Disaster: Retail Strikes Back
When a potential tsunami recently threatened Hawaii, JLL quickly jumped into action, notifying employees and tenants of three malls of imminent danger and property closures. Here's how they did it.
JLL director of national retail property services Karen Raquet (above with husband Seth) tells us that RedFlag—which sends mass emergency notifications to property managers and retail tenants through email, text, and VM—is in place at 90% of its 67M SF managed retail portfolio and will be 100% by year's end. It can be used remotely, as well, so staff can send emergency notifications from home when malls and shopping centers are closed. So far, it’s only been activated once, in the Hawaii incident.
A supplement to quarterly evacuation drills and monthly security sessions, Karen says RedFlag is boosting coordination between property management and retailers in properties like Palm Town and Country in Miami (above), Rosedale Center in Roseville, Minn., and The Galleria in Fort Lauderdale, only three of the 350 retail properties that JLL manages. The firm's currently working with tech partner Pocketstop (the maker of RedFlag) to see if it would be useful in the office or industrial sector, as well. This weekend, Karen will be a beaming mother of the bride as she watches her daughter (and first child) get married.
