Tuesday March 08, 2005

Recommended New Blog to Read

I'd like to recommend a new blog that just started yesterday. A coworker of mine, Bob Cook is the Head of Financial Strategy in Sun's Workplace Resources organization. If I want to know anything about corporate real estate and especially anything to do with real estate finances Bob is the person I go to. He is the expert! It should be a fascinating blog.

I used to be the IT manager for Sun's corporate real estate organization. My group put the IT infrastructure in to all of Sun's new offices. When I joined the organization I knew nothing about corporate real estate. Sun's real estate organization is recognized as one of the best so it was a great group to be a part of. The first time I heard Bob present to our vice president it was obvious to me how complex his job is and how well he does it.

Because the real estate organization works with the whole company they have a unique perspective on the company as a whole. On top of that a company's real estate budget is a major part of the total budget so how that budget is managed has a major impact on company results and strategy.

Bob used to teach at the university level, he has lived and worked abroad and he has the kind of analytical mind and business knowledge that makes him a unique asset to Sun. I'm really looking forward to learning from him.

Bob, you asked what we'd like you to discuss. I'd be interested to hear your thoughts about how companies can plan for the peaks and valleys of corporate real estate supply and demand. I'd be interested to hear how you evaluate locations for future offices. I'd be interested in your perspective on the impact of Sun's iWork program on the real estate budget. I'd be interested in what you've learned from working at Sun. How's that for starters?