Turning Challenges Into Opportunities
Are you ready for some football? I know I am. It’s been a hot summer everywhere. I’m ready for cool fall days and watching the leaves change.
I hope everyone is planning to attend the IAMC Fall Forum. We’ll be gathering in Columbus, Ohio, October 17-21. There’s a great lineup of speakers and workshops in place. Don’t forget the world-class networking opportunities with the top leaders in industrial real estate. I hope to connect with you in person in Columbus.
In this issue of Site Selection, there’s a particular focus on utilities. Power, specifically large load power availability, has been a challenge facing our industry for the last several years. Lack of available large loads leads to increased competition for sites and creates challenges with speed to market. These impacts trickle throughout the real estate landscape, impacting even users and developers that don’t require heavy power infrastructure. A number of factors have conspired to create these challenges: reshoring, data center growth and conversion to electricity away from traditional carbon energy sources, to name a few.
While nothing ever moves fast enough, these challenges have spurred innovative thinking across the utility industry to try and meet the demand. Every challenge creates an opportunity. Those that are able to capitalize on the opportunity tend to come out better because of it.
I’d like to recognize the IAMC Board of Directors and staff for their commitment and dedication to the organization. It’s been a successful year for IAMC with well-attended Locals, International events, and of course Forums that have exceeded my expectations. Without everyone behind the scenes, none of that is possible. It’s been a privilege to act as the Chair this year leading this fantastic group of individuals.
As Matthew McConaughey says, “Let me tell you this, the older you do get, the more rules they’re gonna try to get you to follow. You just gotta keep livin’ man, L-I-V-I-N.” I encourage all of you to keep working at challenging the rules and get better every day.
— Matt M. Boehlke
Our House of Little Rock as of last fall had earned more than $11,000 in incentives from Entergy Arkansas.
Photo courtesy of Our House
Service With Smiles
The tradition continues: The IAMC Volunteer Service Project on the Saturday before formal Forum programming begins is always popular, meaningful and appreciated.
In Little Rock, Arkansas, site of the Spring 2026 Forum, the project took place at Our House of Little Rock, a center for the homeless and near-homeless that has been in operation since 1987. Our House is undergoing something familiar to IAMC members: a campus expansion. The final phase involves the transformation of the campus entrance to incorporate 11 new family housing units and 4,800 sq. ft. of operational space, adding a new bus stop and playground among other amenities. In June, Our House opened a newly relocated resale store and donation center.
Last fall, it was announced that Our House had been awarded more than $11,000 in cumulative incentives from IAMC member organization Entergy Arkansas for saving more than 86,000 kilowatt-hours in 2024 through its participation in the Continuous Energy Improvement (CEI) initiative, an Entergy Solutions offering that focuses on behavioral and operational changes to actively manage energy usage at all levels of an organization. Improvements were made by reducing energy usage by more than 5% and also implementing energy efficiency in the operation’s construction projects.
“At Our House, every dollar we save on utilities is another dollar we can invest directly into serving families and individuals working to overcome homelessness,” said Matt Runge, director of operations at Our House, last October.
At the IAMC Fall Forum in Columbus, Ohio, the Volunteer Service Project will help to enhance the natural beauty of Beechwold Nature Preserve in partnership with the City of Columbus Recreation & Parks. The preserve is located within the Clintonville community in the Old Beechwold Historical District, which was listed on the Columbus Register of Historic Properties in 1985 and on the National Register of Historic Places in 1987.
Beechwold Nature Preserve in the early 1900s was once a zoo. “After the zoo closed, the land was sold and ultimately became known as ‘Beechwold’ meaning ‘The Beech Forest,’ ” the city explains. The 11.4-acre site was designated a preserve in 2016. The City of Columbus adopted a Nature Preserve Code into Columbus City Code in 2022 that provides for the conservation, protection and enhancement of ecologically significant land through research, awareness and education. Columbus is home to 24 designated nature preserves.
London in the Summertime, Orlando Next Spring
The IAMC Forum in central London in June offered valuable professional development and networking in an extraordinary place. Among the insights: Savills Head of Logistics & Industrial Research Kevin Mofid analyzed what a historic rise in defense spending across European NATO countries means for industrial real estate across the continent. Cushman & Wakefield’s Sally Bruer and Ed Bavister looked at logistics real estate through another lens: a new phase of bilateral engagement between the UK and China as industrial policy shifts, evolving bilateral trade dynamics and ongoing global supply chain pressures continue to drive occupational demand for UK real estate from Chinese businesses.
Peer-to-peer sessions got to the heart of matters important to today’s corporate real estate practitioner. A panel session called “Both Sides of the Table” explored perspectives on making a career pivot. And attendees gained more unique insights from remarks by Jason Bevan, former head of creative development and vice president of European marketing for Warner Bros, and Lord (Kim) Darroch KCMG, former British ambassador to the United States and former British representative to the EU.
Dates for the 2027 IAMC London Forum will be announced soon. The Paris International Air Show will take place shortly afterward, creating a valuable opportunity for prospective attendees to make the most of their time in Europe.
In addition to the Fall Forum in Columbus, Ohio, other events on the IAMC calendar include IAMC Local meetings in Chicago in August and Princeton, New Jersey, in September, as well as IAMC International events in Mexico City in September; São Paulo, Brazil, in late October; and a return to London for an event in November.
Then it’s time to start thinking about IAMC’s Spring 2027 Forum taking place May 1-5 in Orlando, Florida, where industry leaders and changemakers come together to explore the next generation of logistics, adaptive site selection, smart facilities and cost-optimization strategies that are shaping the future of industrial real estate. Check the calendar at iamc.org for updates.
Time to Engage
As IAMC continues to strengthen the member experience and create meaningful opportunities for connection, engagement and collaboration, we are pleased to welcome Caryn Faulkner as IAMC’s new Director of Member Engagement.
As IAMC continues to strengthen the member experience and create meaningful opportunities for connection, engagement and collaboration, we are pleased to welcome Caryn Faulkner as IAMC’s new Director of Member Engagement.
Caryn brings to IAMC more than 18 years of experience in association management, member relations and communications. Throughout her career, she has built strong relationships, supported diverse member and volunteer communities, and developed communications and programs that help connect people with the organizations they value.
Prior to joining IAMC, Caryn served as member relations manager at the Georgia Society of CPAs, a 12,000-member professional association, where she supported 13 chapters and nine advisory councils. Caryn’s experience and relationship-focused approach will be a valuable addition as IAMC continues to support members throughout their journey and strengthen the connections that make our community so unique.