LANE4 names new managing partner

After serving eleven years as the firm’s director of investments, LANE4 Property Group has announced Michael Berenbom as its new managing partner.

“Mike’s experience as a producer puts him in a prime position to lead this firm. He has a deep understanding of what makes our business function, and how to capitalize on individual opportunities in a cohesive and strategic manner, leading to broad-based success,” said Owen Buckley, LANE4 president.

Owen founded LANE4 in 2006 and will remain in place as the firm’s president and leader of the brokerage team. The shift will allow him to focus further on the firm’s clients and real estate projects, identifying and executing new deals and advising the firm’s producers.

A Kansas City native, Berenbom has spent his career in real estate focusing on asset management, investment brokerage and equity procurement. Prior to joining LANE4, he served as vice president of asset management for Lincoln Property Company in Chicago, Ill., where he was responsible for the portfolio management of Class A office properties totaling over $800 million throughout the United States.

Berenbom has been instrumental in many of LANE4’s most prominent projects, including the acquisition and redevelopment of 95Metcalf South (formerly Metcalf South Mall) and several shopping center acquisitions throughout the metro. He also has led the firm’s efforts on many municipal projects, including the Downtown Olathe Library and the recently announced Lee’s Summit Downtown Market Plaza project.

He has been personally responsible for over $200 million in acquisitions on behalf of LANE4, and an additional $75 million on behalf of third-party clients, both buyers and sellers.

“There are two parts to successful real estate projects: the idea and the execution. LANE4 has a proven track record of succeeding in both. Having the tools and people in place to generate and execute successful deals leads to strong partnerships and repeat business with clients, partners and communities,” said Berenbom.

Since its founding, LANE4 has developed a niche for executing creative, successful projects and partnerships within Kansas City’s commercial real estate market. Collectively, the firm has spearheaded nearly $900 million in acquisition and development projects, served hundreds of clients and completed countless traditional brokerage transactions.

The company is preparing to break ground on a new Downtown Library and municipal building in Olathe, Kan., serving as the owner’s representative and project manager on behalf of the City of Olathe.

LANE4 was recently selected as the master developer for the City of Lee’s Summit’s Downtown Market Plaza project — a 2.75-acre, mixed-use infill project that will blend civic and public amenities with private uses (potentially including a hotel, multifamily, restaurant and retail buildings).

In addition to its growing portfolio, the LANE4 team has recently expanded its team, adding veteran brokers Adam Abrams and Mike Levitan, who bring over 30 years of collective experience in the Kansas City market.

Berenbom is also an active member of the International Council of Shopping Centers, sits on the Olathe Economic Development Council Advisory Board and serves as the vice president of investments for the Menorah Heritage Foundation.

Saint Luke’s East launches virtual nurse program

Saint Luke’s East, located in Lee's Summit, Mo., is the first in the Saint Luke’s Health System to introduce a new, virtual nurse technology.

The pilot program was launched in coordination with the opening of 24 new beds in February 2021 and will serve as a model if Saint Luke’s decides to expand the program to other hospitals within the health system.

Because of the infrastructure requirements, Saint Luke’s East Hospital CEO Bobby Olm-Shipman said the construction made it the perfect candidate to be the first to use the technology.

“Saint Luke’s East has a reputation for being pretty innovative and the team is very forward-thinking, so when we floated the idea, they really just jumped on it and said, ‘Yeah, we want to try this, we’d love to be the first to do it,’” said Olm-Shipman.

Here is how it works. The patient’s room is equipped with a camera and two monitors. One monitor displays the patient’s vital signs. The other displays a virtual nurse who is monitoring several patients from a command center within Saint Luke’s East. They can monitor oxygen levels and heart rates from afar and activate another nurse to respond to patients immediately when necessary.

“This means while your regular nurse is in the unit taking care of you, the virtual nurse provides another layer of nursing support that keeps an eye on the patient as well,” said Olm-Shipman.

Olm-Shipman said the virtual observation, which will be provided in addition to traditional nursing care, will increase the level of care provided to patients.

“Ultimately, what we’re hoping is this gives us the ability to provide even more efficient care because we’re identifying their needs more quickly by having that virtual nurse right there and being able to see what’s really going on, but also we’re hoping it makes our patients feel like they’re connected more closely to our care team.”

New programs are also in the works. Saint Luke’s East is preparing to introduce a neurosurgical spine program, which will allow it to offer minimally-invasive spine surgeries. According to Olm-Shipman, patients had previously been referred to Saint Luke’s Hospital of Kansas City for this type of surgery. He said the change will allow for a more comprehensive approach among care providers and keeps patients closer to home.

“Whenever you get care, whether it’s elective or not, it’s disruptive to your life. You’re traveling, you’re taking a day off work. Maybe a spouse or a partner or someone in your social circle needs to be there with you,” said Olm-Shipman. “The closer you can keep people to home, the less disruptive it is to patients’ lives and their families and support systems.”

The hospital plans to have five or six neurosurgeons and one physiatrist in the neurosurgical spine clinic, which is expected to open in March or April. Procedures will begin soon after.

The hospital is also partnering with the Saint Luke’s Hospital to add a vascular services program. Olm-Shipman said the vascular program will have a dedicated surgeon and is set to begin offering services in the fall or winter of 2021.

In addition to a surgeon, the hospital is upgrading one of its operating rooms to a hybrid model. The hybrid will have robotic technology that allows the surgeon to begin with minimally-invasive vascular procedures. In the event it becomes necessary for the surgeon to conduct a more intrusive procedure, the robotic equipment can be moved and the surgeon can manually conduct the remainder of the surgery

In the coming months, Saint Luke’s East will continue construction on its new unit. In addition to the 24 beds that opened earlier this month, it plans to add six new beds by the summer. The project is budgeted for $26.8 million.

McCownGordon Construction is the general contractor for the 26,590-SF addition to the hospital, joined by project partners ACI Boland and IMEG Corp.

Hoefer Welker launches in-house MEP engineering service

On the heels of its 25th anniversary, Hoefer Welker – a multidisciplinary architecture and engineering firm – has introduced mechanical, electrical and plumbing (MEP) engineering as its newest, in-house service line.

Engineered Performance Solutions (EPS), the name for the new MEP division, officially launched in December 2020. The firm tapped into three Hoefer Welker leaders, leveraging 40 years of combined experience, to comprise the team: Principal, Elise Kirchhofer, PE, and associate vice presidents, Jon Lee, PE, and Jeremy Hoefer, PE.

Kirchhofer directs the group with more than 20 years of industry experience, previously serving as an owner’s representative and in leadership roles for engineering and construction firms nationwide. Lee, an electrical engineer, and Hoefer, a mechanical engineer, have worked together for nearly eight years. Both bring strong business development and project management experience to their new director roles.

“We bring additional value as a team due to our unique backgrounds,” Kirchhofer said. “I've sat at the table from all sides – architect, engineer, owner and contractor – and Jon and Jeremy have a skillful understanding of cost, sales and client relations from their business experience. Together we’re redefining what it means to be an integrated design firm.”

After working together across various projects, the three saw an opportunity in their diverse skillsets and joined forces to help launch the new division.

“In our previous careers, we witnessed a lot of different perspectives and opportunities to improve the MEP process for building owners and clients,” Hoefer said. “The stars aligned, we reconnected, and here we are.”

The service line’s introduction further evolves Hoefer Welker’s client-focused services, as the EPS team’s combined offerings simplify the process for all involved parties.

“An in-house service allows us to provide more effective collaboration as well as a streamlined process,” Lee said. “This ultimately enables us to offer the best overall value and quality to our clients.”

EPS has already begun its first project, Aspiria, a 207-acre planned mixed-use campus on the former Sprint campus site.

“This project is only the beginning. It’s a great time for exceptional talent to join our growing team,” said Kirchhofer.

“To create something like EPS is exciting and being able to do that alongside trusted colleagues like Elise and Jon is truly special,” Hoefer said. “We’re looking forward to helping build the next chapter at Hoefer Welker.”

REVERBerating in the KC Crossroads

Opening a multifamily community and a cocktail lounge during a pandemic presents a unique set of challenges, as told by panelists during last week’s CREW KC event.

The virtual presentation featured REVERB, a 14-story, 132-unit multifamily complex and The Mercury Room, a 800-SF cocktail lounge atop of REVERB, located at 18th and Walnut in the Crossroads Arts District.

Bri Swanson, REVERB community manager; Kyle Bennett, The Mercury Room general manager; Charles Rotter, staff architect at Burns & McDonnell; and Trevor Hoiland, design manager at Burns & McDonnell; joined moderator Andrea McClain, portfolio analyst at CrossFirst Bank, to discuss how the team was able to rise above the challenges of the project during a pandemic.

Developed by Copaken Brooks and managed by Asset Living, REVERB opened mid-August 2020; The Mercury Room soon followed, opening in mid-November 2020.

Swanson explained that REVERB is unique from other recent multifamily projects in that it only offers studio and one-bedroom units and provides its residents with no amenities, like a pool or a gym. Instead, residents have access to a mixed-use space on the 14th floor with conference and meeting rooms and the Mercury Room — all of which Swanson called “an extension to our residents’ homes.”

Hoiland said that in selecting the site, the developers wanted the project to be part of the Crossroads neighborhood.

“So many downtown apartment buildings have everything you need inside them so why move downtown and then just stay in your building?  We really wanted people to not have a gym and not have a pool and not have some of these amenities you typically see because we want people out on the streets, to be part of the neighborhood and connecting with other tenants up the street.  That was very, very intentional,”  Hoiland said.

Swanson said that to supplement the community’s lack of amenities, Asset Living focused on providing residents with ways to get residents into the neighborhood, including providing residents with metal cards to present at nearby businesses for insider perks and discounts.

Swanson said the challenges of developing and delivering a high-end multifamily community with only studio and one bedroom units, no on-site amenities and a cocktail lounge open to the public during a pandemic were met through an innovative marketing plan, custom-built website and COVID-friendly seamless leasing and a virtual marketing outreach.

“When COVID interrupted previously established marketing plans, the Asset team quickly pivoted to creative practices such as partnerships with social media influencers to promote REVERB through what we call the ‘unboxing experience..’ We partnered with several local Kansas City influencers and invited these influencers to unbox promotional items and branded apparel on Instagram as well as attend private tours and share the REVERB experience with followers,” said Swanson.

Swanson said that the project was nearly 10 percent pre-leased without offering concessions prior to delivery.  To date, REVERB is 20.77 percent occupied and 26.15 percent leased.  Rents range from $1,149/mos for a studio unit to $3,325/mos for the largest one bedroom unit, which offers 1393 SF.

Construction of the project was well underway when the pandemic hit and there were not many delays.  Holland said that when smaller job sites in the city were shut down, the REVERB project was able to pull from them to keep construction going. 

Hoiland said that the project got its name from the energy on the streetcar, which also impacted the design of the building. 

“As the building gets taller, those apartment units stretch out further towards the streetcar, towards Main Street - then it pulls back at the very top.  So we really wanted to almost create a diagram of the soundwave that maybe you get from the energy on Main Street,”  Hoiland said. 

The Mercury Room currently accommodates approximately 20 guests to comply with COVID restrictions, but Bennett said it can sit approximately 32 guests when operating at full capacity.  

Entry to The Mercury Room is by reservation only for two-hour periods. Guests are checked in by a host downstairs and notified by text when their table is ready. Reservations are being taken on a month-to-month basis and Bennett said The Mercury Room is booked through the end of the month. Bennett expects to retain the reservation system post-pandemic.

“We are a high-end cocktail bar, really focusing on the craft of making delicious cocktails and really offering a high-touch, elevated-style service not seen in the cocktail world,”  said Bennett.

The Mercury Room has partnered with Michael Corvino from Corvino Supper Club & Tasting Room and is seeking other chefs to offer small bites to pair with the cocktails.