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Page 28 — Property Management Quarterly — April 2021 www.crej.com repowering all remaining coal units by 2040; ensuring grid stability and reli- ability with flexible resources capable of operating around renewable resources as well as during times of extreme heat or cold; creating a workforce and com- munity transition plan; and evaluating transmission infrastructure to improve the reliability and flexibility and reduce the cost of the renewable energy addi- tions. No layoffs are anticipated at any of the coal plants affected by the plan. Company and union leaders are part- nering to manage the transition through attrition, retirement and retraining of employees.The plan will go before the Colorado Public Utilities Commission late next month. “We are committed to working with our employees and the communities we serve as we make significant strides leading the nation’s and Colorado’s ambitious clean energy transition, while also ensuring reliability and affordabil- ity for our customers,” said Ben Fowke, chairman and CEO of Xcel Energy. Colorado Gov. Jared Polis said the plan provides Colorado with cleaner air, more good jobs and savings for consum- ers with more renewable energy. “This proposal puts reliability and consumer savings as top priorities,” he said. “This plan doubles wind and solar, advances my administration’s Greenhouse Gas Reduction road map and our bold goal of achieving 100% renewable energy by 2040.” s News Continued from Page 4 health and wellness, high-occupancy spaces, such as offices, airports, hos- pitals, libraries, convention centers, recreation centers and educational facilities have the most to gain by quickly creating comfortable and healthier indoor environments. We should consider not just the first cost of certification but also which budget this cost comes from. Since the overall productivity of staff is increased though challenging to estimate, would it make sense for the cost of a health-focused cer- tification to come out of a human resources budget instead of capital costs or operations and mainte- nance costs? Unfortunately, COVID-19 is not the first and will not be the last infectious disease to make its way through society. It is up to us to future-proof the buildings we spend our time in to avoid significant disruption to our workspaces and economy. Let us be proactive about creating healthier facilities. s ameltzer@ambient-e.com razerbegi@ambient-e.com Meltzer Continued from Page 16 Last, ensure air filters are clean and consider upgrading old HVAC systems, especially to help stop the spread of COVID-19 through out- dated, less efficient air filtration systems. According to the National Air Fil- tration Association, “The decision to enhance and upgrade air filtration in a specific building should be based on the building, occupants, its engineer- ing, and architectural, feasibility and cost. The information learned will allow one to make a more knowledge- able and informed decision about selecting, installing and upgrading air filtration systems. Effective air filtra- tion can also help improve overall indoor air quality and worker health and productivity.” Conducting spring cleaning at a commercial property not only helps keep the property in tiptop shape, but also it gives you a specific time frame for general maintenance projects that might otherwise be put off. This year, plan to add spring cleaning to your list of things to do this month. s klynch@paint.org Lynch Continued from Page 22 the physical space. Programming and content have evolved to become essential offerings that help to define a superior tenant experience. Whether in person or virtually, efforts to create community will help to keep your tenants connected, engaged and, most importantly, loyal. Examples of how to create a strong community include offering wellness programs, hosting a lunch and learn, sharing content from local businesses and community partners, aggregating access to real-time news, weather and transit information or sharing details that support important causes like blood drives or fundraising events. n Connect. While the debate about remote work and the requirement to work at an office rages on, we can all agree that the need for connection and community has grown exponen- tially. Two-way communication between the building and its tenants is now table stakes. There is nothing worse, or more frustrating, than not knowing who to talk to or how to connect with important resources that are essential to how you interact with your build- ing. Eliminate the mystery of who to communicate with and make it easy to connect. As well, allowing your tenants to connect with each other to form interest groups, identify networking opportunities, find carpooling part- ners and build relationships strength- ens their relationship to the building. n Reward. Incentivizing and show- ing appreciation can help drive the right interactions with your tenants. Who doesn’t love to be recognized or rewarded for their loyalty and engage- ment? Use local businesses in and around your building to provide exclusive offers and promotions that your ten- ants will appreciate. Connecting your tenants to retailers, services, and food and beverage providers certainly will enhance the customer experience you offer, especially if they offer online ordering, payment and delivery capa- bilities. Your tenant appreciation program will need to offer both in-person and virtual events, contests and promo- tions to reflect a workplace where people potentially are working from anywhere. There is no doubt that commercial real estate will continue to provide what is most essential to building successful businesses and a place where people can come together to do incredible things. Property own- ers and operators who keep people at the center of everything they do will have a competitive advantage and continue to win the tenant experience battle. s david@hiloapp.com Abrams Continued from Page 24 Looking ahead, property managers should leverage these technological advancements to entice future ten- ants and occupants. While retail and industrial commercial properties in Denver seem poised to thrive once again as they were doing prior to the pandemic, there is some uncertainty surrounding office spaces. Will enough people return to office build- ings for companies to justify their leases, or will companies be forced to sublease space? One way to ensure a healthy return to office buildings is to dem- onstrate a healthy commitment to tenants, occupants and visitors who are relying on property managers and building owners to keep them safe. It will never be business as usual and that’s not a bad thing. The pandemic forced property man- agers to embrace new ideas and new ways to oversee their proper- ties. This meant looking at solutions that not only addressed immediate safety needs, but better positioned a building in an increasingly com- petitive market to attract new ten- ants by providing new amenities that enhance the tenant experience. Technology will be one of those key differentiators in both areas; it’s just a matter of distinguishing which tech is poised to stand the test of time. s Adam.Luckey@tkelevator.com Luckey Continued from Page 26 up and to learn the system, they will quickly gain in efficiency, once imple- mented. Remember, a fax machine worked too, but that does not make it better than being able to scan a docu- ment. n That’s my job . A manager may be afraid of losing staff if they imple- ment more efficient systems. They are probably overworked now, so by streamlining processes, they will be freed up to focus on more important things, such as tenant-facing and relationship-building opportunities. While staff may initially have bucked the idea of an automatic door locking system, it did not take long for them to understand how much easier this made it to manage their day. “Those of us who have been involved in the industry for decades can give you many horror stories of technology and why not to make change, but for most of us regardless of age, the reason for not changing is the inability to see the benefits of change,” said David W. Hewett, execu- tive managing director with Olive Real Estate Group Inc. “To manage tomorrow you must be willing to see the benefits and take the risk of change. In most cases while it may have some growing pains it is a far better solution than sticking with the old ways.” I get it – change is difficult. Prop- erty managers have an abounding menu of responsibilities and are overwhelmed. This makes it more difficult to explore change, even though they may inherently know proptech will make their workload easier in the long run. My suggestion is to be curious, network with peers and open your mind to possibili- ties. Try not to worry about making your next deadline and, instead, be thoughtful about what else you can do for your property to differentiate it from your competition. Decide you prefer to be the outlier rather than a follower. As you consider the many oppor- tunities available, consider tenant requests. Think about what your competition is doing. Contemplate processes that can be streamlined. What platforms accommodate your needs? You may think about build- ing operations, accounting processes and tenant satisfaction as separate categories. Perhaps you will place several technologies in each division. “The best property managers are moving to the applications that work everywhere – technology that allows better and quicker connectivity and communication with tenants and owners, and in the way today’s ten- ants and owners want to be commu- nicated with, not the way I want to communicate,” said Hewett. Research each platform to deter- mine best in class. Identify technolo- gies that are the most important for the building, your staff and to your tenants. Review these options and the financial implications of each. Come up with a strategic plan regarding timing of options, much like you develop a capital plan. Be innovative and creative and be sure to identify the benefits of imple- menting such a technology in your plan. Next, make your recommendation and lay out your plan to the building representative. Consider implement- ing one to two improvements a year. Communicate to your tenants. They will get excited about the upcoming building enhancements. Broadcast through social media what you are doing to upgrade the building ser- vices and the tenant experience. There is a mentality change within our industry and this evolu- tion includes technology. Proptech already is an integral part of our industry and will continue as such. Commercial real estate buildings should implement platforms to remain relevant and maintain value. A good property manager will devel- op a technology plan and start to implement it over time. They know that a stagnant property may erode in value. Use your power of persua- sion to convince your team of this initiative and explore. s Hanner Continued from Page 26