CB Richard Ellis' AXIS Portal platform makes its NY debut at 120 Broadway

Real Estate Weekly, Nov 24, 2004

A state-of-the-art software program that enables landlords, tenants and property managers to communicate more efficiently within commercial office buildings is about to be installed in a New York City skyscraper.

AXIS Portal, CB Richard Ellis' web-based platform designed to assist operations within office buildings relating to leasing, management, customer services marketing and communications, is marked for installation at Silverstein-owned 120 Broadway. Buildings that qualify for AXIS Portal installations are limited to those either managed by CBRE and/or those co-owned by CB Richard Ellis Investors. The building at 120 Broadway is co-owned by CB Richard Ellis Investors and Silverstein Properties.

The portal debuted in January 2003 in Dallas at the 1.1 million s/f Lincoln Plaza. Since then, multiple properties managed by CBRE nationwide have opted to install the portal, including such prestigious buildings as Chicago's Sears Tower (3.7 million s/f) and 311 S. Wacker Drive (1.4 million s/f) and Houston's First City Tower (1.3 million s/f).

"We are very excited to be pioneering AXIS technology in downtown New York at 120 Broadway," said Catherine T. Giliberti, managing director of Silverstein Properties. "We plan to closely monitor its performance, with an eye to installing the platform at 7 WTC down the road."

The Axis Portal Platform connects members of the building community with Internet speed to facilitate a myriad of activities relating to building operations and functionality. In the marketing arena, it can lead to in creased occupancy, more effective leasing teams, asset branding and positioning. From the management point of view, it automatically promotes greater staff productivity and efficiency, improved communication and business continuity. For tenants, the communication benefits are noteworthy. It improves tenant services, increases tenant retention and satisfaction and enables more frequent communication between landlord and tenants, providing a 24-hour resource for customer service related issues.

According to Jana Turner, president of CBRE asset services, "Never has there been a web-based portal this comprehensive, sophisticated and user-friendly. Not limited to larger office buildings, we believe AXIS or revolutionary prototypes are going to become 'de rigueur' for smaller buildings, as well as industrial and retail properties."

Axis Portal, web-based Application Service Provider software is set to become operational at 120 Broadway in the first quarter of 2005. CBRE is partnering with Workspeed as its work order system at the 1.8-million s/f, 40-story property. Tenants at 120 Broadway include Banco Popular, New York State Attorney General's office, Spear Leads & Kellog and National Securities Corporation.

National Realtor conference succeeds in matchmaking

From the floor of the National Association of REALTORS conference, a la mode, a developer of desktop, mobile and web tools for real estate professionals, and iHomefinder, a developer of web-based tools to enhance productivity and increase sales for real estate agents, announced that users of a la mode's Agent XSites will be able to implement iHomefinder's customized solution for displaying MLS active listings on their personal websites.

By using iHomefinder's IDX solution, agents will be able to provide their clients with robust features for conducting home searches. Clients can request email notification when new listings meeting their search settings are available. Listing search results include property details, maps, school information, mortgage calculators and lead generation forms.

Agent XSites users will be able to automatically display their personal listings as "featured listings" and large broker/agent offices can create individual agent bits for each company agent. Agents' personal listings are displayed and agents can monitor their own clients' search activities.