The Atlanta Galleria Office Park is proud of our outstanding tenants, and we’re always eager to spread the word about important developments at these firms. Batson-Cook Construction, which built all but one of the buildings at Atlanta Galleria and is one of our long-time tenants, recently named Randy Hall as its new president. He was previously a senior vice president with the firm and has been with Batson-Cook for 15 years.
We recently got a chance to sit down with Randy and talk about his goals for the company, the effects of the recession on commercial construction, why he got into the construction industry and his love for the Auburn Tigers.
What are your goals for the company as president?
As president of Batson-Cook, my goal is to navigate the firm through this tough economy. That’s certainly the topic of the day.
We have four offices primarily serving the southeastern United States. The overall vision for my new role is to grow each one of those four offices.
Generally speaking, in which sectors does your Atlanta office see the most construction activity, and which ones are still struggling with the recession?
I foresee construction activity growing in the multifamily sector – specifically rental units. The healthcare sector continues to grow, including not only hospitals but also medical office projects and senior-living facilities. Lower- and higher-education projects are slowing down.
Market segments that have been affected by the economy are office buildings, high-rise condominiums and retail. These are three markets in which we have historically performed a lot of construction work.
Have you worked through any other recession that compares with the Great Recession as far as the impact on commercial construction?
I entered the construction world in the early 1980s while working my way through college at Auburn University. We experienced downturns in the late ’80s, the early ’90s and the late ’90s, but none was as strong as this one. In my 30 years in the business, this has been as tough a recession as I’ve seen.
Do you get the sense that things are getting significantly better, or do you feel like there is still a long way to go?
I would not use the phrase “significantly better.” In many cases, our clients are those that are entrepreneurs with a vision, and we help execute that vision. Those folks are still there, and they still have money, but they’re not comfortable enough for various reasons to step out and put that entrepreneurial spirit back in play. We don’t see that comfort level returning quickly.
Batson-Cook is seeing more activity in the first quarter of this year than we saw in the first quarter of last year, but I would not call it dramatic. In fact, I would almost guarantee that the recovery will be slow and long as opposed to quick and steep.
What drew you to construction and commercial real estate, and what do you find rewarding about it?
There’s a tremendous amount of gratification in seeing a construction project grow out of the Earth. That’s what ultimately drew me to this industry. I received an engineering degree and for the life of me, I could not see myself behind a desk, running the same calculations day in and day out.
As I worked my way through college with a large commercial construction firm, I found a lot of gratification in seeing the immediate results of the work I did. That’s probably what drew me to the construction world.
What have been the benefits of being a tenant at Atlanta Galleria?
The location of the Galleria is perfect for our staff. We don’t have quite the traffic issues that we would have if we were located in downtown Atlanta - yet we’re close enough that we can get to the airport, we can get to downtown, or we can get to other places easily. Historically, we have performed a lot of work out of the state, so access to the interstate system is a really good fit for us.
We also think the office park is well managed and well maintained. Our staff really enjoys the convenience of being able to grab a meal here while they work. They can exercise, either outdoors or indoors at a facility in the building. As important as anything: the building we’re in, we built. So we’re proud to be able to operate from a facility that we actually constructed.
What are your hobbies?
I’m a huge college football fan. I don’t miss attending any Auburn football games, so that’s a big hobby. I love golf, and I play a fair amount these days.
I love to exercise. It’s a stress reliever for me, so I spend a fair amount of time down in the gym here in the Galleria. During the winter, I work out with weights.
When the summer comes around, I like to do outdoor biking and more aerobic exercise.
