Core Capital Property and Rubbermaid Commercial Products

Core Property Capital and Rubbermaid Commercial Products received the 2021 Excellence in Collaborative Service Award from CRE Insight Journal. The award was created to recognize an exemplary partnership between a real estate product or service provider and a single property or real estate management company. Building management teams and product/service providers often collaborate to improve operational efficiency, environmental sustainability, tenant care, and more. This award was created to recognize excellence in this type of collaboration.

Headquartered in Atlanta, Georgia, at the time of winning the award, Core Property Capital was a growing provider of quality real estate investments, superior asset management, and well-disciplined development, with a focus on the long-term success of an asset by following the core fundamentals of commercial real estate. The company had more than $2.1 billion in transactions and a portfolio exceeding 6.6 million square feet.

Also headquartered in Atlanta, Georgia, Rubbermaid Commercial Products (RCP), a subsidiary of Newell Brands, by the time it won this award, had become a mainstay of the commercial real estate industry for more than 50 years. Since 1968, RCP led the industry in innovative product solutions to meet the demands of commercial facilities, in categories including cleaning, waste handling, washroom, safety, material transport, and food services.

Collaboration Begins

During the height of the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020, Core Property Capital began exploring options to reinforce tenant health and safety before the eventual office return. “Cost and Rent” and “Proximity to Talent and Clients” were always the two greatest attributes tenants consider when renting a new space, but with the introduction of COVID-19, “Health and Safety” rose to the number three consideration for tenants.

Core Property Capital reviewed all of their buildings from a health and safety perspective and identified numerous steps to ensure their tenants would have the best protocols in place upon their return. One major factor examined was common areas, specifically washrooms. Washrooms were identified because of the multiple touch points found within them. After identifying this as a focus area, Patty Ramsey, General Manager with Core Property Capital, reached out to Dusty Muck, Account Manager, RPC, Georgia, Newell Brands, to discuss creating a hands-free washroom environment.

They collaboratively developed a plan to switch all faucets, soap dispensers and flushers to hands-free across the entire Core Property Capital portfolio. Together, they were able to create hands-free washrooms throughout the portfolio, resulting in an enhanced tenant and visitor experience in their properties.

“We needed to find a way to promote a new value proposition for returning workers,” said Muck. “While everyone understood that there were new expectations for cleanliness, so many missed the importance of hands-free washrooms and what that communicates to tenants. A 2020 study showed that while potential tenants still rank Rent and Cost and Proximity to Clients first and second, Health and Safety has risen from nine or eleven to third over previous surveys.”

Collaborative Impact

The impact made by the collaboration between Core Property Capital and RCP was seen throughout the portfolio they served through increased tenant satisfaction. Jansen Trentham said he saw the value from the collaboration firsthand at One Atlantic Center, where he served as general manager for Core Property Capital.

“Having an ongoing relationship with an expert to reach out to for quick answers and solutions has been invaluable, especially during the pandemic,” said Trentham. “Tenants value quick and complete answers and having proactive solutions to issues from Rubbermaid Commercial Products has been extremely valuable to us as a landlord.”