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CORE also provides training, mentoring, and support for all our managers. We’ve hired Zweig Group to do PM training, I do one-on-one lunches with each of my managers, and we’ve taken advantage of training through ACEC. We’re also big on employee feedback. We do bi- annual employee surveys so we can gauge the needs of our managers and employees. We take that feedback seriously and implement changes and improvements where we can. TZL: CORE recently opened an office in Winter Park. What was the main impetus there? New services? Expanded geographic presence? BC: Opening a Winter Park office was a natural evolution for our company because who doesn’t love a powder day on a Tuesday? In all seriousness, many of our employees, including myself, are connected to Winter Park, Grand County, and the mountain community. We had a unique opportunity to make a strategic hire in Winter Park and move one of our Denver leaders to the area full-time. We have a lot of great relationships in the region. Our Winter Park team is well-connected and has been instrumental in bolstering our public and institutional experience. With its close proximity to Denver, there’s tremendous growth on the horizon for Grand County and we’re excited to be part of it. We’re thrilled with the progress our team has made building our business in the mountains, and we’re already making plans to expand our presence up there. TZL: Ownership transition can be tricky, to say the least. What’s the key to ensuring a smooth passing of the baton? What’s the biggest pitfall to avoid? BC: I’ve observed that many firms don’t focus on leadership transition. When my business partners and I founded CORE, we started with the end in mind so that we could all be comfortable with the expectations of the business. I knew that I was comfortable being the managing principal of this business for about 10 years and wanted to have a transition game plan in place well before I turned 65. With that initial time frame, we’ve looked at what we need to do – internally and externally – to move toward that goal. While we don’t have all the answers yet, we’ve implemented some things that will get us to that goal including: ❚ ❚ Recruiting our replacements. ❚ ❚ Plus-one mentality – taking our replacements to meetings so the hand-off isn’t a big deal when the time comes. ❚ ❚ Ensuring there are reasonable buy/sell clauses in partnership agreements that facilitate faster owner transition. For example, we make the cost of ownership attainable and realistic for the right people who will grow the business.
with others that if we had started the business much earlier, our business goals and success would be much further along. However, 10 years ago I would have lacked the knowledge and maturity to really create something unique. Keeping a learning mindset has helped to build CORE into the great company it is today. 2)Turn negativity into change. Effectively turning negativity into change has also been vital. That was the catalyst for starting CORE. I wanted to create the kind of company that I wanted to work for. And when we first started out that was one of the cardinal rules – no whining! If you don’t like it, fix it. Address it. Be part of the solution. That mindset has helped to shape our great culture. We’re not perfect, but we aspire to it every day. TZL: What role does your family play in your career? Are work and family separate, or is there overlap? BC: CORE exists today because I was trying to get a better balance with my family. I wasn’t getting that balance with other companies that I worked for. And my philosophy is that if “I” want it, all employees should have it. While balance is at the core of our mission statement, as the managing principal, it’s hard to get the balance that I need so there’s always overlap. Some of the overlap has been great. My wife Heather has been a significant contributor to the business. When I started CORE, she stepped away from her 20 years as an executive in commercial insurance to ensure we could manage our family. However, her skill set was invaluable for CORE. Her leadership, feedback, and expertise in operations and risk management enabled us to get the business up and running quickly and grow considerably from day one. Today, she continues to be a significant contributor to our success. Some of the overlap hasn’t been so great, but I try my best to not let work encroach too much on family time. We’ve provided tools for all our employees (myself included!) to give them greater flexibility to work from home or remotely so we’re not all anchored to an office or desk. It doesn’t matter where you work, just focus on the results. TZL: It is often said that people leave managers, not companies. What are you doing to ensure that your line leadership are great people managers? BC: I agree with this statement 100 percent. For CORE, finding great managers starts with our recruiting process. We must get the right people through the door in the beginning which means taking steps in the interview process to make sure that our managers align with our culture, values, and mission. While technical skills are important, they’re secondary in our hiring process.
See BALANCE, page 8
HEADQUARTERS: Littleton, CO NUMBER OF EMPLOYEES: 64 YEAR FOUNDED: 2014 NUMBER OF OFFICE LOCATIONS: 2 PASSIONS: Creating exceptional places and communities, exceptional client service, integrity, collaboration, teamwork, efficiency, value, sustainability and work-life balance. SPECIALTIES: All things development – master planned communities, multifamily, single family, mixed use, commercial-retail, client representation, sustainability consulting, community outreach and expert witness.
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ULY 6, 2020, ISSUE 1351
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