Sares Regis Group of Northern California (SRGNC) was founded in 1992 as a merger between two veterans of the industry who had history with both commercial and residential development. It has since evolved into an acquisitive, multidisciplinary real estate company with more than 6.9 million square feet of commercial properties valued at $6.7 billion and over 2,800 residential units under development.
In total, SRGNC affiliates and their clients add another 50 million square feet of commercial, R&D, and industrial properties and 14,000 apartment homes to the market. Despite its size, SRGNC runs its business with a local-minded focus on serving the Bay Area and the communities in which it builds and manages property.
Acquire. Develop. Embrace.
There is more to the SRGNC mission than successful acquisition and development. The company prides itself in creating projects that are eco-friendly, efficient, appropriately designed for their locations, and attractive, yet it also makes sure to give back to the neighborhoods in which it builds. This commitment to quality and community has earned SRGNC a number of awards over the years, including Outstanding Civil Engineering Project of the Year, Pillars of the Industry, National Association of Home Builders, and Multifamily Council.
“I’m a proud board member of Sares Regis’s Education and Community Foundation,” says Michelle Green, VP of Sares Regis Northern California. “As our charter says, to give of ourselves—right where we live and work—makes for a stronger community and a stronger work environment.”
The company clearly feels a responsibility to contribute to the communities it has a hand in developing.
The Sares Regis Education and Community Foundation, the public-facing charitable arm through which SRGNC’s targeted giving moves the ball, addresses needs in the towns and neighborhoods the company calls home.
In the case of their Cadence apartment project in South San Francisco, SRGNC made notable contributions to the surrounding area, chipping in $5.7 million for community park upgrades, water infrastructure, walkways, lighting, storm drains, and even public art. The company clearly feels a responsibility to contribute to the communities it has a hand in developing. What does it mean for a real estate firm to be culturally connected to what might otherwise just be a push-pin on a map? Are these places business acquisitions or new acquaintances? Yes.
Watering the Blossoms
“It’s actually quite humbling to be part of the community in that way,” Michelle says. “The good work done by many, many charitable organizations in our area—it’s just incredible, really. They’re so genuinely dedicated to what they do. On many, many occasions, our foundation has had the honor of being the bridge—the contributor that completes their fundraising. We love being in the privileged position of being able to put these amazing organizations over the top in those cases.”
Boys and Girls Club of North San Mateo County, Silicon Valley Education Foundation’s Elevate Math program, Redwood City Library Foundation, Sunnyvale Community Services Kids Summer Food Aid Program—these are just a few of the dozens of regional programs to which SRGNC has contributed.
This is interpersonal corporate involvement at the flesh-and-blood level.
SRGNC’s “days of service” give its employees volunteer opportunities to get involved on the ground in the very neighborhoods where the builds are going up, or where the company has acquired a property. This is interpersonal corporate involvement at the flesh-and-blood level. What better way to get to know your new neighbors?
“I participated in volunteering for the Boys and Girls Club, and it was great,” says Maria Jesha Geluz, Project Engineer at SRGNC. “It was right next to Cadence [SRGNC’s South San Francisco residential development]. The kids were, of course, from that area too. It was so wonderful to connect with them, talk to them, and get to know them. The children just blossom when given the opportunity. And when they ask, it’s a chance to explain what we do, too.”
To learn about how Sares Regis is using Procore’s cloud-based digital construction management platform to gain easy access to plans, submittals and other project details around its apartment complex check out this Sares Regis Group of Northern California case study.
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