WHAT EXCELLENCE LOOKS LIKE IN #CRE BROKERAGE
In today’s competitive real estate marketplace, cultivating a brand that demonstrates quality, trust, and success, is essential for positioning yourself as a leader in the industry. This dedication to excellence not only sets you apart from the competition, but also builds and fosters lasting relationships with your clients.
Recently, I had the opportunity to speak with a group of emerging leaders in commercial real estate, offering advice on these various career minded topics. Here are a few of the highlights I shared based upon my own personal interactions and observations from some of the best in the business:
“The single most important thing you can do is differentiate your brand and story. Be your unique self and use your story to stand out. Oscar Wilde perhaps said it best – Be yourself, everyone else is already taken.” ~Melissa Alexander, SIOR, Foundry Commercial – Nashville, TN
“As a broker, there are only a few decisions you make each year that really matter. It’s why vision, positioning, creative thinking, and strategy are so important. You are running a business within a business — treat it accordingly.” ~Peter Billmeyer, SIOR, Bespoke – Chicago, IL
“Don’t just gather data — provide insights. Analyze trends, identify opportunities, and connect the dots for your clients. Package information in a way that is clear, concise, and actionable.” ~Jon Reno, SIOR, CCIM, JLL – Los Angeles, CA
“Yes, leverage social media, AI, and everything that comes with technology. Automate all that you can. Digital marketing develops your reputation and creates an image in the prospect’s mind. It is what they think about you before you walk in the room. However, tech itself doesn’t replace a personal relationship. Use the added time to get out of the office and meet people IRL.” ~Ken Ashley, SIOR, Cushman & Wakefield – Atlanta, GA
“Build a circle of trusted advisors. These people know you and your business. They also won’t agree with everything you say, and they can provide great accountability. This drives bigger thinking and action that will propel a career.” ~Patricia Loveall, SIOR, CBRE – Seattle, WA
“Develop your own style which should reflect your true personality. Never copy someone else or allow them to dictate your ethics. Build your reputation around integrity and high standards. Accept that successful careers take time to nurture. Stick with your principles. It will pay off in the long run.” ~James Mulhall, SIOR, Murphy Mulhall – Dublin, Ireland
“Style matters and kindness always wins. Don’t trash talk your competition. Everyone already knows the good and the bad. When you talk down the competition, you actually hurt your own brand.” ~Patrick Sentner, SIOR, FRICS, Colliers – Pittsburgh, PA
There is a common theme: be bold, be unique, be positive, be innovative, and surround yourself with the same. Once you are on top, you must work even harder. Your competitors will be using your success as the new benchmark. Never sit in your success; evaluate along the way and never be afraid to reinvent. Commercial real estate is a marathon, not a sprint.
A final reminder. The best in any industry have a different outlook and it is apparent in everything they do. This isn’t a casual profession for them. They set the standard of excellence for a reason.
As you ascend in your career, do not lose sight of the fact that success is frequently preceded by failure. Disappointments will be inevitable. How you respond to them is something entirely different. Enjoy the journey!
Brokers Can Do More With Social Media, CREi Group Founder Says
Social media channels such as X and LinkedIn offer brokers and marketers of commercial spaces an outlet for leasing and selling properties, according to the tenant representative who founded the Commercial Real Estate Influencers group.
Ken Ashley, an executive director at Cushman & Wakefield in Atlanta, launched Commercial Real Estate Influencers, or CREi, in 2020 as a forum for brokers and other industry professionals to network and learn from their peers how to leverage X, formerly known as Twitter, as well as LinkedIn, Instagram and other social channels. CREi curates lists of skilled commercial real estate users and hosts an annual summit.
"The idea is that we have the most powerful tools in human history available today, and if we will simply learn how to use them, which we will do at the summit, we can really grow our practices and have a huge impact on our marketplace," Ashley said.
Watch the video to hear about how Ashley conceived and launched CREi and whether brokers should get personal in social posts.
I Think I Know How This Ends
Is the world of office buildings going to end? Cushman & Wakefield’s Ken Ashley weighs in.
I work as an office tenant representative. In other words, I advise companies who are looking for office space. In my business, the past couple of years has been like winter at the South Pole.
It’s been very popular to beat up on office buildings in the press. The scary headlines do get lots of clicks.
At cocktail parties, friends who know what I do for a living give me sympathetic looks as if I have a terrible malady. I appreciate your concern, everyone. I am doing fine.
However, the beat down on office is misguided, and I have a little different view than conventional wisdom of how this down cycle plays out. Read more…
Column: Could one of Atlanta's law giants shift to the BeltLine?
Two of the largest tenants looking for space in Atlanta in the second half of the year are law firms. Plus, what's the bright side of Atlanta's record office availability? Reporter Savannah Sicurella has the latest in commercial real estate. Read more..
Amazing concessions': The perks of Atlanta's record high office availability
Any company seeking new or upgraded offices can negotiate generous concession packages from landlords trying to fill up their space. Read more…
Attention Office Resisters: The Boss Is Counting Badge Swipes
The work ID, long used for gaining entry to the office, now has a new job: tracking how long people stay.
Bosses are stepping up office surveillance this fall, vowing to use regular reports from badge systems to determine how many people are adhering to the return-to-work policy. Facebook parent Meta Platforms told employees in August that managers will review badge data monthly to assess whether those assigned to an office are meeting a requirement to spend at least three days a week in-person; repeated violations could result in disciplinary action, including termination.
Google notified workers that badge-swipe data could be a way it enforces its in-office policies. Other companies, from Amazon to JPMorgan Chase, also keep tabs on attendance through badges or other methods.
“We know who’s assigned to an office and should be working in an office,” said Bob Pragada, CEO of the engineering and consulting firm Jacobs, which employs more than 60,000 people and has used badge-swipe data to monitor its office-occupancy levels. The company tracks office attendance in the aggregate, and not on an individual basis, a spokeswoman said.
For decades, badge systems served mostly as a security measure. After the Sept. 11 attacks, the technology proliferated, spreading from high-end buildings in major cities to offices nationwide. More recently, new technological developments—and the shift away from physical cards to mobile access—have made it significantly cheaper and easier for employers to extract and analyze data, said Matt Kopel, co-CEO of SwiftConnect, a building-access software provider that works with dozens of Fortune 500 companies.
To gauge whether employees are actively working in the office—as opposed to swiping in and leaving—Kopel said companies are drawing on other data points. More are using systems that require users to swipe their mobile phones to print documents, he said. Multiple swipes are another sign of a full day at the office.
“If you don’t have two entries a day, you’re either working really hard or you’re not working,” he said. read more…
Show Me the Financials: Office Tenants Now Grilling Landlords Before Inking Deals
CoStar, April, 2023: Forget gyms, outdoor balconies, air filtration systems and parking. The biggest question office tenants have for landlords these days: Who's your lender?
Turmoil in the U.S. office market — which has triggered missed loan payments and foreclosure warnings — has meant prospective tenants are now taking a closer look at the financial health of property owners. The queries are an about-face for many office owners, which previously were the ones demanding information on tenants' financial standing before inking deals.
The questions come as prominent building owners from New York to Los Angeles are experiencing a worsening cash crunch as tens of billions of dollars in debt is slated to come due this year alone. Tenants fear that higher debt costs could mean office landlords may not be able to fund standard operations, including making promised tenant improvements and maintaining properties in the years ahead, real estate analysts across the country told CoStar News.
Straight Talk on Sales Success
Create powered by REALTOR® Magazine, January, 2023: “If you think about business development—there’s sales, which is listening and speaking with the intent to convince. Most brokers are pretty good at that,” said Ken Ashley, executive director at Cushman & Wakefield on a recent episode of the podcast “America’s Commercial Real Estate Show.”
“Then there’s marketing. And that’s what they think about you before you walk in the room. And, you know, if you get business at your country club, that’s terrific. More power to you. But for a lot of folks in a post-pandemic world, in a Zoom culture, we’re going to have to market ourselves differently.”
Ashley and host Michael Bull, CCIM, CEO of Bull Realty in Atlanta, were discussing the importance of an online presence for commercial agents and brokers. Bull agreed, dubbing commercial real estate “half marketing, half consulting.”
Workers' Return to the Office Has Stalled in Atlanta
Axios Atlanta, December, 2022: Nearly three years after COVID upended the workplace in the U.S., signs point to a new normal starting to set in — and the old way of swiping an access badge five days a week could be gone for good.
What's happening: Workers' return to the office has stalled in Atlanta and across the country as employees and employers since workers and bosses have found a groove with hybrid work, according to an analysis of foot traffic from Placer.ai.
Why it matters: Offices and office workers help shape the look, feel and economy of cities. Dialing down their role means fewer working lunches at our restaurants and commuters on our public transportation.
This Week’s Atlanta Deal Sheet
Bisnow, November, 2022: 12+Invest Atlanta appointed Cushman & Wakefield Executive Director Ken Ashley as a board member of its Partners For Prosperity organization, which is tasked to oversee all of the economic development arm’s nonprofit activities.
Ashley, a veteran tenant representative who also established the Commercial Real Estate Influencers list, was one of three people appointed to the revived board on Wednesday, along with Georgia Power General Manager Jennifer Winn.
Partners For Prosperity will look to fund community and economic development opportunities, recruit businesses, create job training, financial literacy and programs that link small businesses to large companies, and help fund housing programs for owner-occupied rehabilitation, single-family rental acquisitions, transit-oriented developments and veteran’s housing.
Reverse Engineering The Office
Forbes, October 2022: Office brokers like me have (likely deservedly) taken pot shots for seeing return to the office as the only way forward. We opine that the office will cure what ails you. Get back in and you can be happy, promotable and better looking.
But what if I were a high-skill knowledge worker who wanted to work remote, permanently? How could I convince my company and what would I need to do to stay employed and qualify for promotions or bonuses? As a thought experiment, I reverse engineered heading back to the office and put myself in the shoes of someone who would be returning to work as a fully remote employee.
Here are seven things I found you would need to be accomplished to be remote-ready.
This Broker Says Fear of Missing a Promotion May Help Revive Office Demand
CoStar News, November, 2022: Veteran office market broker Ken Ashley has created an acronym he believes describes why workers should come back to the office.
Ashley’s brainstorm is similar to FOMO — Fear of Missing Out — but with a twist. His concept is called "FOMAP: Fear of Missing a Promotion." And Ashley thinks FOMAP is the harbinger of an emerging trend.
For young professionals — millennials, Gen Z and what have you — who consider themselves upwardly mobile, FOMAP should become an essential part of how they think about their careers, Ashley told CoStar News.
Social Media-Savvy Brokers Share Marketing Tips in New Orleans
CoStar News, September, 2022: When scores of tech-savvy brokers and other commercial real estate pros gathered this month in New Orleans, they didn't squander the opportunity to be social.
Attendees of the Commercial Real Estate Influencers' second CREi Summit took to Twitter, Instagram and other social channels to share their experiences at the two-day conference in the Big Easy.
During one panel, Foundry Commercial broker Melissa Alexander urged her peers to use QR codes that store website addresses and other information that can be read by smartphone cameras when marketing commercial space.
Real Estate Online Influencers Set New Orleans Summit To Tap Interest in Virtual Deals
CoStar News, April, 2022: Commercial real estate is increasingly moving from the steel and concrete world into the digital landscape, and helping professionals find new ways to meet potential clients and complete deals virtually is expected to be a major theme at the CREi Summit in New Orleans this year.
Organizers who focus on ways to do business from anywhere found themselves dealing with the real-world problem of how to get the most people physically in one place.
The Commercial Real Estate Influencers, a group created to promote the use of social media by property professionals, chose centrally located New Orleans as the 2022 site to bring together the most established social media users with those who want to learn how to build their own online brands.
'In The Room Where It Happened': How FOMO Could Disrupt The Death Of The Office
Forbes, April, 2022: Let’s get one thing out of the way: We all look at the world through different lenses. A millennial might look at things from one perspective. A Gen-X CEO could have a very different opinion.
Right now, many Gen-Zers and millennials believe work from anywhere is the future. It’s worked for two years, and they’ve Zoomed in from Des Moines or Denver. It’s also fun to see the social media posts of people who are working full time while on the road in extremely remote locations. What a way to make a living!
As an office tenant representative broker, I think there is a stoplight on the remote highway, however: FOMO.
The First CREi Summit Succeeds On the Power of Real Life
Mann Publications, January, 2022: If you ever wanted to pick the minds of the commercial real estate industry's leading social influencers, the CREi Summit offered that exclusive opportunity. CRE industry leaders and over 100 inquiring minds came together to experience "The Power of IRL," a mold-breaking industry conference among the first to be hosted post-pandemic.
At the intimate conference in Lake Tahoe, California, CRE influencers, leaders and distinguished journalists shared their secrets for building digital relationships, a social media following and a stronger personal brand and using it all to close more deals.
The idea for CREi Summit began with a Twitter conversation between CRE social influencers Coy Davidson of Colliers International, Natalie Wainwright of Logic Commercial Real Estate and Ken Ashley of Cushman & Wakefield. A group of influencers emerged with some exciting approaches to social and real estate.
Twitter or LinkedIn: Which is Better for Commercial Real Estate Conversations?
Propmodo, November 20, 2021: Recently, a group of commercial real estate brokers met in Lake Tahoe, California for the CREi Summit, the first-ever annual meeting of industry social media influencers. At the same time, across the state in Los Angeles, a group of commercial real estate investors came together for the two-day conference of real estate investors called REconvene. This year’s conference season is short and crammed with a number of events postponed due to the pandemic so two competing conferences is not news. What makes both of these conferences noteworthy, however, is that both of them were started by industry professionals thanks to their strong Twitter following.
The CREi Summit is a conference about social media influence so it is rather on brand that the event would be largely promoted through social platforms. The founder of CREi, Ken Ashley, told me that Twitter provides an authentic way for people to live a shared industry experience. “I got on Twitter in 2009 when things were really bad for my business,” he said. “I had four kids at home and one income and so I felt like I would try anything to get traction in a tough business environment. I was open about my experience at the time and, even though it didn’t immediately result in deals like I had hoped, it helped me connect with others in the industry in a really valuable way.”
Origin Stories: Ken Ashley On What's To Love About Tenant Rep Work
Bisnow, May 11, 2021: Ken Ashley's path to a real estate career took a few zigs and zags. He was a university police officer, a part-time firefighter, a cash register salesman and a chief financial officer. In between all that, he found spare time to develop a passion for chasing tornadoes.
But in 1996, Ashley discovered his professional calling as a commercial real estate broker. Ashley, an executive director in Cushman & Wakefield's Atlanta office, said he fell in love with being a broker as a way to glean the business strategies of his clients, especially given how commercial real estate typically is the second-biggest cost after talent for most companies.
“Tenant rep is a complex job layered with compensation risk, but when the stars align, this is a wonderful career with great financial rewards and ultimate schedule flexibility,” Ashley said in an email.
4 Predictions For Atlanta CRE In 2021
Bisnow, January 20, 2021: One major effect of the coronavirus pandemic has been to freeze C-suite's real estate decision-making process, especially as their employees have shown how well they can work from home.
If a company's office lease was expiring last year, executives likely just signed short-term renewals to delay a more serious decision, Cushman & Wakefield Executive Director Ken Ashley said. That means office brokers will be busy during the second half of this year and into 2022.
“Tenant reps will have a smile on their faces in the second half of '21, because transaction activity is likely to increase,” Ashley said. “Today, executives are making the smallest decision possible, which means in real estate terms, they're extending leases for a year or 18 months. When you have thousands of executives doing the same thing, eventually the chickens are going to come home to roost.”
Atlanta's Tallest Tower in a Decade, Future Home of Google, Marks City's Tech Transformation
CoStar, January 12, 2021: The slowdown in leasing is weighing on rents, according to CoStar data. But Ken Ashley, a top Cushman & Wakefield tenant representative in Atlanta, said midtown's office market is expected to rebound later this year, about the time Selig completes 1105 West Peachtree in the fall.
"Even in the face of this pandemic, many types of knowledge workers are in high demand," Ashley said in an interview. "The success of midtown Atlanta is clear evidence that employers are looking for pipelines to produce great talent."
Plus, because companies are relying more than ever on Zoom and Microsoft Teams calls and remote employees, technology may only become more important this year and beyond, Ashley said. That bodes well for cities such as Atlanta that are home to large offices of big tech companies such as software developer Microsoft, search engine provider Google and social media company Facebook.
"Given that most of corporate America has increased its use of technology by 10 times during this pandemic, I would say that growth in many sectors of tech is imminent," he said. "There's so much to love about Atlanta's tech sector; there are plenty of really smart people graduating from Georgia Tech, Emory and others every year and the cost to operate is very favorable compared to some other traditional tech hubs."
What’s in Store for the Office Leasing Market
LoopNet, December 22, 2020: For those in the proverbial office leasing market trenches — the commercial real estate brokers who represent both owners and tenants — 2020 may be a year they’d just as soon prefer to forget. Nonetheless, LoopNet spoke with two prominent brokers — Manhattan-based Brian Waterman, executive vice chairman of Newmark, and Atlanta-based Ken Ashley, executive director and chairman of the tenant advisory board for Cushman & Wakefield — to get their perspective on the office leasing market in 2020 and what they anticipate for 2021 and beyond.
C&W’s Ken Ashley on the Unique Strengths of the Atlanta Office Market
Commercial Cafe, December 17, 2020: For this installment of our Expert Insights series, we sat down with Ken Ashley, executive director at Cushman & Wakefield Atlanta. Ashley’s passion for making the complex simple is also a strength that comes through in his realistically optimistic perspective on how the Atlanta office market is likely to come out of these challenging times.
‘This Too Shall Pass’: 43 Real Estate Execs On The Biggest Lessons Of 2020
Bisnow, December 13, 2020:
NAME: Ken Ashley
JOB TITLE: Executive Director of Cushman & Wakefield
SECTOR: Office tenant representation
CITY: Atlanta
YEARS IN CRE: 25
The way tenant rep brokers communicate with their clients and prospects has fundamentally changed — at least for now. The days of hugs, handshakes and in-person lunches are off the table. What tools do we have left for communication and differentiation? Why, social media, of course. Real estate Twitter is amazing and so informative, and LinkedIn is like the best and most thoughtful coffee shop you can imagine. However, only listening in social media is like going to a cocktail party and not talking with anyone. Authentically contributing to a conversation, be it IRL or online, is how brokers are able to do what they are good at: sharing information and hopefully thought-leading ideas. In 2021, I plan to write a lot more. Real estate discussions are THE conversation that executives want to have now, and I plan to honor that sentiment in as many ways as I can. This would be a high bar, but I would hope they will think of me as real estate’s Johnny Appleseed. I want to plant as many ideas as I can with the idea they will grow into real plans of action. And I will share whatever ideas I do have freely and without expectation of my own personal gain.
Top Eight CRE Professionals and Commercial Brokers on Twitter
The LightBox Blog, July 23, 2020: You may think that Twitter is just a great way to market your business and meet new clients. However, Twitter is also a great learning tool and can even help your professional development. With over 330 million active monthly users, Twitter is an excellent way for commercial brokers to connect with people and companies in the commercial real estate industry. Expanding your knowledge of the industry, networking with other CRE professionals, and keeping up with CRE trends are all great ways to use Twitter.
Ken is Executive Director at Cushman & Wakefield in Atlanta, Georgia. He was named one of the “Top 10 most influential online commercial real estate people” due to the value that he shares with his growing number of followers.
Atlanta office ghost towns wait and wait and wait for workers’ return
Atlanta Journal-Constitution, June 26, 2020: Many companies in metro Atlanta plan to have about 50% of their workers back in offices sometime in the second half of this year, estimated Ken Ashley, executive director for commercial real estate firm Cushman & Wakefield.
Atlanta's Stalwarts, Newcomers All Flocking To Its Priciest Buildings
Bisnow, Sept. 5, 2019: The activity still boils down to the key that has driven office tenants this past cycle: recruitment. Amid signs the economy could be heading for a slowdown or possibly a recession, companies' C-suites are aware how their office space directly affects their ability to recruit new talent, Cushman & Wakefield Executive Director Ken Ashley said. “It's budget season. We'll see how the budgets impact the moves for next year,” Ashley said. "But the reality is the talent war is hotter than ever."
Members of Cushman & Wakefield Named to Duke Long Lists
Cushman & Wakefield Atlanta blog, July 30, 2019: Real estate blogger Duke Long recently included several members of Cushman & Wakefield on his annual lists of the Top 100 Commercial Real Estate People You Must Follow On Twitter and the Top 150 Commercial Real Estate People You Must Connect With On LinkedIn.
Duke Long’s Updated 2019 Top 150 Commercial Real Estate People You Must Connect With On LinkedIn.
Duke Long, July 3, 2019: Ken Ashley ranked No. 38 on the annual list of the Top 100 Commercial Real Estate People You Must Connect With On LinkedIn.
How Gen Z Influences Your Office Design
LoopNet.com, June 24, 2019: At last year's CoreNet Global Conference in Boston , CoreNet chairman and Ernst & Young's Americas leader David Kamen remarked that corporate real estate spaces are now being designed to suit the generation of Americans that are currently in high school.
Duke Long’s Updated: 2019 Top 100 Commercial Real Estate People You Must Follow On Twitter.
Duke Long, June 11, 2019: Ken Ashley ranked No. 4 on the annual list of the Top 100 Commercial Real Estate People You Must Follow on Twitter.
What It Takes to Be a CRE Thought Leader
Real Estate Forum, June issue: “The key to thought leadership success, especially on social media, is consistency,” says Ken Ashley, executive director at Cushman & Wakefield. “Just like starting a diet or a workout plan, establishing yourself as a thought leader is a long-term commitment. Picking your voice and sticking to it is critical,” he says. For example, Ashley continued, if you’re going to be an authority on SEC football, be an authority on everything related to SEC football and don’t confuse people by talking about something far afield. Pick an area or trend and don’t mix your message with topics that aren’t in your area of expertise, he advises.
OFS and beyond: A closer look at Gwinnett’s recent real estate gambles
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution, May 31, 2018: Ken Ashley is a top Atlanta-based broker for real estate firm Cushman & Wakefield. He said the possibility of the site becoming part of a transit hub adds value and that, with the exception of the former General Motors plant in Doraville, the OFS site might be the largest northside Atlanta site that’s also convenient to the Atlanta airport.“In an attract-and-retain economy, being closer in to the city is never a bad thing,” Ashley said.
Sublease Right Prescription for Guardian
CoStar, May 8, 2018: "Guardian had outgrown its existing premises, and the 171 17th space, which could no longer accommodate all of [Cushman & Wakefield's] requirements, was a beneficial sublease for both parties," said Cushman broker Sam Hollis. He and partners Ken Ashley and Whitney Hembree represented Guardian in the sublease.
Guardian moves HQ to Atlantic Station in Atlanta, GA
Guardian Pharmacy, May 5, 2018: “We are most appreciative of the excellent work done by Sam Hollis and Ken Ashley of the Cushman & Wakefield brokerage team in helping us locate here. We are impressed with the level of quality offered by the building owner, KBS Realty Advisors, and the expertise of the Cushman & Wakefield team managing the building. Our team looks forward to enjoying this office environment for many years to come.”
Ford: Tech culture can rise from ruins
Auto News, May 7, 2018: "One way to compete is with sticks and bricks," said Ken Ashley, executive director at Cushman & Wakefield, a real estate services firm. "Younger workers are interested in creating impact. It feels good to work in a space that's historically significant."
Atlanta Office Is So Red-Hot, CRE 'Is Pinching Itself To See If This Market Is Real'
Bisnow, March 16, 2018: “Atlanta's real estate industry is pinching itself to see if this market is real,” Cushman & Wakefield Executive Director Ken Ashley said in an email. “Velocity in Atlanta's office market is at a torrid pace. There is robust demand for space by companies of all sizes and from a variety of industries. Expansions are as common as millennials noshing on avocado toast.”
Beasley Passionate About Helping Others
Atlanta Business Chronicle, July 13, 2017: "Beasley brings several qualities to bear in pursing her career in commercial real estate, according to Cushman & Wakefield Executive Director Ken Ashley. “Janelle has the mindset of a consultant, and is an excellent listener,” Ashley said. “She has a real sense of urgency to serve our clients, as well as a big-picture view of our business that’s rare for a young broker. [She] demonstrates this with not just words, but action. At a point in her career were many would be focused on themselves, she commits time to support not-for-profits in our community.”
Parker Leaves Marta, an Agency He Helped Revive
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution, September 5, 2017: Beyond its financial improvement in his tenure, Parker’s team helped boost MARTA’s reputation.“I have a Breeze card at the very top of my wallet,” said Ken Ashley, an executive director in Atlanta at real estate services giant Cushman & Wakefield.“Prior to Keith’s arrival it wasn’t at the top. It wasn’t even in my wallet.” Ashley, who helps major companies find and lease office space, said under Parker’s leadership, Corporate America signaled their vote of confidence in MARTA by increasingly choosing sites near its train stations.
Ashley said Parker helped make MARTA “a trusted brand.”“More and more business people here in Atlanta are using MARTA for more than just the airport, which in and of itself is a minor miracle,” he said.Beyond improving the agency’s financial performance, Ashley also credited Parker with the little things: improving customer service, launching a better smartphone app and modernizing the system.“The concept is if you mind the pennies the dollars will take care of themselves,” Ashley said. “By paying attention to the details of the operation and delivering a great customer service the customers will come.”
Potential disruptors see opportunity in Atlanta’s commercial real estate industry. But cultural differences pose an obstacle.
Atlanta Business Chronicle, July 21, 2017: Investing in technology startups and ephemeral software can seem alien to real estate investors.“When people think about real estate investing, they are typically thinking about sticks-and-bricks, they are thinking about dirt,” said Ken Ashley, executive director at Cushman & Wakefield’s Atlanta office.
$25 Million Venture Capital Fund Targets Atlanta's #1 Industry
Atlanta Business Chronicle, September 19, 2017: Real estate involves large and complex transactions which lead to problems that can be solved with technology, said Ken Ashley, executive director at real estate services firm Cushman & Wakefield. “If tech entrepreneurs in the CRE industry can provide real-time data and information solutions, they will have cracked the code on many problems,” Ashley said. “Put simply, decision support is an area ripe for improvement.”
