ORANGE COUNTY BUSINESS JOURNAL

Vol. 41, No. 30 July 23-29, 2018 • $1.50 T H E C O M M U N I T Y O F B U S I N E S S

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Reprinted with the permission of the Orange County Business Journal

Commitment to Values Guides Duke Realty to NodIrvine Office Leader Says Egos Have No Place There

The folks who work at Duke Realty gladly gaveup a Friday before a long holiday weekend to driveout to a client 60 miles away, just to help set up theracking in a new building. They took a Saturday totravel as a team to the Inland Empire for a day reju-venating the former home of the area’s most famousAfrican-American resident, the late Dora Nelson, tohelp turn it into a museum. And the company part-ners with clients, such as online home furnishingsseller Wayfair LLC, to deliver a holiday party forunderprivileged children.It’s also the team that manages over a billion dol-

lars in assets in Orange County, and whose staffgrew from a dozen employees to 19, up 58%, whenthe doors of the Irvine branch opened in 2014.Duke Realty is guided by its values, which fall in

line with those a person would expect from a compa-ny that considers people its most important resource.The values explain how the Orange County

branch earned the top spot for large companies in theannual Business Journal Best Places to Work specialreport.

Midwest RootsDuke Realty was founded in 1972 in Indianapolis

by Phil Duke, an accountant with a constructionbackground; attorney John Wynne, and salesmanJohn Rosebrough. From the start, the partners com-mitted to run the company with values and integrity.Guiding values are: “Responsible: We do the rightthing;” “Respectful: We recognize the strength in ourdifferences; and “Resourceful: We creatively pro-vide answers.”The values are intertwined in daily operations,

from how customers are treated to how the firmtreats the communities where the bulk of its projectsare based, and most importantly, how staff memberstreat each other.Today, Duke Realty is the country’s sixth leading

industrial real estate investment trust. It owns andoperates approximately 149 million rentable squarefeet of industrial assets with annual revenue of morethan $781 million last year, according toMarketWatch Inc.

Collaborative, Caring Employees are proud of the company’s accom-

plishments, says Regional Senior Vice President,Southern California Chris Burns, who moved herefrom Phoenix to open the Irvine office.“But when it comes down to it, to have a great

company, you really need to have great people. Wedo.”

Burns says Duke Realty’s culture sets it apartfrom similar businesses. “It’s a very collaborativeenvironment. There aren’t a lot of egos. Instead, wehave folks who jump in immediately, no matterwhat the issue, to help out however we can, even ifit’s not our specific job description.”Preconstruction Manager Christos Mavrakis

adds, “We have a bigger-picture perspective. Itstarts at the top. We celebrate and share our suc-cesses and problems, as well. We’re all in thistogether. Yet at the same time, it’s a very entrepre-neurial office. We can make decisions based onwhat we feel is best for our clients because we’vebuilt great relationships.”“We also really like each other as people,” says

Vice President, Leasing and Development JakeSmith. Co-workers frequently get together onweekends to “hang out.” Plus, the people in theIrvine office regularly volunteer as a group, thanksto company-sponsored paid time off, providingeven more opportunities to bond.

Commitment to People“This office is one of the strategic growth targets

for the company,” Burns says. “We’ve grown rapid-ly. We’re constantly hiring. Probably one of thethings I’m most proud of is that we’ve been able tokeep the culture. We hire someone for their skill set.But we’re also looking for someone who is bothcompetitive and a team player, someone with noego, who is eager to help, and also goal-oriented.”

Burns describes his Irvine team as “young,upbeat, and hungry.” Their hard work is recog-nized by corporate, as well. In 2016, the Irvineoffice won the company’s coveted Team of theYear award.Company leadership recognize that they have

special people and make sure employees knowthey’re appreciated.People who work there tend to stay for years,

Burns says. It’s not unusual for someone to havespent their entire professional career there.Among company perks are an employee well-

ness program, tuition reimbursement, maternityand paternity leave, above-industry-averagesalaries, and flexible hours.The company is also focused on employee

enrichment. Those who seek more responsibilityare given it freely, and there are many paths to fur-ther one’s career there. The company emphasizesdiversity, recognizing that people from differentbackgrounds have unique perspectives that canmake it stronger.“Duke Realty has surpassed and exceeded my

expectations of what a company can offer itsemployees in terms of alignment of values, cul-ture, personal and professional growth opportuni-ties, autonomy and trust,” says Vice President ofLeasing Collin Phillips. “All of these characteris-tics are extremely important to both the companyas a whole and on the local office level here inSouthern California.” n

By KIM HAMAN

Yee hah!: Irvine staff celebrate Best Places to Work showing. Office leader Chris Burns on couchon far right