West Palm Beach, Fla.--NAI/Merin Hunter Codman, the largest commercial brokerage firm in Palm Beach County, today announced that it has expanded its commercial real estate brokerage staff by more than 50 percent, from 13 to 20 professionals compared with a year ago. The expansion of brokerage services is part of a concerted effort by the firm to extend its regional dominance into southern Palm Beach and Broward Counties. As consolidation of national firms continues, NAI/Merin Hunter Codman is capitalizing on the opportunity to hire top talent. The firm is unique in its financial strength having built a solid fee based business that has allowed the firm to weather the current market cycle where other transactionally dominate firms have faced financial pressure.
“While others pare back in down markets, we’re using the opportunity to shore up our business segments, positioning ourselves for an upturn,” said Jay M. Grossman, President of NAI/Merin Hunter Codman. “We have been fortunate in the current market environment. Our business model, for many years, has concentrated on the fee and consultative side of the business. However, as the market begins to bottom we perceive an opportunity to enhance the strength of our transactional business which accounts for our recent push to invest in new people.”
One business segment upon which the firm is focusing is commercial landlord representation in Boca Raton and south. New hire, seasoned veteran Steven F. O’Hara with over 28 years in the industry, will spearhead new business in that segment, focusing primarily on provided representation services to office properties throughout southern Palm Beach and Broward Counties. He will also be involved in representing tenants.
O’Hara joins NAI/Merin Hunter Codman as a Managing Director in the Boca Raton office. He had previously been at the CB Richard Ellis Boca Raton office for ten years as First Vice President. Prior to that, he had seven years tenure each at Florida Real Estate Advisors and Paragon Group, both based in Tampa, overseeing the leasing of three million+ square feet of office space during that collective time.
Adds O’Hara of his role at NAI/Merin Hunter, “The firm has done a good job expanding its landlord business south. My goal is to help service that business and grow it further.” Spencer S. Grossman also joins the firm as a Senior Commercial Associate in the Boca Raton office. Spencer previously worked for the past two years for Palm Beach Gardens-based American Commercial Realty as a Senior Retail Leasing Associate. While there, he oversaw the leasing and marketing of seven shopping centers throughout the State of Florida and also provided due diligence services to clients. Prior to that, he was a market and underwriting analyst at Marcus & Millichap in their Ft. Lauderdale office.
In addition, NAI/Merin Hunter Codman added four other Commercial Associates to its staff. Two are based in the Boca Raton office, Ross Feurring and Matthew G. McAllister, while, Scott W. Gluckstern and Rob Dabrowski are based at the firm’s West Palm Beach headquarters.
The remaining executives bolstering the firm’s brokerage staff are Orin Rosenfeld and Ryan Dinsdale, both having joined the firm in 2009. Rosenfeld, another CBRE alumnus, is a Managing Director spearheading the firms new focus on retail services while Dinsdale is focused on industrial properties.
Grossman adds, “In many ways, the commercial real estate business is back to basics with cold calling and knocking on doors. Several of the new hires are teaming with the firm’s senior brokers to enhance a grass roots approach to the business which was neglected during the boom times in the market. With the emphasis on basics, we’re confident we can gain considerable market share, building on our regional presence.”
NAI/Merin Hunter Codman, Inc., www.mhcreal.com, is the largest commercial real estate brokerage firm in Palm Beach County, Florida with over two decades’ experience advising on strategic acquisitions, dispositions, tenant representation, leasing and comprehensive property management. The firm advises on all commercial property sectors from office and industrial to retail, multifamily and land. NAI/Merin Hunter Codman, Inc. has among its client base some of the nation’s most prestigious institutional and private investors and through the NAI global network, can facilitate property transactions around the nation and the world, serving as a single point of contact for counsel and execution. NAI/Merin Hunter Codman, Inc. is headquartered in West Palm Beach with a regional office in Boca Raton.
