NAIOP 2026 Commercial Real Estate Honors: Regional Office Broker Award Winner

Matt Smith, Founder – Premises Commercial Real Estate, Named winner of NAIOP 2026 Regional Office Broker Award

The team at Premises Commercial is happy to share the exciting news that Matt Smith, Principal and Founder of Premises Commercial Real Estate, was selected as the winner of the esteemed NAIOP Colorado Commercial Real Estate Honors award in the Regional Office Broker category. These awards honor and celebrate the outstanding achievements of top commercial real estate professionals throughout the Denver metro area, recognizing their dedication and contributions to the industry.

Congratulations to Matt Smith! We are proud to celebrate Matt’s recognition as the 2026 Regional Office Broker Award winner. Much deserved, Matt!

2024 Heavy Hitters Finalists

Matt Smith, Founder – Premises Commercial Real Estate, Named Finalist in DMCAR 2024 Heavy Hitters Awards

The team at Premises Commercial is happy to once again share the exciting news that Matt Smith, Principal and Founder of Premises Commercial Real Estate, was selected as a finalist for the esteemed DMCAR 2024 Heavy Hitters in Commercial Real Estate Awards in the Small Shop category. These awards honor and celebrate the outstanding achievements of top commercial real estate professionals throughout the Denver metro area, recognizing their dedication and contributions to the industry.

Having been named a finalist multiple times in the past, Matt’s recognition underscores his consistent commitment to excellence. With three wins already under his belt, this latest nomination further highlights Matt’s hard work and unwavering dedication to providing exceptional service to his clients.

In this article, we continue the series based on our free resource 12 Step Guide to Lease Office Space that breaks down the primary activities and the general time it takes to accomplish them.

Step 5 of 12: Space Planning

Office space planning is crucial for establishing a productive and efficient work environment, whether you are starting a new office or redesigning an existing one. Strategic space planning not only maximizes productivity but also enhances collaboration and boosts employee satisfaction. Consider the following key considerations and best practices to achieve effective office space planning:

1. Assessing Business Needs: Evaluate the specific requirements and goals of your organization to align the office space design with your business objectives.
2. Space Utilization/Productivity/Efficiency: Optimize the layout and arrangement of workspaces to ensure efficient use of available space, enabling employees to perform their tasks effectively.
3. Employee Engagement and Well-being: Create an environment that supports employee well-being by incorporating elements such as natural lighting, ergonomic furniture, and comfortable breakout areas.
4. Collaboration and Communication: Design spaces that foster collaboration and communication among team members, including open work areas, meeting rooms, and collaborative zones.
5. Branding and Aesthetics: Reflect your company’s brand and culture through the office design, incorporating elements that align with your brand identity and inspire employees.
6. Future-proofing: Anticipate future growth and changes in your organization to plan for flexibility and adaptability in the office layout, allowing for easy modifications as needed.
7. Technology Integration: Ensure seamless integration of technology infrastructure, such as IT systems, wireless connectivity, and audiovisual equipment, to support efficient workflow and connectivity.
8. Sustainability and Green Initiatives: Consider environmentally friendly practices and materials to create a sustainable workplace, reducing energy consumption and promoting eco-consciousness.

Strategic office space planning goes beyond aesthetics, as it optimizes productivity, supports collaboration, and enhances employee well-being. Brokers can provide valuable insights and expertise when it comes to space utilization and design, helping tenants optimize their office space. They possess an understanding of efficient layouts, flow, ergonomics, adaptability, design trends, and compliance, enabling tenants to create functional and aesthetically pleasing workspaces.

Choosing the right space planner is critical. While most landlords provide a space plan prior to lease signing, usually through a pre-selected architect familiar with the building and its standards, it’s essential to consider your needs. For smaller or simpler projects, using the building architect may suffice. However, keep in mind that the building architect’s priority is the landlord, and they may prioritize cost over optimizing the design for the tenant. For larger and more complex projects, it may be necessary to hire an architect with expertise and experience in your specific industry.

Throughout the office space planning process, your broker should serve as a valuable resource, assisting you in making important decisions and trade-offs. Brokers bring a practical perspective to the equation, finding a balance between the best design and cost optimization.

By incorporating these considerations and seeking guidance from brokers, you can achieve effective office space planning that meets your organization’s needs, enhances productivity, and creates a harmonious work environment.

In this article, we continue the series based on our free resource 12 Step Guide to Lease Office Space that breaks down the primary activities and the general time it takes to accomplish them.

Step 4 of 12: Proposals

An important step in the process of leasing office space is the proposal stage, where you and your broker will request and evaluate custom proposals from potential landlords. This step typically takes one to two weeks and involves sending a detailed Request for Proposal (RFP) to the top contenders.

The RFP should include all important issues related to the lease, such as economics, timing, tenant improvements, operating expenses, parking, renewal options, expansion options, and termination options. Including these details in the RFP will ensure that potential landlords have a clear understanding of your requirements and can provide accurate proposals.

Once you have received proposals from potential landlords, it’s time to analyze and compare them in detail. This analysis should include both subjective and quantitative financial analysis over the term of the lease. Your broker should provide this detailed analysis to help you make an informed decision.

During the analysis phase, you should pay close attention to factors such as lease duration, rent escalations, tenant improvement allowances, operating expenses, property management, and renewal options. These factors can have a significant impact on your overall costs and long-term satisfaction with the space.

Ultimately, it’s important to approach this step with a clear understanding of your requirements and a detailed analysis of all proposals received. Working closely with your broker and taking the time to carefully evaluate all options will help ensure that you find the right space for your business and negotiate favorable lease terms.

2023 Heavy Hitters Finalists

Matt Smith, Founder – Premises Commercial Real Estate, Named Finalist in DMCAR 2023 Heavy Hitters Awards

Today, we are thrilled to announce that Matt Smith, Principal and Founder of Premises Commercial Real Estate, has been named a finalist for the prestigious DMCAR 2023 Heavy Hitters in Commercial Real Estate Awards in the Small Shop category. The Heavy Hitters Awards acknowledges and celebrates top commercial real estate professionals across various categories in the Denver metro area for their outstanding achievements, dedication, and contributions to the industry. In addition to being a finalist several times over the years, Matt has also taken home the coveted award three times. This incredible recognition highlights Matt’s hard work and unwavering dedication, as well as his ongoing commitment to providing exceptional service to his clients.

The Premises Commercial team extend our heartfelt congratulations to Matt Smith for being named a finalist. As Matt continues to lead Premises Commercial toward new heights, we look forward to witnessing the company’s future achievements and successes.

Meet the Denver companies that hired the most tech workers in 2022

Denver had a 13% year-over-year increase in the number of tech job openings

By Nikki Wentling  –  Reporter, Denver Business Journal
Dec 23, 2022

While thousands of employees were laid off in the last few months of 2022 by both technology giants and startups, demand for tech workers remains high across the country, including in Denver, according to a new report.

The annual Tech Job Report from Dice, a Denver-based tech career marketplace, shows the number of open tech jobs nationwide increased by 25% from last year, and Denver experienced a 13% year-over-year rise. Dice compared data from January through October of each year and didn’t include postings for November and December.

Denver ranked No. 15 among U.S. cities for the number of tech jobs posted from January through October, and it ranked No. 19 for the percentage growth from last year. Among states, Colorado took the No. 10 spot for job posting volume. Denver peaked for the year in June with 5,348 open positions, and fell to just 3,373 by November.

“Over the course of the last 20 to 30 years, the whole perception of Denver has changed,” Dice CEO Art Zeile told the Denver Business Journal. “It’s now considered to be a tech town.”

In this article, we continue the series based on our free resource 12 Step Guide to Lease Office Space that breaks down the primary activities and the general time it takes to accomplish them.

Step 3 of 12: Market Research, Preliminary Review, and Property Tours

Once your overall needs are assessed as covered in the previous article for step 2, it’s time to perform the market research, do the preliminary review and tour options that meet your office requirements.

The Market Research and Preliminary Review is a critical step to finding the right space. This process is a combination of art and science, knowing not only what to look for but also what to discard. This is where having an experienced broker saves you so much time, points you in the right direction and finds spaces that you couldn’t/wouldn’t find via public internet sites. Yes, you can search on these public sites, but since they often charge for their listing service, not all landlords will choose to put their spaces on all the sites. Plus these public sites often don’t provide enough key search criteria, so you end up with alternates that don’t really work for you.

How do experienced brokers find the right spaces? They use 3 main methods:

1. Search the most reliable data base in their market which is usually a private subscription only data base.
2. Directly contacting Landlord brokers via calls and emails with the specific requirements (requires continually maintaining this broker contact list).
3. Using their firsthand knowledge of buildings, spaces, Landlord’s and brokers.

After the research and review is done and the best alternatives selected, Property Tours will be arranged over 1-to-2 days, visiting 5 or 6 options. Again, a good broker will save you time here. No need to tour spaces that will not work. Touring too many options is often a rookie mistake. Certainly, if the first 5-6 aren’t attractive, additional spaces can be added using the knowledge gained from these tours. After the tours, the list is usually narrowed to the top contenders.

Doing the appropriate research and review along with scheduling tours on your own is possible but is time consuming, frustrating and is likely that you miss good options. Working with the right Broker will accelerate the process eliminating dead ends and wasted time, with better results. With the top contenders determined, it is time to move on to the next step, Proposals!

According to a Gensler study, the number one answer when asked why employees come to the office was “to focus on my work.” I think most would have guessed to socialize and partake in the office amenities. Working from home must be distracting!

What employees want in a post-Covid office space

By Marq Burnett, Associate Editor, The Playbook

How to approach real estate in the post-Covid world will be a key question for employers to consider in 2023 — especially if economic conditions lead to cost-cutting measures.

But what do employees actually want in a post-Covid office space?

That question was a focal point of the Gensler Research Institute’s U.S. Workplace Survey 2022. Gensler is a global architecture, design and planning firm with more than 50 locations across the world.

One big takeaway? Employees want space where they can get work done, signaling a potential disconnect with managers who often focus on the office as a destination for collaboration.

When asked why they come to the office, “to focus on my work” was the most popular answer (48%), outdistancing many of the reasons often cited by managers or companies touting the need to return to the office.

Great advice for going after a goal with a plan and ALL In mentality versus wishing and wanting a dream! Have you “Crossed the Rubicon” toward your goals?

‘Grit’ Author Angela Duckworth Says 1 Word Separates People Who Give Up From People Who Get Back Up Again. The pioneering psychologist says those with exceptional grit all share one particular mindset.

BY JESSICA STILLMAN, CONTRIBUTOR, INC.COM

“In this world, nothing is certain except death and taxes,” Ben Franklin supposedly said. He probably should have added another item to his list–setbacks.

No matter how privileged, talented, and determined you are, in life you will face setbacks. People will tell you no. You’ll try and you’ll fail. You’ll have moments when you worry you don’t have what it takes. Given that failure is universal, why do some people get back up again while others give up?

There is probably no one better qualified to answer this question than Angela Duckworth. A University of Pennsylvania psychologist and blockbuster TED speaker, she also wrote the bible of perseverance, Grit. She recently took to the TED Ideas blog to explain what separates those who quit from those who stay the course. Her answer boils down to a single word.

In this article, we continue the series based on our free resource 12 Step Guide to Lease Office Space that breaks down the primary activities and the general time it takes to accomplish them.

Step 2 of 12: Overall Needs Assessment

When determining your overall needs, there are 5 key areas of consideration:

Timing

• When do you need to be in your new space? Depending on your specific needs, the Leasing process can take as little as a week or two to as long as a year. Beginning the process early allows for a thorough search of spaces that meet your requirements, gives plenty of time for negotiating and potential tenant improvements.

Budget

• To ensure you are on the right path, it is important to determine your budget early on in the process. Your Broker can help guide you with the expected costs associated with the lease, project management and move.

Space Requirements/Layout

• In order to determine the size of your new space, you will need to know how many offices, workstations, conference rooms, etc. are needed. The estimated square feet per employee can vary quite a bit depending on look, feel, and function of your space from as low as 3 employee per 1,000 sf to as high as 7 per 1,000 sf. And with the advent of remote work and hoteling/sharing the amount of space per employee can be significantly less.

Project Management

• During the assessment, you should decide if you prefer to manage the process in house or hire a Project Management firm to handle the various aspects of the relocation.

Other Objectives

• Additional considerations for your new space include location, quality/cultural objectives
  • Location parameters
  • Quality/Image/Cultural objectives
  • Other unique issues such as parking requirements, hours of operation, wellness, amenities, broadband, power, and security requirements.

In summary, starting early, understanding the costs to determine the budget, along with what your requirements (space/special issues), the desired location and who is managing the relocation are all critical when beginning your search. Having an experienced broker to help determine your overall needs will streamline this step and is at no cost to you as the Tenant.