Real Estate Technology
prnewswire | September 14, 2023
GID, a real estate owner and fiduciary that invests in multiple asset classes, has announced that its industrial team, GID Industrial, has been named a 2023 Influencer in Industrial by GlobeSt. Real Estate Forum. This award recognizes distinguished individuals, teams, and companies for notable achievements within the industrial real estate sector.
"GID Industrial is honored to receive this prestigious recognition," says Rene Circ, co-head of GID Industrial. "In the three years since we formed our team, we have built an impressive portfolio that has sustained occupancy and offers potential for continued rent growth. We aim to continue our portfolio expansion, targeting opportunities that offer strong potential for long-term growth."
GID has been active in the industrial sector since 1986 and officially launched its industrial platform in 2020. In the three years after the platform's launch, the team has accomplished significant growth within the sector, executing stabilized, value-add, and development transactions. This diverse mix allows the team to provide its partners with investment opportunities tailored to their unique risk and return preferences. The platform currently operates more than 25M square feet of industrial space in top markets across the country.
"GID Industrial's key differentiator is the expertise and passion of our team," says Michael Wenaas, co-head of GID Industrial. "With 30 individuals boasting an average of 21 years of experience in the sector, our team is well equipped to provide unique value to our partners by offering a practiced, holistic perspective on the state of the industry. Our achievements over the last three years are a credit to the powerhouse team that we have assembled."
GlobeSt. Real Estate Forum Influencers in Industrial are selected by its editors based on nominations that outline the nominee's accomplishments and impact on the sector.
About GID
GID is a leading real estate investment and management firm that operates a diverse portfolio of multifamily, industrial, and mixed-use developments across the United States. With over 60 years of experience across multiple asset classes, GID is an established real estate private equity investor and fiduciary supported by an integrated operating platform with approximately 54,000 multifamily units and over 25M square feet of industrial and commercial space of assets under management. The company also operates a credit platform that aims to provide commercial real estate debt solutions for institutional borrowers.
With corporate offices in Atlanta, Boston, Dallas, New York City, and San Francisco, GID employs over 1,200 real estate professionals and operates an expansive portfolio of existing and under-development properties valued at over $30.1 billion1 as of June 2023.
1 Assets Under Management is calculated in compliance with the definition for Assets Under Management ("AUM") prescribed in INREV's Global Definitions Database.
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Market Outlook, Real Estate Investment
Businesswire | July 06, 2023
Workspace Property Trust (Workspace), the preeminent US suburban commercial office property owner and partner for the Fortune 1000, announced today that it successfully modified and extended its approximately $1.3 billion CMBS facility, securing a two-year extension for loans supported by its nearly 10 million square foot portfolio of 146 suburban office and light industrial, R&D and flex industrial properties in 14 major metropolitan markets across the US. In additional to this portfolio, Workspace owns an additional nine million Class A square feet of commercial office portfolio across 59 properties in the US.
The successful refinancing of this Workspace’s Class A portfolio is a major accomplishment in one of the most difficult commercial real estate and capital market environments in decades and reflects the strength, experience and operating performance of the Workspace management team. Iron Hound Management Company LLC served as financial advisor to Workspace.
Workspace Strengthens Its Balance Sheet To Invest in Growth
“We are thrilled to have successfully modified and extended our $1.3 billion CMBS facility with a two-year extension and significant equity participation,” said Thomas A. Rizk, co-founder and CEO of Workspace. “Getting this deal done in what many have described as the most challenging real estate market in decades was no small feat and is testament to the underlying strength of our portfolio, the resilience of the suburban office sector, the promise of our pipeline and the capabilities of Workspace’s vertically integrated national platform. With the strengthening of our balance sheet, we are now in the enviable position of driving growth by investing in our leasing operations and deploying state-of-the-market enhancements in key market locations as we double down on the opportunities in the suburbs. We appreciate the support of our lenders, partners and investors and are focused on the tremendous opportunities in front of us.”
Workspace owns and operates suburban office buildings in 14 of the top 20 US metropolitan areas, including Atlanta, Philadelphia, Dallas, Charlotte, Tampa, Phoenix, Silicon Valley, South Florida, Houston, Portland, Seattle, Minneapolis, Chicago and St. Louis. Approximately 40% of the Fortune 500 have headquarters in Workspace markets and nearly seven million square feet of the Workspace portfolio is leased by companies included in the Fortune 1000.
Workspace Suburban Markets Outperform Central Business Districts
In addition to the financing news, Workspace also released the findings of a recently conducted analysis of national real estate data that highlight the meaningful outperformance of suburban commercial office markets over downtown commercial office locations. The data set, compiled for Workspace by CBRE Strategic Investment Consulting, a global leader in commercial real estate services and investments, underscores the strength, vitality and energy of suburban office markets as employers across the country reinvent how and where people work today.
At the national level—and in key markets driving US economic growth— suburban office submarkets have outperformed central business district submarkets during each of the past three economic downturns, with smaller declines in rent growth and absorption rates and much steadier vacancy rates. This pattern has been particularly pronounced since the onset of COVID-19 and is leading to a fundamental reset in how corporate America is thinking about where and how their people should work. Based on the CBRE data, this resiliency is largely expected to persist through the current cycle, as many suburban locations continue to benefit from a rising number of occupiers and employees prioritizing the value of working closer to home.
“Workspace Property Trust is differentiated by our proven core strategy – to provide innovative and responsive real estate solutions to the Fortune 1000 in fast-growing, highly desirable suburban commercial markets across the country,” said Roger W. Thomas, co-founder, President and COO of Workspace. “In the last year, we transformed our business by doubling our footprint to more than 19 million square feet of commercial and light industrial assets in some of the most vibrant markets in the US, offering our customers lifestyle oriented, community-based working environments that are fundamental requisites for corporations today. The CBRE data we are highlighting today is a clear and resounding affirmation that today’s most progressive companies – large and small – are investing in suburban markets, reversing decades of legacy thinking.”
Mr. Rizk further stated, “New patterns of work and new demands by our tenants and their employees directly translate into the need for new long-term real estate innovation. We know the biggest single issue for our tenant partners is reducing the commuting time for their employees, allowing them to spend more time with their families. Our commitment to service and convenience and relentlessly focusing on delivering on our promise of “Work. Life. Balanced.” has solidified our partnerships with a number of Fortune 1000 organizations as they double down on their suburban footprints, investing significant dollars and resources in the lives of their team members. When Roger and I started Workspace, suburban office was a contrarian bet. The CBRE data validates what we’ve been experiencing on the ground over the last few years coming out of the pandemic: suburban office is benefitting from a foundational demographic shift to suburban submarkets in gateway metropolitan areas across the country where the quality of the work experience is the defining factor in leasing decisions.”
Suburban Markets Outperformance: National and Local Metrics
Nationally, suburban commercial office outperformed central business district commercial office in several key metrics, including vacancy, net absorption and rent growth. In 2022:
By year-end, the national vacancy rate for suburban office was 17.2% vs. 17.6% for central business districts, the first time the suburban rate has been tighter since 1989.
On net, the amount of suburban office space absorbed by occupiers in 2022 was equivalent to 0.3% of total suburban inventory. Meanwhile, downtown space was put back on the market (negative net absorption) at an amount equivalent to 0.2% of downtown inventory.
Year-over-year rent growth in the suburbs was a full percentage point higher than in central business districts -- 1.6% vs. 0.6%.
Additionally, when ranking U.S. suburban office markets across a variety of performance metrics, every Workspace market was represented within the top 15 for at least one metric, with several markets ranking in the top 15 multiple times. For example, over the past two years (Q4 2020 – Q4 2022):
Fort Lauderdale and Miami tied for the sixth-highest increase in post-pandemic rent growth among all suburban office markets, with asking rent increases of 1.7% in both markets.
Charlotte and Phoenix tied as the 11th highest in rent growth, with increases of 0.8% in both markets.
San Jose ranked second for the most square feet of suburban office space absorbed and seventh for absorption as a share of total inventory.
Other Workspace markets appearing in the top 15 for one or both of these absorption metrics were Chicago, Atlanta, Fort Lauderdale, and Miami.
Based on forecasts for the next two years (Q4 2022 – Q4 2024):
Workspace markets represented five out of the top eight suburban markets with the strongest near-term rent growth projections.
These markets include Milwaukee, Phoenix, Houston, Miami and Fort Lauderdale.
Dallas was the third-highest ranking market for the expected gap between the suburban and central business district vacancy rate – 22.4% in the Dallas suburbs vs 27.1% in the Dallas CBD.
Other Workspace markets in the top 15 across this metric include Seattle, Houston, Kansas City, St. Louis, Fort Lauderdale and Minneapolis.
About Workspace Property Trust
Workspace Property Trust is a privately held, vertically integrated, full-service commercial real estate company specializing in the ownership, management, leasing and development of office and light industrial, R&D and flex space across the US. Founded in 2015, as combined Workspace owns and operates approximately 19 million square feet of suburban office and light industrial, R&D, Flex (IRDF) properties in markets across the country, including 14 of the top 20 US metropolitan areas. For more information on Workspace, please visit www.workspaceproperty.com
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Real Estate Investment
PRnewswire | August 22, 2023
Green Street, the preeminent provider of actionable commercial real estate intelligence and analytics, has partnered with Snowflake, the Data Cloud company, to deliver real-time U.S. and Pan-European commercial real estate intelligence on Snowflake Marketplace.
"Green Street is committed to delivering seamlessly connected commercial real estate data, analytics, research and news on both the public and private real estate markets in various formats," said John Guilfoy, Chief Product Officer for Green Street. "This collaboration gives clients yet another means to easily extract extensive time series data and predictive analytics – such as cap rates, market grades, and forecasts – and seamlessly integrate them into their own company models, internal systems, and daily workflows. We are excited to partner with Snowflake for this new method of data delivery."
Some key Snowflake capabilities include:
• Systematic updates: New data and analytics are promptly reflected in Snowflake.
• Integrations: Market participants can connect to their company's preferred integrations, including BI/dashboarding tools, internal databases and more.
Snowflake Marketplace simplifies discovery, access, and the commercialization of data products, enabling companies to unlock entirely new revenue streams and extended insights across the Data Cloud. To learn more about Snowflake Marketplace click here.
About Green Street
Green Street is the preeminent provider of actionable commercial real estate research, news, data, analytics, and advisory services in the U.S. and Europe. For more than 35 years, Green Street has delivered unparalleled intelligence and trusted data on the public and private real estate markets, helping investors, banks, lenders, and other industry participants optimize investment and strategic decisions. The firm delivers exclusive market information, conclusion-driven insights, and predictive analytics through a SaaS platform.
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Real Estate Technology
Globenewswire | August 14, 2023
Tango, a leading provider of cloud-based real estate and facilities management software, today announced it has acquired WatchWire, an industry leader in data and analytics that helps companies reduce emissions and energy expenses while simplifying sustainability and carbon reporting. The transaction further extends Tango’s position as a global leader in the real estate and facilities management space, enabling companies to meet their energy management and sustainability goals. WatchWire’s leadership team will join Tango to continue developing and progressing these key capabilities. Financial terms of the private transaction were not disclosed.
“Faced with a rapidly changing macro and regulatory environment, active sustainability and energy management has become essential to long-term organizational success,” said Pranav Tyagi, President and Chief Executive Officer of Tango. “Tango has a longstanding reputation for solving the complex, location-based compliance and reporting needs of our customers, as well as helping companies effectively manage and control occupancy costs. With the addition of WatchWire, we will provide customers information that arms them to understand their environmental impact and deliver on energy and sustainability management initiatives.”
Founded in 2000 and based in New York City, WatchWire provides the deepest and most comprehensive integrated energy management and sustainability platform in the industry, enabling companies to automate the collection and validation of sustainability and energy related data. Its solutions then operationalize the data for reporting, compliance and identifying additional opportunities to meet environmental, energy and climate targets. The combined business will serve over 500 customers in more than 140 countries from its primary offices in Dallas and New York.
A strong relationship between owners and the users of real estate is critical to ensuring accurate, active tracking and reporting on energy and sustainability. Tango brings considerable experience to the establishment and management of that relationship through its work in transaction management, lease management and facilities maintenance, and will help bridge the communication gap between owners and operators to address their joint energy and sustainability management requirements and deliver on decarbonization objectives.
“We are excited to be joining the preeminent real estate and facilities management solution in the industry,” said Andy Anderson, CEO of WatchWire. “Combining the vast amount of validated energy data available in the WatchWire platform with Tango’s real estate and facilities management capabilities will enable companies to support the accurate tracking and reporting that customers require, and operationalize insights about how to lower costs and improve sustainability. WatchWire customers will also benefit from the end-to-end real estate and facilities solution that Tango offers.”
“Since our initial investment in Tango, we have been focused on adding a sustainability and energy reporting capability, as these offerings will help Tango extend its leadership position in the real estate management software market,” said Jon Nuger, a Managing Director at Berkshire Partners, which made a growth investment in Tango in 2021. “We are excited to partner with Pranav and the management team as they harness Tango’s and WatchWire’s combined capabilities to empower organizations to improve energy efficiency, enhance sustainability and reduce cost.”
Harris Williams acted as exclusive financial advisor to Tango and Berkshire Partners on the acquisition of WatchWire. GrowthPoint Technology Partners, a San Francisco-based technology investment bank, acted as exclusive financial advisor to WatchWire.
About Tango
With hundreds of customers across more than 140 countries, Tango is the leader in Store Lifecycle Management and Integrated Workplace Management System software, delivering a single solution spanning real estate, design & construction, lease administration & accounting, facilities, desk booking, visitor and space management.
About WatchWire
WatchWire is a sustainability and energy management software-as-a-service provider. Across the globe, WatchWire helps commercial and corporate real estate portfolios, Fortune 500 industrial/manufacturing and big-box retail companies and government, healthcare, and educational facilities reduce emissions and expenses while simplifying sustainability and carbon reporting.
About Berkshire Partners
Berkshire Partners is a 100% employee-owned, multi-sector specialist investor in private and public equity. The firm’s private equity team invests in well-positioned, growing companies across technology & communications, consumer, healthcare, and services & industrials. Since inception, Berkshire Partners has made more than 150 private equity investments and has a strong history of collaborating with management teams to grow the companies in which it invests. The firm's public equity group, Stockbridge, founded in 2007, manages a concentrated portfolio seeking attractive long-term investments. The firm’s Stockbridge and Private Equity teams frequently collaborate and leverage their collective industry expertise across sectors.
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