What have I done so far?

Recent Centro Relocations

"warm-up" to the main Chicago event!
 

LA:

The relocation of Centro’s Chicago headquarters has been the main focus (and certainly the most time consuming) for this project, however I have been able to complete a financial analysis, identify new space opportunities, coordinate tours, gather feedback, conduct due diligence, negotiate a new lease, plan and coordinate the office move and facilitate the a minor renovation to the new office for the LA folks.  I consider this everyone’s (Scott Golas, Centro’s IT gurus, and myself) warm-up to the big Chicago event.  All went fairly smoothly and the LA team is now enjoying their new digs!  

New York:

At project inception it was determined that the NY office was too large and a very inefficient use of space for the number of FTE’s in this area, however the lease term runs thru May 2014 – ouch. So, the initial goal was to make one bring one of two options to fruition: 1) find a company to sublease Centro’s current space and locate a new office location for Centro or 2) work with the landlord to identify an opportunity to move to a smaller space in the same building.  After many weeks and many discussions with landlord, broker and possible subtenants we had a few opportunities on the table.  However, within this time the NY office had grown and Shawn (Centro’s founder and president) decided to make this office his “home base”, the need to move was gone – so the NY office stays put.  I was able to procure and coordinate installation of new solar shades to keep the sun out of Shawn’s eyes!
Boston:

In the midst of planning the LA move and negotiating lease terms for Chicago, the folks in the Boston office had agreed to relocate to a new and more efficient space in the same building, per the Landlord’s request.   I was able to negotiate a lease that was extremely beneficial for Centro while coordinating the move into the new space.  All of this was done within two weeks.  The Boston folks are now up and running in their new office!

Why am I here? And what am I doing?

Centro Project Overview

I started with Centro in August 2009 as a consultant to manage a few office relocations, facilitate their upcoming real estate transactions and design a new Corporate HQ office in Chicago.  Despite today’s economy Centro is a rapidly growing company with future opportunity for expansion.  Many of their current office’s around the country do not make sense for many reasons (location, size and/or rental rate), the goal is to change that.  For example, the office in LA has no private space for a phone conversation to take place but has a full kitchen and bathroom within the office space – not efficient office space!  In Chicago they occupy three separate offices on two separate floors, again – not efficient office space!  After evaluating their current space and current and future needs Scott Golas (VP at Centro) and I came up with a plan and a few objectives to drive the project – I have listed those below:

What would Centro like to get out of this project? (Centro’s Goals)

• To consolidate all Chicago office’s (3 separate spaces) to one floor  
•  Relocate NY, LA and San Francisco offices to more cost “efficient” spaces
• Accomplish items #1 and #2 with minimal disruption to operations
• Accomplish all three of the above items without increasing our current expenses

This project is a conglomeration of my previous work experience and the first time I have been able to utilize a majority of my skills in one project for one client (hence my excitement!).  Because of this, I set a few goals of my own to make this a successful and fun endeavor for myself!   

  

What would I like to get out of this project? (Personal Goals)  

• Network and build relationships within the industry
• Learn and/or do something new everyday
• Identify what makes Centro’s culture so unique in today’s business world and absorb a bit of this "way of working" to apply in my future endeavors
• Love it or hate it?  This project will help me determine if this is a career path I would like to follow