Ackerman & Co. recently completed a five-year, 5,136-square-foot lease with Godavari, a national restaurant chain specializing in South Indian cuisine, at Windward Promenade in Alpharetta, Ga. Godavari is the first Georgia location for the restaurant chain, which currently has 14 restaurants across the U.S.

Troy Morris, brokerage associate at Ackerman & Co., assisted Godavari in selecting Windward Promenade as the site for its initial metro Atlanta restaurant and represented the franchise in the lease transaction. Sam Krueger of Riverwood Properties LLC represented the landlord (Riverwood Properties).

“This is an excellent, high-visibility location for Godavari’s first restaurant in metro Atlanta,” said Morris. “The restaurant will benefit from its proximity to numerous office buildings and retailers, and will also attract customers from the affluent residential neighborhoods in and around Alpharetta, which includes a heavy Indian population.”

Ackerman & Co. has arranged the sale of a 3.40 acre, 13-parcel land assemblage along the northeastern corner of Gay Street and East Glenn Avenue in Downtown Auburn, within walking distance of area landmarks including the Auburn University Campus.

The assemblage, targeted for a six-story, 683-bedroom residential project dubbed The Standard at Auburn, was acquired by Landmark Properties, a real estate development and management firm of high-quality student housing communities. The property is expected to include 16,000 square feet of retail space at its base and offer state-of-the-art amenities including rooftop infinity pool. Ackerman & Co. Senior Vice Presidents Steve Langford and Sean W. Patrick were the exclusive agents for the sellers and acted as the intermediaries in the transaction.

“Given the high barriers of entry, it was a rare opportunity to acquire these parcels and in such close proximity to Auburn University,” said Langford.

Such an endeavor did not come without challenges. The Ackerman & Co. team spent nearly two and a half years assembling the mix of 13 contiguous and non-contiguous land parcels, owned by 10 different families, some of whom lived out of state.

Congratulations to Bryan Davis, our March Broker of the Month!

Bryan, who earned the Ackerman & Co. Top Young Producer of the Year award years before, continues to surpass expectations, evidenced by his most recent deals.

Last month, Bryan signed a new medical tenant and renewed an existing one, both at ten-year terms. The active broker also signed a brand new retail tenant and assisted a long-term tenant with a major expansion, doubling their space for another 10-year term.

If you’re in the market for a diligent, service-oriented commercial real estate solution provider, Bryan is your expert.

Kirk Rich, Ackerman & Co. President of Brokerage, Keener Miller (center) and Sim Doughtie

Keene Miller, Ackerman & Co. President of Brokerage and also President of The Atlanta Commercial Board of Realtors, spoke at the 59th Million Dollar Club Banquet, celebrating the best in commercial real estate. The Atlanta Commercial Board of REALTORS® is one of the largest commercial in the nation with more than 2,200 members. The 2017 Million Dollar Club produced over a record-setting $26+ billion in commercial real estate transactions, surpassing the previous record of just over $25 billion, set in 2016.

Ackerman congratulates all Million Dollar Club award winners, including our own, for their outstanding achievements. Each of the following Ackerman brokers has generated in excess of four and a half million dollars in commercial real estate sales and leasing activity last year.

Kevin Hermetz $20+ Million		Sean Patrick $20+ Million		Larry Jarema $10+ Million
Frank Farrell $4.5+ Million		Jimmy Stevens $4.5+ Million		Brett Buckner $4.5+ Million

Industry veteran Brian Lefkoff has joined Ackerman & Co. as Senior Vice President under the company’s retail services platform, Ackerman Retail, which focuses on strengthening and expanding its full service retail brand throughout the Southeast.

Lefkoff joins the team with more than 15 years of solid executive retail tenant representation and management experience. He will be representing retailers with their site selection and expansion on behalf of Ackerman Retail.

Most recently, Lefkoff was Managing Partner/Owner of Southern Retail Brokerage Services, a firm specializing in site selection and lease negotiation for retail tenants.

“We are steadfastly growing our platform with the best talent in the industry to provide optimum solutions for our clients,” said Leo Wiener, President of Ackerman Retail. “Brian has extensive relationships and experience with complex retail transactions and providing enterprising solutions to some of the nation’s major national brands.”

Ackerman & Co. has announced the recent acquisition of a three-building industrial portfolio in the Westgate Business Park in Atlanta, Ga. The three buildings (5215, 5245 and 5260 Westgate Drive) were purchased in an off-market deal from Clarion Partners, LLC for $7.55 million.

The three well-located, front-load, shallow-bay industrial buildings total 274,791 square feet and are fully occupied. Ackerman & Co.’s in-house team will provide leasing and management services for the new acquisition. The deal was facilitated by Cushman and Wakefield’s Stewart Calhoun and Casey Masters. The all-equity transaction was sourced through a new partnership with a leading European private equity group.

“The I-20W/Fulton Industrial Submarket continues to be a top performer with low vacancy and steady quarter-over-quarter average rental rate growth,” said Kris Miller, President of Ackerman & Co. “We are very excited about this opportunity to purchase highly functional industrial properties in a key submarket,” he added.

We’re kicking off 2017 by speaking with our Broker of the Year, John Speros. John has been with Ackerman & Co. for eight years and is one of the premier land brokers in the Metro Atlanta area. We caught up with John between deals for some insight into the mind of one of our senior brokers. 

A.) Congrats on being named Ackerman’s Broker of the Year for 2016. Can you tell me how you got to that point and what your goals were at the beginning of 2016 and how you achieved them?

The real answer is simple: I produced more revenue than any other broker at Ackerman. I don’t start off the year hoping to be Broker of the Year. I just focus on helping the client meet their objectives and if you do that the commission seem to follow.

B.) What brought you to Ackerman & Co. and how long have you been here?

I joined Ackerman & Co almost eight years ago when Larry Wood, Sean Patrick, Kyle Gable and I left another firm. We all felt that Ackerman provided a unique platform for our business.

C.) Can you tell us a little about what you do at Ackerman & Co.?

My focus is selling raw land for commercial and residential development.

D.) What is the best part of working at Ackerman & Co.?

Ackerman & Co. gives me ALL of the support that I need to be successful including administrative, marketing, research and other support services.

E.)  What’s something that surprises people about you?

For some reason, people see me as really intense. I have had several people say that they were warned about how difficult I would be to work with only to discover that I am pretty easy going.

F.) What is the most exciting thing about commercial real estate to you?

It all or nothing. I learn something new in every transaction. It’s like Vegas with better odds.

G.) What is the most rewarding part of your job?

I enjoy helping my clients achieve their objectives. The commissions are anticlimactic, to me.

H.) What advice do you have for someone trying to break into your field?

Get lean on all expenses, be prepared to go for two years without an income and find someone to mentor you.

I.) What book do you think everyone on the team should read?

The Good Earth by Pearl S. Buck.

J.) If you could have lunch with a U.S. president or someone famous, who would it be and why?

That’s tough to narrow down. There are so many people that I would love to talk with for an hour. I would have to put Ronald Reagan near the top of that list.

K.) Do you have a bucket list? What’s one thing on your bucket list that you can share with us?

At 60, I have completed most of the “physical” bucket list items. However, I would like to step foot on every continent.

L.) Who has been the most important person in your life?

My father. He taught me a great work ethic and emphasized getting my education. He could also “fix” just about anything and “fixing” things take a logical thought process that I use every day in brokerage.

M.) What lessons has your work life taught you?

If you work hard and smart, you seem to have more luck!

F. Keene Miller, President of Brokerage with Ackerman & Co. was named President of the Atlanta Commercial Board of REALTORS (ACBR) for the 2017 term. Miller was sworn in during ACBR’s Annual Business Meeting and Awards Ceremony held at the InterContinental Hotel Buckhead on December 9th. The Atlanta Commercial Board of Realtors, an instrumental factor in the growth of organized real estate in the state of Georgia since 1910, is the largest commercial realtor association in the country with more than 2,500 members.

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“Service above self is his motto,” said John O’Neill, senior managing director at Cushman & Wakefield, when describing Miller from the podium during the ceremony. “Keene is a consensus builder who leans in to get the job done,” he added. Miller will be the association’s 42^nd president.

Miller who believes in “never letting the moment be bigger than him” is committed to the ACBR’s continued efforts to increase diversity, offering higher education classes and advocating for the commercial real estate industry while supporting the communities in which they do business.

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Last week Ackerman & Co.’s 2016 Young Broker of the Year, Ben Campbell, joined members of the Atlanta Habitat Young Professionals Group to put some finishing touches a one-story, two bedroom home in Southwest Atlanta.

The home is for Ms. Taylor, a medical office manager who came to Atlanta in 2007, and her son. It will be completed by the first quarter of 2017. 

“I believe in the importance of Habitat’s work throughout the community. I was inspired by my family, friends, Jason Carter and the Carter Foundation to get involved with Habitat Atlanta,” said Campbell, a founder of the Atlanta Habitat Young Professionals Group. “The assistance Habitat Atlanta provides for struggling families is very powerful and acts as a catalyst for neighborhood revitalization.”  

Campbell and the Young Professionals Group plan to continue fundraising and build more homes in the Southwest Atlanta area next year. 

The growing retail services division of Ackerman & Co. recently welcomed Courtney Brumbelow as Senior Vice President of Ackerman Retail. Brumbelow is charged with directing the leasing of Ackerman’s retail properties as well as the company’s third-party retail property assignments. Additionally, she will help facilitate the continued team effort to strengthen and expand Ackerman’s retail platform throughout the Southeast.

Brumbelow brings more than 18 years of commercial real estate experience to Ackerman Retail and has completed more than 365 real estate transactions in excess of $155 million.

Prior to joining Ackerman Retail, Brumbelow was Vice President of Leasing at Moonbeam Capital Investments, where she was responsible for overseeing a 3.5-million-square-foot portfolio of shopping centers, enclosed malls and offices. Brumbelow also worked as Director of Real Estate for Penn Hodge Properties, in charge of development, leasing and property management of their real estate portfolio.

“Courtney has a solid track record of driving strong results. She brings a tremendous amount of talent and experience to our team,” said Leo Wiener, President of Ackerman Retail.