Bell set the bar high. The aerospace company that is best known for both military and civilian helicopters needed a new space. This was due, in part, to its work on the new V-280 “Valor” aircraft that officials at both the Pentagon and Capitol would want to be up-to-speed on. Thus, when Bell approached commercial real estate company JLL and Joshua Kurstin, the requirements were laid bare.

Bell wanted a building that would allow it to showcase past and present projects. It wanted a site that was close to Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport and it also wanted to be near the Metro transportation system. None of this was too out of the ordinary, according to Josh Kurstin, but the catch was the secrecy that surrounded the search. Kurstin and coworkers had to find a site that met the above requirements while still being able to be molded into an office that Bell wanted – all while keeping 21^st century aircraft development under wraps. Eventually, a 22,000-square-foot site in the Crystal City section of Arlington County, Virginia was selected. The interior office space would eventually include conference rooms, cubicles, communication hubs and space for collaboration between workers. It was the perfect mix of cutting-edge technology and the synergy between staff that keeps ideas flow. Joshua Kurstin points out that numerous vendors had to be brought in for the build and what makes the final product even more amazing is that entire project was done in less than one year.

The facility now gives Bell the space required to give guests a better idea of the work it does, according to Jeffrey Schloesser, who is executive vice president of strategic pursuits. “We are deeply involved in innovating this next generation of transportation for America and the world,” said Schlosser. Thus, when people visit the Bell building in Crystal City or when communications with media are made, Bell is able to bank on the design center it had hoped for at the onset of the project. As a commercial real estate veteran in the Washington, D.C.-Maryland-Virginia area, Josh Kurstin says the key to success here is to not be intimidated by bigger clients. There are plenty of companies closely related to the federal government that call the D.C. metro “Beltway” home; the real estate community should view them as great corporate neighbors. As this Bell project shows, the payoff of a happy client is one that will remain in the community for decades to come.