| A $5B project in Panama could have a big impact in Savannah. Pattillo's Larry Callahan (with Seefried's Ferdinand Seefried) says the project to widen and deepen the Panama Canal could increase Savannah Port traffic by 25%, once complete in 2014. ?That's going to be a very noteworthy thing for the ports along the eastern coast of the United States,? he says. Larry's comment came during Tuesday'sBisnow Breakfast & Schmooze Industrial Real Estate Summit at the Westin Buckhead. Larry also called the proposal to deepen the Savannah Port from 42' to 48' deep a ?necessary thing.? It's not just us in Georgia, he says, but all the ports along the East Coast are going through the same exercise. | |
| Another hot topic on the panel: green. The industrial industry's adoption of green technologies and sustainable building design is almost ?old news,? says Panattoni's Greg Thurman (listening to Reznick Group's Tim Kemper). Almost every build-to-suit project being planned will achieve some form of LEED certification because landlords and companies now realize the cost savings of energy efficiency over time. Corporations are taking green initiatives mainstream. Three years ago, 40% of Fortune 1000 companies had some indication of sustainability in their annual reports, with 18% of the mentions concerning real estate. Today, that's 80% in annual reports, with 30% of the reports mentioning sustainable real estate projects, says IDI's Jay Mitchell. Larry notes that even in manufacturing plants, such as Pattillo's recent Boeing deal in Charleston, which will achieve LEED, energy efficiency and other green initiatives will be ?rising in importance.? | |
| We sipped a cup of coffee with Collins & Arnold Construction's Mark Thurman and Pieper O'Brien Herr Architects' Richard Kramer. We may have been at an industrial event, but Richard tells us that automotive retailers have been ?cranking back up? with new stores. POH is designing several new car retail locations outside of Atlanta, particularly in second-tier cities, he says. |
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