Vista Discusses Commercial Real Estate Trends at Economic Development Incentives Conference

Vista Site Selection co-sponsored the 2026 Vorys Economic Development Incentives Conference in Columbus, Ohio on February 28.  Vista team members both moderated and participated in panels and presentations that discussed trends in site selection.  Other members of the Vista team greeted visitors at our booth and showcased how proprietary mapping tools such as The Grid by Vista and the Data Center Site Selection Tool can help users identify ideal sites for their development needs.

This is the second in a series of posts highlighting panels and presentations that Vista team members took part in during the conference.  You can read more here about Vista’s case study about helping develop North America’s largest shiplift in Jacksonville.

Today’s entry focuses on “Commercial Real Estate Trends in 2026,” a panel where, Vista’s senior managing director, Matt Samler, chatted with experts on where they see the industry commercial development headed.

He was joined by executives Jim Clark, the executive vice president for Newmark, and Mike Copella, a senior managing director for CBRE.

Both were bullish on office space development in 2026, claiming that the sector was “underrated.”  The pair cited Gen Z’s work preferences — they prefer to be in-office…and high-end offices at that — as a need that is not being addressed as rapidly as it could be by developers.

That said, they warned that several factors wouldn’t make development easy.  For one, the pair anticipate that interest rates will continue to remain high (a factor that emphasizes the importance of economic incentives).  Second, they note difficulty in developing property in downtown areas because residents are attached to existing skyline structures.

Outside of the office, Jim declared he strongly believed there would soon be desire for both new development and reconfigured industrial space as more military manufacturing is reshored to the United States.

Vista has completed more than 25 national and regional headquarter relocations and expansions for Fortune 1000 companies and more than 100 manufacturing, distribution and assembly-related projects.  We can confirm the growing need for the office and manufacturing space that Jim and Mike discussed…if you’re looking to participate in that growth, our experienced team can help you find the ideal site and secure beneficial economic development incentives.

If you would like to learn more about our work in commercial real estate development or other details about site selection and incentives for aerospace and defense projects, please reach out to Vista Site Selection!