A panel of local real estate executives along with the Catherine Carlock, Boston Business Journal's Real Estate Editor, talked about innovation in the suburbs last Tuesday. It was part of the Newton-Needham Regional Chamber's annual real estate forum, co-sponsored by SOIR. 

The hour-long discussion looked at the changes happening in the market, from co-working to reduced lease terms. One major discussion point came to the idea of developing a core brand for the property. Panelists agreed that the idea of a "brand" goes well beyond the logo on the side of the building or the name they chose, but dives deeper into the feeling people have when they interact with the space. 

Maggie Smith, VP of Marketing for WS Development, pointed to the programming they do at places like The Street as well as to the internal marketing agency that WS built over the past 3 years as proof of a shift in the market. Todd Nordblom, Project Manager at Nordblom Companies joked that just coming up with the name 3rd Ave for the property in Burlington took a lot of time, energy, and effort. At both Workbar and TripAdvisor, represented by Head of Partnerships Devin Cole and Sr. Director of Office Experience Matt Gabree, the brand comes through in how people work within the space.

The panelists also noted how the difficulty in hiring new employees is pushing tenants to make drastic real estate decisions, including leaving spaces regardless of their lease terms. It's also pushed commercial developers to think more about mixed-use with a focus on retail and housing, as a way to appeal to and retain commercial tenants.  

The Marshalls on Needham Street will be moving on October 21. You don't need to look far, though as it's only moving across the street. This change is part of Northland's plan as it prepares to begin work on its yet-to-be-approved mixed-use development on the property. 

The new location at 260 Needham Street formerly housed T.J. Maxx, which moved down the street to Newton Nexus. There it sits alongside Sierra Trading Post. Marshalls, T.J. Maxx, and Sierra Trading Post are all part of the Framingham-based TJX Companies. 

Marshalls is also doing a big hiring push as part of the move and will be holding a hiring event on the first floor of 281 Needham Street all this week.

Babson grad students are now available for spring projects, but you need to get your request in soon. Applications are due by October 11. 

The Babson Graduate Experiential Learning Program allows local companies to bring on grad students to help with specific projects. This is part of several programs within Babson, including the 
Babson Consulting Experience (BCE), the Management Consulting Field Experience (MCFE), and the Strategic Analysis Consulting Project (SACP).

Application forms are available here: https://babson.tfaforms.net/75. Or you can email Leslie Romiza, at lromiza1@babson.edu. 

On Thursday, October 3 starting at 8am, Chris Dempsey, director of Transportation for Massachusetts, and Kathryn Carlson, director of transportation for A Better City, will discuss how state leadership can make the changes necessary to fix our broken transportation system. It happens in the auditorium at 85 Wells Ave. Free, but register in advance.