CHINESE COMPANY MAKES VISIT TO LEARN ABOUT BUILDING MANAGEMENT
During the time Gabby Franco worked as Standard Life’s asset manager for Western Canada, he was an enthusiastic volunteer with the Building Owners and Managers Association of Calgary.
After he retired, Franco took a rather adventurous trip to Beijing, where Chinese officials had let it be known they wanted to learn more about office building management.
The visit resulted in Franco making a three-year move to Beijing, where he was a volunteer vice-chairman and international liaison for BOMA China and general manager of the Jiaming Centre.
Chinese building operators had a goal of gaining acceptance as entrants for BOMA’s international Toby Awards, which recognize the year’s most outstanding building. That objective was achieved in 2014 after Franco had instructed workers on technology, security improvements and daily maintenance.
Franco’s latest business card announces his new position as adviser to the president of Jiaming Group, a company that’s building three low-rise buildings in Beijing comprising 400,000 square feet.
During his time in China, Franco has entertained a number of Alberta companies seeking to do business there.
During Prime Minister Justin Trudeau’s recent visit to Beijing, an Edmonton company was among 56 that signed a deal between Chinese and Canadian firms.
Bee-clean Building Maintenance signed a contract with Jiaming Investment to provide janitorial services for a pilot site to fully adopt an international standards cleaning program.
Bee-clean also signed a $2-million joint venture agreement with Shanghai Qinzemeiye Environmental Technical Services to provide building cleaning, janitorial, restoration consulting and facilities services and inspection services.
Franco has been very involved with the property management side of Jiaming, a leader in the Chinese real estate industry that’s built more than 4.3 million square feet of space.
Franco has brought two Jiaming workers to Calgary where they’re being hosted by GWL Realty Advisors, spending time shadowing staff at Western Canadian Place and Gulf Canada Square.
In my conversation with Kevin Yu and David Hu, engineers in Jiaming’s property management division, I asked about their first impressions of Calgary.
“Very efficient, so few people managing such a big complex,” was the response.
They were impressed with the fact two towers of Western Canadian Place — more than one million square feet — is handled by three security staff, while the Jiaming Centre, where they work, has eight to 10 overseeing 800,000 square feet.
Franco has made 14 trips to Beijing in the past three years and will be spending even more time there after signing a new contract that will see him spending one month there every quarter.
Jiaming chairman Wang Ting Yue is already a private investor with New York-based Tishman Speyer but wants to learn all about asset management in the West, and secure more properties in North America.
Canmore Business and Tourism has announced the sale of Canmore Uncorked, its popular annual 12-day food and drink festival, to Andrew Nickerson, the organization’s former CEO. Following the cessation of CBT’s marketing activities in July, it invited bids for the festival, and after an extensive selection process determined Nickerson’s bid was the strongest. Launched to showcase dining experiences in Canmore, the festival involves a series of daily, fixed-price menus at more than 50 locations. Nickerson is planning next year’s Canmore Uncorked from May 3 to 14.