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ULI Idaho postponing Spring events
ULI Idaho is postponing our in-person events through early May. We hope to be back to offering our networking and engagement opportunities b
Observations and Opportunities
April 8, 2020
This new and challenging season is unsettling at times, but thankfully there are many positive moments of connection and innovation. As an industry, will we make it through this? Absolutely. Will we become stronger and more resilient? I certainly believe so.
Danielle Hurd, AIA Northwest + Pacific Region Executive Director and ULI Idaho Chair
Connection and relationships, though physically distanced, are more important than ever. While scientists work diligently to understand how the coronavirus impacts us, researchers have long understood the negative effects of social isolation, from depressing immune systems to decreasing life span.
The question today becomes, “How do we, as ULI members, sustain our thriving communities during this pandemic?” How do we maintain social well-being while we “stay in place”?
An undeniable answer is the connection technology makes possible. Cultivating community virtually has quickly become the new normal. Whether it’s video calls, webinars or old-fashioned phone calls, we have the opportunity to grow both our social and professional circles and expand our industry knowledge. I want to encourage all of you to make that investment and remind you that ULI’s member tools, Knowledge Finder and Member Directory, can be especially useful at this time.
ULI Idaho wants to stay connected with you. We are launching a new blog series titled “Observations and Opportunities” as part of our effort to keep communication flowing amongst our members. This series will highlight several of our members as they share their expertise and future vision during this new season with you.
Enjoy and take care.
Danielle Hurd, WELL AP
Clay Carley
Old Boise General Manager and ULI Idaho Governance Chair
How as COVID-19 affected your day-to-day business?
Staff is absent and only coming in occasionally as needed. Most cannot work from home. So some work is simply not getting done. Meetings have been canceled or performed online so there is more time available to imagine the worst! All current negotiations involving spending are mostly postponed to a date uncertain.
What new policies have you implemented as a result of the requirement for employees to work from home/shelter in place?
Stay away from the office as much as possible. Work remotely or don’t come in unless absolutely necessary.
How has COVID-19 affected your plans for 2020 and future forecasted business in your pipeline?
Not much at all. Boise has a housing inventory shortage and we want to fill that void as much as possible. Retail spaces are a different story. Much more caution will be exercised with retail development.
What opportunities have you identified as a result of COVID-19?
None for me unless I begin selling hand sanitizer.
Jeremy Malone
Oppenheimer Development Corporation Vice President and ULI Idaho Treasurer
How as COVID-19 affected your day-to-day business?
Like every single industry, COVID-19 has drastically changed our day-to-day business on many levels from employees working remotely, economic fall and uncertainty, tenant struggles and concern for their businesses as well as the health and safety of our employees, families, tenants, clients and properties. We have worked with our janitorial providers to provide additional sanitization of all touch points throughout the day and during regularly scheduled cleaning, proactively changed air filters throughout our property portfolio and staying in constant communication with associates, tenants and clients to ensure their safety and wellbeing. Additionally, we are all becoming better users of technology to seamlessly continue the operation of our businesses.
What new policies have you implemented as a result of the requirement for employees to work from home/shelter in place?
Thankfully our corporate owners and leaders had the foresight to be prepared to allow associates to work from home. We strongly encouraged each associate to work from home nearly two weeks before the Governor’s order to be proactive in flattening the curve while trying to protect the health and wellbeing of our associates and their families. While we have building management and maintenance staff continuing to work at our properties on a daily basis, we have regular check-in meetings where we discuss safety, social distancing while continuing to work side-by-side, additional cleanings, opportunities for repairs/maintenance while properties are less occupied, etc.
How has COVID-19 affected your plans for 2020 and future forecasted business in your pipeline?
Being a customer service driven organization, our focus for the remainder of 2020 will be continuous care of our tenants, clients and associates to help everyone get beyond these unprecedented times. Since the development and transactional side of the industry has taken a pause during COVID-19, we are taking this time to revamp our programs, strategic planning, marketing, etc. to be more agile and effective when things normalize. Unfortunately, for some, real estate opportunities may arise during the recovery so we plan on being well strategized to seek such opportunities.
What opportunities have you identified as a result of COVID-19?
Some opportunities we’ve identified as a result of COVID-19 include furthering our paperless initiatives, being able to work remotely through technology, checking in regularly with associates and celebrating successes remotely and seeking potential real estate and development opportunities as a result of the financial downturn. With most of our associates working remotely, the transfer of paper is challenging but we have adapted seamlessly with most of this. Staying connected with associates through technology while maintaining a positive corporate culture has been a fun initiative that has been received well. We will continue to support the medical staffs, first responders and our internal staff who keep our communities and properties functioning in these times of crisis.