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(Chicago, IL, April 23, 2009) – Getting and keeping quality tenants in today’s global commercial and retail real estate arena is more of a struggle than ever before.  While small tenants (under 10,000 square feet) often are the mainstay of office buildings, industrial properties and retail centers, they also can pose specific challenges. “Strategies for Working with Small Tenants,” just published by the Institute of Real Estate Management (IREM^®), provides practical, “how to” techniques to help real estate professionals at all experience levels partner with these tenants to create overall synergy and value for a property. It is the latest in a series of offerings called IREM^® “Key Reports,” each of which provides an in-depth analysis of an important issue impacting the real management industry.

READER TAKE-AWAYS
Readers will come away from the text with proven methods to keep their small tenants in place and happy plus techniques to prepare for any eventual vacancies. They also will benefit from valuable lessons and real-life examples they can apply to their own properties, including:

• How to find and keep good tenants and strategically fill vacancies.
• What to do when tenants ask for rent relief or try to negotiate lower rents
• How to keep on top of, analyze, and improve declining sales
• What strategies to use to get through difficult economic times
• Signs indicating that a tenant is headed for trouble
• Why stellar customer service and merchandising make a difference
• How to help tenants advertise and market themselves successfully
• How to make the most of tenant mix and synergy
• Much more.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Shannon Alter, CPM^®, is President of the Orange County-based Alter Consulting Group, which specializes in providing management consulting; expertise and training in strategic planning; and evaluation of business processes, operations, and leasing for all aspects of commercial and retail real estate.  She has supervised management and leasing professionals on both the landlord and tenants sides for over 25 years, and has held management positions at Triple Net Properties, LLC (now Grubb & Ellis), The Vons Companies, Inc, Diversified Shopping Centers, Trammell Crow Company, and Westin Hotels.

A member of the National Speakers’ Association (NSA) and a frequent presenter at major industry events, Alter has authored articles for a wide range of industry publications; is an Advisory Board member of the California State University/Fullerton’s Real Estate and Land Institute; and was selected by IREM to be a member of its distinguished Academy of Authors.

PRICE AND ORDERING INFORMATION
Strategies for Working with Small Tenants is $31.95 for IREM Members and $39.95 regular price (plus shipping and applicable state sales tax). To order, contact the IREM Customer Relations Department at 430 N. Michigan Ave., Chicago, IL 60611, or call toll-free at (800) 837-0706, ext. 4650. Credit card orders (VISA, MasterCard, American Express, and Discover) can be faxed toll-free to (800) 338-4736 or e-mailed to custserv@irem.org. Internet users can order the publication online at www.irembooks.org.

ABOUT THE INSTITUTE OF REAL ESTATE MANAGEMENT
The Institute of Real Estate Management (IREM^®) is celebrating its 75th anniversary in 2008.  Major sponsors of the year-long celebration areYardi Systems, a leading provider of high-performance software solutions for the real estate industry, and the REALTORS^® Commercial Alliance (RCA), the collective commercial constituency within the National Association of REALTORS^®.

For more than seven decades, IREM has been the source for education, resources, information, and membership for real estate management professionals. An affiliate of the National Association of Realtors^®, IREM is the only professional real estate management association serving both the multi-family and commercial real estate sectors. With 80 U.S. chapters, eight international chapters, and several other partnerships around the globe, IREM is an international organization that also serves as an advocate on issues affecting the real estate management industry.

Membership includes more than 18,000 individual members and 500 corporate members. IREM promotes ethical real estate management practices through its credentialed membership programs, including the Certified Property Manager® (CPM®) designation, the Accredited Residential Manager® (ARM®) certification, the ACoMcertification, and the Accredited Management Organization® (AMO®) accreditation. These esteemed credentials certify competence and professionalism for those engaged in real estate management. In addition, IREM offers Associate, Student and Academic memberships.

Collectively, IREM CPM® Members in the United States manage over $1.5 trillion in real estate assets, including 8.4 million residential units and 8.4 billion net square feet of commercial space. An additional 977,400 residential units are managed by IREM ARM® Members. IREM Members are employed by some of the most prestigious real estate firms in the world and nearly 70% hold upper-level management positions. Due to their professionalism and vast experience, property owners and investors worldwide continually seek out the management services of IREM Members.

To learn more about the Institute of Real Estate Management and its chapter network, call (800) 837-0706, Ext. 4650 (outside the U.S. call (312) 329-6000) or visit www.irem.org.