There’s Never a Cold Call in CREW: The Power of Two Houston Members
Kristen Roberson, Real Estate Portfolio Manager with Penske Transportation Solutions, joined CREW Houston in early 2022 and connected through LinkedIn with fellow chapter member and Business Development Manager with Altus Group, Morgan Atkinson.
With a desire to welcome Roberson to the Houston chapter, Atkinson invited her for a cup of joe. The two met and sipped coffee, sharing their experiences in CREW and the commercial real estate industry, and discussing their respective firms and roles. Roberson revealed that property tax management of Penske’s 1000+ owned and leased portfolio was among her many responsibilities. Historically, Penske had utilized a multi-consultant approach for their property tax needs, which was posing challenges given their size and geographic reach. This approach led to a lack of portfolio visibility and there was a desire to find an integrated solution and provider to manage its property tax and real estate assets.
This discovery opened the door for discussions related to Altus Group’s State and Local Tax offerings and how the company could help Penske minimize their property tax burdens and better manage their real estate portfolio.
The six months following involved introductions and collaboration with upper management from Penske and Altus Group. The diverse team worked diligently to delve into Penske’s needs, including reporting and forecasting functions, tax appeals, and consulting services. Utilizing Roberson’s data-driven intelligence and Atkinson’s business development capabilities, Altus Group proposed a custom tax management offer, and was awarded representation of Penske’s North American portfolio.
This quick LinkedIn message, referencing their CREW connection resulted in a deal with a tax value of $24 Million by bringing together Penske Transportation Solutions and Altus Group’s State and Local Tax Team.
A representative from the Penske team said, “[The] Altus solutions were able to bring together multiple departments on Penske’s corporate teams, streamlining their work productivity.”
“I am excited for Altus to be working with Penske, but even more so, thrilled to be partnering with a member of CREW,” said Atkinson. “This just goes to show the power of our CREW Network and to take advantage of connecting with everyone. You never know how a deal can come together and who can help you—and to be honest, that wasn’t even the purpose of our first coffee meeting. We were simply connecting without any sort of agenda in mind and formed a genuine connection that resulted in professional wins for the both of us.”
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About the author
Elizabeth Pye, CREW DC, Business Development Manager, Altus Group State and Local Tax Team
With nearly 20 years in the commercial real estate industry, Pye focuses on building and enhancing both existing and prospective client relationships, facilitating these relationships through the business development pipeline, maintaining solid relationships, and serving as another point of client contact following the successful acquisition of new business.
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