After 10 years as Director of Property Management (PM) divisions at one of “The Big Four” CRE firms and 10 years before with the largest office landlord in the country, I decided to move to Stream for a senior position based in Denver. Some colleagues were surprised at my decision because, even though Stream has offices across 12 major markets coast-to-coast, the company is still considered by some to be a more boutique firm. My decision to move away from mega-providers was motivated by the insistence of the large firms to drive consistency in process and absolute standardization of practice, which I believe forces teams to suppress their individual capabilities and stifles their innovation and creativity. In contrast, Stream although national in scope, is committed to remaining agile, entrepreneurial and innovative to serve the needs of our clients.
What is Full-Service?
As a Managing Director of PM, I am confident that, across all our service lines, we prioritize people and the needs of our clients over process. We celebrate the wins and our people in the same way a much smaller firm would—any new property management assignment is a win, a small or large leasing contract is a win, a call from a client to say thank you is a huge win. This difference is what makes Stream a great place to work.
While Stream offers the depth of platform and service lines to serve our clients in every phase of their requirements, the meaning of full-service goes beyond our breadth of services to encompass client-service and satisfaction—simply put, prioritizing service, clients and people first is Stream’s true differentiator.
Stream’s flat organizational structure means our professionals have access to company leaders; their business needs, and ideas are heard and can be acted on—quickly. One recent example is the development of our RapidOfficesTM (Rapid) marketplace. When we identified a need to support Stream’s leasing and management clients to fill their newly vacant coworking spaces due to bankruptcy filings, Rapid marketplace was launched—in the midst of a global pandemic. Our service offerings continually evolve to quickly meet client’s needs, unlike many of our slower and bureaucratic competitors.
Adaptability Over Rigidity
Stream’s sizable investment in people and technology allows us to match the resources offered by larger firms. As we grow, we are committed to maintaining our agile and personalized service. In PM, the ability to be adaptable when onboarding new clients and their assets is essential. We use standardization to promote efficiency, but we never force rigid, unnecessary processes that stifle our people, their creativity or their ability to problem solve—in short, we remain agile, to deliver what is best for our clients. We appreciate that one size does not fit all.
Because we know how much it matters—Denver’s Property Management team includes a transition specialist (with 40-years’ experience), to assist in the startup of new assignments. This individual focuses on every detail, to make the transition seamless for the Owner, Tenants and the whole Team.
We insist on adaptability over rigidity: This approach has led to success across our entire service line—and when it comes to PM, it’s the reason we are winning new assignments. Over the last five years in Denver, we have grown from managing 850K SF to well over 10M SF today, adding retail and industrial assets to our portfolio. In Dallas, home to Stream’s HQ, the firm manages 74.4M SF of commercial space and is ranked #1 Top Property Management Firm (Dallas Business Journal). Stream is committed to the same level of growth and service in Denver. We are perceived as an up-and-coming firm in this market, but we have a wealth of experience, a proven track record and a robust platform to guarantee service and delivery.
Seeking Purposeful Growth
Stream’s commitment to people and service, results in excellence from our professionals and in delivery for our clients. Stream is continually seeking out the best and brightest, people who are creative, committed and smart, people who are excited about property—people like us. Our professionals note how rewarding it is to work for an entrepreneurial company where they are empowered to lead their own assignments and ultimately to achieve goals and maximize results for their clients.
Stream operates offices in twelve major markets across the U.S. and continues to grow. With a recent tenant rep and marketing team moving over from one of the big four companies in Chicago, plus planned market expansion this year, we are purposefully evolving our services to benefit our clients and to seek out new opportunities. We have strategically recruited 50 new professionals across several service lines nationally throughout 2020—even as other CRE firms were furloughing creative and research talent.
Word of mouth is the best and most trusted form of endorsement, and the same is true for Stream’s recruiting efforts. We’ve experienced great success in recruiting talent across our network, through the recommendations of our employees and clients to their friends in the business: simply because of Stream’s culture and structure.
We are in growth mode and believe that Denver is perceived as the right size city and is well positioned to make a quicker recovery than other markets from the challenges of the pandemic. Denver continues to be a magnet for young professionals and growth in this area is anticipated to take off again. Despite current trends making suburban areas more enticing, we believe in Downtown Denver, its growth and future. In fact, we’re in the process of locating our new Denver office, and I can tell you, it will be in Downtown.
Already national in scope, Stream is committed to remaining agile, entrepreneurial and innovative as we expand our services and our teams.
Our clients and our professionals know that working with Stream means working with purpose and creativity for a company that has the platform capabilities and resources to rival The Big Four, but the commitment to keep its service personal and attentive. We understand that this commitment is what makes Stream The Right One when it comes to growth and success.
We insist on adaptability over ridgidity: This approach has led to success across our entire service line—and when it comes to PM, it’s the reason we are winning new assignments. Over the last five years in Denver, we have grown from managing 850K SF to well over 10M SF today, adding retail and industrial assets to our portfolio. In Dallas, home to Stream’s HQ, the firm manages 74.4M SF of commercial space and is ranked #1 Top Property Management Firm (Dallas Business Journal). Stream is committed to the same level of growth and service in Denver. We are perceived as an up-and-coming firm in this market, but we have a wealth of experience, a proven track record and a robust platform to guarantee service and delivery.
Tom Bahn joined Stream Realty Partners (Stream) in January of 2016 and serves as the Managing Director of Denver’s Property Management platform. In this role, Tom’s focus provides oversight for the Property Management group in the Denver region, the exceptional service for new and existing clients and support for the national operations platform.