CarterBlog

Carter Interiors Team Volunteers to Support U.S. Troops

By Sarah Peddar, Business Development Manager, Carter

ATLANTA (Jan. 9, 2011) - Last week, the Carter Interior Project Management Team rolled up their sleeves and volunteered to support the USO on one of the nonprofit’s busiest days. 

Nearly 7,000 troops traveled through the Atlanta airport on Jan. 4 as they returned from holiday leave with their families. Buses picked up troops at the airport and headed to Georgia’s Fort Benning and Fort Gordon for training.

Furman Wood, long-time USO supporter and Managing Partner at Commercial Property Professionals, organized a 24-hour event where volunteers welcomed service men and women to Atlanta and helped support the USO’s mission. Jennie Rusciano, Allison Cummins and I staffed the event from 8 p.m. to midnight by checking-in troops and handing out meals.

Earlier in the day the entire Interiors Team met at Nan Loudon’s house to prepare 200 of these meals that included a turkey or ham sandwich, chips, a cookie and of course some Carter mints! The team even used their design background to decorate the bags.

That evening Nan Loudon and Amy Hunt both flew out of the Atlanta airport to attend meetings for a project Carter is working on with Starwood Vacation Ownership in Orlando, Fla.

“There were troops everywhere and I was so proud of our group for getting involved in the cause,” said Loudon. “Not only did we do a small piece to thank our troops for their service, we also had an opportunity to draw closer as a team.”

From left: Carey Poole, Nan Loudon, Diana Bradley, Shannon Kitzrow, Jennie Rusciano, Amy Hunt, Allison Cummins, Donna West, Sarah Peddar

More about the Interior Project Management Team

The Carter Interior Project Management team actively manages every aspect of our clients’ interior projects, including build-outs and renovations. Delivering over one million square feet of space each year, our team has a broad range of experience in a variety of product types and client situations. Our services include: strategic planning, work letter negotiations, budget and schedule development, design and construction management, bid and procurement services, furniture and equipment management, and relocation services. With several LEED- and Green Globe-certified interior projects, we are experts in creating sustainable interior environments. The team recently completed projects for: 22squared, King & Spalding, Starwood Vacation Ownership and Windham Brannon.

 

Carter Pursuing $500 Million in Development, Investments

Firm’s Focus Centers on Multifamily, Student Housing Projects and Office Investments

ATLANTA (Dec. 8, 2011) - With the sale of its brokerage and property management groups complete, Carter is focusing on new investment and development opportunities as well as growing its program management and strategic consulting groups.

Moving forward, Carter will leverage its 54-year-old brand to create value through its strong relationships. Specifically, Carter is focusing its efforts on the:

• Development of mixed-use and for-rent multifamily projects in urban infill locations.
• Equity development of student housing.
• Acquisition of opportunistic and value-add investments in office.
• Growing its well-established project management and strategic consulting businesses.

The firm’s more than 100 high-caliber associates will serve clients using a high-performance team-based approach that results in delivering maximum value for our clients and investors. This approach allows Carter to leverage the firm’s strong expertise and deep knowledge base in a wide variety of markets and product types.

“The sale of our brokerage services and property management businesses marks a milestone for Carter,” Chairman and CEO Bob Peterson said. “This transaction was a major step for us in executing our strategy to narrow Carter’s focus on building high-quality projects, investing in real estate and providing strategic solutions to our clients.”

Carter’s development business expects new opportunities to emerge as corporate and educational development begins to rebound. Carter is the No. 3 commercial developer in the United States, as ranked by National Real Estate Investor, and currently is overseeing The Banks, one of the largest mixed-use projects in the Midwest. Carter is master developer of The Banks, a $600 million development on the Ohio River in Downtown Cincinnati, Ohio. Late last month, Carter announced plans to double the size of the retail and multifamily components along with new marketing efforts for the proposed office component.

In the K-12 education realm, Carter is currently overseeing a $107 million public school building program in Enid, Okla.

The firm’s Interiors group continues to be a leading third-party provider to top law and financial firms and grown its business well beyond Atlanta. The Interiors group currently has more than 500,000 square feet under construction for clients such as AT&T, RockTenn and Starwood Vacation Ownership.

Carter’s Higher Education and Campus Innovation team is currently leading a $100 million program at the University of Louisiana Lafayette that comprises 2,000 beds and 900 structured parking spaces.

“Our 54-year history of development across the Southeast and beyond positions Carter to take full advantage of new development opportunities,” said Carter President Scott Taylor. “Our Development group is well positioned when it comes to developing and building out corporate, institutional and educational buildings and facilities.”

Carter’s Investments group is actively seeking new opportunities across the country. Vice Chairman Jim Shelton, who leads Carter’s Investments group, said he expects to see more high-quality assets to come to the market at distressed prices. Carter recently invested in City Federal condominiums in Birmingham, Ala., and Valencia condominiums in Ponte Vedra, Fla., and played a key role on Piedmont Office Realty Trust’s acquisition of The Medici office building in Atlanta.

The firm also serves as a service provider to Carter Validus Mission Critical REIT, which is focused on acquiring mission critical facilities such as data centers and healthcare facilities. John Carter, a Carter vice chairman, serves as CEO of Carter Validus Mission Critical REIT.

In other areas, Carter’s strategic consulting group has performed advisory assignments for seven major clients in 2011 alone. Carter will continue to deliver high-quality service and results from its asset management division, which oversees more than $2.5 billion of third-party and Carter-owned properties.

“Moving forward, you will see Carter aggressively leveraging our thought leadership and experience to pursue and participate in high-quality developments and investments on behalf of our firm and our clients,” Carter’s Peterson said. “We will do this while continuing to build on our core values of integrity, commitment and excellence.”

About Carter

Founded in 1958, Carter is one of the country's leading real estate development, investment, and advisory firms. The firm has headquarters in Atlanta and operations across the country. Carter focuses on development of mixed-use and multifamily projects in urban infill locations, equity development of student housing, acquisition of opportunistic office, project management and strategic consulting. Carter’s high-caliber associates create value for clients using a team-based approach that leverages strong expertise and a deep knowledge base in a wide variety of markets. Carter is the country’s third-largest commercial developer, according to National Real Estate Investor, with strong higher education, k-12, interiors, and corporate specialty practices. Carter also focuses on value-add real estate investment opportunities, currently overseeing a $550 million portfolio. Carter’s asset management division manages more than $2.5 billion of third-party and Carter-owned assets. Its strategic consulting practice provides clients with customized real estate solutions. As it has for 54 years, Carter will continue to build on the firm’s core values of integrity, commitment and excellence and strive for a culture based on trust and candor. For additional information on Carter, please visit http://www.carterusa.com.

 

A Successful Finale to Carter’s College Football Pick’em Pool!

By Sarah Peddar, business development manager, Carter

ATLANTA (Dec. 2, 2011) - Congratulations to Carl Mullins of CBRE for winning Carter’s First Annual College Football Pick’em Pool! With 97 wins throughout the 13-week season, Mullins surpassed the other 60 players and scored a pair of tickets to the SEC Championship Game tomorrow at the Dome. He is a dedicated and loyal Dawgs fan, so we wish him the best of luck as his team takes on the Cajun Tigers.

If you didn’t participate in this year’s pool, you missed out. Hosted by the Interior Project Management Team, the season kicked off at Five Paces with a happy hour event where guests (mostly commercial real estate brokers) met the Interiors team and signed-up to participate in the pick’em pool.

Each week participants logged into the customized pool website and picked winners based on the spread for the 12 games of the week.  A weekly winner was awarded a $25 American Express gift card for making exceptional picks, which led up to the final prize of the SEC Championship tickets.

Mullins had nothing but great things to say about the pool when I went to deliver the tickets, (granted, I was holding his coveted SEC tickets in my hand). He found the weekly recap emails, which consisted of key highlights from the previous weeks games and entertaining YouTube clips, to be a fun read and he complimented us on the event’s overall organization.

The first annual pool was a great opportunity for me to meet many of you!  Since Carter sold its property management and brokerage businesses to Cassidy Turley in September, there has been some confusion in the marketplace. This program provided Carter with a platform to let the commercial real estate community know our interiors team is still busy and strong, and we can team with any brokerage house. We have a proven process that is customized for each project, and appreciate any opportunity to present our skills and support the brokers’ efforts to maintain long lasting relationships with their clients. 

I would like to offer a special thanks to everyone who participated in our pool, I hope you enjoyed it as much as I did. We are looking forward to stirring up the college rivalry again in 2012, in addition to a number of other exciting events. Stay tuned!

 

Who said golf is for men?

By Sarah Peddar, business development manager, Carter

ATLANTA (Nov. 11, 2011) - Last week, the Carter Interior Project Management team held the final in a series of golf clinics, and eight successful Atlanta businesswomen took a swing. The golf-skills series, “Tee up with the Pros,” was a four-week clinic for female brokers, followed by a final scramble match led by head golf professionals at Ansley Golf Club in Atlanta.

Not only have these women realized the importance of knowing how to play in a sport typically dominated by men, they understand the importance golf has in the business world. From networking to developing personal relationships, the female golfers who participated in Carter’s clinics understand a lack of golfing expertise puts them at a disadvantage. Real estate is a relationship business, and it’s vital to form, fortify and nurture relationships. Playing 18 holes with clients and colleagues is the perfect forum.

When the clinic series began, a handful of attendees had never picked up a club or even stepped foot on a golf course. Coming out and playing each week was not only educational, but also a fun social event for these real estate gurus.

After the clinic each week, the golfers joined the Carter Interior Project Management team for cocktails and hors d’oeuvres in the clubhouse. Members of this tight-knit group of brokers and associates have become more than just networking buddies. We've been able to get to know each other on a personal level and become friends.

The Carter Interiors golf scramble turned out to be a pleasurable four hours of golf, cocktails and socializing. I can confidently say these women are well prepared for networking on the course and have definitely proved golf isn’t just the “businessman’s” sport.

 

Carter and Starwood Vacation Ownership Celebrate Seven Years and Counting

By Sarah Peddar, business development manager, Carter

ORLANDO, Fla. (Oct. 27, 2011) -Carter associates Amy Hunt and Nan Loudon of the Interior Project Team recently hosted a group of 15 at Ocean Prime in Orlando, Fla., to celebrate the seven-year relationship between Carter and the Starwood Vacation Ownership facilities group. The get-together also recognized the recent completion of the Sheraton Vistana Resort project. 

Guests enjoyed cocktails on the terrace, followed by a delicious meal of steak and seafood. Conversation centered around a timeline displayed on the wall of the Carter/SVO relationship history. Highlights included completed projects and memorable moments, one of the most entertaining being the story of a wild chicken attacking one of the team members while on location in St. John!

One of Hunt’s primary focuses over the past few years was the Sheraton Vistana Resort project. SVR’s renovations spanned from September 2007 through September 2011 and encompassed 1,682 renovated units benefiting 85,782 owners. Since the completion, SVR has become one of the top five ranked vacation ownership properties in the SVO portfolio. They have seen a 23 percent decrease in energy consumption and most recently received an award for leadership in energy efficiency, making it the most energy efficient property in the Starwood Hotel group.

The longstanding relationship between these two organizations began in 2004, when Carter was hired to manage SVO’s corporate campus build-out and relocation. This evolved into work with their vacation ownership properties and now the relationship continues with several new projects forecasted for 2012 and 2013. As evidence of how in-sync Carter and SVO are, both teams covertly planned to present each other with a commemorative memento honoring the SVR completion – both were small Lucite blocks with the project dates and team logos! 

Hunt acknowledges how much she likes working with this group, “It is a fun departure from interior commercial renovations, and I enjoy being part of the team that enhances so many vacation experiences through the improvements at resorts like SVR,” she said.

 

Kilpatrick Townsend & Stockton’s Renovated Atlanta Office

ATLANTA (Oct. 14, 2011) -The Carter Interiors Project Team recently completed a restack consolidation for Kilpatrick Townsend & Stockton, LLP at 1100 Peachtree. The restack involved the 227,000 square feet the law firm now occupies on 11 floors at 1100 Peachtree.

Cooper Carry designed the space. The design firm did an excellent job of maintaining the fine finishes that had been put in place 20 years ago while still updating the space with a flexible core configuration using DIRTT demountable system walls and more contemporary, simplified finishes. 

Check out new photography of the space below!

The Carter Interiors Project Team

The Carter Interiors Project Team actively manages every aspect of clients’ interior projects, including build-outs and renovations. Delivering one million square feet each year, the team has a broad range of experience in a large variety of product types and client situations. With several LEED- and Green Globe-certified interiors projects, the team members are experts in creating sustainable interior environments. By maintaining a laser focus on their clients’ goals and objectives, they allow clients to spend their time on their core business.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

College Football Kickoff with Carter’s Interiors Team

By Sarah Peddar, business development manager, Carter

ATLANTA (Aug. 26, 2011) - Wednesday night at Five Paces was hopping with commercial real estate brokers. Carter’s Interior Project Management team hosted a party to kickoff the college football season and share some information about the group’s capabilities and recent projects. While 75 guests enjoyed networking, chicken strips from Chick-fil-A and free beer, attendees also signed up for “Carter’s College Football Pick’Em Challenge” to compete all season long for the grand prize of SEC Championship Game tickets. Carter even gave away an iPad2 during the evening’s drawing. Congrats to the lucky winner, Stephen Clifton with PM Realty Group!

Check out some of the great photos and event coverage in today’s Bisnow Atlanta. If you weren’t there you missed out on a great time! (From left: Granite Properties' John Robbins, Newmark Knight Frank's John Poulos, Carter's Sarah Peddar and VeenendaalCave's Ed Cave)

More about the Interior Project Management Team

Carter's Interior Project Management team actively manages every aspect of our clients’ interior projects, including build-outs and renovations. Delivering over one million square feet of space each year, our team has a broad range of experience in a variety of product types and client situations. Our services include: strategic planning, work letter negotiations, budget and schedule development, design and construction management, bid and procurement services, furniture and equipment management, and relocation services. With several LEED- and Green Globe-certified interior projects, we are experts in creating sustainable interior environments. The team recently completed projects for: 22squared, King & Spalding, Starwood Vacation Ownership and Windham Brannon.

 

Windham Brannon, P.C. Moves into New Home at 3630 Peachtree

By Mary Kathryn Kennon, marketing coordinator, Carter

ATLANTA (Aug. 17, 2011) - Windham Brannon, P.C. has 150 employees settling into their new 35,000-square-foot home in 3630 Peachtree. Back in April, we reported that Carter's Dale Lewis represented Windham Brannon in finding the firm's new location and signing a 12-year, six-month lease.  The accounting firm then began the search for a project management firm to manage the design, construction and relocation for their new offices. The firm needed to consolidate two separate offices into one location in a short timeframe. Due to Carter's industry knowledge and tailored delivery process, Carter's Interiors Project Management Team was selected as the right group for the job. Senior Vice President, Nan Loudon, and Senior Project Manager, Donna West, from Carter headed up the project. Carter Vice President, Carey Poole, also played an instrumental role in the furniture evaluation, selection and procurement process.

Carter was hired on April 4, 2011 and within a week the balance of the project team was selected. Construction documents were completed by mid-May and construction commenced on June 1. The build-out was complete on Aug. 5 and Windham Brannon's first day of business in their new space was Aug. 8.  

The entire Cater team was responsible for delivering the project within Windham Brannon’s desired schedule. The typical timeframe to obtain a permit for this size project is between three and four weeks. Dale Lewis contacted the Atlanta Development Authority to ask for assistance on obtaining a permit quickly based on Windham Brannon's ability to add new jobs in the city of Atlanta. The interiors team was able to meet with ADA and the Bureau of Buildings at The City of Atlanta to discuss the project and request expediting the permit process. As a result, Carter obtained the permit in two weeks.

From team selection to move-in, Carter completed the project in 124 days. The client's ability to streamline the decision making process, eliminated initial concerns on the short time frame.  Carter delivered Windham Brannon’s vision, objectives were accomplished and expectations were exceeded. This certainly shows what can happen when there is a good team in place working towards a common goal.

Check out pictures of the renovated interiors. Congratulations to Windham Brannon on its new Atlanta home!

Carter Makes Starwood's Vision a Realty

By: Amy Hunt, senior project manager at Carter

Carter provides project management support for Starwood Vacation Ownership for both corporate and resort end-users. We strategize with the facilities management team to balance multiple projects running concurrently at several properties covering a footprint from Hawaii to the US Virgin Islands.

Carter’s relationship with Starwood Vacation Ownership began in 2004 when we were hired to manage the design and construction of SVO’s regional office in Orlando, Fla. In 2007, Carter segued into the hospitality market by providing project management services to the Starwood team with a renovation project in Orlando at their original vacation ownership property, Sheraton Vistana Resort. This property contains 1,682 vacation ownership units ranging from 450 square foot studio villas to 1,200 square foot two-bedroom town homes.

The Sheraton Vistana Resort project includes nine phases of renovation including exterior painting, replacing HVAC systems, complete interior renovation, and design, fabrication and installation of custom interior furnishings. On average, the renovation team completes more than 42 units per month.

The Sheraton Vistana Resort project will be complete in August 2011. To date at this resort, approximately 84,100 vacationers have had an enhanced experience as a result of these recent improvements.

Although the technical expertise and vendor resources in the hospitality market differ from commercial office projects, Carter has demonstrated that their process management and strategic approach is customizable for successful results across different markets.

Carter has established a consistent and important partnership with Starwood Vacation Ownership and we look forward to strengthening this relationship as we continue to work with the company’s various properties in Colorado, Florida, Hawaii, South Carolina and the U.S. Virgin Islands.

Amy Hunt joined Carter in 2005 with an extensive background in managing and coordinating interior construction projects. She has experience in managing a wide range of projects including Class-A corporate office, warehouse, medical facilities and hospitality resorts.

 

NeoCon 2010 Filled with Innovative Workspace Ideas

By Carey Poole, Vice President, Interiors Project Management team

NeoCon, the annual contract furniture market, took place earlier this month at The Merchandise Mart Chicago. To the surprise of many, attendance at the conference was not dismal and appeared to be up from last year though still off from the mid-2000s.

 It seemed that most everyone was offering their version of “benching” as workstation configurations. If low panel set-ups scared some before, these benching systems work off virtually no panels at all. The idea is to maximize the amount of space per person by offering only the required paper and personal storage. Emphasis has been placed on work tools that support technology. Monitor arms for single or multiple  monitors as well as adjustable armed LED task lighting were supported in just about every vignette.

There were several seating introductions. Paoli introduced a comfortable and visually appealing conference chair. This “Svelte” chair was particularly comfortable on the showroom floor in leather. Haworth’s “Very” task chair offers task seating with arguably the same comfort level as the popular “Zody” task chair with a few less options and about $100 less. Geiger and Bernhardt introduced attractive wood guest chairs while Steelcase showed an exciting option for classroom seating called the “Node” chair.  The Node is available with or without a tablet arm and offers various accommodations for the wiggly learner.  

The fabric introductions were beautiful. Many manufacturers drew their inspirations from the fashion world including Designtex and Knoll.  There were several wool fabrics shown – the ultimate in sustainable fabrics.  For flooring, InterfaceFlor’s Memphis to Milan was a fun, also sustainable introduction.  Shaw Contract, along with several others, introduced an 18 inch-by-36 inch tile to further the design and give more options.

Overall, there seemed to be a vibe of cautious encouragement.  We even had to wait for an elevator a few times this year.

 

Carey Poole brings more than 25 years of interior design and management experience to Carter's Interiors Project Management and Relocation Services group and has designed and managed a diverse set of projects ranging in size from 3,000 square feet up to 1 million square feet. She is well-versed in programming, space planning, furniture integration and layout, budget consulting, personnel management and contract negotiations with added experience in strategic and long-term planning and forecasting with added time spent in both first and second generation space up-fitting. In addition to two undergraduate degrees, Carey holds the National Council for Interior Design Qualifications accreditation and has been active in the Atlanta community through IFMA, the Make-A-Wish Foundation and the Junior League of Atlanta.