Partnering for Success:
Real Stories of Client Collaboration
WHAT CLIENTS SAY
“As a technology service business, attracting and retaining the best talent was at the center of our real estate partner decision. We chose Jim Damiani and his team at Newmark for several reasons. They started our process with their unique Tenant Experience Ranking system which ranks all office buildings on a 5-star system vs. the antiquated Class A, B, C system. This allowed us to tailor our search to what we believe is most important to our existing and future talent. We were able to show our employees we were moving from a 1-star employee experience to a 4-star experience. Knowing we wanted to create a unique working environment, Jim provided thought leadership on what property owners he believed would be willing to work with us to create something special. This approach and the successful track record for obtaining the best economics and lease flexibility for their clients made Jim and his team the right choice.”
~ Steve Arndt, CFO | Nerdery
WHAT CLIENTS SAY
“Newmark’s Minneapolis Tenant Rep team assembled experts from their brokerage, research and finance disciplines to help Deluxe uncover and analyze the best headquarter opportunities within multiple markets. This project was complex and dynamic; the disciplined approach involved key leaders and key stakeholders from Deluxe working closely with many expert resources within Newmark. We have been beyond pleased with our Newmark partnership to date, and the relentless commitment of the Minneapolis Team. Deluxe is excited for what the new HQ environment will bring to our organization, to Minneapolis and to the State of Minnesota - as we continue to build on the past and transform for the future.”
~ Doug Woodley, Vice President, Corporate Real Estate & Enterprise Services | Deluxe
WHAT CLIENTS SAY
"I worked with Jim on our firm's headquarters relocation within Minneapolis. Jim was an invaluable partner who negotiated a great deal on our behalf and helped coordinate a team of design and move management experts. Jim found us a building that offered an improved experience and amenities for our employees and helped us create a significantly more dynamic work environment for our Chartwell team. Jim hosted a town hall meeting at the new building for our company that went a long way in helping our employees feel comfortable with the relocation across town. I’d highly recommend working with Jim."
~Wil Becker, Managing Director | Chartwell
WHAT CLIENTS SAY
"We hired Jim Damiani and his team with Newmark to be our Real Estate Advisor. I personally have worked with Jim for many years on the client side and have always admired his tailored approach. Now we get to experience this first-hand.
Jim is a strategic partner that has the ability to align real estate needs with your business goals and objectives. Jim has a proven process that helps clients make the best decisions. I see the details of deals from all firms and Jim's deals have the best economics and flexibility for his office tenant clients than anyone's I've seen.. His approach is professional, controlled, methodical yet nimble.
The experience working with Jim is just that - an experience. It is not transactional, but very focused on a clear, concise, but fun process that is right for each client's needs. This allows for a very pleasurable experience when approaching something that can be very overwhelming. I highly recommend Jim Damiani with Newmark."
~Deanne Erpelding, Principal | Gensler/Nelson
WHAT CLIENTS SAY
"Newmark was critical in helping Blue Cross Blue Shield (BCBS) of Minnesota exit our vacant buildings prior to lease termination. Given a greater shift to remote and hybrid structures, our organization moved from occupying over 1.2 million SF down to just under 350,000 SF. The vacant space drove unneeded expenses, as well as capital risk for our organization.
While our primary building locations resided on the Eagan, Minnesota campus, BCBS also owned a 62,000 SF office in a small northern Minnesota town; this presented a significant challenge for alternative uses. Newmark was able to help coordinate a tri-party agreement with a local church and our landlord for the northern Minnesota office, resulting in several million dollars in savings. Regarding our larger campus in Eagan, Newmark's negotiation style and business connections allowed BCBS to exit four buildings nearly 2.5 years early - reducing our occupancy by roughly 720,000 SF and saving us over $75 million in leasing and capex expenses.
The Newmark team also provided thought leadership for BCBS with forward-thinking research, capital analytics, and their proprietary Tenant Experience ranking system. Using these tactics, Newmark began an early lease restructure for our new headquarters, which resulted in a significant concession package and exceptional economic terms. Without the connections and experience from Newmark, I do not believe that BCBS would have achieved our facility successes of 2023; including both the early lease terminations of our existing buildings, as well as the structure of our headquarters lease extension."
~Jim House, Senior Director of Cost Transformation and Partnerships | Blue Cross Blue Shield
Promoting our
Clients’ Brand