Over the past two weeks, we’ve trained all of our property management team on Building Engines, and put it to use internally among our management and maintenance staff. Now, we are pleased to invite our tenants to log in and learn more about it. Please contact us if you are currently a tenant and do not have a username and password. 

Training Information

We have scheduled two training Webinars with Building Engines so that tenants may learn how to best use the system. We hope that someone from each office can attend.

First Training Session, Tuesday, May 14th from 11:00 – 11:30 AM 

Second Training Session, Thursday, May 16th from 3:00 – 3:30 PM  

You may also view a training video from Building Engines on submitting work orders here:

While tenants will now have the option to submit service requests online, you may still call our office as you most likely do now. Regardless of how tenants submit the request, Building Engines will allow us to track it and dispatch it to our maintenance staff via smartphone. This will improve response times, ensure accountability, and allow tenants the comfort of knowing their concerns are being addressed. Please contact Bill Henningson or Seth Rosenblum for feedback related to our customer experience.

That’s why we’ve recently begun recycling our used carpet tiles, which would normally sit in a landfill for thousands of years before decomposing. On average, Americans throw away some 5 billion pounds of carpeting every year.

The Rapp Rd landfill is now the highest point in Albany

Carpet, which is predominately a petroleum product, is one of least biodegradable products we throw in our landfills, but a recent industry push is working to solve this dilemma. Besides just purchasing eco-friendly products from Shaw, Interface, and other mills, last week we sent over 20,000 SF of carpet tiles back to Interface that will become plastic car parts, medical equipment and new carpet! 

Rosenblum’s Paul Bogarski loading carpet tile debris for recycling at Corporate Plaza West

Interface Carpet is working toward a line of product that has zero negative impact on the environment. You can read a very interesting interview with Interface CEO Daniel Hendrix here. By working with suppliers who produce 100% post consumer recycled nylon, Interface is now over halfway towards their goal of producing completely environmentally neutral carpet. Shaw takes back over 100 million pounds of post consumer carpet annually.

By recycling 20,000 SF of carpet we are preventing 46,111 pounds of carbon dioxide equivalents from entering the air. That’s the same as…

• NOT burning 48.12 barrels of oil
• NOT consuming 8,869 liters of gasoline
• NOT driving your car for 1,449 days
• Turning off all the electricity in your house for 993 days!

This is just one more way we at Rosenblum are creating “Better Spaces.” In the future we hope to consider such possibilities as alternative energy sources, additional construction debris recycling and possibly LEED certification. We hope you’ll share your feedback with us on how we can further improve our sustainability. 

Each tenant employee will have a username and password to access this portal from the Tenant Area page our website. While tenants will now have the option to submit service requests online, they may also still call our office. Regardless of how the request comes in, Building Engines will allow us to track it and dispatch it to our maintenance staff via smartphone. This will improve response times, ensure accountability, and allow our tenants the comfort of knowing their concerns are being addressed. 

 

With all of the benefits of this new technology, our commitment to prompt, effective and personal service will not change. The benefit is that tenants will be able to check the status and view history of requests online. They will also receive emailed status updates when work is completed, and a notification if work is delayed for any reason (for example, if we waiting for an outside contractor or parts to arrive). Tenants will even have the opportunity to submit feedback on service requests after they are completed. Our management team and owners will be paying close attention to this feedback as a means of measuring our performance.

Over the coming weeks, we will provide updates on this project and provide our tenants with access information and optional training seminars for the Building Engines platform. Please contact Bill Henningson or Seth Rosenblum for feedback related to our customer experience.

A recent article in the journal Population Health Management examined 19,803 people who worked at one of three companies, and found that employees who have unhealthy eating habits have a 66% increased risk of productivity loss and those who rarely exercise have a 50% increased risk of low productivity. A study from the University of Bristol found that after exercise, employees “returned to work more tolerant of themselves and more forgiving of their colleagues”. The same study found that mid-workday exercise has greater benefits beyond worker wellbeing, “it gives employers more efficient employees who work better together.”

• Other benefits of outdoor activity during the workday include:
• Lower health care costs
• Fewer sick days
• Better attendance
• Greater cooperation and better overall office morale

Jogging Path at Great Oaks Office Park

Employers have long known that physical and mental activity is often linked to employee productivity. This is one of the reasons why we at The Rosenblum Companies strive to provide our tenants with opportunities to enjoy the beautiful natural surroundings at both of our office parks – there are plenty of opportunities to spend your break outside this spring and summer!

• Try eating lunch at one of the picnic tables located in shaded, wooded areas at both Great Oaks and Corporate Plaza.
• Take a walk or jog along the 2/3 mile trail around Great Oaks Office Park.
• Take a short to medium hike or walk over sand dunes and through wooded Pine Bush near Corporate Plaza. These office buildings are located within the Albany Pine Bush Preserve, which provides over 5 miles of trails through incredible sand dunes, just on the other side of Columbia Circle Drive. For a really strenuous midday workout, try running these sandy trails!
• Try biking to and from work. We provide bicycle racks behind 100 Great Oaks, and at Corporate Plaza between 240 Washington Avenue Extension and 14 Columbia Circle Drive. This has the added benefit of saving money and reducing your carbon footprint!
• Regardless of how you decide to work up a sweat, we have showers in many of the bathrooms at both our office parks.
  
  

  Sandy Trails at Albany Pine Bush Preserve

So the next time you’re feeling tired or a little run down at work, remember there are plenty of opportunities to get outside during your day. Not only will you feel better just getting some sun and enjoying some fresh air, you may find the rest of the day is a little easier when you sit back down at your desk!

Many of our tenants and visitors use Rapp Road off of Western Ave as a shortcut to and from their offices at Corporate Plaza, knowing little if any of the rich history contained in the cluster of small, older homes that seem a bit out of place in this highly commercial area. 

During the Great Migration of the 1920’s, African-American farmers seeking refuge from tenant farming and discrimination left the South. The Rapp Road Community Historic District began as a single house built by Reverend Louis Parson from Shubuta, Mississippi. Soon, a community followed as each residence, church, field and smokehouse was built with community support and labor.

67 and 68 Rapp Road, Albany, NY Source: Wikipedia

Faced with various pressures over the past 100 years, including the development of Washington Avenue Extension and the Crossgates Mall, this small enclave community still guards its heritage. Many of the houses you see today are the original homes built by Reverend Parson and his extended family. So the next time you’re flying to or from work along Rapp Road, slow down a bit and take stock of some of our region’s historic treasure.

To read more about the Rapp Road community and view pictures of the original structures still standing, see the article in All Over Albany here. 

Russ Maher, Corporate Plaza Building Engineer, is celebrating his 25th anniversary with us at The Rosenblum Companies. Russ is proud to be our longest-time employee whose name isn’t Rosenblum!

Paul Bogarski, Corporate Plaza Building Engineer, Mike Briggs, Great Oaks Office Park Building Engineer, and Bob Gorman, Director of Project Management celebrated their 10th anniversaries with our company this year.

Kathleen Lee, Office Manager, is celebrating her fifth anniversary here with us. 

While our staff of eleven is fairly small, that means each of us has front line contact with our tenants, vendors and community members. We are proud to have such dedicated, loyal individuals here at our company. Without them, we could not earn our well-deserved reputation as the leading owner of office properties in the Capital Region. 

Beachfront homes destroyed by Superstorm Sandy at Sea Gate, Brooklyn

The rest of that day, we loaded up supplies on the back of the Rosenblum truck and unpacked boxes to be taken in to the chapel. Once we had enough stock to hand out, we monitored distribution, making sure local residents took only what was needed. As it started to get dark, I quietly packed up my things and fastened down the contents in the bed of the truck with the continued hammering of army choppers above my head. I thought about how fortunate I was to be driving to my family’s house on the north shore of Long Island for a hot shower and a comfortable bed. The residents of Coney Island I was leaving behind had no such luxury – just dark, cold, damp homes growing mold… and that’s if they were lucky.

The next day, I arrived at Sea Gate to find reinforcements had arrived. The Red Cross sent an ambulance where they were filling prescriptions and assisting the ill. A couple of volunteer veterinarians had arrived and were examining people’s dogs and cats and handing out canned food and medicine. The choppers were still flying overhead, lines of hungry people were already forming where the food distribution tents were going to be set up, and yet there continued to be a sense of optimism that continually permeated through the community. The weekend before, when my friend and I were handing out bottled water and supplies block by block, one woman kept cracking jokes while looking for a blanket to keep her warm at night. As we prepared to drive to the next block she looked at us and said, “Remember to smile. If you can’t laugh, what’s the point?”

One of the striking things I noticed about the people of Coney Island was their shared positive demeanor. I really didn’t understand it at first; these people had lost everything, yet they often shared stories and laughs, spread news they heard from another block over and always looked after one another. The reason they were optimistic seemed to be two-fold: They have no other choice but to move forward, and they are a real community full of neighbors who know one another.

Paul, Mark and Fernando handing out Red Cross survival kits off the back of our truck in Coney Island, Brooklyn.

The Rosenblum Companies sent me down to a disaster area to deliver a truck full of supplies and support for hard working New Yorkers in need. We brought food, cleaning supplies, diapers, toys, blankets and every essential item our families, friends and co-workers could muster. I drove our truck through public housing blocks loaded with Red Cross survival packages and watched as neighbors remembered to grab extra for those with limited mobility.

While it may take years before things return to some degree of normalcy for thousands of people living along the coast of New Jersey and New York, the outpouring of love and donations many have sent has given these people hope. The lion’s share of work still needs to be done and many will never be able to return to their homes, but we’d like to thank everyone who has helped by donating supplies and support these past few weeks. If you’d like to help, there’s still a great need for volunteers. Please check the links below for ways you can assist those in need.

On behalf of The Rosenblum Companies, thank you for all the support you’ve given.

Sincerely,

Dylan Turek

If this story inspires you to contribute, we have identified the following recipient organizations in need of funds:

American Red Cross Disaster Relief Fund

Hurricane Sandy Relief Foundation

The Mayor’s Fund to Advance New York City Hurricane Relief Fund

Hurricane Sandy NJ Relief Fund

Food Bank for New York City

Tunnel to Towers Foundation Hurricane Relief Fund

Hope for New York

 

Distributing Supplies from The Rosenblum Companies’ Truck

The inside of an elderly man’s apartment in Sea Gate, Brooklyn

Once Joe’s supplies were unloaded from the truck and brought into the chapel, Tammy gave me a quick lay of the land. A large tent area had been set up outside where donated hot food was being cooked and handed out. Three grills were set up for hot dogs, hamburgers and anything else people dropped off. A woman from a synagogue in upstate New York drove down with 150 bagged lunches. Another family from Ohio delivered 200 bowls of hot chili. All the prepared food was taken to the tent area where lines of Brooklyn residents calmly waited their turn for something hot to eat.

Volunteers setting up supplies in the chapel at Sea Gate

Another line developed outside the chapel, where people waited to get inside to a supplies depot. Toiletry items, canned food, cleaning supplies, children’s toys and blankets were all set up in stations along a loop where residents, two at a time, walked through and took one of everything they needed. Many were grateful for the help and quietly took only what they needed before heading back outside. Others, unfortunately, were not as gracious. Some tried to hoard more than their fair share; others argued over what they should be allowed to take; many simply got back on line and tried to go through again. When people are desperate, a volunteer’s job often means saying “no” to people and you can tell who had been working since day one by their quick fuse and lack of patience. By the end of my second day, I felt myself growing resentful at people I viewed as selfish, then guilty for resenting someone who had just lost their home and all their possessions.

After getting a better idea of the relief operation Tammy and her volunteers had set up, she directed me down the road to the Logistics One. I jumped in the pickup and cut through a parking lot full of abandoned cars lost in the storm surge.

New York City Sanitation Department helping unload pallets off the trailer.

I was greeted outside the trailer by Anthony, a young man from Coney Island who worked for the New York City Department of Sanitation. He and his co-worker operated a tractor equipped with a forklift while I pulled the pallet jack aboard to move the skids. As we started pulling the pallets off the trailer, Paul Hackett from Hill & Markes (who had driven down from Binghamton), came over to help pull the pallets closer to the edge. Paul and I worked with Anthony while he told us stories of his family members and neighbors in a quintessentially thick Brooklyn accent.

We heard how many people refused to evacuated because of Tropical Storm Irene the previous Fall. That year they heeded the warning and left, only to return to find their homes damaged from looting, not the storm. This time around, they stayed at home to watch the ocean surround their homes and rise to second-story windows, while they anxiously peered out at the dark water with flashlights. I had heard a similar story from a friend of a friend named Michelle; her entire family lived 20 yards from the beach and all shared a sleepless night waiting for the water to recede back to the ocean. Now their insurance company won’t reimburse them for anything other than the boiler. 

We unloaded all twenty pallets of donated supplies in just over an hour and a half. The pallets were taken to a gated area behind the parking lot full of abandoned cars.Stay tuned for the 

Part three of this story continues here.

All week, my colleagues and I had been soliciting, gathering, boxing and palletizing hordes of donated items. Yesterday, we finished loading a trailer (generously donated and transported by Logistics One) with 23 palettes of supplies to send to the people I had met last week in Coney Island.

Palettes waiting to be loaded

Loading the trailer at the Port of Albany

It was Friday morning, November 15, 2012, and I was getting ready to follow the tractor trailer downstate in our company pickup truck. I had just stopped at the house of Joe Giannetto of The Stakeholders to pick up “a few” last donations he had collected over the prior three days. Even after seeing palettes and palettes worth of supplies loaded onto the trailer, I was shocked at the sheer volume of toothpaste, canned food, diapers and water he had arranged in organized piles on his front porch. After an hour of loading up at Joe’s house, our truck was full, I had plenty of gas and I felt overly optimistic that things were lining up perfectly.

As I entered the Thruway to head down to NYC, the plan seemed simple. Tammy, the property manager/volunteer coordinator I met last week in Sea Gate had promised a forklift to help unload the truck. From there I would meet Paul Hackett from Hill and Markes, who was coming to help me to distribute supplies, many of which were donated by his company.

I arrived at Sea Gate just before noon and drove through the entrance gate that had been torn down to make way for larger emergency vehicles. I parked in front of a small, Cape Cod-styled chapel that had been converted to a mission control center for the community. Immediately, I found Tammy, wearing her “Sea Gate Manager” jacket, directing volunteers to task.

Entrance to Sea Gate

People say that disasters can bring out the best and worst in people. Tammy is the perfect example of someone who flips a switch and is at her best when the situation calls for it. She constantly smiles when she speaks with everyone, always maintains a steady demeanor and doesn’t waiver in her commitment to do what’s best for her community.

Most impressively: she’s a property manager who has taken on the extremely large responsibility of organizing the relief effort for an entire 20+ block neighborhood. Before I could even tell her who I was and what I was doing there, she greeted me with a hug and had three volunteers unloading our truck.

The destruction from the Superstorm and the terrible toll it’s taken on the residents living along the coast became immediately apparent. Even after having been there the previous weekend with my friend, the sight of parking lots full of flooded cars, houses missing exterior walls, and streets littered with the contents of people’s homes still seemed surreal and nightmarish. The never ending thumping of army helicopters overhead made the whole weekend feel like a scene out of a war movie. But unfortunately it’s daily existence for those who live there.

The smell is the other thing that instantly hits you. One of the biggest issues victims of the storm have to deal with is the raw sewage that came back up the pipes during the storm surge. We met a family who told us their basement had barely flooded during the surge and how they were extremely optimistic they’d be okay until the moment they realized their toilets, sinks and showers were overflowing with sewage. We may have brought cases of bleach donated by Hill & Markes, Environmental Service Systems and others, but when your home is flooded eight feet high with raw sewage, it takes a lot more than bleach to clean things up.

Part two of this story continues here.

Old Directory Signs

Working with Saxton SignCorp and Shannon-Rose Design, we developed a customized, attractive, full-color design that would be easy to read and better reflect Great Oaks’ brand as the premier office park location in Albany. 

Design of New Directory Signs

We recently had the signs installed. We think they’re a phenomenal improvement!

New Signs Being Installed

New Directory at Building 100

We have received an outpouring of donations and will not be collecting any further supplies at this time. We shipped a tractor trailer down to Seagate, off Coney Island this morning. Please check back on our website for full details including photos. 

–

Having braced ourselves last week for power outages or worse, Hurricane Sandy blew by our region. Now that we’re seeing the devastation in the NYC region, our hearts go out to those now living without the basic essentials, their whole lives ruined.

We hope the stories and photos inside inspire you to give to a relief organization or perhaps consider assisting us with our project. We hope to post more information to our Facebook page and/or website about this project and those who are partnering with us. If you feel some of the inspiration we do, please pass this along to your colleagues and friends and ask them to donate or participate in a similar way.

The project:

On Friday morning, a few days after realizing we had essentially no impact from the storm on our properties, it occurred to us to find a way to pay it forward, in a grassroots sort of way and trading on some of our resources (manpower, vehicle, tools, tenants who might want to donate items). With the amazing help of our employee Dylan Turek and his friend Andy, we organized our own mini-relief effort in a matter of a few hours.

Friends and colleagues as well as tenants in our office buildings donated blankets, food and clothing and we filled our company truck. Later that night Dylan and Andy headed down to Staten Island, where we initially thought the need was greatest.

Efforts this weekend:

Dylan and Andy were in NYC this weekend helping with relief needs. A colleague of Dylan’s father offered to house their team so as to avoid straining other local resources.

On Saturday they worked in Staten Island with a husband and wife team who had organized a neighborhood-wide relief effort. Supplies were brought to a shopping plaza parking lot and vehicles like ours were valuable in getting supplies out to affected neighborhoods.

Later on Saturday, they were informed that the need was greater in Coney Island so they moved their efforts to that area. They distributed several truckloads in Coney Island where agencies like FEMA and Red Cross had not yet reached, mainly with elderly populations.

In neighborhoods where there were supplies available, the agencies were distributing them from central points. Unfortunately some people had mobility issues or were afraid to leave home because of looting. Also, the lines for any type of government service were running about 5 hours long and all items were being rationed.

There are people in Coney Island who want to leave, but their cars are either washed away or unusable, and there is no gas available. They visited the basement apartment of an elderly man in Coney Island who had all of his possessions ruined by flooding. 

Over the course of the weekend it was evident that electric power is being restored and clean water is becoming more available. Relief agencies are receiving more supplies but the distribution remains a challenge. The gasoline situation is horrible but clearly going to improve. 

 Here is a link to all of the photos Dylan and Andy took this weekend.

Opportunities to help:

People have approached us after seeing our efforts, and they are interested in donating items they have, buying supplies, or donating money. If you have money to give, we think your funds can be used most efficiently by one of the agencies working to distribute aid:

• United Way Sandy Recovery Fund
• American Red Cross Disaster Relief Fund
• The Mayor’s Fund to Advance New York City Hurricane Relief Fund
• Masbia Soup Kitchen
• Food Bank for New York City
• Tunnel to Towers Foundation Hurricane Relief Fund
• Brooklyn Recovery Fund

Partnering with us in our next delivery run:

If giving money to an organization isn’t your thing, or if you’d like to help in a more hands-on way, we have identified a partner who is helping us send a large moving truck later this week filled with more supplies. Here is a list of items we believe will be needed later this week:

• Disposable utensils such as plates/bowls/cups flatware (sealed unopened bags)
• Cleaning supplies such as gloves, bleach, soap, big trash bags, ammonia, mops, buckets, sponges, shovels, paper towels, disinfectant wipes
• Tarps, carts, shopping carts, wheelbarrows to transport goods to homes.
• Stick-up LED lights lights
• Socks and underwear (new only; kids and adults sizes)
• Baby supplies like diapers (including toddler sizes), wipes, etc. (sealed unopened bags)
• Basic first aid supplies like neosporin, aspirin, tylenol, ibprofen and other OTC drugs, nasal spray (sealed unopened packages)
• Dust / particle masks and work gloves
• Flashlights and batteries
• Personal hygiene supplies, preferably small or single-use e.g. like soap, deodorant, toothbrushes/toothpaste, hand sanitizer, tissues, combs (sealed unopened packages)
• Power tools and small appliances e.g. microwave, toaster, etc (many were destroyed by floods)
• Small books and toys in good condition (new or good condition)

If you have, or wish to buy, any such items in good condition, please bring any and all such items to our maintenance shop located in the back of the 100 Great Oaks building (follow the signs when you enter the office park). If no one is there and weather permitting, you may leave items outside.

Update – this collection ended on Thursday 10/8/12 at 10:00 AM.

Note that based on currently available information there is an abundance of clothing. We therefore ask that you do not send clothing, coats or blankets. It is also too early to send furniture and furnishings as many homes are still uninhabitable.

If you can’t buy supplies personally, and you are intent on donating to our effort rather than one of the agencies above, I will reluctantly accept any contributions you send to us. 

If you can organize a large local collection here in the Albany area – perhaps at your community center or place of worship – please consider setting up a collection point and delivering to our shop later this week. Or, you can email me and we can organize for our truck to stop there.

Future efforts / rebuilding:

Several of our employees are interested in doing hands-on work to help with rebuilding. We hope to arrange this in the coming weeks, in an organized fashion with a partner agency that can help with supplies, logistics, permitting, etc. If you or your employees have trade skills and would like to create a local team to join the rebuilding effort, please contact Dylan at dylan@rosenblumcompanies.com.

Finally, thank you for caring.

American Red Cross Disaster Relief Fund

The Mayor’s Fund to Advance New York City Hurricane Relief Fund

Food Bank for New York City

Tunnel to Towers Foundation Hurricane Relief Fund

At this time, all of our properties appear to have weathered the storm okay. Power is on. 

Original Post:

As the storm forecasts continue to intensify we are bracing for significant rainfall and high winds. There is potential for flooding and power outages, and we may experience downed trees or limbs in our parking lots and the surrounding areas.

If you must be on site during the storm, we recommend that tenants park away from the large trees. We also recommend that you prepare for extended power outages. In the event of an outage our emergency lighting has limited run time, as they are powered by battery. After the batteries are depleted (generally less than one hour), stairwell and exit lighting will be off.

We will be monitoring our properties later tonight and early tomorrow morning provided that conditions allow our personnel to safely get here. On Tuesday and/or Wednesday we will be prepared to handle any outdoor cleanup needs such as tree limbs.

If we are able to provide you with more information, we will update our social media accounts and website with further details. Please check this story for additional updates or visit our social media sites:

Fuller Road Overpass 8/31/12

Traffic on Fuller Road will be detoured for three weeks while construction of the new overpass and roundabout outside Albany Nanotech continues.

Read More at Timesunion.com

1) Identify Space Options

A good place to start is our available spaces page, however if you aren’t sure of the exact size space you need, or don’t see something that looks suitable, please contact our office and we’ll be glad to walk you through the options.

2) Evaluate Space Needs

Once you find a space that we think might work, our project manager or interior designer will work with you to lay out  a floor plan to meet your space needs. If you aren’t quite sure about your needs, we will consult with you and develop a space planning “program” worksheet to help you assess the right sized space for your organization.

3) Discuss Finishes and Customizations

We will review our “building standards” with you and discuss any other items you might require or desire. For example, we can offer upgraded finishes like interior glass windows, wall covering, upgraded flooring and special electrical, plumbing and HVAC accommodations. Often, we are able to accommodate a customized build-out with standard finishes at no additional charge – depending on the space and lease term.

4) Review Terms and Execute Lease

We will prepare a lease proposal for your review. This, along with the space plan, will be your tool to decide if you are ready to move forward with a lease. Once you approve the proposal and plan, we will draft a lease document for your review. As soon as it is signed we will be able to start tenant fit-up construction.

5) Space Build-Out / Fit-Up

After the lease is signed, we will provide formal construction documents for your approval and you will meet with our project manager or interior designer to select the actual finishes and color scheme. We will also review your electrical needs to ensure we are accommodating all of your equipment. We will do the hard work, while you get to review and approve every step of the way.

During construction we will work with your telecommunications and furniture vendors to help ensure everything will fit and function, and be installed in a timely fashion. We will manage the project for you to minimize any hassles with these vendors. 

6) Move-in

Our project management services continue in helping supervise and coordinate your move-in.