Looking to learn more about how to leverage social media?

Well then join us tonight from 4pm to 6:30pm at Herman Miller’s downtown DC showroom for:

Leveraging Social Media to Increase Visibility and Expand Your Network

Join The Mid-Atlantic Communications Committee for an evening of Social Media education. Evan Gassman with Social Driver will explain the evolution of social media, present an overview of the different Social Media offerings, and will provide ideas on how to use them to propel ideas, make connections, and gather information. After the presentation, attendees will participate in hands-on breakout sessions led by our CoreNet Social Media experts in the following areas: LinkedIn Beginners, LinkedIn Intermediate/Expert, Twitter, Blogging, and Facebook. Groups will rotate once, allowing you to explore two areas. Attendees are encouraged to bring computers to make the most of their participation as there will be WIFI. Immediately following the session, all are invited to a networking cocktail party.

Online registration is closed but walk-ins are welcome.  Click here for directions to Herman Miller’s showroom located at:

600 14th Street, NW, Suite 700
Washington, District of Columbia.

Want to know who of your colleagues will be there?  Click here to check out this evening’s attendee list!

Baltimore Program Recap

Bob Manekin of Colliers International, Deb Kuo of Exelon and Tom Fulcher of Studley share with members of the CoreNet Mid-Atlantic Chapter on “Driving Improved Return with Strategic Initiatives.”

CoreNet Mid Atlantic Baltimore Presentation – Click here to download presentation

First and foremost, a HUGE thank you to Sheryl Etelson with Lockheed Martin, Chris Szutz with Ciena, and everyone else on the Mid-Atlantic Chapter Education Committee for putting together such a dynamic and informative program!  All the time, effort and hard work dedicated to providing Chapter members with high quality educational programs is truly appreciated!

It’s been awhile since the Mid-Atlantic Chapter has hosted and education program in Baltimore and based on the large turnout and audience engagement, there will surely be more Baltimore-based programs to come! Last week’s program focused on the current state of the Baltimore real estate market and Exelon’s decision to locate their regional headquarters in the thriving downtown business district.

The program was kicked off by Bob Manekin, Managing Director and Principal for Colliers International.  Bob provided an overview of Baltimore’s Downtown Office Market.  This included an introduction of the three main downtown submarkets – Charles Center/Inner Harbor, Locust Point/Camden Yards and Harbor East/Fells Point/Canton as well as some of the critical market drivers.  Last, he gave a brief overview of downtown vacancies and the implications of block analysis.

The program next moved to Deb Kuo, Vice President of Real Estate and Facilities for Exelon.  Deb began her presentation by introducing the audience to Exelon, the Nation’s #1 Competitive Energy Provider.  Once everyone got to know a little more about who is Exelon, Deb moved on to describe Exelon’s Baltimore team and the roles that the different stakeholders and project team members play in Exelon’s move to Baltimore.  Next, Deb transitioned to sharing her best practices for managing a project of this size and caliber and how to ensure success for the project team and a delighted client.

After her discussion of Exelon’s culture and project team composition, Deb’s discussion turned to the Baltimore project itself.  This included a look at “Why Baltimore?” as well as some of Exelon’s key site considerations.  After her overview of Exelon’s criteria, the mic was turned over to Tom Fulcher, Executive Vice President for Studley.   Tom focused on Exelon’s needs and how Studley as the brokerage worked to ensure that “no stone was left unturned” and that Exelon was privy to all the options available in the Baltimore market.  He additionally gave an overview of Exelon’s proposal considerations and how the procurement process was conducted.

The program concluded with a synopsis by Bob of how the Downtown Baltimore Office Market would be impacted by Exelon’s move into the area.  Specifically, he focused on how Exelon fit into the Harbor East/Harbor Point picture and how Exelon’s relocation provided a win-win scenario for Baltimore, the community and Exelon.

CoreNet Mid Atlantic Baltimore Presentation – Click here to download presentation

 

What’s in a name?

According to an article in today’s Washington Post, Tysons Corner is looking to unofficially unload their “corner.”  In a newly proposed marketing campaign for the area, Tysons will be referred to as, well, Tysons.

So what do you think?  Will there be a benefit to the re-branding?  Why or why not?

Click here to read the article in its entirety – Tysons Corner is unofficially dropping the ‘corner’ from its name – courtesy of The Washington Post.

CRE Takes a Hit When It Comes to Mentoring Young Execs

As a barely-30 something looking to make it in the CRE industry, I was shocked and disappointed when I read this article recently on GlobeSt.com.  In the article title “CRE Takes a Hit When It Comes to Mentoring Young Execs” a shocking 60% (61%!) of those polled for the study found that their real estate firms were not succeeding when it came to mentoring their younger peers.

To my fellow Young Leaders – What has your mentoring experience (or lack there of) been like thus far in your career?  Do you find the article’s statistics and assertions to be true or over-stated?

To my more senior CREs – What is your firm doing to promote developing employees?  Do you feel like your investments in professional development pay off?

I’m eager to hear what others think!

CLICK HERE to check out the article in its entirety at GlobeSt.com

CRE 2020 Program Recap

From left to right: Janise Nichols, Tenant Logistics Manager for GSA; Eric Thorpe, Managing Partner for Terra Novo Partners; Sheryl Etelson, Strategic Facility Planner for Lockheed Martin

Last week’s program focused on CoreNet Global’s year-long Corporate Real Estate 2020 project.  The goal of the initiative was to take an in-depth look at the state of Corporate Real Estate and examine a wide range of external and macro-economic, societal, political and other influences, triangulating these drivers against trends affecting the globally networked enterprise and CRE itself.  The project brought together hundreds of CRE global thought leaders who were tasked with analyzing the industry’s current and future state.  The study included interviews with more than 150 CRE executives, service providers and economic developers.

The program was kicked off by Janise Nichols, Tenant Logistics Manager for GSA.  Janise provided an introduction to the 2020 study and gave an overview of the study’s major findings.  Chief among her discussion was a look at the eight industry domains, including Enterprise Leadership, Location Strategy and the Role of Place, Portfolio Optimization and Asset Management, Service Delivery and Outsourcing, Sustainability, Technology Tools, Workplace and Partnering with Key Support Functions.

The program next moved to Eric Thorpe, Managing Partner for Terra Novo Partners.  Eric, who was a participant in the 2020 study, focused on one of the identified industry domains – Enterprise Leadership.  His discussion included an in-depth look at some of the statics that were revealed by the 2020 study which included how CREs are perceived in the C-suite and how quantifiable data and metrics (or lack there-of) effect CREs integration into the C-suite.  His discussion ended with a look at the “Productivity and Innovation Equation” which, simply stated is – Engagement x Tools x Workplace =Productivity Innovation.

Next, we moved to Sheryl Etelson, Strategic Facility Planner for Lockheed Martin.  Sheryl, another participant in the 2020 study, focused on one of the other industry domains – Partnering with Key Support Functions.  Sheryl’s presentation included an introduction to the concept of the “Super Nucleus” – a business model that includes the integration of an organization’s key leadership functions – HR, IT, Finance AND CRE.  Her discussion specifically looked at the opportunities and challenges that CRE face when it comes to forming a “Super Nucleus.”  Additionally, Sheryl discussed some of the benefits that can be derived from implementing a “Super Nucleus” which was supported by a case study from The Proctor & Gamble Co.

The program concluded with a group discussion of the study’s findings and opinions on what the future of CRE could look like and the bold assertion that “If we wait until 2020, it’ll be too late.”  Some of the topics discussed included: How can CRE drive initiatives?  How can we better demonstrate CRE’s value to an organization?  Where is CRE succeeding as well as were are we falling short?

Couldn’t be there in person? Click the link below to download the presentation in its entirety!

Mid Atlantic Chapter CRE 2020 Presentation_09 11 12_FINAL2

Today at 11:30 – CRE in the Year 2020!

We look forward to seeing everyone today at the Tower Club for a presentation, courtesy of the Mid-Atlantic Chapter Education Committee, on “Forecasting the Role of the Corporate Real Estate Profession in the Year 2020.”  Moderator Janise Nichols from GSA and Panelists Sheryl Etelson of Lockheed Martin and Eric Thorpe of Terra Nova will be sharing reports from CoreNet Global’s report on the future of corporate real estate, specifically Enterprise Leadership and Partnering with Key Support Functions.

For those of you who can’t join us, be on the lookout for an event recap, presentation deck and pictures!  And for those of you who will be in attendance…. Start crafting your questions for our presenters!

 

An Office-less Workplace??

Could you work for a company that was office-less?  Check out this intriguing article courtesy of the Wall Street Journal on the virtual workplace and office-less culture.  Do you think that working remotely is the future of corporate real estate?  Why of why not?

Step Into the Office-Less Company

The Web-services company Automattic Inc. has 123 employees working in 26 countries, 94 cities and 28 U.S. states. Here’s a map of its “offices.”

Happy Hour Tomorrow at 901 Restaurant? Count me in!

Summertime is officially in full swing and what better way to celebrate then to gather with your favorite industry peers and enjoy a chilly libation?

We look forward to meeting and greeting with 75 of our closest friends tomorrow at the SOLD OUT Mid-Atlantic Chapter’s Summer Happy Hour at 901 Restaurant!  If you’re going to be there, make sure you bring your business cards AND your smiles so the Communications Committee can capture all the fun!
See you there!

SUMMER HAPPY HOUR

Date: Wednesday, August 8, 2012
Time: 5:00pm – 7:00pm
Location: 901 Restaurant
Address: 901 Ninth Street, NW, Washington, DC 20001
Parking: Street parking is available near the restaurant.
Metro: The restaurant is close to the Chinatown and Metro Center stations.

Is your favorite charitable contribution nominated? Check out the 4th Annual CLASSY Awards!

” Hollywood has Oscar, Broadway has Tony, and now Philanthropy has the CLASSYs! ”

Ever feel like your favorite charities, socially conscious businesses and individuals needed more ways to spread their stories and raise awareness for their causes?  Well StayClassy did so in 2009, they created the CLASSY Awards.  Now in their 4th year, what started as a small program meant to put a public spotlight on amazing charitable efforts in the San Diego community is now the largest philanthropic awards ceremony in the country, and a celebration of the changing face of philanthropy in our world. It recognizes nonprofits who are operating as efficiently as lean corporations, and for-profit enterprises who have built social responsibility into the essence of their mission and products. It celebrates creative applications of technology in a sector that has never been known for it’s technology adoption, and young progressive leaders who could become the next generation of wealthy CEOs, but instead have dedicated their lives to improving the lives of others.

Want to learn more, check out their website where you can vote for your favorite charitable contribution in each of four regions nationwide.  Who knows?  Maybe someday soon we’ll see the efforts of the CoreNet Mid-Atlantic Chapter’s Community Outreach Committee nominated!

4th Annual CLASSY Awards

Want to use social media to connect? Here’s some tips and tricks!

Posted by Eye for Travel, this article gives some useful and helpful tips and tricks on how to leverage social media to make meaningful connections.  Though the article was written for the travel industry, the pointers are highly relevant to all industries and are great jumping off points for those who want to use social media more effectively to network but don’t really know where to start.

Click here to check out the article in its entirety: How to Drive Meaningful Engagement via Social Media