In another move of expansion, Franklin Street, one of the fastest growing CRE firms in the Southeast, has hired two veteran commercial real estate professionals to strengthen and expand its office and industrial capabilities throughout the region.
Clay Wommack and Julie Palmer-Nicholson both join as directors of Franklin Street’s Office and Industrial Services service group and are based out of the company’s Tampa office. They previously worked at CBRE— Wommack as a vice president and Palmer-Nicholson as director of asset services.
“We are excited to welcome both Clay and Julie to the Franklin Street family,” said Chris Butler, a co-managing partner of the office and industrial services group. “They are both extremely talented professionals who will add a lot of value to the organization immediately. They are well-connected and bring a skillset that will help us fast track the growth of our office and industrial business.”
The pair’s addition comes just months after Franklin Street hired Butler and Chad Rupp to lead the company’s office and industrial division.
Wommack specializes in landlord and tenant representation in the Tampa Bay region with an emphasis on agency landlord rep. Throughout his 20-year career, he has leased more than 15 million square feet of office and industrial space throughout the Southeastern U.S., while establishing a reputation for providing real estate solutions that drive bottom-line results. Wommack represents institutional real estate investors and owners as well a smaller private owners. Some of his clients have included: 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.
“I couldn’t be more thrilled to now to be part of Franklin Street,” said Wommack. “With their platform, we can give our clients more personalized attention while offering them more real estate services.” Wommack added, “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.”
Palmer-Nicholson, a 20-year real estate veteran, 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 Street’s office and industrial assets. In her role as director of asset services at CBRE, Palmer-Nicholson oversaw management of 13.5 million square feet of commercial space in Tampa, Jacksonville and the Panhandle. During her 12-year tenure at CBRE, Ms. Palmer-Nicholson 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. A native of Tampa, 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,” said 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, said the company has eyes on opening new offices in the Southeast U.S. as well as one in the Southwest U.S.
“Having a robust office and industrial services group is critical to our growth plans and I’m confident our new team will allow us to get to where we want to be,” said Wright. “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. 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.”
In just nine years, Franklin Street has already grown to a company of more than 200 employees with offices in Tampa, Atlanta, Miami, Fort Lauderdale and Jacksonville.
About Franklin Street: Franklin Street is a family of full-service real estate companies focused on delivering value-added solutions to meet the evolving needs of clients. Through a collaborative philosophy of leveraging the resources, expertise, and experience of each of its divisions—Real Estate, Capital, Insurance, and Management—Franklin Street offers unmatched value and optimal solutions for clients nationwide. For more information on Franklin Street, please visit FranklinSt.com. – See more at: https://www.tampabaynewswire.com/2015/02/10/franklin-street-continues-to-beef-up-office-and-industrial-platform-with-the-hiring-of-two-new-cre-veterans-in-tampa-32377#sthash.BwfqwssF.dpuf