WASHINGTON—Outside-the-box amenities like rock walls and ping-pong tables won't be around for long if they don't prove to be an efficient use of space for companies, Colliers International 's president of investor services and real estate management services Karen Whitt and marketing manager Jason Meidhof tell GlobeSt.com exclusively. (Colliers International is a GlobeSt.com Thought Leader.) Whitt, who advises her clients on the "new now" of amenities, from green roofs to better bike storage, says in order to have staying power, office amenities must not only help attract and retain talent, but also contribute to companies' bottom lines. white paper by Colliers

Whitt says Millennials are not only concerned with the building itself, but also with the ambiance of the property, and whether it is representative of the brand of companies in that space. "Amenities will shift depending on the tenants. We're now seeing companies flocking to properties with complementary businesses in the same building; they prefer to be together to leverage off each other in order to advance both of their businesses."  This community-based approach has spread from Silicon Valley to Crystal City, VA where numerous startups operating in emerging industries are thriving.

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Carrie Rossenfeld

Carrie Rossenfeld is a reporter for the San Diego and Orange County markets on GlobeSt.com and a contributor to Real Estate Forum. She was a trade-magazine and newsletter editor in New York City before moving to Southern California to become a freelance writer and editor for magazines, books and websites. Rossenfeld has written extensively on topics including commercial real estate, running a medical practice, intellectual-property licensing and giftware. She has edited books about profiting from real estate and has ghostwritten a book about starting a home-based business.