Frequently Asked Questions about The Smart Agency®:
You say you exist to advance commercial real estate and finance through effective communications. How do you define “commercial real estate”?
We see this as one of the greatest challenges of our industry: helping to carve out and define what CRE really is.
Investopedia defines commercial real estate as “property that is used exclusively for business-related purposes or to provide a workspace rather than as a living space,” while InvestingAnswers defines it as “any non-residential property.”
While we love both of these sites and they are knowledgeable resources, neither of these is accurate in our opinion.
Based on our 30 years of specialized experience, we define commercial real estate as “the business of real estate conducted and managed at a commercial or institutional level.”
This opens our work up to all commercial property investment (which spans all property and land uses and types), brokerage, building design and construction, mortgage banking, architecture, engineering, property and asset management, proptech, as well as a host of other examples of sectors working to advance the built environment.
You mentioned The Smart Agency® creates meaningful content that speaks to different audiences while keeping the regulatory environment in mind. Does this mean you can serve as our compliance department?
Good question. The answer is no.
We are a professional communications firm and we do not have a qualified legal advisor on staff.
This is because we work on a national and global basis, and many of our Clients have very different regulatory needs based on individual company structure.
To support our Clients, we work hand-in-hand with their compliance officers and/or attorneys to ensure all PR and marketing content has full Client approval prior to being shared externally.
Why do you capitalize the word Clients in your writing? Isn’t that bad grammar?
We treat the word Client as a proper noun when it refers to our Clients.
By definition, a proper noun “designates a particular being or thing.” To us, our Clients are particular beings – they are the specific humans who enable us to advance our mission, do purposeful work, and feed our families.
For that reason, we capitalize Clients in our writing as a sign of respect.
Equally, we deeply respect the media, and we adjust this style choice when submitting anything to reporters.
Is this Judy Brower’s firm?
YES! You’ve come to the right place. Judy is the founder of The Smart Agency®’s predecessor, Brower, Miller, & Cole, and she continues to sit at the helm of our CRE Trends Council.
She is also a savvy businesswoman who navigated a successful succession plan with The Smart Agency®’s President and CEO, Jenn Quader. Learn more here.
