Features

Leading the world’s preeminent corporate real estate (CRE) association might seem an Olympian task. In fact, that’s how 1980 U.S. Olympic team member Andy Bessette (right) views his upcoming stint as president of the International Development Research Council (IDRC). “Team,” though, is the key word in the parallels between IDRC and the Olympics, where hammer […]

Selected from the many nominations received for this year’s Site Selection list of top development groups, here are profiles of 10 other worthy organizations from 1999: Baldwin County Economic Development Alliance, Robertsdale, Ala.: Instrumental in attracting more than 1,000 new jobs and US$37 million in capital investments to its service area of 132,000. Major investments […]

The good news: Many new French facilities offer top-drawer technology. The bad news: They’re hot, supply is short and rents are rising. With French economy’s broad-based upturn, the rush of occupiers hungry for modern space is turning into a stampede. But with a supply drought, the sudden demand upsurge is bringing Paris region prices to […]

Identify an opportunity, then seize it. Although an obvious oversimplification, that’s the formula for business success. With real estate and facilities playing a critical role in writing corporate success stories, it’s essential that site seekers keep a close eye on where new business-location opportunities are cropping up around the world. And they’re turning up in […]

Let’s face it. It’s often tough to pick the best new-facility location from today’s dizzying array of options. To do it right, you need all the help you can get. According to a recent Site Selection survey of more than 3,000 economic development organizations around the globe, that help is on the way. From enhanced […]

“We have a mantra in Dell corporate real estate: Set unrealistic expectations . . . and then exceed them,” says Kip Thompson, flashing a smile that’s both playfully devilish and dead serious. Yeah, right, you say? After all, real estate by nature is a long-term process: 24 months to build a facility, 16-18 months if […]

Imagine having the technological resources to run highly effective corporate real estate-related meetings around the country-or world-in a single day without leaving your office. Sound far-fetched? Here is a glimpse into the corporate real estate profession 10 years from now. We all know that the Internet is changing the way business is conducted in almost […]

You’d expect the president of the Economic Developers Association of Canada (EDAC) to be an unabashed supporter of business investment into America’s neighbor and No. 1 trading partner — and an articulate voice explaining the country’s many location advantages. And David Amos is. Amos, who is also director of economic development for the city of […]

“Even if you’re on the right track, you’ll get run over if you just sit there,” humorist Will Rogers once observed. That says a lot about leadership, an eternally discussed but skimpily understood business success factor. When it comes to real estate leadership, though, a case study is at hand: the alliance between UnitedHealth Group […]

A new research report, IDRC’s Defining Characteristics, charts the leading real estate association’s evolution from site selection resource to business strategy group, and beyond. Organizations that resist change or cannot change will soon find themselves on the endangered species list in the business world. The forces of technology, entrepreneurship and globalization are too powerful to […]