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Central PA’s Largest Commercial Real Estate Sales of 2019

Posted on January 27, 2020 by Mike Kushner in Blog, Commercial Real Estate, Industrial, Local Market, Office Leasing, Retail, Trends No Comments

There is much we can learn by analyzing a market’s largest commercial real estate sales in a given year. Looking at each the industrial, retail, and office sectors, it’s interesting to see the varying demand for size, price and class from sector-to-sector. This tells us a lot of about the direction of economic growth for a region; and for a real estate investor, it also showcases where the best investment opportunities for the future may lie.

Here is a look at the largest commercial real estate sales that took place in Central Pennsylvania in 2019, grouped by sector and sorted by highest sell price.

INDUSTRIAL

400-500 S. Muddy Creek Road – Albertsons Distribution Center (Lancaster County)

U.S. Realty Advisors purchased the Albertsons distribution facility for $117,050,000, or approximately $76 per foot for the 1,539,407-square-foot property on January 2, 2019. The subject Albertsons Industrial portfolio is comprised of a dry bulk/cold storage facilities in Denver, PA and in Melrose, IL. The sole tenant of the portfolio is Albertsons and they signed a 20-year lease with nine five-year extension options (and a one-year extension option) as part of the sale-leaseback transaction. Albertsons is under an Absolute Net lease paying $5/sf in base rent. Their lease requires that the tenant is responsible for operating expenses, real estate taxes, utilities, repairs, maintenance and capital expenditures, in addition to its obligation to pay base rent.

221 S. 10^th Street – (Cumberland County)

This 885,802 SF, class B industrial warehouse sold on September 26, 2019 to Blackstone Real Estate Income Trust for $84.8 million, or $96 per square foot. The sale is part of an industrial portfolio (see #4 below). At a total price of $18.7 billion, this sale of 179 million square feet of urban, infill logistics assets constitute the largest private real estate transaction in history. The portfolio includes high-quality logistics assets across 36 major U.S. markets that GLP aggregated over the past four years.

2601 River Road – Turkey Hill (Lancaster County)

W.P. Carey purchased the Turkey Hill food production and distribution facility for $70 million, or approximately $170 per foot for the 412,248-square-foot property on June 27, 2019. Built in 1980, Turkey Hill leased back the property for 25 years; the lease is triple net, with annual escalations. The buyer reported a weighted average cap rate of 7.1% for their acquisitions for the quarter, which totaled approximately $123.5 million, indicating this was probably priced in the 6s as the largest acquisition. The site was described as mission critical for the tenant, which has invested in many additions and improvements. It was noted that the site is powered through clean energy sources including wind turbines and hydroelectric energy. Turkey Hill had been a division of Kroger, but was sold earlier in the year to Peak Rock Capital.

21 Roadway Drive – (Cumberland County)

On September 26, 2019, Global Logistics Properties Ltd sold the class B industrial facility for $53.5 million, or $96 per square foot. The buyer was Blackstone Real Estate Income Trust. The 558,700 square-foot industrial facility was built on 36.16-acre site with an 8-acre pad site available to be developed into a 150,000 SF facility. The sale is comprised of an industrial portfolio totaling 64 million SF that Blackstone Real Estate Income Trust acquired located throughout the U.S. The sales price was reported at $5.3 billion. The portfolio was 95% leased at the time of the sale. The sale is part of a larger transaction in which Blackstone Real Estate Partners fund acquired 115 million SF for $13.4 billion; therefore, the overall sales price was reported at $18.7 billion for 179 million SF among two translations.

RETAIL

950 Walnut Bottom Road – Stonehedge Square Shopping Center (Cumberland County)

On November 25, 2019, this 88,657 square foot Giant anchored grocery center was sold for $30.7 million, or $346 per square foot to RW Partners, Inc.

2547 Brindle Drive – Shoppes At Susquehanna Marketplace (Dauphin County)

On April 1, 2019, The Shoppes at Susquehanna Marketplace in Harrisburg, PA were sold to an individual investor for $33.5 million, or $305 per square foot. The 110,000-square-foot shopping center was completed in 2004 and about 98% occupied by 25 tenants at the time of the sale. It was previously owned by a joint venture between Clarion Partners and Bayer Properties. The property was initially listed in January 2019 with an asking price of $38.17 million.

235-295 Cumberland Parkway – Parkway Plaza Shopping Center (Cumberland County)

On November 25, 2019, this 82,599 square foot Giant anchored grocery center was sold for $22.3 million or $270 per square foot. Parkway Plaza and Stonehedge Square (see #1) were part of a portfolio of Giant supermarket-anchored shopping centers in mid-to eastern Pennsylvania sold to RW Partners, Inc. for $127,000,000. The Giant grocery stores make up approximately 75% of this portfolio’s gross leasable area generate 80% of the portfolio’s revenue.

903-905 Loucks Road – Two Guys Commons (York County)

On August 19, 2019, Urban Edge Properties sold Two Guys Commons to Vastgood Properties, LLC for $13.15 million, or about $119 per square foot. At the time of the sale, the 110,980-square-foot retail property was fully leased to five tenants which included Crunch Fitness, Aldi, Ashley Furniture HomeStore, Tractor Supply, and Old Country Buffet. Based on in-place NOI, the transaction yielded a cap rate of about 7.5%.

OFFICE

100 Crystal A Drive – The Hershey Company (Dauphin County)

The three class B office buildings totaling 239,089 SF were sold on December 2, 2019 to the Penn State Medical Group for $28,445,835. Built in 1991, the buildings were sold by The Hershey Company for $118.98 per square foot. The seller was motivated to sell the property as they moved their operation into their corporate headquarters. The buildings will serve as Penn State Health headquarters and allow for moving some personnel from the Hershey Medical Center campus, creating space there to allow for expanded clinical services. Penn State Health leased office space in 2017 at that time The Hershey Company gave option purchase rights to the building. Penn State Health exercised their option to purchase the building.

425 N. 21^st Street – Plaza 21 (Cumberland County)

This 62,304 SF class B Office Building sold on September 16, 2019 to J & R Investments, Inc. for $9,300,000. Built in 1970 and renovated in 2009, this building was sold by Select Capital Commercial Properties for $149.27 per square foot. The building is leased to primarily to Geisinger System Services.

2400 Thea Drive – Synertech Building (Dauphin County)

On December 2nd, 2019, Istar Harrisburg LP sold the building in Harrisburg PA, to Real Capital Solutions, Inc for $9,100,000 or approximately $43.94 per square foot. The subject property is a 207,115, four-story class B office building located at 2400 Thea Dr in Harrisburg, PA 17110. The building sits on a 10.62-acre lot. It was constructed in 1999.

305 N. Front Street – (Dauphin County)

On July 17, 2019, this 120,000 SF office property was sold by Harrisburg Riverfront Development to Select Capital Commercial Properties for $7,950,000 or $65 per square foot. Built in 1989, this property sits on 1.2 acres

Closing Thoughts

In Central Pennsylvania and across the nation, it’s fair to say that the commercial real estate market delivered its fair share of ups and downs. Now that we’ve taken a closer look at the largest industrial, retail and office real estate sales of 2019, there are a few interesting points worth noting in each sector.

Industrial – Industrial real estate continues to lead all other real estate sectors with $1.2 billion in sales volume in 2019. The average price was $56.80 per square-foot, with the average property selling for $7.15 million.

Retail – A total of $200 million was invested in Central PA’s retail real estate market in 2019, a decrease from 2018. The average sale price was $142 per square foot.

Office – Annual volume levels for Central PA’s office real estate market stayed consistent with 2018 with $270 million in total sales. The average office property sold for $1.16 million. The average sales price was $102 per square foot.

What do you feel is the most important or interesting trend to emerge from the largest commercial real estate sales to take place in Central Pennsylvania in 2019? Share your thoughts by commenting below.

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Central PA’s Growth in Commercial Construction Creating Workforce Challenges

Posted on December 19, 2019 by Mike Kushner in Blog, Construction, Local Market, Trends No Comments

With new commercial construction projects popping up all across Central Pennsylvania, it may appear as though it’s a great time to be in the industry. A demand for more commercial construction usually means businesses are growing or moving into the area, bringing with them jobs and economic growth. But there’s one looming challenge that stands in the way of this growth having only upside, and that’s the lack of commercial construction workers to take on this work.

According to Commercial Observer, this workforce challenge is not limited to the Central Pennsylvania region. Rather it’s a nationwide issue that could have wide-spread impact. A serious gap exists between the upcoming demand for labor and the number of available workers with the skills needed to fill those positions.

How does this gap in skilled laborers stand to impact the commercial real estate construction industry? And what, if any, solutions exist? For further input on this issue, Omni Realty Group turned to Dave Sload, President and CEO of ABC Keystone.

ABC Keystone was established in 1959 with the mission of advancing and defending the principles of free enterprise in the construction industry. Today, the organization is a powerhouse with 69 chapters and over 21,000 members. It is one of the leading organizations representing America’s business community and the construction industry.

“The construction industry is already in a critical state when it comes to finding skilled workers. They simply are not out there and it is forcing companies to pass on some projects,” says Sload.

Commercial construction companies being stretched so thin on labor that they decline work illustrates the severity of the labor shortage and the ominous threat it poses on the industry. The real struggle is construction spending is not predicted to subside. In fact, growth over the next two years is substantial.

According to FMI’s 2019 Industry Outlook, total construction spending in the Mid-Atlantic region, which includes Pennsylvania, New York and New Jersey, should increase 5 percent year over year, from $153.6 billion to $161.3 billion. It is predicted that this trend will hold in coming years, with anticipated spending increasing at a rate of 4.5 percent between now and 2022.

Combine this with the fact that the construction industry unemployment has dropped to an 18-year low, and you have the recipe for a sustained labor shortage that will lead to higher labor costs, longer project schedules, and inevitably quality and safety issues that will result from understaffed crew and under-qualified workers.

Sload adds, “Things will only get worse in the future. 40% of the construction workforce will retire over the next ten years. It will not be just the skilled workers we lose but also decades of institutional knowledge.”

Construction jobs are a cornerstone of our local economy, with thousands of well-paying jobs created every year. The latest job openings data from the Bureau of Labor Statistics suggests that since 2014, while the number of jobs openings has almost doubled, the number of hires has increased by just 14 percent. This underlines the fact that it is not a lack of jobs, but a lack of laborers to hire for such jobs.

Sload continues, “If that is not enough, this country is in desperate need of infrastructure legislation to update our highways, airports, wastewater treatment plants and water systems. Should an infrastructure bill pass in the range of what has been proposed, we would immediately be another 500,000 skilled workers short.”

All of this begs the question, “What is the solution?” Construction business owners and other hiring entities have started exploring all viable options for employing and retaining qualified workers. Possibilities include increasing and improving recruiting efforts; retaining qualified workers during periods of slow work so they are more readily available; investing in skills training and continued education programs; and working harder to nurture internal talent, especially to retain institutional knowledge.

While none of these solutions may be the “silver bullet” the industry needs right now, it’s evidence that the issue is not being ignored, and companies are willing to get creative and collaborative with whatever combination of solutions prove to move the needle.

Have you felt the impact of workforce challenges, either personally or within your business? Or do you have a different opinion as to how the commercial construction industry may address this issue?

Join in the conversation by leaving a comment below.

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Considering a Commercial Real Estate Investment Property? Read This First!

Posted on November 26, 2019 by Mike Kushner in Blog, Commercial Real Estate No Comments

Investing in commercial real estate can be one of the most lucrative real estate investments you can make. Investors can realize extraordinary capital gains and huge cash flow wins. On the flip side, there can be quite a drastically different outcome when your CRE investment properties sustain long vacancies or big drops in market value.

For many reasons, investing in commercial real estate can be higher risk than other types of real estate investments. This is why it’s so important to be well versed with its nuances and trends – or to have a trusted advisor who is. To put yourself in the best position for a favorable return on your investment, there are certain things anyone thinking about investing in commercial real estate should know. Here is a brief overview of the things you should think about to determine if investing in commercial real estate is right for you.

Start with a Solid Plan

Before you embark on any big undertaking, you should always begin with a plan. The same is just as true for commercial real estate investments. Before investing your hard-earned cash or equity in a commercial property, you should first have a proper investment plan in place that fully equips you to identify the right property for your portfolio. Without a framework to guide your decisions, you may make the mistake of buying a property on impulse or out of pressure from others, even when it really doesn’t fit your goals for long-term strategy, risk mitigation, capital growth and, cash flow.

Understand the Time Required to See a Return

Next, do your research to gain an understanding of a realistic time frame to see a return. Many new investors dive into things thinking they’ll surely see a return in a fraction of the time it will really take to fully develop the investment and make it profitable. Pulling out too early can mean losing a substantial part of your investment, so be sure you plan for the appropriate amount of time that your money may be tied up in a particular commercial real estate investment.

Join with Other Professionals Who Share Your Goals

Successful commercial investors rarely go it alone. They build a team of other professionals who share their same goals. A successful team includes commercial buyer’s agent, appraisers, commercial property inspectors, engineers, lenders and closing attorneys. All of whom are all an essential part of achieving success in real estate investing and who work together to set a clear strategy, conduct detailed research, and source the correct property at a fair price, and with the right conditions that fit the team’s goals. When it comes to choosing your team, choose wisely. Others involved should complement your own shortfalls in knowledge, and in return you may be able to supplement theirs.

Compare and Contrast Your Investment Opportunities

It might seem obvious, but those new to commercial investing often overpay. One of the best ways to prevent yourself from making this mistake is to know where the value point is on the property, be fully aware of comparable prices for any similar properties, and not become focused on the cash flow and lease structure. Paying too much for commercial property locks up your funds in a more rigid way than it would with residential real estate. Banks are far more reluctant to provide equity releases or cash outs for commercial investing.

Do Your Due Diligence

It’s okay to start out cautious. One of the biggest mistakes new commercial real estate investors make is signing on the dotted line without doing their due diligence. If this feels like a daunting task to take on, consider working with an experienced buyer’s agent whose job it is to analyze the property cash flows, educate the buyer on market value and market lease rates, and recommend other professionals (mentioned above). It takes time, resources, and an understanding of market connections to fully vet a commercial investment opportunity.

Consider Additional Expenses Beyond Your Investment

Smart commercial real estate investors know they must carefully allocate their budgets so there is sufficient coverage for expenses such as the mortgage, taxes, insurance, and advertising. When you don’t have enough cash flow to fund these areas, your property can quickly become a liability when really it should be an asset.

Keep an Open Mind

Just because your former tenant was a medical office doesn’t mean your new tenant has to be. This is why buying versatile commercial properties that allow a number of options is a wise investment strategy. When the real estate market fluctuates, you’re better prepared to tackle unexpected situations and experience fewer losses when doing so.

Have Contingency Plans

Finally and most importantly, you need to have at least one, if not multiple contingency plans in place in case things should take an unexpected turn. Investing in commercial real estate always comes with risks, some more than others. You need to be prepared to lose it all; therefore, you should have a plan in place of how you will react – and rebound – if that happens.

What is your experience with commercial real estate investments? Whether you’re a seasoned expert in this field, or have just started to explore the options available to you, giving these topics close consideration with each and every investment will put you in the best potion for a favorable return.

Do you have something to add to this list? Share your input by leaving a comment below!

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Ancillary Income Opportunities for Commercial Real Estate Property Owners

Posted on November 12, 2019 by Mike Kushner in Blog, Commercial Real Estate, Guest Blogger, Local Market No Comments

When businesses and individuals consider commercial real estate development as an investment opportunity, often the primary focus is on the potential income from tenants who will lease the space. However, given the growing demand for outdoor advertising and the increased revenue opportunities that digital billboards can provide landowners in terms of rent, there is an extra revenue opportunity that should not be overlooked.

To further explain, Omni Realty Group spoke with Pat Lyons, Owner of Premier Media and a leader in developing outdoor advertising income opportunities for commercial landowners. Headquartered in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania, Premier Media assists real estate investment trusts (REITs) and landowners grow ancillary revenue streams by identifying, permitting, building, and managing outdoor advertising assets within their company portfolio.

When we asked Pat to share with us how he works with commercial real estate properties to develop streams of ancillary income, here’s what he had to say.

Omni: Describe the core services do you provide to commercial real estate clients.

Pat Lyons: There are four main components to the services Premier Media provides and they’re designed to flow in a process. First is asset review. We approach every new project with a complete asset review of the client’s property portfolio conducted by our fulltime team of researchers who do a comprehensive review of both the local and state sign ordinances and provide a full on-site evaluation.

Once we identify opportunities within the property owner portfolio, we present them with a proposal of what they can expect in land lease revenue from a digital unit on sites that we feel are potential candidates to move through the permitting process for approval. If our proposal is accepted, then we move to a signed land lease agreement. In essence, Premier Media leases a portion of the property that is mutually agreed upon by both parties for the billboard installation.

Next is permitting. We work through all aspects of researching and securing the appropriate local and state permitting applications necessary to build the desired advertising displays. This includes all engineering, survey work, building permits, electrical permits and sign permits.

Once permits are secured, we assume the responsibilities of marketing and operating the billboard displays or work to find a regional or national billboard operator as a credit tenant for the property. This revenue stream is truly ancillary revenue for our clients and adds additional lease and sale value to the property itself. We can permit, build, and operate the advertising unit. Simply put, landowners receive increased property value and ancillary income in the form of monthly or yearly lease payments on a long term, secure lease.

Omni: What type of clients do you most commonly work with?

PL: Though we have and will serve a wide variety of clients, we tend to focus on clients with industrial space, such as large warehouses and distribution centers along the highway. These are very desirable locations for digital displays because they are highly visible and in many cases zoned Industrial, which is also a common zoning for billboards. Another core client group is commercially zoned real estate investment trusts (REITs).

Omni: What is the general range of ancillary income your commercial clients receive from the signage you place?

PL: As you might imagine, this is extremely subjective to each and every client, depending upon their property, how it’s zoned and the terms of the agreement. To give you some rough estimates, the base income for our clients is $10,000 per year, growing up to $200,000+ per year in some cases! I would say average is about $30,000 per year. What’s most important to keep in mind is that this comes with no capital expenditure and no upfront cost. Plus, we typically sign 20-25 year land leases, with income increasing every 5 years.

Omni: Let’s debunk the biggest myths or misconceptions that hold clients back from embracing these ancillary income opportunities you offer.

PL: Honestly myths or misconceptions that actually prevent businesses from taking advantage of this new income opportunity is rare. Once they understand the agreement and the potential value to their property, it’s a no-brainer. However, if I had to think of a few it would be potential tenant restrictions in their own tenant leases regarding billboards and competitive language. Most of these concerns however can be alleviated in the billboard lease agreement.

Also people mistakenly think once a billboard is placed they can never relocate it. Again, that is all addressed in the lease agreement. A final misconception is that placing digital signage could be a detriment to the value of the property. This couldn’t be further from the truth as we have seen a tremendous increase in property value due to the long-term lease agreements and higher rents for digital billboards.. In reality, digital billboards create a great opportunity where landowners have the flexibility to use some of this ad placement to promote their tenants, advertise available space for rent – or to donate it to local nonprofits as pro bono advertising.

Omni: In your opinion, how has the outdoor advertising industry changed since the introduction of digital signage?

PL: Digital billboards give commercial landowners the ability to earn exponentially more on these types of investments. Where some real estate investment deals may be seen as only marginally profitable on what you’ll make off of traditional tenants, leasing part of your property for digital displays explodes your income potential as well as the value of the property overall while only using a 42” diameter portion of the property to place the pole.

Omni: Do you have any other advice you’d give to REITs or CRE property owners/investors?

PL: The best advice I have for commercial landowners is to think outside the box with your investment. Whether you own one property or have a large portfolio, ancillary income opportunities like digital billboard displays can open up a significant revenue stream for you and greatly increase the value of your property. And it truly is ancillary. If you work with a company like Premier Media, we handle absolutely everything from start to finish with transparency and a partnership mentality throughout the entire process. Simply put, there’s nothing to lose and everything to gain.

***

Omni Realty Group is very grateful for Pat’s insight into this fascinating industry. One of the smartest things any business owner can do is to seek opportunities for ancillary income. Not only does this grow profits needing minimal or no additional resources, it also greatly increases the overall value of your business in the eyes of prospective buyers.

No matter the industry in which you work, what ancillary income opportunities could be available to you right now?

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How Central PA’s Growing Population Impacts Local Businesses

Posted on October 25, 2019 by Mike Kushner in Blog, Local Market, Trends No Comments

According to a 2018 report from the Pennsylvania Data Center, Pennsylvania’s population is expected to grow approximately 1% from the 2010 to the 2020 population, which is 1% better than no growth or a loss. What’s even more remarkable, is Pennsylvania’s growth is focused in about 16 counties, 14 of which are in Pennsylvania’s South Central Region, South East Region and Lehigh Valley, including Pennsylvania’s fastest growing county population in our own Cumberland County, here in South Central PA.

Furthermore, estimated population growth in those 14 counties is about 3.8%, which is driving Pennsylvania’s overall modest population growth, while counties in Pennsylvania’s West and Northern Tier are losing population with only Butler and Centre Counties showing expected population growth.

All of this data raises a very important question…

How does Central Pennsylvania’s changing population stand to impact the economic development of our local businesses?

To help answer this, we asked David Black, President and CEO of the Harrisburg Regional Chamber and CREDC, to weigh in from his perspective and the changes he is seeing taking place in Central Pennsylvania. Here is what he shared.

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Focusing on South Central Pennsylvania, which includes Adams, Cumberland, Dauphin, Franklin, Lancaster, Lebanon, Perry and York, it’s pretty good news for us. Population growth drives demands for products, services and community amenities – quality of life factors. The quality of life factors – everything from good restaurants, entertainment, quality public education, exceptional health care, transportation access and cost of living – are in part driven by more people paying more taxes and needing more services that feed into our positive economic cycle.

Given our region’s transportation advantage via highways, rail and air and other amenities, South Central Pennsylvania is a great place to live, raise a family and have fun, plus we are close enough that if large metros like Washington, Baltimore, Philadelphia or New York is your thing, just a few hours will get you there. Quality of life issues help to attract and retain workforce, which is the business community’s number one issue these days, due largely to the fact that 10,000 baby boomers nationwide are retiring each and every day, leaving workforce challenges in many industries.

People want to live in vibrant communities. Some people prefer urban lifestyles, some are suburbanites while still others prefer the more natural rural lifestyles. Guess what? South Central Pennsylvania has it all. You can live on your 10 acres in Perry County and be to work in 30 minutes in downtown Harrisburg or walk to your job in center city Harrisburg from your apartment downtown, or your own home in Midtown, or commute 10 or 15 minutes from your suburban community to your job.

Population growth helps to drive business growth, it helps to drive additional growth in our region. While we think of ourselves as Harrisburg or Lancaster or York, commuting patterns show us that people commute from county to county to work because they can. I have a theory, with no disrespect to Lebanon County, that everyone in the Palmyra area actually works in Dauphin County at someplace with Hershey in the name! Businesses provide jobs, but people with the ability to spend drive local economies while our strategic location and transportation advantage help to connect us to the global economy and make South Central Pennsylvania such a special place to call home.

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To offer additional insight, specifically on working age population growth in Pennsylvania, we asked Ben Atwood of CoStar, a national commercial real estate research firm.

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One of Costar’s recent articles entitled “Latest Census Data Shows Lehigh Valley Leading Pennsylvania in Working-Age Population Growth” stated that the latest data from the Census Bureau shows Pennsylvania continues struggling to lure in new industries and working age residents. The U.S. population aged 20-64 increased by 0.25% last year, but of Pennsylvania’s 67 counties, only seven surpassed this growth rate and 55 experienced net declines.

Harrisburg and its satellite markets are pretty underdeveloped (excepting Lancaster), relatively speaking. And the lack of modern office supply and relatively stagnant population growth means there likely won’t be major companies relocating into the area. Right now, that capital investment would have to be largely local, and how much are people locally willing to risk?

Central PA is in the position to grow in ways other areas in the state aren’t, but that doesn’t mean that growth will be rapid, or even guaranteed. The new developments will be riskier, hampering investor interest. This combined with stagnant, even waning growth in working age population can be cause for concern both near and long-term.

To some extent, the optimism about population growth is misplaced because it could just mean these areas will have a slightly easier go of it over the next few decades, as automation continues to eat away at blue collar jobs in retail, shipping, and professional services in the Commonwealth’s smaller markets.

Things change and evolve, and no one can predict the future, but a lot of growth in these areas is in transportation and manufacturing, industries with long term automation risks, and there’s plenty of reasons to believe automation will expand into white collar employment in the near future.

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Omni Realty Group is very grateful for David and Ben’s expertise and input. It’s fascinating, yet not surprising that population growth can have such a profound impact on quite literally everything else. Here in Central Pennsylvania we have a valuable opportunity to harness this growth and use it to fuel our economy. This further emphasizes the point that there are many unique benefits to live, work, and play in this region. Whether you call Central Pennsylvania home, are employed in the region, or simply enjoy visiting to experience its social offerings, you are playing an important role in the growth of our economy.

How else do you feel that our region’s changing population stands to impact local businesses? Join in the conversation by leaving a comment below.

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Beyond the Bio with Mark Disanto from Triple Crown

Posted on October 21, 2019 by Mike Kushner in Blog, Guest Blogger No Comments

For more than four decades, Triple Crown Corporation has shaped Pennsylvania real estate through construction, land acquisition, and residential and commercial property management. The company has built an impressive portfolio of properties ranging from warehouses, office and retail space, rental communities, and even vacant lots that can be developed into just about anything to need.

At the heart of Triple Crown Corporation is its people. As part of the senior leadership team, Mark Disanto, the company’s CEO offers valuable insight into the industry, and the vision for the company. Mark has built a successful career from a blend of hard work, knowledge, and experience. But beyond his professional resume, there is a lot we can learn from Mark on a more personal level.

Take a look as Omni Realty Group goes “beyond the bio” and asks Mark for answers to questions you’re not likely to read on his Linkedin profile.

Omni: Describe a “typical” work day for you.

Mark Disanto: A typical day for me starts around 5:30 or 6:00 AM. I either exercise at home or play tennis in the morning. I am usually at the office between 7:00 and 8:00 AM and very rarely leave before 6:00 PM. Throw in a couple nighttime meetings with municipalities and extra time on Saturdays and in the evenings and the work week is usually 60 to 70 hours.

Omni: What is the best part of your job?

Mark Disanto: I have great flexibility in my job. I have time in the office. I have time inspecting job sites and looking at new acquisitions. I like the flexibility. However, the best part of my job is watching the company grow and seeing the new leadership expand the company both in the property management and construction divisions as well as our geographical footprint.

Omni: What has been the most difficult part of your job?

Mark Disanto: The continued regulation of our industry is probably the most troublesome and difficult part of our business. There are so many regulations in the building codes, the land development and subdivision codes, other state permitting processes, as well as federal regulations. None of these take into account the reasonableness of the burdens placed upon the builder and developer, cost versus benefit and time delays. We continue to hear about a shortage of affordable housing and the reason for this is strictly due to the regulatory environment we live in today.

Omni: If your career never took you into real estate, what else would you likely be doing?

Mark Disanto: I would probably be on Wall Street running a hedge fund and giving Ray Dalio a run for his money.

Omni: What has been your favorite Triple Crown project, and why?

Mark Disanto: I think I have two. The first was done about 17 years ago in Silver Spring Township. Georgetown Crossing was our first large apartment community containing 400 townhome and flat stack apartments. It is a beautiful property off route 114 in Silver Spring Township and our premier community. We still own it and will probably never sell it.

More recently Blue Ridge Village tops the list. This is an exciting mixed use community in lower Paxton Township that combines retail, commercial, apartments, townhomes and single-family homes along with a 32 acre park. This is a true livable, walkable community. The approval process was collaborative and respectful of the community and the Township. It took a lot of effort on our part, but I can assure the residents that this will be a premiere community that will significantly enhance the township.

Omni: What project has been your biggest failure or disappointment?

Mark Disanto: We bought a property out of market about 20 years ago at an auction and did not have sufficient due diligence completed upon it. When we went to the township for the first time it was like walking into a hornets’ nest. We eventually decided to cut our losses and re-sold the ground at auction for a loss. Out of the hundreds of developments and projects that we have done, we’ve only lost money on two deals. We are pretty proud of this.

Omni: What motivates you?

Mark Disanto: I just like to be engaged and like to see the company and the employees succeed. We set our strategy for three-year time frames and have quarterly meetings with our strategy review team and make sure we are all rowing the ship in the same direction. When everybody has purpose and they are all heading to the same goal line and supporting one another along the way, it makes for a very fun journey. I don’t need to work as hard as I do, I just have too much enjoyment with it to slow down.

Omni: Do you have any pet peeves?

Mark Disanto: I don’t think so. I get very frustrated when my volleys are not crisp on the tennis court!

Omni: When you’re not in the office, where can you most likely be found?

Mark Disanto: When I am in Harrisburg, it is usually with the family which includes the five grandkids, or working around the house and in the garden in the summertime, or in a tree stand in the fall trying to find the elusive big buck, or on the tennis court 2 to 4 days a week. If out of Harrisburg it could be anywhere in the world!

Omni: And finally, what career advice would you give to your younger self?

Mark Disanto: I would say, do not doubt your abilities. If you have an idea you want to execute then write it down and write a plan on how to achieve it. Review the plan both upstream and downstream with your staff. If you don’t have a staff, take it to people you respect and really try to poke holes in it. Once it’s well vetted, then work diligently and hard at it. A lot of people say this person was “lucky.” That’s usually not the case; a lot of strategic thought and hard work creates what people call luck.

Omni Realty Group thanks Mark for such candid and thoughtful answers to these questions. There is a lot of inspiration that can be found “beyond the bio” and on a more personal level. You can learn more about Triple Crown Corporation and its services by visiting them at https://www.triplecrowncorp.com or on Facebook and Twitter @TripleCrownCorp.

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uBreakiFix Opens New Retail Space with the Help of Omni Realty

Posted on October 2, 2019 by Mike Kushner in Blog, Commercial Real Estate, Local Market, Retail No Comments

At Omni Realty Group, it’s our passion to work with Central Pennsylvania businesses to help them find the right commercial space where they can thrive. One of our recent clients, uBreakiFix, provides a perfect example of how working with a tenant representative, like Omni, will have a big impact on the searching, negotiating, and commercial leasing process. Here’s how James McNeil, owner of uBreakiFix in Mechanicsburg came to find a new home for his business with Omni’s assistance.

About the Business

First, let’s learn a little bit more about the business and its retail needs. uBreakiFix fixes electronic devices. From the all-too-common phone drop in the parking lot to the tablet in the toilet, they’ve fixed just about every drop, slip, trip, and fumble you can envision. Those suffering the “trauma” of a broken electronic device, can walk into uBreakiFix and seek repair right on the spot – often in under one hour.

When looking for the right retail location, James knew he needed a space with high visibility and drive-by traffic. Ideally, the store would have other stores or attractions nearby where customers could browse or relax while their device was being fixed. Finally, the location needed to hit the right demographic of uBreakiFix’s target market.

Search and Struggle…then Success!

James started on his search solo. He poured hours of his time into researching possible locations. And after spending even more time touring many different properties, he came up empty handed. Fortunately, James reached out to Omni Realty Group and Mike Kushner became his tenant representative to help him in his search. Within a couple of weeks, Mike found what would become the business’s future home.

Located at 4957 Carlisle Pike, Mechanicsburg, this retail space met all of the “must haves” on James’s list. The store is part of the newly built Hampden Shops Plaza on the Carlisle Pike, one of the area’s most heavily trafficked roads for retail shopping. Within the plaza, there are places to eat, shop, get your hair cut, and much more. Rite Aid and CVS are within walking distance as well. Best of all, since it was a new space, uBreakiFix could really make it their own, by influencing the interior layout and décor.

Life Takes Compromise

The number one benefit of this space, and ultimately why James knew it was the right spot for his business, was location. It put him exactly where he wanted to be – visibility, traffic, and target market. But with anything, there was a compromise. The price point for the space was at the top of James’s budget. With Mike’s help, they negotiated this to a fair and reasonable rate that was consistent with other pricing in the area. Ultimately this was a compromise James was willing to make, considering all the other benefits of the space that would put them in the best possible position to grow.

The Difference of Having a Tent Representative

In his own words, James describes his experience working with Omni Realty Group:

“Mike did the research on the area and provided all of the relevant data to make the best decision for us. He got me in front of decision makers for the properties we look at and helped negotiate the lease payment to get the deal done. From a personal experience, it would have taken me a lot longer to find a location, as I was looking for retail space for four months, with no success, prior to working with Mike.”

Valuable Lessons Learned

If James had to go through this process again, there are valuable lesson he would apply to his next search for retail space. Here are four things he feels every business should know:

Start the process with a tenant representative by your side. This alone will save you so much time, and in the end, money.
Do not jump on the first option presented to you. Continue to explore even just a few more options and then fully compare pros and cons.
Always negotiate.
Compromise is necessary, but make sure you do not compromise on something that is most important to you.

If your business is looking for new retail, office, or industrial space in Central Pennsylvania, please reach out today so Omni Realty Group can help you like we helped uBreakiFix.

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Tips for Promoting Your Commercial Real Estate Business on Social Media

Posted on July 22, 2019 by Mike Kushner in Blog, Commercial Real Estate No Comments

Businesses in every industry have turned to social media as a marketing tool to share information, grow their band and cultivate an audience. While in many cases, this has proven successful, there are plenty of businesses who miss the mark, and wind up disappointed when their social media strategy fails to deliver its intended results.

For commercial real estate professionals, social media can be a highly valuable tool, but only when used correctly – and consistently. Take a look as we discuss five important points for using social media to promote your commercial real estate business – or any business.

Brand yourself as a thought leader.

We all have to start somewhere. The same is true for building your online brand. Who are you going to be? Your content, and how you share it, will have a profound impact on the answer to this question. In business, I would think most of us want to be branded as a thought leader in our industry. In commercial real estate, you can achieve this by sharing expertise on technical topics, offer an analysis of data and trends, and partake in thought-provoking discussion. One of the most powerful platforms for this is Linkedin. Here, you can use your profile to reinforce your personal brand, you can share content through regular posting, and you can spark discussion in groups.

Make your content unique.

A staggering amount of content hits the internet each and every second. What’s going to make people stop and read yours? If you’re asking for someone to take time out of their day to read your words, it’s important to make them at least one, if not all four of these things: timely, importantly, relevant and interesting. For some added input, we asked John Webster, Owner of The John Webster Company and digital marketing expert.

“There is a lot of ‘noise’ on social media so your content needs to stand out,” explains John. “When sharing information about available properties do not simply inform about the property (everyone does that) take an additional minute to describe something special about the property, who would be a good fit for the property and why this specific property caught your eye.”

Be responsive and engaging.

If you want to create a true “audience” for your business’s content on social media, you need to remain present. This means you need to check in regularly on your posts to monitor comments, and respond. People appreciate and remember a personal response. This also increase the reach of your content. Sure, it make take 15 minutes out of your day to diligently login to your various social media accounts to monitor content, and engage with other people’s content, but make it a point to do this habitually, and it will pay off greatly as you cultivate an active audience.

Share the spotlight.

Once you build a valuable platform for sharing content, whether this is on your website, blog, Linkedin, Twitter, etc., you should consider sharing the spotlight every so often with other professionals who have an interesting perspective to share. Omni Realty often features guest Q&A blogs that expand our area of expertise while growing relationships with other respected professionals. When sharing the spotlight, this also opens up the door for others to do the same. My blogs are often published by TheBrokerList, and shared on their social media, which greatly amplifies their reach.

Build relationships with media.

Most people view the media as a tool, or approach outlets in a very self-serving manner. While, yes, at the end of the day promotion is an objective, you must also work to forge trust, respect, and even friendship with reporters and editors. Omni Realty has received a lot of earned media by approaching local media outlets in this manner. Through relationships with reporters, I’ve had 25+ articles featured in the Central Penn Business Journal, and none of it was paid placement.

Whether it’s a commercial real estate business, or any business that you’re trying to promote on social media, the most important thing to keep in mind is that your content creates your brand. What you share, how often, and how you engage with your audience, will leave a lasting impact and frame how people view both you and your business.

How have you found success when promoting your business on social media? Share a tip or personal story by leaving a comment below.

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Power Landlords Part II: Who Owns the Most Industrial Space in Central PA?

Posted on July 8, 2019 by Mike Kushner in Blog, Industrial, Local Market No Comments

You might think that Central Pennsylvania is defined by its natural resources or agriculture, or maybe you don’t think we’re known for much of anything. The truth is that there is a lot this region brings to the economy with our industrial market being one of the country’s top core industrial markets.

If this surprises you, consider the following. This particular region is well positioned along the nationally-recognized I-81 transportation corridor with immediate connections to I-78, I-76, I-83 and I-80, as well as immediate access to major deep-water ports at New York/New Jersey, Philadelphia and Baltimore. With our ability to provide manufacturers and distributors access to nearly 70% of the total consumer markets in North America within one day’s drive, the region has benefitted from significant demand, especially most recently with the emergence of the e-commerce which promises customers even faster ship times.

Additionally, nearly 8 million square feet of new Class A regional and super regional distribution facilities are under construction. Even with this much new space entering the market, vacancy rates remain right around 5% which is well below the historical market standard of 7%. Combine all of this with a backlog of millions of square feet of new tenant requirements in the market, and you can see why Central PA’s industrial real estate market is ripe for opportunity among investors and landlords.

So, who owns the most industrial space in the market? The combined square footage of the top 5 landlords in Central PA is 32,820,237 square-feet of space. Moreover, the combined vacant square-footage for all of this space is just 2,448,898 square-feet or 7%. So, who are these power landlords and what buildings account for most of this space? Let’s take a deeper dive.

Prologis Inc.

It should come at no surprise that Prologis Inc. tops this list with its portfolio of 22 industrial buildings. Combined, this accounts for 11,242,938 square-feet of real estate. The largest building, which is Key Logistics Park located at 950 Centerville Road in Newville, is home to 1,170,000 square-feet of industrial space.

Global Logistics Properties, Ltd. (GIC Real Estate)

Next on the list is Global Logistics Properties, Ltd. with 19 buildings and 7,075,922 square-feet of real estate. The largest of these buildings is Lemoyne Industrial Park located at 221. S. 10^th Street in Lemoyne which is 885,802 square-feet of industrial space.

Clarion Partners

With 10 buildings totaling 5,676,191 square-feet, Clarion Partners ranks number three on our list of “Power Landlords” in Central PA. Their largest building, located at 1 True Temper Drive in Carlisle, is 1,226,525 square-feet in size.

First Industrial Realty Trust, Inc.

At number four we have First Industrial Realty Trust, Inc. Their portfolio of 15 buildings accounts for 4,804,210 square-feet of industrial real estate. The largest building, 1,100,000 square-feet in size, is located at 5197 Commerce Drive in York.

Liberty Property Trust

Coming in at number five on the list is Liberty Property Trust with 7 buildings totaling 4,020,976 square-feet of industrial space in the Central PA region. Their largest building, which is the Carlisle Distribution Center located at 40 Logistics Drive in Carlisle, is 972,000 square-feet.

It can be hard to wrap your head around these numbers and the amount of industrial space that is located right here in Central PA. Often, these are huge buildings we drive by daily but fail to notice unless we pay attention. The products that are made in and shipped from these facilities impact the global economy and provide us with every item imaginable, from basic essentials to toys and tools to match a wide variety of hobbies. So the next time you drive by the Key Logistics Park in Newville or the Carlisle Distribution Center, you now have a little more intel into who the power landlords are behind these massive facilities.

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Legal Pitfalls That Could Impact Your Commercial Real Estate Deal

Posted on July 1, 2019 by Mike Kushner in Blog, Commercial Real Estate No Comments

Legal matters can arise just about anywhere and in any industry. Commercial real estate is no exception. In fact, commercial real estate transactions can be filled with legal pitfalls if you don’t take proper precautions or seek professional advice.

What legal challenges are common to commercial real estate? For the answers, we looked to an experienced real estate attorney who has helped many clients navigate through such challenges.

Hannah Dowd McPhelin is a partner with Pepper Hamilton LLP, resident in the Harrisburg and Philadelphia offices and vice chair of the firm’s Real Estate Practice Group. Attorney McPhelin concentrates her practice in real estate matters and other business transactions, including the acquisition, sale and financing of commercial real estate properties and leasing of office, retail, warehouse and industrial space, representing both landlords and tenants. She is an Accredited Professional and was named a member of The Counselors of Real Estate in 2017.

Omni Realty Group had the pleasure of interviewing Attorney McPhelin to further examine the legal pitfalls that could impact commercial real estate deals. Here’s what we learned.

Omni: Describe some of the most common legal challenges you’ve seen arise when working through a commercial real estate deal.

Hannah Dowd McPhelin: I’ve worked through a lot of different challenges on a variety of deals, but an enduring theme is that some level of trust between the parties is necessary to get a deal done efficiently. If there is no trust or trust erodes, it is extremely difficult to work through challenges and get to closing, and it makes the deal much more expensive for all parties.

Omni: What conflicts can arise between the LOI and the lease? How can this be avoided?

HDM: The issue I see most often is that, because LOIs are typically not binding, a party may not raise concerns at that stage and will believe those terms can be “re-negotiated” in the lease — this leads to mistrust and deal delays. It is better to raise material issues at the LOI stage so both parties do not waste time and resources when there is not a meeting of the minds. I also recommend that the LOI be a short and concise document containing only the most important terms. A long LOI slows down deals and makes it more likely that you will do a second round of negotiations on particular issues when you negotiate the lease.

Omni: How can an attorney help parties avoid legal pitfalls in commercial real estate transactions?

HDM: A good deal attorney should be creative and look to solve problems as they come up. Every deal has certain issues, but an attorney who only spots issues without offering useful and practical solutions to them is not helpful to the process and reduces the chance that the deal will get done. Frank and open discussions among the parties and their attorneys are the most useful tool in avoiding pitfalls and making sure that the deal is documented in such a way that each party understands its obligations and risks.

Omni: What are the benefits of using a commercial real estate broker?

HDM: Similar to a good attorney, a good broker can be very useful in moving a deal forward, particularly over any rough patches. A broker’s knowledge of the market and other options in the market is essential to understanding a party’s leverage, and a good broker has strong relationships in the relevant market that benefit his or her client.

Omni: For tenants/buyers, how will using an exclusive tenant representative help avoid conflict of interest in a CRE deal?

HDM: Exclusive tenant representatives are particularly helpful to companies that are not in the real estate industry but have real estate needs. The representative’s knowledge of the market, the tenant’s options, and the deal process helps set the tenant’s expectations and assists the tenant in making efficient decisions.

Omni: When entering a commercial real estate transaction, what is the best time in the process to engage outside professionals like attorneys and/or commercial real estate brokers?

HDM: As early as possible. A broker should be engaged when a tenant first considers a move in order to best understand the options in the market and to help the tenant make a considered decision. Ideally, an attorney is engaged in the LOI stage. As an attorney, I find it helpful if I can do a quick review of the LOI before it is signed, as I may see issues that will eventually become big problems in the lease if not addressed at the LOI stage. Often, what I am doing is asking a few follow-up questions to make sure the parties have considered how certain terms will play out in the lease.

Navigating commercial real estate transactions can come with many challenges. What’s most important to remember is that any successful deal must be built upon a foundation of trust. Additionally, seeking the input of an experienced commercial real estate broker, particularly one that is an exclusive tenant representative, will ensure your interests are represented. Finally, having the counsel of a real estate attorney on your side to review any documents and spot issues that could grow into bigger problems down the road can be invaluable to the success of your transaction.

To learn more about Attorney Hannah Dowd McPhelin or Pepper Hamilton LLP, please visit: www.pepperlaw.com.

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