Conference Coverage

‘Broadening’ Economy on Track for Longest Expansion Cycle in U.S. History, Says Wells Fargo’s Mark Vitner

by John Nelson June 5, 2018

CHARLOTTE, N.C. — It’s been nine years since the Great Recession ended, and if the economy can make it to June 2019 without suffering a relapse, it will be the longest business cycle in U.S. history. Mark Vitner, managing director and senior economist of Wells Fargo Securities, believes that will happen because of how broad-based the recovery has been. “For the most part, over the last nine months to a year all 50 states have been growing, which is something that hasn’t happened before,” says Vitner, who is based in Wells Fargo’s Charlotte office. “Typically, when the economy broadens it makes for a more durable expansion. When the strength of the economy begins to narrow, with fewer industries and states expanding, that’s usually a sign that a recession is a year to 18 months ahead.” Vitner’s commentary came during his keynote address at the ninth annual Carolinas InterFace conference. The half-day event, which took place on Thursday, May 31 at the Hilton Charlotte City Center hotel in Uptown Charlotte, drew 212 attendees from across the commercial real estate industry in North and South Carolina. The veteran economist says that the United States is currently at full employment with a majority …

June 5, 2018

Conference Coverage Features Industrial Nevada Western Western Feature Archive

E-Commerce, Business Relocation Feed Growth in Las Vegas Industrial Market

by David Cohen May 1, 2018

LAS VEGAS — The Las Vegas industrial market was built on supporting the city’s tourism and hospitality industry, which brings in nearly $60 billion per year, according to a study by Applied Analytics. But in recent years, the segment has evolved and grown thanks to the emergence of e-commerce and the harsh market conditions of nearby Southern California. A panel at the InterFace Las Vegas Industrial conference, held at the Four Seasons Hotel in Las Vegas on April 24, brought together eight regional developers and owners to discuss the changing state of the Las Vegas industrial market in 2018. Included on the panel were Michael Dermody, CEO at Dermody Properties; Taylor Arnett, vice president at CapRock Partners; Kevin Higgins, senior vice president and partner at CBRE; Doug Roberts, partner at Panattoni Development Co.; Fritz Wyler, managing director at Prologis; Rod Martin, director of development at Majestic Realty Co.; and Jordan Schnitzer, president at Harsch Investment Properties. Phil Ralston, president at American Nevada Co, moderated the panel. “Historically, the Southwest [Las Vegas] submarket has brought a premium in rents [compared] to what you see in the other submarkets, and 80 percent of the tenant base there is doing business on the …

May 1, 2018

Conference Coverage Features Retail Texas Texas & Oklahoma Feature Archive

InterFace Panel: Houston Is Not Over-Retailed. In Fact, It Needs More

by Camren Skelton April 26, 2018

HOUSTON — Retail follows rooftops, as the expression goes, but over the last decade in Houston, brick-and-mortar development and single- and multifamily construction have rarely moved at the same pace. Houston experienced a major housing boom in the years leading up to the oil downturn, which began in late 2014. A report from houstonproperties.com, which tracks the metro’s single-family market, notes that Houston topped the nation in new construction starts of single-family homes in 2013 and 2014. In addition, during that two-year stretch there were 28 high-rise apartment buildings under construction, and 83 additional high-rise multifamily projects either approved or proposed. Houston’s emergence as a strong-performing retail market in an era where brick-and-mortar shopping is on shaky ground was one of the key topics explored by real estate professionals at the second annual InterFace Houston Retail Real Estate conference. Crowds packed into the meeting rooms of the Royal Sonesta hotel in the city’s Galleria neighborhood on Tuesday, April 17 to hear about just how much new retail development the market can bear. Before retail development could catch up to the torrid pace of housing development, oil prices tanked, thousands of blue- and white-collar energy workers were laid off, housing prices …

April 26, 2018

Conference Coverage Features Multifamily Texas Texas & Oklahoma Feature Archive

It’s the Ideal Time to Buy in Houston Multifamily Market, Says InterFace Panel

by Taylor Williams April 19, 2018

HOUSTON — After several years of sluggish rent growth, heavy concessions and tepid absorption brought on by the oil slump, investors are returning to Houston’s multifamily market with quite a bang. Rent growth and absorption were particularly weak in the city’s Class A multifamily space over the past few years. But with oil prices stabilizing (currently at about $68 per barrel of West Texas intermediate crude) and overall population growth still booming, multifamily investors are rethinking their positions on the Bayou City. “For the past two or three years, capital had been going elsewhere,” said Bruce McClenny, president of Houston-based research firm Apartment Data Services, during his keynote address at the second annual InterFace Houston Multifamily conference. “But that’s about to change.” Panelists at the event agreed that Houston’s construction pipeline for new apartments is thinning, stabilized properties are being brought to market and sellers are seeing more bids on assets they’re marketing. All this activity points to a previously overbuilt market turning the corner. Multifamily developers, lenders and brokers discussed these trends and others at the conference, held on Tuesday, April 17 at the Royal Sonesta Hotel in Houston’s Galleria neighborhood. The event drew about 150 real estate professionals. …

April 19, 2018

Conference Coverage Features Retail Top Stories

Activation Is a Top Priority for Entertainment Destinations, say EEE Panelists

by Taylor Williams February 14, 2018

SANTA MONICA, CALIF. — E-commerce has claimed many victims in its siege of brick-and-mortar shopping, but perhaps none more so than big box retailers. As more of these spaces are vacated, demand for entertainment-based users to backfill them grows. Entertainment-themed tenants often require the same open-floor layouts and high ceiling heights that big box spaces offer. In addition, big boxes are typically found in malls and retail power centers, which have presumably been built in high-traffic and high-density locations. As such, entertainment tenants backfilling or building within a traditional retail development aren’t as reliant on “activation” of their sites to drum up business. But when you have a variety of entertainment tenants, including bars and restaurants, operating out of a single destination, it’s crucial to galvanize the property with events and programs. This was a trend discussed at the Entertainment Experience Evolution conference on Feb. 6-7 at Fairmont Miramar hotel in Santa Monica. A panel of professionals in the entertainment retail space discussed the role of activation in creating a “sense of place” at the conference, which more than 600 industry players attended. Moderator Nick Egelanian, president of SiteWorks Retail Real Estate Services, asked the other panelists to describe how …

February 14, 2018

Conference Coverage Features Office Texas Texas & Oklahoma Feature Archive

InterFace Panel: Time to Rethink How We Meet Demand for Office Space

by Taylor Williams February 8, 2018

HOUSTON — Much like the preferences of younger generations are influencing how retailers pick their locations and sizes, the whims of today’s office-using workforce significantly impact the way professional services companies view their office spaces. This is not strictly an amenities-based trend. It goes beyond adding fitness centers, walking trails and food trucks to cater to Millennial workers. It’s an evolution of the role that office space plays in company budgets and operations. For developers and brokers in the office sector, it means rethinking the ways in which they meet demand. A panel of veteran players in Houston’s embattled office market addressed this trend and others during the InterFace Houston Office Forecast on Feb 1. Approximately 150 real estate professionals attended the event, which was held at the Royal Sonesta hotel in the Galleria area of the city. Old Product Trails Trends Houston’s office market has been hobbled by high vacancy and negative absorption as a three-year slump in oil prices has taken a toll on Houston’s energy industry. In addition, the sector also suffers from a lack of modernized product. Panel moderator Rand Stephens, managing director at Avison Young, said the latter factor is increasing demand for build-to-suit projects …

February 8, 2018

Conference Coverage Features Office Texas Texas & Oklahoma Feature Archive

Recovery of Houston Office Market Still Distant, Say InterFace Panelists

by Taylor Williams February 5, 2018

HOUSTON — If patience is a virtue, then developers and brokers in Houston’s office market are poised to become a bit more saintly. For the past three years, the story of the market has been a painful coinciding of sluggish oil prices hurting Houston’s largest tenants, while deliveries of new office spaces are at a peak. According to CoStar Group, more than 5 million square feet of office space has been delivered in Houston during each of the past three years. The nosedive that oil prices took beginning in early 2015 set rising vacancy in motion, leading to an 11-quarter streak of negative absorption. And while the price of oil has risen substantially to start the new year — increasing by roughly $10 to its current price of $65 per barrel over the last two months — that won’t force an overnight recovery in this struggling niche. This one-two punch has players in the space wondering when the market might finally begin to display sound fundamentals. According to panelists at the InterFace Houston Office Forecast, that’s not likely to happen before 2020. The event was held Thursday, Feb. 1 at the Royal Sonesta hotel in Houston. Approximately 150 industry professionals attended the …

February 5, 2018

Conference Coverage Features Multifamily North Carolina South Carolina Southeast Southeast Feature Archive

Multifamily Firms Targeting Charlotte, Raleigh Suburbs, Says InterFace Carolinas Panel

by John Nelson December 14, 2017

ATLANTA — Executives from some of the most active multifamily firms in the Southeast are honing in on the suburbs of Charlotte and Raleigh as they map out their long-term investment and development strategies. During the Carolinas panel at the eighth annual InterFace Multifamily Southeast conference, the panelists stated they’re preparing for a suburban shift as a large swath of the millennial renting cohort and downsizing baby boomers will be priced out of core submarkets. “There’s a confluence of different demand drivers that will persist in earnest for the next five to 10 years as we see the millennial migration happening and affordability constraints start to enter the picture more,” said Eddy O’Brien, managing partner and co-founder of Blaze Partners, a boutique multifamily investment firm based in Charleston, S.C. Ben Yorker, vice president of development at Northwood Ravin, said his firm is also interested in Charlotte and the Triangle area for new development opportunities in 2018. “Within those markets we’re edging away from infill and exploring more suburban opportunities,” said Yorker. “We’re targeting renters by choice like empty nesters or urban professionals. In 2018, we’ll shift significantly to target millennials looking to the suburbs.” New development is already trickling its …

December 14, 2017

Conference Coverage Features Georgia Multifamily Southeast Top Stories

Talent, Technology Are Top Priorities for Multifamily Operators Today, Says InterFace Panel

by John Nelson December 12, 2017

ATLANTA — Apartment management is a people-intensive industry that requires dedicated team members at multiple levels. Finding talented and driven individuals is priority No. 1 for multifamily operators. But seasoned executives are the first to admit that hiring is difficult in an expanding economy where recent graduates have multiple career paths at their choosing. Property management firms are recruiting prospects who are working in outside industries, which has been a reliable tactic. “We’ve had to go out and look at hospitality, restaurants and other industries that complement multifamily to find talent,” said Chris Burns, senior vice president of Lincoln Property Co. During the operators panel at the InterFace Multifamily Southeast conference held on Tuesday, Nov. 28 at the Westin Buckhead in Atlanta, Burns and his fellow panelists discussed the opportunities and challenges facing the industry today. The eighth annual conference drew 402 professionals. The panel agreed that finding talent was difficult, but that retaining and training that talent is just as big a challenge. “Retaining talent is just like leasing — it’s important to get a lease but it’s more important to get a renewal,” said Greg Mark, senior vice president of operations at Pinnacle, a national multifamily property management …

December 12, 2017

Conference Coverage Features Georgia Multifamily Southeast Southeast Feature Archive Top Stories

Projected Population, Job Growth Fuel Future of Atlanta’s Multifamily Market, Says InterFace Panel

by Camren Skelton December 6, 2017

ATLANTA — A surge in population and job growth in the Atlanta metropolitan area over the next two decades will bode well for the multifamily sector, according to panelists at the eighth annual InterFace Multifamily Southeast. Among the 12 largest metropolitan areas in the county, Atlanta ranked second in the rate of job growth and third in the number of jobs added, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS). Total nonfarm employment for the Atlanta-Sandy Springs-Roswell Metropolitan Statistical Area stood at 2.75 million in September 2017, up 2.5 percent year-over-year. In addition, the Atlanta Regional Commission forecasts the 20-county Atlanta region will add 2.5 million people and 1.5 million jobs by 2040. Multifamily demand is reaping the benefits of this growth. The job growth multiplier for the demand for new apartments used to be a factor of 5 to 1, meaning for every five jobs created, you could take one unit of inventory out of the equation, according to Mike Kemether, vice chair of the multifamily advisory group at Cushman & Wakefield. This year and next in Atlanta, that ratio sits around 7 to 1. “A lot of the renters are coming because of job relocations,” said Christie Hawver Jordan, …

December 6, 2017

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