Carrie S. Holstead, chairman of the board of directors for the organization and president of the Pittsburgh ITRA office explains, “This will be a great opportunity to introduce the managing principals from ITRA offices in major markets in North America, Latin America, Europe, and Asia to one of the most dynamic 21st Century markets in North America. The conference will also provide the perfect opportunity for our affiliate offices to learn more about what makes Pittsburgh a model city and region that continues to receive national acclaim.”

The ITRA Global event will be sponsored exclusively by the Pittsburgh Regional Alliance (PRA), an affiliate of the Allegheny Conference on Community Development. Dewitt Peart, President of the PRA, says the conference provides his marketing and economic development organization, recognized as one of the best in the United States, with a unique and highly desirable opportunity to interact with executives from around the globe who influence relocation and expansion decisions of their corporate clients.

“It is important to the Pittsburgh region’s continued economic growth that we establish and maintain relationships with site selectors in the U.S. and around the world so we can explain the many advantages of living and working in the Pittsburgh area,” Peart says. “Sponsoring this conference allows us to accomplish that and so much more.”

Gary Saulson, Director of Corporate Real Estate for Pittsburgh-based PNC Financial Services Group, Inc., will give a keynote presentation at the conference about “Achieving Value from an Environmental Commitment” and will discuss the company’s new headquarters, The Tower at PNC Plaza, which will be the “world’s greenest skyrise” when it opens in mid-2015.

“For more than a decade,” Saulson says, “PNC made the industry-leading commitment that all new construction and major renovations would follow LEED® green building standards. Due to this commitment, PNC recently celebrated the achievement of its 100th LEED certified building, which makes PNC the world leader in newly constructed LEED certified buildings. In total, PNC has 150 LEED-certified projects.”

ITRA Global is an organization of real estate professionals specializing in representing tenants and buyers in the leasing, acquisition and disposition of office, industrial and retail facilities. With coverage in over 80 major markets around the world, ITRA Global is one of the largest organizations dedicated to representing tenants and occupiers of commercial real estate. Clients benefit by having an experienced professional as their trusted advisor, providing conflict-free representation with total objectivity.

For more information about the conference, please contact Beth Wade, ITRA Global Executive Director, at 706.654.3201 or email bwade@itraglobal.com. To learn more about conflict-free representation and the worldwide representatives of ITRA Global, please visit www.itraglobal.com.

“It’s awesome,” says The Stevens Group principal who lists main benefits as the stylish FFE left behind, plus extensive window lines along three walls on top of multiple private offices desired by her client. Stevens also credits the owner Transwestern and a cooperative building and leasing team for convincing Aras to remain at the master-planned business park. “It was an aggressive deal,” Stevens says, although she declined to offer specifics on terms due to confidentiality contracts.

Stevens also represented Aras in the lease of its ninth floor location five years ago when Aras was operating from nearby Lawrence. As in that instance, the new commitment represents a substantial increase in space for Aras, with their present headquarters concentrated in 8,000 sf.

About Aras Corp

Aras is the leading provider of enterprise open source Product Lifecycle Management (PLM) software solutions. Freedom from licensing eliminates up-front expenses and per user costs while superior technology makes Aras the most advanced enterprise PLM solution suite available. Customers include Motorola, Rolls-Royce, Freudenberg, Lockheed Martin, Ingersoll Rand, Hydrometer, Hi-P and ACCO Brands. Aras is privately held with global headquarters in Andover, Mass.

About The Stevens Group

The Stevens Group is the Boston affiliate of ITRA Global, the International Tenant Representative Alliance, an organization of independently owned commercial real estate firms with offices in major markets in North America, Latin America, Europe, and the Pacific Rim. ITRA Global is one of the largest organizations in the world that provides objective real estate advice and services exclusively to corporate tenants and occupiers of commercial real estate.

In the annual study of job retention and creation by the 50 states and the federal government, Dr. Pollina, author of the recent book entitled Selling Out a Superpower, emphasizes that the “West is not only a leader in population growth but has also become the pro-business leader, thus showing the greatest potential for job growth.”

But Virginia—the brightest star on the American Flag—is the ultimate model for the rest of the country. Brent Pollina, Vice President of Park Ridge, Illinois-based ITRA/Pollina Corporate Real Estate and author of the study, names Virginia as “America’s most pro-business state” for the third consecutive year, winning yet again by the largest margin in the study’s history.

“Virginia can certainly be emulated by other states, which should view Virginia’s economic policies as a coloring book,” says Brent Pollina. “All they need to do is stay between the lines of the coloring book, and they, too, can create a powerful pro-business environment.”

This year’s Most Improved State, North Dakota, climbed from 18th to 3rd place in only three years, and it’s one of seven powerhouse Western states in the Top 10. Unfortunately for the region, California ranked dead last for the eighth consecutive year.

The Pollina Corporate Top 10 Pro-Business States for 2011 are: 1) Virginia 2) Utah 3) North Dakota 4) Wyoming 5) Nebraska 6) Kansas 7) South Dakota (8) Missouri 9) South Carolina and 10) Indiana. The study, considered the most comprehensive, unbiased and unvarnished by the economic development industry, is the “Gold Standard” for evaluating and ranking states based on 32 factors controlled by state government, including taxes, human resources, education, right-to-work legislation, energy costs, infrastructure spending, workers compensation laws, economic incentive programs and state economic development efforts.

Two new factors—state budget deficit and state property tax index—along with a comprehensive State Report Card have been added to this year’s study.

ITRA/Pollina Corporate Real Estate, Inc.  is an affiliate of ITRA Global  which exclusively represents corporate tenants and buyers of Commercial Real Estate in over 85 markets worldwide.  ITRA firms do not work for landlords or real estate management companies, eliminating the potential conflict that exists with traditional brokers. 

For more information about the Pollina Top 10  Pro-Business Study contact FWM Communications; fmartin@brandandimage.net; 773-462-4144.

Further information about ITRA/Pollina Corporate Real Estate, Inc. visit the company website at www.pollina.com or by calling (847) 685-9000.

Blackstone Square

Founded in 2010 by MIT researchers Donald Sadoway, David Bradwell and Dr. Luis Ortiz, the energy sector firm gained quick notoriety thanks to a personal investment from Bill Gates. “They’ll be very happy there,” principal Debra Stevens portends of her client’s future home after conducting an extensive space search that began shortly after the firm was launched. “It was a challenge,” relays Stevens, a tenant representation specialist who worked closely with Ortiz, the firm’s president, in mulling alternatives. Stevens explains LMBC wanted a ground floor opportunity due to weight issues of its equipment, and also needed a structure possessing enhanced power capabilities.

With Blackstone Square able to accommodate the exacting requirements, fit out of the space is now underway in advance of the firm’s upcoming occupancy. Stevens declined to discuss financial details of the commitment by LMBC, but says the landlord “did what they needed to do” in beating out other suitors keen to land the promising company that has already received backing from the US Department of Energy on top of the boost from Microsoft’s famous founder. The technologies were invented in Sadoway’s MIT laboratory, with the founders of LMBC securing the patent rights in advance of launching their platform.

ITRA/The Stevens Group is a Boston based real estate advisory firm providing transactional representation, brokerage and consulting services exclusively for corporate tenants and occupiers of commercial real estate. As the Boston regional affiliate of ITRA Global, an organization of real estate professionals devoted to tenant and buyer representation worldwide, The Stevens Group offers principal-level services to corporate clients in more than 90 markets around the world.

About Toole Design Group

Toole Design Group is a planning and design firm headquartered in the Washington-Baltimore region with extensive experience throughout the United States. Projects include transportation master planning, traffic calming, pedestrian and bicycle research and facility design, rail-trail planning and design, transit accessibility, safe routes to school planning, and a variety of other related areas. The company is particularly skilled in retrofitting transportation systems to make walking, bicycling and transit use safer and more convenient modes of transportation. More information about the firm is available at www.tooledesign.com or by calling +1 (301) 927-1900. 

About Sloan Street Advisors / ITRA

Sloan Street Advisors / ITRA, provides transactional representation, brokerage and consulting services exclusively for corporate tenants and buyers of properties in the District of Columbia and its suburbs, in addition to representing clients on an international basis. As the Washington, D.C. affiliate for ITRA Global,  Sloan Street Advisors / ITRA provides principal-level services for corporate clients in more than 90 U.S. and overseas markets. Further information about Sloan Street Advisors / ITRA is available at www.sloanstreetadvisors.com or by calling +1 (703) 758-7479.

The Science Applications International Corporation was founded in 1969 by a small group of scientists and has grown into a worldwide innovator of technology and research. SAIC and their subsidiaries are involved in everything from robotic technology, medical lab research, to finding clean and renewable energy. SAIC also is a leader in providing scientific, engineering, systems integration, and technical services to all branches of the armed forces. Science Applications International Corporation accomplishes all of these goals with the constant and deliberate commitment to ethical performance and integrity. 

Located in Virginia Beach, Virginia, ITRA/ExclusiveTenantRep.com is the only locally owned and operated Commercial Real Estate Brokerage and Advisory Firm that exclusively represents corporate tenants and end users of Commercial Real Estate in The Greater Norfolk, VA region, therefore eliminating any conflict of interests. 

ITRA/ExclusiveTenantRep.com is an affiliate of ITRA Global  which, with representation in over 85 world markets, is the leader in exclusively representing corporate tenants and buyers of Commercial Real Estate worldwide. Each affiliate office acts as client advocates while assisting them in negotiating optimum lease and or purchase terms. Throughout the process, ITRA/ExclusiveTenantRep provides knowledgeable and objective advice from local office leasing professionals. ITRA firms do not work for landlords or real estate management companies, eliminating the potential conflict that exists with traditional brokers. 

Further information is available on the company website at www.ExclusiveTenantRep.com or by calling (757) 747-7440.