“New commercial tenants—who want to avoid wasting time and money—need a landlord who will help them develop and implement a strategic plan to move into their new premises faster, more efficiently, and more profitably,” says Ricky Lyons, the President and Conductor of Champion Partners LLC, a successful commercial real estate development company located in Scottsdale, Arizona.
While Lyons specifically addresses retail tenants here, he says that “the same process applies and is replicated for our sale of office condominium products to users/buyers, known as The Buyer Advocacy Experience™. Inherent to both experiences is that Champion has assembled a team known as Team Future Champion, that performs as a single unit."
“Most landlords take very little interest in the overall success or failure of their tenants,” Lyons says. “They simply provide the location, sign a lease, collect the rent, and leave the tenant alone.”
“Unfortunately, the lack of assistance from landlords can be a real problem for new tenants, especially smaller tenants who do not have a lot of experience opening a store,” Lyons adds. “Left alone, without a professional to help them, many retailers run into trouble moving into a new location. They often don’t anticipate all of the start-up costs associated with a new space, or they have problems raising enough capital. They might also hire the wrong contractors, or experience delays with permits. As a result, their store may not open on schedule, they may waste a lot of valuable time and money, and they may also experience a lot of unnecessary emotional stress.”
Lyons adds that many retailers also fail to achieve optimum results because they do not seek out the assistance of other professionals.
“We call this The Lone Ranger Trap™,” he says. “When a tenant falls into this trap, they try to do everything themselves. They try to save money by doing their own store design, contracting, legal work, and merchandising. But because they don’t have experience or expertise in these areas, they run into all kinds of unanticipated problems. Once again, they may waste time, lose money, and not achieve their goals.”

Lyons says he developed The Tenant Advocacy Experience™ because he wants to make sure that all of his tenants achieve their full potential.
“We will only be successful if our tenants are successful,” Lyons says. “That’s why we spend so much time coaching them, and helping them solve problems. If they get their store open on time, and they prosper in their new location, we will attract more high-quality tenants, and the value of our property will increase. It is simply enlightened self-interest.”

“By working closely with our tenants, we’ve learned a lot about retailing. We’ve learned what works and what does not work. During our strategic planning sessions, we help our tenants identify potential obstacles, and offer suggestions to overcome them. We guide them through the entire process so they can avoid making costly mistakes, and eliminate a lot of the emotional stress associated with opening a new location.”
As an illustration, Lyons cites the example of a tenant opening a new women’s exercise facility.
“He understood the fitness industry, but had not previously opened his own store,” Lyons says. “As his move was progressing, the municipality put a hold on his permit due to a problem with fire regulations. The opening of his club could have been delayed significantly, but he called us, and we came up with an innovative solution that satisfied the fire department. Due to our intervention he was able to open his store 20 days early.”
“That’s just one example of what we’ve done for our tenants,” Lyons adds. “In all cases, we try to be as proactive as possible. If we can foresee a problem, we try to tackle it early. If the tenant has a problem, they know they can call us immediately. We have an open door policy, and I let them know they can talk to me.”
“Our process and philosophy give our tenants greater confidence about themselves, and about us, their landlord. This gives them greater peace of mind so they can concentrate on what they do best, running their store. The emotional cost and stress level are reduced.”

“Then we meet for The Champion Starter Session™. During the 90-minute meeting, we work through a Scorecard, which helps them identify any gaps in their plan and any issues that may arise. We also help them get clear about their goals by working through a special goal-setting exercise. At the end of the session, we both know if we can do business together. If the decision is positive, we both sign a Letter of Intent.”
“When they are preparing to move into the new premises, we meet again for The Tenant Advocacy Strategy Session™. During this workshop, we create a step-by-step plan for moving into their new location. We identify any possible obstacles, and further clarify their goals. At the completion of this session, they have a detailed Tenant Advocacy Plan™.”

At this stage, Lyons says that they can work with the select group of professionals in the Team Future Champion™.
“We have developed an incredible network of experts—capital partners, architects, contractors, engineers, leasing and sales brokers, title companies, marketing consultants, property managers, and lenders. Each person has been carefully chosen based on our experience working with them for many years.”
“That’s one of the great things about our process,” Lyons continues. “They don’t have to do this alone. They don’t have to fall into The Lone Ranger Trap™. They can do it properly, and get the help they need from a coordinated team of consultants. It is very empowering.”
“We developed this process because it is the right thing to do,” Lyons adds. “Retailers, especially smaller retailers, need a lot of help to get their enterprises off the ground. A little bit of extra help, and a few useful tips, can make all the difference in the success of a retail operation.”
“In most cases, landlords simply follow the lease by the letter. If it’s not in the lease, they won’t do it. But we take a different approach. If some assistance will help our tenant become more successful, we will try to do it as long as it is reasonable and realistic.”

Lyons adds that a single tenant may only open one or two stores in a lifetime, but Team Future Champion has the experience of helping hundreds of tenants open their new locations.
In the case of larger or more experienced retailers, with multiple locations, Lyons and his team have learned to meet their needs as well.

Lyons says his tenants are ecstatic and appreciative about the benefits they’ve received as participants in The Tenant Advocacy Experience™.
“We have tenants who say they love us. If they are thinking about opening another store, they ask us if we have another development available so they can keep us as their landlord.”
In addition to the value of the process, Lyons says that his tenants are also impressed by the success of his company, and like to be associated with a highly-regarded developer.

“Team Future Champion builds and leases all of our developments,” Lyons says. “We have complete control from beginning to end. This structure ensures that all of our developments are handled professionally, and with complete regard for the interests of our tenants.”
“That is why we use the word ‘advocate’ in the name of our process. We really believe in our role as advocates for our tenants. We will do everything we can to help them. We will show up on time and do what we promise—as promptly as possible.”
“Our tenants know this process works better because they have had other landlords before, or they hear from their friends who are having real problems with their landlords. Everyone says the same thing. Champion is an exceptional company that is unique in the industry. They say our process really works. And, they can see real results that have made their business more successful.”
Looking to the future, Lyons envisions further improvements and refinements to The Tenant Advocacy Experience™.
“This process is based on a very sound philosophy—that the success of our tenants has a direct bearing on our success. If our tenants prosper, we will prosper. That is why we are committed to continually making this process better and better. It will mean greater success for us, and for our tenants.”