Team Weston Commercial Real Estate Blog

Weston employee Lynn Jewell has a very special “second job” after she leaves the office each day. Lynn is one of the founders of Canine Lifeline, a rescue group that pulls animals from high kill shelters in Ohio and Kentucky and fosters them until they are able to find them a good and permanent home. Lynn and 2 other women formed Canine Lifeline in September 2009 after volunteering at a local shelter and seeing highly adoptable dogs being euthanized because of lack of space.  They began by paying for the dogs to leave the shelter, fostered them in their own homes, and gave them needed medical care before placing them with their permanent families.

Since their inception a little over 2 years ago, Canine Lifeline has grown tremendously.  They have saved over 700 dogs that were scheduled to be euthanized in rural shelters.  They have a dedicated volunteer base of over 30 people and have many ‘foster parents’ as well.  Many families have found adopting a rescue dog to be such a rewarding experience, they come back and adopt a second dog.

Speaking personally as one of three employees at Weston who have adopted a dog from Canine Lifeline, I can tell you that my little Sadie Rose, seen pictured below, has been a real source of joy in my life. She came to me from a Kentucky high kill shelter after being rescued by her heroes from Canine Lifeline. She was scared, underweight, and would cringe any time we tried to pet her. She warmed up rather quickly, however, and today she is one happy (and spoiled!) girl who loves to give kisses and be cuddled above all else. She also loves her big sister Bella.

Canine Lifeline relies on donations from the public and previous adopters to help defray costs because the medical care and upkeep is more per dog that they actually charge for adoption fees.  Many dogs come to them having tested positive for heartworm, injured from car accidents, or with other health issues that are easily treated. 

To learn more about this incredible organization, make a donation, or look into giving one of these loving animals the forever home they all deserve, please visit their website at www.caninelifeline.org, or go to the Petco store in Macedonia every Saturday from Noon to 3:00, where Canine Lifeline brings their adoptable dogs to meet the public.

As many of you have heard, Weston is part of the upcoming Manufacturing Conference and EXPO to be held at The Galleria on February 14^th and 15^th. This event is the first of its kind, and we are thrilled to be a part of it. There are more than 175 exhibitors from across the U.S, and expected to be more than 3,000 attendees. We are looking forward to meeting, sharing ideas, and discussing events taking place which shape our marketplace.

As a point of interest, NASA Glenn Research Center, one of Northeast Ohio’s most revered entities will have 12 engineers with licensable technologies present at the EXPO , including advanced material designs, resins for liquid molding, and data management software. Speaking with manufacturers and inventors allows NASA’s research team to advance current ideas and stimulate new ways of thinking. The EXPO is a great atmosphere to facilitate this.

We hope that many of you choose to attend this inaugural event. And if you do, please stop by the Weston booth (19B) and say hello-we look forward to seeing you there!

He’s at it again! Rob Namy, Weston’s Senior Vice President, was asked to be an advisor to the teams representing Cleveland State University’s College of Urban Affairs in the Urban Land Institutes (ULI) 2012 Gerald D. Hines Urban Design Competition. The teams which represent colleges from around the Country have two weeks to devise a comprehensive design and development program for a real, large-scale site full of challenges and opportunities.  Submissions from the teams include drawings, site plans, tables, and market-feasible financial data. This year’s site is a 16.3 acre parcel of land located in downtown Houston, Texas that is currently owned by the United States Postal Service and houses a post office distribution facility and office building that have been deemed obsolete to USPS operations. Rob is on hand to coach the teams all the way through to the end.

The ULI/Gerald D. Hines Student Urban Competition is part of ULI’s ongoing effort to raise interest among young people in creating better communities, improving development patterns, and increasing awareness of the need for multidisciplinary solutions to development and design challenges.  The winning team will receive $50,000.00 and the finalist teams $10,000.00 each.  For more information visit – http://www.udcompetition.org/2012-ulihines-competition-kicks-off-today-this-years-site-houston-texas/.

To start 2012 out strong, I wanted to let you know about our latest availability. We have 23,000 SF IN BROOKLYN HEIGHTS. It’s got 1,000sf of office, 16’ clear, 2 docks and 2 drive-ins. It’s at 211 Hayes Drive, and as all of you know, is a great industrial area with a central location. 

Tim Breckner (440.914.9471) and Chris Kiely (440.914.8480) at Weston Inc. are happy to help. They can answer any questions about the space or set up any showings for you.

Here’s to hoping that 2012 brings us all a profitable year!

Chris Grobelny, Vice-President of Weston Inc., and Rob Namy, Regional Vice President of Acquisitions for Weston, recently shared their knowledge of the financial aspects of commercial real estate with the students of Maxine Goodman Levin College of Urban Affairs. Chris and Rob were invited to speak by Professor Robert Simons (known as Dr. Roby), a Professor and former director of the Master of Urban Planning, and current Faculty Advisor for the Certificate Program in Real Estate Development and Finance. Chris and Rob spoke about the history of Weston and its many divisions, as well as the company’s plans to for the future. The lecture focused largely on cash flow and valuations of industrial real estate. In particular, the usage of capitalization rates and the direct effects of net operating income and value were on the agenda for the class.   A case study on Weston’s valuation of Wilson Business Park was presented using the income approach, which provided useful information to the students on how to result in the most successful financial outcome. 

Weston’s affiliation with The Maxine Goodman Levin College of Urban Affairs was fostered by the efforts of Rob Namy, a former graduate of the program. Rob has worked with Dr. Roby on judging case studies of students who have challenges in specific areas of the material. Both Namy and Grobelny hope to return to the school as guest lecturers in the future. As Grobelny put it, “To those of us who have been through an MBA program in Finance, we know the demands it puts on your time. I have the utmost respect for the students undertaking this program, and it was a real pleasure for Rob and I to share our experiences, as well as any knowledge we could impart.”

Good Afternoon Everyone,

KeyCorp has made the exciting announcement that they will provide $5 billion in capital to qualified small business owners over the next three years.

Key is assigning hundreds of its relationship managers to work closely with local business owners in Key’s 23 districts. The segments committed to the goal are: Small Business, Business Banking, Commercial Banking, Key4Women, Small Business Administration, Community Development Lending, and Native American/Agriculture.

Think of the possibilities that KeyCorp’s dedication to this program could mean to so many businesses out there, including many of yours. This may be a great time to consider the possibilities of a small business loan. If have questions about the information I have presented here, feel free to give me a call.

Regards,

 Suzanne