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Nearly 50 million workers switched last year from an office environment to work-from-home (WFH), allowing large parts of the U.S. economy to continue functioning despite social distancing requirements during the pandemic. As other sectors began to recover from the shutdowns last year, however, large numbers of workers remained at home, causing some concerns about possible longer-term impacts of WFH on the markets for office commercial real estate. Despite some twists and turns due to the Delta variant, the most recent news suggests the return-to-office (RTO) is rebounding.
The RTO began as the economy started to reopen, and proceeded through much of last year. 16 million workers had returned to the office by October 2020, a one-third decline in WFH in six months. Being back in the office has always been contingent on progress in bringing the pandemic under control, however, and the surge in COVID cases late last year brought about a partial reversal in RTO in November and December.
Fortunately, RTO regained momentum earlier this year as tens of millions of Americans received vaccinations against the coronavirus. By July 2021, the number of people working from home had declined nearly 60% from its peak in May 2020. (I discussed the progress in RTO in an earlier Forbes article in July 2021) Click to read more at www.forbes.com.
Powered by an entrepreneurial spirit, Houston’s Levey Group is seizing the moment for which it has prepared for nearly 40 years.
When real estate visionary Gustave Levey, affectionately known as Gus, founded the company in 1982, he had no way of predicting the ebbs and flows of the industrial market building up to what it is today.
“He was one of the pioneers of the industrial real estate development business in Houston, having begun building to-suit, single-tenant manufacturing facilities for lease,” says David Ebro, Levey Group president and Gus’s grandson. “Manufacturing companies often had no leasing options because the institutional developers focused almost exclusively on warehouse and distribution space.”
The Levey Group has never been afraid to bet on a dark horse. As the company evolved, so too did its projects. Appreciating flexibility and avoiding formulaic thinking, its team often recognizes values others overlook.
“Over the years we have developed buildings for sale, and built-to-suit for lease both, on a stand-alone basis, and within our business parks. We have also redeveloped functionally obsolete buildings, and made collateral-backed opportunistic loans,” says Ebro. “We have carried this entrepreneurial philosophy into our land development business by acquiring parcels that are often overlooked because of some functional challenge, be it a lack of utilities, floodplain issues, pipeline crossings, etc.” Click to read more at www.rednews.com.
TUPELO, Miss. and HOUSTON, Texas, Oct. 15, 2021 /PRNewswire/ — BancorpSouth Bank (NYSE: BXS) (“BancorpSouth”) and Cadence Bancorporation (NYSE: CADE) (“Cadence”), the parent company of Cadence Bank, N.A., announced their proposed merger has received final Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation (“FDIC”) approval. The FDIC approval follows recent approvals from the Mississippi Department of Banking and Consumer Finance and from shareholders of both companies.
The merger, originally announced on April 12, 2021, is scheduled to close at 11:59 pm CDT on October 31, 2021, subject to the satisfaction of customary closing conditions. Upon closing, the merger will create the sixth-largest bank headquartered in the combined nine-state footprint, with a presence in seven of the top 10 largest metropolitan statistical areas therein.
“We’re pleased to have received regulatory approval for this transformational merger,” said BancorpSouth Chairman and CEO Dan Rollins, who will lead the combined company in the same capacity. “BancorpSouth and Cadence both enter into this merger from a position of strength and will create a company serving some of the most highly attractive markets in the United States. A combination of this scale provides the opportunity to deliver long-term value for our teammates, customers, communities and shareholders.” Click to read more at www.inforney.com.
After 18 years, The Woodlands-based commercial real estate firm springboards its resources by joining forces with SVN, a global leader in commercial real estate.
Boston, Oct. 14, 2021 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — SVN International Corp. (SVNIC), a full-service commercial real estate franchisor of the SVN® brand, announces the addition of its newest franchise office, SVN | J. Beard Real Estate – Greater Houston. Led by Managing Director Jeff Beard, CCIM, the firm’s services encompass leasing, brokerage, site acquisition, property management, development, consulting, and landlord/tenant representation services.
Headquartered in The Woodlands, Texas, located north of Houston, The J. Beard Real Estate Company was established in 2003 and is now one of the top commercial real estate brokerage firms and an industry leader in the Greater Houston area.
“On the heels of our 18th anniversary, the timing for this strategic alignment couldn’t be more ideal,” says Beard. “Our team is stronger than ever. We have grown over the years despite challenges like the ’08 financial crisis, dramatic swings from the local economy’s energy sector, natural disasters, and most recently, the global pandemic. Each and every time, our team pulled together and has emerged bigger and better.”
Beard continued, “It is important to note that the ownership and the client-centered culture of our firm haven’t changed. We will continue to have the same boutique focus on quality relationships with the same core values that our team embraces. Click to read more at www.globenewswire.com.
In 2020, it briefly seemed like the stunning rise of coworking spaces would come to a crashing halt. Now, however, new coworking spaces and other shared office models are cropping up in every major city. Demand is on the rise again as many professionals itch to get back to the office — just not the office they went to before the start of this pandemic.
To provide value to professionals who have the flexibility to work from wherever they please, offices must have what most homes lack: quiet, privacy and amenities that support focused work. For many, the shoulder-to-shoulder environment of old coworking spaces won’t cut it anymore.
Here’s a look at what the new “productivity as a service” paradigm means for commercial real estate.
Employees May Be Productive At Home, But Their Work Environments Are Taking A Toll
By many accounts, workers became more productive while working from home. The National Bureau of Economic Research estimates an overall 5% productivity lift in the U.S. economy from remote work, especially among knowledge workers who enjoyed less time in meetings at home and more time on the tasks that matter.
So why return to the office at all? Click to read more at www.forbes.com.
On Wednesday, September 29th, some of the biggest names in Texas real estate convened at Toyota Stadium in Frisco to discuss the numerous facets of commercial real estate in Collin County. The summit consisted of four panels highlighting commercial real estate investment trends and insights across the broader region.
Despite the brief economic uncertainty caused by the pandemic, population growth and investment in real estate in Collin County has continued to press forward. Cities such as Frisco, McKinney, Plano, Allen, Celina, Anna, and more, are just some of the places where positive growth and expansion are taking place.
Collin County officials are striving to provide the business and quality of life amenities being sought by the incoming companies while Municipal authorities and economic development councils are working hard to stay ahead of infrastructure needs, and to ensure that projects can get permitted and built within an acceptable time frame.
These topics, and more, were much of the focus of the summit. The event kicked off with a brief intro from keynote speaker from David Craig, Chairman & CEO, Craig International, and then jumped right into identifying and wrangling some of the region’s biggest challenges and opportunities.
Big things are on the way
National interest in Texas not only means new investment but there’s much more competition to get the next deal. Fortunately, there is still plenty of room (and opportunity) in Collin County for everyone from employers, residents, and institutional investors.
These themes were discussed during the first panel, which featured Allen Gump, Executive Vice President with Colliers; Herb Weitzman, Executive Chairman of Weitzman; Steve Zimmerman, Managing Director of Brokerage for The Retail Connection; and Barry Hand, Principal and Studio Director of Gensler’s Dallas office. The moderator for the panel was Doug Jones, Managing Principal at Cushman & Wakefield.
Pictured from L to R: Doug Jones, Barry Hand, Herb Weitzman, Steve Zimmerman, Allen Gump
Some quick stats help illustrate the story: with 43 million square feet of industrial space over 716 separate properties, Collin County represents roughly 5% of the total industrial product in the Dallas-Fort Worth Metroplex. There is currently another 35 million square feet of industrial under construction, making Collin County poised for the boom in leasing demand the region is currently experiencing.
Additionally, there are 107 users in Collin County with 100,000 square feet, or greater, of industrial space. There is a notable presence of big names in Collin County, which include the likes of Amazon, UPS, Southwest Airlines, Motorola, and of course, the Dallas Cowboys. New York and California-based hedge funds are some of the biggest investors in Collin County: since 2016, $1.7 billion has been invested with $237 million under construction just for this year.
Pressure remains to build more multifamily across the region
Multifamily properties remain desirable for investors across the region, but there are some headwinds facing the asset class.
This theme, and more, was discussed during the event’s second panel, which featured Todd Franks, Executive Managing Director & Founding Principal at Greystone; Paris Rutherford, Principal at Catalyst Urban Development; Jorge Abreu, CEO of Elevate Commercial Investment Group; and Nadia Christian, Partner at Wolverine Interests.
The panel discussion was moderated by Paul Hendershot, Senior Director of Market Analytics for Texas, Oklahoma and Arkansas with CoStar Group.
Pictured from L to R: Paul Hendershot, Todd Franks, Paris Rutherford, Nadia Christian, Jorge Abreu
Collin County is leading the Metroplex in job growth, which means that there will need to be additional housing in the area. Rising single-family home prices have helped with multifamily absorption, with sellers seeing 3-5% cap rates, the group highlighted. In some cases, rents can be higher than mortgages due to economic pressures and demand.
While there are currently 26,700 new units under construction across the Metroplex, some developers are facing headwinds. For instance, municipalities with strict zoning guidelines — where detached single-family homes are favored — cause a longer lead time with entitlements. Developers have to present plans to residents of a community and in many cases, “follow the vision for the city.”
Other trends that are challenging new multifamily development across the Metroplex are generational changes and cost of living. As some groups resist change and new development, it can put more pressure on the market, elevating the need for more affordable housing. However, Collin County has a remarkable opportunity to build a working community and set a new precedent. The challenge becomes getting it right. Collin County has already established a reputation apart from the Dallas-Fort Worth area as its own “brand.”
The time to scale up infrastructure and master planning is now
During the third panel, the group discussed themes related to the area’s infrastructure, major developments, recreation amenities, and planning for the future.
Panelists included Peter J. Braster, Director of Special Projects for the City of Plano; Jason Ford, CEcD, President of the Frisco Economic Development Corporation; Joe Hickman, General Manager at Blue Star Land, LP; Mehrdad Moayedi, President and CEO of Centurion American Development Group; Clay Roby, Managing Director at Stillwater Capital; Lucy Billingsley, Partner with the Billingsley Company; and Michael Swaldi, Senior Managing Director at JLL Capital Markets.
This panel was moderated by Jeff Johnson, CEO of REjournals.
Collin County is “spiraling up,” but this means that major infrastructure projects, such as the expansion of the North Dallas Tollway, are crucial for the region. Cities need to be aggressive and forward-looking when it comes to infrastructure development or there could be bottlenecks — or worse, a stalling-out — of growth. While there’s a traditional trope that the private sector moves faster than the public sector, there’s an opportunity for Collin County to buck that trend.
Pictured from L to R: Mehrdad Moayadi, Peter J. Braster, Joe Hickman, Jason Ford , Michael C. Swaldi, Lucy Billingsley, Clay Roby
“Frisco is located within both Denton and Collin Counties,” said Jason Ford, president, Frisco Economic Development Corporation. “And, the PGA’s new headquarters and resort is strategically located in the Denton County side of Frisco. We anticipate that the PGA will have a tremendous regional economic impact that spurs regional growth and development across both Denton County, Collin County and areas far beyond for years to come.”
The emergence from the pandemic is the perfect opportunity to come up with new and fresh ideas for Collin County communities in terms of amenities and overall quality of life. Building new parks, hiking and biking trails, and other recreational amenities are just one piece of the equation. Looking at planning from a more holistic perspective, where creating a complete community that meets everyone’s needs, will lead to success.
The quickly increasing cost of living is having an impact on lower-earning families across Collin County, but there are opportunities to not only build new but to repurpose existing structures in order to add more housing and office space more quickly. While some companies are still waiting on the sidelines to see how things shake out with the pandemic, they may be missing their moment. The time to jump in and participate in planning and development is right now.
Exponential growth is real, and it’s here
The fourth and final panel featured Daniel Bowman, Executive Director/CEO of the Allen Economic Development Corporation; Rex Glendenning, broker and owner of Rex Real Estate; Joey Grisham, Economic Development Director for the Anna Economic Development Corp.; Alexis Jackson, Director of Celina EDC; Peter Tokar III, President & CEO of McKinney Economic Development Corporation; and Carl Pankratz, President and Managing Director at Blackacre Commercial.
The final panel was also moderated by REjournals’ own Jeff Johnson.
Collin County has a great problem: the area has had 100% growth in ten years. But the flood of new residents and the evolving circumstances impacting the workplace are raising the bar in city planning. There is one major theme and question which should lead master planning and community development, which is, how does Collin County become the next next-gen county?
For example, incoming residents of McKinney in desirable corporate workforces are joining long-time residents in the county’s small rural communities. These existing residents may suddenly find themselves in an urban environment as the area quickly develops. So how do you balance the mix and meet the needs of both old and new residents?
This is where the role of economic development councils comes in. Economic development councils make investments and deals not to compete with private developers but to steer development in a balanced way. Convention centers, hotels, entertainment venues, community colleges, medical projects, and manufacturers are also being wooed. Meanwhile, developers are being encouraged to put in roads at their expense against future impact fee credit, in order to help the cities where they are doing projects.
