Matt McGregor, SIOR
Bill Condon, SIOR
OUR SERVICES
Our skills put to work for you.
Real estate is more than just space for your office, warehouse, distribution, manufacturing or other industrial operation. It’s a critical element to successfully serving clients and customers, and producing, packaging and delivering your product in a competitive timeframe. Leasing or buying the right space in the right location can elevate your brand, streamline logistics and the supply chain, attract and retain talent, and make a meaningful impact on your bottom line.
We have extensive experience in the development and execution of real estate strategies for industrial companies with a single requirement in the Puget Sound Region or multiple projects as part of national and global portfolios.
By bringing together specialized market knowledge, understanding of your business strategy and goals, customized negotiations, and a library of best practices and successes, we arm you with actionable market insight, meaningful business connections and occupancy analysis to maximize decision making. Additional experience as landlord agent for large, institutional owners of industrial space provides insight into that side of the transaction process, allowing for tactical deal-making to your benefit.
STRATEGIC
PLANNING
Strategic Planning
Are you growing or shrinking? What type of talent do you want to attract? What locations align with your vision? We’ll work with you to answer these questions and more so all the information necessary for targeting markets and making smart decisions is available. Then we’ll help craft a framework through which future actions are funneled.
Needs analysis and consensus building
Understanding your qualitative, financial and operational needs before entering the market is critical to determining the type, magnitude and configuration of space required; how real estate helps you serve clients; and the optimal location for success. We ask thought-provoking questions that garner meaningful answers, perform analysis on those conclusions, and mediate discussion that fosters collaboration and builds consensus.
Lease evaluations, renewals
For companies whose existing space meets current and future needs, renewing a lease can be the most efficient, least costly, and least disruptive course of action. We have strong relationships with property owners and can help ensure compliance with the timeframes dictated by your current lease and availability of your space for the future period you want. We will also create leverage in the competitive market and negotiate terms for an advantageous new lease.
Relocation analyses and negotiations
To ensure the best outcome, consider your future real estate needs 18 to 24 months prior to lease expiration. We’ll help you navigate the process so your desired outcomes are achieved with minimal disruption to your business and productivity. If you’ve outgrown your space or need to make a change, you might consider subleasing additional space, relocating when your lease expires or even purchasing instead of leasing. We’ll partner with you to create a short-list of options and secure the best space for your business. If you’re looking to establish a presence in the market by opening a new location, we’ll help define your needs and find the right space.
Expansions and consolidations
Market dynamics can significantly affect the amount, type, location and configuration of real estate needs. Should you need to re-think, re-define or revise your commitment — whether at the end of a lease or in the middle — we can work with your landlord to come to an agreement that accommodates your financial, operational and qualitative goals.
Market analysis, scenario development and option definition
Knowledge of the current market environment and its ability to meet your needs is critical to effective development and execution of a real estate strategy. Our in-house Research team reports on market and transaction data that enable forecasting and position clients to take advantage of trends and opportunities. After clarifying your company’s real estate needs and goals, we will work with our in-house Research team to collect, evaluate and convey relevant statistics for your focus market. Combining all this information together enables definition of both what kinds of transactions will yield the optimal result and the specific type of occupancy will enable long-term success and client service.
Sale-leasebacks
While ownership of real estate can have many advantages, implementing a strategy with the flexibility to make assets responsive to both market dynamics and your company’s evolving needs ensures financial stability. We can assist in determining the best time to sell an owned asset, provide compelling data as to what kind of buyer will pay the most for your property, and negotiate terms of a lease in which you can remain in your space for as long as you necessary.
Subleases
As an organization’s business changes, so does its real estate need. This sometimes results in surplus or underutilized real estate assets that create operational and financial inefficiencies and directly impact profitability. Our market knowledge, understanding of how to compete against direct space, targeted disposition process, negotiating expertise, and access to the best talent in markets across the globe aid in quickly and cost-effectively disposing of surplus real estate, improving operating efficiency and realigning real estate assets with your business plan.
SITE
SELECTION
Site Consultation & Selection
We have represented clients from across the real estate spectrum in transactions of all types and sizes in all economic environments. This experience combines with industry-leading market research, demographic and financial analysis, and workplace solutions to forecast market conditions and position you to understand your options, take advantage of trends, and find properties that match your criteria. Using proprietary software and your real estate profile, we can identify and evaluate opportunities by county, zip codes, census tracts and other criteria, whether you need a single location or multiple locations around the country.
Comparative occupancy costs and financial analyses
Rental rates and incentives depend on the dynamics of the specific market. We help understand the current direction and provide the tools necessary to develop an accurate projection of your full real estate expenses. Tenant improvement costs — such as a space designer, construction supplies, utilities, essential infrastructure investments and furniture, fixture and equipment — legal fees, costs for concluding your current lease, and any “make good” obligations to return your existing space to its original state are also factored in.
Supply chain and logistics consulting
Access to and navigation of transportation modes and infrastructure are critical to the distribution of product to markets. We combine our experience, the knowledge of other Colliers professionals across the globe, and the firm’s Indsite software to qualify markets, specific properties, and support services according to your supply chain, logistics, and customer service commitments.
Transaction structuring and negotiation
Through a complete evaluation of current market conditions and comparable transactions, Colliers has the background to negotiate the best possible lease terms with landlords. You benefit from our market knowledge, past success and insight into landlord perspectives. We manage the entire process from start to finish, saving you time and money and reducing exposure to risk so you can focus on running your business.
Construction design consulting, project management and construction
Colliers’ project managers handle all phases of the space build-out process, from the preliminary project to the completion of the construction or refurbishment. Services include vendor and contractor oversight, preparation of work schedules, technical and economic monitoring of activities, management of supply contracts, management of authorizations processes, cost and quality management, communication and information management.
Post-occupancy services
Our work for you does not end when a transaction concludes, or you move into your new space. We watch out for your interests long after our initial assignment is fulfilled by keeping track of key dates over the lease term; acting as your representative in landlord interactions (if necessary or requested); conveying interesting or pertinent economic, market or industry information; and looking for opportunities to leverage the market or events; among other services.
PORTFOLIO
REVIEW
Portfolio Consulting & Management
Through an understanding of how you use real estate and how real estate impacts your business strategy, we help construct and execute forward-thinking strategies, build and maintain a competitive advantage, align real estate with core business, optimize real estate assets, utilize innovative technology, and increase productivity — whether your portfolio encompasses a single site or multiple locations. We also act as a resource for accessing expertise relating to workplace strategy and change management, supply chain and logistics networking, distribution centers, data centers, project management, facility management, and other Colliers services.
WORKFORCE
ANALYTICS
Workforce Analytics
People are most companies’ most valuable asset, and alignment of human resource management and real estate provides for ongoing recruitment and retention of skilled talent, consistent productivity, strategic collaboration, quality product development, and flexible allocation of resources according to service needs in a particular time period. We understand this dynamic, and help clients create and implement strategies based on careful analysis of the intersection of real estate decisions, expected return on investment and workforce planning.
Employee demographics
The ability to attract and retain talent is key to competing in today’s market. We work with our in-house Research team and external vendors as appropriate to evaluate how specific real estate scenarios and locations effect both current staff and recruitment targets.
Labor force analytics, labor supply and demand forecasting
Real estate decisions that provide for long-term success must include analyses of both current and future availability of existing qualified labor. We work with your internal HR and management team to understand present need and tomorrow’s expectations, and tap our proprietary site-selection optimization model indsite to identify markets with the human capital to meet those demands.
Union analysis, regulations and wage rates
While unions provide skilled labor resources for many industries, the use of union labor can increase both the cost of production and the complexity of doing business. We help understand the role of unions in your everyday operations and how certain real estate decisions can maximize or minimize the impact of these organizations on your bottom line.
STATE & LOCAL
INCENTIVES
State and local incentives, identification and negotiations
Many states, counties, municipalities and other government agencies offer incentives for significant real estate commitments in their areas. These can include tax breaks for job creation, property tax abatements, cash grants, and non-cash awards such as building code equivalency variances and reduction or elimination of permitting fees. Through diligent research, in-depth financial analysis and savvy negotiation, we help you obtain incentives that reduce the cost of construction or retrofitting and minimize both your total capital investment and recurring operating expenses over the life of the facility.