EquaTerra Appoints 22-Year Consulting Authority, Ron Walker, to Lead Its Rapidly Growing Real Estate & Facilities Management Advisory Practice View a print-friendly version EquaTerra to help large corporations leverage best practices in Real Estate & Facilities Management (RE & FM) Houston and London (24 February, 2010) – To meet the rising demand for quality real estate and facilities management efforts by corporations globally, EquaTerra, a business advisory firm known for helping companies optimize internal support functions, announces the expansion of its Real Estate & Facilities Management Practice (RE & FM). The practice helps companies leverage best practices when it comes to outsourcing real estate and facilities management activities. Ron Walker, a 22 year consulting veteran and outsourcing advisory authority, will lead the practice. Walker also will continue to lead the company’s Service Provider Advisory team. "Facilities management is the second largest cost next to people for many organizations - so it makes perfect sense that these organizations are actively pursuing sourcing strategies to reduce these costs," says Walker. "First generation real estate and facilities management outsourcing deals average a savings increase in the 10-35% range over the life of a contract; it's no wonder big business is taking notice." The Benefits of RE & FM Outsourcing Walker says there are numerous reasons a company should consider outsourcing its real estate and facilities management, including: Experience Cost Reduction – Outsourcing can create cost savings, which may translate to annual savings in the tens of millions of dollars range for large corporations. Improve Efficiency by Reducing Space and Improving Building Environment – Companies can use their current space more efficiently and effectively so they foster a productive workforce. Improve Service and Departmental Performance – Facilities management sourcing can bring higher service levels and more accountability to enable companies to achieve important goals such as improved customer service. Outsourcing often leads to an improved performance of the facilities management and real estate departments because they now have access to specialized talent and knowledge-sharing across facilities and real estate staff worldwide. Create Greater Sustainability – With the increased focus on corporate social responsibility, companies can utilize service providers to assist with "green" programs, such as Energy Savings Design. Walker adds that business globalization and the emergence of international service providers capable of managing facilities and real estate issues and complexities on a global level have spurred the rise in demand for RE & FM. "For the past several years we have been working with large pharmaceutical, consumer product, financial services, manufacturing, and high-tech companies to streamline and integrate their real estate and facilities management function. Because demand for this service generates innovation, over the years we have discovered more top-notch service providers begin to offer exactly the kinds of solutions and scale these organizations require," adds Walker. An Aberdeen report titled, "Real Estate and Facilities Management Study," confirms that the RE & FM space is poised by for growth and that companies looking to extract greater value from their existing assets and operations are placing RE & FM at "the forefront of business opportunity in 2010." Peter Iannone, EquaTerra’s Executive Director for North America, says that EquaTerra is ready to meet the growing demand for RE & FM services. “We are always looking for ways to help companies extract optimum value from their organizations. Ron’s 22 years of consulting experience and EquaTerra’s proven experience in this space will help companies understand how an effective real estate and facilities management outsourcing strategy can help them boost their bottom lines and run more efficient organizations, the prize goals for corporations worldwide.” About EquaTerra EquaTerra sourcing advisors help clients achieve sustainable value in their IT and business processes. Our advisors average more than 20 years of industry experience and have supported more than 2,000 transformation and outsourcing projects across more than 60 countries. Supporting clients throughout the Americas, Europe, Middle East, Africa and Asia Pacific, we have deep functional knowledge in Finance and Accounting, HR, IT, Procurement, Real Estate & Facilities Management and other critical business processes. EquaTerra helps clients achieve significant cost savings and process improvement with internal transformation, shared services and outsourcing solutions.For more information, please contact Lee Ann Moore at +1 713.669.9292; www.equaterra.com. North American Media Contact: Kim Messerschmitt Director of Marketing +1 972 987 1686 mailto:kim.messerschmitt@equaterra.com Europe/Asia Pacific Media Contact: Melissa Gardiner Director of Marketing Europe and Asia Pacific +44 (0) 20 7347 5101 mailto:melissa.gardiner@equaterra.com