Atlanta will give the national real estate brokerage firm its first Southeast location
Torrance, CA – August 16, 2010 – (RealEstateRama) — Lee & Associates, one of the largest commercial real estate services firms in the country, has made a key strategic move in its national expansion plan through a merger with one of Atlanta’s most respected real estate service firms headed by Richard Bryant, Bryant Commercial Real Estate Partners, whose offices are located at 3500 Lenox Road, NE., Suite 200 in Atlanta.
“Atlanta is a major accomplishment in Lee’s overall business plan, which sets a major emphasis on their expansion eastward. Metro Atlanta comprises 28 counties and is home to more than 5.3 million people and 145,000 private-sector firms,” said Edward Indvik, chairman of the Lee Advisory Board and vice chairman of Lee & Associates Investment Services Group. “All this makes the Atlanta MSA the ninth largest in the country.”
As Atlanta’s growth continues at a frenetic pace — the population is expected to increase by 2.3 million by 2030 — Indvik said Atlanta remains one of the nation’s top centers of business activity.
“Along with Atlanta’s top industry sectors of trade, transportation, utilities and professional services and government, this area is also home to hundreds of corporate headquarters, 12 of which are Fortune 500 companies, and thousands of small businesses and more than 2,100 international companies,” Indvik said.
The Atlanta office gives Lee its first appearance in the Southern market and will offer full-service brokerage with its 31 brokers.
“In today’s competitive commercial real estate environment being able to offer a national reach with local expertise is more important than ever,” said Bryant. “Lee & Associates provides for that capability without burdening the company with unnecessary structure or expense. Being a part of the Lee organization expands our services platform both nationally and internationally without losing the ability to make decisions and fashion our services with clients’ needs as our primary focus.”
In 2004, Bryant formed Bryant Commercial Real Estate Partners with the objective of creating a firm that provides the highest level of integrity, expertise and service in the Atlanta marketplace. He reached this success by focusing on building and maintaining long-term client relationships. This was a key reason why Lee & Associates is extremely pleased with the merger opportunity.
“One of the key components in our business plan is to link with experienced brokers who know the market,” Indvik said. “In Bryant Commercial Real Estate Partners, you not only have a company who is firmly in command of the market, but has created a reputation in Atlanta real estate that is second to none.”
Said Bryant: “Through the partnership with Bryant, Lee & Associates will enter the Atlanta market with instant expertise, capabilities, and reputation. Lee & Associates will offer full service capabilities in all facets of commercial real estate to include tenant/landlord and buyer/seller representation in office, industrial, and retail properties, property management, and investment sales. As well as asset management and disposition services primarily fashioned to assist our banking clients. In addition, our capital markets group will represent buyers and lenders as they search for viable investment opportunities.”
Before he formed Bryant Commercial Real Estate Partners, Bryant was chairman, president and managing director of the Atlanta offices of GVA Advantis Real Estate Services. Prior to that, he was senior vice president and managing broker at Portman Barry Investments in Atlanta and was vice president and resident manager for CB Richard Ellis Real Estate Services in the Southeastern region.
Other key figures joining the Lee Atlanta management team include Bryant Commercial partners Rick Tumlin, Kurt Unger, Mark Hollan, John DeCouto, Bruce Davis and Craig Viergever, Jim Ramseur, Nadia Wagner and Scott Crooks.
With its Atlanta office, Lee & Associates now encompasses 40 offices nationwide.
