Inspiring Leaders in Our Changing Industry: Joe Derhake, Partner Engineering & Science, Inc.

This summer, Connect CRE is producing a series titled, “Inspiring Leaders in Our Changing Industry” as a follow-up to last summer’s “Leading in Tough Times” series. We’ve selected leaders around the U.S. and across the commercial real estate spectrum to discuss significant changes in the industry and their organizations. In this installment, you’ll hear from Joe Derhake, PE, CEO at Partner Engineering & Science, Inc.

Charting a New Course: How do you navigate the transition from established practices to pioneering new frontiers within your organization? 

Partner has always had an entrepreneurial spirit; it has been part of our culture from day one. For us, the key to navigating new territory has been active listening and sourcing ideas from throughout the company and the industry, being flexible and open to change, being patient while new businesses grow, and being willing to fail. That’s the nature of new frontiers – you don’t always know how they are going to work out, but you have to go out on a ledge and then give it all you’ve got to execute. We’ve been successful at that far more often than not.  

A Triumph to Celebrate: What recent organizational accomplishment brings you the most satisfaction? What specific challenges did it overcome, and what key factors led to its success? 

Two years ago, we entered the appraisal business with the establishment of Partner Valuation Advisors.  We had considered that move for years – clients were eager for a high-quality, full-service due diligence experience – but we only wanted to do it with the right leadership in place. Eric Enloe and Brandon Nunnink, along with their team of now 90+ professionals, brought that opportunity to life and it is thriving. Within one year, we broke into the ranks of the top 10 appraisal firms in the country and continue to grow our market share. That’s an incredible feat and we’re so proud of how much this hard-working, best-in-industry team has accomplished.   

Catalysts for Change: What are the essential elements for achieving significant progress within your organization and the industry as a whole? 

The most essential element in progress is people – everything we achieve is through people. Being a good home for talented people is foundational. At Partner, we invest a lot of time and energy into things like training and growth, wellness programs, bringing people together and building relationships. We also set big aggressive goals to achieve as a company, which helps foster a shared commitment to excellence, continual improvement, and innovation.   

The Road Ahead: Looking forward, what critical changes do you foresee for the industry in the coming years? What advancements do you hope for? 

• Data and AI will play ever more important roles in the commercial real estate world, which is why we have spent years investing in being a tech-enabled consulting firm. We believe the future of due diligence and consulting is data-driven reporting and analytics – we are leading the charge with our client platform called SiteLynx which delivers that data and dashboard experience. 

• With the insurance challenges arising from more extreme weather events, property resiliency has become more of a front burner issue and this trend will continue. We are actively helping real estate investors understand their risk, implement engineering fixes and navigate toward a more resilient future.   

Click here to see the full Inspiring Leaders in Our Changing Industry series.