REAL ESTATE INVESTMENT
TPG Real Estate | July 08, 2022
TPG Real Estate Partners (“TREP”), the dedicated real estate equity investment platform of global alternative asset management firm TPG, and Taurus Investment Holdings, LLC (“Taurus”), a global private equity real estate firm, today announced a partnership for the development of a sustainable, 276-unit, garden style apartment complex within the Avian Pointe master planned community.
Located in the rapidly expanding Orlando metropolitan area, the project broke ground in May 2022. Upon completion, the community will be surrounded by dedicated conservation areas and include six residential buildings outfitted with an array of amenities, including a fitness center, outdoor pool, individual workspaces, fire pits and grilling patios. The partnership will work with EcoSmart Solution, a green energy services provider affiliated with Taurus, to incorporate innovative energy infrastructure into the development. Specifically, EcoSmart Solution will design and deliver geothermal heating and cooling technology, solar energy infrastructure and a comprehensive suite of low-carbon and energy efficiency resources to enhance the project.
“TREP is excited to be investing in a sustainable multifamily development that we believe should generate superior resident and investor demand while aligning with our focus on ESG,” said Tripp Johnson, Partner at TPG Real Estate. “We look forward to expanding this partnership with Taurus and EcoSmart Solution to build apartments that meet our collective investment objectives while leading the way in developing a more sustainable future.”
“EcoSmart Solution has already shown it’s a viable green energy service provider through its existing developments, but validation from an established firm like TPG further shows that there’s a need for its innovative geothermal infrastructure and impressive suite of advanced sustainable technology, Taurus has a longstanding commitment to creating environmentally conscious properties and TPG is a firm that shares our core values. We are excited to partner with them and take the first step in what will be a best-in-class, sustainable and healthy Central Florida community.”
Peter A. Merrigan, CEO of Taurus
Utilizing EcoSmart Solution’s GeoGrid™, a community-wide utility, similar to water, sewer and electric lines, the geothermal exchange system will power the initial multifamily development. The system is uniquely designed to take advantage of local ground conditions and will tap into the Floridan Aquifer to exchange heat with the subsurface body of water that continuously moves underground across the state of Florida. The program at Avian Pointe will also include energy efficient technology such as geothermal heat pumps, Solar PV systems, EV charging and advanced energy monitoring tools, resulting in an energy resilient and sustainable community.
“As investors, developers and homebuilders prioritize ESG-centric business initiatives, EcoSmart Solution offers an impactful solution for sustainable developments, which has become an urgent priority across the real estate sector,” said John Towle, CEO of EcoSmart Solution. “We’re tremendously appreciative of the opportunity to work with TPG to showcase our energy efficient technology that allows developers to meet increasingly aggressive energy efficiency standards.”
About TPG Real Estate Partners
TPG Real Estate Partners ("TREP") is the dedicated real estate equity investment platform of global alternative asset firm TPG. Today, TREP has $10.5 billion of assets under management. Since its inception in 2009, TREP has built a differentiated investment portfolio comprised primarily of real estate-rich platforms and portfolios located in the United States and Europe. TPG was founded in 1992 and now has approximately $120 billion of assets under management with investment and operational teams in 12 offices around the world.
About Taurus Investment Holdings, LLC
Established in 1976, Taurus is a global real estate private equity firm with over 45 years of experience as a general partner, investor, and operator. By empowering and combining the strength of in-house experts in the fields of multifamily, office, logistics, mixed-use, and renewable energy, the firm has created targeted, scalable investments into value-add, core-plus, and development opportunities.
Taurus is focused on using innovative energy efficient technologies to make the extensive infrastructure investments required to decarbonize residential and commercial buildings through its EcoSmart Solution and RENU Communities affiliates.
Throughout North America and Europe, Taurus is consistently recognized as one of the premier owners of both directly managed and joint venture commercial real estate. To date, Taurus has purchased and developed more than 69 million square feet of residential, office, industrial, retail and other commercial real estate assets throughout the world with a total acquisition value of over $10 billion.
About EcoSmart Solution
EcoSmart Solution, an affiliate of global real estate investment firm Taurus Investment Holdings (TIH) and a green energy services provider (Green ESP), is designing and delivering innovative geothermal infrastructure combined with a comprehensive suite of distributed energy resources; enabling developers and builders of large-scale new construction neighborhoods to create energy efficient communities and homes, providing new homeowners and tenants an affordable, comfortable, and sustainable living.
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LAWS AND ETHICS,REAL ESTATE ADVICE
Kimco Realty | September 09, 2022
Great Place to Work® has honored Kimco Realty® as one of the 2022 Best Workplaces in Real Estate™. This is Kimco’s first time being named to this prestigious list, making its inaugural appearance at number 16 in the ranking. Earning a spot means that Kimco is one of the best real estate companies to work for in the country.
The Best Workplaces in Real Estate award is based on survey responses from over 23,000 employees from Great Place to Work-Certified™ companies in the real estate industry. According to the Great Place to Work® 2021 Global Employee Engagement Study, 94% of Kimco’s employees said that the company is a great place to work, as compared to 57% for a typical US company.
“Kimco’s culture is truly unique. We are a team that values diversity, collaboration, and innovation all of which are a hallmark of our company’s success, I’d like to thank our talented and dedicated associates who have helped us achieve a leadership position in our industry and make Kimco such a special place to work day in and day out.”
-Kimco CEO Conor Flynn
The Best Workplaces in Real Estate is highly competitive. Great Place to Work, a global authority on workplace culture, selected the list using data analytics and confidential employee feedback. Companies were only considered if they had been a Great Place to Work-Certified™ organization, a designation that Kimco has received for the last four consecutive years.
Great Place to Work is the only company culture award in America that selects winners based on how fairly employees are treated. Companies are assessed on the quality of the employee experience they create, with a focus on ensuring that the experience is great for employees of any race, gender, age, disability status, or role within the organization.
These companies have adapted to the challenges of an ever-changing workplace by their commitment to inclusive, high-trust cultures where employees are treated as human beings first and foremost, Congratulations to the Best Workplaces in Real Estate,says Michael C. Bush, CEO of Great Place to Work.
About Kimco Realty®
Kimco Realty® is a real estate investment trust (REIT) headquartered in Jericho, N.Y. that is North America’s largest publicly traded owner and operator of open-air, grocery-anchored shopping centers, including mixed-use assets. The company’s portfolio is primarily concentrated in the first-ring suburbs of the top major metropolitan markets, including those in high-barrier-to-entry coastal markets and rapidly expanding Sun Belt cities, with a tenant mix focused on essential, necessity-based goods and services that drive multiple shopping trips per week. Kimco Realty is also committed to leadership in environmental, social and governance (ESG) issues and is a recognized industry leader in these areas. Publicly traded on the NYSE since 1991, and included in the S&P 500 Index, the company has specialized in shopping center ownership, management, acquisitions, and value enhancing redevelopment activities for more than 60 years. As of June 30, 2022, the company owned interests in 533 U.S. shopping centers and mixed-use assets comprising 92 million square feet of gross leasable space.
About the Best Workplaces in Real Estate™
Great Place to Work selected the Best Workplaces in Real Estate by gathering and analyzing confidential survey responses from over 23,000 employees from Great Place to Work-Certified™ companies in the real estate industry. Company rankings are derived from 60 employee experience questions within the Great Place to Work® Trust Index™ survey. Great Place to Work determines its lists using its proprietary For All™ methodology to evaluate and certify thousands of organizations in America’s largest ongoing annual workforce study, based on over 1 million survey responses and data from companies representing more than 6.1 million employees, this year alone.
About Great Place to Work®
Great Place to Work® is the global authority on workplace culture. Since 1992, they have surveyed more than 100 million employees worldwide and used those deep insights to define what makes a great workplace: trust. Their employee survey platform empowers leaders with the feedback, real-time reporting and insights they need to make data-driven people decisions. Everything they do is driven by the mission to build a better world by helping every organization become a great place to work For All™.
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REAL ESTATE INVESTMENT
The Ascott Limited | July 05, 2022
CapitaLand Investment Limited's (CLI) wholly owned lodging business unit, The Ascott Limited (Ascott) announced it is acquiring Oakwood Worldwide (Oakwood), a premier global serviced apartment provider, from Mapletree Investments Pte Ltd. The acquisition increases Ascott's global portfolio by 81 properties and about 15,000 units. Oakwood's approximately 8,500 operational units are expected to immediately contribute to Ascott's recurring fee income streams upon completion of the transaction slated in 3Q 2022.
Ascott's acquisition of Oakwood will leapfrog Ascott's global presence to more than 150,000 units in about 900 properties across over 200 cities in 39 countries. It will add new markets which include Cheongju in South Korea; Zhangjiakou and Qingdao in China; Dhaka in Bangladesh as well as Washington D.C. in the United States of America (USA). Recently named the 'Best Serviced Residence Brand' in DestinAsian Readers' Choice Awards 2022, Oakwood's award-winning portfolio includes flagship properties Oakwood Premier Tokyo and Oakwood Premier Coex Center Seoul which were ranked top 10 properties in their respective countries in the DestinAsian awards. New properties such as Oakwood Premier Melbourne and Oakwood Hotel Oike Kyoto, will also add to the group's destination highlights.
"This acquisition of Oakwood is part of Ascott's roadmap to playing a bigger role in the lodging market. There are significant synergies between Ascott and Oakwood, given our complementary footprint and product offerings. We intend to build on the strong reputation and heritage of the Oakwood brand, especially in markets across Southeast Asia, North Asia and North America. Oakwood will continue to grow alongside Ascott's current portfolio of global brands as we continue to build growth momentum for our lodging business. We will be able to leverage Ascott's extensive expertise as a global lodging player to deliver greater value to our expanded network of loyal customers and property owners. Besides strategic alignment, this acquisition is also notable to Ascott commercially. Ascott's acquisition of Oakwood brings about an immediate boost to our units under management and franchise contracts. The Oakwood portfolio will accelerate the growth of our asset-light business, with added recurring fee income streams, expanded lodging offerings and increased customer base. The strategic moves we have made in the last few years, such as our investments in Quest, Synergy and TAUZIA have charted an unprecedented growth path for Ascott."
-Mr Kevin Goh, CLI's Chief Executive Officer for Lodging.
Ascott's strategic investments in the past years include its acquisition of Quest Apartment Hotels (Quest), one of the largest serviced apartment operators in Australasia, in 2017 to grow its business franchise arm. In the same year, Ascott invested in Synergy Global Housing (Synergy), a leading corporate housing provider in the USA. In 2018, Ascott acquired TAUZIA Hotel Management (TAUZIA), one of the top hotel operators in Indonesia, to enter the fast-growing mid-scale business hotel segment. With Oakwood coming onboard, Ascott is confident of achieving its target of 160,000 units globally well ahead of 2023.
About The Ascott Limited-
The Ascott Limited (Ascott) is a Singapore company that has grown to be one of the leading international lodging owner-operators. Ascott's portfolio spans over 200 cities across over 30 countries in Asia Pacific, Central Asia, Europe, the Middle East, Africa, and the USA. Ascott has more than 81,000 operating units and over 54,000 units under development, making a total of more than 135,000 units in over 800 properties. The company's serviced apartment, coliving and hotel brands include Ascott The Residence, The Crest Collection, Somerset, Quest, Citadines, lyf, Préférence, Vertu, Harris, Citadines Connect, Fox, Yello, Fox Lite and POP!. Ascott's loyalty programme, Ascott Star Rewards, offers exclusive benefits to its members when they book directly with Ascott for their stays at its participating properties. Ascott, a wholly owned subsidiary of CapitaLand Investment Limited, pioneered Asia Pacific's first international-class serviced apartment with the opening of The Ascott Singapore in 1984. Today, the company boasts over 30 years of industry track record and award-winning brands that enjoy recognition worldwide.
About CapitaLand Investment Limited-
Headquartered and listed in Singapore, CapitaLand Investment Limited (CLI) is a leading global real estate investment manager (REIM) with a strong Asia foothold. As at 31 March 2022, CLI had about S$124 billion of real estate assets under management, and about S$86 billion of real estate funds under management (FUM) held via six listed real estate investment trusts and business trusts, and 29 private funds across the Asia-Pacific, Europe and USA. Its diversified real estate asset classes cover integrated developments, retail, office, lodging, business parks, industrial, logistics and data centres. CLI aims to scale its FUM and fee-related earnings through its full stack of investment management and operating capabilities. As the listed investment management business arm of the CapitaLand Group, CLI has access to the development capabilities of and pipeline investment opportunities from CapitaLand's development arm. Being a part of the well-established CapitaLand ecosystem differentiates CLI from other REIMs. As part of the CapitaLand Group, CLI places sustainability at the core of what it does. As a responsible real estate company, CLI contributes to the environmental and social well-being of the communities where it operates, as it delivers long-term economic value to its stakeholders.
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