USGBC: Reflections from the 2nd U.S.–China Climate Leaders Summit

By Mark Ginsberg for the USGBC website

The second U.S.–China Climate-Smart/Low-Carbon Cities Summit was held in Beijing earlier this month. It follows last September’s Summit in Los Angeles and continues the high-level Climate Declaration between President Obama and President Xi. Dozens of mayors and subnational leaders from both countries attended, sharing success stories and practical examples with the estimated 2,000 people in attendance during plenaries, technical sessions and exhibits.

U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry, China’s State Councilor Yang Jiechi, and China’s Special Representative for Climate Change Affairs Xie Zhenhua re-affirmed their commitments to collaborate on finding solutions to achieve ambitious climate goals. (Read Secretary Kerry’s remarks.)

An opening ceremony featured welcoming addresses from Zhang Yong, vice chairman of China’s National Development and Reform Commission, Beijing Mayor Wang Anshun, and Elizabeth Sherwood-Randall, deputy secretary of the U.S. Department of Energy. Mayor Greg Stanton of Phoenix, Ariz., spoke on behalf of the delegation of U.S. mayors in attendance. The summit featured four rounds of concurrent sessions, with two dozen breakout sessions featuring over 120 technical and policy presentations from Chinese and American government officials, companies and experts.

I had the honor of speaking at a session hosted by the City of Beijing and Tsinghua University on low-carbon subdistricts. The session focused on the Tongzhou District in the eastern part of Beijing, which is being developed as a Near Zero Emissions Demonstration District. Planners described ambitious goals in energy, transportation, waste and renewables, noting that they are using international standards including LEED. I also noted that LEED for neighborhood development (LEED ND) might be an ideal existing solution for some small districts. The 2008 Beijing Olympic Village is a key example—it was the first LEED ND Gold project in China and one of the first in the world. Other large-scale projects in Foshon and the Shanghai Expo provide great examples of sustainable city planning and development.

USGBC also joined the Natural Resources Defense Council, Rocky Mountain Institute, Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory and the China Association of Building Energy Efficiency to organize a green building session. During the panel, representatives from the cities of Urumqi, Weifang, New York, Chicago and Beijing presented updates on policies and projects in their municipalities. I also had the opportunity to join CABEE, the Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, Rocky Mountain Institute and the Shenzhen Institute of Building Research with technical reports, and presented an update on LEED v4 in China.

Learn more about the steps the United States and China are taking together to build upon the Paris Agreement.

Family Night @the Arboretum = Sweating to the Oldies

It wasn’t a Richard Simmons workout, but the team may have lost some weight from all that sweating in the almost 100-degree temps at the Dallas Arboretum, but a great time was had by all at Younger Partners’ family night for a concert at The Dallas Arboretum. Check out our team members:

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Heather Shover and her kiddo

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Sean Dalton and family

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Kelly (right) and her significant other

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The Younger Partners koozie enjoying the show.

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Lacey, Felecia and Kelly

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Sunset

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Tanja, Anthony & Tonie

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Our sibling team of Carson (red) and Ally (maroon) and their significant others

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Claudia records the moment

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Autumn and her family

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Tonie (red) and her family

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Rolling Stones cover band

 

Bisnow Honors Dads for Father’s Day Including YP’s Byron McCoy

Before all you real estate dads fire up your grills, head to the Rangers game or grab a cold one with your adult children this Sunday, say cheers to these dads who might run into their kids at the office or on job sites around town. Happy Father’s Day! Bisnow talked to six CRE reps about working in the same industry (and market) with their dads. Among those featured, Younger Partners’ very own Byron McCoy.

byroncalebmccoyfathersdayHere’s Byron and his son, JLL’s Caleb McCoy. Caleb tells Bisnow that he grew up looking at buildings with his dad, Younger Partners’ Byron McCoy. Byron is in office leasing and sales, and Caleb is in industrial, but that doesn’t stop the men from talking shop and learning from each other. “Growing up with a dad who was always able to make it to all my baseball, basketball and football games made brokerage an attractive career choice for me,” Caleb tells us.

Don’t forget to tell your dad Happy Father’s Day this weekend!

Who Knew Paper Airplanes Could Be Profitable?

Congrats to Colliers International’s Billy Vahrenkamp for winning this Tumi suitcase at the NTCAR golf tournament last week.  Billy stopped by the Younger Partners’ offices today to claim his prize. Here’s Younger Partners’ Byron McCoy, Kathy Permenter and Garrett Marler with Billy (and his new suitcase – where are you going with it, Billy?)

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Billy went three for three in our airplane toss game in honor of DFW Business Center and 3200 Airfield. Both office buildings are located on DFW Airport property and space available for lease. If you need to be close to (or on) the airport, give us a call. Kathy 214-294-4404, Byron 214-294-4417 or Garrett 214-294-4416.

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Hitting the Links with NTCAR

Younger Partners knows how to network and make deals (and have fun while doing it)! We made the most of  the NTCAR golf tournament on Monday by taking over the 16th tee on the Fazio course at Stonebriar Country Club in Frisco. Here’s just a few of the fun snapshots from the day.

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Sarah Savage, Byron McCoy and Kathy Permenter clown around with our airplane game. We were promoting the vacancies available at DFW Business Center at 3200 Airfield; which made an airplane game ideal.

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Kathy was impressed by Brad Lipton’s choice of hats.

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Byron McCoy & Kathy Permenter

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Byron McCoy telling a group of brokers about the leasing opportunities available at DFW Airport.

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We love our people! Byron McCoy & Tanja Ivandic

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Super cool giveaways! Credit card sized bottle openers sporting the DFW Business Center logo.

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Frisco EDC’s Jim Gandy, YP’s Moody Younger and Kathy Permenter, FEDC’s John Bonnot and YP’s Byron McCoy

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Stream’s JJ Leonard flies an airplane.

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Biel Partners’ John Bielamowicz

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Byron and Kathy talking DFW Business Center leasing

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Rosemont’s Kirby White

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PMRG’s Kurt Cherry

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paper airplanes

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Intern Parker Morgan and broker Carson Rice

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The party hole! YP’s Ally Price, Colliers’ Lindsay Wolcott, YP’s Savah Savage, Britnai Stegall and Tonie Auer

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SRS’ Tyler Isbell

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YP’s Trae Anderson shows his Sooner pride!

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Lexington’s James Dudley, YP’s Trae Anderson and Sean Dalton, and Colliers’ Billy Vahrenkamp.

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The Weitzman Group’s Bob Young, YP’s Moody Younger and Bob’s golf teammates

golf younger team pictureSome of the YP team: Carson Rice, Ally Price, Britnai Stegall, Lacey Queen, Moody Younger, Tonie Auer and Kathy Permenter

Bisnow Spots Younger Partners at NTCAR Golf Tourney

Is there anyone in DFW commercial real estate who doesn’t know our very own Trae Anderson? No? We didn’t think so. He’s larger than life and knows the ins and outs of dealmaking. Part of that is the art of the schmooze. We found him at Stonebriar Country Club in Frisco (and so did Bisnow) yesterday networking on the Fazio course.

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Here’s Lexington’s James Dudley, YP’s Trae Anderson (and those sweet red golf shoes) and Sean Dalton and Colliers’ Billy Vahrenkamp.

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Trae even has his lucky OU golfball.

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And, a Sooners golf club cover.

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The lucky red shoes = a great shot.

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And, then a little supervision of how Carson Rice should re-load the cooler with more beer and cold ice.

Celebrating Four Years of Serving DFW CRE

Today, Younger Partners celebrated four years of serving DFW commercial real estate.

That deserves a toast!
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Some highlights since our 2012 launch:

We originally started as an office leasing services firm and have since added industrial, property management, investment sales, and tenant representation.

We added industrial in 2013, investment sales in 2014, property management in 2014, multifamily investments sales in 2015, and established a tenant representation division in 2016.

Today, we lease and manage more than 7 million square feet of properties with 17 brokers and 50 employees (about half in brokerage and half in property management).

We’ll drink to that!

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Cheers!

 

 

Memorial Day is More than a Day Off Work

Memorial Day is more than just a day to barbecue and celebrate a day off work, but many people struggle to even know the difference between Memorial Day and Veterans Day. Learn more below about Memorial Day history and the military, law enforcement, firefighters and rescue personnel we support – See more here.

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Please consider giving. Younger Partners is endeavoring to raise $2,000. You can contribute here.

I’m Carrying Rex Harrison St. John; Who are You Carrying?

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How will you honor our fallen on Memorial Day? Younger Partners is participating in Carry The Load and its mission to restore the true meaning of Memorial Day while raising funds for veterans and charities that support them and first responders.

Read the story of Rex Harrison St. John, just one of these fallen heroes we’ll be carrying and consider contributing to the cause.

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Will you consider giving to our team?

Why We Need You to Help Carry the Load

Friends and Colleagues,

We at Younger Partners are participating in Carry the Load this year and joining in the effort to bring meaning back to Memorial Day.  We have set up a personal fundraising page to help raise support.

Younger Partners is partnering with Carry the Load for the first time to raise funds to support causes that benefit veterans and first-responders, as well as to remember and honor friends and family who paid the ultimate price in service to our nation and our communities. Our company goal is $2,000. With your help, we should beat our goal and raise even more money for this wonderful organization.

Carry The Load provides opportunities for Americans to connect with the sacrifices of our military, law enforcement, firefighters, and rescue personnel.  Please support me in this great cause.  To learn more about the organization, visit www.carrytheload.org.

You can go directly to my fundraising page to support us using this link.

Thank you in advance for your support.

73,400 SF building available within walking distance to The Four Seasons Resort!’

73,400 SF building available within walking distance to The Four Season’s Resort at Cottonwood Court (1159 Cottonwood Lane in Irving)
*4/1,000 parking ratio
*renovated lobby and common areas
*entire 73,400 SF building available, divisible to 18,000 SF
*prime location across from the Four Season’s Resort
*covered and surface parking available
*Four Season’s Cottonwood Valley golf course views
*common area dining room with full kitchen
*large, efficient floor plates
*located 20 minutes from downtown Dallas

For more info, go to our Cottonwood Court info page here.

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How Does a Can-do Attitude Lead to Achievement?

By Greg Grainger, Younger Partners Property Services President

What is the dividing line that separates achievers from dreamers?  Attitude. Achievers have a can-do attitude that sets them apart from mere dreamers. Achievers are sold out to success—no matter the obstacles—and they are willing to put forth the effort and pay the price of success.

Here are 10 tips to reveal your own can-do attitude:

1. Disown your helplessness. Can-do people aggressively pursue solutions, and, in the process, uncover creative solutions others never even try to find. Rather than wallowing in helplessness, can-do leaders search diligently to overcome the obstacles in front of them.

2. Take the bull by the horns. Can-do people are fearless. They go straight to the source of their solution. Their very effort commands attention as they wrestle a problem to the ground with expediency. They don’t wait; they initiate.

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3. Enter the no whining zone. Can-do people abstain from complaining. They recognize its futility and guard their minds and mouths against indulging in this time-wasting activity.

4. Put on another’s pair of shoes. Can-do people empathize with others. They attempt to see any predicament from the other person’s perspective in order to make the best decisions.

5. Nurture your passion. Can-do people are immune to burnout. They love what they do because they’ve learned how to fuel the fire that keeps them moving. The prize is not given to the person who’s the smartest, nor to the person with the advantages in resources and position, but to the person with passion.

6. Walk the second mile. Can-do people exceed expectations. While others settle for an acceptable solution, they aren’t satisfied until they have achieved the unimagined. They set expectations for themselves higher than what is dictated by the people or situations around them.

7. Quit stewing and start doing. Can-do people take action. While others are crippled by worry, fear and anxiety, they have the fortitude to press forward. The perfect moment when all is safe and assured may never arrive, so why wait for it?

8. Go with the flow. Can-do people can adjust to change. They don’t get caught griping about an unexpected curve in the road. They accept transition with an optimistic outlook.

9. Follow through to the end. Can-do people not only initiate, they finish. They are self-starters with the capacity to close the deal.

10. Expect a return as a result of your commitment. If you make an all-out commitment with a can-do attitude, expect a return. Passionate commitment is contagious, and resources follow resolve. Committed leaders will reap rewards and find open doors as others are drawn to the excitement and energy emanating from them.