The Leader - May/June 2008 - (Page 85)

ex ec utive D evel opM ent spotl iGHt by kathy beasley portfolio Management takinG Your expertise to tHe next level Imagine a new company that is an overnight success, with the demand for more employees and places to put them growing faster than the infrastructure can be created to make sound real estate decisions. Or, consider a cash-rich business that aggressively acquires companies and folds them into their existing operations, consolidating functions, shedding jobs and stockpiling vacant property. But, the slowing economy and faltering revenues send danger signals to corporate leaders, who react by ordering reductions in operating costs with specific targets for real estate savings. Whether the pressure comes from competitive forces, economic conditions or the maturity level of a company, the world of the corporate real estate manager is never free of challenges. And since real estate is often the second largest item on a corporate balance sheet (trailing only labor costs), how a portfolio is managed can have a dramatic impact on profitability and the long-term success of a company. The value of sound management across the full range of a company’s real estate holdings has been the foundation of a CoreNet Global course called Portfolio Management for the past decade. But beginning in May, a new version will be launched that incorporates cutting-edge practices, focuses on real-world applications, and delivers a takeaway tool kit that will send those who complete the two-day course back to their companies with a specific agenda for moving forward. “I’ve always been amazed how few companies seem to recognize the value that is tied up in their real estate,” says Sven Pole of CB Richard Ellis, one of the long-time instructors for the course. “How a single lease is handled can mean a net gain or loss of millions of dollars. It makes sense for companies to invest in a professional, well-trained corporate real estate staff and the technology to support good decisions – but too few do.” The newly revamped course is designed to equip portfolio managers with the business-case arguments necessary to influence corporate leaders to make those investments. By using multiple case studies that span a range of corporate conditions, as well as interactive exercises that lead participants to identify their own company’s goals and challenges, the new course aims to help real estate managers not only grow their professional skills but also put their careers on a fast track for advancement. The course has been infused with the present-day expertise of a consortium of portfolio management experts from 17 companies with combined revenue of $915 billion, almost 2.5 million employees and 1.24 billion sq. ft. (115 million sq. m.) of property. The participants devoted many hours to conference calls, in-depth interviews and a threeday offsite conference that culminated in a new course outline and supporting materials. “We couldn’t have achieved the impact that this new version of Portfolio Management will have without the help of companies like AT&T, Google, Bank of America, Washington Mutual and Cisco,” says Eric Bowles, CoreNet Global’s Vice President of Business Solutions. “There are so many impressive best practices that are evolving at many different companies, and in this course, we bring them together for the benefit of those who want to improve their skills and take their corporate real estate department to a higher level.” The pilot of the new course will debut in San Diego in May. For more information about the course or to register, go to www.corenetglobal.org. tH e le aDe r 85 MaY / j u n e 2008 http://www.corenetglobal.org

Table of Contents Feed for the Digital Edition of The Leader - May/June 2008

The Leader - May/June 2008 Leadership Contents Message from the CEO Real Estate in the News Green Real Estate Work Without Boundries Building Flexibility Into the Business Strategy Multi-Generational Work-Force Design Work Force Longevity Analysis Wells Fargo's David Nelson Pennsylvania's Michael Rossman Globalization 2.0 Site Selection Consultant Directory The New York Report: A Core of Traditional and State-of-the-Art Opportunities Discovery Forum Findings Industry Tracker Young Leader Career Development Effective Leadership Economic Development in the News A Look Ahead In Our Next Issue Calendar of Seminars Index of Advertisers Executive Development Spotlight

The Leader - May/June 2008

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