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Gregg Kennelly

Building Operations Enthusiast #CRE

Bio

NYC Commercial Real Estate Manager: 10 Years in Construction followed by 10 Years Managing Commercial Real Estate, Building Operations Enthusiast, MEP (Mechanical, Electrical, Plumbing), Boilers (Steam and Hot Water), Heating Plants, Roof Tanks, Service Contracts, Operating & Capital Expenditure Budgets, Analysis, Improvement, NYC Local Laws, Life Safety, NYC DOB, BIS, FDNY, EPA, New Construction and Improving The As-Built Environment.

Passionate about improving Real Estate Operations and reducing waste.

After a decade of hands on construction experience, I turned my attention towards managing NYC real estate.

I have managed over 100 NYC office build-out's, 6 lobby renovations, untold common corridor/bathroom renovations, 4 elevator modernizations, 3 roof tank replacements, 2 boiler replacements, 5 LL11/facade restoration projects etc. etc.

I've managed high rise office buildings (union and non-union), cooperatives, condos, luxury rental buildings and malls. Whether your building is new or old, union or non-union, proper management begins with a "thoughtful" Operating & CapEx Budget! You cannot improve what you don't measure...

So now I'm leading a large team at the intersection of CRE (Commercial Real Estate) & Technology called BuildingOps.

To recap, my professional life began in construction, grew into commercial real estate management and evolved into a hybrid organization focused on commercial real estate and technology.

Clarity is an amazing product that allows me to give back and I genuinely enjoy helping. Accuracy & Clarity Always Provided, whether you are a broker, facility manager, technician, building engineer, property manager, building manager, building owner, investor, VC, technologist, LP, CEO or intern I'm here to help.

All the best,

Gregg M. Kennelly
https://www.linkedin.com/in/greggkennelly

Recent Answers

Real Estate

What is the pricing of bundled residential real estate data for USA, California (transactions, date of sale, price of sale, MLS pictures)


Gregg Kennelly

Building Operations Enthusiast #CRE

Separate, but related note: "NYC Open Data" is growing every day & provides free data https://opendata.cityofnewyork.us/ For national data check out the parent organization Socrata.com. Great resources for public data records, which are 100% free, contains everything from real estate transactions to the number of public bathrooms... Best of luck tracking down the costs.

Money Management

What does it take to develop a money transfer service?


Gregg Kennelly

Building Operations Enthusiast #CRE

Take a look at Dwolla (https://www.dwolla.com/) and their competitors' business models. All $ transfer companies are still largely bound by the same ACH batch processing constraints, meaning $ doesn't move instantaneously, yet... Good luck! -Gregg

Insurance

How can I sell a service to insurance companies?


Gregg Kennelly

Building Operations Enthusiast #CRE

One very interesting company right now disrupting the insurance industry is Zenefits. They employ a small army of insurance brokers and if you haven't researched them, it's def worth a few minutes of your time. You'll appreciate their business model. As for selling to insurance companies, I have a good friend (David Bodansky) who owns a boutique insurance brokerage and I've spent quite a bit of time in his office. I'm sure he and his staff would be open to the idea of helping sell a product they believed in, so perhaps your angle is to leverage the existing relationships that every insurance broker already developed? I think it's safe to say all insurance brokers have relationships and memberships to AM Best, hopefully that helps... Good luck! -Gregg

Agriculture

Venturing Into Dairy Farming with prospects of expanding into biogas, biomass and hydroponics farming.


Gregg Kennelly

Building Operations Enthusiast #CRE

Consider reaching out to companies like Foodem and Root. Perhaps you've never heard of these names, but i've always liked Foodem's b2b model and for some reason I've always liked their videos, who knows... Root happens to have a great product (and team btw) Eric is a great guy, I'm sure he'd be happy to chat if you introduce yourself. I am speculating, but I suspect they may be able to connect you to a handful of interesting people. I am certain you can find many companies/founders in a similar space; inquire, ask, make new connections etc. etc. When time permits, I get the greatest reward from sharing and helping; we all do... While I can't be certain, I suspect many "funded entrepreneurs" share that same desire to give back and see others succeed. Good luck with Root and Foodem. They are completely different companies and hopefully offer completely unique insights/connections/perspectives etc. Good luck-keep connecting!! Continued success, Gregg M. Kennelly

Real Estate

I'm thinking on buying an apartment/house to rent it out. What should I know before I embark on this


Gregg Kennelly

Building Operations Enthusiast #CRE

Since this post we have more clarity on the direction of US interest rates. All things equal this is a great environment to lock in a 30 year mortgage and become a landlord. The lease is your bible and remember that when there's a dispute "tie goes to the runner," which essentially means that if you (as the LL) must clearly described every obligation and responsibility, seen and unforeseen. Sounds simple right? It's not and it's largely dependent upon the property type. If this is a residential home in the suburbs the repairs and maintenance obligations/involvement/coats differ greatly when compared to a condo in the city for example. After ten years in construction and ten years in property management I've been personally involved with a wide variety of property types. Every sound investment has a verified operating budget and 5 year cap ex budget. You get those two done correctly and you are definitely on the right track! If you have any follow up questions, shoot for 6am-7am eastern standard time. Warm regards, Gregg M. Kennelly

Information Technology

What is the best HR automation system in the market and why?


Gregg Kennelly

Building Operations Enthusiast #CRE

Zenefits is top of mind, growing fast and operating all over the U.S., which is incredible because they're only a few years old. All of their HR services are free, like tracking employee PTO, changing 401K contribution amounts etc. etc., but Zenefits also employs a small army of insurance brokers. If you use Zenefits you can continue using your current insurance broker for employee health care policies, but they can offer you a quote as well. That's where a big chunk of their revenue comes from, which is fine. Btw the CEO still serves as the Zenefits administrator for the company, which I think is really cool, but that's coming from a product guy. Anyway I researched this topic last month, hope it helps. Warm regards, Gregg M. Kennelly

Work Life Balance

How do you balance attending life events (friend's weddings, bday etc) with running your startup with no cash?


Gregg Kennelly

Building Operations Enthusiast #CRE

Having made many of the same sacrifices, I can tell you it absolutely gets more rewarding with each passing month and milestone hit. I think this Dave Ramsey quote sums it up: “If you will live like no one else, later you can live like no one else.” -Gregg M. Kennelly

Business Models

I'm running a two sided marketplace. Should I charge a subscription fee on the supply side or take a commission off each transaction?


Gregg Kennelly

Building Operations Enthusiast #CRE

Would you like to compare & contrast our two side marketplaces? If so, I'd be happy to chat for 10min today. Def healthy to have a call comparing models, strategies, goals, milestones etc. Fair warning though, I see nothing wrong with leaving some money on the table when it translates into rapid adoption, higher user involvement and greater loyalty... Warm regards, Gregg M. Kennelly

Marketing Strategy

How can I effectively market my online business to baby boomers / senior citizens?


Gregg Kennelly

Building Operations Enthusiast #CRE

"Baby boomers and senior citizens" are not a homogenous group, but AARP is a relatively trusted source of information for seniors. Have you considered advertising with "AARP The Magazine?" AARP has about 40 million members. Something else to keep in mind is that seniors usually have Medicare, approximately 60 million members over 65 years old. Not sure if that is helpful. If You share more about your model, perhaps I can offer more valuable insight. Happy planning, Gregg Michael Kennelly

Real Estate Development

What are some of the hidden costs most property development beginners miss on their first development?


Gregg Kennelly

Building Operations Enthusiast #CRE

I developed a multi-family prefab and it worked out well, but I had to compromise on a few things. Upon visiting the manufacturing facility I realized I could never have the large ceiling heights I wanted, b/c each level is shipped on an 18 Wheeler and because of the low bridge heights, my desired ceiling height was cut down by a foot. Pre-fab base finishes are bare bones, you'll want upgrades, from laminate crapola to higher end finishes like granite or hard wood. Wen your levels are connected with large lag bolts or equivalent, there's obviously plumbing and electrical connections to worry about and then of course the inevitable landscaping that has to take place after construction is complete and if you're talking about Canada, you could be living with a nasty muddy frozen lawn with tire tracks all winter (snowy trip hazard :)) In any event, once you have your title insurance and taxes figured out, as well as architect, permits and fees, you should be good to go! Good luck and btw RECORD THE PROCESS! Keepsake for the kids, a nice record for yourself etc. Nice to have, wish I recorded everything... -Gregg

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Real EstatePortfolio ManagementOperationsOperations ManagementProperty ManagementLeasesCommercial Real Estate ConsultingCorporate Real EstateFacilities ManagementMarket Data