Tom Helmkampf was one of 8 General Contractors asked to provide a General Contracting bid for a new TGI Friday’s in a parking structure on Chestnut in the City of St. Louis, Missouri. After reviewing the Architectural, Mechanical and Structural plans it was clear to Tom that difficulty level of this project was high and the fact that the TGI Friday’s Corporate was supplying Furniture, Kitchen Equipment, Décor and other specialty items increased the degree of difficulty, coordination and management.
On the Bid Day, Tom Helmkampf did not submit a bid for the General Contracting work. Instead, he proposed a fee and an outline of Owner’ Representative Services which included services from reviewing the General Contracting Bids to coordinating the install of the Corporate supplied FFE package and reviewing all closeout documentation.
The Franchisee, Tricorp Partners, reached out to Tom about his proposal and interviewed him for the position of Owner’s Representative. The Franchisees quickly realized the level of difficulty of this Project and hired Tom to provide Owner’s Representative Services and coordination of their FFE package with the General Contractor.
The Franchisee realized that with Tom Helmkampf as their Owner’s Representative, they did not need to hire a full-time employee to oversee their expansion in their Franchise Territory. Tom continued the relationship with the Franchise Group assisting them in developing new restaurants in Missouri, Illinois, Kansas, and Arkansas. This work included a very close working relationship with the Corporate Architectural Group of TGI Fridays. Each store had to meet very specific corporate requirements including the purchase and proper sizing of the rowing scull in every store which represents the Corporate Philosophy of Teamwork and pulling together.
Are you interested in investing in Commercial Real Estate or have 1031 money available for reinvestment?
HCS is very active in the local Bi-State Commercial Real Estate Development Market. We are always on the lookout for undervalued and value-added opportunities especially in the small to midsized warehouse market. This niche is a key strategy for strong returns as it generally requires lower initial and long-term re-tenanting costs.
- Existing industrial buildings, preferably built after 1980.
- Value-added opportunities, determined by a vacancy of 20%+, some curable obsolescence, or poor marketing/dealmaking.
- Transaction size of $1million - $5 million
- Single free-standing buildings or portfolios
- Single and multi-tenant buildings
- Sale and Lease Back or excess property situations
- Preferred markets are the St. Louis County Missouri, and SW Illinois
- Opportunity and Enterprise Zone Properties or other incentives that provide equity partners with additional tax opportunities.
Contact us today for a list of current opportunities or call 314-581-2667 to speak with Tom.