Here's looking at you, 2014
W
elcome to the first issue of the new year! I’m all for the shiny, new possibility that comes with a new year — I mean, the Arizona Center for Law and Society rendering you see on the cover is going to be not only a valuable asset to the community as a large nonprofit law firm and learning facility but also a really great spot to take my lunch breaks. However, after talking to a few of the industry’s movers and shakers for this year’s annual commercial real estate outlook, it seems more appropriate to greet 2014 with: “In with the old!” Shopping centers all over Arizona are getting longoverdue makeovers to match the changing times, as you can read all about in our International Council of Shopping Centers section. GPEC's Barry Broome also calls for creative and bold minds to take on challenging in-fill projects through downtown Phoenix in the outlook. Within the next 40 pages, you’ll read about great projects in the pipeline and get acquainted with companies worth watching over the next 12 months in our "40 Companies to Watch" feature. We also interview some people who we think will do great things; check out our Q-and-A with the first female NAIOP chairman in Arizona, Liberty Property Trust’s Megan Creecy-Herman. And, before I go, I want to wish you all health and happiness in 2014. I'm excited to see what's in store.
President and CEO: Michael Atkinson Publisher: Cheryl Green Vice president of operations: Audrey Webb EDITORIAL Editor in chief: Michael Gossie Associate editor: Amanda Ventura Interns: Lauren Gephart | Sara Healy | Meg Krivanec | Alexa Renfroe ART Art director: Mike Mertes Graphic designer: Lillian Reid DIGITAL MEDIA Digital manager: Perri Collins Web developer: Eric Shepperd MARKETING/EVENTS Manager: Whitney Fletcher AZRE | Arizona Commercial Real Estate Director of sales: Steve Koslowski OFFICE Special projects manager: Sara Fregapane Executive assistant: Mayra Rivera Database solutions manager: Cindy Johnson Az BUSINESS MAGAZINE Senior account manager: David Harken Account managers: Ann McSherry | Shannon Spigelman AZ BUSINESS LEADERS Director of sales: Jeff Craig RANKING ARIZONA Director of sales: Sheri King Scottsdale Living Director of sales: Marianne Avila EXPERIENCE ARIZONA | Play Ball Director of sales and marketing: Zoe Terrill AZ BIG MEDIA EXPOS SCOTTSDALE HOME & GARDEN SHOW/MARCH SCOTTSDALE HOME & GARDEN SHOW/NOVEMBER Exhibit directors: Kerri Blumsack | Tina Robinson
Enjoy the issue,
Amanda Ventura Associate editor, AZRE amanda.ventura@azbigmedia.com 2 | January-February 2014
AZRE: Arizona Commercial Real Estate is published bi-monthly by AZ BIG Media, 3101 N. Central Ave., Suite 1070, Phoenix, Arizona 85012, (602) 277-6045. The publisher accepts no responsibility for unsolicited manuscripts, photographs or artwork. Submissions will not be returned unless accompanied by a SASE. Single copy price $3.95. Bulk rates available. ©2013 by AZ BIG Media. All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording or by any information storage and retrieval system, without permission in writing from AZ BIG Media. CORRECTION: In the top office leases list in the “Big Deals” section of the November issue, the tenant broker for the Discovery Business Campus was incorrectly identified. It should have listed John Pierson of Jones Lang LaSalle.