In Germany, an estimated 51% of men and 43% of women will develop cancer during their lifetime, reports medical research firm Bristol Myers Squibb. While the number of survivors is steadily increasing, so is the number of incidences amongst people of working age.  One non-profit organization helps families cope with cancer diagnoses to develop greater preparedness, resiliency and hope. Clarity, communication and community at Flüsterpost e.V. Flüsterpost e.V. (Whisper Mail in English) supports children whose parents have been diagnosed with cancer. This is done primarily through counseling for parents, which coaches adults on how to handle the diagnosis with their young family members. Pictured from left – Anita Zimmermann (Founder of Flüsterpost), Bärbel Welches (Yardi), Dirk Kolbe (Yardi) Karin Burchardt (Flüsterpost), Kathrin Stahl (Yardi) and Denis Litke (Yardi). The counseling sessions encourage open and honest discussion within the family. Through discussion, families can address or resolve issues and mitigate additional psychological and physical stress for the youth and young adults in the family. Additionally, children get the chance to learn how to deal with crisis situations in a capable and self-efficient way, thus strengthen their resources and resilience.  Family counseling is supplemented with additional research and resources. All services are confidential and free of charge. Clients can access services in person, by phone, email or via social media. Youth also have access to play therapy. At the center, kids can play instruments, explore the arts, participate in equine therapy, and so much more. Each activity is crafted to provide emotional support through self-expression and energetic release.  Flüsterpost e.V.  + Yardi Yardi is a proud sponsor of Flüsterpost e.V. Team members from the Germany office visited the site to learn more about the organization. Yardi team members Bärbel Welches, Dirk Kolbe, Kathrin Stahl and Denis Litke explored rooms that...

Frankfurt, Germany-based Kintyre is a full-service real estate manager for investors in the German real estate market, offering property management, bookkeeping, leasing and tenant relations, and strategic asset management, among other services. Kintyre manages a Germany-wide portfolio valued at over €1.4 billion, totalling 800,000 square metres. The retail subsector accounts for three quarter of its assets under management, with office comprising most of the remainder. “We pride ourselves on having a team of experienced local property professionals, who have the ability to understand and deliver on our international investor’s expectations and requirements. We add value for our clients and partners through providing a fully integrated service platform, including all elements of the regular real estate management services, plus the addition of strategic retail concepts and design coordination, a strong leasing team, project management, and acquisitions and sales coordination,” says Adam Pearce, Kintyre’s managing partner. With investment returns within the German real estate market remaining under ongoing pressure, due to the current peak pricing environment, the increased use of technology is one additional tool professional real estate managers are adopting to help ensure maximum efficiency within the management process, flowing through to a value add for investors. Determined to be at the forefront of the digital revolution facing the global real estate sector, Kintyre upgraded its real estate management and accounting platform  to Yardi Voyager. The decision to adopt Yardi Voyager was influenced by  Kintyre’s requirements to have a single software solution that was able to operate across multiple jurisdictions and functions. “Being able to meet client standards and regulatory needs in any jurisdiction added a huge amount of confidence in the services we provide. Yardi’s innovation is global in scope but the company also knows the needs of local markets. Having such a multi-dimensional...

Automakers have been hard at work, developing ideas for the cars of the future, but in order for the new vehicles to have a future, a proper infrastructure needs to be designed and put into place. The battery industry is in full swing with more and more scientists getting involved into the development of bigger and better ones, but regardless of their capacity, they all need to be recharged. This means that charging stations need to spring in at least as many locations as the conventional gas stations. Sortimo, a German company headquartered in Berlin, unveiled plans of what’s to become the largest electric vehicle fast-charging station in the world—the Sortimo Innovationspark Zusmarshausen. The project will be located along Germany’s six-lane A8 highway, in the industrial area in Bavarian-Swabia, between Ulm and Augsburg, in close proximity to Tesla’s Supercharger in Jettingen-Scheppach. The electric vehicle (EV) fast-charging station will consist of 144 charging ports, which will allow for more than 4,000 cars to be refilled with energy on a daily basis. Of the planned charging columns, 24 are to be superfast chargers, with a charging capacity of record-breaking 350 kilowatts, meaning that a vehicle battery can be replenished in only a few minutes. Tesla’s ‘Superchargers’ currently stop at about 150 kilowatts, but even though this is more than what today’s car batteries can handle, the company is convinced that both battery capacities and the need for charging infrastructure are growing at a significant pace. Moreover, the Innovationspark will feature offices, shopping and dining areas, serving those who stop to recharge their vehicles. The images accompanying the announcement reveal that the planned station will be topped with green roofs, emphasizing on the development’s care for nature and awareness for the environment. The massive charging station will...

At the beginning of 2016, iMS GmbH of Mainz, Germany, a software systems provider for real estate management, was acquired by real estate software leader Yardi of Santa Barbara, Calif.. In Germany, iMS is now Yardi Systems GmbH. Yardi’s German operations are now run from Mainz. We spoke to Dr Klaus Grüning, Director at Yardi Systems GmbH, and Richard Gerritsen, Regional Director of Sales Yardi Systems Continental Europe, on the progress of integration. How did iMS employees react to the acquisition news? Grüning: The change from a small German company with 20 employees to an international company with over 5,000 employees certainly requires some reorientation here and there. It is very helpful in this case that Yardi is also a company managed by the owner. CEO Anant Yardi’s visit to Mainz in the week immediately after the takeover dispelled many doubts of employees and restored people’s confidence. How did iMS’ existing customers respond? Grüning: Customers responded differently, as we expected. Firstly, customers are impressed with Yardi’s position as technology leader and its international character. New options such as cloud and mobile computing have met with unanimous approval among iMS customers. On the other hand, they are worried that cuts will affect further development of iMS’ solution and its flexibility. Anant Yardi’s visit and his charisma and trustworthiness vis-à-vis customers was also very helpful. What prompts a global company of over 5,000 employees to have an interest in a German company with a team of just 20? Gerritsen: Yardi, with its Voyager software that was introduced to the German market more than 12 years ago, was already one of the top five companies in the market segment for real estate software. However, in order for an international software company to achieve a large market share...

For more than a decade, Dirk Völkel has channeled his passion for retail asset investment into his company, VÖLKEL COMPANY Group, which provides real estate management services in Germany.  Founded in 2004, the company today operates 170 properties valued at 1.3 billion euros and handles a high volume of transactions from offices across Germany. “Our business is family-driven and focused on maintaining long-term relationships with clients,” said Völkel, the company’s founder, main shareholder and managing director.  “We are a one-stop-contact in Germany, capable of providing the full spectrum of investment advice and services.  Some of our team members have been working in the field for up to 25 years, so we know the difference between real experience and merely good marketing.” Individual client service A special point of pride for Völkel is the degree of personal service his company delivers.  “For some large, long-established companies, any given client is one among many.  For us as a mid-size company, every client is important as an individual, and we take every client seriously. In an era that has seen the outsourcing of many services, our services are 100% “Made in Germany,” he said.  “We handle investments as if they were our own money. We are proud of the good references we have earned.  In fact, much of our new business comes from word of mouth among investors who are satisfied with our services.” While justly proud of his company’s achievements in offering engaged, flexible, quick and successful investment services, Völkel knows well enough that continued success depends on maintaining a keen focus on the future, rather than dwelling on a distinguished past.  “We constantly work to improve our high-quality services.  Not only that, we continuously measure our clients’ expectations of us.  As one extremely important example,...