firm that specializes in commercial real estate and retail.

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“Wherever [coffee] is grown, sold, brewed, and consumed, there will be lively controversy, strong opinions, and good conversation.”
Mark Pendergrast, Uncommon Grounds: The History of Coffee and How It Transformed Our World

More than 100 people gathered on May 14th in Boston at Synergy Investments for NAIOP’s Coffee with Colleagues, a networking breakfast event. The sold out gathering was held at Synergy’s new corporate headquarters inside the 100 Franklin Street building, which Synergy owns. In addition to 100 Franklin, Synergy’s commercial real estate portfolio contains some of downtown Boston’s landmark buildings including 250 and 253 Summer Street, 211 Congress Street, and 185 Dartmouth Street, among others.

David Greaney, Synergy’s founder and president, kicked off the event with opening remarks touching on Boston’s favorable real estate market. After, the gathering of commercial real estate industry professionals enjoyed refreshments and engaged in lively conversation.

Steve Brodsky, Synergy’s Chief Operating Officer, stated that the event went well. “We were pleased to see the strong turnout, and it was a great networking event,” said Brodsky. “It was a terrific way to celebrate our one-year anniversary in our new space here at 100 Franklin Street, while working with NAIOP in support of the industry.”

Others commented positively about Coffee with Colleagues:

Dorrian Cohen Fragola, VP Marketing and Business Development, Janitronics: “This morning’s event was a wonderful opportunity to network, reconnect, and meet new people. Synergy has been so active in Boston recently. It was good to hear more about its plans and meet some of its people,” said Cohen Fragola. “Thanks to Synergy for hosting and to NAIOP for another successful event.”

Joel Loitherstein, P.E; Associate, Tata & Howard: “Coffee with Colleagues was well worth the trip into Boston. These events are a great way to meet new people and reestablish connections with past clients and colleagues. The atmosphere is very comfortable and you get a chance to meet senior level people at major development, legal, and consulting firms in the Boston area.”

Coming Up: Boston’s Other Waterfront

On May 22, don’t miss another exciting NAIOP event: Boston’s Other Waterfront featuring Joseph Shea, Kairos Shen, and Peter Spellios. Beyond the Seaport District, the panel will discuss the future of Boston’s waterfront from Lovejoy Wharf to East Boston, and beyond. It’s sure to be a good one!

To see other events NAIOP has in store, visit the Upcoming Events page. See you at the next great NAIOP event!