Borelli Investment Company launches Building Business Network at three office complexes to create critical alliances, encourage discussion of common challenges and sharing of creative ideas, and enhance business networking and synergy among owners and tenants.
San Jose, Calif., March 29, 2010 — While the economy is improving, it is clear things have not returned to “normal”. In fact, it is increasingly looking like business might not ever return to what we once thought of as “normal”. Instead, the challenging environment in which businesses operate today may be viewed as the “new normal”. It results in a business climate that is demanding and unforgiving — where success requires innovative thinking, a keen eye on costs, and the ability to adapt and quickly take advantage of good opportunities when they come along.
Winning in this “new normal” is tough enough with ample support — but for small businesses that are going it alone, long-term success may seem impossible at times. Recognizing this, Borelli Investment Company — a 55-year-old commercial real estate firm that specializes in leasing office space and selling office condos to smaller businesses — has created the Building Business Network, informal business networking groups associated with three of the projects it owns or markets: Junction Office Center, Club Auto Sport, and Fremont Business Park at Christy Street.
“Borelli Investment Company has seen a lot of ups and downs in the economy over the past 5 ½ decades,” said Ralph Borelli, chairman of Borelli Investment Company and son of the founder, his father Nelo. “We have learned two things through our experience in all kinds of business climates. First, Northern California in general and Silicon Valley specifically is a great place in which to do business — with the ability to rebound and reinvent itself after every decline. And second, if a business just hunkers down and waits for things to get better — it may not survive. HP has it right with its slogan ‘Invent’. One has to innovate for success.”
TEAM Club Auto Sport Laps the Field
In mid-2009, in the midst of one of the deepest recessions in history, the TEAM concept was originated at Club Auto Sport, a 120,000 sq. ft. office complex in North San Jose that includes car condos and a club for auto enthusiasts, as well as a dynamic business community and events center. TEAM Club Auto Sport was created to serve the diverse group of businesses — both automotive and non-automotive — that were locating within the facility.
Among the group’s many benefits are:
- Regular meetings with TEAM Club Auto Sport members and Club Auto Sport’s marketing professionals — to discuss common challenges and brainstorm creative solutions
- Unique business networking and advertising co-op opportunities
- Guidance in how to apply the latest social networking methods to create a business advantage
- Invitations to the club’s exclusive Fast Track U series of business workshops on topics from sound accounting practices to effective wealth planning
- The opportunity to contribute to TEAM Club Auto Sport’s blog to drive customers to their own web sites
- Individual mentoring, if desired
- Access to professional marketing resources
“Within my first two months as part of TEAM Club Auto Sport, I was introduced to a development family whom I now represent in the development of a 90-room hotel project in Capitola,” said Alex L. Ingram of Ingram & Associates, Inc., a facilities planning and construction management firm. “This project will provide significant fee income for me.”
“By being at Club Auto Sport, I have exceeded my business goals — and the new relationships I’ve made are creating tremendous business opportunities for us,” added Baltazar Martinez of South Valley Landscape Construction.
TEAM Concept Expands to Two More Office Complexes
With the TEAM concept proven at Club Auto Sport, Borelli is now adding Junction Office Center and Fremont Business Park at Christy Street to the Building Business Network. TEAM Junction and TEAM Christy Street are already attracting a lot of interest from the owners and tenants in the two buildings.
Junction Office Center is a two-building, 77,400 sq. ft. complex containing 52 office condos, of which only four remain. Closeout pricing is being offered on the final four condo units, increasing buyer interest. TEAM Junction held its first meeting in March with more than one-third of the owners and tenants in attendance.
Fremont Business Park is a three-building 120,000 sq. ft. complex near I-880 and Auto Mall Parkway at the gateway to Silicon Valley in southern Fremont. The office suites are tailored to the needs of smaller businesses, ranging in size from 400 – 10,000 sq. ft. and feature the fastest fiber optic Internet speeds in Fremont of up to 100 Mbps or more — with wireless connections. TEAM Christy Street will hold its first meeting shortly after its official re-opening in April following a $2 million renovation.
“It’s very easy to move into an office building with 50 or 100 fellow owners or tenants, and yet feel completely alone,” remarked Tom Purtell, chief operating officer at Borelli Investment Company. “TEAM Junction and TEAM Christy Street will help businesses in the two buildings establish connections and create synergy. Companies can market products and services to one another, participate in co-op advertising, and most importantly, learn from others in the group — emulating the successes and avoiding the failures.”
Added Borelli, “The businesses we’ve talked to at the three buildings are really excited about the concept,” he noted. “It seems so simple — and yet to our knowledge, it hasn’t been tried before in Silicon Valley. The Building Business Network is proving to not only be a big benefit for the participants, but also an important tool for us in marketing the space in our buildings.”
Borelli Investment Company is one of the oldest commercial real estate firms in the Santa Clara Valley. The company provides a full range of commercial real estate services—from development and construction management to land sales and consulting for sales and leasing. More information about Borelli Investment Company’s services may be obtained by calling (408) 453-4700 or visiting www.borelli.com.
Contact: Buddy Parsons Borelli Investment Company 2051 Junction Avenue, Suite 100 San Jose, CA 95131 Ph: 408.453.4700 Fax: 408.453.4636 E-mail: buddy@borelli.com
