Colorado-Real-Estate-Journal_352917

Page 36 - July 19-August 1, 2023 www.crej.com Over the course of the last 16 months, I have had the honor of leading our property man- agement team at NAI Shames Makovsky to triple our exist- ing portfolio to include over 3 million square feet of proper- ties across the Denver Metro Area. I attribute this excep- tional growth both to the immense talent and determi- nation of our team, as well as the expertise and strategy I was able to apply as the result of a 35-year career in commer- cial real estate. Before joining NAI Shames Makovsky, I spent over three decades in private equity, investment and commercial real estate services firms. I served as a regional leader and senior managing director at Cushman & Wakefield and as a vice president of operations for EQ Office (formerly Equity Office Properties) – each for nearly a decade – before join- ing Stream Realty Partners, where I served as the senior vice president for over six years. During this time, I led teams serving a diverse range of clients with properties of all sizes and in every mar- ket – from retail and indus- trial to office and warehouse facilities – ultimately garnering valuable insight and expertise that allowed me bolster NAI Shames Makovsky’s already- impressive property manage- ment team and portfolio. One of the most impactful lessons I have learned over the course of my career is the importance of fostering strong business relationships. While this may seem obvious, all too often I have witnessed profes- sional relationships – especial- ly within our industry – place more emphasis on self-serving business opportunities rather than on trust and sincere con- cern for the client. In every professional relationship, but especially among proper- ty owners, I have made it a priority to play an involved, knowledgeable, yet second- ary position to my managers. I typically work in a supervisory or 10,000-foot oversight capac- ity, while also contributing to strong relationships with our clients, building rapport, add- ing valuable experience, and establishing trust by deliver- ing on promises and seeking to exceed expectations. This is not passive work. I strive to always be a supplemental resource to our property man- agement team and am inti- mately involved in regular correspondence with our prop- erty owners and tenants. I believe that the results speak for themselves. After fostering relationships with multiple cli- ents over many years, I was able to deliver nearly 2 million square feet of office and indus- trial properties to add to NAI Shames Makovsky’s property management portfolio. Many of our clients have shared that they believe their best oppor- tunity for continued growth and success for their invest- ment is to continue working alongside myself and the team at NAI Shames Makovsky. One such example is 143 Union Blvd. in Lakewood. This 10-story, 191,564-square- foot, Class A office building was recently acquired by Leg- acy Real Estate Investments, a long-term client of ours with whom we currently man- age the Kellogg Building in Littleton. While Legacy had received and was considering a proposal from a national- ly experienced competitor of ours to manage the property, we believe we ultimately won the deal because of our team, proven history and success in representing their interests. 143 Union Boulevard’s size, submarket stability and high- er-than-average occupancy rates made for an incredibly intriguing investment oppor- tunity. In addition to sourcing a property manager we knew would be successful and best suited for this property and client, we assisted our client in navigating property inspec- tions and due diligence during the acquisition. These portfolio additions have resulted in a variety of positive domino effects for our property management team. Over the last 16 months, we have not only added three additional property manag- ers, but we have also hired three in-house engineers to manage and maintain many of our properties, where we had historically outsourced all work to third parties. Many of the properties we’ve added to our portfolio, including 143 Union Blvd. and the Kellogg Building, are perfectly suited for leveraging our in-house engineers given the respective sizes and complexities of the buildings. While our team is grateful and proud of our recent suc- cess, we recognize that the future – particularly within the office sector – is not guaran- teed. Companies’ individual return-to-offices strategies continue to evolve and prove entirely unique, with many tenants downsizing or forgo- ing office space altogether. Simultaneously, some build- ings may choose or are unable to meet their loan obligations and going into receivership within a downtown that con- tinues to lag in its recovery. Despite this uncertainty, our team remains hopeful in our trajectory. Our success in continually growing our team and portfolio lies not only in our commitment to fostering strong relationships, but also in our commitment to finding the right people and helping them succeed. We believe that people are our most impor- tant asset and we will strive to grow intelligently by care- fully matching team members and clients. We foster a culture of service, where team mem- bers are motivated by fixing problems and finding creative solutions for our clients. Exter- nally, we identify owners that are invested in their properties and committed to reinvesting money wisely and appropri- ately. We are intentional in growing our portfolio in a way that ensures our team can appropriately manage the workload, and we are con- stantly refining our systems and processes to create greater efficiencies for our clients. As we look forward, our team remains committed to providing unparallel service to our clients and tenants and building both our property management team and port- folio. s The Devil’s in the Details: How we Tripled our PM Portfolio PROFILE Tom Bahn NAI Shames Makovsky 143 Union Blvd. Kellog Building