Greaney said his firm is founded on three beliefs: the strength of cities — “Cities have survived everything. They keep coming back,” he said; — striving to be the best; and giving back to the community.
All three of these attributes will be realized with the firm’s presence in Worcester.
“Synergy has a responsibility to Worcester,” Greaney said. “Not just to attract tenants from down the block or across the street. We have a responsibility because of our reach within Boston, because of our relationships, to help the city of Worcester attract businesses to the city.
“We are going to be here in the city of Worcester,” Greaney continued. “We are here for the long term.”
Greaney acknowledged that COVID-19 has had an impact in the office real estate industry — prior to the pandemic, he said his properties had 35,000 workers coming to work daily; until June and July no more than 3,000 people came in daily.
But Greaney said the pandemic “hasn’t had as much of an impact,” as he feared — the firm collected 96% of rents due between April 2020 and July 31, he said.
That involved a lot of flexibility, however, Greaney said, and flexibility was something landlords, tenants and companies all needed to embrace.
“For the moment flexibility is the key word when I talk to companies and clients,” Greaney said.
His optimism for cities extended to the office space market.
Greaney said that although working from home worked for some people, it was ultimately “not a long-term solution” for workers who need to collaborate with colleagues, impart company culture to colleagues, and remain productive and competitive.
“People need people to drive them,” Greaney said.
But accommodating that eventual return to the office means the physical space must change, Greaney said, predicting the rise of both more collaborative spaces and more private spaces in new office layouts.
These new demands — as well as general demand for office space for major sectors of the economy — makes Massachusetts “better placed than a lot of other states,” Greaney said.
As for 446 Main St., the firm is finishing up a capital improvement plan for the property, and Greaney said he envisions “activating” both the ground floor of the building and its plaza by holding events, leasing to tenants that provide services — possibly a daycare or market retail — to the community.
“We really have a very energetic and ambitious plan to restore this building to its former glory,” Greaney said. “It’s a beautiful, stunning building.”
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