OC Register - Cooperative Spirit Defines Asset-Services Firm's Culture

  Cooperative Spirit Defines Asset-Services Firm’s Culture Unire Real Estate Group derives its name from a Latin verb meaning “to bring or come together in common cause and action.” According to its staff, which was anonymously surveyed by Workplace Dynamics last year during the Top Workplaces selection process, it is this sense of cooperation, respect and engagement that makes the Brea-based firm an employer of choice. Based on these surveys, the premier commercial real-estate property, construction and asset-management firm was named to the Orange County Register’s Top Workplaces list in December 2015. “Unire Group employs and empowers a great team through hard work, integrity, and determination to get the job done right, while always encouraging company wide collaboration throughout. Our core values are quality, integrity, determination and experience,” said Griffin Cogorno, Director of Client Services at Unire Real Estate Group. According to the firm, Unire Group is currently responsible for the management of more than 38 million square feet of industrial and office properties, including properties throughout the six-county Southern California region, the San Francisco Bay Area and Las Vegas. “Unire Group takes great pride in our ability to attract top talent and provide a positive work environment,” Cogorno said. “The executive team has been at Unire Group since Day One and sets the tone day-in and day-out. We definitely are a lead-by-example company comprised of some amazing people at every level.” Building a ‘Best-in-class’ firm As a growing organization, Unire Group continues to look for ways to maintain the company’s small, family-like environment. Communication and collaboration play a key role in the company culture, Cogorno noted. “How we communicate with our clients, and with each other, has been an area that we feel is critical to a positive work environment.” “All of our experiences and backgrounds help Unire Group remain of the best-in-class regional asset-services firms,” he added. In recruiting, the company finds that the people who make the best it are those who are accountable and maintain a strong sense of work/life balance. “People who appreciate working hard during the day, then going home to be with their family at night – that’s the atmosphere within our team,” Cogorno said. “We want people to come in, work hard, and then go home and have a life outside work. Along with hard work, it is imperative that we go the extra mile for our clients so that we provide a substantially better work product than our larger and regional competitors.” A majority of the firm's employees have been with Unire Group for more than 10 years –a rarity today’s job market, Cogorno noted. Over the years, the company has derived great results from its efforts to promote from within the organization. “So many of our employees have risen up through the company over the course of their careers, and we are proud to be able to say that,” Cogorno said. “We believe in providing great support and training for all of our employees, which ultimately leads to their success at Unire Group and to our success as a company.” Giving Back Since its founding in 2000, Unire Group has made a conscientious effort to give back to the community. It was recognized in 2013 with a Spirit of Community Award from Families Forward, an organization designed to help Orange County families that are homeless or at risk for homelessness. Its philanthropic efforts also include its involvement with the City of Brea, Susan G. Komen and, more recently, Miracle Babies for Orange County. “We feel as an organization, we need to not only give back, but come together and contribute collectively.” Cogorno noted that as Unire Group continues to grow and expand its portfolio of managed commercial real estate across the West Coast, it continues to focus on to empowering its employees to be its biggest advocates. “We realize we are nothing without a lot of hard work and effort, and without those who put forth that effort,” he said.