Save your real estate dollars

With more and more companies looking very hard at their real estate expenditures, we have found that there needs to be a more in depth look than just rearranging the furniture and jamming more people into smaller spaces.

Environments That Work has partnered with Condeco, the leading space scheduling company. Condeco offers a range of products from software to hardware to improve efficiency and maximize their real estate. They have minimal systems for small to mid size companies, as well as very sophisticated systems to control usage of conference rooms, hoteling stations and other spaces on an intranet system that allows every employee to see what spaces are available. It also allows for everyone to see at a glance when a meeting didn't happen in a particular room, or when a meeting ends early to free up valuable space. This allows companies who utilize the system to greatly reduce the amount of conferencing and meeting areas. In addition, if you have mobile workers or salespeople, who are not in need of permanent space, to have an orderly and easy to use system to manage hoteling or touchdown areas. This again reduces the wasted space of having idle workstations or work areas.

This system alleviates the need to have someone manage your conference rooms or meeting areas freeing them up for additional needs. It's touch screen and swipe card technology interfaces seamlessly with Outlook, other scheduling software, or even manage your video conferencing.

It may sound expensive or more than your company would utilize, but Condeco can personalize systems to fit any company's budget and when you consider what real estate and furniture is costing you, it is a tremendous value.

I encourage you to check out all of their capabilities at www. condecosoftware.com.

BIFMA

Every once in a while the question is thrown at me, "why do your chairs cost more than the big box store down the street?" And the short answer to that question is BIFMA. BIFMA is the Business and Institutional Furniture Manufacturer's Association and they "develop voluntary product and industry standards that support safe, healthy and sustainable environments", according to their homepage. In a nut shell, BIFMA has created standards for furniture and those standards must be met in order for the furniture to be labeled commericial grade. For example, a commercial grade chair must be able to support a minimum of 225lbs. So, chairs are loaded with lead weights to make sure they are up to the standard. Weights are also dropped on to the seats to simulate a person falling into the chair and bouncing that little bit we all do. Ultimately, this means commerical grade chairs are the product of significant reasearch, design and engineering. They have to been tested and approved by an independant lab and they are constructed with high quality parts. These factors directly affect the cost of the chair but you have to look at the big picture; a $500 chair that lasts 10 years is a better investment than the $99 dollar chair that breaks after a year.

Schafer Condon Carter project

One of Environments That Work's more exciting projects in 2011 was assisting one of Chicago's top marketing firms, Schafer Condon & Carter renovate their new home on West Madison in Chicago. SCC purchased the CCP Holden building in the West Loop neighborhood. CCP Holden was a major part of rebuilding Chicago in the late 1800's after the Chicago fire. This building is a 140 year old building that SCC has helped restore to landmark status. SCC hired Widler Architecture to assist them in making a modern, sustainable, conservation-type building while keeping the amazing features of this classic old structure. Environments That Work and Teknion provided the furniture expertise to fit the latest in furniture concepts with some very challenging hurdles from this older building. SCC chose Teknion's Leverage and District product along with their Altos architectural wall system and conference furniture. Some dramatic photos of before and after construction/installation were taken and will be added to our website, www.et-work.com shortly. In addition, Environments That Work put together a special lease package to meet the financing requirements of SCC with our leasing partner CPR Finance. CPR Finance and Environments That Work forged a partnership several years back born out of a networking meeting which we discussed in our last blog. Many times in Networking, developing a trusted vendor partner is as important as finding a new customer.

Networking

Networking, a word many of us have become familiar with in the last 4 year's economy. Many have turned to networking out of desperation, or possibly just because they unfortunately have more time to do it with business slowed. But what is networking really? Is it just going to a social get together and running up to everyone you can find and telling them your 30 second elevator speech. Hopefully not. One thought process I have found helpful is to really determine what your goal is for your networking activities. Of course you want to increase your business, but should that be the goal you have foremost in your mind?

One of my first ideas since I had not done too much networking in the past, was to listen more than talk. Let others discuss what they have to say, learn about their business, and then introduce yourself not with some canned elevator speech, but rather with a directed benefit or thought towards the person's particular business that you are speaking to. It might not even be about your business, but maybe passing along a name or thought from someone else you know or recently met that might benefit the person you are speaking to. I have found that when you sincerely listen and care about another person's thoughts and ideas, you typically will develop a better relationship and lay a basis for further discussion. Many people who have not done much networking in the past are apprehensive about going up to a stranger and just starting to talk. Try listening first.

Also, remember, do not have the "I need to get business out of this conversation" thought in your mind as you meet people. You never know how the person you are about to talk to could impact your business. Sometimes finding a vendor or trusted partner for your business is just as important as finding a customer. My next blog will be a success story right along that thought process.

Communication

When we discussed having a blog I was a little apprehensive. I've never blogged before. I'm not sure what to write. What will people think when they read it? My whining could go on forever. However, once I got tired of my own complaining I figured I'd give it a try. After all, how difficult could it be. Enter obstacle number one; to whom do you address a blog? I'm writing to someone. The idea is that someone is supposed to read this. Who that someone is, though, I have no idea. I don't even know who would be following my blog. (And again, I'm whining.) So, to help overcome my insecurity I stockpiled a bunch of articles that I've read that mean something to me. If I don't have any ideas of my own I can surely comment on others. (I'm really good at this; just ask my wife.) One such article is from Fast Company (1/25/11). The article is about how we routinely miscommunicate simply because we under-communicate. (Is under-communicate a word?) How many times have you written an e-mail thinking that it was a masterpiece of American literature? It was direct, precise and spell checked multiple times. You made your point, you gave direction, there was no way it could be mis-interpreted; and yet the recipient responded with a simple...Huh? Have you experienced this feeling of deflation? Is the other person a moron? In most cases; the answer is "no". You, as the sender, assumed (and we all know what happens when you assume) too much communication. You left room for interpretation thinking that the other person could read your mind. (And I can tell you, firsthand, that I'm not a mind reader). Don't make assumptions in your communications. Take the time to spell things out. (Literally spell the words out. Don't use text shorthand) Saying exactly what you mean and asking for exactly what you want will get you exactly what you need. You know what I mean???