Embarcadero Realty Services Manages Nearly Half-Million Square Feet of Hacienda Buildings

By Nicole Zaro Stahl, Hacienda Network Staff Writer

The three employees at Embarcadero Realty Services LP work out of a small office in Hacienda Terrace, at 4309 Hacienda Drive, but they do a big job - managing more than 450,000 square feet of property in the park, including the building they occupy. They are also responsible for another 100,000 square foot office complex located on the south side of Pleasanton.

The Hacienda properties - the three-building Hacienda Terrace complex; the three-story Park Plaza, at 4683 Chabot Drive; and the two-building Las Positas Office Plaza, at the corner of West Las Positas Boulevard and Hopyard Road - are part of the portfolio of parent company Embarcadero Capital Partners (ECP), a decade-old real estate investment and management firm based across the bay in Belmont. As relatively recent acquisitions, purchased between September 2010 and February 2011, the three properties are a strong reflection of ECP's confidence in Hacienda and its ability to attract a wide diversity of business types, from technology leaders and Fortune 500 companies to small accounting, legal, and medical practices.

According to local Property Manager Laurie Berberich, who leads the Hacienda office, ECP has established a solid track record investing in "dynamic, development-constrained U.S. markets that are known for intellectual capital and a creative business culture." With a staff of roughly 60, the firm targets "assets with strong leasing appeal," primarily due to location, quality, and design. Its current portfolio comprises approximately 26 properties that stretch along the West Coast from San Diego to Seattle suburbs.

On the management side, Berberich, who has more than 20 years of experience in the business, is guided by one overarching principle - consistent customer service. "The tenants are our customers, and we want to make sure they have a positive experience. To make them want to stay here, we need to keep them happy."

Giving tenants good neighbors through proactive leasing is one tool ECP employs to enhance their satisfaction. Onsite management is also part of its strategy, as is adding value through selective capital improvements-for example, upgrading the lobbies in Las Positas Plaza. The remodel included television screens, plants, and artwork to make the space look more professional and feel more welcoming.

In addition, Berberich notes, "all our buildings are equipped with energy management systems so Building Management can monitor and reduce energy consumption."

Although Berberich just joined Embarcadero Realty Services this past August, she has long ties to Hacienda, having handled property management assignments in the park, including for Hacienda Terrace, for two previous employers. Her first tour of duty was with developer Joe Callahan, back in 1990. "It was a very exciting time. The arches were just starting to go up. There were fields everywhere, and you could see all the way to Camp Parks."

Today, Berberich finds the transformation-office buildings, residential communities, retail shops, the BART station, and a different restaurant for lunch every day for a month - "remarkable," especially because it remains so close to the original vision for the park.

For more information, visit www.ecp-llc.com.

Photo: Property Manager Laurie Berberich leads Embarcadero's Hacienda office.

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