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— Office Properties Quarterly — March 2016
sures the top technology markets
across the country. This labor force
is not only helping to supply grow-
ing companies with top talent but
also attracting new businesses to the
area.
Wayne Lambert of Sage Insights,
a joint venture between data intel-
ligence firm DN2K and John Deere,
recognized the importance of access
to strong talent pools when his
company was choosing a location.
“Talent is a big draw, and Colorado
seems to be a more acceptable alter-
native to Midwest-based companies
versus the coastal markets,” he said.
In summary, Denver combines
many elements helpful to fueling an
ag-tech market – from a historical
foundation in agriculture to interest
from capital investors to significant
infrastructure investments and a
supportive tech environment and
talent pool.
Will we become the “Silicon Val-
ley for agriculture in the 21st cen-
tury,” as Greg Gaff of Colorado State
University said in a November 2014
report with the Department of Agri-
cultural and Resource Economics
and the Office of Engagement? Only
time will tell, but we are slipping on
our cowboy boots and preparing for
the ride.
s
Cowboy
we anticipate these firms to seek out
well-amenitized, urban locations like
downtown or transit-oriented develop-
ments. As more and more consum-
ers adopt digital financial habits, it
may shift the real estate priorities
of traditional firms and impact the
number of retail banks we see on our
street corners.
Finally, the industry is altering
how financial institutions approach
technology. As demand grows for
these services, traditional financial
services companies have to spend
more capital on their own technology
to maintain a competitive advan-
tage. According to a report by New
York-based financial advisory firm
Tabb Group, “Traditional wealth man-
agement giants are recognizing the
potential threat these startups pose
and are responding by making their
own cheaper versions of the technol-
ogy.”
In other cases, major banks and
financial institutions are incubating
FinTech startups to gain an advan-
tage in the space. Overall, the indus-
try is accelerating the adoption of
technology by the financial services
industry across the board.
FinTech is an exciting new addition
to the financial services industry.
Ultimately it triggers choice – instead
of being limited to the traditional
options for all matters finance, there
are many more possibilities for busi-
nesses and consumers to turn to
for banking, insurance and funding
needs. And the industry has only
just started. Considering Denver’s
strong history in the financial ser-
vices industry – and the ever-growing
local startup scene – our market is
particularly well poised to embrace
these companies. The opportunity for
growth is significant and, with lim-
ited barriers to entry, we anticipate
seeing many more savvy entrepre-
neurs entering this space.
s
FinTech
and change orders.
By constructing a building or ten-
ant project first in a virtual environ-
ment, project managers can identify
potential problems that are invisible
on a two-dimensional set of draw-
ings. Once identified, these problems
can be quickly and clearly commu-
nicated to the owner, design team
and brokers using virtual modeling.
Changes can be made instantly and
can be easily understood. They are
not merely producing a model of a
building. They provide a platform for
real-time collaboration, logistics and
quality management.
Cloud Delivery
Cloud services are firmly estab-
lished primarily in business-to-
consumer markets with millions
using sophisticated cloud services.
Cloud provisioning not only simpli-
fies the management of applications
and their infrastructure, but also
enables significant IT-related cost
savings. Online cloud solutions for
the commercial real estate industry
are becoming more prevalent as the
industry becomes familiar with the
latest technology.
Cloud technology provides the
ideal environment for those project
participants to collaborate on criti-
cal activities. A cloud-based solution
helps all parties in managing proj-
ect communication from the design
phase through construction closeout.
As momentum builds, there will be
more projects using cloud services in
years to come.
The next decade is certain to be one
where business, industry and society
are presented with a wide variety of
new challenges and opportunities.
New demands are being created,
which are leading to new service con-
cepts and whole new ways of doing
business. And it’s up to forward-
thinking building owners, brokers
and property managers to stay ahead,
going beyond simply maintaining
physical infrastructure and control-
ling costs.
s
Professionals
Event Sponsors
PCL Construction Services, LLC
MDH Law Group LLC
Lewis Roca Rothgerber Christie LLP
FirstBank
Moye White LLP
KeyBank Real Estate Capital
Chicago Title Insurance Company
Golf Sponsors
CBRE, Inc.
Colorado Business Bank
Coda Construction Group, LLC
KNOLL
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