Location Advice-California Businesses, Allen C. Buchanan, Lee & Associates

US Optics to attend the SHOT Show

2012-01-17T14:34:00.000-08:00

My long time friend and client, John Williams III and his company US Optics will attend this year's SHOT Show in Las Vegas, Nevada. If you are close, stop in the booth #20031 and say hello. Click here for more on the SHOT Show:

:NSSF SHOT Show - Shooting, Hunting, Outdoor Trade Show - SHOT Show

History of the Company:

U.S. Optics Inc. was the brainchild of the former founder and President John Ben Williams Jr. The company had humble beginnings and was originally started from the garage of John’s residence in 1990. The idea to create an optics company that would fill the gap to provide truly custom telescopic rifle sights designed by the shooter for the shooter was born. This undertaking would take John down a road that he passionately followed and perused for over a decade.

John Ben Williams Jr. was tragically killed in a motorcycle accident on June 30, 2004.

In the years that John had with us he truly revolutionized the way scopes are built. John built his optical line from the ground up with input from individuals with backgrounds in military and law-enforcement. The idea was simple, build an optical line that was better than anything ever offered before. John wanted every scope to be exactly what the customer wanted, not just a few models that could be bought off the shelf. John wanted riflescopes that would survive the rigors of the battlefield and not breakdown under the stresses that large caliber rifles would produce.

With a lifetime spent in the gunsmithing industry and a solid educational background John found success with his new optics business. John acquired machinery and tooling from the rapid downsizing of an aerospace company Rockwell Scientific.

Early on John recruited his son John Williams III to build out his dream with him. John III started with the company during its infancy in late 1990. Together this father and son team collaborated to develop their scopes to the standard that was needed to compete with other optical firms on the market.

Over the years that followed USO developed a reputation in the industry and became known for producing some of the best special purpose telescopic rifle sights in the world.
Through dedication, perseverance and the highest standards USO has prevailed and thrived with constant innovation and updated product lines.

USO has sold scopes to Military outfits and Law Enforcement agencies through out the United States. We have also satisfied contract obligations with The Unites States Marine Corps. In 1999 the USMC inquired about refurbishing the aging MST-100 and was proud to be selected for this task. Over 150 scopes were successfully rebuilt for this contract.

With the passing of John’s father, John III was named CEO of US Optics and has continued to bring quality products and superior customer relations to the company. US Optics has a solid business platform and new product lines that ensure continued success in the future.

Location Advice on Location Episode 5, Buy or Lease

2011-10-05T11:45:00.000-07:00

I provide location advice to owners and occupants of industrial buildings in southern California. This week Location Advice on Location considers the question of ownership vs leasehold. If you are an occupant that currently leases, should you consider owning. Please watch the short video clip and learn the three reasons that most companies consider before owning.

Location Advice on Location Episode 4

2011-09-28T11:45:00.000-07:00

I provide Location Advice to owners and occupants of industrial buildings in Southern California. Today Location Advice on Location visits the Katella Center in the city of Orange, California. What makes the Katella Center diffferent from an industrial property? Watch this short video clip and discover why.

Location Advice on Location Episode 3

2011-09-15T10:30:00.000-07:00

I provide location advice to owners and occupants of industrial buildings in Southern California. Today, Location Advice on Location travels to Anaheim, California and the home of a local manufacturing company WinDor...a manufacturer of custom vinyl windows and doors. WinDor is closely held and expanded into approximately 75,000 square feet in three buildings. As we discussed in Episode 1 of Location Advice on Location, the expansion has created some inefficiencies in the operation that WinDor has hired us to solve. Please watch the video and understand how the "higher and better use" of the real estate can factor in to WinDor's exit strategy.

Location Advice on Location-Episode 2-Home Based Businesses

2011-09-07T11:45:00.000-07:00

I provide location advice to owners and occupants of industrial buildings in Southern California. Today Location Advice on Location is at the studio of Business Brandings in Orange, California. Business Brandings is a typical home based business that is experienceing exponential growth...and the resulting growing pains. Follow Allen Buchanan as he tours the home office of Business Brandings with its owner, Carla Buchanan.

Location Advice on Location Episode 1

2011-08-31T12:26:00.000-07:00

I provide location adviceto owners and occupants of manufacturing buildings in Southern California. The above video clip which is "location advice on location" is an example of why fast growing companies become inefficient in their locations.Please leave a comment and certainly if you believe that the owners of RLH Fiber Optic Link could use my help, forward this to them and provide me with an introduction. I can save them money and help them become more efficient.

O.C. eateries where business gets done | business, people, restaurants - Business - The Orange County Register

2011-06-30T10:30:00.000-07:00

I provide location advice to owners and occupants of manufacturing and distribution buildings in Southern California. I also meet a ton of people through my networking group, BNI. My friend and colleague, Jan Norman, of the Orange County Register recently asked me where my "go-to" lunch/breakfast spot is in Orange County. Jan accumulated answers from several Orange County business people to compile the list. My favorite...Mimi's cafe on 17th and 55 freeway. Another favorite is a Mimi's spin off...the Lazy Dog in Orange.

You can read the entire article (and see if your restaurant made the list) by clicking on the link below:

O.C. eateries where business gets done business, people, restaurants - Business - The Orange County Register

Going Global: Choosing a Location - - CFO.com

2011-06-29T10:30:00.000-07:00

I provide location advice to owners and occupants of manufacturing and distribution buildings in Southern California. But what if you are a domestically based business with an off shore customer base, manufacturing presence, or a desire to open an off shore location? In this article penned by Bill Hite - CFO Magazine, are some great points for considering a location abroad.

"A publicly traded software company took a common approach when it first decided to expand into Europe: it located in the United Kingdom with the expectation of managing all European operations from there. The company hired 12 people over eight years there before finally deciding to pull the plug on this operation, which generated disppointing revenue and market share, along with unnecessary costs such as company cars and personal assistants. So what went wrong?"

You can read the entire article by clicking on the link below:

Going Global: Choosing a Location - - CFO.com

Opus Adds Fullerton Thrift in Growth Bid | Orange County Business Journal

2011-06-17T10:30:00.000-07:00

I provide location advice to owners and occupants of industrial buildings in Southern California. Commercial bankers and CRE brokers are excellent referral partners and I keep an eye on the local banking front. According to the Orange County Business Journal,

"Opus Bank has made its first local acquisition as it seeks to become a regional bank on the West Coast.

Opus, which has its executive headquarters in Irvine, last week agreed to buy 84-year-old Fullerton Community Bank.

It is paying $50 million in cash to shareholders of RMG Capital Corp., the parent company of Fullerton Community." You can read the entire article by clicking on the link below:

Opus Adds Fullerton Thrift in Growth Bid Orange County Business Journal

Orange County Company Celebrates 35 Years in Business

2011-06-16T10:30:00.000-07:00

I provide location advice to owners and occupants of industrial buildings in Southern California. Congratulations to Dedola Global Logistics!

According to Jan Norman of The Orange County Register, "Most companies just have a party when they celebrate milestone years such as the 35th anniversary of their founding.

Dedola Global Logistics in Los Alamitos has a different idea. It is challenging its customers and you to a language contest. The person to identify the most of 11 languages spoken on this YouTube video, called “Language of Logistics” will win an Apple iPad 2."

You can read the entire article and enter the contest by clicking on the link below:

O.C. firm celebrates 35th anniversary with contest - Jan Norman on Small Business - The Orange County Register

New Augmented Reality Marketing Tools Coming Fast

2011-06-15T10:30:00.000-07:00

I provide location advice for owners and occupants of industrial buildings in Southern California. I have used augmented reality programs for over two years...although I didn't know that is what they were called. I just thought that they were cool apps that made my practice of CRE a bit earsier. This article, penned by Cheril Hendry, explains how augmented reality may change CRE forever.

"A few months ago we got our hands on a new Augmented Reality (AR) marketing tool for smart phones that could prove useful for our commercial real estate clients. Rofo, a commercial real estate search tool, and Junaio, an augmented reality browser, joined together to create the first commercial real estate augmented reality mobile application. You can view a one minute video of it here, but basically it allows anyone to point their smart phone at a building and see any real estate space available, including photos, space size, costs and more. In one click you can also email the listing broker or landlord. Bye-bye real estate signage..." You can read the entire article by clicking the link below.

New Augmented Reality Marketing Tools Coming Fast

Kilroy Realty Announces Acquisition of Bellevue and San Diego Office Buildings

2011-06-14T10:30:00.000-07:00

I provide location advice to owners and ocupants of industrial buildings in Southern California. One of the owners, that I have represented since 1997, is making quite an acquisition push this year. Kilroy Realty is a real estate investment trust that went public in January 1997 with the acquisition of the La Palma Business Center, some of the Kilroy family assets, and a business park in Garden Grove, California. I had the priviledge of representing KRC in their purchase of La Palma Business Center in Anaheim, California and a subsequently represented KRC on their Brea, California Industrial complex which was purchased in 1997 as well. The Kilroy Realty team including, John Kilroy Jr., Jeff Hawken, Joe Hanen, John Fucci, Jim Axtell, and Daisy Liu, among others have treated me very well over the years and I am proud to have share in their success! You can read about their recent acquisition by clicking on the link below.

Kilroy Realty Announces Acquisition of Bellevue and San Diego Office Buildings Business Wire

Versatile Packagers Announces Customizable Warehouse Management System

2011-06-13T10:30:00.000-07:00

I provide location advice to owners and occupants of manufacturing and warehouse buildings in Southern California. As the economy has softened, many distributors a looking at alternatives to save money and create efficiencies. The article below outlines how a Tampa, Florida company is helping its customers. According to Bob Vande Weghe, President of Versatile Packagers, "We are also a virtual warehouse for many of our customers, and that not only promotes convenience, but also saves money. We allow all customers to monitor their products' inventory at all times." A full copy of the article can be viewed by clicking the link below:

http://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/versatile-packagers-announces-customizable-warehouse-management-system-122500368.html

CT Realty Investors Sells Building and Senior Note Portfolio

2011-05-26T06:00:00.000-07:00

I provide location advice to owners and occupants of industrial buildings in Southern California. I have had the pleaure to transact several deals with the CT Realty folks. The article below highlights some of their recent successes! You can read the entire article by clicking on the link below:

CT Realty Investors Sells Building and Senior Note Portfolio

Largest Buffalo Wild Wings opening in O.C. | wings, buffalo, largest - The Orange County Register

2011-05-25T06:00:00.000-07:00

I provide location advice to owners and occupants of industrial buildings in Southern California. I also enjoy my networking group, SoCal BNI. Buffalo Wild Wings and SoCal BNI have a great relationship! Many chapters meet at these locations as well as many BNI trainings are conducted at the venues. If you have not had the pleasure of BWWs, check out their new location in Brea, California! You can read about the chain's latest store location by clicking on the link below:

Largest Buffalo Wild Wings opening in O.C. | wings, buffalo, largest - The Orange County Register

Double-digit gains seen for 3PLs in 2011 – DC Velocity

2011-05-24T06:00:00.000-07:00

I provide location advice for owners and occupants of industrial buildings in Southern California. A recent article tracked the business increase in 3PLs and found the results quite promising. You can read the entire article by clicking on the link below:

Double-digit gains seen for 3PLs in 2011 – DC Velocity

Next Space Closes Angel Round for $625,000

2011-05-23T13:30:00.000-07:00

Next Space Closes Angel Round for $625,000

I provide location advice for owners and occupants of industrial buildings in Southern California. I was intrigued by this article by Joseph Wise entitled, "Next Space Closes Angel Round for $625,000". This concept, called co working, is very popular in the densely populated cities in Europe and I wonder if it will catch on here? Someone is betting heavily that it will. The article is re printed below or you can click the link below to be directed to the article.

May 21, 2011
By Joseph Wise

So how ingenious is a business model that is centered around asking work at home types to pay for the the right to go to work? It’s smart enough to lure 625k of Angel round investment, that’s how much.

You heard that right. Professionals who have likely dreamed of telecommuting from the first day they ever stepped into the “real world” and who have somehow managed to fulfill that dream, are craving a central meeting place where they can gather with peers, collaborate creatively, give and receive advice, and generally act the way they would had they never achieved their work from home dream in the first place. And they are willing to pay for the privilege. The reason? It’s simple boredom.

Welcome to the life and times of the “Stir Crazy 300+”, as in there are 300-500 million people currently working from home, and for obvious reasons the number is growing all at a steady clip. Next Space’s idea is pretty simple: provide a place for these folks to go when they just can’t stand to look at the same four walls for a minute longer.

While many telecommuters find refuge in coffee houses across America and around the world (are you seeing familiar faces every time you hit Starbucks?), as working from home becomes more and more common, it seems the natural time to address some needs which the wireless Coffee Shops don’t address. At least that’s Next Space’s bet.

So why Next Space? Equipment for one thing. Not very convenient to pack up the laptop and head to Fedex/Kinkos every time you need to print, is it? Add to that wishlist redundant wireless, fax, conference room and you get the feel for what Next Space is selling.

The company has 3 locations throughout California and has recently reached 400 members (individuals and small businesses). Membership packages range from $150-$2500 based on the number of employees participating. The company intends to use the recent Angel round funding for expansion and targeting relationships with larger companies that can conceivably cut overhead by simply reducing square footage.

1800 E. Wilshire Boulevard, Santa Ana, California Virtual Tour

2011-05-23T06:00:00.000-07:00

I provide location advice to owners and occupants of industrial buildings in Southern California. One of our owners, TA Realty has this beautiful corporate headquarters location available for lease or sale. The building is located within the Enterprize Zone and has great freeway access. Check it out!

Lee and Associates expands into South Carolina

2011-05-17T06:00:00.000-07:00

I provide location advice to owners and occupants of industrial buildings in Southern California. Lee and Associate's expansion into South Carolina will increase our footprint in the southeast.

Lee & Associates has added Greenville-based Bentley Commercial LLC to its list of regional offices. Bentley Commercial principals Martha Flora, Kevin Bentley and Laurens Nicholson will join Randall Bentley in the new Lee & Associates office.

The firm now has 43 offices nationwide and said it plans to open in additional markets through 2011. Most recently, the firm established offices in Indianapolis last fall and in Kansas City last month.

"Greenville has a population of 1.3 million and growing, has been established as a hub for many important industries, and is a valuable access artery to and from the Port of Charleston," noted Edward J. Indvik, chairman of the Lee Advisory Board and vice chairman of Lee & Associates Investment Services Group. "These factors make the Greenville office an invaluable complement to our Atlanta office and will allow us to continue our expansion in the Carolinas, Florida, Georgia and the rest of the Southeast."

Randall Bentley formed Bentley Commercial in 2005. His real estate experience began as the owner and manager of his own Century 21 affiliate office for 10 years. He then joined a local commercial real estate firm specializing in industrial properties, and prior to forming Bentley Commercial he joined NAI Earle Furman, eventually becoming the company’s chief operating officer.

Behind Chevron's feel-good, misleading ad campaign

2011-05-16T06:00:00.000-07:00

I provide location advice to owners and occupants of industrial buildings in Southern California.

Much has been made of the large oil companies, the taxes they pay (or don't), and the amount of re-investment in our economy. This article from the Los Angeles Times takes a look at the claims and disputes some of the ad slogans.

You can read the entire article by clicking the link below:

Behind Chevron's feel-good, misleading ad campaign

Mandated wage hikes hurt low-wage workers - Opinion - The Orange County Register

2011-05-14T09:00:00.000-07:00

I provide location advice for owners and occupants of industrial buildings in Southern California. Jerry Schumacher provides some editorial perspective on how minimum wage hikes as contemplated by California AB 10 will actually hurt small business.

According to Mr. Schumacher...

"I started U.S. Technical, a small business located in Fullerton 17 years ago. We currently employ over 20 people prior to 2010 we were at 38 employees. I know how an increase in the minimum wage impacts an employer. If labor costs increase, and continue to increase, then employers will have to recalibrate their labor costs and their budgets and try and stay competitive with not only the rest of the national market but in the world market."

You can read the entire article by clicking on the link below.

Mandated wage hikes hurt low-wage workers - Opinion - The Orange County Register

Editorial: Keeping profit overseas to keep it at all - Opinion - The Orange County Register

2011-05-13T10:04:00.000-07:00

I provide location advice to owners and occupants of industrial buildings in Southern California.

In a recent article by the Orange County Register, the tax impact of corporate relocation was examined and the findings noted.

We have made the case for years that when taxes are raised on corporations, there are predictable consequences:

First, companies pass on added costs to customers, who actually pay the bill in higher prices.

Second, increased taxes create incentives for companies to minimize what they pay. They might economize on operating expenses, and risk losing customers. They might lobby politicians for new tax "loopholes" to keep what otherwise would be lost in higher taxes, but that risks public backlash.

And, as the Register story pointed out, businesses will shop for more tax-friendly venues. High California taxes drive businesses out of state. High U.S. taxes drive them overseas.

You can read the entire article by clicking on the link below:

Editorial: Keeping profit overseas to keep it at all - Opinion - The Orange County Register

How to make your building stand out when selling or leasing | Smart Business

2011-05-02T04:50:00.000-07:00

I provide location advice to owners and occupants of industrial buildings in Southern California. Here are three great tips to follow before placing your building on the market. You can read the entire article by clicking on the link below:

How to make your building stand out when selling or leasing Smart Business

Businesses liking their chances with Facebook

2011-04-25T05:04:00.000-07:00

I provide location advice to owners and occupants of industrial buildings in Southern California. "Location Advice" has had its own business page since 2009. Is your business "liking" Facebook? This article can be viewed in its entirety by clicking the link below.

Businesses liking their chances with Facebook

Orange County office market poised for a comeback

2011-04-18T06:34:00.000-07:00

I provide location advice to owners and occupants of industrial buildings in southern California. The industrial market in Orange county heated up in 2010. We are now seeing a similar trend in the office market. You can read the entire article by clicking on the link below.

Orange County office market poised for a comeback

Market heats up for industry - Redlands Daily Facts

2011-04-18T06:26:00.000-07:00

I provide location advice to owners and occupants of industrial buildings in Southern California. The Redland's industrial market was dramatically over built in the peak of 2008. We are now starting to see some significant activity in this sub market thanks to large, well heeled investors and occupant activity. You can read about a couple of these acquisitions by clicking on the link below.

Market heats up for industry - Redlands Daily Facts

California Pushes Standard Software Models for Solar PV | DanaBlankenhorn

2011-04-16T11:06:00.000-07:00

I provide location advice to owners and occupants of industrial buildings in Southern California. The energy conservation of this measure are beneficial. The regulatory measures...not so much. You can read the balance of the article by clicking on the link below:

California Pushes Standard Software Models for Solar PV | DanaBlankenhorn

Why Companies Move

2011-04-15T06:00:00.000-07:00

I provide location advice to owners and occupants of industrial buildings. This short video highlights one of the prevailing factors that motivate a company to move locations. I hope that you enjoy the clip! Please leave a comment

Carmakers resist new fed fuel rules | detnews.com | The Detroit News

2011-03-30T16:20:00.000-07:00

A close review of this article reveals that California has already enacted many of the stringent requirements that Detroit is now resisting. Interesting that Detroit was much more agreeable when the Federal coffers were opened. You can read the entire article by clicking the link below.

Carmakers resist new fed fuel rules | detnews.com | The Detroit News

Harry & David files for bankruptcy - Business - The Orange County Register

2011-03-30T16:12:00.000-07:00

As we get several great jobs reports from around the county, there continues to be fallout in the retail segment. I certainly hope that people start spending money again really soon! You can read the entire Orange County Register article by clicking the link below.

Harry & David files for bankruptcy - Business - The Orange County Register

California legislature passes renewable portfolio standard : Clean Energy Authority

2011-03-30T15:56:00.000-07:00

California has always been forward thinking in terms of renewable resources and energy conservation. The latest bill, if passed by the legislature will continue the string. You can read the entire article by clicking on the link below.

California legislature passes renewable portfolio standard : Clean Energy Authority

55 West apartment tower sells to Boston TA Associates - OrlandoSentinel.com

2011-03-30T15:52:00.000-07:00

Great news for our client TA Realty! We have enjoyed our relationship with the TA folks for many years. 55 West apartment tower sells to Boston TA Associates - OrlandoSentinel.com

Facebook, Google, Zynga, Twitter Help California Recover

2011-03-30T15:45:00.000-07:00

Facebook, Google, Zynga, Twitter Help California Recover

Orange County Industrial Best Since 2007

2011-01-25T06:00:00.000-08:00

I provide location advice to owners and occupants of industrial buildings in Southern California. My friend and colleague Art Barrett of Art Barrett and Associatates penned this recap of the Orange County, California industrial market. Art's recap has the market stabilizing at 6.5% vacancy. Many in our industry have felt the surge in activity since the doldrums of 2008 and 2009. You can read the entire recap below.

Overview:

After a steady three-year decline, the Orange County, California industrial market appears finally to have stabilized. The fourth quarter closed out 2010 showing healthy net absorption – the third straight quarter with absorption in the plus column.

The last year with three quarters of positive absorption was 2006. The Q4 reduction of 428,916 sq. ft. of available space was the most since Q2 2007.

The year-end vacancy rate settled at 6.5%, down 0.1% from its Q2 peak and less than its 7.6% 10-year high in 2002. Total available space finished the year at 10.5%, a full percentage point less than Q1 which was the last of 13 straight quarters of increasing availability. During that time, 8.5 million sq. ft. of industrial users scaled back or shuttered their businesses.

In early 2010, improvement in the industrial market still seemed far on the horizon. But following a dismal Q1 in which tenants vacated more than 1 million sq. ft., absorption turned positive in Q2. After Lee & Associates’ previous Q3 report on buildings larger than 10,000 sq. ft. went to press, the data was adjusted. The reconciled totals showed 220,669 sq. ft. of positive absorption in Q3. The trend gained strength in Q4.

All told, the 18 million sq. ft. leased in 2010 was the most since 2004.

The year-end data is more evidence that confidence in the economy is returning. Unemployment has leveled off and economists at Chapman University and Cal State Fullerton forecast modest Orange County job growth in 2011.

Storm clouds on the horizon:

Lee & Associates industrial specialists, however, believe perhaps a record volume of so-called “blend and extend” leases of existing tenants since 2008 may dampen absorption particularly of large buildings for the next few years until the extended leases run their terms. Small users who signed early renewals in multi-tenant buildings, however, have greater flexibility with a landlord to expand within their project.

However, despite the seeming high rate of vacancies many available small and mid-size buildings are obsolete and poorly located, limiting choices for ideal facilities.

Four of the county’s five industrial markets improved in 2010:

--The Airport market, with 25% of Orange County’s 294-million sq.-ft. industrial base, was the top performer in Q4 with 397,214 sq. ft. coming out of available inventory. Its vacancy rate fell 0.5% to 7.3%.

--Absorption in North County – the largest market with about 85 million sq. ft. – was down for the year but only slightly and closed with a 6.1% vacancy rate.

--Central County finished the year with absorption in the black for the year, posting three straight quarters of absorption gains and ending 2010 with vacancy at 5.8% or 3.8 million sq. ft.

--West County’s 24.4 million sq. ft. of space was 4.9% vacant, a 0.9% improvement over 2009.

--Still struggling is the South County with 44.8 million sq. ft. and vacancy at 8% -- up 0.4% for the year.

Market Forecast:

Even though lease rates haven’t quite leveled off – with asking rents plunging 29% since March 2008 and 12% last year – the deals of 2009 for quality space are gone. The market for available buildings for sale also is expected to tighten.

Saving 50 manufacturing jobs in Orange County

2011-01-20T06:00:00.000-08:00

I provide location advice to owners and occupants of industrial buildings in Southern California. Jan Norman of the Orange County Register recently wrote about one of our clients, IAC Industries in Brea, California. IAC has been in Brea for over 20 years and was seriously contemplating moving to Colorado Springs and taking over 50 high paying manufacturing jobs along with them. You can read the article by clicking here.

We are pleased to report that IAC will be staying in California as we negotiated a lease extension for the company. IAC's landlord was very compliant in renewing IAC and made the decision that to replace the tenant was more costly than reducing their rent an avoiding the costs of originating a new lease.

Orange County, California receiving out of state companies

2011-01-19T06:00:00.000-08:00

I provide location advice to owners and occupants of industrial buildings in Southern California. Jan Norman of the Orange County Register recently wrote about several out of state firms that have moved into Orange County, California. I was fortunate to have provided advice to one such company, Drake Controls from Houston Texas. The article was featured on Saturday January 15, 2011 and you can read the entire article by clicking here.

A National Industrial Market Review by Region

2011-01-17T06:00:00.000-08:00

I provide location advice to owners and occupants of industrial buildings in Southern California. My friend and colleague, Duke Long asked me to participate in a recent podcast which reviews, by market, the industrial activity currently and our predictions for the next few months. I was flattered to be asked and was surrounded by a great deal of talent. You can listen to the entire podcast by clicking here.

Some of the participants and highlights:

What’s happening on-the-ground in the Industrial lease market? Mike Manning of LoopNet and Duke Long of the Duke Long Agency, gathered industrial brokers from Orlando, Chicago, Detroit, Houston, New Jersey and Los Angeles to find out what is happening in their markets. What are the factors that are driving asking rents? What is happening to supply?

Read excerpts of the podcast script below or listen to their ‘in-the-trenches’ perspective.

Overview of LoopNet’s Marketplace Activity

MIKE MANNING: What we’re seeing overall in the LoopNet marketplace in the industrial lease sector is price declines more or less across the board, but with some differences across the market. So we’re seeing our sharpest price declines in Phoenix, San Antonio, Orlando and Miami which are down 8-9% versus the prior year November in terms of average asking price per square foot, whereas on the other end of the spectrum Chicago is holding flat, is actually up slightly, and Philadelphia is close to flat along with Atlanta and Houston. So I will be curious to hear about the differences in perspective from the brokers on the call as to what’s going on in their markets and what’s accounting for the different levels of pricing pressure that they are seeing.

We’re also seeing differences in the change of supply and demand in the market across different geographies, with Houston showing up as having a fairly sharp decline in supply although an increase in demand. However, I think that’s different from John’s experience personally, and so I’m going to be interested in hearing about that. New York is also showing some declines in terms of demand but the supply is up, whereas at the other end of the spectrum Detroit, Orlando and Philadelphia are all seeing significant increases in demand which we’re measuring by search activity on the site.

2011 will be THE year for Social Media and Small Business

2011-01-04T06:30:00.000-08:00

I provide location advice for owners and occupants of industrial buildings in Southern California. I have used social media as a marketing tool since the middle of 2008. Several early adopters have blazed the SMM trail but it appears as though social media will "take hold" this year and become a main stream medium according to this Fox News post and Russell Rothstein.

"This year (2010) was a learning curve year for small businesses delving into social networks, but next year will mark an increased push into that realm, according to a survey by SaleSpider, the small- and medium-sized business social network. In the past, social networking had always been about social and now it's increasingly about business networking," said Russell Rothstein, CEO of SaleSpider. "Small businesses are going to spend more and more time on social networking." According to SaleSpider, which polled 384 small and medium business owners, 75 percent plan to make social networking a larger part of their marketing mix in 2011, while two-thirds said social networking has already served to boost sales and revenue. The survey also found that nearly half of the small businesses that reported social networks have already boosted sales are using social networking in multiple business development and sales capacities including identifying requests for proposals, networking with new and existing customers, and promoting their own business. In fact, 40 percent of the small businesses that think social networking is boosting sales said the sales increase was "significant." The big trend is all about doing business on the social networks," said Rothstein, noting small business owners aren't going to use social networks to post what they are doing on a personal level. He said small business owners plan to use social networks as a venue to network, as well as a lead generator for new business. While an increased push into social networking doesn't mean small business owners are going to open their purse strings, it does mean that small business owners will dedicate more time to their social networking strategy, said Rothstein. "Social networking is not a costly pursuit, it's a time purist," he said. According to Rothstein, small business owners don't have to spend their entire day online. He said social networking efforts can be done during the work day in small intervals, and that small business owners only need to spend about twenty hours a month on it. Indeed, 83 percent of survey respondents said they will devote 11 percent or more of their marketing resources on social networking in the New Year.

Mobile Apps to get more interest:

With smart phones proliferating and new tablet devices like the iPad gaining in popularity, it's not surprising that next year will mark an increased focus on mobile social networking by small businesses, according to SaleSpider. The survey found that 53 percent of respondents are using or plan to use social networking sites from their mobile devices via a mobile app. In addition to using a mobile app to access social networks, small business owners are expected to increase their usage of mobile apps that help run their business whether it's an app to manage contracts or an app to input sales data on the go.

More education needed:

Social networking will be a main focus for small businesses in 2011, but it doesn't mean that more education isn't needed. People know how to use a social network, but Rothstein said they may not know how to use it effectively to boost their business. He said small business owners should avoid engaging in social networks from a personal perspective and keep the profile and pictures professional. At the end of the day, Rothstein said, small business owners just have to take the leap. "Engage. Everyone is jumping into it, so you might as well jump into it," said Rothstein."

Top Issues for California Businesses in 2011

2011-01-03T08:48:00.000-08:00

I provide location advice for owners and occupants of industrial buildings in Southern California. Jan Norman of the Orange County Resgister recounts the top issues for Orange County Businesses this year. You can read the entire article by clicking here.

The Most Interesting CRE Bloggers in the World

2010-12-22T07:31:00.000-08:00

My friend and colleague from Houston, Texas, Coy Davidson, has penned a post entitled, "The Most Interesting CRE Bloggers in the World." Location Advice is mentioned from the post that we authored last fall entitled "Five Gotcha Clauses..." Thanks for the love Coy and I hope that 2011 is VERY good to you! You can read the entire post by clicking here.

Newly Designated Enterprise Zones for California

2010-12-20T06:30:00.000-08:00

Three new Enterprise Zones were conditionally designated on December 15, 2010. This will be good information to add value to any Anaheim clients/prospects. You can contact Michael Matter, contact info below for further information!

Anaheim Enterprise Zone
In Anaheim the Enterprise Zone boundaries include nearly all of the City’s industrial and commercial areas and approximately 80% of all Anaheim businesses.

Santa Clarita Valley Enterprise Zone
The Santa Clarita Valley Enterprise Zone supersedes the previous 8,500 acres designated for the city and extends the life for 15 years from the designation date. The new zone encompasses more than 14,000 acres of commercial and industrial land in the Santa Clarita Valley. The Enterprise Zone will stretch from west of Interstate 5 to Highway 14 and Placerita Canyon Road.

Harbor Gateway Communities Enterprise Zone
This zone will run along the southern 110 Freeway in Los Angeles and should include parts of Torrance P.O., San Pedro, Harbor City,Wilmington, Rancho Dominguez, Los Angeles, Walnut/Huntington Park, Florence-Firestone and Willowbrook.

Regards,

--
Michael C. Matter Consultant
The Enterprise Zone Company
16 North Marengo Ave. Suite 210
Pasadena, CA 91101
Cell 626 277 6682
Tel 626 356 3013 ext. 106
Fax 626 356 3233
Email: mm@enterprisezoneco.com
Web: www.enterprisezoneco.com

The Estate Tax Bill Slated for Signature

2010-12-17T12:30:00.000-08:00

What follows is a synopsis of the Estate Tax Bill before President Obama for signature as compiled by Gregory W. Beck, CPA, and reproduced from

“RIA Newsstand 12/17/2010”

Estate Tax Relief

EGTRRA phased out the estate and generation-skipping transfer taxes so that they were fully repealed in 2010, lowered the gift tax rate to 35% and increased the gift tax exemption to $1 million for 2010. Under the EGTRRA sunset rule, the estate tax was set to return in 2011, with the top estate and gift tax rate reverting to 55%. For 2010, under EGTRRRA, the basis rules for inherited property were to be similar to the gift tax rules but with many opportunities for heirs to get increases in basis. Under the EGTRRA sunset rule, the pre-EGTRRA step-up in basis rules were to return for 2011.

The Senate passed 2010 Tax Relief Act:

· Lowers estate and GST taxes for 2011 and 2012 by increasing the exemption amount (technically, the applicable exclusion amount) from $1 million to $5 million (as indexed and rounded to the nearest multiple of $10,000 after 2011) and reducing the top rate from 55% to 35%.

· Allows estates of decedents dying in 2010 to choose between (1) estate tax (based on a $5 million exemption and 35% top rate) and a step-up in basis or (2) no estate tax and modified carryover basis. In technical terms, the Act achieves this choice by making the estate tax and basis changes effective retroactively for estates of decedents dying after 2009 but allowing the opt-out choice for estates of decedents dying in 2010.

· For gifts made after Dec. 31, 2010, reunifies the gift tax with the estate tax, with an applicable exclusion amount of $5 million and a top estate and gift tax rate of 35%.

· Provides that the GST tax exemption for decedents dying or gifts made after Dec. 31, 2009, is equal to the applicable exclusion amount for estate tax purposes (e.g., $5 million for 2010). Therefore, up to $5 million in GST tax exemption may be allocated to a trust created or funded during 2010. Although the GST tax is applicable in 2010, the GST tax rate for transfers made during 2010 is 0%. The GST tax rate for transfers made in 2011 and 2012 will be 35%.

· For a decedent dying after Dec. 31, 2009, and before the enactment date, provides that the due date for filing an estate tax return, making any payment of estate tax, and disclaiming an interest in property passing by reason of death is not to be earlier than the date that's nine months after the enactment date.

· Effective for estates of decedents dying after Dec. 31, 2010, allows the executor of a deceased spouse's estate to transfer any unused exemption to the surviving spouse.

Gregory W. Beck

Certified Public Accountant

Gregory W. Beck, CPA

A Professional Corporation

1748 W. Katella Avenue, Suite 107

Orange, California 92867

714/538-1040 Voice • 714/771-7580 Fax • 714/403-0809 Cell

greg@beck1cpa.com

DON'T use these terms, PLEASE

2010-12-14T06:30:00.000-08:00

I provide location advice to owners and occupants of industrial buildings in southern California. As we approach 2011...WOW...where did the decade go??...I believe we should eliminate certain terms that have found their way into our business conversations. Recently I posted a question, Are you Authentic? If you didn't see the post, you can find it by clicking here. I believe that truly authentic people would NEVER use the terms below. So in order of our dislike of them, here they are...the terms you should NEVER use in business:

Number Seven: No Worries

The least offensive in my opinion, yet still overused

Number Six: Not a Problem

More offensive than "No worries" but incredibly common

Number Five: Be Proactive

Great concept...the opposite of "re-active" which communicates a business's desire to preempt an issue before it becomes and issue BUT, OMG, give it a rest!

Number Four: At the End of the Day

OK, we get it...you are tying to place emphasis on the last point of the discussion!

Number Three: The Bottom Line

A variation of "number four". Since number four came along we hear this term used in fewer conversations...thank goodness!

Number Two: To be Perfectly Honest

I hear professional athletes say this a lot. This is the moment...wait for it...that I am going to really "level" with you. The problem is that the opposite is communicated...that you have not "leveled" with me before now. I realize the need for an exclamation in business communication. It is simply that "candid" or "frank" or "in my view" or "in my opinion" provide the emphasis without the transparent and insincere comment of "to be perfectly honest"

and Number One: Leverage our Core Competencies

Whoever coined this saying should be shot at dawn...not shot completely...just shot a little! I admit to have been educated at a mid south major SEC (then it was the SWC) state university in the late seventies...Go Hogs!! but really?? We understand that your company is REALLY good at certain things...maybe even the best, but not everything, but how about just saying it? We also get that you need to rely on others (leverage) but I have an idea...how about just saying that "we realize that we cannot do everything...consequently, we have these partners that we team with that will provide the products, services, etc. that we cannot provide..." See what I mean...authentic.

So here we go...No worries. When you engage our company, it's not a problem. We are extremely proactive in our approach to your problem. Because at the end of the day, we understand the bottom line for you is who not what company. May we be perfectly honest with you? We believe that we are the best solution for you because we leverage our core competencies to meet every situation that we encounter...I am truly going to throw up!! Be Authentic People!!

What Motivates a Company to Relocate? Five Reasons (part two of five)

2010-12-13T06:30:00.000-08:00

I provide location advice for owners and occupants of industrial buildings in southern California. The second part of this five part series entitled "what motivates a company to move" involves the chance to own a location. In a recent post, we discussed the characteristics of most occupants that decide to buy their location. You can view this post by clicking here. Part one of this five part series discussed rent savings as the primary reason that a company would consider relocation. You can read part one by clicking here.

A Chance to Own:

So today we discuss the decision to own a location. Assuming of course that an occupant possesses the characteristics of most in the buying profile (time in biz, closely held, and favorable market conditions), owning a location can prove to be a way to lower operating costs, increase owner equity, and provide a stable "rent" model for the length of the financing.

A Recent Example:

I am currently working with an occupant that is considering owning their location. The occupant's motivators fall in line with those found with most companies considering buying...length of time in business, lease expiration looming, favorable market conditions, ownership "rent" similar to market rent, owner with a desire to diversify personal assets into real estate ownership, etc. We believe that the occupant in question will purchase, lower their "rent", increase their efficiency, and build equity for the future.

Available Financing:

The financing available to an owner occupant these days is truly amazing. Most owner occupants finance through the use of SBA financing via the 7A or the 504 loan programs. Both offer an owner occupant the ability to buy with a minimum down payment...in most instances 10% of the purchase price. the 7A is a bank loan guaranteed by the SBA and the 504 loan is actually two loans...a bank first of 50% of the purchase price and a second of 40% of the purchase price which is a 20 year fixed debenture made by the government. Both programs offer the occupant VERY low interest rates, varying amortizations and a fee waiver through the end of the year. We will post about the specifics of these two loan programs in the future. For now, suffice to say that financing is available and affordable to most owner occupants.

What Motivates a Company to Relocate? Five Reasons (part one of five)

2010-12-06T06:00:00.000-08:00

I provide location advice for owners and occupants of industrial buildings in southern California. Location Advice pondered the question, what motivates a company to relocate. At the baseline a lease expiration generally occurs or is on the horizon. With this in mind, we discovered five key reasons, Rent Savings, Chance to Own, Better Location or Facility, Up or Downsize, Acquisition or Disposition of the Company. Part one in the five part series will discuss "Rent Savings" and provide some recent examples. I hope that you enjoy part one and will "tune in" for parts two through five.

Rent Savings:

One of the easiest ways to save money in a down economy is to find a cheaper location. Whether the occupant owns the location and leases the location from a non-arms length ownership entity or leases the location from an investor, the operating occupant pays rent. The cheaper location may in fact be the one in which the occupant currently operates and the occupant may complete a "blend and extend"...but we will discuss that strategy in another post.

Dramatic Rent Reductions:

In southern California, where I practice industrial CRE, we have witnessed a dramatic decline in lease rates. In some cases lease rates have declined up to 40% vs 2008 market highs. The best example of a rent reduction occurred with a company called McKenna Labs which we wrote about in August of this year. The company consolidated two locations (Irvine and Carlsbad) into one (Anaheim) and the rent savings on a monthly basis were approximately $40,000 !! On a calendar basis that is REAL money and can be used for myriad reasons...in this case to save the company. The company, operating out of two locations realized that the operation was inefficient and was searching for a location in which to consolidate. The owner of the Anaheim location had recently lowered his asking rate to attract the "next deal" in the market and the stars aligned. The owner was also willing to grant the occupant an option to buy the location during the first three years of the term.

Intangibles:

Rent savings can easily be offset by the cost to move the operation...especially if the operation has extensive tenant improvements, power distribution, in rack sprinklers, etc.

The credit history of the occupant can skew the way in which owners will receive the requirement and provide concessions. If the occupant has bad credit or a declining sales history, be prepared for some form of rent guaranty or increased security deposits.

If the occupant is relocating to a new city for the purpose of saving rent, understand the new city's permitting processes and requirements for occupancy.

Take advantage of rent savings in 2011 and watch the bottom line increase!!

Nothing has Changed, Content is the Same

2010-11-30T07:00:00.000-08:00

I provide Location Advice for owners and occupants of industrial buildings in Southern California. My quest began in 1984 with a phone and a roll-a-dex! As I ponder the changes that have occurred in business for the past 25+ years, it dawned on me that nothing has changed! The content is the same! Here are some quick examples: CRE brokers still sell and lease properties. The basics...square footage, location, price per square foot are still important in the deal making process. CPAs still compute the marginal tax rates and prepare financial statements and tax returns. Financial advisors continue to discuss price earnings ratios, return on investment and risk. Advertising agencies are all about placing content in the correct venue for maximum exposure. So the content that forms the basis of our business advice has not changed in...possibly forever! We all know that the way business is done has changed. So if the content remains constant, what has changed? I believe that the delivery of the content has changed and therefore has transformed the way in which we do business. Let's get an historical perspective on the changes in delivery, shall we?

Pre 1970- Door to door, Phone, ticker-tape, hard copy print, US Mail, stock tables, telegrams, TV, radio, mimeographs

1970s- Overnight delivery, main frame computing, data bases

1980s- Fax machines, personal computers, cellular communication, cable networks, digital phone systems, word processing, electronic mail

1990s- The Internet!!, fax blasting, speed dialing, mobile cellular communication, satellite radio, mobile computing, on-line auctions, on-line trading, e-commerce, free music downloads, texting

2000s- Wireless computing, social networks, video sharing, Geo coding, music downloads (paid), smart phones, blogs, on-line news, Netflix, Hulu, DVRs, tele conferencing, Skype

2010s- Tablets, faster connectivity, MS tags, QR codes, ???

So with all of these advances in the delivery of our content, the content remains virtually (sorry for the pun) unchanged!

Are You Authentic!

2010-11-23T07:00:00.000-08:00

I provide Location Advice to owners and occupants of industrial buildings in Southern California. I pondered this question as the subject arose recently on a local radio talk show. The hosts lobbed the idea that politicians who are not authentic are also not electable...ie: Meg Whitman, who despite spending millions of her own money was never able to connect with voters. I have always enjoyed true authentic athletes especially golfers such as Lee Trevino who did things their own way, made no excuses, and were successful. I found this article on the subject, penned by Susan Baroncini-Moe entitled "Are You Authentic in Your Small Business?"

"Being authentic can be surprisingly difficult, especially in business. I often work with people who have no problem being genuine in real life, but who really struggle with authenticity in business. I hear from clients that, in business, they have to appear to be mega-successful — not just sort of successful, and not “hey, I’m growing a business here,” but really successful, in order to be taken seriously. There’s so much posturing and pretending, because people believe that you can’t become successful unless you appear to already be successful. But that’s just not true! In fact, it’s just the opposite."

You can read the entire article here:

Three Ways to Use MS Tags:

2010-11-22T07:00:00.000-08:00

I provide Location Advice to owners and occupants of industrial buildings in southern California. This post will highlight the three ways that I use MS tags to market my services and introduce my products (listings). I will frame my thoughts under three headings: Introductions, Reinforcement and Gratitude.

Introductions and Reinforcement:

Our email channels are bombarded these days with ten times the information that we once received! Frankly, it has gotten unwieldy. So how do you separate yourself from your competition and get your message received? If you are interviewing for a job, how do you add some personality to the static resume? If you are meeting a prospect for the first time, how do you make an introduction beforehand that will provide some answers to the prospect's questions about you? I believe the use of MS tags can achieve all of the three above. Videotape your message, download the URL to a tag, save the tag as a JPEG, and place the JPEG in a note to the prospect, potential employer, or a prospect. How about using a tag with a message in a different language to engage your audience?

Below are some examples of Introductions and Reinforcements:

A simple You Tube video of a listing that we have in Fullerton, California. I believe that you will agree that the WOW factor is in place when a prospect receives this code attached to a brochure! This can introduce or reinforce!!

Here is an introductory You Tube video of my wife trying out for a reality TV show. This could be used to also introduce yourself to a potential prospect or employer.

The same video of the listing in Fullerton. This time, however, there is a Korean voice over! Very cool!! A great way to reinforce!

Gratitude:

Have you ever played in a charity golf tourney? Has someone done something nice for you that requires a special thanks? Want to thank a client for a great deal or wish them a happy new year? Create a video of yourself, tag it and send the tag in a thank you note. Below is an example of a "hole-in-one walk" captured on video using an IPhone.

Dear Governor Brown, 3 Fixes for Small Business

2010-11-10T07:30:00.000-08:00

Jan Norman of the Orange County Register and I were talking yesterday. She asked me a question that spurred a blog post idea..."if you were asked by Governor elect, Jerry Brown, how to keep small business in California, how would you respond?" Well, Jan, I am glad that you asked. I provide Location Advice to owners and occupants of industrial buildings in Southern California. In order to respond to the question of keeping business in California, I reflected upon the reasons why businesses are leaving California. I considered; labor, utilities, real estate occupancy costs, agency regulations, logistics, taxes, environmental mandates, and quality of life. What follows are three ideas that I believe would persuade businesses to stay in California. Increase property taxes, decrease state income taxes, reduce the state tax upon a sale of real property or a business.

Increase Property Taxes:

I can hear the collective scream from my fellow CRE brethren and property owners around SoCal...Nooooo!!!. Here is my contrarian view. Businesses aren't leaving California because property taxes are lower in other states...in most states, property taxes are actually higher...Texas and Colorado as examples. Here is my idea. Raise taxes on commercial property in California (leave residential rates the same) and give the cities more discretion on how to apportion the taxes. In this model, cities can actually compete for businesses by providing property tax rebates much the same way our neighboring states do. Granted, the increased property taxes may cause real estate to become more expensive to occupants as the owners pass this cost along to their tenants. My theory is that owners will only be able to achieve market rents...whatever they are. Higher operating costs for owners, thus lower net income will cause a depreciation of property values which will lower the basis from which property taxes are based. If cities have more discretion on how property taxes are collected and spent, I believe that cities will apportion the revenues to the betterment of the cities...much the same way that redevelopment districts apportion incremental tax revenues.

Decrease State Income Taxes:

Owners, occupants, employees, etc. pay extraordinary taxes upon the income that they earn. Bordering states that charge no state income taxes...Washington, Nevada, Texas have an advantage. Let's consider a reduction by half of all state income taxes. If owners and occupants pay a smaller percentage to the state, the attraction of California is greater.

Reduce the State Tax upon the Sale of a Business or Real Property:

Companies, especially those closely held, with aging owners are considering a move out of state because when the business is sold, the proceeds from the sale of the business are greater. If we implement a program whereby a sale of a business asset carries a smaller tax burden, more companies will keep their operations in California.

Three simple ideas with predictable results!

Business Closure has Happy Ending

2010-11-09T07:30:00.000-08:00

Location Advice is featured in the Orange County Register! Read the article here!!

Keeping in Touch...Do You?? Three Great Ways!

2010-11-08T07:30:00.000-08:00

The Premise:

I provide Location Advice to owners and occupants of industrial buildings in Southern California....in other words, I practice commercial real estate and have done so since 1984. My industry is notorious for the "hunter gatherer" mentality...we "eat what we kill" and consequently we are forever looking for the next deal. This is especially true for brokers that specialize in occupant representation. Many of us claim to be "relationship" oriented...and many of us in fact are...BUT, the reality is that we are paid based upon a TRANSACTION and the relationships must lead to a transaction in order for us to survive. There is also a conflict that arises here. When our relationship building results in a transaction and we "close" the deal and get paid, we in effect, take our "relationship" out of the market for the term of the lease we just negotiated OR for the length of the ownership in the case of an owner occupant sale. This holds true for occupant business and "one off" owner business. If our relationship is with an owner with multiple holdings...thus ongoing vacancy...our relationship (assuming we do a good job) can result in a "golden goose" of deals. These multiple holdings owners can also become buyers of additional holdings in good times and sellers of holdings in good or bad times. Regardless, we have to be creative in the way in which we keep in touch with our customers during that period when they believe "they don't need our services". I have discovered three ways that I highlight below as a means to stay in front of our "relationships" in valuable and creative ways.

Appreciation Marketing:

Send out Cards is a creative, "old school" means of keeping in touch and saying that all important Thanks!! Bo Lowe 714.307.3578 or bolowe2@gmail.com

Social Media Marketing:

Use your Facebook business page, your Linked In groups, your blog(s), and Plaxo, to stay in front of your clients. Try to post relevant content to these social media sites and don't sell anything! The real ROI of Social Media Marketing is to build your brand. The ROI is generally unmeasurable until someone searches your name or sees an article that you posted. You will start to get noticed in a positive manner!

Timely Phone Calls:

Make time to call and talk with your customers...even if you have nothing pending with them. They will appreciate it beyond belief!!

Try these ideas! They will keep those relationships for decades!!

Location Advice, Six Month's Old, Six Best

2010-11-04T07:30:00.000-07:00

I provide Location Advice to owners and occupants of industrial buildings in Southern California. In addition to a very active commercial real estate practice, a busy home life and my duties as President of the Champions Chapter of SoCal BNI, I write this blog entitled Location Advice. Today, Location Advice celebrates it's sixth month in existence and I thought a retrospective look at the top six posts would be in order. If you missed them the first time around, here you go...six re runs!! So what have I learned in six months? Read below and find out.

Number Six:

31 Years and Counting
This post about my beautiful wife of 31 years

Number Five:

The Perfect Seller and Buyer
One company on the decline and another on the upswing

Number Four:

Generate Business Through Your Contact Sphere

A video explanation of how to accomplish this

Number Three:

Five Guaranteed Ways to Provide Good Service

A generic explanation of what make me different

Number Two:

CRE and Social Media, the Early Promoters
Coy Davidson, Duke Long, and Randy Mason

Number One:

The Mortgage Meltdown, Part Deaux

This very scary expose about the "real" issue with the foreclosure postponement

Orange County Widow Saves Company

2010-11-03T07:30:00.000-07:00

I provide location advice to owners and occupants of industrial buildings in Southern California. This is a true story of courage and conviction. Read Jan Norman's story about an Orange County Woman, who in the midst of great personal pain, saved 60 jobs! You can read the full story here.

Please Vote

2010-11-02T07:30:00.000-07:00

I provide location advice to owners and occupants of industrial buildings in Southern California. On this historical day, Location Advice is devoted to getting out the vote! Please exercise your patriotic duty and cast your vote today!!

I opposed the Defense of Marriage Act in 1996. It should be repealed and I will vote for its repeal on the Senate floor. I will also oppose any proposal to amend the U.S. Constitution to ban gays and lesbians from marrying.
Barack Obama

After a century of striving, after a year of debate, after a historic vote, health care reform is no longer an unmet promise. It is the law of the land.
Barack Obama

I just received the following wire from my generous Daddy; Dear Jack, Don't buy a single vote more than is necessary. I'll be damned if I'm going to pay for a landslide.
John F. Kennedy

I hope that no American will waste his franchise and throw away his vote by voting either for me or against me solely on account of my religious affiliation. It is not relevant.
John F. Kennedy

A vote is like a rifle; its usefulness depends upon the character of the user.
Theodore Roosevelt

Anything important is never left to the vote of the people. We only get to vote on some man; we never get to vote on what he is to do.
Will Rogers

Hell, I never vote for anybody, I always vote against.
W. C. Fields

Nobody will ever deprive the American people of the right to vote except the American people themselves and the only way they could do this is by not voting.
Franklin D. Roosevelt

Individual rights are not subject to a public vote; a majority has no right to vote away the rights of a minority; the political function of rights is precisely to protect minorities from oppression by majorities (and the smallest minority on earth is the individual).
Ayn Rand

Suffrage, noun. Expression of opinion by means of a ballot. The right of suffrage (which is held to be both a privilege and a duty) means, as commonly interpreted, the right to vote for the man of another man's choice, and is highly prized.
Ambrose Bierce

Vote: the instrument and symbol of a freeman's power to make a fool of himself and a wreck of his country.
Ambrose Bierce

I have absolutely no regret about my vote against this war. The same questions remain. The cost in human lives, the cost to our budget, probably 100 billion. We could have probably brought down that statue for a lot less.
Nancy Pelosi

Giving every man a vote has no more made men wise and free than Christianity has made them good.
H. L. Mencken

We don't want someone who will get 98 percent of the vote. We want someone who will get 51 percent of the vote.
Ann Coulter

I believe with all my heart that America remains 'the great idea' that inspires the world. It is a privilege to be born here. It is an honor to become a citizen here. It is a gift to raise your family here, to vote here, and to live here.
Arnold Schwarzenegger

Whenever a fellow tells me he's bipartisan, I know he's going to vote against me.
Harry S. Truman

A democratic government is the only one in which those who vote for a tax can escape the obligation to pay it.
Alexis de Tocqueville

In other words, a democratic government is the only one in which those who vote for a tax can escape the obligation to pay it.
Alexis de Tocqueville

Clever and attractive women do not want to vote; they are willing to let men govern as long as they govern men.
George Bernard Shaw

3 Creative Ways to Market Your Product or Service

2010-11-01T07:05:00.000-07:00

Three GREAT new innovative ways to market your product or service: I provide location advice to owners and occupants of industrial buildings in Southern California.
Are you constantly looking for an edge to separate you from your competition? I know that I am and I believe the tools below can help you separate yourself and scream...innovation!!

Microsoft Tags: The tag on the left contains code for the blog that you are presently viewing. The tag on the right contains code for the video below. You will need to download an app on your mobile device by going to http://gettag.mobi/. Follow the prompts to the Free app. You will then be able to scan the codes for viewing.

Video Tape Your Offerings or Yourself:
Do you know a good videographer? If not, find one. Or you can use your mobile device to create and post the video content on You Tube. I use Robert A. Perez who I met in my networking group, BNI. Robert can be reached at 310.435.2956 and robertaperezimages@gmail.com. You can also visit his website at http://www.robertaperezimages.com/.

QR Codes:
Similar to Microsoft tags are the squirrely black and white boxes that tie to text, a URL, or some other form of medium. QR codes require a mobile reader which can be downloaded for free on most mobile devices.

"It's Your Business" an Interview with Jan Norman

2010-10-27T07:30:00.000-07:00

I provide location advice to owners and occupants of

industrial buildings in Southern California. As frequent

readers of this blog know, I attribute some of my local

business articles to Jan Norman of the Orange County Register. You can read her blog (which is the entry point for most of her columns and stories). I had the privilege to sit and talk with Jan last week about her career and the subjects of some of her articles. I hope you enjoy the information.

Location Advice visits It's Your Business:

What do NRGTek, Succession Strategies, John Barry and Associates, Kelly Moore, and Allied Modular Systems have in common? They have all been recently featured in the Orange County Register's It's Your Business, a business column authored by Jan Norman. What do Location Advice and It's Your Business have in common? Location Advice has taken the opportunity to meet every one of these column subjects. Jan agreed to meet with me last week and discuss synergies. Many of the owners and occupants that I represent have a human interest angle that could portend future columns. I found Jan to be energetic, forthcoming, and genuinely interested in our conversation. I enjoyed getting to know her background and believe you will enjoy getting to know her as well. Jan is originally from Phoenix Arizona and attended Arizona State University. Jan moved to Southern California and started her Register career in 1981. Chris Anderson's (former Register Editor) vision was a stand alone business section that would compete with the Los Angeles Times. In 1984, the vision became reality and Jan moved to the business section. Throughout her business writing career, Jan's topics have varied from Technology, to Real Estate, to Retail, and finally to "It's Your Business" and coverage of small businesses and entrepreneurs in 1988. IYB focuses upon closely held local companies with 1-100s of employees. I encourage you to read the column and look for future collaboration between IYB and Location Advice!

How Much Does it Cost to Originate a Lease?

2010-10-26T07:30:00.000-07:00

I provide Location Advice to owners and occupants of industrial buildings in Southern California. Location advice recently considered the question...how much does it cost to originate a lease. This is important to know when considering whether to renew an occupant at a reduced rate. "Blend and Extend" is a term that didn't exist until the last couple of years. Now virtually all occupants...especially those with leases that originated within the last four years, are looking to reduce occupancy costs in return for a lease extension. Should an owner consider this? In order to answer the question, you must understand what the cost to originate a lease would be. We will assume to be discussing a 20,000 sf industrial building with 10% office finish.

Market Rent:

At the baseline of the analysis, what is the market rent for your building? Not a "puffed up" review of asking rates in the area, but a true blue, no nonsense, "what has recently leased in my size range with identical (if available) amenities?" Is the rent trend on the up-swing or decline? Does my building have anything that makes it unique (in a positive or negative way) in the market...excess land, excess power, proximity to freeways, special purpose improvements, etc. A competent location advisor should be able to provide this information for you as an owner at no cost to you. For purposes of this analysis, let us assume that the market rent for your building is $.50 psf per month or $6.00 annually on an industrial gross basis. You will receive $10,000 per month for the first year. Presumably this rate will increase throughout the term of the lease at a 2.5% annual increase. Total for the term will be $638,254...$.531 psf per month.

Down Time and "Lost Opportunity":

If your building became vacant, how long (to achieve a market rent) would your building lay fallow

until the next occupant could be located. For our purposes, let us assume that the building would sit vacant for four months. The lost opportunity rent would be $40,000. The actual lost rent would be the debt service plus the operating expenses during the down time. We will use "opportunity rent" for our example.

Free ?? Rent:

Generally, a new occupant will ask and receive some sort of rent abatement as a move-in concession. Notice that I used the term "abated rent". I would encourage owners to classify the rent concession as abated and not free. Most leases allow a recapture of "abated rent" in the case of a tenant default...but not a recapture of the "free rent". The amount of the rent abatement is dependent upon market conditions, length of lease, credit worthiness of the occupant, etc. Abated rent can also be used to inflate the coupon rate of the lease...keep in mind the effective rate will be less. For the purpose of our analysis, let us assume that the occupant is interested in a five year lease and the market conditions, credit worthiness, and term warrant four months of abated rent. Abated Rent of $40,000.

Tenant Improvements:

Will the new occupant require any tenant improvements? For any office deal, this is a given. An industrial deal...not so defined. As any rate the building will need to be prepped for the new occupant...paint and carpet. If special purpose improvements are needed, a savvy occupant will ask that the space be delivered "turn key" with the cost, risk, and occupancy permitting assigned to the owner. For our purposes, let us assume that the improvements will be minimal...paint and carpet for the office area only in an industrial deal...$3.00 psf of office space. $6,000 of Tenant Improvements.

Brokerage Commissions:

Commissions vary by market and by market conditions. In Southern California, EVERY office deal carries a full commission to the occupant's broker PLUS a per square foot bonus. The industrial commissions are generally 4%. This percentage is paid on the TOTAL CONSIDERATION of the lease...net of any abated rent. The owner must also consider paying his representative (the listing broker). Let's assume a 6% fee for locating and securing a new occupant. Total Commission of $638,254 x 6% = $38,295.

Based upon the assumptions, the cost to originate a new occupant lease would be $124,295!! An owner will receive the $638,254 over the five year term but will spend approximately 20% of this amount in origination fees and lost opportunity costs.

Back to the question of reduced rent in return for an extended term...certainly!! If...the occupant is reasonable in his request and the reduction in rent can be justified compared to the cost to originate a new lease. An occupant will save by renewing at his present location in other ways...avoidance of moving costs, avoidance of employee disruption, avoidance of business disruption, etc. These cost issues can be used to "add back" to the owner's side of the negotiations.

Five "Gotcha" Issues that All Occupants Should Negotiate

2010-10-22T07:30:00.000-07:00

I provide Location Advice to owners and occupants of industrial buildings in Southern California. Approximately 3/4 of my activity is in leasing and lease renegotiation...either on behalf of a landlord (owner) or tenant (occupant). In my experience there at least five "gotcha" issues that should be addressed in any lease agreement. In my layman's opinion, The AIR lease addresses these issues quite thoroughly...with a few tweaks. In the case of an owner generated lease, the issues vary in their treatment. The five issues are: Operating Expenses; Capital Expenditures; Subordination, Non-Disturbance, and Attornment (SNDA); Rent Increases, and Miscellaneous. I will define each issue, and suggest "asks" during the lease negotiation. This is a layman's review as a CRE practitioner and should not alleviate the need to have all legal documents reviewed by counsel. These issues are from a California perspective and may vary by state.

Operating Expenses (Industrial):

Operating expenses, also known as Op Exes are the expenses than an owner incurs in the operation of a property. These expenses include, but may not be limited to, property taxes; property insurance; maintenance of the foundation, roof, and walls; landscape maintenance; maintenance of the building's systems...plumbing, electrical, HVAC, etc.; utilities; occupants share of the amortized capital expenditures, etc. The costs are sometimes referred to as NNN expenses or "gross-ups". These expenses vary greatly based upon an owner's management preferences but are largely skewed by the amount of property taxes. If you negotiate a NNN lease, the costs are paid in addition to your rent...either as due or monthly. If the lease is an industrial gross lease, the base year op exes are included in the base rent. I suggest postponing the base year until the first full year after the commencement of the lease. If the lease commences in February, this is a tough ask. If the lease commences in October...not so much. I suggest asking for a cap on the increases in op exes over the base year.

Capital Expenditures:

Capital Expenditures are expenses that are largely non recurring such as roof replacement, parking lot replacement, drive and landscape modifications, etc. I suggest there be a mechanism in the lease to specify that any expense that exceeds 50% of the cost to replace a capital system (roof), be the responsibility of the owner and the cost be amortized over 12 years at an agreeable rate of interest.

Subordination, Non Disturbance, and Attornment:

This is defined as the financing holder's means of securing their interest and the outcome of any foreclosure. Also known as an SNDA, this clause causes the lease to be subordinate to existing and future financing that is placed on the property. As a tenant, a request that the lease be non-disturbed (terms not modified), should be sought in return that the tenant agrees to attorn (recognize) an owner that becomes the owner through the foreclosure of the underlying debt. Requiring ALL of these is important in my opinion...especially during economic times that could suggest a high likelihood of foreclosure. I suggest that the lease clearly provide for ALL of the components...S, ND, and A, and that where possible the lender be persuaded to sign an SNDA recognizing the lease.

Rent Increases:

These are defined as increases in the rental schedule during the term of the lease. Generally the increases are throughout the term of the lease and could vary based upon the change that occurs in the CPI or some other index. Caps and Floors are always suggested to hedge against a rampant inflationary increase.

Miscellaneous:

Former and existing cabling removal, ADA requirements (and who is responsible), city permitting, subleasing and assigning, rent abatement vs FREE rent, and options to extend and purchase should all be carefully vetted and when necessary, negotiated.

CRE and Social Media, The Early Promoters

2010-10-21T07:08:00.000-07:00

I provide Location Advice to owners and occupants of industrial buildings in Southern California. An Urban Land Institute panel discussion and a recent post by Joseph Clem entitled "Who Says Commercial Real Estate isn't a Social Media Industry?" spurred a thought...Who are the early promoters with respect to Social Media and Commercial Real Estate? I believe that I am an early promoter of social media marketing with commercial real estate. I blog, use Facebook personally and for business, Tweet, actively manage and engage with my LinkedIn connections, use Plaxo to send birthday cards, promote my listings with You Tube, QR codes, etc. I am one of the only CRE practitioners in Southern California to consistently adopt social media. The purpose of this post is to highlight several of my colleagues who, in my opinion, are also early promoters of social medial marketing and commercial real estate AND do a great job of adding value to the social media community. The three practitioners, two of whom I have connected with on-line, are Coy Davidson, Duke Long, and Randy Mason. Each of these practitioners treat their content seriously and approach their posts in different ways.

Coy Davidson, Colliers International, Houston, Texas:

In my opinion, if you want to see someone who is "doing it right", check out Coy Davidson! I selfishly use Coy's methods to pattern my efforts in Social Media. Coy author's a blog entitled The Tenant Advisor and another entitled Social Media CRE . Both are filled with content and timely information.

Duke Long, Realty Executives, Lafayette, Indiana:

Duke's posts are edgy, controversial and refreshing! I thoroughly enjoy Duke's "tell it like it is...not like you want to hear it" approach to commercial real estate advice. Duke blogs under the title Ramblings of a Commercial Real Estate Broker. Thanks Duke for providing some chuckles and some friendly reminders that the business is not that hard...it is about the relationships!

Randolph (Randy) T. Mason, Lee and Associates, Irvine, California:

Randy and I have been personal friends and colleagues within our company, Lee and Associates Commercial Real Estate Services for almost twenty years. I met Randy in 1994 when he asked me to assist him in securing some business in Anaheim, California. We were successful and I was impressed by the energy, enthusiasm, and "out-of-the-box thinking" that Randy possessed before "out-of-the-box" thinking was fashionable. Randy has embraced all avenues of social media marketing. I am especially impressed with Randy's use of video on his blog entitled, Orange County Commercial Real Estate Experts, OCCREE. In Randy's "Ideas to Share" series, he posts video tips on hot real estate topics.

Bravo guys! Keep it coming!!

Training...Are You Spending Enough??

2010-10-20T07:30:00.000-07:00

I provide Location Advice to owners and occupants of industrial buildings in Southern California. I recently considered the question...how much do successful companies spend each year on training. The answer astonished me. Successful companies can spend up to 20% of their annual revenue on training. I am passionate about learning, networking, social media marketing and providing my clients with creative solutions in my location advice. This post focuses upon two individuals who provide training. Dave Hibbard from Dialexis and Laura Bruno, a franchise owner with the Referral Institute. I am privileged to know both of these professionals and believe that your company can benefit from knowing their capabilities as well! I hope that you will visit their sites and recommend their services.

Dave Hibbard, Dialexis:

"When our first time clients discover how we achieve results compared to other training organizations they are always impressed. Rather than tell you what we think however, you may appreciate knowing what our family of clients tell us:

Our Material
Our clients like the fact that the information we deliver is based upon real world material. We didn't seek out information from the Internet or our competition or get it from a book and then attempt to sell it as our message. Our work is appreciated because when it is delivered, the audience connects with the background experience of the Dialexis trainer. Everything we represent comes from years of experience not a book. We lived it, it worked and it moves those who follow the formula into the Top20%+.

Our Results
Our clients expect to receive a strong ROI based upon the investment they make in Dialexis training and why shouldn't they! It isn't enough today to simply provide training, receive payment and walk away. Our clients respect what we deliver because it is always attached to an ROI. Measurement of our work is what is expected and as a result, we are held to a high standard of information, delivery, follow up and results. Some of our programs are delivering from 200% to 2000% on our client's initial investment. This return is unmatched in the training industry and we are happy to supply you with the evidence of this claim.

Our Delivery
Having world-class material is one thing, but being able to deliver it with power and high impact is another. The truth is many trainers have interesting material to bring to clients, but lack the ability to deliver it in a compelling manner. Our clients tell us we are unique because we not only train, but also excite. Whether it is a Keynote delivery or a front and center training event, our clients tell us we are the best they have ever experienced.

Our Live Training
Our clients tell us that one of our key differentiators is the fact that we use live techniques during our training. That means if the training is prospecting - we not only teach it in the classroom, but also take it live to the phones and streets! At Dialexis we know that learning has a chance when training is combined with doing. Reach Dave at 949.715.9372"

Laura Bruno, The Referral Institute:

"The Referral Institute helps business professionals work less, play more, and increase their business revenues by successful word-of-mouth marketing. We accomplish this through training programs that specifically focus on effective networking and quality referrals.

Word-of-mouth marketing is the least expensive and most effective way to grow your business. While we instinctively know this, did you know that there is a proven and effective system available on how to accomplish this? Well there is and we call the program, Referrals for Life. The Referrals for Life curriculum is being offered in over 20 countries and being delivered by over 200 trainers. Laura Bruno is the only Certified Trainer in Southern California and offers the programs in her training center in Temecula and in the San Bernardino and Upland areas.

Please browse our site to learn a more about word-of-mouth marketing as well as effective referral systems available through the Referral Institute. If you find that you are intrigued and want to find out more about out program, check our calendar for our next Referral Success 101 class, and sign up to attend, as this is our introductory workshop or give us a call at 951.699.2558 .We look forward to talking with you and seeing you at our next workshop."

Social Media Blunders...Etiquette 101

2010-10-19T07:30:00.001-07:00

I provide Location Advice to owners and occupants of industrial buildings in Southern California. You may wonder, how does location advice translate to social media blunders? The connection is that I am committed to connecting with my network with social media. As such I utilize a blog, Twitter, Facebook, LinkedIn, Plaxo, You Tube, etc. Social media is just one component of my marketing efforts, however. But, it is critically important to me that I "play by the rules" in using social media and believe we ALL have a responsibility to behave correctly in the medium.

The premise:

Would you walk into a room full of strangers and shout...Hey I am here, everyone pay attention to me? Maybe you would, but I suspect you wouldn't make many friends or get the attention you are seeking. Would you call friend on the phone and completely dominate the conversation and once they started talking, respond..."I have to go"? If so, my guess is that the friend would screen your call in the future. Would you attend a church event and ask all the parishioners to buy your stuff? I believe that we can all agree that these are "social" blunders. Common decorum would suggest that there are ways in which we behave to avoid becoming a social pariah. My belief is that there are parallels with our use of social media marketing.

Social Media is "Social":

Social Media Marketing is evolving faster that any of us can grasp. Many of us are running so fast and furiously that we blunder in our social media efforts without even realizing it! At its roots, social media is "social" and we create the "media". There are "rules of engagement" which are important to respect if we expect to achieve connections through social media. I found two well written posts on this subject and links to the articles can be read by clicking on the titles. The Ultimate Social Media Etiquette Handbook written by Tamar Weinberg and The 11 Rules of Social Media Etiquette by Eric Brantner.

Three Rules of My Own:

Listen a great deal more than you talk. Remember the example of walking into a room of strangers and shouting. Make sure that you listen to the threads and only respond when you have something to respectfully add.

Don't say, post, respond to anything on-line differently that you would say, post, or respond to someone face-to-face

Don't sell...provide value. Realize that you may be "selling" in hyper space without knowing that you are selling. The best example of this is to post a request to look at my stuff, "like" my stuff, thanks for the follow...follow my stuff, etc.

The Mortgage Meltdown, Part Deaux?

2010-10-18T07:20:00.000-07:00

I provide Location Advice to owners and occupants of manufacturing and distribution buildings in Southern California. Frequent readers of this blog know that I attempt to populate these posts with positive information on timely location issues, clients and trusted partners, companies on the move, networking, training, and social media marketing. This post is not one of those...as a matter of fact, if factual, it is quite scary! I happened across this letter by John Maldin's "Thoughts From the Frontline" that was published on October 15th, 2010. Mr. Maldin, in the letter, asks that "we read the article and if we agree, pass the article along to friends and responsible parties." Although a lengthy and complex read, I would strongly encourage you read, take note...and possibly prepare for the fall out!

You can access the letter by clicking here.

My quick takeaways:

The Ally Financial (formerly GMAC), JP Morgan and now Bank of America delays in processing foreclosures happened for a significant reason.

Only a note holder...not a mortgage holder...there is a difference, can foreclose.

If this doesn't get fixed...and fixed in a hurry...the banking collapse of 2008 will look like a junior prom!

Five Guaranteed Ways to Provide Good Service!

2010-10-14T07:00:00.000-07:00

Are you a good service provider? I believe that I am. I provide location advice to owners and occupants of manufacturing and distribution buildings in Southern California.

So what! What differentiates me from my competitors? What differentiates you from your competition? Have you ever been asked this question? If so, how did you respond? I have given the question considerable thought and I believe that in order to be a good service provider, you must possess most or all of the following characteristics.

Experience and Stability:How long have you been in your industry? How long have you been with the same company? Businesses do not enjoy becoming your learning curve. If you are new to your industry or company, consider involving someone within your company with more seniority to assist you in the assignment. Although this involves some revenue sharing, you probably will have revenue to share and can utilize the experience as your own. As an example: I have enjoyed over 26 years with the same CRE company, Lee and Associates, and have lived in the same community for 23 years.

Empathy: A service provider's ability to empathize with a company is crucial. Zero in on the company's problem and empathize with their position. Don't just try to solve the problem before you properly diagnose the disease and empathize with the issues involved. If you own your company, make sure that your prospect knows this and that you have solved employment issues, space issues, legal issues, cash flow shortages or surpluses, etc. As an example: "I am a small business owner just like you and we dealt with the same issue like...this."

Creativity: Give some thought to the creative solutions that you have employed and the ways in which you will use creativity to deal with the issue at hand. As an example: "I use social media to market myself and my clients. Have you found any benefit in using social media marketing with your business?"

Resourcefulness: Have you ever listed how many professionals that you know or have referred, by category? Try it. How many attorneys, CPAs, Commercial Insurance brokers, sign companies, IT people, etc. do you know. How about knowing someone that is looking for a job? Maybe your prospect is looking for such a person with those skills and you can make an introduction. As an example: "I can refer you to someone who can solve your problem...try me!"

THANKS and GIVE BACK: Do you thank your clients for their business? How? The best way to thank a client for their business is to refer some business to them. Do you know who your client's ideal customer is? If not, you certainly should. As an example: Ask your prospects, "do your service providers refer business to you? I do and would like to refer business to you!"

Generate Business Through Your Contact Sphere!

2010-10-13T06:30:00.000-07:00

I provide Location Advice to owners and occupants of industrial buildings in southern California. I have a contact sphere, do you? A contact sphere is defined as those professionals/trades that share your ideal customer but don't compete with you. My contact sphere consists of CPAs, transactional attorneys, business bankers, commercial insurance brokers, and wealth advisors. A mortgage broker's contact sphere could be a residential real estate broker, an escrow company, a title company, etc. A roofer might share a door and window company, a painter, a general contractor...you get the idea. Identify your contact sphere and you can generate referral business if you are strategic!

Proposition 23 is a Green Job Killer! Do you agree?

2010-10-12T07:30:00.000-07:00

California voters will go to the poll on November 2 to decide several key races and issues. Last week, Location Advice asked the question, Is Meg Whitman pro Manufacturing? I provide location advice to owners and occupants of industrial buildings in Southern California. Location Advice wondered if Prop 23 will be a job killer if enacted. Proposition 23, which would Suspend AB 32, the Global Warming Act of 2006, is on the November 2, 2010 ballot in California as an initiated state statute.

AB 32 is known as the Global Warming Solutions Act of 2006. The act, passed by the California State Legislature and signed by Arnold Schwarzenegger, is California's landmark clean air legislation.Proposition 23, if enacted by voters, will freeze the provisions of AB 32 until California's unemployment rate drops to 5.5% or below for four consecutive quarters. California's unemployment rate, which currently hovers around 12%, has been at 5.5% or below for four consecutive quarters just three times since 1980. AB 32 requires that greenhouse gas emission levels in the state be cut to 1990 levels by 2020. The process of cutting greenhouse gas emissions in the state is slated under AB 32 to begin in 2012.

You can visit the site here:

In their campaigns for and against Proposition 23, supporters and opponents have each adopted nicknames for the measure that clarify what they think of it. Supporters call Proposition 23 the California Jobs Initiative and opponents call it the Dirty Energy Proposition.

Louise Bedsworth, a research fellow at the Public Policy Institute of California, predicted in April that total campaign spending on Proposition 23 could top the $154 million record set in 2006 by Proposition 87. Through the end of September, campaign contributions to both sides totalled around $20 million, with the "No on 23" organizations ahead in the money race by about $2 million.

New CalGreen Standards, Too Onerous?

2010-10-11T07:20:00.000-07:00

I provide Location Advice to owners and occupants of industrial buildings in Southern California. The buzz around most location conversations these days is "green". Location advice examined this issue in some detail to see if the new legislation that will take effect in January 2011 will cost owners of industrial buildings dollars to comply with the new standards. I discovered that the new standards outline requirements such as reducing indoor potable water consumption and providing metering, reducing non-hazardous construction waste, limiting VOC emissions, requiring commissioning for new building construction, providing bike racks, and providing parking spaces for zero emission vehicles.

The law firm of Paul Hastings in Los Angeles authored this article. I found the article quite easy to understand and VERY informative! You can read the article in it's entirety by clicking on this link:

CALGreen Building Standards Code: Marketing and Reality

If you have any questions concerning these developing issues, please do not hesitate to contact one of the following Paul Hastings lawyers who penned the article: About the authors, Ryan Trahan, and John Opgenorth

Ryan T. Trahan

213-683-6226

ryantrahan@paulhastings.com

John Opgenorth

213-683-6227

johnopgenorth@paulhastings.com

CALGreen Building Standards Code: Marketing and Reality

BY RYAN TRAHAN AND JOHN OPGENORTH

"This client alert addresses these questions; does CALGreen represent fundamental change in state building standards or is it simply a marketing effort? Moreover, how does CALGreen interact with private building certification systems such as LEED and Build It Green? The article provides a summary of some of the noteworthy provisions in CALGreen, and discusses the effect CALGreen may have on the promulgation of future green building codes."

Conclusion:

"While CALGreen does not represent a large scale shift in building practices, it does begin a process of incremental change for building standards in California. CALGreen does raise certain construction whether its value will be any greater. standards, although the changes are relatively inexpensive. Private ratings systems such as LEED have, in the past, succeeded due to a combination of savvy marketing and quantifiable improvements in environmental and financial performance. Whether CALGreen provides California with a leadership stake in future green building codes may depend in large part on the value that becomes associated with CALGreen certification. The financial cost of such certification appears minimal; the question is whether its value will be any greater. In brief, CALGreen represents a modest change in California’s green building standards."

Seven tips to Make Social Media More Effective

2010-10-08T07:30:00.000-07:00

I provide Location Advice to owners and occupants of industrial buildings in Southern California. I found this article from Steve Strauss, Mr AllBiz of The Strauss Group Inc.

Steve states:

"You’ve heard numerous tidbits on how to use social media to connect with customers, boost sales, and improve your business in general. What’s missing from these tips, however, are the top tips that are simple, but often ignored.

Here’s a roundup of some of the best social media tips and strategies I have come across recently:"

1. Tweet times three: A single tweet is easily lost in the fast-moving current that is The River Twitter. Yet, as you probably know, it is impossible to tweet the same thing twice in succession. Ah, but you can grasshopper. All you need do is write the first tweet, copy it, tweet it, and then paste it into your next tweet box. The secret is to change one word or phrase. Then instantly tweet it again. And then do it again.

All of a sudden, that tweet and your picture hits the stream three times in a row and is much more likely to be noticed.

2. Re-tweet top tweets: Consider CNN Headline News. Do they run brand new content every half hour? Of course not. Top stories are run throughout the day. As Guy Kawasaki has pointed out in this space, you should do the same thing. Notice what your top re-tweeted tweets are and re-post them on a fairly regular basis for a day or two or more. It will get you more click-throughs for sure.

3. End all Facebook updates with a question: Facebook is an ongoing conversation (actually, isn’t all social media?) So if you want face time on Facebook, if you want your business/product/take to regularly show up on your friends’ and fans’ feeds, then you need to have an ongoing conversation with your peeps.

Mari Smith, author of Facebook Marketing, says that one easy way to create and engage in that is to end your status updates with a question. For instance, “I am headed to New York this week for our annual trade show. Does anyone have any tradeshow tips that I should know about which they could share?” What you will find of course is that you will have started a conversation and thread that will continue to show up whenever someone adds to it.

4. Mix it up: Social media is all well and good for blasting your regular message, but people do become immune to that and can tune it, and you, out. Secret: Mix it up. Do something different. Do the unexpected.

What about posting something fun and strange? What about having a contest? What about tweeting a mea culpa to an unhappy customer: “We just wanted to say we are sorry to Sydney S. for getting her order wrong. To make up for it, here’s a $10 off coupon. Our bad!”

5. Give something away for free: The two strongest words in advertising are ‘free’ and ‘sale.’ Use that. People love getting stuff for nothing. So consider giving something away as a way to get more fans and followers. Maybe you have some old, inexpensive inventory that has been sitting around in the storeroom. Consider a promotion whereby the first 100 people to sign up get it. You will get new fans in a flash.

6. Use YouTube to find great keywords: For years I have been telling people to use either Google’s Keyword tool or Wordtracker when looking to add keywords and phrases in their SEO efforts. Recently, however, I ran across a tip by Greg Jarobe, a YouTube guru, who thinks YouTube may offer the better keyword analyzing tool. Why? Because many Google searches are for products, but all YouTube searches are to locate content/video. As such, the YouTube Keyword Tool may be a better fit for many small businesses.

7. Connect the dots: Managing and posting on all of these social media sites can get to be a drag, no? Too time-consuming. The good news is that these days one post can be linked to all of your other online properties. When I post to my blog for instance, or tweet a tweet, it automatically shows up on my homepage, on my Facebook page, and as a LinkedIn update.

Not only does this sort of thing save time, but it makes you look highly engaged, which you are, only in a smart, time-saving way.

BNI (Business Network International)

2010-10-07T05:50:00.000-07:00

I provide Location Advice to owners and occupants of industrial buildings in Southern California. This year I am honored to serve as the President of the Champions chapter of SoCal BNI. Last Friday night, the Champions chapter of SoCal BNI attended the first annual gala, "An Evening Among the Stars" October 1, 2010 in Irvine California. In attendance were approximately 650 representatives from 26 chapters spanning Southern California. The founder and CEO of BNI, Dr. Ivan Misner attended as well along with his lovely wife, Elisabeth and Bill and Sue Mills. The evening was a beautiful celebration of the organization's 25th year anniversary! Dr. Misner delivered the welcome address and explained that the key to BNI's success is the culture in which we operate. The motto of "givers gain" is universally known and the way in which our culture has allowed such exponential growth to include over 6500 chapters in 44 countries. Dr. Misner noted that an organization which possesses culture without strategy has a better chance of survival than an organization with a strategy with no culture. BNI is fortunate to have both...a solid culture of "givers gain" AND a well thought out strategy of referral based business. At the chapter level we have a shared attitude and vision that transcends cultural barriers and allows us to "row together" toward success.

SoCal BNI's executive director, Jenni Nering was the evening's emcee and did a brilliant job. The evening was fast paced, exciting, and fun-filled! Dan Fowler's footprints were noticed throughout the evening with the exceptionally produced video montage and energy.

I was privileged to receive three awards for the "star" of our chapter, the greatest number of one-to-one meetings, and the greatest number of referrals given in a BNI year. Each call to the stage was highlighted by a photo with Dr. Misner.

Greatest Number of one-to-one meetings:

During our photo op, Dr. Misner mentioned to me that the one-to-one meetings were once called "one-on-one" meetings. The name change occurred during the international expansion and the term "one-on-one" was discovered to have a slightly different meaning...

Greatest Number of Referrals given:

During this photo op, Dr. Misner mused "isn't that interesting that the person with the most one-to-one meetings was also the person with the most referrals given." I responded that there was some truth in my case. My category, commercial real estate, is not widely represented in SoCal BNI. My industry is notorious for shunning networking groups. I am contrarian in my view of networking and believe that it is a vital part of a successful marketing strategy. As a result of the lack of CRE brokers and passion for networking, I have the latitude to network with BNI members within and outside the Champion's chapter. When I joined BNI in 2009, I sought to meet as many people as my time would allow...thus I requested and was granted many one-to-one meetings. As my contacts increased, my "what I am looking for" inventory increased. As a broker, matching peg A with slot B is in my DNA. I used the "broker DNA" and my 26 years of relationships in many industries to match the peg A (BNI member's "what I am looking for") with the slot Bs of the relationships. This resulted in the volume of referrals that I was able to generate. As the number of referrals started to increase week to week and the plastic trophies started to find their way to my spot at the breakfast table, my competitive nature propelled me to seek more referral opportunities. My "giving" has "gained" me far more that plastic trophies and weekly recognition, however. I have helped grow the businesses of my peers and this is truly rewarding!

With my new role as president of the Champions, I am committed to continue the givers gain philosophy and set a positive example for all of our members. The Champions chapter is fortunate. We have a tremendous wealth of talent and a very committed leadership team including Greg Beck as Vice President and Rosanne Grigsby as Secretary Treasurer. I look forward to a VERY successful year and many awards for the chapter at next year's gala!

Is Meg Whitman pro Manufacturing?

2010-10-06T06:15:00.000-07:00

California will elect a new governor in approximately 30 days. I provide location advice to owners and occupants of industrial buildings in Southern California. Location Advice was curious if Meg Whitman will be pro manufactruing. Small businesses, especially manufactruing, represent a tremendous percentage of the job creation in California. Our manufacturing industry is heavily regulated at the state, county, and local level in California. Many of our largest manufactruing companies in California are seeking "friendlier" locations from which to operate. In my view, California needs to become more business "friendly" in order to spur the entrepreneurial spirit that California industry once enjoyed.

According to "Meg 2010, Building a New California, Meg Whitman's Policy Agenda" , Ms. Whitman would favor:

Eliminate the Small Business Start-Up Tax:

Meg will eliminate the $800 fee that new business start-ups are currently required to pay in California. Entrepreneurs should not be penalized for launching a business venture. The LLC filing fee is nothing more than a tax on jobs. The state that put “startup” into the national lexicon needs to repeal this tax.

Eliminate the Factory Tax:

California is only one of three states that taxes manufacturing equipment without offering a tax credit or exemption. The factory tax is a major obstacle to keeping high-paying manufacturing jobs in California.

Increase the Research and Development Tax Credit:

Meg will increase the R&D tax credit for California businesses from 15 percent to 20 percent, which conforms to the federal level. This is the same level of tax credit that many of the states we compete with offer today. This tax cut will promote investment in the technologies and industries of the future. California is the innovation capital of the world and our tax policies need to be aligned to support our major economic advantages.

Promote Investments for the Agriculture Industry:

The agriculture industry is vital to California’s economy. Meg believes that by providing a tax credit to encourage investments in water-conservation technology, we can reduce our state’s consumption and benefit all Californians.

Eliminate the State Tax on Capital Gains:

California is one of a few states in the country that doesn’t tax capital gains at a lower rate than traditional income. This is double taxation at its worst. California’s tax treatment of capital gains is a major impediment to capital formation and investment in new jobs. We should align California’s tax treatment of capital gains with other competing states. AK, FL, NV, NH, SD, TN, TX, WA and WY have No State Capital Gains Taxes.

Did you know?“ Excessive taxation starves our economy of innovation and entrepreneurship. We need to build the new California economy with the goal of making it easier to start a new business and create jobs in our state.” – Meg Whitman

Establish Academic Enterprise Zones:

Meg will take advantage of the academic excellence at our universities and create economic opportunity zones to encourage businesses to locate within a specified zone around these institutions. Tax incentives offered within these zones would be focused on hiring workers, promoting research and development, increasing access to state funds and loans and encouraging a close collaboration with universities. For example, the University of California, San Diego and the biotech region of San Diego are closely linked and provide leverage points for significant economic growth and job creation. The same is true in communities where other UC campuses are located.

Accelerate Depreciation of New Business Equipment:

Meg will provide a more favorable depreciation schedule to encourage farmers, manufacturers and other companies to invest in new equipment and technology that will make them more competitive and able to hire Californians.

On balance, I believe that Whitman is in fact pro manufacturing! What do you think?

Food Companies Expanding!!

2010-10-05T07:30:00.000-07:00

I provide location advice for owners and occupants of industrial buildings in Southern California. I have noticed a trend in the growth of food companies in Orange County. Three recent examples of this exponential growth are Northgate Markets, Pacifica Foods, and Strategic Enlace. Although varied in the markets that these three companies serve, the least common denominator is that all three distribute food!

Northgate Markets:
The story of Northgate González Markets is the story of a family of immigrants that has fulfilled the American dream through vision, hard work and faith. It all began in Jalostotitlán, Jalisco when Don Miguel González Jiménez' shoe store burned down in 1952. After struggling for 14 years to get reestablished, at 44 years of age, Miguel and his older sons immigrated to Los Angeles, leaving behind his wife and other children.

In "el norte" the three work long hours to maintain the family in Mexico. By 1979 the family was reunited and established in La Mirada. Seeking business opportunities, they heard of a supermarket in Anaheim, home to a community of fellow Jalosticenses.

Just 2,000 square feet in size, Northgate # 1 opened its doors in January 1980. The original store was Northgate, and the name has been kept over the years and subsequent acquisitions. From the beginning, the whole family participated, holding other jobs while the business got established. More stores were bought in fulfillment of the dream of every brother and sister having his own store. This goal was reached some time ago, and today two generations work in the stores and corporate offices, with over 4,750 forming the community of Northgate employees.

The newer stores are about 50,000 square feet in size, allowing them to offer shoppers a large service meat department, bakery, tortillería and prepared foods, in addition to a sizeable selection of domestic and imported Latin American grocery goods. Northgate Markets will soon relocate into a state of the art distribution facility of approximately 300,000 square feet in Anaheim.

Pacifica Foods:
Pacifica Foods is a custom food processor located just east of Los Angeles, in Corona, CA. The owner of Pacifica, Ken Gerdau, worked in the wine industry with EJ Gallo, Chateau St. Michele, and Sutter Home. Ken also spent some time with Claim Jumper restaurants where the idea of Pacifica was born.With Quality and Safety as their primary objectives, Pacifica Foods has built a 20,000 square foot, state of the art facility which includes 4500 feet of shelf stable "Hot Pack" production, 5000 feet of fresh "Cold Pack" production (including cooler), Quality Assurance and extensive Research and Development. With over 66 years of combined Food Service and Retail experience, the owner/management team has a proven track record of understanding opportunities and providing solutions for their customers. They feel that sales growth, customer satisfaction and customer loyalty are the result of the highest quality offering, in both product and service.

Strategic Enlace and Tactical Merchandising Services:
This company recently was awarded contracts from Northgate Markets (above) to distribute several products to the Northgate warehouse including a line of pro-biotics manufactured in Mexico. The company has experienced double digit growth in the last few years and recently leased a 28,000 square foot distribution building in Brea, California,

Some Companies Feel the Recovery

2010-10-04T07:30:00.000-07:00

I provide Location Advice to owners and occupants of Industrial Buildings in Southern California. In a recent article published by Jan Norman of the The Orange County Register, some companies are feeling the recovery! Chronicled are three Orange County companies...Cramer Decker Industries, Allied Modular Building Systems, and Skyline Orange County and one Los Angeles County company, JDH Pacific. You can read the full article here. Enjoy!

Cramer Decker

Founded in 1981, Cramer Decker Industries has been a world leader in gas containment and delivery technologies for well over two decades. Begun simply as a product distributor in the low pressure compressed gas industry, Cramer Decker Industries has diversified and substantially expanded its operations over the succeeding years.

Allied Modular Building Systems

Allied Modular Building Systems, Inc. is the fastest growing modular company in the commercial building industry. Since the company was established in California over 20 years ago, Allied Modular Building Systems, Inc. has expanded with a second facility in Tennessee and has ambitions of adding more.Over the years, Allied Modular Building Systems, Inc. has incorporated a philosophy that has become the foundation to how they do business. It all started in 1989 with a man who had a vision to change the industry, have integrity and produce great quality modular products while providing optimal customer service. So this man built a team and initiated advancement and innovation in the modular building trade. They have taken the lead in the industry by being the first to get and maintain the Underwriters Laboratories (UL) Classification for raceway products and International Code Council (ICC) approval for some of their structural products. Allied Modular Building Systems, Inc. is also the only modular company that meets the 2008 National Electric Code (NEC) with their UL Classification, and they’re always bringing more products to the market to serve the needs of their customers.

Skyline Orange County

Established in 1980, Skyline is THE source for remarkable face-to-face marketing experiences.Skyline offers trade show and event exhibits to match any size and budget, ranging from tabletop displays and portable displays to modular inline exhibits and large-scale island exhibits. Skyline makes 19 different exhibit systems, including pop ups, banner stands, panel systems, fabric structures, truss and other structural, custom modular exhibit systems.

New Orleans, Louisiana...Location Advice

2010-10-01T07:30:00.000-07:00

I provide location advice to owners and occupants of industrial buildings in Southern California. Last week, I had the privilege of visiting post Katrina NOLa. Our oldest son moved to New Orleans in January and absolutely loves it! The old world charm, the bars, the WWII museum, the bars, St. Charles Avenue, the Garden District, Magazine Street, The French Quarter, etc, etc.! We got to do a lot of very cool things but the absolute coolest was touring the swamps on a seven seat air boat and a very funny captain. We will call him Captain Water Boy. When he talked, his Cajun accent reminded us of Adam Sandler's character, Bobby Bouchet, in the Water Boy. Have you ever been up to your eyeballs in alligators? Well we were...literally! As we meandered through the marshy bayous, I acknowledged that a real estate transaction is somewhat like a swamp tour. You have to have an experienced captain to help you navigate through the twists and turns of the transaction and avoid the dangers that loom around every corner and in every overhanging branch. Fortunately, we made it through the tour safely and will never forget the memorable way in which the "water boy" spoke to the alligators in French and shared the history of life in the swamp.

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What Does the Customer Want?

2010-09-30T07:30:00.000-07:00

I provide location advice to owners and occupants of industrial buildings in Southern California. Read Jan Norman's OC Register article here about three remarkable women in Orange County, California that personify customer service! Enjoy!

Three Factors that Motivate the Deal

2010-09-29T07:30:00.000-07:00

I provide location advice to owners and occupants of industrial buildings in Southern California. I have thought about factors that motivate a transaction. I believe the three factors that motivate the deal are: Attitude, Inventory, and Interest Rates. All can influence the decision but in my opinion, only one factor can cause the decision to be changed...a change in motivation!

Attitude:

I have broadly lumped issues such as uncertainty, timing of a lease expiration, business forecast, market conditions, time of year, age of the business, age of the business owners, etc. into the category of attitude. As CRE practitioners, uncertainty is the attitude that causes the most pain. If a business owner is uncertain about the future, a buying decision will be postponed or a buying decision could morph into a leasing decision or your ten year lease could become a two year lease or your new lease could become a renewal at the businesses present location. In Southern California, the end of 2008 and the beginning of 2009 were particularly painful! We now are told that the worst recession since the great depression began in December 2007 and ended in June of 2009. While we can debate the end of the recession, none of us will argue the beginning. Many of us in the business sensed a "change" was coming at the beginning of 2008. Financing was becoming more difficult to originate, values were at an all time high, the market was feeding off an exuberance that many of us believed was unsustainable. Our worst fears became reality in the fall of 2008 as the financial industry imploded, values plummeted, and many real estate deals cratered. The uncertainty that resulted carried into the early part of 2009 until after the Obama inauguration.

Inventory:

The market's supply of suitable alternatives can affect the timing, and viability of the transaction. We have all experienced "seller's" markets. In these times, the demand for space far out strips supply. As a result, a seller can afford to be bullish and often is. You must carefully review the inventory each day and put your buyer or tenant in the best position to make a deal. Currently, the market is a "buyer's" market. Because the number of suitable alternatives is in excess of the "bodies" that can fill them, there is a continuing softness in the market. A company must now spend much more time reviewing the suitable alternatives (available buildings) before making a move as well as the multitude of new offerings that become available. If you are representing a tenant or buyer, you owe it to them to search for several weeks and insure that they are getting the best deal. If you represent a seller or landlord, you must make sure that the building is priced right and shows well as you may only get one "shot" at a prospect.

Interest Rates:

A wide swing up or down can motivate a deal. We saw double digit interest rates in the early eighties and have experienced record low interest rates for the past couple of years. If our interest rates were to spike by even a point or two, my belief is that you would see a spate of buying activity like no other.

Any combination of the above can cause a change in motivation. In my experience, this is the one thing that can cause a real estate transaction to collapse.

Let's hope for good attitudes, a balanced inventory, and affordable interest rates!!

ROFO.com...what an Honor!!

2010-09-28T07:30:00.000-07:00

I provide location advice to owners and occupants of industrial buildings in Southern California. I was recently asked by Right Of First Offer, Rofo, to answer a few questions about my use of Social Media in my commercial real estate practice. I was honored and the Q and A is below. I have used

Rofo since the summer of 2009 to market listings. I have found the service to be an "online dating service" for occupants of buildings and owners of buildings. I have found the concept to be VERY creative and I believe to be the future of searches in some size ranges. You can read the complete transcript here. Check out http://www.Rofo.com/ as well. Rofo has recently launched an app with LinkedIn called Real Estate Pro. If you are an active LinkedIn user and practice CRE, you owe it to yourself to download this app onto your LinkedIn profile. You can post active listings and completed transactions.

Rofo: How are you using social media to market your services?

Location Advice: I blog on a daily basis through http://www.allencbuchanan.blogspot.com/. I experiment with different content based upon my experiences, contacts, companies that I have represented, etc. I generally write the blogs on the weekend and schedule them to post each day. Once the blog posts, I then tweet it which posts to LinkedIn. I then share the blog to groups that I believe would benefit from the content. My blog posts automatically are shared with facebook…business and personal. My blog is hyperlinked to Postlets for my listing inventory, my company website and contains links to facebook and twitter. I use past blog posts to introduce clients to one another and/or to market their businesses. My blog, facebook, linked in, google profile, twitter, plaxo are all contained in the signature line of my email correspondence. The blog has an analytics link that allows me to track traffic.

Rofo: Do you have any creative ways you prospect online?

Location Advice: LinkedIn Groups, birthday cards from Plaxo

Rofo: Any early insights you can share on using the new Real Estate Pro application on LinkedIn?

Location Advice: I like the ability to post listings and done deals on the profile so that a user can view them.

Rofo: What blogs or websites do you check daily?

Location Advice: Coy Davidson, Duke Long, OCBJ, and Orange County Register

Rofo: Do you have any exciting deals you closed in the last 3 months that we can help you promote? (Or properties you are working on)

Location Advice: #1 Sale of a property in April 2010 that took me 6.5 years to close. #2 I helped relocate a sunscreen manufacturer and saved them $40,000 per month in rent.

Rofo: What’s the wildest property request you received?

Location Advice: A buyer that buys and sells traffic from adult websites. We had to submit his loan request to seventeen lenders before we got a yes! The buyer was VERY well qualified also!

Rofo: Why do your customers love you?

Location Advice: I am a business owner just like they are and promote myself accordingly. I provide advice…not just transactional help.

Satco Center, Your Business Address

2010-09-27T05:30:00.000-07:00

I provide location advice to owners and occupants of industrial buildings in Southern California. I have marketed the Satco Center since 2008. Are you an occupant that is operating out of a spare bedroom and your garage? Are your residential neighbors tired of the steady stream of delivery trucks in front of your house? Has your HOA delivered to you a "nasty gram" and demanded that you cease and desist your business operation? If any of these apply to your situation, check out the New Satco Center, your business address!

Location Advice goes to the Swamp!!

2010-09-26T10:54:00.000-07:00

Have you ever been up to your eyeballs in alligators? Well we were literally in NOLa last week. Check out this unbelievable video that Carla made! Enjoy!

Auto Company Expanding!!

2010-09-16T11:30:00.000-07:00

Mary Ann Milbourn of the Orange County Register reports about Hyundai. Please read here about an Orange County auto company that is expanding. Enjoy!

Raymond Handling Solutions

2010-09-16T07:30:00.001-07:00

I would like to introduce you to one of my clients and strategic partners, Raymond Handling Solutions. Based in Santa Fe Springs, California with offices in North San Diego County, The Inland Empire and Las Vegas, Raymond is your one stop shop for everything warehouse. For over 60 years, Raymond Handling Solutions’ mission has been to provide their customers with the expert material handling advice, customized solutions, and outstanding service they need to meet their operational and financial goals.

Focusing on your success is their first priority.

Their success is directly attributed to their dedicated associates, their customers, their suppliers and their partnership with the Raymond Corporation for whom they have been exclusive dealer since they opened their doors. And they will continue their success by serving the ever-changing needs of their customers.

According to the Raymond President, James Wilcox:

"Our extensive experience in this industry has taught us that change is constant. So to maintain our trusted position in the regions we serve, we continually educate all of our Associates on new industry trends, products, support services, applications and technical updates – which thereby enables them - and our entire company – to be at the forefront of offering state of the art industry advancements. In addition, all of our Associates attend an intensive, two day seminar on customer focus that is, for Raymond Handling Solutions, both a philosophy and a process. “Customer Focus” is the belief that the path to excellence can come only from seeing our company, our individual departments within the company, and ourselves through our customer's eyes. It is constantly asking ourselves: "Am I doing everything I can to help our customers achieve their goals". Customer Focus is the only way forward to becoming the best Materials Handling company in Southern California and Nevada.From hand jacks, and forklifts to automated systems, we use our knowledge to bring the best solutions to our customers. We offer superior: Service, Parts, Forklift Rentals, ReNewed Forklift Equipment, Systems Integration, Pallet Rack, Sales and Service support throughout our territory.And to comprehensively satisfy our customers’ growing and diversified needs, we operate five (5) fully staffed facilities in Southern California and Nevada, and Ontario Canada, each supported by strategically located field service teams."

For more information about partnering with Raymond Handling Solutions, please contact them today.

Raymond Handling Solutions

9939 Norwalk Blvd

Santa Fe Springs, CA, 90670
Toll Free: 800-982-2444

Phone: 562-944-8067

Email: info@raymondhs.net

Direct List Technology

2010-09-15T07:30:00.000-07:00

Direct List Technology has been a client since 1990. The owners of Direct List, Ken Cachat and Andy Pieter are wonderfully successful entrepreneurs that embody the Southern California winning attitude. Ken and Andy have seen the computer generated list business change significantly since their days with Harte Hanks in the late 1980s. At that time, raised computer flooring, massive HVAC units, and computers the size of refrigerators were the norm. Location square footage was necessary to house the enormity of the operation. As the business has changed, computer technology has evolved and gotten smaller, the location demands have decreased as well. Direct List can now operate from much smaller quarters and produce much more efficiently than before.

According to Ken Cachat and Andy Pieter:

"Since 1987 we have been helping people like you find new customers and achieve growth by using our highly targeted mailing lists. We attribute our long term success to three, strongly held values – Customer - Orientation, Quality, and Teamwork. That’s why we’re committed to combining advanced technology and traditional customer service to provide:

High quality mailing lists that work
Quick access to list counts and orders online
Personalized service of list experts on the phone

By focusing on, “Helping You Find New Customers”, we will create new possibilities for your company’s growth. Given the opportunity to work together, Direct List Technology will exceed your expectations. Please, give us a call today."

Give Direct List a call and let them help you find new customers!

Toll Free
1.888.772.6947

Local Phone
714.772.3282

Hours of Operation
8:00am-5:00pm PST
Monday-Friday

Fax
714.772.6947

Mailing Address
Direct List Technology, Inc.
1582 N. Batavia Street, Ste 3
Orange, CA 92867

South Bay Migration? Are Companies Leaving LA County?

2010-09-14T07:30:00.000-07:00

I provide location advice to owners and occupants of industrial buildings in Southern California. I posted an article from the Orange County Business Journal yesterday about a wind turbine company relocating to Huntington Beach from Long Beach.I have recently been on the directing end of two real estate moves (LA County to Orange County) and on the receiving end of one relocation...providing location advice to two occupants and one owner. The occupants, Western Air Limbach, a division of Limbach Faciltiy Services, and Drake Controls. The owners, Hager Pacific Properties in their lease to California Gasket and Rubber . All three of these transactions were manufacturing companies moving from Los Angeles County to Orange County. Is this a trend?

Western Air Limbach: Limbach Company, a mechanical engineering company with offices in the east, Midwest and southeastern United States acquired Western Air (creating Western Air Limbach) in 1974 and occupied a building on South Avalon Boulevard in Compton, California for 36 years. Western Air owned the real estate in Compton until 2005. In 2005, Western Air made the decision to sell the building and structure a five year lease back of the facility. Western Air's timing was impeccable as real estate values peaked during the leaseback and the lease expired during a significant down trough in the leasing market in Southern California. Western Air, through our help, was able to relocate to Garden Grove into a much newer, more modern, and functionally more suitable location for their operation.

Drake Controls: Drake Controls, LLC is a dynamic technical sales and service company headquartered in Houston, Texas serving the Texas, Oklahoma, Kansas and New Mexico marketplace supplying technical products and solution expertise to the OEM and Industrial Process markets. Drake Controls was founded on the operating philosophy of maintaining a technically qualified staff knowledgeable in their products and their applications, along with superior customer service. In addition to other products and services, Drake Controls, LLC is the exclusive authorized sales and service representative for Woodward Industrial Controls . Woodward is one of the world’s largest manufacturers of control equipment for power generation equipment, fuel systems and controls for gas and diesel engines, and controls and components for gas and steam turbines. Drake, through its acquisition of a competitor in San Dimas and Wilmington, California, now has a west coast presence. Drake, with our help, will soon relocate to a location in Buena Park, California.

California Gasket and Rubber: California Gasket and Rubber had occupied the same location for 65 years. The current market conditions persuaded California Gasket and Rubber to move to a better, more functional location in Orange, California. California Gasket and Rubber Corporation's mission is to provide the United States Government and a wide variety of private industries with the highest possible quality custom sealing devices. We manufacture gaskets, washers, shims, custom O-rings, and precision molded rubber products - on time, at a competitive price, with superior quality.

Trend or exception? I will let you decide!

Wind Energy Company Moves to OC

2010-09-13T11:30:00.000-07:00

I provide location advice to owners and occupants of industrial buildings in Southern California. In what could be a continuing trend, a Los Angeles based company is relocating to Orange County. The company is a start up that builds blades for wind turbines. You can read the Orange County Business Journal article here. Enjoy!

My wonderfully creative wife, Carla McKnight Buchanan

2010-09-13T07:30:00.000-07:00

I often write about small business successes in this blog. The entrepreneurial spirit energizes me and motivates me. Occasionally, I have the opportunity to provide location advice to owners of these businesses. Witnessing a small business take shape under your own roof is especially inspiring! My wonderfully creative wife, Carla McKnight Buchanan, FIDM student 2010, is such an entrepreneur. Watch the video and become inspired as well! You can also follow her blog at http://www.carlabuchanan.blogspot.com/. enjoy!

A New Breed of CRE Brokers?

2010-09-10T11:30:00.000-07:00

I recently posted about young bucks going old school! Beth Ann Gribb penned this artile on the new breed of Commercial Real Estate Brokers. You can read about it here. Enjoy!

Does Your Organization Have a Sales Manager?

2010-09-10T07:30:00.001-07:00

The Situation:

Our organization has never had a "solely dedicated" sales manager since its inception in 1983. We have been fortunate that we have only had three (very good by the way!) resident managers in that time...John Vogt 1983-1986, Chuck Noble 1986-2007, Bob Sattler 2007-Present. All have been "player coaches" and supplemented their management income with brokerage commissions and bonuses. The three managers varied greatly in skill sets and all three had(ve) their strengths. Some were top producers as brokers. Others were not. Some really enjoyed training, team building, goal setting, "cheer leading", contests, consensus building, etc...typical among the sales manager function. Some have avoided the sales manager function and have(d) the attitude that we are all big boys and know what is necessary to grow our businesses...after all we are all independent contractors and benefit from what we "kill". I believe we miss an important opportunity if we don't stress the sales manager function...the recruitment, training, and ongoing skill building of our associates and young shareholders.

The Idea:

Create the position of sales manager within the organization.

The Way it Would Work:

The position would be created and would be compensated by a monthly reduction in desk cost expense. This expense (subsidy) would be shared equally by all shareholders. The sales manager's responsibilities would include hosting weekly sales meetings for all associates and any shareholders that wanted to attend. The meetings would be held at 7:30 on Monday mornings and would be mandatory for associates and voluntary for shareholders. The sales manager would design a curriculum for the meetings and the meetings would be structured, topical, and informative. The goal of the meetings would be threefold...accountability, training, and team building. Additionally the sales manager would be responsible for hosting once a month meetings for industry information...IE: Social Media Marketing, Review of Financial Statements, Legal Issues, etc. The sales manager would also spearhead the social media marketing effort for the office.The sales manager could also be responsible for the monthly industrial and office meetings as well although we may discover that these meetings are unnecessary given the frequency of the weekly meetings. The position would commence on October 1, 2010 and would conclude in September 30, 2011. The shareholders would only commit to a one year position and a cost (subsidy) of $18,000. At the end of the trial, we can decide to continue or discontinue based upon results. Since associate profit or loss is split equally by all shareholders, we all benefit by bolstering the associate profit pool. My sense is that the program will pay for itself in the first year and realistically could create a larger profit for all of the shareholders.

The Benefits:

Training

Increased Profit

Accountability

Next Step:

I would recommend that our organization consider creating this position.

Real-Buzz.com Real Estate Portal Listings and Networking

2010-09-09T17:36:00.000-07:00

Real-Buzz.com Real Estate Portal Listings and Networking

Young Bucks go Old School!!

2010-09-09T07:30:00.000-07:00

I love this story about two of our rising stars! Scott Seal and Jeff Gahagan, both members of the echo-boomer, thirty something crowd recently went old school on a real estate deal and reaped the rewards.

The Opportunity:

Scott and Jeff secured a listing on a 22,000 sf industrial building in Fullerton, California. The owner had recently vacated the building that his business had occupied for several years. the owner listed the building for sale with Scott and Jeff. Scott and Jeff did a good job educating the owner on the market conditions and the owner complied and priced the building competitively.

Old School Marketing:

Scott and Jeff printed 100 hard copies of the building literature each day for several weeks and "hand delivered" these brochures to industrial occupants in Anaheim, Orange, Fullerton and the cities immediately surrounding the building. They also spoke to the neighbors...a mistake that many of us make but not talking to the neighbors. For weeks nothing occurred but Scott and Jeff continued their diligent "shoe leather" techniques.

Breakthrough:

After weeks of passing out 100 brochures per day, one morning the phone rang. An occupant (that had received a brochure) was in front of the building that Scott and Jeff had listed. The conversation went something like this...Hi this is XYZ and I am in front of your listing. One of you two dropped a brochure by my office. This building looks like a good match for my business, I am pre-approved for $4,000,000 and have been looking for the right deal to buy. Can one of you meet me at the building so that I can tor the inside? I sit twenty feet away from Scott and Jeff and their post call departure registered on the Richter scale! The tour went as expected and the occupant confessed that he was prepared to make an offer that day on another building. If the brochure had not arrived when it did, the occupant would not have known about the opportunity and would have purchased another building! The offer on Scott and Jeff's building was accepted by the owner and an escrow was created.

Too Good to be True?

The escrow proceeded smoothly until the preliminary title report referenced an ownership entity that differed from reality. Apparently, a sibling who had sold their business interest was still listed as an owner. Once again, the old school approach won out as the owner searched through 30 years of records and discovered an unrecorded quit claim deed that evidenced the siblings intentions. The title company recorded the deed and deal closed a few days later.

A Happy Ending:

Scott and Jeff benefited from the hard work in marketing this listing. The owner got a good price and the occupant bought a building perfectly suited for his business. Great job Scott and Jeff!

31 Years and Counting!!

2010-09-08T00:01:00.000-07:00

Thirty One years ago today, Carla Autis McKnight made me an honest man! I knew after our first date that we would be husband and wife. Our marriage has been filled with many joys including moving to the West Coast in 1979, buying our first house, experiencing (I watched, she experienced!) the birth of our three terrific children...Blake Andrew, Michael Allen, and Paige Elizabeth, the high school and college graduations of each of our three children, family vacations, braces, proms, parent's days, Girl and Boy Scouts, Sunday School, empty nesters, FIDM, Lee and Associates, engagements?, etc., etc.

Carla and I have been together for a part of five decades! We have welcomed Ronald Reagan, George H.W. Bush, Bill Clinton, George W. Bush, and Barack Obama into the office of president. We have seen rotary dial telephones give way to social media. Earth tones have returned since the early decor of our first condo in 1980. Denim is now a socially accepted dress for business...not just hay rides. I now blog my anniversary wishes!

Throughout the years our love has grown into a bond! Laughter still fills our house and we are each others best friends. I cannot imagine life without your darling. Here's to another 31!

Love,

Allen

Fullerton Company Buys Anaheim Building

2010-09-07T16:30:00.000-07:00

This article appeared in the Orange County Business Journal and highlights one of our rising stars, Scott Seal. Congrats, Scott on a great job! You can read the complete article here. Enjoy!

Steps to Create a Business

2010-09-07T11:30:00.000-07:00

Jan Norman from the Orange County Register published this diagram of the steps necessary in creating a small business. It is one of the most comprehensive, yet easy to understand explanations that I have found. You can see the diagram and read the article here. Enjoy!

Structure your Presentations For Maximum Results

2010-09-06T12:30:00.000-07:00

The Premise:

Have you ever heard the phrase, "I don't sell for a living" so sales techniques are not important? Well I have, and I disagree! EVERYONE sells, EVERYDAY...you just may not think of what you do as selling. Three quick examples..."Darling, I believe we should try that new Latin restaurant that just opened"...which could result in all of the normal objections...too expensive, too far, I don't like Latin food etc." You probably will be eating frozen pizza! "Son, how about completing your science project before we go to the Angel game this weekend?"..."Oh Dad, I have this, its not due until two weeks from now, you are old school..." You may be dashing to Office Solutions at 10:00 PM the day before the project is due. "Hey guys, what about moving our golf outing to Shady Grove this weekend?"..."too tough a course, no caddies, etc." So you get the idea. EVERYONE SELLS, EVERY DAY. The success of your "selling" is up to you!

The Presentation:

The key to "making the sale" is to make the idea; your client's, spouse's, child's, etc. their idea. I have discovered that the easiest way to accomplish this is to structure your presentation to include five easy steps...summarize the situation, state the idea, explain how it works, reinforce the key benefits, and suggest and easy next step. I honed these skills schlepping shortening in the seventies! Believe me, you had to make the idea the grocers if you wanted to convince the grocer that he should lose money on your product...tough sale!

Summarize the Situation:

As simple as "Darling you mentioned the other day that we should add some "spice" to our lives". To as detailed as "You mentioned that you have seen several new signs on buildings in the area. We investigated your observation and discovered that the vacancy rate on industrial buildings in North Orange County has significantly increased in the past six months. The deals that are getting made fall into two categories...class A buildings leased at class C prices, and buildings sold at 2002 pricing. Your building is Class C. If your desire is to lease, then you must realize that tenants can demand "C" pricing on "A" buildings." A concise summary can build the "ownership" of the idea.

State the Idea:

As simple as "Let's try that new Latin restaurant that just opened". To as detailed as "We recommend pricing your building to move. We must compete with "A" space and the best way to do that is with aggressive pricing." Make the idea statement very direct.

Explain How it Works:

As simple as "The restaurant is running a two for one special if we reserve before 6:00" We can be there and back in no time and with the money we save, maybe we can catch a movie!" To as detailed as "We have a complete list of tenants in the market that can receive information on your building today. We believe that the aggressive pricing will separate us from the masses. Additionally, we can forward the information to all of the active industrial brokers in the market. Lastly, we have established a rather aggressive Social Media marketing campaign through Postlets that will allow us to distribute the information through Facebook, LinkedIn, and Plaxo." Very important to clearly define your plan.

Reinforce the Key Benefits:

As simple as "Spice darling...like you said" to as detailed as "Leasing the building one month sooner than anticipated will save you ...$.

Suggest an Easy Next Step:

As simple as "Let's leave in an hour" to as detailed as "We have prepared the agreement and upon your written approval, we will begin the marketing campaign."

It Really Works!

Try forming your persuasion into these five easy steps and enjoy the "sales" that you make every day!