At The Top - August 2007

Tradewinds Construction

Easing the Burden of Tenant Improvements

Owning your own office is a growing trend in Las Vegas among small business owners, doctors, dentists and lawyers.

According to Jessica Willett, senior research coordinator in the Las Vegas office of CB Richard Ellis, there are currently 675,000 square feet of the so-called “office condos,” with 735,000 square feet under construction and another 617,000 square feet planned. Las Vegas developer, Venture Corporation, recently completed a 120,000-square-foot, “own your own office” business park at Fort Apache and Russell and has plans to develop similar parks throughout the Valley.

However, many business owners are finding that buying office space (units typically range from 2,500 to 10,000 square feet) is a lot more like designing a custom home. Owners literally have to build out the entire space and make arrangements for everything from flooring to window treatments, work stations to reception area, break room to rest rooms, as well as communication and security systems, computer hardware, software installation and maintenance.

“It can be a bit overwhelming to say the least,” said Bruce Follmer, a medical office broker in the Las Vegas office of CBRE. “Many doctors want to own their own office as a financial investment for the future,” said Follmer. “However, they are unprepared for the time and expense associated with creating an office environment. This is definitely something they don’t teach in medical school!” Follmer noted that the problem is not limited to doctors. Most professionals, he explained, including dentists, lawyers, advertising executives are ill-equipped to design an office. The answer for some is to hire an army of consultants including space planners, interior designers, IT and communication specialists, plumbers, etc.

Tradewinds Construction has been working with tenant improvement projects since 1988. The company fills a niche for small business owners who are either buying or leasing office space: Turnkey, one-stop design/build services, including everything necessary to complete medical, dental, Class A offices or office/warehouse facilities.

Tradewinds Design/Build Interiors provides space planning, working drawings, interior design services, furniture, fixtures and equipment (workstations and furnishings), IT solutions (hardware, software and maintenance), communication and security systems. Design/Build management team also is able to facilitate all financing arrangements, including SBA loans.

Tradewinds Design/Build Interiors is now operating a design center, which provides clients with one-stop shopping for everything they need to customize their office. “We provide everything required for a medical, dental, professional office or office/warehouse, right down to the plants in the corner, the pictures on the wall, and the pens in the desk drawer,” said Jeffrey Vilkin, Tradewinds president and CEO.