Connected
New Venture: Grossman Development Group
July 26, 2010
Brooke Botello
Grossman Launches New Venture-Grossman Development Group
Happy Birthday Rose Kennedy
July 22, 2010Brooke Botello
Happy Birthday Rose Kennedy!
Join the Rose Kennedy Greenway Conservancy and celebrate the birthday of the beloved Rose Kennedy today on the Greenway.
When: Thursday, July 22, 2010 11:00 am - 5:00 pm
Where: North End Parks
Summary: Join the Greenway Conservancy in celebrating Rose Fitzgerald Kennedy's birthday through the story of Rose's Garden, by Peter H. Reynolds. The celebration will take place throughout the parks, culminating in the North End Parks with family-friendly activities including a participatory art project, storybook reading, lawn games, and food.
The day starts with Rose's Teapot, a replica of the illustration in Rose's Garden The teapot will be in the North End from 1PM to 5PM.
Children and adults are invited to make paper flowers to add to the teapot at various locations along the Greenway District from 11:30AM to 5PM -- including the Rings Fountain, Farmers Market, The Children's Museum and New England Aquarium.
The paper flower cart will be at The Children’s Museum at 11:30 AM, New England Aquarium at 1 PM, and in the North End Parks 3-5PM.
For more information: www.rosekennedygreenway.org
New Buyer for Polaroid Site
June 7, 2010
Carolyn Spicer
Former Polaroid site sold for $40m
Developer plans retail, office mix
The status of the 120-acre parcel has been uncertain since late 2009, when bankers foreclosed on plans to build The Commons at Prospect Hill, an ambitious development of offices, shops, and restaurants, on the site.
Yesterday, Park said he’s planning a more modest mixed-use office and retail development for the site, with about a third less density than was planned by the previous developer. Specifically, Park said he would like to see a corporate headquarters, a department store, and a mix of national and local retailers.
Park said he bought the property because of its “prominence on 128, in the epicenter of technology outside Boston,’’ adding that he thinks “real estate prices have reached rock bottom, and we’re poised for an upturn.’’
Mayor Jeannette McCarthy of Waltham said she’s pleased with the new buyer, adding this is a great opportunity to deal with major traffic issues because Park has traffic design experience. “I’m happy with the fact that [Park] understands first-hand the problems,’’ said McCarthy.
The property was sold by German bank Helaba and PB Capital, which seized it in October, after bidding $42.5 million for the 120-acre site at a foreclosure auction.
Park & Co. also has been planning a development across Route 128 from the Polaroid site for more than eight years, but yesterday Park said he plans to develop the Polaroid property first.
“My hope is that we will be able to develop a traffic plan for the Polaroid site that will work with the development we’ve been working on across 128,’’ he said.
Park said he was planning “a phased development,’’ and was eager to get the project going.
“I’d like to get something started this summer,’’ he said.
Globe correspondent Megan McKee contributed to this report. D.C. Denison can be reached at denison@globe.com. 
Lofts to Talk About
April 27, 2010Carolyn Low Spicer
Lofts to Talk About
Catching up with the ongoing renewal of Fort Point.
By RACHEL LEVITT
BEFORE THE RECENT ECONOMIC TROUBLES presented themselves, optimistic Bostonians fully expected Fort Point to bust out as the South End’s edgier cousin — its brick-and-beam-loft dwellers were sure to fast-track an array of exciting retail ventures, not to mention a vibrant, gritty-glam nightlife scene. But just because Fort Point isn’t yet a replica of New York’s Tribeca doesn’t mean it’s DOA. “We’re all disappointed that the economic scene didn’t allow quick development,” says Vivien Li, executive director of the Boston Harbor Association. “On the other hand, anytime something new opens, it’s huge.”
In fact, much is percolating in Fort Point. The city of Boston has 41 million square feet of development now under review, approved, or in construction, and 42 percent of that real estate is located here. And artsy it may stay, thanks to a few key players who are keeping prices down in order to lure cool kids to the channel. Case in point: this month’s opening of chichi Louis Boston on Fan Pier. It wouldn’t have happened without developer Joe Fallon, overlord of 21 precious waterfront acres, who made a sweetheart deal with owner Debi Greenberg to woo her away from Newbury Street and other prospective locations by promising a tailor-made, albeit “temporary,” new building. (Fallon’s master plan shows a residential tower on that site — presumably Louis’s permanent home will anchor the lower floors once it’s built.) With Louis Boston in place, the upper crust can browse modern art at the nearby ICA (free on Thursday evenings), then treat themselves to an appointment at Salon Mario Russo after perusing the racks.
Meanwhile, Young Park of Berkeley Investments made sure his recently completed FP3 condo project on Congress Street offers plenty of lower-priced studio units to attract members of the creative class. The building is expected to win FHA approval shortly, meaning buyers will be able to finance these units with government-backed loans up to $523,750 with only 3.5 percent down. It was also Park who lured chef-restaurateur Barbara Lynch to Fort Point with a great bargain on space for Sportello, Drink, and her new upscale restaurant Menton, opening later this spring. Similarly, Park coaxed Joanne Chang to start up a branch of her bakery, Flour, on Farnsworth Street in 2007.
Although developer Tony Goldman, who has a portfolio of nine buildings on Melcher and A streets, is occasionally demonized for displacing Fort Point’s artist population, he’s making good by offering “boutique office space” at $20 per square foot. It’s not class-A space (Ropes & Gray won’t be relocating here anytime soon), but the elevators work, and the lobbies are graffiti-free. Once designers, software startups, architects, and retailers set up offices here, Goldman plans to develop a hip residential component to match, the first piece of which will be a 180-foot tower at 319 A Street Rear, now in the approval process. And as the ranks of the local population swell, expect to see more restaurants like Barlow’s, which opened on A Street in January, serving up midprice fare for neighborhood residents, the lunch crowd, and commuters using the Boston Harbor Water Taxi.
“It’s a seven-to-10-year cycle,” says Albert Price, managing director of Goldman Properties. “Fix up the buildings to get the creative businesses in, develop retail at the ground level, and residential will follow.”
Conversion Associates Trailblazing Again
February 22, 2010Brooke Botello
From Conversionassociates.com:
"Some never believed that web analytics could be easy. Lytiks is our new release of our Conversion Action Platform (CAP) product. Lytiks has been designed through over 3 years of customer response to make web analytics – the installation, the reporting, and the analysis – easier."
Congratulations Mayor Menino and Boston City Councilors
January 4, 2010
Pamela McDermott
This morning the inauguration of Mayor Menino was a true celebration. Re-elected to an unprecedented 5th term, Mayor Menino recommitted himself to the building new foundations and propelling Boston onto the world's stage. We look forward to working with the Mayor and City Council over the coming years. Together, we will continue to build a better Boston.
Social Media and Your Communications Strategy
December 9, 2009Pamela McDermott
In the following Boston Globe article, "Google unveils real-time search”, they outline their plans to deliver more comprehensive search results that include social media. This means that any 'status-updates,' 'tweets,' or blog entries will be included in a search about you or your company, within moments of posting the message. Joining other major search engines, Yahoo and Bing, it is clear that social media is a tool that should be employed in your communications strategy.
Congratulations to EVP Carolyn Spicer
November 30, 2009Brooke Botello
Congratulations to EVP, Carolyn Spicer.
Congratulations to Carolyn Spicer, Executive Vice President of McDermott Ventures. Carolyn was recently recognized by Banker and Tradesman as one of the 2009 New Leaders. Carolyn has been with the firm since its inception in 1997. She has managed permitting and strategic communications as an integral part of the firms largest real estate clients: Fan Pier, Russia Wharf and The Clarendon, to name a few. Additionally, Carolyn is involved with New England Baptist Hospital, Heading Home and Save the Harbor/Save the Bay.
http://www.bankerandtradesman.com/files/btnewleaders113009_web.pdf
Oh Won't You Stay
November 23, 2009Pamela McDermott
See article in Boston Business Journal: Oh Won't You Stay: Young Entrepreneurs Push Peers to Stay in Massachusetts
This is great news-young innovative entrepreneurs wanting to stay in Massachusetts...what can we do to support them? For one thing, we should invite them to integrate into the established venture capital and IT communities, and include them in Boston World Partnerships global network.
boston.bizjournals.com/boston/stories/2009/11/23/story1.html
Congrats to NAIOP Award winners last evening
November 18, 2009Pamela McDermott
Congratulations to the Beal Companies who received NAIOP's 2009 Distingushed Real Estate Award last evening at the Annual Awards Gala at the Westin. Beal recived this award for their deep and long-standing committement to the community and the real estate industry. Also congratulations to last nights recipient of NAIOP's Public Service Award, John Fish, Chairman and CEO of Suffolk Construction.
Mayor Menino Wins 5th Term
November 4, 2009Pamela McDermott
What worked for Tom Menino was hard work and knowing your city.
He has always known that constituent services should be at the forefront of city management, and Boston voters endorsed his years of paying attention. Fiscal management, public safety and a clean city that welcomes the additional 500,000 workers and visitors that use Boston everyday, are also hallmarks of what Tom Menino has done. We welcome another term from this Mayor!
Ceiba Solutions Gets Boost from NZ Government
October 19, 2009Carolyn Spicer
New Zealand Government Invests in Cambridge Company
Ceiba Solutions
New Zealand & Cambridge, MA - Ceiba Solutions, an IT company specializing in solutions for Life Science customers, announced today that The New Zealand Government’s Foundation for Research, Science and Technology is making an investment of $NZ600,000 to help Ceiba create a drug development information ‘dashboard.’
Ceiba Solutions, which was launched in New Zealand in April 2006, and opened its USA headquarters in Cambridge, Massachusetts the following August, recognized the complexities, and the multi-company effort, to bring new-age drugs and medical devices to market. Drug discovery and development today require a mammoth effort to continually gather and manage data across a network of independent Life Science companies. These can include contract laboratories and research groups, contract manufacturers, dedicated testing facilities and a host of specialists.
Ceiba Solutions, with its IT development team in New Zealand, has laid out a design to tackle the problem of shared data and collaborative processes across multiple companies with a unique approach that combines its proprietary technology for data and application integration with some of the latest internet innovations.
Although there are many potential applications, the initial goal is to produce a ‘dashboard’ that provides an instant window into the inventory status of any product in development. An outside group of experts in the Life Science community is being formed to help Ceiba refine the scope of a solution that can be quickly prototyped to showcase the technology.
“Ceiba has presented a compelling case for this solution, which includes a very creative, collaborative process that involves members of the Life Science business community to help guide the work,” said Craig Adams, NZ Business Manager.
“Our exposure to the information technology issues of drug discovery and development has provided us a unique opportunity to come up with pragmatic ways to bridge different software and data standards into a common model. We are also sensitized to the economic constraints that have hit the Life Science industry as it has many others,” said Lindsay Rewcastle, Ceiba Solutions CEO.
With a prototype planned for March of 2010, the resulting solution will involve remote hosting of data and secure access, with minimal, if any, computer infrastructure investment by participating Life Science companies. The Dashboard Advisory Group, aided by the Ceiba Agile (cAgile) collaboration software, will help members describe the requirements. Participating Life Science advisors will have the option to serve as early testers.
New Player in Market for Retail Property
October 16, 2009Brooke Botello
New player in market for retail property
Commercial real estate powerhouse CB Richard Ellis/New England is launching a venture with one of the region’s largest players in retail leasing, with the two trying to capitalize on an economic rebound that will probably lead to new property redevelopments and store openings over the next few years.
CB Richard Ellis is forming a joint venture with Grossman Commercial Real Estate Group, whose principals have represented Puma, Linens ‘N Things, and CVS drugstores.
The new entity, to be called CBRE/Grossman Retail Advisors, should be a formidable player in the region’s retail market. Principals said the current slowdown presented an unusual opportunity to join forces, allowing them to create new business now and expand as retailers emerge from the doldrums to scout new locations.
“Our expectation is that we’re hitting the ground running at the right point in the curve,’’ said Kevin M. Doyle, co-managing partner for CBRE/New England. “We see a lot of opportunities for retailers, and that will grow in the future.’’
The move gives CBRE a retail brokerage operation that it has long lacked in the region. The firm currently focuses on office and industrial properties, but does not have a retail leasing operation.
The new venture will handle leasing, property management, development, and consulting for landlords and tenants looking to expand or overhaul their properties. Local real estate analysts said the new venture will be able to seize opportunities created by the economic downturn, which has led to store closings in prime locations that are now available at much cheaper prices.
“There are very unique opportunities out there that we haven’t seen in 15 years,’’ said David Begelfer, chief executive of NAIOP Massachusetts, a commercial real estate association. “There will be a lot more transactions in the retail market as a result of that.’’
For Grossman, led by Howard Grossman and his son, Jeremy, the deal allows the firm to hitch its name to one of the region’s largest players in commercial real estate.
Howard Grossman will serve as president of the joint venture. He has worked in the New England market for 35 years. During the past eight years, he has handled leasing for developer Steve Samuels, whose recent projects include Trilogy, an apartment and retail complex near Fenway Park, and another residential complex nearby on Boylston Street.
Jeremy Grossman recently directed real estate and leasing in New England for Federal Realty Investment Trust, which is building Assembly on the Mystic, a 66-acre development of stores, residences, and offices in Somerville.
“There is a clear reset button that’s been hit in the market,’’ he said. “Retailers that are healthy view this period as a tremendous opportunity to expand . . . and we intend to capitalize on that.’’
Casey Ross can be reached at cross@globe.com.
CBRE-NE and Grossman Form New Entity
October 7, 2009Pam McDermott
CB Richard Ellis/
CB Richard Ellis New England is a joint venture between CB Richard Ellis Group, Inc and the principals of CBRE/NE.
“Our goal is to create the best retail platform in
Howard Grossman will be joined by Senior Vice President and Principal Jeremy Grossman, who began his career in commercial real estate in 1997. Most recently Jeremy served as Director of Leasing in New England for Federal Realty Investment Trust where he was responsible for the merchandising and leasing strategies for Federal Realty’s New England assets including high-profile properties such as
“We’ve been looking for the right opportunity to meaningfully expand our retail capability for years,” said Andy Hoar, President and Co-Managing Partner of CBRE/New England. “Howard and his team will make an immediate impact on the retail landscape and we look forward to growing this new business into the market-leading retail services company in
About CB Richard Ellis
CB Richard Ellis Group, Inc. (NYSE:CBG), a Fortune 500 and S&P 500 company headquartered in Los Angeles, is the world’s largest commercial real estate services firm (in terms of 2008 revenue). The Company has approximately 30,000 employees (excluding affiliates), and serves real estate owners, investors and occupiers through more than 300 offices (excluding affiliates) worldwide. CB Richard Ellis offers strategic advice and execution for property sales and leasing; corporate services; property, facilities and project management; mortgage banking; appraisal and valuation; development services; investment management; and research and consulting. CB Richard Ellis has been named a BusinessWeek 50 “best in class” company three years in a row and a Fortune 100 fastest growing company two years in a row. Please visit our Web site at www.cbre.com.
About CB Richard Ellis
CB Richard Ellis’ New England practice has offices in
Suffolk Acquires Berry
September 24, 2009Pam McDermott
Suffolk Construction Company Acquires William A. Berry & Son to Create One of The Top 20 Largest Construction Firms in the Country
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--Firms Will Combine Resources and Offer State-of-the-Art Technology for Clients on a Local and National Scale--
“We see this as a tremendous growth opportunity for our company, both locally and nationally. Today’s economic climate has changed the way our industry operates and we view this partnership as a way to leverage our expertise, tools and experience on behalf of our clients. We are now even better positioned to provide solutions to clients who need to find ways to build in this environment,” said John Fish, CEO, Suffolk Construction.
“There is an incredible amount of synergy between the two companies, because our core businesses are complementary, not duplicative. This partnership will trigger growth, provide efficiencies and add value for our clients. Our dedication to our employees, our clients and the community will not change, but strengthen through our partnership,” said Peter Campot, President, William A. Berry & Son.
Providing preconstruction, construction management, design/build and general contracting services together, the combined forces of Suffolk and Berry will offer infinite resources, and superior innovation and technology to its clients, transforming the way clients achieve success in the construction industry in the 21st century, including:
* A commitment to sustainable building practices with over 175 LEED accredited professionals, providing the most sustainable value for every dollar spent. Together, they boast more than 32 projects that are either LEED credited or pursuing certification, and strong national partnerships with organizations that specialize in emerging technologies and business practices; and
* Use of state-of-the-art technology to support Building Information Modeling (BIM), which combined with a dedicated internal engineering team and experience with 25 active BIM projects, positions the team as a contractor of choice for clients. BIM is changing the way the construction industry operates, creating up-front collaboration online between builder and designer, resulting in a virtual project to identify inconsistencies and problems before construction. BIM provides savings in both time and cost for clients.
Suffolk: The Liberty Hotel, Mandarin Oriental Boston Hotel & Residences, Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center Needham, Hebrew Senior Life, NewBridge on the Charles, Patriot Place, MIT Dewey Library, John W. McCormack Building, Fenway Community Health and Legacy Place.
Berry: Baystate Medical Center, Carl J. and Ruth Shapiro Cardiovascular Center at Brigham and Women’s Hospital, Smith College’s Ford Hall, Center for Life Science/Boston, University of Massachusetts Medical School, Maine Medical Center, Harvard Medical School’s new research building and the University of Vermont’s Dudley H. Davis Center.
Because philanthropy is central to the culture of each company, the partnership will preserve its long-standing commitment to its community and civic ventures and believes that this is an opportunity for its programs to strengthen and grow.
For more information: www.suffolkconstruction.com & www.berry.com.
Conversion Associates, McDermott Ventures Partner, Recognized by Mass High Tech
September 17, 2009Brooke Botello
Congratulations to our partner, Conversion Associates, who was named by Mass High Tech as one of the 'Top Five Start-ups You Should Follow.'
Founded in 2005, Boston-based Conversion Associates is a business intelligence firm. Conversion Associates are strategic consultants, engineers, analysts and designers. The Conversion Action Platform (CAP), a business optimization SaaS, tracks, measures and reports on real-time business analytics. CAP is unique combining web analytics and phone call tracking to the SMB market.
www.masshightech.com/stories/2009/09/14/daily22-Startup-Watch-Five-you-should-follow.html
Senator Kennedy
August 28, 2009
Pam McDermott
We lost a good friend today.
I've known the Kennedy family since 1972, when I worked at the Compound as a babysitter. I can say that Senator Kennedy's role as the centerpiece of the family was a part of their everyday lives, even back then. He has always been a man dedicated to caring for others. This part of his legacy will not be forgotten.
