Benezet: "Amazon Seeks
Real Estate Transaction Efficiencies"

Interview... Julie Benezet is the Director of Real Estate at Amazon.com. Evolving its clicks-and-bricks strategy, Amazon leased over 3 million square feet of distribution space in 1999. Benezet responded to three e-mailed questions on June 23, 2000.

Pike: What are the key criteria for selecting a new Amazon distribution facility?

Benezet: We rely on a number of factors. Obviously, as in most of real estate (except dot-com office space), the first is location. In addition to proximity to customers, we also look at shipping prices, existence of major transportation arterials and distance from airports and postal and express mail hubs. Second, we spend a lot of time evaluating the workforce. The existence or nonexistence of a highly qualified, motivated workforce makes all the difference in the success of a distribution center. Not only should there be a sufficient quantity of qualified managerial and line workers to support a 24 x 7 operation, there also needs to be a record of commitment to staying at a company long term and of doing a great job while there. We, also, look for places that can provide a seasonal workforce for the peak seasons. Third, we look to locate where the local governments want us to come and provide incentives for the many jobs we bring. Not only do the incentives help our bottom line, we also prefer to work where the community wants us to be there.

Pike:: Do you manage Amazon's lease transactions using a web-based service?

Benezet: This one is a work in progress. As you might expect, our company relies heavily on the Internet for most of its systems. Our CEO in fact espouses a "paperfree" culture (he himself will never leave a meeting carrying paper). As a result, we do much of our communicating and exchanging of drafts, etc., online. Some of us old fogies still download and print particularly long documents, but comments get returned by e-mail. Our goal is for a lease negotiation tracking system with a tie to a lease database with links, levels of permission and e-mail notification of noteworthy events. That effort is in the works.

Pike: How do you personally avoid burnout from too much Internet connectivity?

Benezet:: This requires discipline. Not only is there a deluge of information that pours onto the screen every day, there comes with it the expectation that I, in fact, have the time to take it all in. To avoid burnout from information overload, I have to be very clear on my priorities for the day. Once I have that, I prescreen the information and choose according to what I need to accomplish. I tend to respond to messages only when I am the direct sendee, not a cc. I also remind myself from time to time that nervous emailing is like nervous eating. Reading emails and articles off the Internet is a great way to avoid pulling together that report. So, I get on that report. Finally, every computer comes with an "off" button. When all else fails, I hit that. It's amazing what relief that can bring.

--Peter