Orkin & Associates

Atlanta, GA (March 18, 2009). Orkin & Associates, LLC was recently selected as a finalist in the 2009 Georgia Family Business of the Year Awards hosted by Cox Family Enterprise Center. Cox named the award winners and finalists in February, and Orkin was honored to be among those selected for the Small Business category defined by 50 or fewer employees.

 Orkin & Associates, LLC, a third-generation, family-owned real estate, investment company located in Milton, Georgia, has grown from a raw land investment business to a prominent, multi-faceted company since its inception in 1964. Orkin holds a well-diversified portfolio ranging from real estate to securities to equity funding in development projects and has most recently established a family business consulting practice offering high quality guidance to leaders of family businesses. Orkin & Associates, through its development partner, Devin Properties, develops retail, residential and mixed-use properties, and provides full-service management to in-house assets through Orkin Asset Management.

 Orkin & Associates, LLC will be honored at The Georgia Family Business of the Year Awards dinner, co-hosted by Georgia Trend magazine and the Cox Family Enterprise Center, on Thursday, May 28th at the Renaissance Waverly Hotel in Atlanta.

By: Adam D. Orkin

ATLANTA, GA (February 25, 2009) -- As the owner of a 3rd generation family business, I’ve learned that top performers share similar elements when it comes to delivering the goods, especially when the pressure’s on. For example, have you ever wondered how champion baseball players and authentic business leaders perform best at the most critical time? From what bag of resources do they draw to help them not only face the tough stuff, but to come out of the events successfully and energized? The answers may surprise you in their simplicity, and they have incredible relevance for leaders of family businesses as they address today’s challenging market conditions.

In my own developmental work as a leader, a critical factor our trusted advisers emphasize is this: when they have critical tasks to perform under pressure, top performers – whether they are professional athletes or business leaders - remove themselves from the “mechanics” of the task. Instead, they visualize executing flawlessly and elegantly. They intention peak performance and literally see those performances manifest before them. Through this critical type of mental preparation, actual execution of the tasks at hand become trailing components of processes that have already been largely handled.

How is this accomplished? As leaders, we almost always have access to the three key elements necessary for powerful performance:

1. Expert Guidance obtained through relationships with trusted advisers
2. Self Awareness gained via identification of authentic work/life and organizational goals
3. Execution toward authentic goals based upon trust in our abilities and those of our team

Basic as they may seem, everything necessary for peak performance rests within these elements. Too often, we try to make it more complicated. But turning leadership under pressure into a vastly complicated endeavor almost always turns out to be a tremendous waste of emotional energy, time and money. Consider… in these trying times, it is our intentions to succeed that count. If we do not fully intend to emerge from difficulties in positive, productive ways, the spirit that is vital to completing the mission is missing and, therefore, so is the energy required to summit difficult peaks in the range of work/life experience.

Perhaps the best piece of advice I can pass along to business owners and leaders is the importance of obtaining expert guidance. In order to succeed, the professional athlete seeks help from the best coaches in the business. Similarly, organizational leaders seek guidance from experts who understand their professional and personal challenges. While life is often “lonely at the top” for leaders even under normal conditions, the loneliness factor is exacerbated during recessionary cycles. When market challenges add up, nothing beats a trusted, expert adviser who provides a safe haven, absolute confidentiality and competent guidance. So, obtaining expert guidance is the first key element for family business leaders when nothing less than optimal performance will do.

Before leaving the topic of obtaining professional guidance, there is another factor to keep in mind. Contrary to what some consider “weakness,” it takes courage and self-confidence to reach out when it is obvious help from an expert external to the organization is indeed the right call. Peak performers always recognize the importance of obtaining first-rate guidance. So, for those of you who are hiding, and know deep down inside that help from a trusted adviser of your own would be just the right thing, climb out of that self-imposed prison and make the call!

So, the peak performer always recognizes the importance of obtaining first-rate guidance. Next, there is the element of self-awareness. Top athletes tell us they are able to visualize peak performances because they have an uncanny amount of self-awareness, derived from serious coaching and countless hours of practice. Because they are intensely and authentically aligned with their work, they are able to project themselves into demanding situations, and literally perform complex tasks mentally before the actual events even take place. Family business executives gain similar degrees of self-awareness from interactions with trusted advisers. Through careful exploration of their strengths and blind spots (often referred to as “shadow” behaviors), the business leader is able to project himself or herself into demanding situations and visualize positive outcomes. Fear, doubt and second-guessing fade. Instead, levels of confidence not realized previously enter the picture… and the results are extraordinary.

Finally, the element of execution comes into play. Equipped with the best coaching available, a picture of peak performance etched into his or her mind and powerful levels of confidence gained through self-awareness and practice, the top athlete approaches game time with a significant percentage of the challenge already conquered. Team mates and fans are there in support. The actual performance becomes a natural extension of what has already taken place through careful, personal investment.

I know from experience that, as a family business leader, entering the office each morning may not seem as dramatic as the Big League pitcher stepping up to the pitcher’s mound for an important game. But I also know the stakes are in many ways identical! Like that pitcher facing a legion of tough batters, the leader who has accessed superb coaching, has authentic goals playing mentally in vivid color, a bunch of practice under his or her belt and a team in which he or she places tremendous trust is positioned for success in ways others who have not made similar efforts will not realize.

In the Big Leagues of family business leadership, we tend to excel during the good times because we are only throwing batting practice. But when it is game time and the playoffs are on the line, are we truly prepared to succeed? Are our plans aligned with authentic goals we have identified with the assistance of professionals who understand the game? Are we in top shape because we’ve put in the practice necessary?

With adherence to these elements in place, you will have the confidence to throw strikes in the bottom of the ninth. Even when the chips are down, as they are in today’s economic circumstances, you will not have to spend much time sweating. You will simply blast the ball through the strike zone!
 

by Heather L. Walker
Published: November 22, 2008

On November 22nd, Orkin & Associates, LLC, joined the North Central Georgia Habitat for Humanity to begin constructing the future home of the Lyons family, a local family, and one of recipients of a Habitat townhome located in Centennial Village in Milton, Georgia.

Orkin & Associates, LLC, a third-generation, family owned real estate investment company located in Milton and The William B. Orkin Foundation, Inc., the Orkin family's charitable foundation, donated labor and funding to help provide a home for this deserving local family. Staff and Board members of Orkin & Associates, including Orkin & Associates' CEO, Adam Orkin, worked alongside the Lyons family as well as other sponsors and donors during the First Nail Ceremony on Saturday to construct the Lyons' new Centennial Village townhome. Of the experience, Orkin & Associates' CEO, Adam Orkin, stated, “It is very rewarding for the company as a whole to participate in such a wonderful and worthwhile experience."

On January 31, 2009, Orkin & Associates staff members will participate once more in an additional phase of this Habitat build for the Lyons family.

Pictured above from left to right: Adam Orkin, CEO of Orkin & Associates, LLC
and Habitat Home Recipient, Latonia Lyons

by Heather L. Walker
Published: November 2008

In an effort to aid the City of Sandy Springs in securing the 22-acre Miles property, renamed the “Lost Corner Preserve,” for the purpose of a passive park, Orkin & Associates, LLC, a third-generation, family-owned, real estate investment business located in Milton, Georgia, and The William B. Orkin Foundation, the Orkin family’s charitable foundation, donated funds through the Trust for Public Land, a national, nonprofit land conservation organization. The donated funds are designated to assist the City in acquiring the Miles property for the purpose of maintaining the natural setting of the land, and thereby conserving the area as a park for the residents of Sandy Springs. CEO of Orkin & Associates, LLC, Adam Orkin, believes that the acquisition of the Miles property is a great move by the City of Sandy Springs. The property is located in the heart of one of Sandy Springs more established neighborhoods and is still easily accessible to the commercial district making the proposed park’s locale convenient for everyone to enjoy. Growing up in Sandy Springs, Orkin remembers the Miles family fondly, especially Mr. Miles who many people still remember as “the Beekeeper.” Of this project, Orkin commented, “I am glad that the Miles property will be preserved. It is a great way to remember this property.”

by Anya Martin

Just a few years ago, the junction of Windward Parkway and Georgia 9 in West Alpharetta was a country crossing in horse land and farmland.

Now the intersection boasts a Kroger, Wal-Mart and Home Depot, with a Costco and more big-box stores in close proximity.

In addition, a Fry's Electronics store is about to open, and Alpharetta-based Devin Properties LLC and The Sembler Co. are developing a 295,000-square-foot retail center.

Jeff Fuqua, partner and president of development at Sembler, said this development will be similar to Sembler's Perimeter Place.

The yet-to-be-named center is the latest entry in a flurry of new retail development along Windward Parkway, attracted by the area's affluent residential demographics and daytime office density.

"It's a typical cycle. You need enough rooftops, then those start to support restaurants and shops," said Adam Orkin, Devin Properties founder and CEO.

In 2005, major openings included Costco at the 155,000-square-foot Windward Crossing and The Plaza at Windward, a 250,000-square-foot center including home appliance and consumer electronics retailer hhgregg, Office Depot, LA Fitness and about 20 other stores and restaurants.

Also in the area, Penn Hodge, owner of Alpharetta-based Penn Hodge LLC, is developing Windward at Northpoint, a specialty retail center at the southeast corner of Northpoint and Windward parkways, which he expects to deliver in six months.

Its main shopping center includes 42,000 square feet of retail space, with two large build-to-suit outparcels.

Devin Properties also plans to break ground in midsummer on Deerfield Village, a 32-acre mixed-use community with 250 townhouses and 60,000 square feet of retail and office space.

Orkin is developing that project with Robert P. Voyles, formerly a senior developer with Hines Interests LLP, which developed the 554-acre Deerfield Park community in the Windward corridor.

"It will be a neighborhood development, stepping back to an earlier time, similar to how Ansley Park and Charleston (S.C.) developed great architectural bones, pedestrian-oriented sidewalks, bike trails," he said.

The emphasis will be on street-level "mom-and-pop" businesses, such as sandwich and coffee shops, with residences above, Orkin said.

In the 1990s, the Windward Parkway corridor experienced an office development boom as high-tech giants, startups and telecommunications companies created what has been dubbed a mini-Silicon Valley along Georgia 400.

The area already was home to the Windward golf community, and more high-end residential developers soon followed.

According to the 2000 Census, the average household income in Alpharetta is $97,913, and almost 50 percent of all households reported an income of at least $75,000.

TND’s: The New American Community
by Adam D. Orkin

Recently while riding through Atlanta’s Buckhead community, a large advertisement caught my attention. The ad claimed that the average weight of Americans has increased by 20 pounds over the course of approximately 40 years. The statistics were alarming and hit me right between the eyes. My mind raced. I found myself searching for answers. I asked myself, are we eating too much? Probably. Are we sitting too much? Definitely!

Today Americans are living a sedentary life. One of the reasons is the infrastructure of our major cities, the downtown district surrounded by suburbs. If you live in the suburbs you almost certainly have to drive because the goods and services you need are not within walking distance. Gone are the days when one can walk to the corner drugstore or supermarket. Others prefer to drive because they are concerned about their safety or simply just don’t have the time to walk.

This was not always the case. America was once a land of communities, where people shared common ground. They could walk to work. They could ride a bicycle to the doctor’s office. They could get ice cream down the street. And for the most part, they felt safe. Because they walked a lot, they were leaner and were healthier. Today, I sense Americans yearn for a return to simpler times. I decided to make a difference by helping to make that possible.

As real estate developers, we study how people live as part of our job. An exciting new trend in the development business is the rise of the Traditional Neighborhood Development, or “TND” in real estate jargon. What is a TND? A TND is a community designed specifically for those who will live and work inside of it. It is a microcosm of the way American communities used to be, but with a forward-looking sense of convenience, safety and healthy sense of life style. TNDs are evident across the country. In the Southeastern U.S., a good example of a TND and or a similar concept are communities like WaterColor, and Seaside in Florida, Vickery in Atlanta, and literal communities that inspired the TND concept such as Charleston, SC, Savannah, GA and Nantucket, MA.

The TND experience affords owners high-quality lifestyles through simplicity and focus on the community. Safe, attractive public spaces and green spaces are shared once again. Architectural controls keep the tone and quality of everything inside the TND consistent and beautiful. Lot sizes are compressed without compromising home size. This results in easy-to-maintain landscaping and home design flexibility. It also places the home closer to the street. In a TND, you’re going to see your neighbors more often… people simply come together. Community festivals are frequent occurrences. There are movies in parks and plenty of room for public buildings such as museums, churches and libraries. Bike trails, swimming facilities, tennis courts, and lots of green space prevail. Formal and passive gardens present terrific opportunities for a walk in the sun or a visit with friends.

TNDs are not the exclusive turf of new development. Often, we see TND concepts in renovation of areas once in utter disrepair. Uninviting places become beautiful places once again, and along with the renovation come security, commerce, positive growth and sense of community.

Will the introduction of TNDs solve all of America’s ills? Probably not. But this we can guarantee: for those in search of a simpler lifestyle and a return to the community-based environment that was once the hallmark of American culture, TNDs are worth investigating. We can’t turn back the pages, but we can take the best of what once was, apply modern technology and intuition, and offer something really special.

Adam D. Orkin is Founder and CEO of Orkin & Associates, LLC, an Atlanta-based real estate development firm. Among its diversified portfolio of residential and commercial properties, the firm specializes in smart growth and new urbanist concepts throughout the Southeastern U.S. Mr. Orkin can be contacted at: adam@orkinandassociates.com

by Bryan Long

Devin Properties LLC and Seven Oaks Co. have teamed up to develop 32 vacant acres on Webb Road in Deerfield Park, an Alpharetta office complex.

The development will include 256 residential units and up to 56,000 square feet of retail and live/work space. Adam D. Orkin, CEO of Devin, hopes to create a pedestrian-friendly village with preserved green space. About 75 percent of the mature hardwoods are expected to be preserved.

The project is scheduled to go before the Fulton County Commission July 6 for final approval. Construction is expected to begin soon after if it is approved.

The Webb Road development is part of a larger joint venture between the two companies. Devin and Seven Oaks have agreed to develop more than 260 acres of land in north Fulton and south Forsyth counties over several years.