Development Management Associates, LLC.

DMA Offers Industry Insight to Parker Alumni Community

DMA's Mike Levin shared his perspective on current challenges and opportunities for real estate investors with an audience of Francis W. Parker School alumni on January 27, 2010. The Chicago school invited Levin and three fellow panelists to participate in its 2nd Annual Real Estate Symposium, designed to help the community understand and respond to the impact of global financial developments.

DMA Shares the Value of Strong IT Support

In a client interview for CMIT Solutions, Jason Westrope explained the value to DMA's business of both a secure and an accessible information technology infrastructure. DMA's secure back-up system, implemented with Jeremy Treister of CMIT Solutions, ensures the rapid recovery and restoration of project data after a disruption or disaster. Remote network access for DMA principals and staff, established by CMIT using Microsoft SharePoint, maximizes DMA's productivity and responsiveness to clients throughout North America.

DMA Shares Green Knowledge Using Green Technology

Jason Westrope recently shared his knowledge about sustainable development with graduate students at Texas A&M University--an invitation he also accepted in 2008. This year, his presentation not only illuminated the latest trends in green building, it saved 1,274 pounds of carbon dioxide. Westrope delivered the talk and conducted a follow-up discussion with students via the web.

Trends in LEED project applications and membership in the U.S. Green Building Council indicate escalating market interest in green building. Public requirements and incentives continue to expand, and measurable benefits exist for developers and tenants. Westrope shared specifics with students and described DMA's hands-on experience with green roof and solar power installations, green standards for "vanilla box" tenants, and green consulting on viable techniques for minimizing nonrenewable energy and water use. Graduate students, enrolled in Texas A&M's master of real estate program, prompted further discussion of the costs and levels of LEED buildings, the application of green building techniques to global industrial facilities, legislative and financial incentives, and other topics.

ICSC Class Gains Building Experience

DMA Principal Charles Porter recently shared his expertise on mixed-used design and construction issues with a class at the ICSC University of Shopping Centers, on the campus of the University of Pennsylvania's Wharton School. Porter and co-instructor Angelo Carusi, principal at Cooper Carry, guided participants through hands-on group exercises. The class used interlocking toy bricks to visualize planning decisions and discuss their impact. Porter is a frequent guest instructor for college-level and continuing education courses on real estate development.

Northwestern Graduate Students Get Current on Green

As a guest lecturer for Northwestern University's Masters of Project Management program, DMA Principal Charles C. Porter offered graduate students fresh insights into current practices in green architecture and real estate development.

Porter's February 9th lecture highlighted recent trends in sustainable development, including significant commitments in both the public and private sectors to reduce carbon emissions and energy and water consumption. He detailed successful examples of the use of green technologies such as the recently completed Constellation Place Solar Installation. Porter also addressed the financial payback of specific investments in sustainability, citing measures that can more than justify upfront costs.

Mundo Verde/Green World Symposium Spreads Sustainability

As a member of the USGBC Education and Research Committee, DMA's Jason Westrope helped plan and host a January symposium bringing green principles and practices to Latino professionals active in Chicago's construction industry.

Illinois Partners of the Americas, the Hispanic American Construction Industry Association, and the USGBC worked together to create the day-long event, which attracted more than 80 attendees.

The symposium included a site visit to one of two green building projects, a presentation and discussion by two of Spain's leading green architects, and a comprehensive update on the City of Chicago's environmental plans. Westrope co-led a presentation on the basics of LEED certification and moderated a panel discussion about the evolving requirements for professional LEED accreditation.

Green Talk in Aggieland

Jason Westrope recently gave a pair of invited lectures to "Aggies" in the Mays Business School at Texas A&M University. Speaking to graduate students in the Master of Real Estate program and undergraduates in the university's Department of Agricultural Economics, Jason discussed the broad market trend toward more sustainable development practices and the fundamental importance of bottom-line considerations. He provided an overview of green projects around the nation and their documented returns on investment. He also outlined forces propelling interest in green building, including the changing economics of green projects, current and imminent legislation at local, state, and federal levels, financial incentives for energy efficiency, and evolving code standards in many construction markets.

Jason described the USGBC LEED program in particular and how Development Management Associates, LLC and others are advancing highly successful projects by employing this point system for certifying achievement in green building. With academic backgrounds bridging the planning, environmental, economic, and real estate disciplines, many of the students were intrigued by DMA's growing experience with green roof installations on high-end retail and mixed-use projects in Chicago. For more information, email jason@dmassociates.com.

Green Experts Gather at DMA Roundtable

At its Chicago offices on April 3, Development Management Associates hosted a group of exceptional professionals active in green building design and development. These individuals gathered to share ideas about green building practices, the state and future of the industry, and how to improve results for clients, collaborators, and the community.

For a detailed overview of the event, click here.

DMA is grateful to the following roundtable participants for sharing their time and insights:

• Sachin Anand, PE, LEED AP, Principal, dbHMS
• Chad G. Harrell, AIA, President, Griskelis Young Harrell
• Helen J. Kessler, FAIA, LEED AP, Principal, HJKessler Associates
• Paul Knight, Principal, Domus Plus
• Pat Meara, Sr. Vice President, JMB
• Erik Olsen, PE, Green Projects Administrator, City of Chicago
• Maria Pellot, AIA, LEED AP, Project Manager, Urban Works Architecture
• Grace Rappe, AIA, LEED AP, Sr. Vice President Hoerr Schaudt Landscape Architects

The Green Roundtable is the first in a series of ongoing discussions planned by DMA to address topics relevant to the design, development, and construction of high-quality projects. For more information on the DMA Green Roundtable discussion or future roundtable plans, please contact Jason Westrope at DMA.

The Domino Effect

In experienced hands, the Tenant Coordination process can drive your shopping center project to an exciting and profitable end. Lose control at the wrong time, and the domino effect can undo a good deal of hard work. Martha Spatz, a principal at Development Management Associates, LLC, used this analogy at the ICSC University of Shopping Centers, where she recently co-taught a course on Managing the Tenant Coordination Process.

As she shared with a group of industry leaders, a tenant coordination team can be an important source of project success and stability:

•		Serving as a hub between the development, leasing, design, construction, legal, and management teams
•		Balancing the creativity and identity standards of tenants with the design goals of the center
•		Enabling tenants to open faster, bringing in rent at project opening or sooner

For more information on how to align your dominos for maximum impact, email martha@dmassociates.com.

Sharing the Wealth - High-Value Renovation

How do you maximize net operating income during and after a mall renovation? At the 2007 ICSC Fall Conference, DMA Principal Charles Porter offered his insight as part of a five-member panel of experts addressing "Redevelopments: Passionate about The Economic Upside."

Porter highlighted income opportunities beyond adding space — for example, securing incremental revenue from ATMs, retail merchandise units, and advertising and sponsorship opportunities. He noted the potential for financial assistance from local municipalities. He also stressed the importance of redevelopment experience among project leadership to effectively manage tenant and customer expectations.

As a faculty member at ICSC University in March, Porter detailed renovation management and operational issues. For more information, email charles@dmassociates.com.

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