JDRF Visits Capitol Hill to Push Renewal of Diabetes Research Funding

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A civil engineering graduate of Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute (RPI), Joseph Nicolla serves as partner at Columbia Development Companies, a commercial real estate developer in Albany, New York. In addition to leading a successful enterprise for more than 20 years, Joseph Nicolla has raised $1.5 million for a variety of charities, including JDRF (formerly the Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation) through its One Hope Ball.

The leading global advocate for patients with Type 1 diabetes (T1D), JDRF recently brought more than 160 children with the disease to Washington, DC, to speak to US legislators about the need to pass a five-year funding renewal for the Special Diabetes Program (SDP). Currently, federal diabetes research funding through the National Institutes of Health (NIH) is set to expire on September 30, 2019.

The JDRF delegates spoke at a hearing before the Senate Special Committee on Aging. Accompanied by three young people with T1D, JDRF President Aaron J. Kowalski testified that past bipartisan support for SDP has facilitated numerous research breakthroughs that are improving treatments and advancing a cure for the disease. The group urged lawmakers to advance the SDP funding renewal bills that have been introduced in both chambers of Congress, including Senate Bill 1895, the Lower Health Care Costs Act, which recently passed out of committee.

The Three Common Types of Commercial Leases

Real estate developer Joseph Nicolla heads Columbia Development Companies, a unique development firm located in Albany, New York. For each development project, Joseph Nicolla and his team provide comprehensive services to clients that range from feasibility studies to design, tenant meetings, and lease and sale agreements.

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There are three basic categories of commercial real estate leases and the following is a brief description of these types:

Net lease
With net leases, property owners are given the opportunity to pass operating and maintenance costs to the tenants, such as insurance, common area maintenance (CAM) costs, and property taxes. In exchange for covering these, tenants usually have a lower base rent than with a gross lease. There are several subtypes of net leases depending on the particular expenses tenants pay for.

Gross lease
Gross leases, or full-service leases, incorporate all property operating expenses in the tenant’s rent. Although the base amount is usually high, some people prefer this type of lease because they are absolved of responsibilities for the building’s daily operations after paying their rent. These tasks are instead handled by the landlords using funds from tenant payments.

Modified gross lease
The modified gross lease provides a middle ground between net and full-service leases in terms of landlord and tenant benefit. Operating expenses are split between the two parties, although the specifics of their individual responsibilities are determined through negotiation.

Joseph Nicolla - Development Executive and Philanthropist

The recipient of a BS in civil engineering from Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute, Joseph Nicolla began his career in 1979 as a project manager with The Pyramid Companies and later worked in the same capacity with The Edgewater Companies. Since 1998, Joseph Nicolla has served as a partner of Columbia Development Companies, where he applies his extensive experience in commercial real estate planning and development, financing, and design to construct state-of-the-art buildings in New York’s technology, health care, hospitality, and education sectors.

Since launching the company, Joseph Nicolla has led the development efforts of more than 9 million square feet of commercial space with a value in excess of $1.5 billion. Projects of note include the 1.4-million-square-foot Vista Technology Campus and the 106,000-square-foot Bone and Joint Center in Albany.

Beyond his professional pursuits, Mr. Nicolla supports multiple nonprofits, including the American Red Cross, the American Cancer Society, and JDRF. Moreover, throughout his career, he has raised more than $1.5 million for local New York charities. In his free time, he enjoys playing golf and attending Broadway shows.

Joseph Nicolla - Real Estate Development Executive in New York

An alumnus of Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute with a BS in civil engineering, Joseph Nicolla began his career in 1979 as a project manager with The Pyramid Companies. Through two years with the Syracuse, New York-based firm, Joseph Nicolla oversaw the development of two regional mall projects and managed all pertinent financial functions, including construction contracts as well as budgeting and cost reporting.

Upon the completion of the regional mall projects, Joseph Nicolla was hired to serve as a project manager and partner of The Edgewater Companies, where his responsibilities included site selection, land acquisition, and due diligence review for the development of more than 1 million square feet of office space for IBM. He also directed the work of more than 20 employees. Since 1988, he has functioned as a partner with Columbia Development Companies.

As such, Joseph Nicolla focuses on the administrative and due diligence functions required to secure proper permits and approvals for the construction of projects serving the education, medical, and hospitality sectors. A recipient of the Downtown Albany Business Improvement District’s James M. DiNapoli Award, he has also earned distinction for his nonprofit support from the Boy Scouts of America, the American Cancer Society, and JDRF.

Real Estate Development Executive and Philanthropist Joseph Nicolla

As a partner with Columbia Development Companies, Joseph Nicolla leverages 40 years of experience to guide the real estate development company’s commercial, educational, hospitality, and medical projects. Under Joseph Nicolla’s leadership, the Albany, New York-based firm has developed more than 9 million square feet of commercial space with a combined value of more than $1.5 billion. His day-to-day responsibilities include managing issues related to design, financing, site selection, and commercial leases.

Prior to launching the firm, Mr. Nicolla served as a partner and project manager with The Edgewater Companies for six years and as a project manager with The Pyramid Companies for two years. In addition to his professional endeavors, he is a philanthropist who supports a variety of nonprofit organizations such as the American Cancer Society (ACS), the American Heart Association, and the American Red Cross. In 2013, he was awarded the Beacon of Hope Award from the ACS. Joseph Nicolla has raised more than $1.5 million for the local charities that he supports.

The recipient of a BS in civil engineering from Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute, Mr. Nicolla enjoys playing golf and attending Broadway shows in his free time.