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Their reasons to enter a new business area range from sensing changes in the commercial real estate investment climate to sourcing difficult development projects in order to compete in crowded major markets.But executives who have taken their companies into new and innovative business areas say that despite the challenges, the expense and personnel requirements moving in a new direction can entail, there are also significant benefits to be harvested.The Search for Synergy. The merger of Grubb & Ellis Co. and NNN Realty Advisors Inc. brought together a different combination of companies that what is usually seen in the commercial real…

Real estate professionals find that using social networking websites like LinkedIn.com, UpWorld.com and MyDealbook.com help expand relationships and forge deals. But they are increasingly discovering other benefits, as well. The sites have proven to be valuable tools in the search for new employees—especially those that are happy with their current position and therefore have not been seeking a move. “Passive recruiting is key to many businesses,” said Kathy Anemogiannis, president of Trireme Consulting Inc.Cushman & Wakefield Inc. uses social networking sites to find such passive candidates; its recruiters have profiles on the major social networking sites, including LinkedIn, Facebook.com and…

From global giants to networks of entrepreneurial affiliates, brokerage firms are constantly striving to raise their profiles and gain market share. They do so via acquisition, recruitment and alliances.Deciding exactly when, where and how to expand in the global marketplace requires a mixture of science and art. Cushman & Wakefield Inc., for instance, has identified a score of markets worldwide that offer potential for expanding transaction services. Yet CEO Bruce Mosler insists that the firm’s push for global growth involves much more than merely adding dots to the map. “Our goal is not to be in every single market around…

The progression toward globalization marches steadily onward—and today’s steps include not just expansion into new markets but also improvement of the overall strategy involved. For corporations, that means evaluating how best to organize business oversight to ensure effective coordination of departments and decisionmaking.There are a variety of approaches and more than one could be right for any company, but one overreaching improvement is in cohesiveness of strategy across the company. Of course, diversity of markets can make this tough to achieve, but the progress is helping real estate departments better control, track and measure performance across the portfolio while also…

.By Anthony GrazianoSophisticated private and public commercial real estate investors staring into the headlights of downfall projections should take heart. The market is actually shifting back to equilibrium, where cash and good judgment will reign.The past two quarters have been turbulent for the real estate capital markets. Barrels of ink have prognosticated whether or when the other shoe will drop. Will the increased cost of borrowing drive capitalization rates up, thereby lowering prices? Will higher debt-coverage ratios balance the pricing equation by driving asset prices downward?Much of the dialogue has centered around the principal differences between the last commercial real…

If you desire to become a top CEO, it will be essential for you to master the art of leveraging down. Think of any top performing CEO and you’ll find that to the one, they possess an uncanny ability to focus on highest and best use activities. While most executives that have reached the C-suite level understand the importance of scaling via delegation, far too many CEOs struggle with the effective implementation of the concept. To this day I’m amazed at how many CEOs still own tasks, roles, projects, and responsibilities that should be delegated to others. So, in today’s…

After a record 2007, global investment market volumes are expected to be down more than 30 percent over this year, while tenant demand for global property has turned negative for the first time in four years and interest in emerging markets is beginning to decline, Jones Lang LaSalle Inc. and Royal Institute of Chartered Surveyors reports have found. Jones Lang LaSalle has forecast that The Americas and European investment markets will see a material decline in full-year transaction volumes, and although Asia may be more resilient, volumes will not achieve last year’s height, according to a report released today. Reduced…

While multi-family property sales in New York City and Los Angeles have decreased over the last two years, one analyst attributes the drop to investors holding on to their assets until the market rises. In its investment properties first quarter report, PropertyShark.com tracked recorded sales of investment properties defined as two-family dwellings, three-family dwellings, four -family dwellings, five- or more family dwellings, and mixed use properties in Los Angeles County, San Francisco County, and the five boroughs of New York City through the end of the first quarter of this year. New York City’s investment property market over the last…

Financial giant Citigroup Inc. has achieved pre-certification for a retail commercial interior prototype through a pilot U.S. Green Building Council program. Among other things, the prototype features low-flow plumbing fixtures; energy-efficient office equipment; carpets, desks, seating, fabrics and cabinetry made from recycled materials; and green power to provide 50 percent of the electrical load for at least two years. The pilot program, known as the USGBC Portfolio Program, focuses on the permanent integration of green building and operational measures–throughout a portfolio–into the standard business practices of companies and organizations. The Portfolio Program recognizes companies with high levels of LEED certification…

Noble Carpenter has been appointed to lead Jones Lang LaSalle’s loan outsourcing and disposition as part of the firm’s real estate investment banking team. This move is a response to the JLL’s “First Quarter 2008 Capital Markets Report” that indicated an expected strong increase in loan sale outsourcing as investment and commercial banks and mortgage companies seek to tap unconventional debt buyers and loan participants to clear balance sheets. In an exclusive interview with CPN, Carpenter said, “Some of the most active buyers of debt have been hedge funds and opportunity funds. So the new investors include many of the…