All posts by : Nicole Horton

BR Wealth Management

Most of the time, when wealth management is mentioned, the first thought that comes to mind is managing portfolios. That is not the case at BR Wealth Management. Managing Principal of BRWM Brian Randolph and Client Associate Hailey Duncan sat down with OEC to discuss how their exciting new office project is setting their business up for success.

What Makes BR Wealth Management Unique

Unlike most financial advisory firms, BRWM focuses on blending investment management with financial planning. “We call the combination of those two pieces wealth management, and that combination gives our clients the best financial outcome,” says Brian. For anyone walking in their door for the first time, BRWM has a solution that fits everyone’s needs. However, they first ensure they are the right fit by learning about the client’s goals, objectives, and concerns before developing a plan to help. The company is unique in its multi-generation aspect of wealth management. “Most of our clients are second or third-generation clients, and we hope to be a quasi-family office for them and their future generations.”

Teamwork plays a critical role at BRWM. While each member of the six-person staff has a different specialty, they all work together to serve a family unit. This collaboration allows them to give their clients the best service possible and makes the staff feel like one big family.

A Blessing In Disguise

What BRWM did not expect recently was the sudden need to move that family to a new location. “Our lease was ending,” says Hailey, “and we had to find a new location quickly. However, what started with a move based on necessity quickly became an opportunity to design a space that better fit our needs. It was a blessing in disguise.” Fortunately, the new space offered BRWM a clean palate. “I wanted a welcoming space that felt like home but was still a great place to work. We wanted more open space, light, plants, comfortable seating, and individual spaces for people to work privately or collaborate in the open. Cailey [Workplace Consultant] and the OEC team helped us flush that out,” says Brian.

The company was working under a tight timeline, but with Cailey’s help, they met all their deadlines.

What started as a potentially stressful experience was quickly fixed by Cailey and OEC.

Hailey Duncan, Client Associate

Hailey shares, “Cailey covered the different types of furniture we needed and showed us all the possible finishes. We landed on some light veneer for our desking and a lot of blue, soft seating that looks
modern and reflects our branding.”

The Difference Between Offices

The old space BRWM worked in was old, dated, and had the classic wealth management feel with dark colors and rich mahogany. While the offices are roughly the same size, the new layout gives staff privacy within their own offices as well as conference rooms and spaces for open collaboration. One such space, the lounge, is Hailey’s personal favorite, while Brian loves the informal conference room.

Fortunately for me, helping clients meet their financial goals is my passion, so this job doesn’t feel like work. Being in this space is great because it’s both welcoming to older generations and innovative and fun enough for younger ones.”

Brian Randolph: Managing Principal

Ready For Growth

Now that they are settling into their beautiful new office, BRWM is ready to dive into growth mode. “Our main focus for the next decade-plus is on growth and continuing to serve our multiple generations of clients,” Brian shares. “Fortunately for me, helping clients meet their financial goals is my passion, so this job doesn’t feel like work. Being in this space is great because it’s both welcoming to older generations and innovative and fun enough for younger ones. It brings in the technology we need for conference calls and the comfort of having casual conversations and sometimes heated or difficult conversations about the decisions clients need to make over time. This is a great space, and we’re looking forward to growing in it while we help our clients reach their goals.”

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What should be an organization’s goal when developing collaboration spaces? At OEC technology, we believe the most important part of installing new technology is ensuring employees understand and use it easily. If your room is too complicated, it won’t get used, hurting your business.

BYOM Offers Flexibility

With simplicity and ease of use being the goal, BYOM or “Bring Your Own Meeting” is essential in any organization. Why? BYOM simplifies complex control systems by running all the technology in a room with a single laptop. This allows employees to run any meeting from their device, regardless of the meeting type. This flexibility is important because employees are comfortable and in control when hosting a meeting using their devices. Employees in control are more effective and more inclined to collaborate in hybrid meeting environments.

What to consider when selecting technology:

• Standardization + BYOM
• BYOM Exclusively
• Cost for Each System

The Importance of Standardizing

While BYOM offers flexibility, standardizing on one operating system like Microsoft Teams or Zoom is still a good idea. The main benefits of standardization include ease of training staff to use a single system and IT management of that system. Training a team and managing licenses for a system is much easier if standardized. The primary drivers of standardization are current limitations on technology. While collaboration room technology is improving, it still lacks the ability to flip between platforms. While you may like both Teams and Zoom, the camera bars on the market cannot support both simultaneously. To create the best experience, choosing one is crucial.

BYOM + Standardization

To circumvent this flip issue, standardization in conjunction with BYOM gives users the best of both worlds. If a company standardizes on Teams, they can reserve a room from their calendar, share a Teams meeting, and join that meeting with one touch. If they want to reserve the room without creating a Teams meeting, the room is still reserved, but they can manually connect their device to the camera and microphone bar while hosting, say, a Zoom call. Both options allow the user to access the full functionality of the technology while supporting their precise need.

Choosing The Best Technology For You

When bringing new technology into your space, consider a few things. First, do you want to pick a platform or go BYOM for everything? This is a question about functionality and deciding what works best for your team. Second, there is a cost associated with every platform you choose, so consider how many rooms you will be supporting. Ultimately, the goal is understanding and ease of use for your teams, so choose the technology that will help you succeed.

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OEC Academy and Internships

In the summer of 2022, OEC had a problem. The summer was booked full of project installations, with too few installers to do the work. To find help fast, OEC turned to personal connections with high school students looking for a summer job. In no time, jobs were installing on time thanks to extra help from these short-term students.

Connecting With Local Schools

To avoid falling into the same situation in 2023, OEC developed a free four-month training course, “OEC Academy,” for high school students interested in the trades. Then team members from OEC construction and furniture connected with CTE instructors around the valley, inviting their students and visiting classrooms. By February, the program had students ready to learn and to vie for a paid summer internship.

OEC Academy

OEC Academy happens one night a month, and students from all over the West Ada School District gather at OEC’s downtown Boise showroom. Here, the OEC construction and furniture teams join forces to teach students everything from basic measurement and hand tools to heavy equipment, safety, how to read blueprints, and even building. Group challenges and games earn students points, and at the end of the academy, at least one participant will be offered a paid summer internship.

While this program has been an excellent way to expose high school kids to different trade options, they need more depth of experience to excel in the workplace.

Working With West Ada To Create Internships

That is why OEC asked West Ada CTE teachers what they needed to help equip students after
graduation. The teacher’s answers were loud and clear, internships. There is a big, wide world full of trades, and students need to know all their options to make their decisions easier after graduation. Internships are the perfect way for students to broaden their horizons and for businesses to find talented young workers. Through their CTE classes, many students are OSHA 30 certified, so they are already cleared to go on various job sites, making it even easier for businesses to work with them.

OEC asked West Ada CTE teachers what they needed to help equip students after graduation. The teacher’s answers were loud and clear, internships.

Real-World Experience

Through the West Ada program, companies interview students and selected them for an internship. Once selected, the students are spend certain days at a business. During those days, they go to the business for the time they would be in class. Their internship hours give them credit toward class; while they get real-world experience. Thanks to these internships, students gain exposure to multiple career options, and some even have jobs lined up after graduation.

Local Businesses Can Help

Not every child wants to go to college. Some love the hands-on problem-solving that working in the trades provides. As our community grows, we need skilled tradesmen and women to support us. Luckily, as we have learned at OEC, businesses can significantly impact raising the next generation in the trades. Whether it is creating a four-month training program like OEC Academy or partnering with a local school district, we can all make a difference in our community’s lives and economy.

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Four Generations of Grasmick Produce

“Grandchildren are a grandparent’s link to the future. Grandparents are the child’s link to the past.”

In the 1950s, Henry Grasmick and his son Dutch were potato farmers in Eastern Idaho. Together, they ran a successful farm and, on a trip to Boise, brought some potatoes with them for family. After realizing they brought too many, Dutch called Joe Albertson and offered to sell him some. Mr. Albertson accepted his offer, and an unexpected business relationship formed.

Dutch thereafter began transporting pickup loads of spuds to Boise regularly until he decided to move to Boise and start a produce distribution business. In1955, the Grasmick family rented out the basement of a bar near downtown Boise and began building the business. Henry Grasmick and his wife, Lillian Grasmick, handled the finances, while Dutch and his wife, Karleen, handled packing, sales, and distribution. Every member of the Grasmick family was involved in learning and growing the business. After moving locations a few times, Grasmick finally settled in Garden City, where it stands today.

The Fourth Generation

Angela Reed is Henry’s great-granddaughter and the fourth-generation owner of Grasmick Produce. She wears many hats at the woman-owned company and oversees a massive operation distributing produce throughout Idaho and Montana, with some activity in Wyoming, Eastern Oregon, and Washington. While the primary facility is still in Garden City, Grasmick has additional facilities in Idaho Falls, Spokane, Twin Falls, and Bozeman. On any given day, Grasmick trucks will cover hundreds of miles supplying their partners. Their headquarters alone will process over 20 truckloads of produce a week before distributing it to their partners, primarily restaurants, schools, grocery stores, and state institutions.

The Values of Grasmick Produce

While working in and out of Idaho, Grasmick is still unique in the Treasure Valley. They have been locally owned and part of the community for over 70 years. Angela quite literally grew up in the business; her playpen was where the conference room is today. She was raised not only by her mom but also by her grandparents. Angela spent time working in the warehouse after school and during the summer with her grandfather. She swept floors, cleaned out trucks, baled potatoes, and did any other needed job.

During that time, her grandfather taught her the importance of performing every job, no matter how small, so that her results exceeded expectations. By example and training, Dutch also taught Angela the importance of remembering people’s names, looking them in the eye, and being truly present in a conversation.

Dutch also taught Angela the importance of a good handshake and standing by your promises. These lessons have stuck with her ever since. “My favorite part of my job is seeing employees grow over time and push themselves to become a better version of who they are.” -Angela Reed

Beginning Renovation

When Angela left her career as an attorney to become the CEO of Grasmick, she wanted to bring who she was to the business. That started with renovating the traditional 1980s office space full of wall paneling, low ceilings, and poor lighting. Coming from a partnership at a large law firm where she had a lovely office space, Angela wanted to bring that same feel to Grasmick. She delayed the decision for a few years while getting her feet under her, but she began renovating last year.

Transforming The Space

Today’s space has with high ceilings, exposed HVAC and beams, sleek glass modular walls, branded workstations, conference rooms, and many sound clouds. Grasmick faced a unique challenge ptimizing the space for their staff, so they ended up enclosing part of a dock to make room for their 16 office staff members. Next came space planning. “My mom and I took this project on ourselves and came to Wendy (designer) and Jill (sales consultant) at OEC with a sketch of what we wanted. We soon realized we were in way over our heads and worked with them and the GC to space plan. OEC was extremely patient with us, especially when I changed my mind more than I would like to admit. They were fabulous.”

Building A Team And A Culture

With the renovation complete, the Grasmick team is loving their new space. The office staff is working well, and Angela is excited about the future. Her number one goal is to take care of her employees. She still carries her grandfather’s values with her as she continually works to build a great team, culture, and environment for everyone.

 "My favorite part of my job is seeing employees grow over time and push themselves to become a better version of who they are. Knowing I have done that is really rewarding." 

As Grasmick Produce grows in its existing service areas, reflecting on what a family can accomplish over four generations is heartwarming. And what can be more satisfying than watching a granddaughter step into her grandfather’s shoes?

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Message From The President

Building trust is important in every organization. One way to build trust is through transparency. How transparent is your leadership team?

Transparency In Leadership Workspaces

Your space can help increase transparency in an organization. One way is to literally increase transparency; in other words, build spaces where leadership team members can be seen by others during the day. This can be accomplished by placing leader’s workspaces among their team members or by separating them with glass barriers that are fully or semitransparent.

Displaying Organization Values

Another way to improve transparency is building spaces where you display your company mission, values, goals, and progress. Then reinforce these to team members. This can be done through digital signage, analog signage, whiteboards, and other similar tools that can be placed throughout the space to communicate and reinforce what is happening in the organization.

Start using your space to build transparency today! For more ideas on building transparency in your space, feel free to reach out to myself or my team anytime.

Sincerely,

Scott Galloway

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Three questions to ask when choosing the best office chair for you

Sitting – we all do it, some of us more than others. But for those who spend a lot of time working at a desk, sitting can cause a lot of discomfort and pain because, the fact is, most of us sit wrong. The human body is designed to move, but when we sit we’re often sitting in a static position for an extended period of time or adopt unhealthy habits such as slouching and that’s a problem.

Often, you’re sitting in a chair that isn’t designed to support the work you’re doing. Or, the office chair has not been properly adjusted for your body. But with so many office chairs to choose from, how do you know which chair is right for you? Here are three questions you should ask yourself when trying to find your perfect seating companion:

1. Do you usually sit for long periods of time?

The more time you spend sitting the more important it becomes to sit in a chair that provides a greater degree of ergonomic support. Whether you’re working in the office or at home, it’s important to sit in a chair that supports a healthy posture, encourages you to move and keeps you in the optimal zone for seeing and reaching your work.

2. Are you sitting at an owned workstation or shared workstation?

Fewer organizations are providing assigned desks to employees so many people will now be sitting in shared seating. That seating will most likely need adjustment. If the chair has not been adjusted properly for you, you’re likely to experience some discomfort and pain. Most people either don’t know how to adjust their chair or simply don’t like to adjust their chair. The vast majority only adjust the height and arms on their chair, but other adjustments such as the seat and back are never adjusted.

3. Do you want to be in full control of your sitting experience? Do you want to dial in the adjustments to your chair or let the chair do it for you?

Our Steelcase office chairs are designed to be either weight-activated or manually adjusted. It’s important to understand the difference. Weight-activated chairs support you as much as possible with minimal adjustments. They respond to your body weight, providing the right amount of back tension as you recline and get comfortable quickly. These chairs are great for shared seating where multiple people are using one chair throughout the day (such as conference rooms, shared desks, WFH with multiple users). The chair naturally responds to the body’s movement to provide the appropriate level of support.

Manually-adjusted chairs let you dial in a precise fit by adjusting the tension or amount of resistance you feel in your back as you recline to your personal preference. These chairs allow you to adjust the chair 100% to your body. They provide the most support possible and are ideal for people who spend the majority of their time sitting for long periods of time at an owned workstation in the office or at home.

At Steelcase, we have a deep history of innovation in seating. This stems from our research and understanding of people and how they work. We offer a wide selection of high-performance ergonomic office chairs to address various needs, aesthetics preferences and budget. All Steelcase high-performance office chairs feature our LiveBack^® technology. This allows the backrest to flex, contour and mimic the natural movement of the spine. It also encourages you to move and maintain a healthy posture. Adjustable features, such as 4D arms, seat depth and back tension and recline enable the chairs to fit people from the 5th to the 95th percentile. In this way, one chair fits the broadest range of shapes and sizes.

Steelcase Weight-activated Seating Choices

Steelcase Karman

Sit back and let physics do its job. With a proprietary performance textile and impossibly light frame, Steelcase Karman goes beyond leading mesh office chairs to provide effortless comfort. This is the chair for you if you’re seeking comfort and just want to sit and get to work without having to worry about adjusting your chair. Steelcase Karman’s patented hybrid seat is unlike any other. The suspension seat with integrated cushioning provides maximum comfort for as long as you sit. The ultra-light frame flexes to eliminate painful pressure points common in other mesh chairs. An industry-leading color range, with several proprietary Intermix colors and Lux finishes, make infinite aesthetic options possible.

Think

Think was the first chair we designed with a weight-activated mechanism allowing you to sit down and get comfortable quickly. Your body weight does most of the work. Designed for a mobile workforce, Think was an exciting breakthrough at the time. It is even more relevant today with the rise of hybrid work. Think was also a sustainability pioneer – fewer parts make it easier to disassemble and recycle. That’s a win/win for both you and the planet.

Steelcase Series 2

Steelcase Series 2 features our signature Air LiveBack^® technology. This works through an innovative geometric design that provides sophisticated support. The specially-engineered wave pattern scales to provide support for each part of the spine. It allows the spine to flex in multiple dimensions to create responsive, personalized comfort and fit. Responsive back tension, 4D adjustable arms and adaptive seat bolstering ensure continuous comfort and ergonomic support. A height-adjustable lumbar is also available when you select microknit or 3D knit back options. Other back options include quilted or standard upholstery.

Steelcase Series 1

Looking for best-in-class ergonomic essentials, quality, lots of choice and a great price?  Steelcase Series 1 chair is for you. LiveBack flexors conform to your spine to provide flexibility and support throughout the day. Several mix-and-match knit, flexor and lumbar colors, and a wide range of shell and finish options, offers an abundance of choice to match your personality, culture or brand.

Steelcase Manually-adjusted Seating Choices

Gesture

If you’re looking for maximum support for long-term sitting, Gesture is the chair for you. After a Steelcase Global Study identified nine new postures people have adopted while using new technologies, we designed Gesture to support every posture, task and technology. 360-degree arms to mimic the human arm and adjust through a full range of motion. This comfortably supports you while you work no matter what the device. All adjustments are located on the right side of the chair, making it super easy to find and adjust. 3D LiveBack technology provides the highest degree of flexibility and support as you move and shift postures, bend side-to-side or twist. Add a headrest to Gesture for long-term comfort or gaming.

Leap

Leap is the ultimate office chair for adjustability and a dialed-in, precise fit for people needing a little extra support and wanting more control of their adjustments. LiveBack technology changes shape to support the spine in its natural, healthy S-shape. It provides continuous lower back support and a lower back firmness control allows you to dial in the lumbar support. Natural Glide System allows the seat to glide forward as you can recline. It also keeps you in the optimal zone for seeing and reaching your work. Simple controls are clearly labeled and easy to use.

Amia + Amia Air

Amia offers the best combination of performance and style. With two back options, Amia is a versatile chair that fits any work environment. A hidden advanced LiveLumbar system flexes as you move, providing consistent, dynamic support for your lower back. Amia Air’s back design flexes in two dimensions to encourage movement and posture change. Choose from a variety of Air back colors or warm it up with 3D Microknits for additional choices.

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Jeff Adams is the VP of Sales at MPS acoustics based in Dallas, Texas. When he started with MPS, he knew nothing about acoustics, commercial real estate, contract furniture, or architecture and design. Needless to say, he has learned a lot over the last six years, so we invited him to tell us all about why acoustics are essential in a commercial space and how they can add to a room’s overall design.

The Relationship Between Noise + Productivity

Acoustics is the science encompassing sound transmission, noise reduction, acoustical and speech privacy, and more. Managing room acoustics in an office, recording studio, auditorium, and around machinery differ significantly. While improving the acoustical quality in a work environment is complicated, MPS is striving to Make Privacy Simple by doing the heavy lifting for clients.

“People don’t often think about the effect noise, distractions, and the lack of privacy have on them. Studies show that these constant pressures take a toll on worker productivity and health.” MPS knows that people need quiet to focus and have private conversations. Without that, their jobs get so much harder.

The ABC’s Of Acoustic Design

While there is no one size fits all solution to achieving excellent acoustics, MPS advocates for following the ABCs of acoustic design.

A stands for Absorption. Every material has a noise reduction coefficient or NRC. Hard surfaces have a very low NRC, reflecting sound waves rather than absorbing them.

With a space full of hard surfaces like a traditional conference room, sound reverberates off those surfaces. The key to fixing this problem is introducing softer surfaces like soft seating, plants, ceiling baffles, or even artwork for sound absorption.

B stands for Blocking. If you put someone in a room with four walls, a ceiling, and a door, you will have better privacy.

“Sound is like water; anywhere there is a leak, you will lose sound, so we look at the sound transmission class or STC rating to know how much sound an item will block. While we would love everyone to have a private office, real estate can’t always support that. Instead, we recommend using products like modular walls to block sound.”

C stands for Covering over conversations with white noise sound masking to make them less intelligible. While sound masking doesn’t reduce noise, it sends out frequencies of human speech that mask the human voice. Humans are predisposed to eavesdropping, which is distracting, so covering those voices in open plan offices provides privacy and focus.

Bypassing Bad Acoustics

Businesses typically know when they need better acoustics, which can be highly frustrating when they have invested heavily in a new space. Ways to mitigate that common frustration are threefold. Start by adding acoustics to the project budget, bring in an acoustics expert to have those critical acoustical conversations, and focus heavily on the areas you already know will need more privacy.

Mitigating Sound With Style

While everyone is aware of acoustical panels thanks to their high school cafeterias and gyms, they are not a very stylish solution. That is why MPS uses technology that mitigates noise without sacrificing style.

“The technology out there is amazing, and we want the customer to express themselves through the product. Our panels are customizable and flexible. We can create unique designs, provide woodgrain prints, and even do custom matching and branding. In many ways, we have a blank canvas open to creativity.”

Jeff Adams

In addition to a highly flexible product, MPS has a team of in-house designers that can take a napkin sketch to install.

Whether MPS is working with a designer, end user, or collaborating with an audio-visual integrator, their goal is to provide acoustic solutions so people can do their jobs better. Fortunately for their clients, MPS makes privacy simple with style.

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Catie Buck has worked in commercial interior design for years, and her passion for the industry recently led her to open her own studio, Josephine West.

” I get so passionate about commercial design. My biggest inspiration simply comes from the business owner and learning about their brand (or business). I can help implement their branding as well as encourage a team culture through the design. It’s a win-win for the owner, investing in their employees and making a lasting impression for their visitors.”

Catie Buck

Between working on multiple tenant improvements, a salon, and a large corporate office, Catie sat down with us to discuss what is trending in 2023 and what is out of style.

Trend 1: Boutique Home-like Spaces.

Team building spaces are great opportunities to add splashes of color to encourage socialization and help work relationships in an upbeat atmosphere. Playful fabrics, and bold artwork can add a casual touch to these social areas. Also, consider home-like, restful, quiet spaces where employees can spend focus time or take breaks throughout the day. The overall design of these spaces should incorporate soothing materials, greenery, and a variety of comfortable furniture options. Acoustic solutions are also important to help reduce noise and/or eliminate distractions.

Trend 2: Muted Tones Contrasted With Bright Colors.

For example, taupe and earth tone colors are in, balanced by pops of bright and saturated colors like raspberry pink or chartreuse.

Trend 3: Quirky Patterns + Unique Textures.

Adding patterns or textures in strategic places can make a great first impression. I am obsessed with chairs, especially sculptural ones, so adding a beautiful chair is terrific. Combine that with punches of color, and you can make the space look more interesting and
dimensional.

Outdated Trend: Gray is out!

Use medium warm + cool tones instead.

Ehron Baskin has been in the design industry for over thirty years, working in residential and
commercial design with Design Collaborative, Inc. She is fairly new to the Treasure Valley and growing her local clientele while designing remotely for projects in California.

“My favorite space to design is a lobby. It is the first thing people see when they enter a space, and you get to set the tone and create a feeling when they walk in the room.”

Ehron Baskin

Between trips to California, Ehron met with us to share the trends she loves and which to pass on.

Trend 1: Organic materials, textures, and patterns are in.

That includes mixed materials like wood, stone to create stability, natural colors, plant walls, and floral designs. I like to use these materials as focal points in lobbies, so they make a statement. Geometric patterns like chevrons, honeycombs, and hexagons are also widely used, and lighting is becoming more artistic.

Trend 2: Collaboration is on the rise, and minimalism is preferred.

I am working with a group of engineers, and they do not want high cubicle walls. They want to see each other, talk and collaborate with as little separation as possible. They also don’t want much stuff on their desks and keep everything they need in a small storage space.

Trend 3: Businesses are adding dedicated health and wellness rooms.

Whether it is a space for a nursing mother, a private conversation, or a small collaboration space, companies are creating spaces where employees can get away to sit in quiet.

Outdated Trend: Gray’s are out, and we are moving to warm tones. Matte finishes are replacing shiny ones, and while fluorescent colors are making a scene, I’ve lived that already and would probably pass on it.

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Featuring Karena Gilbert with Colliers International

After receiving a degree in Construction Management and working in commercial construction, Karena Gilbert got her real estate license in 2012. Her favorite part of her construction job was working with owners, so switching to commercial real estate allowed her to do that full-time. At the same time, the construction background allows Karena to visualize what a space can be, which provides a unique experience for clients who choose to work with her.

“I enjoyed working with a client this year who leased a building for many years and were looking to purchase an existing building or build new. Having that construction background allowed me to assist my client through their options and ultimately the whole process.”

Karena Gilbert

Some of Karena’s clients include local businesses that are expanding. One recent example is Boise Regional Realtors. They wanted to provide their members with more room for parking and classes, so Karena assisted them in the sale and lease back of their existing location as well as securing land and working with the development team on the new construction. She also works with landlords looking to stabilize their properties; working with new and existing tenants. Karena has found that relationship building is the key to knowing what her clients need, delivering on their needs, and creating trust.

Today, Karena builds those relationships while working for Colliers, specializing in office investments and leasing. “What makes Colliers unique is that the Boise office is locally owned but part of a global support network. It is fun and rewarding to work with the many agents and brokers in other offices.” With extensive knowledge and experience working in the Treasure Valley market, we asked Karena to share some of the 2023 commercial real estate trends she sees.

“What makes Colliers unique is that the Boise office is locally owned but part of a global support network. It is fun and rewarding to work with the many agents and brokers in other offices.”

Karena Gilbert

Attracting Talent.

Attracting and retaining talent is a big trend in Boise. Unlike San Francisco or Denver, Boise has a smaller population and fewer employees per company. Therefore, about 80% of the real estate deals are under 4,000 s.f. In a city ripe with highly skilled, educated and community minded people, we’re finding businesses thriving and employees have returned to the office. There is still a degree of remote and hybrid work and business owners are looking to us to assist them in getting people back to the office as well as attract and retain new talent. The benefits of having employees in the office include collaboration, mentorship, and a sense of community and business are looking for healthy, collaborative and inviting locations.

More Grade A Buildings Under Construction.

Many local businesses are expanding, and the scales are tipping toward over 10,000 s.f. office spaces. To help, developers are constructing some gorgeous Class A buildings. The 11th & Idaho building and Eagleview Landing development are a few examples of these large-scale buildings that can accommodate.

Vacancy is low.

Our vacancy rate is low compared to large cities in surrounding states. Business owners have to move on a space quickly or they could lose out. While many large cities feel the effects of inflation and a possible recession, we still see a lot of growth and opportunity. For example, I have a lot of clients in the service industry that need a second location. We are bracing for a recession but have yet to see it.

What To Watch For In The Future.

I think we will see many more high-performance, smart building models. 40% of our annual global CO2 emissions come from buildings and structures. Through smart design, construction and operations, we can reduce the impact.  Tenants are seeking healthier spaces and building owners are seeing the economic benefits, which include reduced operating cost, shorter payback periods and increase in asset value. 

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The Idaho State Supreme Court Renovation

The Idaho State Supreme Court building was constructed between 1969 and 1970 and functions as the highest court in Idaho. To show its importance, the exterior was designed with sharp angles, tinted windows, and simplified materials. The building was once credited as one of the most magnificent pieces of architecture added to the Downtown Boise Capitol Mall.

The modern judicial system prioritizes access and public service. This last year, the Supreme Court staff updated their building, creating an interior that is more inviting and colorful than ever. The project came together through the vision of Finance & Operations Director Michelle Crist-Aguiar and the implementation of Facilities Manager Tye Nelson. To learn more about the transformation, we sat down with Tye.

The Necessity For Renovation

As the facilities manager, Tye is the “fix it” guy. He ensures everything is in line at all times (even if it occasionally feels like herding cats). It is a big job considering the 50-year-old building has gone from holding 40 people at its construction to over 140 today. That growth and the fact that the building has not been renovated over that time has been the driving factor for the renovation.

“It has been over 50 years since the building was constructed, and this is our first major upgrade,” Tye said. “There was a huge need to take the existing space and make it fit today’s uses.” For example, the 1^st floor workspace was redesigned to provide additional meeting space, which was in short supply.  Through the strategic placement of these spaces and transition to glass walls, the team also addressed noise and lighting issues.

The Court’s Function & Functionality

The Idaho Supreme Court staff has grown not for growth’s sake, but to better support the state’s judicial system as it sustains a growing population. The Supreme Court building houses staff who support all the court systems throughout the state. They develope court processes, maintain court technology, and offer training and support for judges and court staff.

It is a centralized hub of activity, and renovating the building was critical to the staff’s continued productive work. Part of that functionality has been integrating technology into the space. With so many court personnel connecting across Idaho, adding meeting rooms with necessary technology has allowed everyone to connect quickly and easily, making a massive difference in a state that is so geographically spread out.

Redesigning To Support The Staff

To redesign and breathe life into the space, the team worked with CSHQA architects. They revisited existing spaces, relocating divisions, adding color and texture, and generally bringing everything up to date. Furniture also played a significant role in the change, which is where OEC stepped in. OEC helped relocate existing furniture and install new private offices, conference rooms, workstations, privacy walls, and more. “Working with OEC was really good. When I asked for a favor, they did it. Tim and Riley quickly let me know if about supply chain issues. They did things to make a difference for me. Even their install crew came in on the weekend to get things done because they knew I needed it.”

The new furniture offered functionality that the old space lacked. Additionally modern finishes made it a place people love to work. Between new furniture, layout, colors, and some fantastic murals, the Supreme Court looks better than ever.

Creating A Space Where People Love To Work

Better yet, the staff is excited about where they work. “My favorite part of this project has been seeing people’s faces when they return to work, knowing they have more space,” Tye said. “… People are bringing plants, pictures and making it home. Knowing that our effort to make a great space has impacted their happiness has been the best part of this entire renovation.”

With the space now working in tandem with the team, the Idaho Supreme Court staff is ready and equipped to tackle the judicial needs of Idaho for years to come.

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