NAI NBS Welcomes Ionescu to Office Brokerage Team

Alexandra Ionescu has joined NAI Norris, Beggs & Simpson as a Real Estate Broker specializing in office properties. She will initially focus on the Sunset Corridor area, specializing in tenant and landlord advisory and working with local and regional clients.

Prior to joining NAI NBS, Ionescu was an Assistant Relationship Manager in the Commercial Real Estate Division of U.S. Bank in Portland. There, she performed financial and operational analysis of cash flow and leverage, and assessed client relationship risk.

Ionescu holds a Bachelor of Arts in business administration, with a dual specialization in commercial real estate finance and financial management, from Portland State University. She is a licensed real estate broker in Oregon.

First Ever Dex One Solution Center Opens in Vancouver, Wash.

Dex One has leased 6,508 square feet of retail space at Columbia Tech Center, Building 601, for the company’s new Dex One Solution Center. NAI NBS' Tamara Fuller represented the lessee.

The new location serves as the first Dex One Solutions Center in the country. The center, which combines a local Dex One office with a unique storefront presence, is designed to help local businesses and consumers interact directly with Dex One’s marketing consultants. In addition to on-site consultation, the storefront features kiosks and interactive displays to help visitors learn about Dex One’s online, print, voice-enabled and mobile solutions.

“Columbia Tech Center provides not only a prime location, but also ample space and amenities that will help Dex One’s consultants better serve Vancouver’s local business owners and residents,” Fuller said.

Dex One unveiled the new facility to the public on Sept. 20 with a Grand Opening celebration featuring live music, activities, food and a special appearance by “The Dex Guy,” star of Dex One’s TV commercials.

NAI Global Partners With AuctionPoint

Earlier this summer, NAI Global announced that it has entered into an agreement with AuctionPoint to provide NAI agents with access to an online auction tool that empowers brokers to auction commercial properties online, under their name and brand. AuctionPoint realizes that the local broker is the key player in bringing together buyers and sellers, and is the first online auction platform built specifically for brokers.

AuctionPoint’s technology gives brokers the ability to customize auctions to handle a multitude of selling scenarios, from the most basic to the most complex. They also have the ability to set a date-certain window of time for interested parties to bid on the property, online and through AuctionPoint.

On NAI Global's blog today, Senior Vice President Patricia Faulkner interviews AuctionPoint CEO Joe Tang about AuctionPoint and current market conditions.

Good News on Portland's Retail Development Front

It's been a slow couple of years for new development in Portland, so the fact that two new retail projects recently broke ground is great news.

In late July, Gramor Development broke ground on Progress Ridge, a $60 million, 325,000 sf retail development in Beaverton-Tigard. Big Al's Family Bowling and Entertainment Center at Progress Ridge just opened in August, and construction on the rest of the center should be finished by fall 2011. Tenants include New Seasons Market, Cinetopia, Rivermark Credit Union, and more.

And last week, Gramor broke ground on Lacamas Crossing in Vancouver, which includes a 154,000 sf Costco and 27,000 sf of additional retail space for 15 businesses. About half of the non-Costco space is preleased, and the center should employ about 500 people. Costco should open in November, and the rest of the space in First Quarter 2011.

This is good news for the market, and hopefully our Third Quarter reports, which will be released the first or second week of October, will hold some more positive indicators.

Local Investor Pays $1.8M for Burnside Commons

Owner Injecting New Life into Property, Space Attracting Tenant Interest During Lease-Up

FMK Properties – Burnside, LLC has purchased Gresham’s Burnside Commons, a 38,053 square foot, three-building retail property, for $1.8 million, and the property is already attracting new tenant interest.

Burnside Commons was built in 2001 and 2006, and offers spaces for lease of 1,200 square feet and larger, for a broad range of retail, office and service uses. The property is well-located in the heart of Gresham, at the intersection of Burnside and Eastman Parkway, with many large employers nearby, including Boeing, Boyds Coffee and ON Semiconductor.

NAI Norris, Beggs & Simpson Associate Vice President Jack Gallagher is handling leasing for the center, and is already working with three tenants interested in space at Burnside Commons. The buyer owns a number of investment properties around the area, has flexibility in establishing competitive lease terms, and is a hands-on owner who works closely with tenants.

Burnside Commons felt the impact of the recession, losing three tenants in the past four months, which led to 91 percent vacancy and foreclosure. But the new owners recognized Burnside Commons’ potential. The property has many positive features and will be a solid investment, according to NAI NBS Senior Vice President Jack McConnell, who represented the buyer.

Fuller Earns Certified Green Broker Designation

NAI Norris, Beggs & Simpson Vice President Tamara Fuller has earned the Certified Green Broker designation, a certification granted within the commercial real estate industry to commercial brokers and affiliated professionals who have completed the Certified Green Broker course.

Washington state-based Commercial Brokers Association (CBA), in partnership with the Cascadia Green Building Council, developed Certified Green Broker to enable commercial brokers to identify sustainability issues related to real estate practices. Green Brokers provide appropriate counsel on the benefits of buying, building, leasing and managing green properties. The U.S. Green Building Council (USGBC) has approved Certified Green Broker through their Approved Education Provider Program.

The Certified Green Broker education program consists of ten three-hour online modules presented in an interactive format. The program offers 30 hours of real estate continuing education credit in Washington, Oregon and Idaho.

Fuller, an office broker in NAI NBS’ Vancouver office, joined NAI NBS in 2000 and has since had a hand in leasing more than a million sf of space, and selling about $18 million in total value of real estate. She was one of NAI NBS’ Top Ten Producers the past three years. Fuller is on the board of the Greater Vancouver Chamber of Commerce and is active in the Rotary Club of Greater Clark County and SW Washington Junior Achievement.