Trade-offs Featured

Five Trade-offs Associated with Growth

By definition, a community includes a multitude of people with a multitude of perspectives. When we discuss growth and development as a community it’s important to understand all of these perspectives.
As we grow, there is no “right way” to grow, only a series of trade-offs we make together. Or apart.

Because of the multitude of perspectives in our communities, these trade-offs won’t be evaluated in the same way, so I think discussion and awareness of the trade-offs we are making is critical.

Engage Featured

How To: Engage

If you are in the A/E/C industry one of the best investments you can make into your professional growth is to get involved in an industry or professional organization. This article includes a growing list of organizations covering all parts of the industry that you can join!

How to Media

How To: Media

Local media is a fantastic way to stay up to speed with Raleigh development. Before a story goes to print, one of the many local journalists that cover our city has to discover, research, and write about each newsworthy story.

If you are looking to get press coverage for a project, be a resource for the local journalists, get quoted as a market expert, or pitch ideas for stories that should be covered, this article is for you!

How to Increase Value Featured Image

How To: Add Value to a Development as a Design Consultant

As a design consultant looking to add value to a development or differentiate your firm there are four main financial levers you can pull:
Increase revenue
Decrease expense
Increase efficiency
Compress schedule
In this post you will learn the basics of these four financial levers. If you are interested in going deeper on each lever, let me know in the comments!

Dev Jargon Core Factor

Development Jargon: Core Factor

If you have ever had a conversation with a leasing agent or commercial broker, you may have noticed that there are seemingly multiple different types of space being talked about when talking about renting space for a use. In this article I will talk about those different types of space and how they are all related through a concept called a Core Factor.

TI Featured Image

Development Jargon: Tenant Improvements

Once a lease is signed for a space, you will design and construct the interior finishes and systems of the tenant suite. These finishes and systems are all part of tenant specific improvements called “Tenant Improvements” or “TI” for short. The money contributed by the developer for these improvements is the “Tenant Improvement Allowance” or “TIA”. The TIA is negotiated as part of the lease negotiations.