Franklin Street, a full-service commercial real estate company headquartered in Tampa, announces today that it has opened an office in Orlando and has made the first of several hires in the market.
“This was an easy decision for us,” said Kurt Keaton, President of Real Estate and Management Services. “Our growth is based on the needs of our clients and as the opportunities continue to grow in that market, it became increasingly important for us to have a local presence. Not only will we be able to better service their needs, but we see a lot of opportunity for business development.” Keaton adds, “Orlando connects our coverage coast-to-coast and we are excited about Franklin Street’s growth and momentum across the state of Florida.”
In addition to leading the real estate and management divisions at Franklin Street, Keaton will also be regional managing director of the Orlando office. “Kurt knows this market extremely well, working out of Orlando for more than 7 years prior to joining our firm in January,” said Andrew Wright, CEO and Managing Partner who founded Franklin Street 10 years ago this fall. Keaton will be responsible for growing the Orlando team and rolling out the company’s full-spectrum of services which include real estate investment sales, leasing, management, capital markets, insurance, and valuation.
Joining Keaton in the Orlando office is Melissa Hazlewood who will serve as Vice President of Property Management for the Orlando office. Hazlewood served the last 13 years at JLL, acting as a Regional Manager and overseeing more than 7 million square feet of office and industrial space as well as several retail buildings. She has relationships with several institutional clients including TIAA CREF, Equity Office, TA Realty, Starwood and USAA. “I am thrilled to be part of the Franklin Street team and am excited to launch our efforts in Central Florida,” said Hazlewood, who worked with Keaton for more than a decade. “The company’s culture of putting people and clients first aligns with my own values. Once the word spreads about our platform and refreshing approach to doing business, I’m confident we’ll staff-up quickly with top talent.”
Franklin Street plans on adding all of its existing service lines in Orlando. In fact, Keaton said, he expects to make some announcements soon regarding new-hires and the addition of new clients in the region.
“Rounding out our geographical footprint to include Orlando has always been part of our strategic plan,” Wright said. “We wanted to wait for the right time, with the right people in place and now that time has come. These are very exciting times for our company.” While based in Tampa, Franklin Street has offices in Fort Lauderdale, Miami, Orlando, Jacksonville and Atlanta, Georgia. The Orlando office is located downtown at 390 N. Orange Ave. Orlando, FL 32801 Suite 2300.
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, Management and Valuation—Franklin Street offers unmatched value and optimal solutions for clients nationwide. For more information on Franklin Street, please visit FranklinSt.com.
