Posted by Brandon Copeland
To point out that things are changing rapidly is an understatement. It’s the end of March, and the world really is entering into unprecedented territory. At the start of the month I was preparing for a trip to the Caribbean and finalizing a couple of large lease deals. As we reach the end of the month, I find myself working from home and self-isolating, with planned deals deferred and zero travel expected in my immediate future.
So… it’s a brave new world. However as mentioned in my last blog post, my life has been changing for longer than COVID-19 has been on our radars. Almost a full year ago I took on a new role with Martek Morgan Finch in St. John’s. Joining the real estate company has been an incredible experience to date. I had previously been contracted through Urban East to work at length with the Martek team on the marketing and leasing of a new downtown residential project – Star of the Sea Residences . I was invited to join them in a more a permanent role last year. I was thrilled. In addition to gaining experience in areas of real estate that I had only previously touched on, I’d also be provided the opportunity to work hand-in-hand with practitioners like Charlie Oliver and Ed Nash – two of the most successful and well-respected real estate professionals in the city.
It’s been an exceptional experience so far. With Martek’s support, I received my real estate license last year. Certainly an important step for the “Manager of Business Development and Leasing”. I oversee Atlantic Place, the largest downtown office building in the city. Day-to-day is a mix of tenant management, property maintenance, and leasing and rental discussions. Beyond this, I actively work to engage as a Martek representatives with the people and organizations that support real estate within the city. Outside of my day-to-day Martek role, Urban East’s contract for Star of the Sea continues forward. Every month I’m helping new individuals move into the newest urban apartment building in St. John’s.
The rise of COVID-19 has changed my day-to-day immensely. While we had in place Health and Safety practices to address emergency situations at Atlantic Place, the impact of COVID-19 has been beyond much of what our plans could have prepared for. I have been doing this work from home, as we all attempt to do our part to reduce interactions with others. Sitting at my old home-based desk once again, I’m reminded of the years I spent working exclusively on Urban East. Trying to keep my mind focused on work, and thinking about life post-pandemic, I’ve planned some changes that will hopefully allow me to reinvigorate Urban East in a way it hasn’t been this past year.
The blog portion of my business has always been an outlet for my ideas, as well as a sort of lead-generation tool. I want this to continue, especially because these ideas are only emboldened in my new environment. The long-form posts of the past have been a time-commitment, and one of the reasons that frequency was difficult to maintain. A post begins ultra-relevant, and by the time you have a well-researched 3000 word essay, the moment has passed. Moving forward, I’m hoping to write shorter but more-frequent content. While I may sprinkle in a longer post here and there, by and large my goal is for readers to consume the idea I present in five minutes or less.
With this in mind I’ve added a “subscribe” button to the website. I’ll send notifications to anyone who wants to know when a new post is made. Just below this paragraph you’ll see what this button looks like. Feel free to use it. This button will also appear on the home page and at the bottom of the main blog page.
So, with all that said, a brave new world has led to a brave new Urban East blog. I remain interested in working on real-estate or small-business related projects in St. John’s (bonus points if the two intersect), and will continue to bring real estate ideas to my readers. Now with more frequency! The nature of 2020 has led to a backlog of ideas I want to talk about. We’ve now had 2 states of emergency in three months, and this has led to ideas around amalgamation, emergency rent deferral, and the role of the city during events like this. Our current situation is creating a new world for retail, and we are watching businesses adapt in real time. Outside of the confusion that 2020 has thrown at us, I have more general thoughts on our city’s affordability, and where we really stand.
All this and more to come… for now, posting straight from my living room!
Stay safe everyone! Allow me to extend a belated welcome to the decade. The 20s are off to a roaring start.