Willis heads commercial unit for The Group Real Estate firm
Alexis Willis has joined The Group Real Estate Brokerage LLC in Chattanooga as head of the company’s new commercial real estate division, according to a company announcement.
Willis is a licensed Realtor in Tennessee and soon to be in Georgia who will focus on growing the commercial unit for the Chattanooga brokerage firm.
Willis previously worked for a year and a half as a real estate broker for Second Story Real Estate Management after she founded Natural Beautiful Me in 2011. Willis was also formerly the director of small business and entrepreneurship for the Chattanooga Area Chamber of Commerce from 2018 to 2021 and previously served as director of business support and facilitator for Launch Chattanooga.
Willis is a graduate of Girls Preparatory School and the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga, according to her LinkedIn profile.
LBMC names Steve Thomason as audit director in Chattanooga
Steve Thomason has been promoted to managing director in the audit and advisory practice of LBMC, one of the Southeast’s largest advisory and business consulting firms.
Photo contributed by by Dan Henry / Steve Thomason
Thomason joined LBMC in 2003 and has more than 25 years of experience working with middle-market businesses in manufacturing, distribution, service and construction industries. Thomason specializes in providing audit and assurance services, as well as advisory services related to highly technical accounting and financial reporting areas such as equity-based compensation, complex revenue transactions, post-transaction purchase accounting and business combinations. Thomason received his master’s and bachelor’s degrees from the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga and is a CPA. His clients include private equity-backed, family-owned and foreign-owned companies, and he has extensive experience in auditing employee benefit plans, and religious organizations.
Thomason serves on the boards of the Chattanooga Autism Center and the Kiwanis Club of Chattanooga.
Dennis Blanton, the practice leader for LBMC in Chattanooga, said Thomason “exemplifies what it means to provide outstanding service and expertise to our clients, and we’re honored to welcome him to the Chattanooga leadership team.”
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Index finds that 58{0cd64a0a8f98edc6e1a333a4649a39f4fde229418ea626ab6b5ac18b9de2691d} of US C-suite and business leaders will invest in real estate decision-making amid the current inflation and interest rate environment
NEW YORK, Nov. 16, 2022 /PRNewswire/ — Ernst & Young LLP (EY US) today announced the launch of its second annual EY Future Workplace Index (the Index), which tracks executive sentiment and behavioral data around the workplace of the future. The survey reveals surprisingly optimistic attitudes from company leadership on real estate investment despite economic tightening.
Which of the following programs, if any, has your organization deployed to encourage employees to return to the office?
The US economy is undeniably cooling, and a recession is anticipated in 2023. However, regardless of investment decisions, the macroeconomic outlook is forcing leaders to scrutinize their office portfolios from a new perspective. Amid the current inflation and interest rate environment, the Index found that just 33{0cd64a0a8f98edc6e1a333a4649a39f4fde229418ea626ab6b5ac18b9de2691d} of US C-suite business leaders will downsize their investment in commercial real estate, while 58{0cd64a0a8f98edc6e1a333a4649a39f4fde229418ea626ab6b5ac18b9de2691d} say they will invest in commercial real estate, which could include enhancing or expanding the real estate footprint.
“The economic downturn will force leaders to make important decisions regarding their real estate portfolios — from investments, to space optimization, to workforce models,” says Mark Grinis, EY Americas Real Estate, Hospitality & Construction Leader. “Employers are beginning to understand that they need to earn the commute time of their employees, and many are investing in the ‘office of the future’ to achieve this.”
The latest EY Future Workplace Index also reveals the following:
More than 70{0cd64a0a8f98edc6e1a333a4649a39f4fde229418ea626ab6b5ac18b9de2691d} of employees are working from home at least two to three days a week. This is up from last year’s Index, which found that only about 42{0cd64a0a8f98edc6e1a333a4649a39f4fde229418ea626ab6b5ac18b9de2691d} of employers were using a hybrid approach. New and complicated working patterns have a major effect on a company’s real estate strategy, including the amount of office space required and the cost of using that space. Almost 60{0cd64a0a8f98edc6e1a333a4649a39f4fde229418ea626ab6b5ac18b9de2691d} are either using, or will soon be using, reservation systems for space utilization and/or occupancy tracking.
Of survey respondents, 64{0cd64a0a8f98edc6e1a333a4649a39f4fde229418ea626ab6b5ac18b9de2691d} are either leasing or considering leasing suburban office space since the pandemic. Employers have responded to the deurbanization of the workforce seen during the pandemic by investing in hyperlocal offices to promote a return to the office. The physical office is still a crucial component to a company’s ability to thrive now and in the future, and employers believe the connection employees experience within the physical office is worth the investment. In addition to predictable flexibility, companies are also investing in other avenues, such as in-person events (50{0cd64a0a8f98edc6e1a333a4649a39f4fde229418ea626ab6b5ac18b9de2691d}), providing meals (45{0cd64a0a8f98edc6e1a333a4649a39f4fde229418ea626ab6b5ac18b9de2691d}), reimbursement for commuting costs (38{0cd64a0a8f98edc6e1a333a4649a39f4fde229418ea626ab6b5ac18b9de2691d}) and childcare support programs (33{0cd64a0a8f98edc6e1a333a4649a39f4fde229418ea626ab6b5ac18b9de2691d}), to encourage employees to come into the office.
Sixty-four percent of executives believe flexible working options motivate employees. A mix of flexibility and technology in the workplace is top priority. Most are looking at the use of health and wellbeing management apps and other hybrid work technologies, such as digital and virtual collaboration resources, to optimize the workplace. For example, 44{0cd64a0a8f98edc6e1a333a4649a39f4fde229418ea626ab6b5ac18b9de2691d} of company leadership have activated or are beginning to invest in the metaverse for social interaction, training and/or recruiting purposes, and 62{0cd64a0a8f98edc6e1a333a4649a39f4fde229418ea626ab6b5ac18b9de2691d} have activated or are beginning to invest in health and safety innovations and monitoring, such as indoor air quality, touchless offices, etc.
Of the companies surveyed, 40{0cd64a0a8f98edc6e1a333a4649a39f4fde229418ea626ab6b5ac18b9de2691d} have either started using a four-day workweek or are in the process of implementing one. A prolonged, tight labor market and changing work patterns have employers doing all they can to attract and retain their workforce, and many are adjusting the role of the office to stay competitive. A company’s overall working model must accommodate hybrid working or risk employees searching for more flexible options. The Index found that 69{0cd64a0a8f98edc6e1a333a4649a39f4fde229418ea626ab6b5ac18b9de2691d} of company leadership has implemented or is in the process of implementing hybrid work technologies (video collaboration platforms, virtual whiteboards, etc.) to meet employees where they are.
“Data is paramount to understanding your workforce and creating the best space for a new era of work,” says Francisco J. Acoba, Principal, EY Americas Strategy and Transactions; Co-lead – Corporate Real Estate Consulting and Technology. “Data-driven insights that uncover employees’ work habits will shape how executives design and approach the workplace moving forward.”
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Working across assurance, consulting, law, strategy, tax and transactions, EY teams ask better questions to find new answers for the complex issues facing our world today.
EY refers to the global organization, and may refer to one or more, of the member firms of Ernst & Young Global Limited, each of which is a separate legal entity. Ernst & Young Global Limited, a UK company limited by guarantee, does not provide services to clients. Information about how EY collects and uses personal data and a description of the rights individuals have under data protection legislation are available via ey.com/privacy. EY member firms do not practice law where prohibited by local laws. For more information about our organization, please visit ey.com.
Ernst & Young LLP is a client-serving member firm of Ernst & Young Global Limited operating in the US.
About the EY Future Workplace Index The EY Future Workplace Index anonymously surveyed more than 500 US C-suite and business leaders spanning a multitude of industries.
Media contact: Elizabeth Feigenbaum [email protected]
Contributed photo / Alexis Willis
Photo contributed by by Dan Henry / Steve Thomason
