How a Busy Successful Man Adds Value to his Community

Featuring Brian Griggs, President of ALS, Greater Bay Area Chapter

From left, sons Taylor, Michael, proud father Brian, and sons Peter and Matt.

Shortly after my children were born, I was fortunate to be invited into a play group in our community. Some of my very best friends and extremely loyal clients have sprung from that play group (forget the kids --- it’s all about me!) and one of them is our featured guest this month, Brian Griggs.

Brian is the very proud father of four amazing young men, including twins. As you can imagine, he is one busy guy! His eldest graduates from Occidental College next year and the other three boys attend Campolindo High School.

All of you who know us actually already know Brian in a way --- he is a major talent in the field of commercial real estate, especially in Northern California. He was able to negotiate a great lease that has allowed us to be here in our happy home at 250 Lafayette Circle all this time. We are very fortunate to have him as a friend and we are in VERY good company as his happy clients!

Never one to sit idle, Brian is always looking for ways to add value to his community and others. As if his full time career and four boys weren’t enough of a commitment, he is also deeply involved with volunteer work. His latest and dearest project is the work he does with the ALS Association.

Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis (ALS) is also known as Lou Gehrig’s Disease after the legendary baseball great who died in 1941. The disease was initially identified in 1869 but until Lou Gehrig’s death it was relatively unknown. ALS is a progressive neurodegenerative disease that attacks nerve cells in the brain and spinal cord. Patients ultimately become completely paralyzed and their lungs cease to function. At this time ALS is a fatal disease with no known cause, treatment or cure. Average life expectancy for those suffering from ALS averages 2- 5 years with the average age at diagnosis being 55 years of age. 20% live longer than five years, 10% live longer than 10 years.*

*This information is quoted from the ALS Association Website

Here is a little bit about Brian, his views on current commercial real estate markets, and his life as President of the Greater Bay Area Chapter of the ALS Association.

Brian, I was very fortunate to meet you when our first born children were quite young --- in fact only a few months old! Since that time it’s been impressive to watch you grow and succeed in life all while raising four amazing young men. Where did your career start? What has been your main focus and what are you working on now?

After graduating from U.C. Berkeley in 1982, I moved to Lafayette and immediately became a real estate broker. For 15 years I worked at a brokerage firm, but since 1997 I have been working on my own, expanding my work beyond brokerage into consulting, development and now into assembling partnerships to acquire existing buildings or buying land to entitle and eventually construct buildings (when the market returns!). My focus has always been to not worry about what I am paid on any particular transaction, realizing instead that relationships and my reputation are far more important than any fees generated.

I have been lucky to have gained the trust of clients who allowed me to become involved in a wide variety of commercial real estate projects. In particular, my relationship with Dave Duffield, the Founder of PeopleSoft (he is now currently with Workday) allowed me to entitle, finance and construct PeopleSoft’s corporate campus in Pleasanton and open 25 offices throughout the United States and Canada. My relationship with Commerce One allowed me to perform transactions all around the world and master plan their corporate campus to house up to 4,000 employees. The chance to learn the commercial real estate business beyond the traditional leasing of space has certainly helped my career.

What do you see as the challenges facing your industry in the Bay Area at this time and how do you foresee us working our way out of this deep real estate involved recession?

The challenge in the Bay Area (and throughout most major markets) is the oversupply of vacant space and the hesitation of companies to commit to space in expectation of future growth. During the mid 90’s it was imperative that companies controlled future space so as to prevent "choking" their growth by having insufficient space or being forced to bifurcate their spaces, which would cause them to lose the synergies of creating corporate culture and cohesion. Today, given the knowledge that excess space can be a tremendous drain on the financial performance of a company, most firms are moving very slowly in adding space in anticipation of new employee growth. The movement to more efficient utilization of space by telecommuting or "hoteling/touchdown" spaces (where employees share work spaces as opposed to having designated spaces) has allowed companies to increase their ratios of employees to leased space by 20% or sometimes more. Eventually, with the absence of new construction (which cannot currently be justified given the costs of construction versus the potential rents which can be achieved), the excess supply will be absorbed and a new cycle of construction will occur when the rents rise and the vacancies fall.

In addition to shaping the face of the East Bay from a professional standpoint, you have volunteered tirelessly in many capacities. From sports, to community, and now to President of the ALS Greater Bay Area Chapter, please give us a summary of some of your major contributions and community involvement. What has motivated you to not sit "idle"?

I have always enjoyed giving to others. Maybe it was from my mother (a nursing school professor) and father (an OBGYN). Most likely it was from the way my life progressed with my children. I started with coaching youth sports but then became involved in volunteering for school trips and functions. I realized that without helping, many things would simply not be done. I felt I had the ability to help motivate others to help as well. Projects such as slowing neighborhood traffic, building the new Lafayette Library, and Lafayette Little League/LMYA became very important as I realized that not only my children, but the community, would benefit. It was particularly rewarding to have helped originate the Lafayette Little League "Challenger" division. In the Challenger division, children with physical, emotional, and educational challenges are now able to generate the self-esteem and share the joys of teamwork and sportsmanship which participating in sports can provide.

ALS is such a devastating disease. What prompted your involvement in this organization and in such a significant way?

Coaching Little League with Matt Chaney, a Lafayette resident, exposed me to ALS. I did not know anything about the disease until meeting Matt but when he couldn’t throw strikes to the kids while pitching, it was clear something was wrong. That was 8 years ago. Since then I have met hundreds of people with ALS and thousands of their families and friends. Nothing, even awful forms of cancer, compare to the destructive nature of the disease. Having ALS, not only do you know you will die, but you can’t do anything. You know it will cost hundreds of thousands of dollars to treat and in the vast majority of cases, only a small percentage of the costs addressing the disease are covered by insurance. The ALS Association is the largest group in the world which provides care and support to ALS patients and their families and I just had to get involved to try to make a difference.

"Runs for Lou" program at Lafayette Little League. From left, Brian Griggs, John Ewing (LLL President) and Matt Chaney.

What progress is being made in the fight against ALS? Do you feel we will find a cure in our lifetime?

Progress has been incredibly slow. Lou Gehrig died over 70 years ago and there are only a couple of FDA approved drugs which provide only minor benefits to some (not all) patients. Recently, the support of Stem Cell Therapies by the State and Federal Government has increased hope of finding effective treatments and ultimately, we hope, to finding a cure. I am extremely optimistic that if people become aware of the devastating effects of ALS, more money will lead to more research, leading to more drugs to treat and slow the progression of the disease and eventually to a cure. I do have confidence, not just hope, that we will find a cure to ALS during my lifetime much like we have found effective treatments against most forms of cancer, and more recently against AIDS.

For those wishing to learn more about your fine organization and become more involved, what would you recommend?

Our website has great information and links to materials and information (http://www.alsabayarea.org/). We also hold various events in the communities in service areas (which run from the Oregon border to San Luis Obispo and up the Central Valley) including an upcoming golf event at Orinda Country Club on May 14th. Our largest fund raiser is a bike ride in the Napa Valley which occurs on September 19 (http://www.ridetodefeatals.com/). Links to these events, and others, can be found on the Chapter’s website. Finally, just putting a check in the mail or contributing on-line would be a tremendous benefit. This year you can also designate a portion of your State tax refund check to ALS Research by simply "checking the box" on your return. The challenging economy has impacted all non-profits and subsequently the support which we can provide to our patients and families has been reduced. They need us more than ever and anything people can contribute would be greatly appreciated.

Is there anything else you would like to let us know about?

Whether it is someone with ALS, or a person with other physical, emotional, or educational disabilities, we are all the same. Residents in Lamorinda have been incredibility supportive of not only our ALS efforts but also of the programs for those with other disabilities --- it makes me extremely proud to be a member of our community. When you see someone, understand that they are often in need of a friendly smile or acknowledgement and take the time to provide that. You’ll not only make that person’s day, but also make your day! Those of us who are lucky enough to not have huge disabilities or diseases should help those who do. It is the efforts (and money) generated from caring and considerate people that will help others realize there is hope and that you can live a fulfilling and rewarding life despite the obstacles and challenges which you face.

It’s so humbling and such an honor for us to present such amazing clients and their stories to you. We want to thank Brian so much for sharing his insight into his field of commercial real estate, and also for inspiring us to contribute to ALS and other charities near and dear to our own hearts. If you are interested in learning more about your local ALS chapter, or chatting with Brian yourself, you can contact Brian directly (brian@griggsgroup.com) or go directly to the ALS Greater Bay Area Chapter website (http://www.alsabayarea.org/). We hope to see you at their East Bay walk in October!!!