Departments
Acquisitions
JAMESTOWN strategically focuses primarily on two types of markets: 24-hour cities like New York and Washington, DC and Sunbelt markets such as Atlanta, Miami and Charleston. These markets show strong demographic and economic growth, bolstered by the presence of emerging industries such as technology and new media. JAMESTOWN’s highly-disciplined, analytical approach to investing in these markets contributed to its success in generating superior risk-adjusted returns during previous cycles. Within these markets, JAMESTOWN invests across the risk spectrum, from core to opportunistic and closes less than 1% of deals the company evaluates.
Asset Management
Unlike many private equity funds that hire third parties to monitor and execute their business plans, JAMESTOWN actively asset manages its entire portfolio in-house.The firm believes that investment management is too important to outsource. Moreover, when JAMESTOWN participates in joint ventures where it is not the day-today manager, its experience affords JAMESTOWN the ability to remain an active partner, and if necessary, take a greater role in management. The Asset Management department maintains a robust team of Asset Managers, Analysts, Project Accountants, and a full-time Portfolio Manager. As in all efforts, JAMESTOWN strives for quality in its personnel, hiring and retaining some of the best minds in the industry with low turnover.
Property Management
JAMESTOWN founded JAMESTOWN Commercial Management Company (“JCMC”) on the premise that property management is executed at a higher standard by ownership than a third-party manager. JCMC focuses on the needs of the investor, employing professional property managers, engineers and support staff to provide a cohesive and comprehensive approach to property management. The company further prides itself on fostering long-term relationships with each tenant, emphasizing tenant relationships as a key factor to success.
JAMESTOWN Commercial Management Company has managed over seven million square feet of office, retail and mixed-use properties in major metropolitan markets, including New York, Boston, San Francisco, Washington, D.C., and Atlanta. Well-known assets managed by JCMC have included 1211 Avenue of the Americas in New York, the headquarters of Fox News Corp.; One Federal Street in Boston, home to State Street Bank and the former main office of Fidelity Investments; and 3100 Clarendon in Arlington, Virginia, home to the Defense Intelligence Agency.
Developing a targeted strategy for each building and its individual needs, JCMC worked with JAMESTOWN’s asset management team, joint venture partners and tenants to establish seamless property management and secure the maximum return for JAMESTOWN’s investors. In addition to providing management that is fully aligned with ownership, JCMC carries other core benefits for JAMESTOWN-affiliated properties. JCMC’s senior property managers offer specialized knowledge of the opportunities and challenges of an urban setting, such as resolving the conflicting needs of office and retail tenants. From New York to Atlanta and Washington, D.C, to San Francisco, JCMC has confronted these challenges and delivered solutions.
Jamestown Realty
In real estate, qualitative considerations play a large role in ultimate value creation. To meet this need, JAMESTOWN formed JAMESTOWN Realty, based in New York, to evaluate and react to micro and macro market trends and to enhance the marketability of its assets. JAMESTOWN Realty enables JAMESTOWN to be vertically integrated in all aspects of marketing and media by executing a clear point of view and vision for its assets.
From boutique urban hotels to converted mixed-use warehouses, JAMESTOWN Realty activates assets and differentiates them from the competition. For instance, on a retail asset, JAMESTOWN Realty works to develop the appropriate retail mix, seeks out suitable tenants, incubates new retail concepts, designs and redesigns indoor/outdoor public spaces, and collaborates with public entities, such as business improvement districts. JAMESTOWN Realty also handles public relations and creates marketing and branding materials for all assets. JAMESTOWN Realty provides the management team with a unique tool for creating and enhancing value at the property level.
Investor Tax Services
JAMESTOWN Investor Tax Services performs the tax and reporting work on 100% of JAMESTOWN-owned assets and for most joint ventured assets. The department specializes in unique tax issues confronted by joint ventures, such as allocation and depreciation sharing between the partners. Tax Services also prepares K-1 tax forms for more than 60,000 investors. Additionally, 75% of its investors rely upon JAMESTOWN to prepare their personal US tax returns.
Tax Services’ goal is to make the tax compliance aspect of investing in the US a positive experience by providing responsive tax services to its investors. Based on over 25 years of experience, JAMESTOWN provides these services more efficiently and responsively than a third-party service provider.
Investor Relations
It is not enough to produce good results. JAMESTOWN believes it imperative to communicate effectively and transparently with its investors. JAMESTOWN investors receive detailed information on both the current status and the future prospects of their investments at least twice each year. Using a multi-year variance analysis and forecast, investors can compare actual performance against the original thesis. According to various surveys conducted in recent years among more than 20,000 investors and based upon studies by European rating agencies, JAMESTOWN excels at investor relations.
Green Street Properties
Green Street Properties, a wholly-owned subsidiary of JAMESTOWN, is a national green consulting and development firm focused on creating sustainable urban properties. For over a decade, Green Street has been a leader in the development of sustainable commercial and residential properties. With offices in Atlanta and New York, Green Street performs consulting and development services for a diverse range of properties, from high-density office, retail and residential properties to mixed-use, master planned communities. Green Street’s depth of experience also includes the redevelopment of post-industrial brownfield sites, the restructuring and repositioning of underperforming properties, and the development of medium density commercial and residential properties.
Green Street’s consulting practice offers a holistic approach to improving environmental sustainability, enabling clients to improve each property’s energy efficiency, carbon footprint, and financial performance. The company’s green consulting expertise includes LEED administration, energy and water efficiency analysis, and solar and economic incentive advisory work. Green Street’s four principals are LEED Accredited Professionals and have over 50 years of combined experience in sustainable real estate.
Construction Supervision and Cost Estimating
JAMESTOWN regularly undertakes construction projects, from tenant build-outs, to renovating an existing building, to ground-up construction. In order to quickly and objectively evaluate and supervise these projects, JAMESTOWN formed an internal construction supervision and cost estimating team to work closely with architects, designers, and contractors. The result is minimized variance from budget and timely project completion, the value of which accrues directly to investors.
Risk Management
JAMESTOWN Casualty was formed to gain direct access to the reinsurance market so that the portfolio could obtain more affordable and comprehensive coverages with lower deductibles. This department is also able to achieve extraordinary coverages against terrorism risks, far more extensive than the competition. Such terrorism coverage is particularly important given some of the iconic assets in the portfolio, such as One Times Square and Chelsea Market. JAMESTOWN Casualty works directly with reinsurance and insurance companies to achieve the best terms possible, Directly adding value and minimizing risk for the portfolio.