Issue link: https://nebusinessmedia.uberflip.com/i/1272107
W W W. M A I N E B I Z . B I Z 25 J U LY 2 7 , 2 0 2 0 F O C U S R E A L E S T A T E / C O N S T R U C T I O N / E N G I N E E R I N G hit, they were in a renewal with us and they decided not to shrink but to keep the extra space." Dennis Wheelock, a broker with KW Commercial|Magnusson Balfour, predicts there will be a spectrum of responses among both employees and employers as they weigh the merits of remote versus in-office work, coupled with the probability that employees have likely installed the technology they need to work from home as a result of the pandemic. "I believe, the longer we go with everyone working from home, that will be the new norm," Wheelock says. "A certain percentage of people will not want to return to the office. Others will say, 'I can't wait to get back to the office.'" e same spectrum will likely be true of employers, Wheelock says. "Certain businesses are thinking, 'I'm going to need less space because I have employees working from home,'" he continues. "On the other side, people are saying, 'I need people in the office because it's not as efficient working at home — so I'll need more space because we'll need to have people spread out a little more.'" For Seretta, it's an ongoing conversation. "We knew in February who our members were, we knew who would transition when we went to a new facility at the end of the year and how that would look," he says. "But that was based on everything pre-Feb. 1. By April 1 — that was a century ago — we effec- tively had no idea what our makeup would be and who our market would be. We knew our services would be the same, but we didn't know how that would affect our space." Says Epstein, "Everybody is figur- ing out how to get back to work in physical settings. We're not seeing a lot of decision-making when people don't need to be making decisions yet." Laurie Schreiber, Mainebiz senior writer, can be reached at lschreiber @ mainebiz.biz pcconstruction.com Construction Manager | Design-Builder | General Contractor VT | FL | GA | MD | ME | NH | NY Specialized medical centers. High-tech education facilities. Destination resorts. Complex manufacturing. Downtown revitalizations. You dream it, we build it. BUILDING STRONGER , T O G E T H E R Everybody is figuring out how to get back to work in physical settings. — Carol Epstein Nina Murray, owner of Mill Cove Baking Co., prepares the Real Dill Cracker at Fork Food Lab in Portland.