Alan Whitson, RPA, is a founder and President of the Corporate Realty, Design & Management Institute (CRDMI).

A popular author, consultant and speaker, Alan is one of the nation’s most charismatic, knowledgeable speakers on how to build the business case for high performance buildings.

He developed the acclaimed Turning Green into Gold®” educational program and today addresses the changing landscape of healthcare with his New Economics of Healthcare programs. More than 20,000 design, construction, engineering, facilities, and real estate professionals involved in over one billion square feet in projects have viewed these seminars in live formats and via the internet.

He also is the primary instructor for the Finance 101 for Healthcare Facility & Property Managers workshop. Most recently he researched and authored "Understanding Regulatory Issues in Medical Office Buildings & Hospital Facilities", the handy guide which brings clarity to the myriad of regulations impacting the healthcare industry’s changing facility models.

He is chairman of the national task force that wrote "The Model Green Lease", now the de facto standard for green leasing. 

Whitson’s books include: 

  • 365 Important Questions to Ask about Green Buildings
  • Smart Moves Manual
  • 327 Questions to Ask Before You Sign a Lease
  • Building Operating Costs Guidebook 
  • Bottom Line Comparative Lease Analysis Software


He wrote a regular columnist for OfficeInsight, a national online newsletter. He has written for a multitude of newspapers, magazines and trade journals including Buildings, Building Operating Management, Building Design & Construction, Crain’s, Environment Design+ Construction, FacilityCare, Healthcare Cost Containment (a publication of Healthcare Financial Management Association), Healthcare Financial Management, and Medical Construction & Design.

Whitson’s experience encompasses over 40 million square feet of facilities around the world in the roles of Asset Manager, Corporate Facilities Manager, Construction Manager, Development Manager, and Commercial Real Estate Broker. 

The scope of Whitson’s 30+ year career gives him a keen insight into the real estate needs of today’s corporation, and a unique understanding of the architectural, construction and real estate industries. He has held positions with: The Muller Company, Newport Beach; Bank of America’s Corporate Real Estate Division; Storek & Storek Architecture, San Francisco; The Shorenstein Company, San Francisco; Environmental Design Engineering, Seattle, San Francisco and Honolulu.

Whitson holds the professional designation of Real Property Administrator (RPA) from the Building Owners and Managers Institute. Also:

  • Initial member of the organization that became the International Facility Managers Association (IFMA)
  • New Buildings Institute: Technical Review Committee for Advanced Buildings: Energy Benchmark for High Performance Buildings a standard used in the LEED Rating system
  • The EEF-EPA Advisory Committee for Indoor Air Quality
  • Practicing Law Institute faculty member
  • Honorary Fellow of the Institute of Green Professionals


Samples of Whitson’s experience include:

  • The architectural firm, CDFM2, retained Whitson to present high performance building concepts to their client, H&R Block, before designing a new headquarters. The presentation given to senior management including the CFO led to early client acceptance as Whitson substantiated the economic return that would be achieved by incorporating high performance features into the project. Now completed, the 500,000 square foot building is a model of energy efficiency in its design.
  • Honda’s Corporate Real Estate Department had Whitson craft a presentation to senior management for a real estate plan that had been stalled for three years – the plan was approved five minutes into the 15-minute presentation.
  • After taking over a troubled renovation of a 144,000 square foot historical building, he directed the redesign of the new HVAC system, when the bids were 19% over budget. This slashed the total system cost 35%. Yet, this new HVAC system increased the rentable and usable square footage of the building, reduced annual energy costs 23% and improved air quality.
  • Conducted the financial and operational feasibility analysis that were the basis for the $660 million sale of Bank of America’s World Headquarters in San Francisco and the Bank’s decision to sell its 48% interest in the 2.4 million square foot Arco Plaza, Los Angeles. The result — almost a billion dollars flowed to Bank of America’s bottom line.
  • As manager of planning and construction for Bank of America’s data processing facilities he was responsible for 2,000 construction projects and 1,000 relocations a year. Project volume increased 37% while average project delivery time was reduced by 5% with no increase in staff during Whitson’s tenure.


His speaking engagements have encompassed regional and national events throughout the U.S. and Canada. He’s captivated audiences for the Association for Healthcare Environment (AHE), American Institute of Architects (AIA), Associated Builders & Contractors (ABC), Building Owners & Managers Association (BOMA), BOMEX Canada, CABA Energy Management Summit, Construction SuperConference, Women in Commercial Real Estate (CREW), Florida Educational Facilities Planners Association (FEFPA), Healthcare Design Conference, IIDEX Canada, Industrial Asset Management Council (IAMC), International Facilities Management Association (IFMA), ASHE (Midwest Healthcare Engineering Engineering Conference), National Association of Industrial & Office Parks (NAIOP), NeoCon, and U.S. Green Building Council (USGBC).