Conversations with Cohen

In today's interview, my guest is Rich Colucci, Owner of Distinctive Offices. We talked about two of the biggest trends we are currently seeing in the New York office market- subleasing and renewals.

Regarding subleasing, more and more space is becoming available every day. 3 Million square feet in the last 60 days. For tenants looking to sublease their space, it's highly competitive. Rich offers some helpful tips on what you can do to make your space more marketable and attractive. Ultimately resulting in subleasing your space faster!

If renewing, you are in many cases, entitled to some refreshed space. Rich shares his biggest pieces of advice when renewing and looking to refresh your offices. He also offers insight into the best ways to refresh your office and how much to ask per square foot for an allowance from your landlord.

Legal Insight on Lease Issues due to COVID.

In this episode, I spoke with Larry Hutcher, Co-Founder and Co-Managing Partner of Davidoff, Hutcher, and Citron. Larry is an expert litigator and concentrates on representing business owners in solving their business issues including matters regarding their real estate.

We talk about what you can do if your business has been a victim of COVID and you can’t meet your lease obligations. An unfortunate reality of the coronavirus is that many businesses have seen a material impact to their bottom lines which has affected their ability to pay their rent. There are a lot of tenants that just don’t know what to do. So I thought it was best to speak with Larry, an expert, to shed some light on what can be done.

Larry has built his career focused on commercial law and litigation. He has significant experience in real estate litigation representing tenants in lease disputes as well as development issues. He’s been published in the New York Times, The New York Post, The Wall Street Journal as well as numerous real estate publications including Real Estate Weekly.

Even with the best of negotiations of an office lease with the most tenant-friendly terms, things can go wrong, which is why we looked to Larry for insight.

Today’s show will help answer some of the questions from tenants about how to get out of their existing lease obligations and trying to understand their options. Listen to what Larry has to say!

Learn tools to help keep your office clean and your staff healthy:

I had the opportunity to speak with David Wiltshire-Craine, the owner of Mr. Hudson’s Cleaning. His business focuses on commercial cleaning for companies, as well as, large governmental organizations and hospitals.

We talked about all things cleaning, which is a very crucial topic for everyone in a COVID-world. We discussed cleaning inside your physical office, public transportation, which plays a role in the commute for so many, and also cleaning inside your house. I think it’s a topic that many of us took for granted and didn’t appreciate 6 months ago-now it's front and center!

David's story resonates with me because, much like me, he had previous business experiences that helped him see an opportunity that existed in the market. In his case, the level of service for the cleaning of his previous business offices didn’t meet his expectations. So 8 years ago, he started Mr. Hudson’s Cleaning which focuses on commercial and residential spaces.

The workplace, commuting, and home health are all such hot topics. Tenants have lots of questions about getting back to the office and the impact of COVID, as well as concerns about commuting, namely on public transportation. Since we’re all home cleaning right now, it's fresh on everyone’s mind. This interview helps to answer many of these important questions.


Connect with David Wiltshire-Craine: [email protected]
Mr. Hudson’s Cleaning website: http://mrhudsoncleaning.com/​

Looking to better set you and your kids up for success during quarantine and work from home?

In this episode, I had the opportunity to speak with Dana Rosenbloom. She is an educator and started her practice to help children and families work through the cycle of child development. She is an amazing resource for families whether there are physical, emotional, behavioral questions. Dana has an amazing perspective given her years of almost 20 years of experience with families.    

Right now, parents have a lot of questions. Whether it’s what do parents do for their kids without camp, or the absence of a physical school for kids to potentially go to in the fall combined with children at home with all the pressures of work. We did this interview because working from home with a young family is a challenge and a constant conversation between families that are going through this right now. And it’s a real struggle to work and give children all the things that they need and deserve as well as all the things parents need. Dana is a parent coach and someone who can help navigate the current environment where parents are not only business professionals but also teachers and camp counselors. Dana provides tools parents can implement to help their families.

In this episode, I had the opportunity to speak with Mark Green of Sher-Del Transfer. Sher-Del specializes in corporate relocations, including commercial moving and storing, for over 30 years. Mark and his firm are truly a safe pair of hands for tenants when it comes to their furniture, IT equipment, and valuables.

In addition to helping companies relocate, during COVID, Sher-Del has been helping companies access otherwise inaccessible physical files through their online data storage platform. This has enabled a seamless transition to a virtual workspace for many. After thousands upon thousands of moves, Sher-Del has proven itself to be a go-to resource for moving, storage, and the best way to handle the decision whether to move, liquidate, or donate office furniture. 

Many tenants don’t know the right questions to ask when choosing a mover. In this interview, Mark explains how long in advance they should be brought into the relocation process. Given Mark’s wealth of experience, specifically focused on moving and storage, I wanted to find out how tenants can use his help to work more successfully from home in the short-term. We also delve into what tenants can do to have the most successful move they can, going forward to their next space.

Are you a seasoned business owner? Or leasing for the first time?

Learn more about commercial real estate: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCMxa...​

In this episode, I had the opportunity to speak with Larry Haber. Focused on real estate for over 30 years, Larry helps both tenants and landlords in the negotiation of their office leases.

There is a ton of uncertainty about business continuity as well as the timing of re-entry into the physical office space. Tenants have a lot of questions about their financial exposure to their office lease and how to get more flexibility going forward. Given Larry’s wealth of experience specifically focused on leasing we wanted to find out what tenants can do now and what they can learn for the future in a post quarantine world.

Are you trying to keep your team connected while working remotely?

Are you actively preparing to go back to work post after Covid19?

Chris Smith, CEO of Cloud9 Smart, and I discuss how technology can help keep your team productive whether in the office or at home.

Learn more about commercial real estate: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCMxa...​

In this episode of Conversations with Cohen, I had the opportunity to speak with Chris Smith. In business for 20 years, they design and install technology for your office and home. 

Workplace strategy has been top of mind for businesses. Chris starts by addressing the technology with his clients and finds solutions to fit their needs. Now more than ever, technology is crucial for promoting and maintaining a healthy workforce AND workspace. Chris provides his expert insights and the latest technology that businesses will be incorporating into their offices.

Trying to figure out what you need to do to create a safe office space for your partners and employees? Jen Meilan of 71 Visuals speaks to Gregg about what the office of the future will look like, the crucial role signage will play going forward, and how 71 Visuals pivoted to help in the fight against Covid-19. ​

Learn more about commercial real estate: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCMxa...

In this episode of Conversations with Cohen on GreggC TV, I had the opportunity to speak with Jen Meilan, Principal of 71 Visuals. While sometimes overlooked after an office's initial move-in, signage plays a crucial role in the workplace: From maintaining the safety of a company's staff to helping contribute to a company's culture.

With all of the uncertainty with re-entry into the workforce, tenants have a lot of questions about what changes should be made. It is clear this conversation must include signage to ensure a firm's team members adhere to social distancing protocols to stay healthy. Given Jen’s depth and breadth of knowledge, she answered a lot of the questions that you may or may not be thinking about. It's a must-watch for businesses that are heading back to the office! 

Thinking about what you can do to reconfigure your office space to make it safe for your employees and partners when they return to work?

Are you asking yourself if there is a way to amend your office furniture to give your team more space to work?

In this episode of Conversations with Cohen, I had the opportunity to speak with Mark Benhar, Owner of Benhar Office Interiors, which is one of the premier Herman Miller dealers in New York City.

With lots of uncertainty about re-entry into the workforce, I'm getting a lot of questions from clients about how to prepare their office furniture and office space configuration. I figured Mark would be a great person to ask how companies can prepare to come back to work.

We discuss furniture innovations, biophilia, the top 3 items you need to work from home successfully, tips for first-time tenants, and Mark's favorite spots for Omakase.

Connect with Mark Benhar: https://www.linkedin.com/in/markbenhar/​
Benhar Office Interiors: https://www.benharoffice.com/​

In this video, I had the opportunity to speak with Jim Pirot, Head of Project Management & Managing Principal at Cresa in New York. Cresa is a Global Tenant Advisory Firm. Cresa's mission is to be the advisor that brings the greatest value to occupiers.

In addition to being a colleague, I have the pleasure of working with Jim on a number of projects and I value his experience and insight as a project manager, former engineer, and facilities manager with a deep understanding of construction and building operations. 

Jim and I spoke in-depth about the future technology of offices and how not only landlords but tenants, business owners, are going to make a transition to focus on office wellness. Additionally, Jim discusses the importance of office air and how facility equipment upgrades and innovation are going to potentially create new standards across the board for all office occupiers. 

If you as a business owner want to know how to keep your office healthy and encourage a healthy re-occupancy process OR if you are an employee looking to provide your employer with a resource for healthy re-occupancy, contact us at Cresa.