That which doesn’t kill you, makes you stronger! Attendees at the December Breakfast meeting for NAIOP were treated to a vivid example of this at our Fifth Annual Defining Moments program.

Outgoing President John Teutsch began the meeting with a very nice rendition of Silver Bells. This was John’s last Breakfast meeting as President and we thank him for his great service and singing voice! John also thanked our sponsors, Venture General Contracting, GLY and The Broderick Group. We thank them for their continuing support.

We all know that Seattle is booming. In our November breakfast we heard about three neighborhoods that are contributing to that boom—in fact, they’re thriving!

Our sponsors were:

Those brave souls not fed up with the election were treated to a fascinating analysis by a true Washington insider, Morton Kondracke, at the October breakfast meeting.

The breakfast was sponsored by CREW Seattle & Puget Sound and we appreciate their continued support.

Data met Dickens in our September Breakfast, “A Tale of Two Cities,” dealing with how the haves and have-nots are faring in a changing commercial real estate market.

Teutsch Partners, Holberg Company, Schwabe, Williamson & Wyatt, and GeoEngineers sponsored the meeting and we appreciate their continued support.

Innovation is the watchword of our industry. As a great sage from bygone days said, “He who is not busy being born is busy dying.” Our July Breakfast highlighted some innovative projects that have been completed in our area. John Teutsch began the meeting and outlined the new members, plus previewed our next Breakfast Meeting, A Tale of Two Cities on September 21, and the Property Tour on July 21. Kris Glandon spoke about the Community Enhancement Project at New Start High School on September 24. Finally, Kip Spencer from SECO outlined the new South Port development in Renton.

In a continuing effort to bring to our members the latest news of the day, the May Breakfast explored the subject of the Washington State Convention Center Expansion. The breakfast was sponsored by Clark Nuber, PS, Auburn Mechanical, and VECA, and we sincerely thank them for their continued support. President John Teutsch began the meeting and gave the assembly an update on new members and we also received an update on the Summer Social. It sounds like a fun time will be had by all! John introduced Matt Griffin from Pine Street Group who is developing the Convention Center expansion.

Matt began by giving us some facts and figures on the current Convention Center. The addition will take place on an eight-acre site, essentially doubling the size. Matt talked about the uniqueness of a Public Facilities District which allows for targeted tax revenue to flow towards the Convention Center.

Over the past few months, the Developing Leaders have been busy experiencing varying aspects of the real estate world. In March, the group went on their first property tour of the year: Holland Partner Group’s South Lake Union multifamily development, JUXT. Developed and built by Holland, JUXT is a 361-unit apartment building located at 810 Dexter Ave N scheduled to open in May. Allison Shepard, Senior Development Manager at Holland Partner Group, lead the tour of JUXT, which features a large central courtyard, laptop lounge, rooftop gathering space, and a secret room referred to as the Speakeasy, among other amenities. The tour was a great opportunity for the group to ask questions and listen to the different angles from which each sector views a new development.

In a very highly attended event, the annual Broker’s Forecast was presented to our Breakfast attendees on April 20. The breakfast was sponsored by Adolfson & Peterson, Norris, Beggs & Simpson, CBRE and Intervest - we sincerely thank them for their continued support. President John Teutsch began the meeting and gave the assembly an update on new members and introduced Kris Beason who gave some background on Adolfson & Peterson. Mike Wood also spoke a few words about Norris, Beggs & Simpson. We heard about the Community Enhancement Project which will be on September 24 at the New Start High School in Burien.

The winning team poses in Bellevue. Source: UW Think Runstad blog.

On Wednesday, February 17, attendees of the monthly Breakfast meeting were treated to the Capital Markets Forecast. The breakfast was sponsored by US Bank, JLL, and Intervest Mortgage Investment - we sincerely thank them for their continued support. President John Teutsch gave the assembly an update on the new members and watched a video regarding the Real Estate Challenge.

Mike Wood, Principal with Norris Beggs & Simpson, moderated the panel consisting of:

On Wednesday, January 20, attendees of the monthly Breakfast Meeting were treated to our annual program with the Runstad Fellows from the University of Washington. The program, “Risks & Collaborations: A Discussion on the Future of Seattle,” was sponsored by Touchstone and Deutsche Asset Management - we sincerely thank them for their continued support. President John Teutsch gave the assembly an update on the new members. We also heard that nominations were open for the Community Enhancement project for 2016 and are due February 15 (click to download the nomination form).

On Wednesday, December 16, attendees of the monthly Breakfast meeting were treated to our 4th annual “Defining Moments” program, which focused on the Development and Land Assemblage of the Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center. The breakfast was sponsored by Clark Construction - we sincerely thank them for their continued support. Sharon Coleman gave the assembly an update on the new members. We viewed a wonderful video presentation on the Community Enhancement project at YMCA’s Camp Terry and received heartfelt thanks from the YMCA. We also got an update on the Real Estate Challenge. Our neighbors to the south – Portland State University – will be in the challenge this year, along with University of British Columbia and University of Washington.

Cleita Harvey pinch hit as moderator and did a wonderful job! The panelists were: