Tag Archive for: cbre

Former CBRE First VP To Lead SVN Commercial Realty’s Office, Healthcare Agency Practice

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Peter Messina, CCIM has been appointed by SVN Commercial Realty President Keith Kidwell to lead the firm’s Office and Healthcare agency practice in South Florida.

In 2020, the South Florida office market, while affected by the pandemic, mostly held strong and was not impacted nearly as much as other major markets around the country.

“Rental rates have for the most part remained intact, although incentives have increased especially to the major tenants seeking renewal,” Messina said. “Sublease space creating a shadow market has begun to surface and should be monitored closely.”

 “I am excited to be joining SVN Commercial Realty and look forward to leveraging the Sperry platform of services and to be aligned with a team of seasoned professionals,” Messina continued. “SVN has a company culture of broker cooperation which fits perfectly with my involvement in CCIM and my business approach and the service to my clients.”

Messina has 14 years of experience in South Florida commercial real estate covering most types of transactions and representation. His experience in office and industrial agency and tenant representation, healthcare, multimarket portfolio accounts and advisory services lends itself as a perfect fit to the Sperry platform of services.

Messina joins SVN Commercial Realty after four years with CBRE, where he served as First Vice President with the Advisory and Transactions Services team. He is an active member of CCIM and served as the Broward District in 2018 and continues to service on the board. He is also a long standing member of the Rotary Club of Weston and volunteers for several local charities.

 

Paul Marko Discusses State Of South Florida CRE

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Today, you hear everywhere that “data is key.”

Amenity offerings are evolving rapidly, and new challenges are reshaping the real estate market. A real estate expert that can navigate this data-driven and tenant-oriented environment is essential. Paul Marko was recently appointed as principal of the South Florida Avison Young team, and he applied his 30 years of experience in office tenant representation, buyer broker services and portfolio administration to answer some of our questions about the South Florida and national commercial real estate markets.

Q: What are your thoughts on the national CRE market, in terms of trends and challenges during the current pandemic?

The multifamily, retail, and office commercial real estate sectors have been most affected by the pandemic and have had to pause and closely examine and re-evaluate the “what ifs” and “if, thens.” Industrial remains a market leader and has grown exponentially due to e-commerce and cold storage demand.

From an office standpoint, the unknown future impact of the pandemic has created an inflection point for the needs of tenants and end-users. Due to the pandemic, most companies and industries are uniquely facing impacts on workforce, workspace, culture, office schedules, and technology, all while navigating racial equality and political concerns in an election year. Therefore, commercial real estate professionals and landlords will have to place an emphasis on tenants shifting needs and respond with a customized approach.

It is important to note that remote working and full return to the office are not mutually exclusive. The current environment is affecting various businesses in vastly different ways. A partial return to the workplace with modified schedules, shift working, or agile workspaces is also being implemented. The safety and comfort of employees is paramount while allowing proximity for idea sharing and innovation to flourish.

Q: What would you say stands out about the South Florida office market?

South Florida is attractive to businesses for many reasons, including no state income tax and a low barrier to entry. Large developable tracts of land for new office development are scarce, but the region is ripe for redevelopment. This market is appealing to businesses looking to relocate and/or expand from out of state.

With the exception of Miami, which is a global city, the balance of South Florida is considered a secondary market. Our office market has been impacted, but not in the same way as primary markets like New York, Chicago, or Los Angeles. South Florida has shown resiliency.

With regards to the office market, I am seeing few new leases, and most office tenants, upon receiving notice of lease expiration, are requesting 12 to 18 month extensions. The landlord does not want the vacancy, and the tenant is not sure about a longer-term renewal. As long as the landlord can get lender approval, this extension seems like a good compromise and collaborative solution to the unknowns of the pandemic impacts currently on our South Florida business climate. As it relates to the office tenants, leases expire every day, leaving a tenant with three choices: renew, move, or buy.

Q: Where do you see it going in the future? Are there any safety measures and policies that you think might or should be adopted into best practices for commercial real estate going forward, beyond this pandemic?

Ongoing safety measures will include touchless entry points, more thorough sanitization processes, cleaner air filtration, and continued social distancing. The pandemic has forced us to be mindful of germ transfer, which is a positive. The question is whether our vigilance will lessen once there is a vaccine or with the simple passage of time.

I have represented a national law firm for 25 years. Like most firms, the objective was to have the attorneys in individual offices. Once the pandemic hit, and everyone was forced to work from home, the firm realized that the attorneys could in fact be productive.  There was now a good argument for flexible schedules and shared offices. Further, with appropriate surface sanitization service, and collaborative scheduling, they could have multiple attorneys share one office. For this firm, this has reduced the overall required office space by 50-60%.

Currently, we are seeing a reduction in office densities, but we believe it is temporary. A trend that may last for the long-term is tenants adopting agile and flexible workspaces and technology enhanced furniture that can be moved and used in different ways.

Q: In your experience, how has the evolution of online marketing affected the commercial real estate industry?

The printed format for marketing purposes is obsolete. Dynamic, real-time, interactive materials with data-driven insights to help clients achieve better outcomes are what the future holds.

Q: Could you provide us some background on what attracted you to a career in commercial real estate?

I started my commercial real estate career as an appraiser in the late 1980s. I was a MAI candidate and Florida State Certified General Licensed Appraiser. I loved interpreting the data and formulating an opinion of market value. It was advisory and consultative, which fits my personality well. My appraisal experience is a unique credential in the commercial real estate industry which contributes to my value proposition. After about five years in appraisal, I had an opportunity to move into office leasing and brokerage. I was the broker for an existing 500,000 SF office development that IBM vacated in Boca Raton, Florida. I interacted with South Florida’s top tenant representative brokers and realized office tenant representation was what I wanted to do. Over the years, I have been fortunate to be one of South Florida’s most successful office tenant representatives, office buyer broker representatives, and small-mid cap corporate portfolio account representatives. My career took me from Miami-based Codina Realty ONCOR International, CBRE, Stiles Corporation, and now Avison Young.

Avison Young is a great match for my skill set; its recent expansion of consulting across the Americas and investment in technology and innovation will enhance my ability to use data and analytics to fuel insights for the companies and industries I serve. The firm’s culture of collaboration, integrated services, and a client-centric approach are consistent with my business approach.

Q: Do you have any personal experience advice that you would impart as an absolute must for those looking to get into the CRE industry?

The absolute “must haves” for this industry are passion and patience. Commercial real estate is fluid and the ever-changing needs of the participants keeps me engaged. Years of experience helped me realize my passion is based in curiosity. I feel blessed to have found that. Many people never find their career passion. Curiosity made me a good appraiser and it is critical for my role as an office tenant representative and buyer broker. I am always looking for a value-add solution for my clients.

Q: Any other insights that you would like to share?

While I see technology and digitization of services shaping the future of commercial real estate, I also see a real need to return to community and customized strategy. We must intentionally seek ways for both to meet.

 

Source:  Commercial Cafe

Office Leasing Veterans Join New Firms

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Pike Rowley, Avison Young Principal and Managing Director of the firm’s operations in Florida, announced the appointment of Paul Marko as Avison Young Principal.

Marko will be focused on serving and advising office occupiers in South Florida.

“Office occupiers are facing major decisions about their office needs and workforce,” said Rowley. “With exceptional industry expertise and market knowledge, Paul is positioned to provide clients with data-driven insights and solutions that meet their business needs.”

This year, the South Florida office market has seen overall rent growth begin to decelerate due to an increasing supply pipeline, and a record amount of office space under construction with significant deliveries expected by year end. At the same time, companies are taking an active holistic and strategic view of office footprints in a post-pandemic world to meet the expectations of their workforce and business needs.

“Avison Young is a great match for my skill set; its recent expansion of consulting across the Americas and investment in technology and innovation will help drive my ability to use data and analytics to fuel insights for the companies and industries I serve,” said Marko. “The firm’s culture of collaboration, integrated services and client-centric approach are consistent with my own business approach, helping to provide solutions to clients for the issues of today and tomorrow.”

Marko has more than 30 years of experience in commercial real estate across office tenant representation, buyer broker services, lease/portfolio administration, project management and consulting. He joins Avison Young after eight years at Stiles Realty, where he served as President overseeing the leasing and sales division. Prior to Stiles, Marko served as First Vice President at CBRE in Ft. Lauderdale in the firm’s global corporate services and office tenant advisory services groups. He is a graduate of Florida Atlantic University.

CBRE announced that industry veteran Madelayne Garcia has joined the firm as senior vice president of Advisory and Transaction Services, specializing in office landlord representation across South Florida. Ms. Garcia joins CBRE with more than 25 years of commercial real estate experience.

“We are thrilled to welcome Madelayne to our South Florida team,” said David Bateman, Managing Director at CBRE. “She brings a wealth of experience, and we are confident that her contributions will continue strengthening and expanding our capabilities in landlord representation in our region.”

Ms. Garcia joins CBRE from Stiles Realty, where she was since 2001. Prior to Stiles, Ms. Garcia was the Director of Leasing at The Hogan Group. During her tenure at The Hogan Group, she represented Royal Palm at SouthPointe, a joint venture between The Hogan Group and Credit Suisse First Boston.

Ms. Garcia has won several awards throughout her career, including CoStar Power Broker Award from 2006 to 2019, the Florida Real Estate Journal’s Top Woman in Commercial Real Estate Award, Daily Business Review’s “Top Dealmaker of the Year – Leasing”, among others.

 

CBRE’s Robert Smith, Kirk Nelson and Jeff Kelly Arrange Sale Of Single Tenant Leased Property

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CBRE Executive Vice President Robert Smith, Senior Vice President Kirk Nelson and Executive Vice President Jeffrey Kelly facilitated the sale of a single tenant leased property located at 1715 E Tiffany Drive in Mangonia Park for $5,720,000.

RL Capital LLC paid $5,720,000 for the 43,674-square-foot office/warehouse building, which is situated on 2.82 acres of land fronting 45th Street.

The deal closed June 18.

The owner/seller, Gulfstream Goodwill, executed a sale leaseback to the buyer.

Michael Fisher with John C. Bills Properties LLC and Chris Klein with Treasure Coast Commercial Real Estate Inc. assisted in the sale of the property.

“The Buyer and Seller both worked through a very challenging environment to arrange a successful sale,” commented Nelson.

CBRE's Robert Smith, Kirk Nelson and Jeff Kelly

With over 70 years combined experience as the North and South County brokerage market leaders with CBRE, Inc., Kelly, Smith, and Nelson have completed thousands of sale and lease transactions totaling billions of dollars in total consideration. They consistently achieve production levels high enough to be recognized nationally within CBRE.

NAI Merin Hunter Codman Welcomes Industry Veteran To Brokerage Team

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NAI/Merin Hunter Codman, Inc., welcomed South Florida commercial real estate expert Adam Starr to the firm’s brokerage team as Managing Director.

Starr will be specializing in the sale and leasing of office and industrial properties throughout south Palm Beach and Broward counties.

Starr, a six-time CoStar Power Broker Award winner, brings over two decades of commercial real estate expertise to NAI/Merin Hunter Codman. Starr has successfully negotiated over 15,000,000 square feet of sales and lease transactions throughout South Florida for firms such as CBRE, Brenner Real Estate Group, and the Trammell Crow Company. Starr’s focus will remain in tenant and landlord representation, as well as investment sales.

“It is always a pleasure to welcome a seasoned, commercial real estate professional to our firm. Adam has successfully navigated a wide variety of transactions through all of South Florida’s market cycles. He is a well-liked and highly respected industry expert that is known for his market knowledge, tenacity, professionalism and absolute commitment to the highest level of service for his clients,” stated Jordan Paul, CEO, NAI/Merin Hunter Codman.

 

“I have done business with Adam many times over the years. He has developed a remarkable track record of creating value and attaining favorable financial returns for his clients. He is a very welcome addition and will be a true asset to the firm’s brokerage team,” stated NAI/Merin Hunter Codman, Chairman, Neil E. Merin, SIOR, CCIM.

 

Fort Lauderdale Office Tower Fetches $117 Million

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CBRE has arranged the sale of One Financial Plaza in Ft. Lauderdale.

The 282,883-square-foot office tower is located at 100 Southeast 3rd Avenue, just steps from the heart of Downtown Fort Lauderdale’s Las Olas District.

Alliance Partners HSP purchased the fully renovated office tower for $117 million.

The property recently underwent a comprehensive $8 million renovation including a new lobby, security desk, fitness center, conference center, upgrades to elevator landings and restrooms, and elevator modernization. A $2 million overhaul to the exterior of the building is on-going including the relocation of the primary building entrance to the eastern side of the building along Financial Plaza Drive, expanding the exterior facade to increase the lobby area and add 2,500 square feet of new retail space, enhanced building signage above the lobby entrance, and installing new pavers and sidewalks along the entire length of Financial Plaza Drive.

“One Financial Plaza has been among the most desirable office buildings in the CBD,” said John Osborne, Senior Vice President at Crocker Partners. “With the recent capital improvements that position is enhanced for the long-term.”

CBRE Capital Markets Vice Chairman Christian Lee and Executive Vice President José Lobón facilitated the sale on behalf of Crocker Partners.

“One Financial Plaza features a highly attractive core-plus business plan, providing strong in-place cash flows while offering significant upside potential. The largest tenants at the Property, leasing at least a whole floor, feature 7.8 years of weighted average lease term, while near-term upside is afforded via the lease-up of 26,861 sq. ft. of currently vacant space and the roll-to-market of 82,011 SF of leases expiring over the first 5 years.” explained Lobón.

 

“The exterior renovations and the to-be-constructed multi-family will dramatically improve the sense of arrival and overall appeal of One Financial Plaza,” added Lee.

The CBRE Capital Markets team also included Senior Vice President Amy Julian, with CBRE’s Debt & Structured Finance, and Senior Financial Analyst Andrew Chilgren.