written by
Natalie Baylon

Mercado Rancho Bernardo Named First Retail Center to Earn the Prestigious TOBY® Award

Intersection is excited to announce that The Mercado in Rancho Bernardo has earned a historic achievement in commercial real estate as the first retail center to be named The Outstanding Building of the Year (TOBY®) Award in San Diego, by the Building Owners Management Association (BOMA). This accolade, traditionally bestowed upon office buildings, is a testament to our commitment to excellence in property management and operations.

The TOBY Award represents the pinnacle of recognition within the commercial real estate industry, honoring exemplary practices in building management across specific categories of building types or sizes. To even qualify for consideration, a property must first earn a BOMA 360 designation, triumph in local and regional competitions, and eventually emerge victorious at the regional level.

At The Mercado, our journey to this groundbreaking achievement has been marked by vison, innovation, and relentless pursuit of excellence. Over the years, Intersection has meticulously curated an international tenant mix that harmonizes to create an unparalleled experiential retail center. Our partnership with Intersection Facility Services has ensured seamless tenant improvements and project maintenance, elevating the property to new heights.

Situated in the heart of San Diego’s tech and innovation corridor, Rancho Bernardo serves as the backdrop for The Mercado’s success. The area boasts an impressive roster of major companies, including Amazon, Hewlett-Packard, Northrop Grumman, Sony, and the recent addition of Apple’s sprawling 67.5-acre campus. Conveniently accessible via I-15 with multiple entry points via Rancho Bernardo Road and Bernardo Center Drive, The Mercado stands as a community focal point, drawing in residents, office employees, and visitors alike.  Coupled with a strong residential demographic component and proven retail traffic patterns, project ownership and management saw the potential to raise the shopping experience to a new level.  Capital investment and creative vision have resulted in a unique project that is 100% leased.

What sets The Mercado apart is its commitment to excellence in every facet of its operation. From its very walkable accessibility, well-maintained landscapes, and prominent signage to the recent exterior enhancements accentuating its unique architectural features, every detail has been meticulously crafted to create an inviting and exceptional retail environment.

The judging criteria for the TOBY Award encompass an array of factors, including community impact, tenant and employee relations programs, energy management, accessibility, emergency procedures, personnel training, sustainability and overall excellence. The rigorous inspections conducted by industry experts validate the significance of this achievement.

Winning the TOBY Award underscores our dedication to delivering best-in-class operations and management. It is a testament to the hard work, dedication, and collaborative spirit of everyone involved in making The Mercado an unparalleled success.

We owe this momentous achievement to the vision, expertise, and collaborative efforts of an exceptional team. It’s with immense gratitude that we extend our thanks to:

  • Nicole Schuck and Sean Rafford (Intersection Real Estate Services): Their unwavering commitment to excellence have been the driving force behind The Mercado’s success. Your vision and dedication have steered us toward this historic milestone.

  • Nick Cardoso and Fernando Cruz (Intersection Facility Services): Their relentless efforts in handling tenant improvements and maintenance have been instrumental in elevating The Mercado to its current stature. Your attention to detail and commitment to excellence are truly commendable.

  • Dan McCarthy and Alec Spencer (Intersection Commercial Brokerage): Their expertise in curating a tenant mix that creates an exceptionally experiential retail center has been invaluable. Your insight and dedication have been pivotal in shaping The Mercado into what it is today.

  • Mark Hoekstra (President and Co-founder of Intersection): His guidance, vision, and unwavering support have been the cornerstone of the success at Mercado for nearly three decades.

Each member of this exceptional team has played an integral role in securing this prestigious recognition. Your dedication, passion, and unwavering commitment to excellence have been the driving force behind The Mercado’s triumph.

This recognition only fuels our commitment to continuous improvement and innovation. As we celebrate this milestone, we also look ahead, eager to continue setting new benchmarks in the commercial real estate landscape.

The Mercado in Rancho Bernardo isn’t just a retail center; it’s a testament to the power of vision, collaboration, and unwavering commitment to excellence. Thank you to everyone who has been a part of this incredible journey. Together, we’ve made history.

Join us in celebrating this remarkable achievement and experience the excellence that defines The Mercado.

To learn more about Mercado Shopping Center or the TOBY awards, please reach out to Nicole Schuck @[email protected]

Natalie Baylon is the Marketing Coordinator at Intersection, providing strategic marketing expertise to support business objectives across company divisions. For general and marketing inquiries, please contact Natalie at [email protected] 

written by
Natalie Baylon

The leadership spotlight is shining strong on Nicole Schuck.

Senior Real Estate Manager Nicole Schuck sat down, last month, with fellow BOMA member Michele Ignacio of A.O. Reed & Co., to discuss Nicole’s leadership within the industry. In addition to being a longtime BOMA San Diego Principal Member, she is also an amazing BOMA leader; having previously served as the Vice Chairperson to the Programs and Seminars Committee, and for the past 5 years has served on the Board as Liaison to Emerging Leaders, Programs and Seminars, and currently the Community Service Committee.

Learn more about her leadership style below:

BOMA San Diego: What sparked your interest in becoming a leader in BOMA?
Nicole: The ability to connect with people from different backgrounds (especially property managers) and have a common connection of working in our industry.

BOMA San Diego: What is your leadership philosophy?
Nicole: Try to walk a mile in a person’s shoes before you give direction or advice to someone. Poor leaders often deliver tone deaf messages to their team if they don’t understand the background of a situation or the challenges the individual is facing. Great leaders understand their team member’s journeys and the obstacles they must face.

BOMA San Diego: What are your top three strengths as a leader?
Nicole: The ability to empathize with people in any given situation. Always having a sense of humor and not to take yourself so seriously. Recognizing opportunity everywhere.

BOMA San Diego: What skills do you use most often in your leadership role in BOMA that are transferable to your career at Intersection?
Nicole: The ability to make connections and find resources through BOMA that help me for budgeting, capital projects, and professional development.

BOMA San Diego: What is the most important challenge that you’ve faced since joining our organization, and how has your experience helped you grow in your career?
Nicole: Have confidence in yourself and put yourself in situations that get you out of your shell. I used to be a very introverted and self-conscious person; every social event used to be a huge point of anxiety for me. Now I look forward to every social event and seek out people I’ve never met. That’s one of my favorite things to do at luncheons now!

BOMA San Diego:What is the one piece of advice you have for emerging professionals who are preparing to be a leader?
Nicole: #1: Life is too short to wear a boring pantsuit. #2: You may not be everyone’s cup of tea, and that’s ok. If you feel like someone is trying to pull you away from your authentic self and shape you into something that only serves their needs, it’s time to look for other opportunities that will embrace you for being yourself.

BOMA San Diego: Who inspires you and why?
Nicole: All the BOMA ladies! There is such a great group of women in our organization that come from all walks of life that encourage and help each other. I don’t think I could have grown in my career without the amazing support of women in our organization that took me under their wing.

Thank you for being an amazing BOMA Leader Nicole!

To learn more about Real Estate Services please reach out to Nicole Schuck at [email protected] or Mark Hoekstra at [email protected].

Natalie Baylon is the Marketing Coordinator at Intersection, providing strategic marketing expertise to support business objectives across company divisions. For general and marketing inquiries, please contact Natalie at [email protected] 

written by
Emily Bane

Intersection is pleased to announce the reopening of the Downtown San Diego office following the COVID-19 shutdowns with new guidelines and procedures to ensure worker and customer safety. These changes, designed to ease coronavirus concerns, range from the reconfiguration of office spaces to running daily temperature and health checks, to reducing customer contact. At this time, there will be no in-house meetings with clients through the end of June, with potential for extension.

Step by step, we’re seeing our local communities open up and the economy coming back to life. While we know this crisis is not over, we are continuing to educate our teams and clients, and are hopeful that we are moving in the right direction towards this long journey.

For more information on the precautionary measures we’re taking, please email [email protected].

Below are guidelines for property showings between Intersection team members and outside clients.

Showing Guidance During Reopening

As restrictions begin to ease around San Diego County, California, and the country, Intersection provides this guidance to assist brokers, managers, and clients in preparation for business in the new normal. Intersection continues to encourage brokers and managers to use virtual showings and limit in-person activity in all other aspects of the transaction as much as possible during the pendency of this crisis, even where in-person showings are allowable by state or local order.

Please review the following guidelines prior to your scheduled showing.

Intersection Property Showing Guidelines

  • If you are sick or exhibiting symptoms of COVID-19, you are required to stay home.
  • Adhere to social distancing recommendations and maintain a minimum of six feet of space between persons at all times.
  • Avoid shaking hands.
  • The number of persons who may attend a showing is limited to four total people, including Intersection brokers/managers.
  • All persons entering a property are required to wear a face mask or covering and wash their hands or use hand sanitizer upon entering.
  • Avoid touching any surfaces in the space, such as light switches, door handles, or walls.
  • Intersection does not recommend the use of bathroom facilities at the property.
  • Do not share phones, pens, or tablets or other personal property during the showing.
  • Intersection requires all documents to be shared electronically versus the distribution of paper documents at the property.
  • Use hand sanitizer upon returning to your vehicle.

We thank you for your patience and compliance with above guidelines.

Emily Bane is the Marketing Coordinator at Intersection, providing strategic marketing expertise to support business objectives across company divisions. Contact Emily at 619-819-8725 or [email protected]

written by
Emily Bane

November 2019 – Intersection Participates in Tijuana House Build Project for Rotary and Project Mercy

Last month, Intersection team members traveled south of the border to build houses for the impoverished families living in the outlying neighborhoods of Tijuana, Mexico. Only a few minutes from Intersection’s downtown San Diego office, families are living without the necessities to survive. Project Mercy’s goal is to improve the basic living standards by building sturdy houses to help improve the overall quality of life.

This is the fourth year that Intersection team members have participated in the house build. Dan Leon, Director of Acquisitions, has participated in the last two build days said, “this is a fantastic opportunity to give back to a family in need. Handing over the keys to a house you helped build is an incredibly rewarding and inspirational experience.”

Intersection would like to thank its wonderful employees for your hard work and contributions!

To learn more, go to https://www.projectmercy.net/

Emily Bane is the Marketing Coordinator at Intersection, providing strategic marketing expertise to support business objectives across company divisions. Contact Emily at 619-819-8725 or [email protected]

written by
Emily Bane

Intersection hosts October’s Sundowner Business Mixer at their property, San Marcos Square.

Thursday, October 24, 2019 – Intersection hosts October’s Sundowner Business Mixer with the San Marcos Chamber of Commerce at San Marcos Square. The spirited mixer attracts local business professionals from a variety of industries and company sizes to network, build relationships and have fun.

In November 2017, Intersection acquired the retail center San Marcos Square located at 156-190 S. Rancho Santa Fe Rd., San Marcos, CA 92078. Since the acquisition, Intersection has completed various upgrades including new storefronts, signage, exterior paint, and new pavement and striping. “I remember walking into this space back when we bought this property in 2017. It looks nothing like it did then – and that’s a good thing. We believe in this property, we believe in this community, and we believe that the individuals in this room can make a difference,” Dan Leon, Director of Acquisitions said at Thursday’s mixer.

Intersection is inspired to help build and shape communities in profoundly positive ways. At the event, the company encouraged the community to share ideas of what they would like to see at San Marcos Square, presenting lifestyle imagery and banners with the message: “Let’s build community together,” with pens and paper for attendees to fill-in their suggestions.

“There is potential for this community to be something special. We saw that when we purchased this property and we see it now, in a space which has been completely transformed by our vision,” Leon said.

Intersection wants to thank the San Marcos Chamber of Commerce, and their Board President Carla Royter with the San Diego Union Tribune for so graciously co-hosting last week’s event and thank you to all of the attendees who came out to network. Special thank you to the mixer’s vendors: appetizers by C&L Catering Co., wine from La Fleur’s Winery, beer from Rip Current Brewing, and sounds by Solid Gold.

Emily Bane is the Marketing Coordinator at Intersection, providing support to Brokerage and Investment teams through digital marketing and social media strategy. Contact Emily at 619-819-8725 or [email protected]

written by
Emily Bane

Orquid Schon joined Intersection a little over a year ago. In a short time, she has represented what it means to be “driven by integrity”, operating with incredible ethics and trustworthiness. The San Diego Business Journal recognizes Schon for her talents and execution in accounting at Intersection.

Intersection is proud to announce that Orquid Schon was selected by San Diego Business Journal as one of the Most Influential Women in Accounting.

As Controller, Schon oversees the financials of the company in its entirety, manages the accounting department, and supports three divisions. She leads by example, with a results driven attitude. Schon has helped implement various software, improve labor efficiency ratios, and support the onboarding of new personnel in both San Diego and Salt Lake City.

In recent months she was promoted to Controller from Senior Accountant. Whether she is supporting client relations, managing a portfolio of properties, or training new employees, she is passionate about her work and dedicated to her company.

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