Jerry Moore: With the need to provide numerous service specializations the greatest demand is for an integrated portfolio approach to handling corporate real estate. We find transparency and real time information aids cycle time and aligns performance goals. The constant demand for innovation and realized productivity benefits are evidenced by the increased demand for portfolio lease administration, benchmarking, and strategic planning. This starts with a review key dates/terms in Lease Administration and contrasted against market and industry benchmarks (i.e. market rates, space utilization, operating expenses, employee and labor demographics, logistics and thru-put). It can vary slightly from industry-to-industry (our firm principally serves financial services, defense contractors, life science companies and manufacturers), yet the process culminates into a portfolio strategic plan that provides a dashboard for real estate management to plan and implement real estate activities, regardless of industry sector.

GlobeSt.com: Are the international requirements substantially different than domestic (U.S.) requirements?

Moore: International requirements can vary significantly and as such maintaining governance across the service spectrum can be challenging due to different customs, languages, legal and financial systems. We overcome this challenge by having strict governance guidelines for each market that we operate in across the globe combined with a trusted network of corporate services affiliates. For example, we provided site selection services for a manufacturing-client requirement that needed a 65,000-square-foot facility in Suzhou, China. The team needed to not only identify a suitable site but also understand the local politics that governed the ultimate delivery of the project. Given the multiple barriers to successfully executing this project (language, legal, construction, political) it was essential for us to have a trusted local partner combined with a defined commercial real estate governance process.

GlobeSt.com: What are some of the trends we expect to play out this year and in 2017 among these big national and multi-national corporations as it relates to commercial real estate and what is driving these trends?

Mike Witko: Presidential elections affect certain industries more than others and they often pose minor delays in major real estate decision making. Workplace strategy and sustainability will remain important to the corporation's mission and as a result, continually impact real estate choices and decisions. Corporations will continue to work hard at understanding their employee base, their work habits and how the real estate portfolio can complement productivity and increase value across all disciplines. We're seeing a significant change in the average age of the workforce and anticipate that the trend toward a reduced footprint per employee will continue. Transporting finished products from manufacturer to the consumer/ end user as cost effectively and quickly will remain paramount. Continuing to optimize technology and keep manufacturing costs down will be key in attracting manufacturing jobs. “Data collection” has always been there but corporations continue to look closer at the data associated with their real estate with the constant aim of lowering costs and maximizing productivity.

GlobeSt.com: What are some of the most important attributes for managing a successful corporate services business?

Witko: Accountability, transparency, communication, people talent and individual skills of the team members. Ultimately it is performance, being competitive in fee structures and consistently producing positive client results.

Moore: The Garibaldi Group was recently selected after a very lengthy process to provide commercial real estate services to a global company with a $100 billion capitalization value. We believe we were selected because of our ability to serve its large global portfolio and smaller, regional property requirements without a bureaucratic, top-down management approach.

Part 2 of 2

CHATHAM, NJ—In part one of this two-part Q&A, Mike Witko, principal and Jerry Moore, executive managing director of the Garibaldi Group/CORFAC International, based here in Chatham, NJ, discussed corporate real estate requirements and services. The team talked about how the landscape has changed and shifted to more in-depth consultative services and how there is no substitute for market knowledge and data collection. In part two, the team says that accountability, transparency, communication, people talent and individual skills of the team members are some of the most important attributes for managing a successful corporate services business.

http://www.globest.com/sites/nataliedolce/2016/04/08/managing-operational-costs-and-boosting-productivity/

GlobeSt.com: There are numerous service specializations associated with “corporate services;” which are in greatest demand now, and why?

Jerry Moore: With the need to provide numerous service specializations the greatest demand is for an integrated portfolio approach to handling corporate real estate. We find transparency and real time information aids cycle time and aligns performance goals. The constant demand for innovation and realized productivity benefits are evidenced by the increased demand for portfolio lease administration, benchmarking, and strategic planning. This starts with a review key dates/terms in Lease Administration and contrasted against market and industry benchmarks (i.e. market rates, space utilization, operating expenses, employee and labor demographics, logistics and thru-put). It can vary slightly from industry-to-industry (our firm principally serves financial services, defense contractors, life science companies and manufacturers), yet the process culminates into a portfolio strategic plan that provides a dashboard for real estate management to plan and implement real estate activities, regardless of industry sector.

GlobeSt.com: Are the international requirements substantially different than domestic (U.S.) requirements?

Moore: International requirements can vary significantly and as such maintaining governance across the service spectrum can be challenging due to different customs, languages, legal and financial systems. We overcome this challenge by having strict governance guidelines for each market that we operate in across the globe combined with a trusted network of corporate services affiliates. For example, we provided site selection services for a manufacturing-client requirement that needed a 65,000-square-foot facility in Suzhou, China. The team needed to not only identify a suitable site but also understand the local politics that governed the ultimate delivery of the project. Given the multiple barriers to successfully executing this project (language, legal, construction, political) it was essential for us to have a trusted local partner combined with a defined commercial real estate governance process.

GlobeSt.com: What are some of the trends we expect to play out this year and in 2017 among these big national and multi-national corporations as it relates to commercial real estate and what is driving these trends?

Mike Witko: Presidential elections affect certain industries more than others and they often pose minor delays in major real estate decision making. Workplace strategy and sustainability will remain important to the corporation's mission and as a result, continually impact real estate choices and decisions. Corporations will continue to work hard at understanding their employee base, their work habits and how the real estate portfolio can complement productivity and increase value across all disciplines. We're seeing a significant change in the average age of the workforce and anticipate that the trend toward a reduced footprint per employee will continue. Transporting finished products from manufacturer to the consumer/ end user as cost effectively and quickly will remain paramount. Continuing to optimize technology and keep manufacturing costs down will be key in attracting manufacturing jobs. “Data collection” has always been there but corporations continue to look closer at the data associated with their real estate with the constant aim of lowering costs and maximizing productivity.

GlobeSt.com: What are some of the most important attributes for managing a successful corporate services business?

Witko: Accountability, transparency, communication, people talent and individual skills of the team members. Ultimately it is performance, being competitive in fee structures and consistently producing positive client results.

Moore: The Garibaldi Group was recently selected after a very lengthy process to provide commercial real estate services to a global company with a $100 billion capitalization value. We believe we were selected because of our ability to serve its large global portfolio and smaller, regional property requirements without a bureaucratic, top-down management approach.