-: So my name's Andrew Wells.
I currently serve as real estate manager
for the Virginia Tech Foundation.
So my goal ultimately is to manage
the day-to-day operations.
We've got facilities across the state,
including our research facility
in Arlington, Virginia.
We also have property in Alexandria, Virgina
that I manage, it supports the architecture school.
We also have the Steger Center abroad,
an opportunity for students to study abroad
in Switzerland,
and our goal is to really serve
as a property manager.
Me, specifically, I'm managing
projects or maintenance issues,
lease-related items,
renewals of leases,
transition of space and different tenants,
different programs within the university.
There are always needs
that programs within the community
or really the campus have.
Another one we've just completed locally
is at our gateway building
across from the Virginia Tech Inn,
where my office is located.
The University Advancement Group,
they occupy space on floors two, three and four,
and they were out of room,
so we went to an architect
and redesigned those floors,
created some more space,
opened up some walls,
and it's projects like that,
just to be responsive
and help programs be successful.
Again, we don't get into the curriculum
side of things,
but our goal is to provide them with
the infrastructure and the spatial needs
necessary to ultimately be successful.
A lot of math.
A lot of budgets, a lot of performers.
A lot of forecasting for future years.
State money, very important to understand
what the expectation is, what's needed,
and whether it's a year lease,
five-year term, maybe 10, 30-year term,
we've got to have an understanding
of what funding will be necessary
for that program to be in our space
and be successful.
Ultimately the foundation and the university
work on an neither make nor lose structure,
so there's a lot of money that we front,
or finance, per se,
on behalf of the university,
and then it's paid over a note
or rental payment.
You know, you can come to work with a plan,
and oftentimes you never touch that plan,
particularly in my role,
because if there is a maintenance issue
or we do have a leak,
or we have an alarm,
or there's an elevator down
on any of our particular properties
whether here locally in Blacksburg
or northern Virginia market,
Hampton Roads market, wherever,
you've got to tend to those things,
and everyone's leaning on me to address those, so...
Again, every day's busy,
but you just kind of try to do your best
to prioritize and get done what you can
and then answer those things
that you can anticipate
but know that deserve a response.