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GRUBB & ELLIS USES CRYSTAL DECISIONS TO FIND HOT PROPERTIES

Crystal Decisions, a leading global provider of business intelligence software and services, announced that Grubb & Ellis has selected Crystal Decisions to deliver up-to-the-minute information and real-estate reports to more than 100 offices throughout North America. The Crystal Decisions solution will enable executives, salespeople and researchers at Grubb & Ellis to quickly identify market trends and make better business decisions based on the timely flow of relevant information, such as vacancy rates and buyer activity within local markets.

"We evaluated many competing packages, but no one else could compare with Crystal Decisions in terms of functionality and reputation. We are especially impressed with Crystal Decisions' ease-of-use and its open architecture, which allows us to leverage and scale our existing technology investments. In particular, the tight integration between Crystal Reports and Microsoft's Visual Studio .NET provides our developers with a fast and productive experience for creating high-quality, interactive reports that can be integrated into virtually any type of application," according to Lyndal Hanna, senior vice president of information technology at Grubb & Ellis.

As part of the Crystal Decisions solution, Grubb & Ellis senior management, employees and brokers, will have better and quicker access to business critical information including business reporting, financial performance and real estate market trends. In the past, the company relied upon multiple reporting engines in its systems, which required a larger time commitment from employees to compile information. Now, information can be presented in a consistent format, allowing for more efficient and informed decisions.

With Crystal Decisions, Grubb & Ellis Research is more efficient in understanding the trends shaping the commercial real estate market. For instance, it can quickly determine common attributes among buyers and sellers, as well as gain valuable insight into how deals are being financed and how much space is available in each local market.

"Grubb & Ellis is gaining a critical edge over its competition by using Crystal Decisions to provide a more effective flow of information," said Bill Gibson, chief operating officer at Crystal Decisions. "Senior executives now have the tools they need to capture the right information at the right time, enabling them to make better business decisions."