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Station Point Studio
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January
2009
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OUR PERSPECTIVE
Dear
Reader,
Happy New Year! Like so many of you, we were happy
to bid 2008 farewell and turn our attention and efforts to 2009 and all
the promise it holds. These days we constantly find ourselves
walking the line between trying to remain optimistic about our city and
our industry while trying to give the elephant in the room some
due. We realize times are tough, but we also believe that
"this too shall pass". So as we present to you our
second issue of The
Perspective, we will try to provide you with some
uplifting news and features. Our Industry Insider features valuable insight from the always-optimistic Carol Shepard,
Director of Arizona Business Magazines. Speaking with Carol
always leaves us feeling hopeful about the direction our great city is
headed. In our Rewarding
Work article, we focus on our friend and filmmaker,
Rick Thompson, and his positive efforts to preserve our country's
African-American collegiate past while we look forward to inaugurating
our country's first African-American president this month - full circle
at it's finest. Our Did
You Know? and Featured
Project articles focus on two recently completed
projects we positively loved working on and our Behind the Scenes article will let you in on some happy experiences in Kim's life
pre-Station Point. So here is to looking ahead. May
2009 bring you all much prosperity, many moments of all-out laughter
and more perfectly smooth, professionally rewarding projects than
you've ever dreamed of!
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FEATURED PROJECT
In
2008, Station Point was commissioned to create an architectural
rendering that would be used to help market a custom home in an upscale
neighborhood. Using specifications from the project's architect
and builder, Station Point creatied two photo-realistic images that
ultimately resulted in a contract just four days after the images were
presented to the buyer.
The
second image, was an 11th hour composition done with minimal
information and time remaining before the deadline. It was
important to illustrate the city lights views from the rear
second-story patio, so we grabbed the digital camera and drove up to
the site for a quick photo shoot. The rest was modeled and
composited the night before the meeting with the buyers. The
original scope of services did not require the second shot, but Station
Point worked through the night so that the client would have everything
they needed to help portray the property's best features.
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INDUSTRY INSIDER
Carol Shepard
Director
AZRE / Arizona Commercial Real Estate
3101 N. Central Avenue, #1070
SPS: Carol, what does your
job as Director at AZRE magazine entail?
I help guide AZRE to accurately reflect what's happening
statewide in approximately 12 different commercial real estate
industries that work together to make commercial development (public
and private) successful in Arizona. On a day-to-day basis, I work
with hundreds of fascinating people who run real estate companies and
trade organizations. I work closely with advertisers to create programs
in AZRE that put their companies in front of our 94,000+ local and
national readers, therefore helping them increase business.
SPS: How long have you been
with AZRE and what changes have you seen over the course of your
tenure?
I have been with the company 13 years. The major market change
has been the growing national attention on Arizona by companies looking
to expand here. There is more competition in all real estate
industries.
SPS: I know AZRE focuses on
commercial development in Arizona. Can you explain what specific
areas of the industry you promote and focus on at AZRE?
The core industries we cover include development, investment, brokerage
(sales & leasing), architecture, construction and sustainability,
finance, real estate law, property management, planning & zoning
and state legislative issues including taxes.
Development, construction and brokerage are further broken down into
specific sectors: office, industrial/distribution, retail,
healthcare, senior/assisted living, multi-family, mixed-use and public
(including municipal and education).
SPS: In your opinion, what
faction of the commercial development industry has been most affected
by the recent changes in our state and national economies? How?
Every real estate sector has been hit hard.
Finding financing for private development is extremely difficult, even
for those with good credit. The combination of poor financing and
record high vacancies means fewer private projects are in the pipeline
to keep people employed. As business revenues decrease, cities and
state tax revenues decline, which means even public projects are being
put on hold. That means fewer jobs for everyone in commercial real
estate industries.
SPS: I would think in your
position as Director at AZRE you are privileged to see an
all-encompassing picture of development projects in the works.
Can you highlight some of your favorite development projects that
have recently been completed or are currently taking place?
I will take my editorial unbiased approach on this one --- can't choose
favorites. We try to editorially cover as many developments as
possible, both large and small, to truly reflect what's happening in
our state.
More importantly, there are so many exceptional people taking
leadership positions with real estate companies, industry organizations
and government initiatives. They are sharing their professional and
personal time to help elevate Arizona's competitiveness in making this
state more responsive for business growth and attraction from in and
out-of-state companies. Without increased business
diversification, Arizona will have a harder time attracting quality
employers and employees.
SPS: I was downtown over the
holidays and was amazed, excited and encouraged by the changing
landscape. How do you see the downtown Phoenix area defining
itself in the next few years?
It is a city still trying to find its identity. I have already lived in
dense urban cities in several countries. Phoenix is a very young city,
and it will take many years for downtown Phoenix to find its own unique
and inviting culture of living, working, entertainment and most
importantly: open areas with trees and grass. Identity doesn't
happen overnight --- don't rush to copy other cities and lose what will
make this city different.
SPS: When commercial
development "recovers" from this temporary dip, where do you
see the industry landing?
Arizona's positive fundamentals will lead us back into
the next upcycle: warm climate, lack of natural disasters,
transportation grid of highways and airports, competitive cost of
living, higher education, recreation and proximity to the west cost.
For the next 2 years a major challenge will be the absorption of excess
SF available in office, industrial and retail. Until this SF is
leased, new projects will be put on hold.
SPS: What projections are you
making at AZRE for 2009?
Like everyone else in construction and development, we
know that 2009 will be a year of change --- back to the basics.
Vendors and clients will need to work together to get through a tough
economic year. There are bright points --- there are smaller
companies that will move above the radar. New companies, both clients
and vendors, are still looking to do business here.
When you hear people starting to make plans for the next upcycle, then
you know we're turning the psychological corner in the business
cycle. Project financing will remain a key issue for 2009.
SPS: What has been your
biggest professional accomplishment of 2008? What has been your
biggest challenge in 2008? Any professional goals for 2009?
Like everyone else --- to meet deadlines on time and
under budget! One of the biggest challenges --- to keep AZRE on target
reflecting the reality and opportunities in Arizona commercial
development. Our goal is to provide valuable "must
read" information in every issue.
SPS: Are there any current
trends you have noticed in commercial development in Phoenix?
Industry trends are included in every issue of
AZRE. Our popular forecast issue is the Annual Commercial Real
Estate Outlook published March 1.
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DID YOU KNOW?
Station
Point can change the weather? Okay, we might not be as truly
influential as Mother Nature herself, but we do have the ability to
change the exterior climate and surrounding environment in our
renderings.
In
an effort to add more appeal to our higher-altitude projects,
Station Point developed a new technique of winterizing
its rendered environments.
The
new look has already sparked the interest of some of our clients
wishing to add a new dimension to prior work.
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REWARDING WORK
In
2008 Station Point Studio was asked to create an exterior animation for
a historical documentary film entitled, "Bishop College: A
Bridge Between the Worlds". Bishop College was an
important Texas landmark as it was the second HCBU (Historically Black
Colleges and Universities) established in the far eastern region of
North Texas and the structure that would come to serve as its
administration building had been built by slaves. The original
structure was built in 1850 and served as the Confederate post office
during the Civil War but was ultimately purchased by ex-slaves and
repurposed as the administration building on the newly founded Bishop
College in 1881.
Bishop
College enjoyed a fierce but friendly rivalry with nearby Wiley College
(the first HCBU in Texas and the focus of the recent movie directed by
and starring Denzel Washington) for 80 years when officials decided to
relocate the school to Dallas, Texas in hopes of increasing campus size
and student population. The documentary also focuses on the irony
that integration played in forcing HCBUs such as Bishop to ultimately
close their doors as many students began applying to major
universities. Today, the original campus of Bishop College in Marshall,
Texas is gone.
Rick Thompson, the Bishop College documentary producer, approached
Station Point Studio for an animation that would recreate the original
campus site. "I can attest to the importance of the
animation because I chose to end the documentary with it as it
underscores the unfortunate razing of an important Texas
landmark. In fact, the text on the screen prior to the animation
says: "In Dallas, the Bishop College campus is now home to
Paul Quinn College. In Marshall, only memories remain."
Rick plans on holding community screenings of "Bishop
College: A Bridge Between the Worlds" in Dallas and Marshall
in early 2009. He anticipates the documentary will air initially
in Dallas in February and will likely be distributed through the public
television system to allow cities which also boast HCBUs to air the
documentary.
Station Point Studio is honored to have played a small part in
"Bishop College: A Bridge Between the Worlds" and hopes
the documentary sheds much light on this special campus and its
historical importance to our country.
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BEHIND THE SCENES
In
this issue of the Perspective, we'd like to let you in on Kim Sabin's
past. While it isn't scandalous, it is filled with some
interesting experiences.
Kim received a Bachelor of Fine Arts degree from Southwestern University
in Georgetown, Texas in the early 90's. Her senior year in
college was spent in New York City where she worked as a Talent Intern
for Late Night
With David Letterman. While working as an intern,
Kim's dream came true when she was asked to appear in two Viewer Mail
skits. The most notable skit, "Boy With a Migraine" had
Kim paired with Mr. Letterman as his concerned high school
girlfriend. Concerned because Joshua (Letterman) suffered from -
you guessed it - migraines.
Kim spent a decade after graduation pursuing a career in performance
and worked as an actress on stage, in film and on television while
living in Houston, Phoenix and Los Angeles.
Kim now uses her experience in performance when pitching Station Point
Studio's fantastic services to potential clients.
Contact Kim today to request a Station Point presentation
and see her live in action. She'll even take time to answer all
your pressing questions about Dave, Paul Shaffer, Chris Elliott and
even Larry "Bud" Melman.
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Since 1994, Station Point Studio
has been providing quality digital renderings to the architectural and
development communities. Our studio combines industry
knowledge with technical expertise to produce highly effective visual
communication tools. Contact us today to learn how we can help
your clients envision your next project.
- Kim Sabin
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