LOS ANGELES-Suzanne Lee, vice president of the west region at Transwestern, based in the firm’s downtown office, takes a moment to speak with GlobeSt.com about finding homes for non-profits, and about the importance of making sure the space matches the mission. As a tenant advisor at Transwestern, Lee secures commercial real estate for a broad range of tenants. Her roster of clients includes Comerica Bank, Fiserv, Hanmi Bank, Wilshire State Bank, Mitratech, Bank of Taiwan, Cathay United Bank, Taipei Fubon Bank, Leal Trejo and Alliant Credit Union.

GlobeSt.com: Describe your roll at Transwestern as a tenant advisor…what are the responsibilities?

Lee: Being a tenant advisor is not just about finding space. I am responsible for business development, transaction processing, client relations and market analysis. Most of all, I align my client’s real estate strategies with their business goals and operations, finding each a home that suits their role in the community.

GlobeSt.com: I know that you also find homes for non-profits, what is the work like and what types of needs do they have?

Lee: When it comes to finding office space for charities or non-profit groups, they need good homes as much as the big boys do… perhaps even more. One has to be sensitive to the special needs of non-profits. They require space that is professional, but non-ostentatious. It can’t leave the impression that they are spending an excessive amount on overhead. On the other hand, they must communicate that they are solid and effective organizations.

GlobeSt.com: Can you name any non-profits you have worked with and what you have done for them?

Lee: I have worked with the Posse Foundation, a student-support group founded at Vanderbilt University in 1989. Posse is well known for receiving a share of President Obama’s Nobel Peace Prize money garnered in March 2010. I recently secured the Foundation an appropriate office suite in downtown Los Angeles.

GlobeSt.com: What specifically did they ask for?

Lee: I was handed a precise set of requirements for their new home including by Posse Foundation director Tamara Craver; being within walking distance to mass transit, restaurants, parking and hotel options, centrally located in downtown L.A., have 8,000 to 10,000 feet of rentable space, handle heavy foot traffic, be capable of hosting top-level donors and have a level of building security that doesn’t hamper students.

GlobeSt.com: What was your process in finding what they were looking for?

Lee: I pulled together a list of eight locations that would potentially fit the Foundation’s needs. Then I set up a tour day to visit all of the sites, providing Posse with a very detailed binder full of information about each location. After the tour, I sat down with Tamara (Craver) to discuss which sites would suit them best and narrowed it down further. I keep the clients best interests at heart.

GlobeSt.com: What other non-profits have you worked with and what have you found for them?

Lee: I have worked with United Way of Greater Los Angeles. Last year when it was searching for new headquarters, I found United Way a 40,000-square-foot space at the recently renovated 32-story AT&T Center. The property is known for prestigious tenants such as AT&T, Transamerica, Fox Sports, Patina Restaurant Group, USC and the State Bar of California. With neighbors such as these, United Way’s mission of helping families find healthcare, housing and education has become better aligned with its corporate fund-raising initiatives.

I also supported the efforts of Mazon, which allocates donations from the Jewish community to prevent and alleviate hunger among people of all faiths and backgrounds. This organization was in a building that had been sold twice in two years, causing its rents to increase and operating expenses to double. I applied my knowledge of the commercial real estate market.

I identified an opportunity for them in a building that was owned by another non-profit, which meant it was exempt from property taxes. This reduced their expenses by thousands of dollars. But most importantly, it placed them in an environment much better suited to their mission.

Instant Insights /

Six Questions for Transwestern&#146;s Suzanne Lee

Related Stories

Recommended For You

Six Questions for Transwesterns Suzanne Lee