By Gail Chrzan, Senior Vice President, Blue and Obrecht Realty, LLC
The Maryland Chapter of the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation was staging a gala with the Governor of Maryland in three days, when a water line in their office broke and destroyed everything. The non-profit group was in immediate need of approximately 2,500 square feet of space to support this event, as well as to serve a longer-term use. I also happened to be aware of a company that was in search of a sublessee. This space was fully-furnished, including a copy machine and was in move-in condition.
I maintained a relationship with the President of this company, who lived in New Hampshire, mentioned the opportunity with Cystic Fibrosis, a disease that I was not familiar with. He was shocked, because he indicated his brother-in-law had been diagnosed with this ailment, and he would do anything to help find a cure. Naturally, he offered his space for sublease at an extremely reduced rate.
We executed a sublease with the consent of the landlord in three days and Cystic Fibrosis moved in at the end of the week, completing a mutually beneficial opportunity.
Subsequently, I was asked to serve on their Board of Directors and have been raising awareness and fighting for a cure to Cystic Fibrosis. This disease has a significant relevance to me, which is why I continue to volunteer with this organization.
“How I …..” is a new NAIOP-MD 360 feature that highlights how our members find innovative solutions to real estate challenges. We want to hear your stories for future issues. For consideration, please send your ideas to donnad@naiopmd.org.