Faron Brazis shares how workplace analytics and data-driven strategies are transforming real estate decisions and tenant engagement. She shares how she’s optimized building operations, amenities, and events, ensuring that spaces are used efficiently and meet tenant needs.
Faron Brazis, Tenant Engagement Lead at Hobbs Brook Real Estate, shares how workplace analytics and data-driven strategies are transforming real estate decisions and tenant engagement. She shares how she’s optimized building operations, amenities, and events, ensuring that spaces are used efficiently and meet tenant needs.
Hobbs Brook Real Estate is an innovative commercial real estate leader with a portfolio of forward-thinking, sustainable properties in the United States. Shaping the market since 1952, the company acquires, develops, manages, and serves as a valued partner to a variety of stakeholders.
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00:24 - In the News
06:04 - Faron’s work
08:56 - Getting tenants engaged
11:55 - Using machine learning data platforms
16:10 - The sustainability front
19:28 - Rapid fire
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[00:00:00] Kristi: Hello, and welcome to Beyond Built. I'm Kristi Flores, your host coming from Accruent. On today's episode, we're talking with Faron Brazis, the Tenant Engagement Lead at Hobbs Brook Real Estate. Faron, it's great to have you here.
[00:00:16] Faron: Ah, great to be here. Thanks so much.
[00:00:19] Kristi: All right, listeners and viewers, we like to start every episode with this segment we call. In the news, Faron, our topic today comes from an article all about how HR teams can use workplace analytics to make million dollar real estate decisions. A few stats stood out to me. About half of all US jobs could be done remotely, but even those remote capable jobs, only about one in five are actually fully in office.
[00:00:48] And then there's Gen Z. Only about 23% of them say that they want to be fully remote. So it's not what people don't want the office, it's that they wanna be on their terms. Does that kind of match what you're seeing with your tenants?
[00:01:04] Faron: 100%. Um, I think at our latest count, we're seeing about 56% of our population is still on some type of hybrid schedule, whether that's two days a week or three days a week, uh, sometimes even four. And the rest of it. It's just kind of split between fully mandated in the office, uh, coming in for big meetings, um, or something there in between.
[00:01:27] Um, but yeah, same, same kind of stuff, same patterns. Gen Z is definitely displaying that.
[00:01:35] Kristi: And it also leads to another big point in this article, and it's the role of analytics. The idea that by looking at real data on how people use office space or what's kind of driving them in there, you can design experiences that actually make people wanna come in and even connect to outcomes like satisfaction and retention.
[00:01:55] How are you seeing that kind of analytics change the way that companies are making those decisions?
[00:02:01] Faron: Um, from a couple of different perspectives. Um, this particular role of tenant engagement has kind of developed into this pseudo, uh, like half data science, half engagement. HR marketing event planner. Um, and so with that, it provides a very unique lens to help our leasing team, to help our construction team, to help our executives, um, kind of look at these data points that have historically kind of been lacking in commercial real estate.
[00:02:32] So whether that is, how occupied are the spaces, are we wasting electricity? Are, are there things that we could be doing more efficiently at the building? What, what is it that is actually driving people to work? Is it engagement? Is it events? Is it, uh, a really cool gym? Um, so those are the kind of things that we are really diving into. Um, and then I'm gonna get to explore with our properties.
[00:02:58] Kristi: Fascinating. Well, we talk about it all the time at Accruent, but I know that this is just top of mind for you and something that you're living every day. So I'm so excited for our discussion. But let's talk a little bit about your path for a second, for all of our viewers. How did you get into tenant engagement and what's your role like today?
[00:03:19] Faron: Like, uh, most people that I've spoken to in real estate, I kind of fell into it. Um, just by pure happenstance. I come from a background of a lot of, um, hospitality, uh, private event planning. Um, I even did, uh, some politics and precinct analysis in a previous life before all of that. Um, and when I moved up to Boston, I started doing some like light concierge building management, um, uh, kind of programming.
[00:03:47] And then it just evolved from there. Uh, and now with Hobbs Brook, uh, I am just managing the entire tenant engagement for all of our many properties.
[00:03:57] Kristi: It's exciting. I have a, uh, similar past in hospitality and politics, so we'll have to take that, those topics up on a different time. but thank you, Faron. We've seen a lot of change. I know you're feeling it day to day, but from your perspective, what's been the biggest change in how people are using office space over the past few years and what's kind of really surprising you?
[00:04:20] Faron: I think one of the, the things that stuck with me the most is we were at an event and I was talking to, uh, one of our newer tenants and they said that they used the phrase office as a destination. And I thought it was very interesting because they are, you know, one of many offices. It's not like a global headquarters.
[00:04:41] But it's one of the newer buildings that they have. And so they will fly in all of their employees for big meetings, for family days, um, things like that to this particular campus. Um, because in partly the events that we do and the things that they can kind of use it as an extension of their own programs, um, which is something we're also seeing smaller companies that want and crave this real, like high touch level of engagement, but aren't necessarily, uh, built for that.
[00:05:10] Maybe don't have the financial or the HR department to kind of build out that they can then rely on us as property management, uh, through the tenant engagement program. To provide those things that might be missing, to provide those, um, incentives for employees to come in and to view the office as more of a, of a destination, um, as opposed to kind of how we saw the workplace pre COVID.
[00:05:34] Kristi: That's so interesting and, and I, I think that office as a destination is really brings to light what so many people are looking for and, and probably really drives a lot of what you do. So I know you've been developing and experimenting and working on a lot of these in office experiences to be more meaningful for your tenants.
[00:05:55] What's. One of the, maybe bring it to life a little bit for our viewers on the impact and things that you're doing there.
[00:06:02] Faron: Yeah. Um, so it has developed in a way that I am focusing on events and amenities first and foremost. Um, providing things that the tenants are looking for that they want to do, providing it in a timeframe that's accessible, um, and days that are, uh, accessible to them that, uh, align more with whatever their hybrid schedule is.
[00:06:29] Um, also have kind of developed more of a consulting role in leasing and in construction. Um, so as we're developing new buildings and building out spaces, the question comes to mind, well, how do we prepare for new amenities. How do we prepare for what people are gonna want in the upcoming years? Um, and so that's when we have a chance to kind of look at all of the data we've collected over the years, uh, and use that to kind of inform those decisions so that we're more efficiently using the space.
[00:07:00] We're not building something that no one is gonna use whatsoever. Um, and it, it, it's definitely building more confidence, uh, when we go to tour with new companies to come in and be like, these are the things that we have found. Hard data points. This has worked, especially like if you're in a particular industry, for example, life sciences, when you're dealing with a lot of tenants who are mandated five days in the office and they're running experiments and they're doing things that aren't like our normal, "I'm at a desk nine to five."
[00:07:31] They can't always come away from two to three for. Uh, a happy hour or to pick up, uh, something or another. So we've had to re-look at how we even do our events, um, to increase the window of time so that way there's more drop-in availability. And then I think the third part of, of kind of what I've, I've gotten into is the real data analyst side of things, um, which is. Personally, uh, just a very exciting part for me 'cause it's a lot of like new and it's just, uh, continuing education that I've, I've been learning and exposed to so many different, uh, new programs and, and process and, and software companies that are just really diving into this.
[00:08:10] Um, but things like occupancy sensors, water sensors, even car gates at the garage. How can we use all of these things that are already in our built environment to understand our tenant base and then what does all that data mean? How, how does that influence whether or not we lease to, um, a specific tenant or whether we build a certain amenity? It's kind of that trifecta of, of events, consulting and, and data analytics that it's kind of developed into.
[00:08:45] Kristi: It's exciting and I'm sure you're using different parts of your brain throughout the day going from events to looking at these analytics. Um, I wanna touch on the analytics and kind of go back there, but first I'm just curious. So what are some events that are driving the most engagement and really, um, getting tenants engaged?
[00:09:05] Faron: each campus is pretty unique. Um, there are a couple overarching ones though that, uh, we found kind of work at all of them. Um, especially wellness focused. So getting that r and r while you're at work, um, we do a lot of. Uh, things that normally you'd have to schedule on a weekend to do if you wanted to go and get your nails done.
[00:09:27] If you needed a quick haircut, if you, uh, wanted to get a massage. Those are things that we bring to the campus. Um, just kind of like nice little perks for people to get away. And those events in particular, we've seen. A tremendous turnout. Um, one of the ways that we looked at this was measuring high volume days, which we used as, um, an increase of greater than 50% of like a baseline median foot traffic in any given day.
[00:09:54] And then we look at days that we have those particular events are those days that we see higher volume. And, and we do. Um, and even in weeks where we have multiple wellness events. The overall foot traffic for the entire week has gone up. Um, so that has been very interesting. It's a very popular one. Uh, I think two of the other ones that are summer focused that I, I also really enjoy and I'm just very happy that everyone else enjoys it, are our summer concert series.
[00:10:19] And we have a farmer's market that we bring on campus. Um, so we'll have local bands. We have local artisans come and sell goods. Um, we'll have food and drinks and. Um, just a really good time where people can connect not only with other people in their company, but with the other companies on campus. Um, and that helps kind of, uh, facilitate this overall community sense, uh, which is really great.
[00:10:43] And then the farmer's market, we do a, uh, take what you want, give what you want, kind of policy where we work with some local farms to bring in produce and our tenants can make a donation of their choice. And that goes directly to our local food bank. Um, and so we also will supplement that with some of the vegetable gardens that we actually have on campus.
[00:11:03] Um, we donate those, the, the harvested produce to our local food banks. Um, so we have this green space, we might as well use it. Um, and so some of our cafe gets this produce, so it's like a real farm to table at work, uh, experience. But then we're also, you know, giving back to our community, uh, which, you know, these are just fantastic aspects of it.
[00:11:25] Kristi: Oh, that's great, Faron. I love that as a, uh, a busy working mother, I, uh, I can definitely relate to when you come into the office sometimes also kind of combining and being super productive, but also just being super purposeful and connecting to the community is pretty special. So I love the range of things that you're doing. I'm sure it's making a difference.
[00:11:48] Faron: it's a great time.
[00:11:49] Kristi: Good. I can tell you enjoy it.
[00:11:52] I know we talked a little bit about it. I'd love to hear more. How are you using geofencing, machine learning engagement platforms? That's a lot of data. How is it guiding what you do in the business?
[00:12:06] Faron: Got it. Um, in a lot of different ways. Uh, luckily we have a lot of really good software programs that are able to tend it, take all of these raw data points and put it into a nice dashboard that we can then share with our executive team, that we can share with, uh, even our, our tenant contacts to help them understand their own employee base.
[00:12:27] Um. One of the things that's kind of, uh, exciting for me is the, I think I mentioned the, the occupancy sensors and understanding are we being the most efficient with, um, our, like HVAC systems with our lighting, with, uh, everything else? Are we able to turn some of this stuff off on certain days and reduce the cost overall and reduce our carbon footprint?
[00:12:53] So these are the kind of things that. You know, you might have this gut feeling of, you know, nobody's ever in this hallway, but to actually have those data points and to be able to share that with the decision makers has been really eye-opening. Um, and then, you know, allows them to, to really take that to heart when they're making, uh, decisions on, on what to do with the building.
[00:13:13] Um, I think part of it is also, uh, going back to being an extension of the employee companies themselves. If they don't have access to all the information about their own employee base, we could help provide that and, you know, suggest things to them that might be beneficial to bringing people in. Uh, we've had companies reach out and they're like, we don't know how to get people in.
[00:13:39] And so we are able to go in and kind of look at that particular tenant and say, well, these, these groups of people like X, Y, and Z. And so. You know, we'd be happy to support you, uh, in X, Y, and Z. Or if that's something you wanna take on internally. You know, we have these vendors that we could share with you, um, to really engage within the, the company itself.
[00:14:02] Um, one of the other ways that we're doing that, uh, which was kind of when I first started, is understanding how people can enjoy time on campus and what the, the habits are, um, so everything kind of flows naturally. Um, I mentioned the, uh, life science departments and how when they're working on experiments all day, they can't always just drop everything they're doing and come to events.
[00:14:30] So we've done a lot of repeated events, we've done a lot of drop-ins. We are definitely changing things to be more mindful of folks who can't just come away at a specific time of day. Um. We have, uh, all day events. Um, and I think that has also increased our engagement level. Um, the usage on our. Uh, 10 engagement software has just continually increased just year over year, which is very exciting.
[00:14:57] And I think part of that is because of the way that we're able to use this data and not just use like, gut reactions of things. And I, I've made the joke before that it's like I, I go to the doctor and they're asking, you know, oh, are, are, are you dieting? How's that going? And I'm like, yeah, that's totally dieting.
[00:15:15] But I'm really not. I'm gonna go get ice cream after this or whatever. And so there's this big difference of also these tenants telling you what they want, um, but actually measuring what the reality is. Um, and I think that's also one of the big pieces of using the data, uh, to actually understand things and then predict other trends, um, based on that instead of, well, I think they're gonna want this today or maybe tomorrow.
[00:15:40] Um, so it's, I think just across the board it's incredibly helpful.
[00:15:45] Kristi: I can imagine. I can imagine. And, and we see that as well. Like sometimes what people say and what they do can be very different. Sometimes it matches, but sometimes, especially when you're talking about experiences and um, you know how they, how they work and what they do at work. Um, it's gotta be really valuable to pair data and analytics and just also conversations.
[00:16:06] So I love that you're looking at data for productivity and engagement, but also the sustainability front, which is important for just the sheer number of office spaces that you have.
[00:16:16] Faron: Hm. Mm-hmm.
[00:16:19] Kristi: Now I know technology is kind of near and dear to your heart, and it seems like it's been a bigger part of your job as the the last several years have gone on.
[00:16:27] How do you think about the future of technology in this space? What are you looking for? What are you kind of predicting?
[00:16:35] Faron: great question. I am very excited for what is coming in commercial real estate. There's a lot of small tech companies that have been popping up, um, that are really honing in on basically like the, the dream goal intended engagement is to be able to give you a dollar amount and tell you what that's actually worth in terms of lease retention.
[00:16:55] How much am I spending on an event per person and how hard and fast facts, how is that improving lease retention? How is that actually attracting new tenants? We have, uh, some software that we use. Um, and I, I think a lot of real estate companies have kind of, you know, jumped on the bandwagon with, uh, companies like Cove and Equi, uh, these tenant engagement software programs that connect the tenants to the property and form them of when events are.
[00:17:24] But then you also have these, like smaller companies like. Recalibrate that are going in and looking at sensor data, they're going in and understanding the built environment and using that to inform, um, leasing, informing the tenants themselves. Like, Hey, I think we could help you utilize your space even better.
[00:17:41] Um, so just really understanding that and, and, and kind of building it in a digestible way that you can share with tenants, that you can share with your CEOs, you can share with, um, developers, just the real nitty gritty sensor data, that's really good. I'm also very excited about, uh, AI coming in and helping with, uh, the customer service front of things. Uh, we have a lot of people who will come in that are new to the campus and they don't know where the gym is, they don't know where the cafe is, and that has taken a lot of time away from our property managers who have to respond to the same exact question, like a hundred different times a day.
[00:18:15] So the integration of like AI agents on the software programs is really helpful for those really basic things. Um. Without, you know, getting rid of the human touch aspect of it. That's not at all what I'm suggesting, but just like those repetitive, uh, tasks. I, I think those are all things that I'm, I'm very excited about.
[00:18:37] Kristi: I can imagine. And I love thinking about how AI can make it better and easier for, in this case, tenants, but also then allow you to have more space so you can create different and better experiences and, and help with, um. All of the work that you're doing to kind of elevate the employee experience. So I think it's great.
[00:18:57] I love, I love the idea of using it for support agents and customer service. Faron, you're doing so much to, help make buildings more efficient, making it smarter and free up people to do higher value work. So I'm, that's gotta feel good in a huge win and I can, I can just tell with the excitement that you love what you're doing every day.
[00:19:20] Faron: I'm pretty lucky, uh, to be able to do this, you know, it's a, it's a fun job.
[00:19:24] Kristi: I can tell. Awesome. Well, that moves us into our next segment, which is rapid fire.
[00:19:29] Faron: Okay.
[00:19:31] Kristi: Your favorite innovation and why.
[00:19:34] Faron: Honestly. YouTube tutorials and like open source technology in general to have all of this education just at your fingertips. I replaced the igniter on my gas stove the other day. Um, and I never would've known how to do that if it wasn't for, you know, these people on YouTube who show you how to do it.
[00:19:54] Um, and I, that access is, is amazing. I, it's best thing ever.
[00:20:00] Kristi: I agree. It is pretty incredible. I, I think I'm always surprised by just about any topic that you need help on, it's usually there, which is incredible, the amount of access and, um, even to replace your igniter. I'm impressed. Um, one innovation you wish would go away.
[00:20:21] Faron: Planned obsolescence, is a really big one for me. Of having these technologies where they're, you know, built in a way that you, you need to upgrade. And I, you know, I get technology is going really fast, but I, you know, I'd like to keep the same washer for 20 years like my parents did.
[00:20:40] Kristi: Especially when you think about some of the sa sustainability that you're working on, um, that is probably something top of mind on how you, how we could do probably more with, um, with what we have.
[00:20:52] Faron: yeah, yeah, a hundred percent.
[00:20:54] Kristi: Your thoughts on the number one thing organizations should be doing that they're not.
[00:21:00] Faron: Um, I, I, I think going along with the, the theme of everything today is data. Not being afraid of it. Um, there's no such thing as bad data. Uh, you're gonna learn if something is working. You're gonna learn if something's not working. And that honestly just gives you an opportunity to do better. Um, so just not being afraid of polling, not being afraid of getting like a, a bad satisfaction rating or something like that.
[00:21:24] 'cause all of that just makes us better.
[00:21:29] Kristi: I love that advice. I, I think we could take it in a lot of realms, right? Where, you know, sometimes just getting started, you learn so much by doing and, and being brave enough to ask the questions and get feedback can be, um, really, really empowering and, and once you get started, it's, uh, it's, it can be incredible for the business.
[00:21:49] So, great advice. Faron, last one here. What's one thing you wouldn't know about yourself by just looking at your LinkedIn profile?
[00:21:58] Faron: I have a ton of tattoos and I'm a total metalhead.
[00:22:03] Kristi: That I didn't know that.
[00:22:05] Faron: Yeah.
[00:22:06] Kristi: with your, with your sweater on today. I, I wouldn't have known.
[00:22:09] Faron: know, got a, you know, professional now and again.
[00:22:14] Kristi: Awesome. Well, more, more to add to our, um, our follow-up conversation. I had such a great conversation. A few of my own takeaways, hybrid isn't a compromise here. I really see it's such an opportunity and really inspiring as I hear some of the things you're doing. Data really bridges the gap. And a little bit of that, you know, what they say and what they actually do really can help drive smarter real estate decisions. I love how you're leaning into all that data, um, and different types of data. And just, you know, from hearing from you and seeing what you're doing, kind of the best in-office experiences are designed, measured, and refined over time. Experimenting with lots of different ways to keep up with all your different tenants. So, inspiring work and time with you today, Faron, for everyone out there, if you've enjoyed today's episode, please subscribe, believe, review, share it with someone rethinking their office strategy. Thanks for listening to Beyond Built.
[00:23:13] I'm Kristi Flores and I'll see you next time.