Exciting times! Our St. Louis team recently moved into a new facility in Fenton, Missouri. The new building features larger office and warehouse space and not only gives the team more room to operate now, but it also positions the fast-growing branch for future growth to continue meeting the needs of customers in the greater St. Louis area.
https://lnkd.in/gSsBvUug
Principal & Founder at Model City Solutions + Creative Director & Author at Chess Tales & Senior Associate - Real Estate at Washington University in St. Louis
Imagine a downtown where interesting and beautiful places keep you wanting to walk further, to see more and experience all of the diverse activity that surrounds you; (kinda like the feeling you had the first time you visited City Museum). I envision a place where people would prefer to not have a car when living in or visiting downtown because of how it takes away from the vibrant experience and sense of adventure one gets just from being there.
What if we rebuilt downtown to be a fully livable, self-sustaining community that has everything one needs for a happy and healthy life, (like groceries, parks, schools, jobs, etc.) all without ever needing to get into a car?
But let's not stop there. What if we built a place that was truly invigorating... a place that daily inspires creativity and sparks the innovative and creative juices waiting to be unlocked in each of our brains?
We can use lessons learned from neuroscience to inform how we create such a place that stimulates our neurons. We can even tap into the brain hacks that gaming and social media companies have used to design this place by creating a compulsion loop that:
1. triggers interest,
2. provokes action (i.e., walking one more block, checking out a store/event/piece of art, etc.),
3. provides a variable reward (things change and you never know what you will experience from one day to the next), and
4. entices an investment (time, money, talent, etc.) back into the community so that each resident or visitor can leave their finger print on the place - which then triggers the interest of the next person.
Let's not make the mistake of thinking that we need to build back what once was, (i.e., a central business district where people come for their 9-5 and little else).
Downtown hitting "rock bottom" is our chance to build something entirely new and different. It's time to think outside the box.
Please share your thoughts in the comments below. Let's start a discussion!
"My partners and I have resisted recent pressure from our own employees to “move west” because we want to be part of the solution to some of the challenges of our region, in this case a vibrant downtown."
🖊 Steve Smith, CEO of Lawrence Group & New + Found ⤵
Keynote & TEDx Speaker | Consultant | Joy-bringer 🔅Helping teams & leaders solve conflict, cultivate communication, & create Joyosity™ — positive culture with complex people so engagement is high & you retain employees.
The root of crappy leadership is fear.
Over eggs, toast, and coffee this morning, Asim and I talked about what it takes to gather a group of people and get them moving toward a positive, unified goal.
Clearly one of his strengths because he's done several times in his career, Asim reminded me of the power of understanding the collective benefit of working together when we just decide that's what we're going to do. I saw many examples of bravery, excitement, and success from his experiences.
(As a part of our chat, he shared this article from Steve Smith in the St. Louis Business Journal as a response to a The Wall Street Journal article on STL.)
These regional issues are the same issues I see within many organizations. They're because a leader and/or group of people are operating from a place of fear.
Fear keeps people and organizations not just stagnant, but eventually dry and dusty places where life used to be.
What is one practical way you take action to solve problems as a leader? What is the impact you’ve noticed?
"My partners and I have resisted recent pressure from our own employees to “move west” because we want to be part of the solution to some of the challenges of our region, in this case a vibrant downtown."
🖊 Steve Smith, CEO of Lawrence Group & New + Found ⤵
*Minneapolis Industrial Pulse*
Another great panel from NAIOP Minnesota, highlighting key trends and forecasts on the industrial real estate market.
-Minneapolis continues to be institutionalized.
A recent example: ⬇️
EQT Exeter recently entered the market buying 24 buildings from Prologis for $257mil brokered by Judd Welliver and team.
Reasoning:
-Disciplined development limiting supply (supply cliff coming with only a few flirting with speculative development)
-Strong rent growth partly due to the “Link Logistics Effect” (10-15% yoy)
-Low vacancy (4.5% and lower when factoring out a few outlier buildings)
-Preference on shorter WALT (weighted average lease term)
The Minneapolis industrial market is a culdesac primarily serving Minnesota and the Dakotas.
What is working: Build-to-suit development aka Scannell’s specialty.
Scannell Properties has land positions in every corner of the market to serve companies looking to grow, expand, or relocate their logistics facilities.
Building solutions that matter!
#industrialrealestate#NAIOP#marketinsights#minneapolis#commercialrealestate
Really important notes about the Macy’s closing and the downstream impacts of zoning controls on a cities retail districts. Even the strongest cities need to be flexible to meet changing needs.
https://lnkd.in/g3pkXvFH
Urban Land Institute‘s national advisory service panel came to stl with a powerhouse team of international and local experts to talk about downtown and the future of the Gareway Mall.
See the report below for the full report. Exciting things to come in stl!
The iconic Gateway Mall in St. Louis could hold the key to revitalizing the city’s downtown—and experts convened by ULI’s Advisory Services program and ULI St. Louis are helping to unlock its potential.
Sponsored by Greater St. Louis, Inc. and St. Louis Development Corporation (SLDC), the panel of ULI members from across the U.S. offered wide-ranging ideas for transforming Downtown St. Louis into a more vibrant, active, and inclusive community that draws residents and visitors and drives economic growth and prosperity. Read the panel’s full recommendations here: https://lnkd.in/euADin9E#Equitabledevelopment#DowntownRevitalization#UrbanRevitalization
Happy Wednesday!! 😀 MISSION AND VISION!!
Region’s Largest Spec Industrial Facility Breaks Ground
Author | Kimberly Ballard
All it takes is a mission and a vision for Huntsville’s long-term strategic plan to build a multicounty regional economy in North Alabama to take shape.
One of the components of that vision dropped into place recently as the Huntsville-Madison County Chamber of Commerce and the Limestone County Economic Development Authority joined the Hollingsworth Cos. in breaking ground on the largest speculative industrial facility in North Alabama.
HBJSouthPointParkIt is the 11th facility Hollingsworth has built in the SouthPoint Business Park, which has already provided hundreds of jobs and millions of dollars in investments. When finished, the new building will be home to more than 1.9 million square feet of industrial space.
Located off Interstates 65 and 565 and five miles from the Mazda Toyota Manufacturing plant, the park is suitable for high-growth manufacturing and distribution companies who benefit from a location along the I-65 corridor in North Alabama.
SouthPoint Business Park is already home to HDT Global, Custom Assembly, Redline Steel, Woodbridge, Supreme Beverage and Aldez.
While shovels moved dirt for the sprawling new building, local and state officials and members of the business community toured two industrial buildings now available in the park. The two buildings provide 173,888 and 109,080 square feet for companies looking to expand or relocate their manufacturing and distribution facilities.
“In spite of the economic pressure of COVID-19 and this being an election year, we are very bullish on the North Alabama market,” said Joe Hollingsworth, CEO of The Hollingsworth Cos., the largest nonurban industrial real estate developer and construction firm in the Southeast. “We have grown our business on the belief that American manufacturing will continue to prosper, and the Southeastern United States will lead this growth. I would like to thank the community for being willing to invest time, effort, and money into being a true partner in making this park successful.
To finish this article, please click here: https://lnkd.in/gnJEb3NJ#deancommercialrealestate#realestate#commercialrealestate#commercialinvestors#investors#propertyinvestors#officespacee#retailspace#medicaloffices#warehouses#huntsvillealabama#madisonalabama#decaturalabama
Office Management at TWC Services, Inc.- Retired
3moAwesome. Happy to see the growth.