Building vacancy rates affect everyone along the facility supply chain, from manufacturers of lighting to commercial janitorial services. Companies that provide maintenance and construction are also impacted. As such, I was interested in what BOMA CEO/President Henry Chamberlain had to say about the state of the industry.
If you were hoping for exciting news of growth and improvement, you may be disappointed. According to CBRE, Chamberlain projected vacancy rates to remain around 15.3% throughout 2014. Office absorption was only half of what it was back in 2005 at just 48 million square feet. On the positive side, but somewhat immaterial to commercial real estate, is a 9% increase in U.S. Home values. Chamberlain also reported that capital office values were up a meager 2.5% in the last year.
Chamberlain reported the following industry trends:
- Huge increase in mobile and “Sensor revolution”
- Completely connected smart buildings (Click this link at Accenture.com for articles about smart buildings)
- Use of “big data” management systems to manage heating/cooling lighting and security
Specific to building design were trends to accommodate the millennium cohorts entering the workforce (Click these links at at Wikipedia and PubMed.gov to learn more)
- Expect more shared workspace for team space
- More natural lighting
- Higher connectivity
- Active workspaces (Treadmill standing stations etc..)
- Telecommuting
Marc Collings
In 2011, Marc's team won the large company category, "Best in the Industry" marketing materials from the Building Service Contractor Association International (BSCAI). Marc also directs Varsity's proposal writing, sales process and tools development, marketing campaigns, corporate website SEO performance and customer support center.
Marc has spent his career developing strategic capabilities that enhance value to customers and the company. A Lean Sigma Green belt himself, he developed the company's Lean Sigma offering, providing an innovative solution to customers' need to lower cost while raising quality. He led the development of JanOPS, an industry-leading janitorial operating system, which brings standardization and service consistency to large campus and geographically disperse national accounts.
Prior to this position, Marc was responsible for strategic management at Varsity. He has initiated or directed multiple strategic technology initiatives, ranging from a corporate website, a corporate intranet, a web/smartphone based quality control system, a learning management system, a corporate content manager and knowledge wiki, salesforce.com deployment and customization, and an Android app which facilitates the GROW sales process he has developed.
Marc is the author of several leadership and management training manuals, field guides, marketing collateral and case studies. He speaks Portuguese and Spanish and holds a bachelor degree in English/Technical Writing and a Masters of Business Administration in Finance from Idaho State University. Marc enjoys mountain biking, skiing, fishing and golf. He is happily married, and he and his wife Victoria enjoy raising and spending time with their four children.
Latest posts by Marc Collings (see all)
- Strategic Sourcing - July 11, 2017
- Under the Hood: Janitorial Pricing - July 3, 2017
- 5 Absolutes to an Accurate Janitorial Service Price - June 30, 2017
