Making an Impact in Canberra: Guy Randell
If you’re involved in commercial real estate in Canberra, you’ve likely heard the name Guy Randell. An award-winning agent and director of Burgess Rawson, Guy is renowned for his in-depth approach to commercial investment. Here, he tells Kylie Dulhunty how he got his start in the industry and why his first-hand experience sets him apart in a competitive market.
Not many people can claim they’ve helped shape the way their nation’s capital city looks, feels and runs, but Guy Randell can.
As the managing director of Burgess Rawson Canberra, Guy is intricately involved in creating the $160 million DKSN precinct.
Co-developed by Doma and Englobo, the 16,252sq m precinct is set to reinvigorate the suburb of Dickson with more than 50 commercial opportunities, private office tenancies, an eat street with more than 20 restaurant opportunities, a medical centre, retail, a gym, childcare centre and 300 residential units.
Guy and the Burgess Rawson team not only helped the developers come up with the concept but are now involved in selling and leasing the commercial spaces.
“The developer had to tender for the site and put their vision forward, and then they said, ‘Guy, you’re going to be doing the commercial as you have done for our other projects. What do you think we need, what do you think we can do?’” Guy explains.
“I’ve worked with them to come up with some ideas and said, ‘This is what I think we could do’.
“We’ve worked together to create this amazing concept.
“It’s changing a suburb.”
Guy says he loves collaborating with developers and engineers to craft a project and then obtain the best sale or leasing results for his commercial clients.
“I love being involved from day one where, as a team, you collaborate with the engineers saying this and the development manager adding their bit, before the overarching developers say, ‘Here’s the intent, here’s the cost and here’s how we’re going to stage it’,” he says.
Burgess Rawson has invested in the precinct too, locating its office on Challis St, and Guy says next year they’ll move to a bigger office again at DKSN.
A commercial real estate agent with 12 years experience, Guy says he’s long held an interest in real estate and investment, but he hasn’t always worked in the field.
He says one of the secrets to his and the agency’s success is creating long-lasting relationships built on mutual trust and respect.
Over the years, Guy has become a trusted advisor to his clients, valued for his hands-on experience as well as his ability to research and upskill if there’s an area he’s not well versed in.
“I love being in meetings where I’ve got no idea what’s being said… I’ll sit back, I’ll learn, I’ll study, I’ll go and talk to people and have a coffee with them to learn,” he explains.
Evidence of that trust is that Englobo has already brought Burgess Rawson on board for another of its projects, this time in Gungahlin.
Guy says the project will be three times the size of DKSN and provide work for the next 10 years.