The Case for Nearshoring Manufacturing to Alberta

We’ve all heard how over the past couple of years there has been a newfound focus for companies to actively strategize and implement the relocation of their manufacturing activities away from overseas (and politically diverse) countries to more optimal locations, being those with comparable political, economic, timezone and trade policies. For North American companies, the logical case lies to the south in Mexico - and the growth is exponential there - but in this article I’d like to pose the thought experiment of analyzing Alberta, in particular, to capture some of this excessive market demand.

Investment, TrendsBronwyn ScrivensFebruary 26, 2024manufacturing, onshoring, nearshoring, albertaComment

Five features of Edmonton’s industrial market rounding out 2023.

What a ride 2023 has been so far for businesses across the province and beyond! The sheer scale of compounding factors being vollied at companies as they try to regain balance and grow their income is farsical. How does anyone project into the future and plan for growth, or perhaps conservation, when so many opposing factors are at play. I’ve outlined Five Takeaways that we are seeing play out in the industrial asset class, from leasing, to sales, construction costs to trends and opportunties.

Market, Trends, EconomicsBronwyn ScrivensOctober 25, 2023trends, manufacturing, Lease, Sale, construction, alberta, edmontonComment

ESG and the Commercial Building: A Changing Landscape

“ESG” is an acronym we hear thrown around consistently in the commercial building space, but from my experience, very few understand what this corresponds to and how it will affect their existing assets and developments, or future planning for the same. This article will address how buildings are rated, who are the rating agencies, and what considerations will best future proof your assets.

Development, TrendsBronwyn Scrivens, Omada CommercialFebruary 2, 2023esg, Environmental, social, governance, DevelopmentComment

The inconvenient bottleneck forming between electric transport vehicles and their charging infrastructure

Heavy-duty vehicles, including trucks and buses, make up about 10% of all motor vehicles globally, but produce around 50% of their carbon dioxide emissions and over 70% of vehicle particulate pollution. Understandably, there has been excitement in the potential transition of heavy-duty vehicles off of diesel and towards a cleaner, electric operating system. And while striving for ambitious ESG targets in this (and every) industry is needed and supported, it is unlikely that electrical transport vehicles will carry this load in the near term for the three reasons in this article.

Trends, TechnologyBronwyn Scrivens, Omada CommercialDecember 14, 2022Green Energy, Electric, nuclear energyComment

Air Cargo Advantage in the Edmonton Region

Air cargo represents the transportation of goods by… you guessed it, air. Many are unaware that nearly every passenger flight is carrying some freight along with the passengers and their baggage. In fact, about half of all air freight was transported in passenger planes. During the past two years however, passenger flight volumes drastically decreased, while simultaneously cargo volumes drastically increased, to a point where cargo contributed to 49% of all airline total revenue in 2020. The Edmonton International Airport has played a major role in the growth of air cargo logistics in the region, and has been a key contributor and leader in the Port Alberta logistics and manufacturing hub.

Vertical Farming Could Be A Community-Driven Approach to Space Absorption

Through the process of adaptation to macro and microeconomic disruptions, commercial real estate has begun transitioning to meet the future needs of the populace. Developments and buildings that once served a specific purpose, are being tested as society shifts around new work, live and play models. Through analysis and feasibility studies, many are beginning to take risks and think outside the box to determine alternate uses for their assets, through adaptive reuse and redevelopment. One such use that is catching the eyes and ears of analysts and decision makers, is the concept of vertical, indoor farming. This concept has been discussed for many years, but only now is getting to a point where it is economically viable and able to compete with traditional farming methods.

Could vacant office towers or underutilized malls lay the future foundation for vertical farms?

Trends, TechnologyBronwyn Scrivens, Omada CommercialJanuary 9, 2022vertical farm, Redevelopment, adaptive reuse, Adaptation, agritechComment

Just in Time Manufacturing... is Running Late

In my last article, Where has all the distribution space gone, Alberta?, we took a superficial look at the soaring demand for warehouse space in Alberta due, in part, to the expedited shift in consumer patterns as the world dealt with COVID-19. This article will analyze how this problem, in conjunction with many other interconnected links in the supply chain, have reverberated around the world causing blockages and delays in the manufacturing, transportation and delivery of goods, and earning the name of “The Great Supply Chain Disruption”. My goal is to simplify what may be one of the most complex global issues, where no one player is steering the ship (pun intended).

Economics, Market, TrendsBronwyn Scrivens, Omada CommercialOctober 28, 2021Distribution, Freight, Port, Transportation, tanker, covid-19, Supply ChainComment

Cross-Docking Efficiencies in Supply Chain Management, with an Industry Expert

I recently had the opportunity to Get a better understanding of cross-docking and supply chain management with Rosenau Transport President, Ken Rosenau. So what is cross-docking, and why are so many corporations, multinational and local alike, turning to this model of distribution to streamline their global supply chain?

The Micro-Retail Opportunity - coming to a City near you!

Brick and mortar and e-commerce are like two circles of a Venn diagram, overlapping in their central goals of engagement, but forming separate concepts and strategies for a retailer. Conversely, Experiential Retail, Retail as a Service, and Micro Retail are more representative of building blocks, growing on top of each other to create a fully formed experience for the target retail customer. Read more about how these concepts are overlapping to create new opportunities in the retail asset class.

For International Women’s Day, let’s talk Women, COVID-19 and Commercial Real Estate

It’s well known that we still have a problem with the under-representation of women and visible minorities in the corporate environment. The great news is so many individuals of all genders are taking an active role in working to improve corporate policies and these statistics in all industries. In fact, from 2015 to 2020, the representation of women in senior-vice-president positions grew from 23% to 28%, and representation in the C-suite grew from 17% to 21% across all industries (Mckinsey). Unfortunately, these statistics are still not flowing through to the commercial real estate sector where the salary gap has actually widened for women between 2015 and 2020.

Perhaps the first Alberta-focused Industrial Real Estate Podcast!

I recently had the enjoyment of sitting down with my esteemed colleague and friend, Chad Griffiths, Partner at NAI Commercial, and Gerald Tostowaryk, host of The Real World of Real Estate podcast, to discuss the past year and our upcoming projections for the Alberta industrial real estate market.

Edmonton Region's Newest Distribution Nodes

It wasn’t so long ago that the Edmonton sub-markets of Nisku and Leduc were hailed as the oil and gas heartbeat of the Region. These industrial parks established themselves as the incubators for oil and gas manufacturers, service providers, fabricators, transporters, and many others, aiding in growing our Province’s resource production to all time highs. Edmonton is the capital of the North, but Nisku and Leduc are among the workhorses that allowed the real North to be developed.

Five great stories coming out of Edmonton this quarter

Research shows that on average, people pay more attention to negative news than to positive news (named “negativity bias”). This is a huge reason why the astonishingly higher proportion of news articles and media in today’s day and age leans toward negative, clickbait titles, rather than neutral, or heaven forbid, positive headers. So to start your week, here’s a compilation of five positive, no, GREAT stories that have come out of Edmonton and broader Alberta this past quarter.

Temperature Controlled Facilities and the Cold Supply Chain - investors are taking note.

Over the past few years, investors have taken an increased notice in the temperature controlled real estate sector, expanding both their build-to-suit developments, as well as those speculative in nature. The ever-growing demand for fresh food on a global scale, in addition to the storage requirements for temperature-sensitive pharmaceuticals, has created a uniquely desirable asset class, showcasing currently its added benefit of being relatively recession proof.

Potential outcomes and opportunities for commercial real estate assets following a pandemic

In the coming months, we will be entering into a global recession, unemployment will rise, liquidity will decrease and insolvency will be the ultimate looming presence. In the short-term it will be brutal, but in the medium term, it will be okay. In this blog, I’ve outlined the potential causal effects that this pandemic will have on the various, unique commercial asset types, and where the opportunities lie.

The multi-billion dollar industry that is relatively non-existent in Alberta...and shouldn’t be.

Data is growing at an almost incomprehensible rate. There are 2.5 quintillion bytes of data created each day at our current pace, but with the growth of the Internet of Things (IoT), robotics, 5G and AI, that pace is accelerating. By understanding the requirements and initiatives surrounding tech based real estate, Alberta could be in an advantageous position to diversify industry and encourage the absorption of current vacancy in the form of data centres.

Investment, Development, Market, Technology, TrendsBronwyn ScrivensJanuary 7, 2020data centre, Tech, Technology, tech based real estate, development, InvestmentComment

Three Tech Movements in Building Construction

Technology is impacting the construction industry like never before. An impressive lineup of developments are aiming to improve the efficiencies of a sector that shapes how every human being is able to live their lives.

"Beds and Sheds" hedging to be the front runners for investors in 2020

The catchphrase of the moment is proving to hold its weight as we analyze commercial real estate trends leading into the new year. Canada’s Multifamily market is the strongest it’s ever been with rental rates nearing 10-year highs, apartments near 100% occupancy, and volatility remaining low. On the industrial front, demand for fulfillment space continues to reign supreme to satisfy the multiplying growth metrics in e-commerce.

April, May and June 2019 among slowest months for commercial sales in the past decade

While activity has stayed fairly constant with regard to tenant/purchaser requirements and listings, the deal flow has been slow as most companies continue to have a low risk tolerance in Alberta. Add to this the much anticipated Federal election expected in October of this year, and there has been a mentality of hurry up and wait…until there is a change up federally that is.

Dissecting urban sprawl and what it means to be a "Compact City"

How do we design livable, workable, and healthy spaces, by limiting unsustainable urban sprawl while concurrently avoiding densification to the detriment of quality of life? These are the most important questions for any City Plan, because while it’s obvious that the outward growth of single family neighbourhoods casts a huge financial toll on all citizens, it’s also obvious that individuals and families are choosing that lifestyle and living situation for a reason.

Development, Trends, EconomicsBronwyn Scrivens, Omada CommercialJuly 3, 2019Development, Urban, Suburban, Sprawl, Growth, edmontonComment

Thought Leadership

Bronwyn Scrivens, SIOR is a licensed real estate agent with: