Some of the biggest names in the business of building throughout Greater Cincinnati will be turning out in force next month to break down the big picture - and sweat the small stuff - at a first-of-its-kind local symposium dedicated to providing answers to the question:  Where does the ever-so-trendy concept of sustainable practices fit into today's commercial real estate marketplace?

 

"The big thing you're always going to hear about with green is 'What's the cost?  Where's the ROI?'  My typical response is look at the hard facts and economics of an approach to building green," said the keynote speaker, Alan Whitson, President of Corprate Realty Design & Management Institute, based in Portland, Oregon.

 

The co-presenters of the symposium are the Greater Cincinnati chapters of Commercial Real Estate Women (CREW) and the National Association of Industrial and Office Properties (NAIOP).  It's the largest event focusing strictly on the Green vs. LEED debate that the two leading professional organizations have organized as a collaborative effort.  Kiesland President, Richard Hughes is co-Chairman of the event.

 

From Whitson's perspective, there have been "levels of acceptance" of the green life.  "I have seen who's really into it, and who's not.  I can tell you who is, and who should be:  the legal community, the insurance community, and the investment community," he continued.

 

"The gut feeling that I get, in talking to people from the Greater Cincinnati market, is some people feel green building and the LEED (Leadership to Energy and Environmental Design) system are things that we ought to look at.  Then there are the tree-hugging people who say we HAVE to do something, and those who have a very ambivalent, yukky feeling about the whole thing," Whitson said.  "In the major marketplaces, the big boys are taking a more pragmatic approach.  They want to know where the money is in green, and how to get it."

 

Whitson is a national authority on the green movement, which he addresses with his trademarked "Turning Green into Gold" program at www.SquareFootage.net.  He's also an officially certified Education Provider of the U.S. Green Building Council (USGBC).

 

Whitson will be joined by a virtual Who's Who lineup of local professionals from the commercial real estate, development, construction, leasing and property management, architecture, environmental and engineering fields.

 

 

"A lot of people are talking about 'going green', but not a lot of people are doing it.  For those who are doing it, some are doing it really well, and some are doing it exceptionally well," Whitson said.  "Unfortunately, there are a large percentage of players who are mediocre.  They're doing enough just to get by."

 

The event offers credit hours for a slew of continuing education programs such as Ohio's Real Estate Division, the American Institute of Architects, BOMI, IIDA and the USGBC.

 

"We're trying to get to the bottom of a number of questions.  Are LEED-certified buildings worth more money than green buildings?  Do tenants want green buildings more than conventional buildings?" asked Ruth Brunner, President of the Greater Cincinnati Chapter of CREW.  Other questions to be answered are:

 

    -    If I don't build my next project by green standards, will it be obsolete in a few years?

    -    What should I know now if I want my next project to become LEED-certified later?

    -    How can I make my existing building green-tenant-worthy?

    -    As a broker, what do I need to know about green leasing?

    -    What green building strategies will give me the biggest bang for my buck?

 

"It's my understanding there are many people - some of those who live and work in the Cincinnati and Ohio real estate markets - who are in somewhat of a state of denial when it comes to green," Whitson added.  "Then, when you talk to people on the East and West Coasts, you get a sense that people realize there is a reasonable way to do this.  Their focus is on figuring out a way to make money, and making sure the costs don't get out of line."