“Less than 2% of industrial space today is cold storage, and it probably needs to be at 15%. We’re not even in the first inning,” opened economist KC Conway in a keynote session at NAIOP’s I.CON Cold Storage. Using the analogy of peeling back an onion, Conway identified four cold storage and capital markets “layers” to “see what makes us sweat and what makes us cry.”
Understanding the many types of cold storage and controlled environments – food and beverage processing; food distribution; and public refrigerated warehousing – along with a plethora of product-specific terminologies, is the first step in diving into the world of its development. But there is much more to explore to understand the nuances of this sector.
Cold storage is a niche asset class with relatively few players compared to traditional industrial space. To share their perspectives on how investment, development and operational decisions are made for this specialized asset class, five experts took the stage at NAIOP’s I.CON Cold Storage this week in Atlanta.
The sluggish return to the office, financing and liquidity, and new ways of approaching the office sector were the predominant themes of an elite gathering of C-suite office owners, investors and developers. The conversation, spearheaded by NAIOP and hosted last week in New York City, explored the challenges and opportunities facing the sector.
Every day, developers drive past prime industrial real estate sites that could be warehouse-perfect, were it not for the sloped grade that would cost too much to excavate to make the facility level. Enter a new solution: a split-level building that doubles the space by creating efficiencies in construction costs and land use.
This week at NAIOP’s I.CON East: The Industrial Conference, four experts in the space shared their thoughts on how corporate real estate of the future will integrate the evolving trends of sustainability and automation so that owners can meet carbon reduction and Environmental, Social and Governance (ESG) goals, exceed tenant specs, future-proof their properties and increase NOI.
Environmental, Social and Governance (ESG) and decarbonization initiatives can yield significant advances across the industry, from the important climate benefits to improved investor and community relations. While these are not new concepts – the first solar panels date back to 1954 – they are fresher to commercial real estate as owners and developers as they evaluate how to retrofit existing properties and incorporate elements of sustainability into their projects.
Heidi Learner, head of innovation with Altus Labs, spoke to 800+ NAIOP National Forums members during their annual meeting in Boston about the outlook for the economy.
Members of NAIOP’s National Forums toured two components of the Boston seaport during their annual Symposium, hearing from the developers, investors and advisors shaping the site today.
“There’s a really exciting trend emerging in hiring and compensation that’s going to accelerate throughout 2023,” opened Chris Lee, CEO of CEL & Associates, during a recent NAIOP webinar. “It’s the blending together of the quantitative – the numbers, compensation and bonuses – and the qualitative – workplace environment and benefits.”
