Aligned Values

Argus Eyed Partners’ primary focus is
cultivating and supporting institutional relationships where
public-private partnerships can create positive synergy.
Through creative capital and real estate development solutions,
we propel economic growth for institutions to continue making
a generational  impact in their communities.

Why should you consider partnering with us?

The financial landscape of American colleges and public-serving healthcare institutions has changed significantly in the last decade, leaving administrators with limited resources to pursue opportunities in developing non-core operating facilities such as on-campus housing or medical office buildings. Administrators are facing some of the most challenging fiscal circumstances ever encountered by public-serving institutions. How will administrators compete in these fiscally uncertain times for the best students, teachers, nurses, and doctors without cutting-edge facilities and amenities? How will an administrator deliver these facilities without tapping into already strained core operational budgets? As an administrator of an institution with decreasing public funding support, you may be faced with insupportable trade-offs to projects that would otherwise have the potential to ignite your institution’s growth. It is unlikely that the financial ambiguity forcing these trade-offs will improve greatly over the next decade, leading many administrators to leave opportunities unturned.

As an administrator of an institution with decreasing public funding support, you may be faced with insupportable trade-offs to projects that would otherwise have the potential to ignite your institution’s growth.

One solution that forward-thinking administrators are turning to is public-private partnerships. Sometimes coined “P3” by industry leaders, P3 projects simply create a new pathway for an institution to expand its reach where otherwise unattainable through publicly funded models. This project delivery method consists of forming a long-term agreement between a public institution and a private sector development team that is tasked with designing, constructing, financing, operating and maintaining a facility for both the interest of the institution and private investors. Though P3 projects are not a new idea, they are being used more widely and for a variety of different purposes. In the future, it is very likely that many institutions will look to the private sector to play a larger role in their built environment.

Lack of funding is not the only reason institutions should consider forming alliances with private-sector partners. These strategic partnerships also allow institutions to tap into private-sector innovation and risk management practices. Most institutions do not have the expertise on staff to properly analyze an opportunity and its risks or develop the best possible solutions to their real estate needs. The multi-disciplinary skills required to develop, analyze, design, construct, and operate a facility takes a specialized group of professionals who have learned the art of building for-profit projects within the financial and scheduling constraints of a private-investment worthy package. Many institutions have tried their hand at development only to experience project cost overruns and delays due to inefficient practices or may have spent hundreds of thousands of dollars in consulting fees to acquire these skills from third-party project participants who did proportionately participate in the project’s risks. A few administrators are finding a better path forward by aligning their influence and underutilized assets with private capital to create a shared vision for projects with private partners. Partners who are more aptly built to take on the increased financial risk of a building development project.

It is at this intersection of community development and private equity stewardship that led to a long-term relationship between Argus Eyed Partners and Sierra Development. The combination of our teams brings all the required disciplines needed to build upon an institution’s presence in a community to promote human flourishing and economic growth. Our role in this strategic alliance is to help institutions identify the best and highest use for adjacent, underutilized land tracts and align institutional needs with private capital to develop thoughtful projects that support an institution’s growth.

We have built a network of private family offices and likeminded investors who understand long-term real-estate transactions, and who are seeking to partner with us in our efforts to serve communities anchored by institutions. Our role is to facilitate project plans that meet the shared needs of all stakeholders, both public and private. Our exclusive development partner, Sierra Development, brings decades of experience of leading mixed-use development and property management. Having developed over 10,000,000 square feet of multi-family and mixed-use commercial over 30 years, Sierra Development leads our design and construction efforts. As aligned partners, Argus Eyed Partners and Sierra Development, have proven track record of structuring development agreements that create win-win scenarios for all parties with an underlying commitment to excellence.

At Argus Eyed Partners, our role in this strategic alliance is to help institutions identify the best and highest use for adjacent, underutilized land tracts and align institutional needs with private capital.
Together, our collective purpose is to expand our institutional partner’s core values beyond the walls of the classroom or patient room and into the communities where the lives they touch live, work, and play. Through the vigilant observation of emerging opportunities, trends, and risks, our team aligns outside capital to building projects that accommodate the institution’s growth, expanding the institution’s financial reach and allows administrators to focus resources on its important core missions. We believe that many of the values that make us good partners are inherent to the meaningful work we facilitate, but there are a few traits that our past partners would agree were essential to forming successful alliances:
Together, our collective purpose is to expand our institutional partner’s core values beyond the walls of the classroom or patient room and into the communities where the lives they touch live, work, and play.

Let us help you champion P3
as a growth solution for your institution

Is your institution’s campus growth being stymied by a lack of financial resources or expertise needed to develop appealing, cutting-edge facilities? When applied competently and in the right manner, a public-private partnership allows administrators to create solutions that differentiate their campuses and brand them as places capable of transforming the lives of those whom they serve! As an experienced P3 project partner, our team would love the opportunity to explore creative solutions to make your campus more attractive and competitive. We love this work and are grateful to possess the capacity and multidisciplinary skills required to do it! We care deeply about the quality of the projects we steward and the sense of place they originate. It gives us great pride to develop these projects alongside our community’s greatest caretakers and inspirators.

Over the next decade, it is our desire to become the leading project facilitator and capital partner for institutions in Georgia and the surrounding states. We are makers, not takers, and believe that even small conversations spark momentum and help lead to thriving communities. To that effort, we welcome any conversation where we can share our wisdom surrounding public-private partnerships and their ability to maximize your institution’s vision. Please connect with us by scheduling a discovery call today. We believe that many of the values that make us good partners are inherent to the meaningful work we facilitate, but there are a few traits that our past partners would agree were essential to forming successful alliances.

Continue Reading: “The 5 Essential Traits of the Ideal P3 Partner”

“They do what they say they are going to do, they do it well, we know we can count on them.”

William Underwood
President, Mercer University