NAI NBS Earns CoStar Power Broker Awards

NAI Norris, Beggs & Simpson made a strong showing in the 2010 CoStar Power Broker Awards. For the sixth consecutive year, NAI NBS was named a top leasing and sales firm in the Portland metropolitan market.

A number of NAI NBS brokers earned individual awards:
Top Office Leasing Brokers: Chris Johnson and MaryKay West
Top Retail Leasing Brokers: J.J. Unger and Pam Lindloff

Visit the Power Broker website for the entire list.

First Quarter Reports Show Some Improvement for Portland CRE

NAI Norris, Beggs & Simpson has released its First Quarter 2011 quarterly reports for office, industrial, retail and multifamily commercial real estate, as well as its economic report.

Central City office vacancy rose slightly to 12.41 percent during First Quarter. The biggest office news downtown was the $129 million sale of Shorenstein’s First & Main to American Assets Trust. Suburban office vacancy also rose slightly, to 24.13 percent.

Industrial vacancy rose nearly a percentage point to 15.94 percent, with 529,020 sf newly available. Vacancy especially increased in North/Northeast, up to 18.94 percent, as a number of tenants vacated large spaces. But positive signs included Subaru’s build-to-suit lease at Rivergate Corporate Center III.

Retail vacancy remained fairly stable at 6.3 percent. Vancouver is seeing considerable retail activity, including a new Cinetopia under construction at Westfield Vancouver Mall and the recently-announced New Seasons in Fisher’s Landing, opening this October.

The multifamily market has seen recovery more quickly than other property types. Apartment vacancy was 2.74 percent during First Quarter, down from a peak of 5.43 percent during Fourth Quarter 2009. The multifamily investment market remains a bit sluggish, though the institutional market is more robust. The construction pipeline has also started to heat up.

Happy Anniversary, NAI Norris, Beggs & Simpson!

Today marks the 79th anniversary of NAI Norris, Beggs & Simpson's founding. The company was founded April 1, 1932, in the midst of the Great Depression, in Portland, Oregon. Starting out primarily as property managers, the company has grown into the full service operation it is today. For our 75th anniversary in 2007, we compiled some company history, which can be found here.

NAI NBS #1 Top CRE Company in Portland, Wins CAR Awards

Last week was a good one for NAI Norris, Beggs & Simpson. The Portland Business Journal's list of Top Commercial Real Estate Companies in Portland came out, and NAI NBS was ranked #1! The list is ranked by number of current metro licensed agents, and we have 55. The full list is only available for subscribers, but you can see the Top 10 here.

The Commercial Association of Realtors (CAR) of Oregon/SW Washington also held its awards ceremony last Thursday. Many of our brokers and staff members are involved with CAR. Chris Johnson was named Office Broker of the Year, MaryKay West was named Co-Humanitarian of the Year, and Jeff Borlaug was recognized as Member of the Year. We also had two runners-up: Andrew Rosengarten for Rookie of the Year, and J.J. Unger for Retail Broker of the Year.

NAI NBS Brokers $7.1M Sale of Tanasbourne Retail Property

StanCorp Real Estate LLC has sold Tanasbourne Lot 19 – Retail, a 7-acre property in Hillsboro with three retail buildings totaling 21,154 sf, to Atlas Investments for $7.1 million. Tenants are Stanford’s Restaurant & Bar, Red Robin and US Bank. NAI Norris, Beggs & Simpson Executive Vice President Chris Johnson and Vice President MaryKay West represented the seller.

The buyer, a local investment company, immediately recognized the quality of the property and its investment potential, leading the property to be under contract in just two weeks, and to close in a relatively short period of time.

“It’s nice to see strong interest in triple-net leased investments,” Johnson said. “This is a good indicator that investment activity will be improving in 2011.”

The property’s location, at 2550-2770 NW 188th Ave., was key. It has outstanding visibility and lies in the heart of Tanasbourne, which has seen considerable commercial and residential growth in recent years. It is close to sites of significant economic development, including the Intel campus, the new Kaiser Westside Medical Center, and the campuses of companies like Genentech and SolarWorld.

The tenants, all well-established and solid performers, were also draws. Though the recession was challenging for restaurants, both Stanford’s and Red Robin saw significantly better sales in 2010 than in 2009.

Two NAI NBS Brokers Recognized at NAI Global 2011 Convention

Two NAI Norris, Beggs & Simpson employees were recognized at NAI Global’s 2011 Convention in Las Vegas last week.

Executive Vice President Roger Qualman, who manages NAI NBS’ Vancouver, Washington, office and oversees the company’s industrial sales team, received the Chairman’s Award. It recognizes the NAI Business Director who best exemplifies the “right stuff” as it relates to the effective management of an NAI office, including leadership, business generation, service delivery, participation in enterprise initiatives and integration of NAI tools and resources throughout the firm. Qualman is pictured at right accepting the award from NAI Global President Jeff Finn.

Real Estate Broker Ross Connor, who specializes in industrial properties, was named to the NAI Global Elite, a group comprised of the organization’s top performers and top producers. He qualified as a Top Performer at the Elite level based on 2010 production.

Portland Investment Market Seeing Signs of Life

MaryKay West, who specializes in investment sales in NAI NBS' Capital Asset Group (CAG), has a column in today's Daily Journal of Commerce. West says that though the investment market certainly hasn't completely recovered yet, 2010 was a big improvement over 2009, and momentum is building in the Portland metro area.

Here's a brief excerpt:

In 2010 we saw a total of $754.1 million in transactions ($500,000 and larger) in the tri-county area. This number, although only 24 percent of the total volume of 2007, is still encouraging because it represents a 19 percent increase over 2009. Last year also saw a rise in the number of transactions greater than $10 million, and all product types were represented in this category - another promising sign.

Rent trends seem to have reversed course - rates are leveling off and perhaps even rising. Vacancy rates are dropping slightly and absorption is rising slowly - however, this is as much a function of no new construction as it is of few new companies leasing up more space. Cap rates are dropping again, but not precipitously, and most of the movement is for trophy properties. Interest rates are still very attractive.

All in all, it appears the market correction has started, but it will take a while to turn the ship - which is actually a good thing. Significant volatility tends to breed uncertainty and uncertainty tamps down real estate investment activity.

The whole article can be accessed here.

Downtown Office Broker Turley is NAI NBS' Number One Top Producer of 2010

NAI Norris, Beggs & Simpson's Number One Top Producer of 2010 is Sean Turley. Turley, a specialist in downtown office leasing and sales, has been with NAI NBS since 1999. He completed 57 transactions valued at nearly $40 million during 2010. He helped sell the historic Sherlock Building for $6.4 million, and helped sign 46,000 sf in leases at the Bank of America Financial Center, where he represents the landlord.

Jennifer Medak and John Medak Tie For Number Two Top Producer of 2010

Office brokers and siblings John Medak and Jennifer Medak, who have both been with NAI NBS for about 10 years, tied for the Number Two spot for the second year in a row. They completed 64 deals valued at more than $51 billion last year, primarily in the suburban markets. Their landlord representation during 2010 included leasing 24,000 sf to State Farm Auto Insurance at Fanno Creek Building B, and 17,400 sf to CNA Insurance at Pacific Parkway Center.

Merino Takes Number Four Top Producer of 2010 Spot

Industrial broker Michael Merino, who has achieved the respected CCIM and SIOR designations, is NAI NBS' Number Four Top Producer of 2010. A frequent and consistent member of this list, he is actively involved in conducting business through the NAI Global Network. Some of his highlights of 2010 were representing Precision Elite Gymnastics in a 34,000 sf lease in Clackamas, and serving as a landlord rep in XO Communications’ 31,000 sf lease at Cascade Business Center.

Investment Broker West is Number Five Top Producer of 2010

Investment broker MaryKay West, CCIM, was NAI NBS' Number Five Top Producer of 2010. She and partner Chris Johnson completed a number of significant deals last year, including leasing the entire 340,000 sf office portion of downtown’s First & Main. She also helped represent Alpha Broadcasting in its 31,000 sf lease at Pacwest Center. She is an accomplished writer and serves as Chair of the Independent Publishing Resource Center Board of Directors.

Chesnut Foster Honored as NAI NBS Property Manager of the Year

NAI Norris, Beggs & Simpson named Beverly Chesnut Foster Property Manager of the Year at the company's annual awards banquet Jan. 22.

Chesnut Foster is a Certified Property Manager (CPM) who joined the company in 2008. She currently manages three properties with office and retail components totaling nearly 300,000 sf. One client deemed her the “property manager of the century,” and said she ably deals with challenges and goes above and beyond to satisfy tenants and clients. Prior to coming to NAI NBS, Chesnut Foster had a diverse career that included managing property for the Port of Portland and lecturing on real estate and management in central Europe.

Some Positive Signs for PDX Commercial Real Estate During Fourth Quarter

NAI Norris, Beggs & Simpson has released its Fourth Quarter 2010 quarterly reports for office, industrial, retail and multifamily commercial real estate, as well as its economic report.

Office vacancy in Central City decreased to 11.78%, with a few significant leases. Suburban office vacancy fell slightly to 23.88%, with 121,056 sf absorbed. One of the larger leases of the quarter was ACS taking 30,656 sf at Triangle Pointe for a new call center. Vancouver office vacancy rose slightly to 18.7%.

Industrial vacancy fell slightly to 15.01%, with 108,375 sf absorbed. As one recent study showed, the industrial sector is a bright spot in Oregon’s economy, and the Port of Vancouver has recently seen heightened activity with BHP Billiton’s 60-acre lease.

Retail vacancy was stable at 6.4%, with 81,081 sf absorbed. The area’s first H&M opened in November at Pioneer Place, and H&M also leased nearly 20,000 sf at Washington Square. Ross Dress for Less and Dick’s Sporting Goods also signed significant leases during Fourth Quarter.

The Fourth Quarter ended with a flurry of multifamily investment sales. The $79 million sale of Ladd Tower and $70 million sale of the Palladia Apartments were just two of the significant sales of the quarter. Apartment vacancy also fell to 3.09%.

Full reports can be accessed here.

NAI Global Releases Global Market Reports

NAI Global has published its 25th annual Global Market Report, containing information on commercial property in more than 200 markets around the world, including Portland.

2010 was a tough year for the commercial real estate market, but recovery is starting to occur, and there's some room for optimism.

“Although 2010 was another very challenging year for the industry, we began to see clear signs that the global economy and commercial real estate markets had stabilized and were beginning to improve with a noticeable pickup in transaction volume around the world,” said Jeffrey M. Finn, President & CEO of NAI Global. “Companies around the globe are taking advantage of the current market, extending or renegotiating leases, securing investment properties, disposing of underperforming assets and finalizing plans for growth in the next 24 months. We expect a much more active market for buyers, sellers and occupiers as conditions continue to improve.”

The full report can be found here, and the snapshot of Portland is on page 124. It discusses Portland's office, industrial, retail and multifamily markets.