It All Started at the CREW Convention: Qualcomm’s Santa Clara Campus
It all began with a crucial conversation during a planned introductory meeting while attending the 2018 CREW Network Convention in San Diego. Fast forward to December of 2019 when Wendy Lanahan, a more than 35-year member of CREW San Diego and Director of Real Estate at Qualcomm, was tasked with leasing space for the company’s Santa Clara campus. Wendy reached out to her colleague Nancy Morse, who had been a member of CREW Silicon Valley for more than 35 years and was Senior Managing Director of Newmark, with the intention of leasing two buildings totaling approximately 110,000 square feet.
Then, March 2020 happened. No one knew the pending global pandemic would shift the course of commercial real estate for the unforeseeable future. Concerns of what would be considered “the workplace” prompted Wendy to cancel the lease on the larger of the two buildings. However, as time passed and the opportunity arose to seek additional space in 2021, Wendy remembered her resourceful colleague and called Nancy once more to navigate the uncertain climate. With the tireless efforts of Nancy’s team and great timing, they were able to consolidate three more deals over the next few years – totaling more than 88,000 square feet.
“I reached out to Nancy because I knew she has the tenacity and ability to overcome challenging projects,” said Wendy.
This accumulation of square footage, all in close proximity, facilitated an enhanced campus environment. Managing the creation of this environment was Tiffany English, a CREW San Diego member of more than 25 years and former CREW Network President, who serves as Qualcomm's Senior Director of Architecture. Tiffany was tasked with overseeing the renovation of these buildings and ensuring a cohesive atmosphere that would foster a desire for Qualcomm employees to work onsite. To accomplish this, Tiffany enlisted the expertise of several CREW members: Kelly Leanos from DSB+ (CREW Silicon Valley) for carpet and flooring installation, Holly Neber from AEI (CREW East Bay) for environmental inspections, and Anne Benge from Cultura (CREW San Diego) who introduced PeopleSpace, a firm with multiple CREW members, for furniture. This collaboration involved more than seven CREW members in total.
Reflecting on the project's success, Tiffany stated, "It was important that the consolidated campus had a feeling of cohesion. This took patience and synergy to accomplish. It was CREW relationships and creating a welcoming campus environment that made the project a success."
Nancy Morse added her perspective, saying, "This deal required patience when dealing with multiple people with different perspectives. There are so many CREW connections in almost every deal. Successful deals come from being connected intentionally. I encourage others to look up your collaborators through CREW Network."
Whether initiated at the CREW Network Convention or a local chapter event, forging connections and cultivating long-term, trusted relationships with intention can help build bridges to create meaningful done deals with success. As the saying goes, 'There’s never a cold call in CREW.'
Project leads
Qualcomm
Newmark
Additional CREW members involved in this deal
Qualcomm
DSB+
AEI
Cultura
Catherine McCullough, FSMPS, CPSM, McCullough Landscape Architecture
A Legacy member of the San Diego CREW Chapter, Catherine has owned and managed a landscape architecture firm for over 20 years. She oversees operations, marketing, and business development for their 19-member team. Catherine has held the position as Director of Marketing + Communications for the San Diego Chapter Board of Directors, as well as serving as a mentor for several years in the chapter’s CREWmates program. In addition, she is a Fellow in the Society of Marketing Professional Services (SMPS) and has served many roles locally and nationally for the organization.
Connect on CREWbiz