CoreNet Global Member Profile -- Frank Robinson

Frank Robinson Uses Leadership Experience to Make Corporate Real Estate a Strategic Player

For Frank A. Robinson, MCR, taking corporate real estate management to a more strategic level for a leading provider of health care technology and supplies has been good medicine.

Robinson, who serves as Vice President of Corporate Real Estate for San Francisco-based health care giant McKesson Corp., has positioned the department's strategic role through a multi-service alliance partnership with Trammell Crow Co. Robinson combines the new outsourcing model with an internal management group focused on customer relationships with the various McKesson's business units.

In building the strategic model, Robinson created a healthy niche for real estate inside McKesson while he found an antidote to his former high-tech focus. His career track started with Mobil Oil and later included stints with Data General, Computervision, Tandem Computers, and finally Compaq.

"In 1999, I reflected back over my career and the well respected technology companies that I worked for." recounts Robinson, who was a member of both IDRC and NACORE International for over 20 years before becoming a CoreNet Global member. "The experience was both exhilarating and invaluable. I also realized that, unfortunately, none of these companies are in business today. (all were acquired by other high tech companies) "That's when I decided I'd better try the health care industry!!", Robinson jokes.

In part, his more sanguine setting with McKesson is the result of the initiative to change McKesson real estate from a decentralized model to a leveraged organization by centralizing the various functions and outsourcing the implementation activities to Trammell Crow. "This allows us to develop a keen understanding of what really drives key decisions within our business units. Now, instead of handling the details of transactions, project management and facility management, our primary focus is on balancing the optimum internal client relationship model with our Trammell Crow outsourced model," he explains.

"The biggest challenge for me personally," Robinson relates, "has been to clearly articulating the vision of the new alliance and the relationship management model - communicating roles so that everyone, including the internal McKesson Real Estate group, our business units and our Trammell Crow alliance partners all understand it." He describes it as a "work in progress" with the relationship management model's introduction barely a year ago, and the outsourcing of transactions and project and facility management occurring in the fall of 2001.

While Robinson is keeping what he calls a "clear vision of what I'd like to see us achieving in the future," the past IDRC President and NACORE International Board member can draw clearly from his association and industry leadership experience. He was a leading promoter of integrating both former groups following previously unsuccessful attempts to bring them together. "We all benefit from the leverage created by the merger the two organizations."

With the creation of CoreNet Global, Robinson now sees the corporate real estate profession at a crossroads. "When I think about corporate real estate today, it feels like it did in the late 80's and early 90's. Back then, we were all searching to better understand our role within the corporation. Likewise, today we really need a new focus to get to that next level. I think that there is a real need for us to engage in a new effort to refocus - like we did with (IDRC's) Corporate Real Estate 2000 initiative."

"We were at a point where we needed a new vision. We need to reshape our view of what CorpRE's and Service Providers need to be doing in the future."

That will require a new wave of thought leaders that Robinson says CoreNet Global is ideally suited to spawn through its ubiquitous knowledge-sharing agenda. "The greater scale of the new organization provides an ability to reach out to more people, which will lead to more diversified views of our profession. " he says.

"CNG is the absolute best forum to bring that collaboration into place through the Summits and other channels where we can grow together - both as corporate real estate executives as well as Service Providers. McKesson's real estate success is heavily dependent on our alliance with Trammell Crow. Therefore, it only makes sense that if the McKesson Real Estate staff goes to a CGN course or Summit, the corresponding Trammell Crow person should also attend."

Collaborating with his peers from around the industry is important, Robinson continues. "I get a huge benefit out of that. Informally or through venues such as chapter meetings, classes or Summits, the ability to network through these channels has been a tremendous value to me throughout my career."

Being part of the CoreNet Global Executive Development Program Faculty has its advantages, too. "By encouraging the participants to challenge my ideas, I believe that I get as much out of presenting at Discovery Forums or Capstone courses, as I hope that they do.