By Julien R. Fielding
The Daily Record
Jerry
M. Slusky, partner at Smith Gardner Slusky Law, has good news: The
local housing market is “almost roaring back.” What’s more, they are
replatting additional lots in several corridors, and they are finally
starting to build in the subdivisions.
The even better news is that the commercial real estate market, which
has been “dead” for about three years, tends to follow the housing
market. “We’re seeing an uptick in retail leasing,” he said. “It’s doing
much better.”
If you want to learn more, there is no better venue for that than the
2013 Commercial Real Estate Workshop (CREW) today at CenturyLink Center.
Now in its 24th year, the Workshop is an all-day event,
offering professionals who are working in and with the real estate
industry the chance to “get a good feel for the markets.”
“It’s also an unbelievable opportunity for networking,” Slusky said.
“It’s about 50 percent knowledge and 50 percent networking.”
This year’s theme, “Shifting Gears: Are You Gaining Momentum,” is all
about the future. “We’re clearly moving in the right direction; the big
topic is how fast,” Slusky said. Breakout sessions are on such topics as
“Accelerating the Retail Experience Through Next Gen Tactics” and “Is
Your Space Keeping Pace?”
“One of the main sessions at 10 a.m., ‘In the Fast Lane With Law,’ will
highlight four or five areas in the law and how they affect real
estate,” Slusky said. Rochelle Mullen of Cline Williams Wright Johnson
& Oldfather will moderate. Jon Blumenthal of Baird Holm, Max Burbach
of Koley Jessen, and Dave Proksel, vice president and underwriting
counsel at First American Title Insurance Company will discuss SID
reorganization and its impact on current and future development, title
insurance, tenant bankruptcy, and the new LLC Act/entity selection.
Unlike some workshops that feature one keynote speaker, CREW will have
four: Jerry Crouse, co-chairman of Tenaska; Bill Gerber, CFO of TD
Ameritrade; George Little, chairman and CEO of HDR; and Troy Wilhelm,
CFO of UNMC Physicians. These top business leaders will give their views
on the current economy, their expectations for the future, and how
their views relate to job creation and real estate. “These are some of
the biggest leaders in our markets,” Slusky said. “They will talk about
their businesses and how they affect our markets. It will tie the whole
thing together.”
In anticipation of the upcoming mayoral election, Jean Stothert and Jim
Suttle will participate on a panel discussion with focus on Omaha’s
economy, real estate, and the city’s continued prosperity. It will be
moderated by Jeff Beals, executive vice president of World Group, and
Brinker Harding, vice president of Colliers International.
Hall of Fame
During the luncheon from 11:45 a.m. to 1 p.m., five individuals will be
inducted into the Hall of Fame, and several projects will be recognized.
Each year, names are solicited for the Hall of Fame. Candidates must
have worked in the industry for at least 20 years; have helped to
advance the status, honor, and professionalism of the commercial real
estate industry; and have demonstrated leadership and proven an
inspiration for others.
The CREW Steering Committee receives between 10 to 15 names, and that list is narrowed to four or five.
On Friday, Janet Clark of Title Core; Ken Johnson, former head of the
City of Omaha’s Planning Department; Larry and Robert Miller of Miller
Properties; and Erik Wagner of Colliers International will be inducted
to this elite club.
When asked about the new inductees, Slusky explained that each one was
chosen because of the quality and quantity of his and her contributions.
Wagner, for instance, was good at “putting deals together,” and Clark
was a “go-to professional” for insurance deals. Johnson, who recently
retired after 30 years, is particularly notable for the sheer number of
landmark projects that “went through his hands,” including the
redevelopment of the Old Market, the Union Pacific yards, and the
Riverfront. In many ways, Johnson helped to shape the look of the city.
And “he helped [people] find ways to finance these projects,” he added.
“He helped to get those going.”
Upon learning that he was being inducted into the Hall of Fame, Wagner, a
broker for 35 years, explained that he was “very surprised.” He said
that he’s attended CREW off and on over the years, and always thought it
was a great idea to recognize industry professionals for their
contributions to the industry.
Several additional honors will be given out during the luncheon
including the Re-Development Award to Lincoln Public Schools (Scott
Wieskamp at Lincoln Public Schools and Tim Gergen at Olsson &
Associates); the Deal of the Year to Tenaska (Barry Zoob and Kyle
Peterson at Colliers International); and Development of the Year to TD
Ameritrade Campus (Del Reibold). Winners are chosen based on the
creativity, difficulty, and complexity of their project.
“Lincoln Public Schools is honored to receive this award,” said
Wieskamp, director of facilities and maintenance for LPS. “As you know,
we are in the education business, not developers. This opportunity grew
from a tragedy, as we lost our District Office facility in a fire two
years ago. Our Board of Education embraced an aggressive process to seek
land/property opportunities then development options from interested
parties. The mixed-use project solution with Continuum Partners has been
an exciting project for all of Lincoln. It reinforces the importance of
teamwork, and the fact that private and public entities can work
together.
“The collaborative effort between our Board of Education, Continuum
Partners, the City of Lincoln, the Eastridge Neighborhood Organization,
Hampton Commercial Construction, and Sinclair-Hille Architects has been
tremendous. We really appreciate everyone’s effort and commitment to our
project. We are very proud of the District @ ‘O’ Street Project, and
look forward to sharing it with our community,” he said.
Tenaska is relocating to a new four-story corporate headquarters on a
5.25-acre site in the First National Bank Business Park near 144th
Street and West Dodge Park, which should be ready by April 2014.
Peterson and Zoob of Colliers International of Omaha represented Tenaska
as commercial brokers.
“It was an honor to work with the executive team at Tenaska, and to get
to understand their culture and business philosophies,” said Zoob,
senior vice president, of Colliers International.
“Currently, Tenaska occupies three buildings in relative proximity to
each other. We are proud of the outcome of a state-of-the-art building
that now centralizes all of Tenaska’s Omaha employees into one building,
which should bring efficiencies to their overall Omaha operations.”
Peterson, president and CEO at Colliers, added: “We are honored to be
recognized and proud to have worked with such a strong team. It makes it
even more special that so many Omaha-based companies played a major
role in the project.”
And about the TD Ameritrade Campus project, Reibold, owner’s
representative – construction manager at TD Ameritrade, said: “We are
proud to receive this honor. This project was a tremendous undertaking.
It took a lot of people, a lot of time, and a lot of effort. We are
pleased to see and hear the positive feedback that we received as it
neared completion, and we look forward to sharing this beautiful new
facility with our associates.”
CREW’s beginnings can be traced to 1990. Slusky had recently begun
teaching a real estate planning, development, and finance course as an
adjunct professor at Creighton University School of Law, and he
mentioned to then-Dean Raful that “real estate markets were absolutely
dead in the water.”
The federal government had initiated the Resolution Trust Corporation,
which bailed out billions of dollars of commercial real estate, and
Slusky believed that a workshop, during which RTC was discussed, would
be welcomed. The dean agreed. That first year, 375 people signed up. “No
one was lending, so we had a huge turnout,” Slusky said. This year, the
numbers are looking good, and he is hoping to see about 500 in
attendance.
Those who attend come from a variety of backgrounds: Attorneys,
accountants, appraisers, brokers, construction companies, developers,
insurance professionals, lenders, managers, title companies, title
insurance professionals, and more. “It’s a good professional mix, and
they all share information,” Slusky said.
Even after 24 years, CREW continues to be Slusky’s passion: “It’s our
gift to the community. I love doing it. It’s been fun and rewarding.”
For more information, go to www.crewmidwest.com.
