When Patrick Falke and Bryan Larsen first crossed paths, they realized they shared the same values and a desire to bring fresh ideas to the field of property development. This mutual drive led them to form Attego Group, a real estate firm specializing in supporting nonprofits through project development.
Combining their skills and expertise, which include backgrounds in the nonprofit sector and construction fields, the business partners developed a five-phase project model that allows them to manage all aspects of a project.
The model ensures that the project is not only completed on time and under budget, but that the outcome matches the needs of the specific organization and its future growth.
Additionally, instead of pricing being determined by overall project costs and estimation of hours, which are generally open-ended, Attego Group homes in on all major elements.
The firm even provides gratis hours, meaning that clients are encouraged to continue to reach out even after warranty periods end.
“We want our clients to know that we are always there if they need to talk to us about any concerns,” Falke said. “We don’t want them to worry about costs with us.”
Collaboration & Customization
Experience-oriented, the firm customizes each proposal to fit into the individual project scenario, allowing clients to choose their level of involvement with each element.
“Every project is different and our design allows us to show our clients how we think we fit into the project,” Falke said. “Stakeholders and board members in each organization have different skill sets so we are always very open with our clients, and if a stakeholder or board member wants to do more, we can tailor our approach.
“We think that’s pretty unique because a lot of other firms might want to take more control, but we have more of a collaborative approach. The more people we can get to provide energy or input, the better.”
With nonprofit clients especially, the firm aims to jump on board with a project as early as possible in order to truly understand what the organization is trying to do and what is needed to make the project a success.
“We want to create an experience that the leadership from organizations feel good about and we’ve received great feedback so far, which has helped us measure our success and plan for the future,” Falke said.
Connecting with Community
From the moment Attego Group was founded, the focus has been on doing impactful work. Falke and Larsen enjoy that every project is different and that they can lean into their passions of problem solving, critical thinking and creating new ideas that will make positive changes.
“We love our community’s nonprofits, which is what we focus on. These organizations are doing great things and we are just trying to amplify that,” Falke said. “Even when doing work that isn’t attached to the nonprofit world, we still think of community building first before we get into the other details of the project.”
While the firm is still very young and focused on growing its client base, giving back to local organizations is also at the forefront. One example of Attego Group’s generosity is its recent sponsorship of Heat the Streets, which raises money for local utility assistance programs.
“We want to put good out there and help organizations,” Falke said. “We’re not at a place yet where we can give a lot of money, but we can give time. We tell everyone that we will give anyone 10 hours. Some groups aren’t going to be ready for a project anytime soon, but it’s important to us that they know what they need to do to take that next step.
“We feel like giving back our time is building the business. People will talk about the fact that we are giving and good people first, and then that we are a good business to work with second.”
Meaningful Projects Await
As with any new business comes the obstacle of visibility and awareness. Continuing to form relationships with the local leadership community is an important goal for Attego Group, as is learning more about the missions of many different organizations and working with these groups to further improve the community.
“We hope to continue to connect our strengths with what is needed in our area,” Falke said. “It’s a huge challenge, but the biggest need we see right now is affordable housing in every different way. We’ve been lucky to be plugged into a few projects early on that have helped us understand what possibilities are out there. We would love to maintain our relationships with any entities working in this space. We look forward to continuing to work with others who are as passionate as we are to deliver it.”
Website: www.attego-group.com
Social Media: Facebook • Instagram • LinkedIn
