Gaughan Celebrates with Toppers Pizza Grand Opening
Toppers Pizza, one of our new Tenants at Club West Plaza in Blaine, MN, is celebrating their grand opening on Saturday, May 5, 2018. They are known for their fresh dough, delicious toppings, and real Wisconsin cheese! The first Toppers Pizza opened in Whitewater, WI, in 1993, and since then, they have expanded to over 75 franchised locations throughout the Midwest. While they primarily offer delivery services, they also have an open, show-kitchen design where customers can stop in and watch the creation of their pizzas.
Congratulations, Toppers Pizza! We are proud to highlight this business and welcome them to the area. For more information or to order your next meal, visit www.toppers.com!
Happy International Women’s Day!
The year 1908 began the journey for global recognition and celebration of the social, economic, cultural and political achievements of women. The first International Women’s Day (IWD) was celebrated in 1913 when the women of Russia campaigned for peace on the eve of World War I. Today, it is often recognized by local activities, rallies, conferences, gifts, and the colors purple and green–symbolizing justice, dignity, and hope.
IWD also falls within Women in Construction (WIC) Week! This time is set aside, each year, to continue to raise awareness of the increased role and opportunities for women in the construction industry. We are proud of and thankful for the women at Gaughan and the hard work that they do!
Team Building Brings Big Thrills
Every year, Gaughan Companies hosts an annual team building event for all of its employees. This year, we took a day during the week to go to Big Thrill Factory in Oakdale with the whole company.
After an address from the company president, Patrick Gaughan, the attendees ate lunch and gathered into smaller groups in order to connect one-on-one with their coworkers. Our staff is growing, and with many of them at locations throughout the Twin Cities, it is important for us to take the time for these team building activities.
We participated in activities like go karts, laser tag, a ropes course, indoor zip line, and other events, like the Gaughan Jeopardy game. The atmosphere was filled with good spirits and friendly competition!
We appreciate our employees and all that they do for our company and our community. We are blessed to have a wonderful group to work with!
Gaughan Associate Elected to Chamber Board
Dave Galleberg, Commercial Brokerage Associate at Gaughan Companies, was elected as a board member of the MetroNorth Chamber of Commerce on December 7, 2017 at the Merry & Bright Winter Gala. Dave and the Gaughan Companies are grateful to serve on the board and help the local business community on the north side of the Twin Cities metro area.
Compass Early Learning Celebrates Grand Opening
We would like to extend our congratulations and a warm welcome to Compass Early Learning, our newest tenant! Their grand opening was held on Tuesday, October 3, and was a great success!
Located in Coon Rapids, this is the first location for the early childhood education center. They are currently enrolling children from infants to preK. Each room at the center has a focus on a different subject, including Music and Movement, S.T.E.M. (Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math), Art and Dramatic Play. The children will rotate to different rooms for experience with each subject and will have a homeroom to come back to. By doing this, they will have a sense of routine and will be able to develop social skills and friendships with the others in their homeroom.
The owners, Amy Steiner and Ginger Olson, both have backgrounds in early childhood learning and are passionate about providing a stable and well-rounded learning environment for children. Both owners grew up in Coon Rapids, so this location is dear to their hearts. Amy said, “It felt like coming home.”
To learn more about Compass Early Learning, visit their website at www.compassearlylearningmn.com.
Gaughan Sells Coon Rapids R&D Building for $3.89M (Finance and Commerce)
Gaughan Companies had a great relationship with Bayer Medical and Boston Scientific. We are grateful that commercial real estate development is on the rise, and we’re excited to bring new product to the market.
Gaughan Sells Coon Rapids R&D Building for $3.8M
9055 Evergreen Blvd., Coon Rapids
Description: 50,528-square-foot Class B flex research and development building, built in 1987 on 4.5 acres at 9055 Evergreen Blvd., Coon Rapids
Buyer: Conforti Holdings LLC, Coon Rapids
Seller: 9055 Building LLP, an entity of Gaughan Cos., Forest Lake
Purchase price: $3.885 million, with a $1.81 million down payment and new financing
Price per square foot: $76.89
The transaction: Forest Lake-based Gaughan Cos. has sold a Coon Rapids investment property it has held for two decades for $3.89 million to a new owner-user.
Conforti Holdings LLC closed July 20 on the purchase of the 50,528-square-foot Class B flex research and development building at 9055 Evergreen Blvd. The seller was 9055 Building LLP, the same Gaughan entity that bought the building for $1.5 million in 1995. The current price works out to $76.89 per square foot. Dan Hebert of Gaughan represented the company in the sale. Hebert wasn’t available this week, but company officials confirmed the sale. They noted the building was occupied over the years by Possis Medical, Bayer Medical and Boston Scientific. They declined to identify the buyer, but confirmed it is an owner-user.
Gaughan officials say they are liquidating some of the company’s older assets to generate cash for new development projects.
In July, Gaughan closed on the $1.2 million purchase of two properties at 304-308 Snelling Ave. N. in St. Paul, where it plans to build Liffey on Snelling, a 60-unit luxury apartment building.
Eric Batiza, vice president in the Minneapolis office of Colliers International, represented the buyer of the Coon Rapids building. He identified the new owner only as a Twin Cities company in need of a larger space. He declined to comment further.
Last sale: Seller paid $1.5 million in 1995
Property ID: 36-31-24-24-0014
(From Finance and Commerce)
Gaughan Tech Talk: Air Conditioner Care
Now that warm weather is approaching, it’ll soon be time to turn on the air conditioner. Here are a few tips on air conditioner care so you can keep your A/C in top working condition.
- Replace the pleated air filter every 3 months.
- Remove any sticks, leaves, grass, etc. from the condenser unit located outside. Debris on the outside of the unit will drastically affect performance. (I recommend an annual cleaning by an HVAC technician.)
- To clean the outside of the unit, use a little car polish on the box; that will shine it up. On the inside of the unit, a water hose and coil cleaner are used to clean the condenser coil.
- Do not cover the condenser with a cover or tarp in the off season. This will hold in moisture.
- Indoors, check the evaporator drain line to make sure it isn’t plugged. This removes condensation from the air handler, and it must be kept clear.
- It is a good idea to change the thermostat batteries at the start of every cooling season.
These are just a few things you can do to help your air conditioner run efficiently this season.
Gaughan Roofing Tech Talk: Downspout Problems
Although the snow can be beautiful, Minnesota winters can cause a lot of damage to a property. Avoid downspout problems through upkeep of all gutters and downspouts. It will minimize the negative effects of winter on a property’s outside drainage system.
Here are a few upkeep tips:
- Twice a year do routine inspections of roof-to-ground downspouts.
- Inspect general operation; clean out sticks and debris stuck in downspouts.
- Check straps. Are they still secured to the wall? Are screws missing?
- Are they damaged to a point that a new full or partial downspout is required?
- Get these repaired or replaced as soon as possible to avoid other associated problems.
Commercial Real Estate Market Statistics: A Summary of 2016 and a Look Toward 2017
2016 was a hot market year for Commercial Real Estate. Thousands of new jobs were created that are having a dynamic impact on our industry and consumer spending continues to rise.
2017 is looking bright as we head into the New Year, and we are excited to see continued growth from business investments, exports, reconstruction and supply chains.
Here’s a brief look back into 2016 and a projection of what’s to come in 2017.
2016
- Third quarter results show that personal consumer spending rose at an annual rate of 2.1 percent. Most of the spending was on goods and services.
- Export activity increased, which means that companies are coming closer to their goal of serving global markets.
- Business investments are up by 5.4 percent. Owners are interested in growing their businesses and are willing to take more monetary risks right now.
- 619,000 jobs were created. Of those, 28,100 were in warehouse employment. The retail sector added 51,200 jobs and the wholesale trade industry gained 18,300 jobs.
- Demand for industrial properties rose, while older properties such as malls and community centers often remained empty.
- Office and retail space building and leasing remain stagnant as business owners are turning their attention to industrial space.
2017
- The national unemployment rate is under 5 percent. This will allow companies to be more profitable since they have enough workers to commit to their production lines and run their office operations. Low unemployment rates also benefit every other industry because these individuals will keep buying goods and services, in turn, balancing out the old economic scale of supply versus demand.
- There will be a small increase in the need for apartments and senior housing as millennials and baby boomers seek to settle into properties that are not single family dwellings.
- An increase in the need for retail and office space is expected, as business owners take more risks and add products and services to their offerings.
- Investor spending by business owners located outside of the U.S. is expected to increase due to the low lending rates and new opportunities afforded them in this country.
- Old malls and dated commercial properties will be re-purposed, turning into classrooms, last mile supply warehouses, expanding city government offices, and possibly new places for entertainment such as kid’s play zones, bowling alleys, and other family-oriented entertainment centers.
- Lower energy prices will continue to be a factor as companies are able to spend less on operations and more on bringing products and services into an area.
Although 2017 seems brighter, there is still work to be done in each community in order to fully restore economic prosperity. Gaughan Companies is excited for these new opportunities, and we look forward to working with you to meet all of your commercial real estate needs.
-Patrick Gaughan
Employee Attraction and Retention Tools
We all know someone who loves or hates their workplace. Every day, thousands of workers quit one job only to rush to another one for any number of reasons. Let’s take a look at what companies are doing to attract and retain talent.
Most people think of money when they consider a new job. Questions often pondered are, “Will this increase in salary improve my living conditions,” or maybe, “Will this new salary be enough to support a move to the neighborhood I’m eyeing?”
Although salary is a huge draw, there are many other things that companies are using to lure the best talent. After a prospective employee is decided upon, the company will consider where that future employee is currently living. If he or she isn’t within an hour’s drive of the office, it’s time to consider a relocation package.
A good relocation package will pay for a percentage of closing costs on both the old home and the new one. It will often pay for movers, and if the employee needs to report onsite before his or her family can arrive, then the company may also pay for temporary housing.
In addition to these items, a company needs to consider the overall health and well-being of the employee. Paid time off, offering good medical insurance, dental and vision, short and long term disability plans, profit sharing and 401K plans should be part of each company’s benefits package.
Some companies are large enough to include a workout area in their plaza. Others may staff this area with health and fitness promotion workers who can offer suggestions for diet and workout programs in order to improve the health of the employees.
After the employee is acclimated to the new job, a challenge lies in trying to keep the employee happy at work. A good company recognizes that their workers are human and that things come up, such as having a child get sick or repairs needing to be done at home.
Flex time or telecommuting is a nice plus. Some employees can’t always be at the office from 8-5. If management can offer a small flex work or telecommuting schedule, the employee can still see to his or her personal needs without having to call in or take a personal vacation day.
Having a great relationship with an immediate supervisor and manager is key to an employee’s happiness. A good company will empower an employee to make certain business decisions up to a point. If a supervisor needs to have the final word, then it’s important that this person be accessible whenever needed. It’s also important that the supervisor supports the employee when dealing with other in-house departments and the public.
In addition, the best companies go a step further and reward employees who put forth their best efforts. If an annual bonus is offered, it is often based on performance review. A good company will hold weekly one-on-ones between supervisor and employee so that the employee understands how well he or she is doing in the position.
Besides an annual bonus, a company that focuses on employee retention may also have programs such as internal recognition or employee recognition day. These companies also realize that if it’s possible to promote within, then they should do so. Otherwise, their employees may feel that they’ve been overlooked and will want to head for another place where they will feel appreciated.
Finally, continuous improvement is another effective employee retention tool. A company may offer to pay a part or the entirety of classes at the college level that will aid a worker in his or her job. The company will also offer in-house training and some will even give workers a chance to take classes on-site or intern in other departments for a few weeks.
Changing jobs or keeping the one you have is always challenging. Everyone wants to make sure that he or she is getting the most value in exchange for his or her efforts. The best companies will recognize and respond to this and will go out of their way to promote employee retention. As a result, their bottom line looks great and their workers are happy, which creates a positive workplace.
Gaughan Companies is committed to building strong communities and creating good relationships within those communities. That includes our workplace. Our core values are honesty / integrity, priority focused / accountable, positive / solution-based, strong communication, and hardworking.
-Patrick Gaughan
