I’m still getting my head around everything I’ve taken in over the last three days at Realcomm. Sorry for the cliche, but it has been like drinking out of a fire hydrant. Perhaps for the first time in my career this brick and mortar (literally) industry looks sexy and exciting. This ancient asset class looks modern and cutting edge.
I’m reminded of three basic facts:
1. Commercial Real Estate represents about 40% of the tangible assets in the US.
2. Buildings consume about 40% of primary energy globally.
3. People in the US spend about 36% of their day at work, generally in commercial buildings.
With these fact in mind, our mission is significant, if not profound: How we manage Buildings as assets has a significant impact on the economy, how we manage buildings as facilities has a significant impact of the environment, and how we manage them as spaces has a significant impact on us as people.
SO, my initial take away, while still waking up from three days of non-stop meetings, conversations, and meals is this: What happened in Vegas can’t stay in Vegas. The conversations that have been started must be completed. The deals devised must get done. And the innovations envisioned must become reality.
And at the risk of sounding melodramatic, I’ll paraphrase Steve Job’s famous line to John Sculley: Do we want to just manage buildings or do we want to change the world?
