TAMPA, FL—Franklin Street isn’t being shy about its expansion plans. The commercial real estate firm tipped its hand by hiring two veterans that should expand and strengthen its office and industrial platforms in the Southeast.
Clay Wommack and Julie Palmer-Nicholson both join as directors of Franklin’s Office and Industrial Services service group, headquartered in Tampa. The duo comes to Franklin from CBRE, where Wommack served as vice president and Palmer-Nicholson as director of asset services. They are coming on board just months after Franklin hired Chris Butler and Chad Rupp to lead the company’s office and industrial division.
“They are both extremely talented professionals who will add a lot of value to the organization immediately,” says Butler, a co-managing partner of the Office and Industrial Services group. “They are well-connected and bring a skillset that will help us fast track the growth of our office and industrial business.”
Wommack specializes in landlord and tenant representation in the Tampa Bay region with an emphasis on agency landlord rep. During his 20-year career, Wommack has leased over 15 million square feet of office and industrial space throughout the Southeastern US.
Wommack represents institutional real estate investors and owners as well as a smaller private owners. He has worked with the likes of AIG, General Electric, Blue Cross Blue Shield, Mutual of Omaha, Liberty Mutual, and institutional owners CRT Properties Trust, Kroger Equity, DRA Advisors, EOP Blackstone, and INVESCO.
“With their platform, we can give our clients more personalized attention while offering them more real estate services,” says Wommack. “The timing for us is perfect as the Tampa office and industrial markets are stabilized and poised for rent growth and new development over the next couple of years. New equity players are re-entering the Tampa market, and because we know the area so well and what tenants are looking for these days, we are perfectly positioned to advise these owners on ways to add value to their investments.”
A 20-year real estate veteran, Palmer-Nicholson oversees the management of office and industrial properties throughout Tampa Bay. She is responsible for business development, client relations, and operations for all of Franklin’s office and industrial assets.
In her role as director of asset services at CBRE, Palmer-Nicholson oversaw management of 12.5 million square feet of commercial space in Tampa, Jacksonville, and the Panhandle. During her 12-year tenure at CBRE, she also managed premier office towers 100 North Tampa and Bank of America Plaza in downtown Tampa and worked with companies such as MetLife, DRA Advisors, AIG ProLogis, and INVESCO. Palmer-Nicholson serves as an active member of the Building Owners and Managers Association (BOMA).
“Franklin Street is a real estate company unlike any other I’ve ever worked for,” says Palmer-Nicholson. “They have a culture that puts a strong emphasis on collaboration, teamwork, and client satisfaction, not just the bottom line. I’m truly excited to be part of this young, dynamic group and look forward to helping the company grow the office/industrial group, not just in Florida, but in other U.S. regions.”
Andrew Wright, CEO and managing partner of Franklin, says the company has eyes on opening new offices in the Southeast U.S. as well as one in the Southwest US. He says building a robust office and industrial services group is critical to the firm’s growth plans.
“We have been very fortunate to attract some of the best talent in the business to help us achieve our goals of soon becoming a national player,” Wright says. “If you put bright, driven people on a team and show them a clear vision of what you want to accomplish, then anything is possible.”
