AZRE magazine sat down with eight NAIOP Arizona members to learn more about their relationship to the association, how they’ve grown their careers from getting involved, the benefits of networking with competitors and what trends they’re seeing in the market. Responses have been edited for clarity and length. Meet Jim Roland, senior vice president, Arizona, Alcorn Construction.
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Jim Roland, senior vice president, Arizona, Alcorn Construction
AZRE: Why do you believe industry associations like NAIOP are important for professionals and companies?
Jim Roland: Across all industries, associations are critical to the advancement and general knowledge of company staff. These groups help grow new talent, and they give an opportunity for seasoned professionals to mentor the next generation. Any parent wants their kids to be successful, so why wouldn’t you want the same for your business?
NAIOP is composed of the who’s who of deal makers in Arizona — developers, brokers, general contractors, architects and trade partners. Being involved lets you interact with these folks in both formal and informal settings, which broadens your reach and helps you make decisions on who to work with.
AZRE: What impact does NAIOP’s advocacy efforts have on commercial real estate as a whole?
JR: I think the legislation NAIOP promotes does more than just help our industry — it strengthens our community and benefits the general public. The growth that has happened across the state is because we’ve created an enticing market for companies to relocate to or start up. When these businesses come here, they need buildings to run their operations. That creates jobs and further development, which helps everyone.
AZRE: What trends are currently having the biggest effect on the market?
JR: The No. 1 thing on the forefront of people’s minds is the tariffs. Every financial institution, developer and contractor wants to protect themselves from the costs associated with those. That’s led to lots of conversations with trade partners and their suppliers when a project is getting started to figure out how to mitigate the impacts. All that has to happen up front so we can come to an understanding before promises are made.
Interest rates are another topic talked about frequently in our world. Cutting interest rates frees up money and makes deals happen — meaning we get exponentially busier. I’m pretty confident that when interest rates come down, Phoenix will be at the center of growth for the national economy because of the development that happened before rates went up.
Power is the other big concern considering all the data centers coming to town, as well as the manufacturing facilities. That has put a strain on the system, but the power authorities are working hard on that.
