CREJ

Page 2 — Property Management Quarterly — July 2018 www.crej.com Letter from the Editor F ostering positive human inter- actions through exceptional customer service is an impor- tant theme in this issue.While the intricacies of customer ser- vice vary based on who is the “custom- er,” authors in this issue share advice for fostering relationships with your vendors, your tenants and your staff – all of which reflect positively on a well- managed building. While it can be easy to consider yourself the “cus- tomer”when deal- ing with third-party vendors, property manager Kristen Bishop writes that managers instead should treat vendors as customers or clients. Regardless of who pays who, in a manager’s most challenging times, often it’s these vendors who help solve the problem. Therefore, treating vendors as valued members of your team is a smart long- term strategy. “Determining how you can utilize their expertise and showcase their tal- ents will result in relationships that are mutually beneficial,” she writes on Page 12. “By doing so, the vendor is set up for greater success and the outcome is generally more positive from the build- ing’s perspective.” When it comes to tenant retention, exceptional customer service can give a building an advantage. A security guard who remembers a tenant’s name or a building engineer who addresses a simple problem before it’s reported can do wonders for the tenants’ morale and reflects positively on the manage- ment staff, outlines LeeWallis, manag- ing senior vice president, on Page 10. “Time and time again, the results indicate that tenants rate high-touch, high-quality property management as a top factor in their satisfaction and willingness to renew their lease when the time comes,” he writes. And finally, the interactions with your staff can be some of the most important. In a position of authority and leadership, it’s important to create an environment for others to thrive by delegating responsibilities and oppor- tunities, CEO Steve Sessions writes on Page 11. “Develop them into leaders and teachers and help them climb the ladder of success with patience, trust and respect,” he writes. During our property management conference earlier this year, these sen- timents were further enforced by sever- al managers participating in the next- generation panel. By giving employees the opportunity to work on new and varied projects as well as sharing your knowledge with them, you are creating more well-rounded assets. When managers succeed in grow- ing all three of these relationships, the ultimate winner is the building. While technology continues to evolve at a rapid pace and applications are available to streamline and assist in all these avenues, very little outweighs the importance of positive customer service. Michelle Z. Askeland maskeland@crej.com 303-623-1148, Ext. 104 Thriving customer service Contents New Energy Star metrics are coming next month Amanda Timmons Know these façade access, fall protection updates Andrew Emmons Building owners discuss C-PACE experiences Tracy Phillips Amenities alone won’t guarantee tenant retention Lee Wallis Delegation is an important leadership principle Steven S. Sessions Vendor relations: A key component to our success Kristin Bishop New business models to bridge energy gaps Tanner Smith Where’s the coffee? Occupied remodel priorities Tia Jenkins Hail damage insurance claims can get tricky Patrick Pharris Parking audits are more important than ever Will Rhodin Air-quality control impacts building health and cost Ronald Ro Digital signage helps commercial buildings adapt Ajay Kapoor Guided by the stars: Software rating systems Alan James Maximize your space to earn and save money Carmelo Mannino Third parties can help control costs of natural gas Brian Davisson BOMA celebrates 2017 Watts to Water winners 4 6 8 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 LEED Gold certification and WELL Gold certification were awarded for the design and construction of The Colorado Health Foundation’s new headquarters building in Denver’s Uptown neighborhood, Saunders Construction, along with The Colo- rado Health Foundation and Davis Partnership Architects, announced. The building, which broke ground in December 2015 and was com- pleted in late 2016, is the first project in the U.S. to achieve Inter- national WELL Building Institute’s WELL Building Standard at the Gold level and LEED v4 Gold certi- fication. The three-story, 32,500-square- foot building features a “health- positive” design and development standards that aim to improve the health of staff and visitors who interact with the building space, including: • Direct access to outdoor areas via rooftop decks and gardens, • Natural ventilation of daylight, • Energy-use intensity that is 65 percent less than a baseline office building, • Design approaches (daylighting, massing and operable windows) with an efficient heating, ventila- tion and air-conditioning system, • LED lighting and Energy Star appliances, and • Preparation for future installa- tion of solar panels. The foundation’s new building incorporates the seven WELL Build- ing Standard concepts in a variety of ways. All staff desks are within 25 feet of a window, allowing for abundant natural light. A 40-foot living wall in the lobby integrates a variety of plant life, while the cen- tral staircase encourages physical activity. Two quiet rooms are locat- ed away from work areas and are available for mental breaks, nurs- ing mothers or phone calls, and the building has its own on-site gym. “For this particular project, we knew we needed to build a struc- ture that is sustainable, progres- sive and health conscious,” said Justin Cooper, vice president of project development for Saunders Construction. “By partnering with The Colorado Health Foundation, we were able to align our shared vision of improving health for Col- oradans to create a building that allows for movement, interaction and calming space for employees and visitors.” Saunders was responsible for ensuring that construction was completed in an efficient manner in order to achieve LEED Gold certi- fication, while bearing in mind the project budget, schedule and scope. As a leader in sustainable con- struction with 47 completed proj- ects that have achieved LEED cer- tification – five of which achieved LEED Platinum – the company took its commitment to the cause one step further by challenging its construction field crews to “Walk Around the World.” Each crew member was given a pedometer to keep track of their progress and to achieved 35 million steps to com- bat the health problems that often plague the construction industry. Other News Q Building construction proj- ects are expensive, technical and challenging to stay within budget and on schedule – even for own- ers experienced in the design and construction processes. For that reason, the Project Planning Guide for Owners and Project Teams was created by an AIA Large Firm Roundtable led coalition of con- struction industry organizations to provide a concise guide that helps owners anticipate the major causes of uncertainty in building projects and shares best practices to man- age and potentially mitigate those risks. Denver office receives WELL & LEED Gold certifications Property Management News Frank Ooms The Colorado Health Foundation’s new headquarters in the Uptown neighborhood of Denver Please see News, Page 24

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