WASHINGTON, DC—Technology will have a major part to play this week at the CoreNet Global North American Summit here. That will be due in large part to the unveiling of a new corporate solutions platform—under the umbrella of expanded corporate services—being offered by Lee & Associates. The Summit runs from October 25 to 29.

John DeCouto and Kenneth Salzman, principals of the Atlanta and New York City offices, respectively, will join CEO Jeffrey Rinkov to unveil its expanded services. (In addition to the unveiling, DeCouto, a faculty member for CoreNet Global Learning, will be teaching a two-day course, Real Estate's Impact on Corporate Financial Statements, as part of the association's executive development program.) Both DeCouto and Salzman are managing directors of the Corporate Solutions initiative.

GlobeSt.com: What's the mission of the Corporate Solutions Group? 

John DeCouto: It's a specialty service group focused specifically on serving corporate clients. It's a national platform with proven success in every major US market. We introduced Corporate Services last year. Now we've enhanced the platform by adding ePortfolio as well as other capabilities, such as facilities and property management, on a national basis. We're also offering enhanced lease administration partnerships via Lee offices around the country.

GlobeSt.com: How will the launch of ePortfolio help facilitate that mission?

DeCouto: It gives us a differentiating tool that allows us to help companies that don't need a full corporate service platform.

Kenneth Salzman: But its best suited for mid-cap companies with few CRE resources. They'll receive the most from the program.

GlobeSt.com: How so?

Salzman: Corporate real estate decisions are among the most critical bottom-line decisions a company can make. It's an increasing challenge to optimize control over CRE assets and reduce costs. But small and mid-cap firms have the fewest number of internal resources to dedicate toward managing their real estate portfolio. They can find the biggest value with our offerings.

DeCouto: The occupier, the client, can tailor the program to their needs, whether its portfolio or asset management, lease administration, transaction management, facility evaluation or communication between stakeholders.

GlobeSt.com: So how does this distinguish Lee's Corporate Services from the competition?

DeCouto: It's all about mobility. And it's agnostic; it works with whatever software programs are in place. We've been working with ii2a for a customized mobile application for the past 18 months. The result is ePortfolio. 

GlobeSt.com: Is it a game-changer?

DeCouto: There are different software programs out there. I haven't seen anything that delivers this type of service in a mobile version, where you can upload data and pictures in the field for users' instant viewing. It's the mobile capability that makes the difference.

GlobeSt.com: So what does it mean for the user?  And what does it mean for Lee?

DeCouto: For the user, it provides a competitive, technologically focused service platform that will compete in service delivery with most of the majors. From a management standpoint alone we can have them up and running in a week. For Lee, it means a level of internal, national collaboration we've never had before and a level of service unlike anything we've ever delivered. The changes we're unveiling here this week allow us to compete in a full-service market on a national scale.

Visit the Lee team at the Innovation Pavilion, Sunday, October 26, 5PM to 7:00PM; Monday, October 27, noon to 6:00PM; and Tuesday, October 28, 8AM to 2:15PM.