Ackerman Retail is leasing exceptional ground-level retail space at 120 Piedmont Avenue, a prominent downtown Atlanta location.

We are offering up to 3,930 SF at the 26-story Georgia State University student housing and retail project dubbed “The Mix,” which is also home to a 4,000 SF RaceTrac. The soon-to-open store will be the first Racetrac of its kind in a mixed-use development when it opens this summer.

Ackerman Executive Vice President Courtney Brumbelow is representing the landlord in leasing the retail spaces. The ground-floor retail units will see plenty of foot traffic from students residing at The Mix (which will house up to 650 students), as well as from the approximately 2,000 students at four other Georgia State apartment buildings located across the street at University Commons.

Located at the corner of Piedmont and John Wesley Dobbs avenues, The Mix will offer students upscale amenities such as a resort-style pool, poolside cabanas, a fitness center, a dog park and yoga room. The RaceTrac will feature the store’s popular offerings such as a frozen yogurt station and coffee bar.

In a concerted effort to foster diversity within their organizations, many real estate companies are becoming more proactive in recruiting people of color.

To that end, commercial real estate firms are sourcing talent from a broader group of colleges and universities and providing a variety of career development resources.

While the industry is making strides, diversity levels among senior executives could use some improvement. According to NAIOP, white men comprise 78 percent of senior executives and white women make up the next largest segment (14 percent), while black women and black men each comprise 1 percent of the total.

With more than 20 years of experience in commercial real estate, Fara Wilson, vice president of Marketing and Communications at Ackerman & Co., is familiar with both the challenges and rewards of working as a black woman in the industry. She described her experiences in a Bisnow feature, The Black Experience.

“Being black in CRE presents a new opportunity to learn, grow and make money. It also means having access to a client base that typically has not been marketed to by a black broker or not met someone in CRE marketing who looks like him or her,” Fara said.

She added, “On the not-so-positive side, you can run into small-minded people. However, nothing succeeds like success. If you stay focused on the task at hand and do a great job, clients and peers alike will grow to respect you and focus on your ability to deliver.”

In addition to the efforts of individual companies, real estate organizations are working to attract people of color.

The Atlanta Commercial Board of Realtors (ACBR), one of the largest realtor associations in America, has a variety of programs aimed at boosting diversity at all levels of commercial real estate.

“Atlanta has been very progressive in civil rights and race relations but our industry has lagged behind,” said Scotland Wright, former Diversity Committee chairman for ACBR, in a promotional video for the association’s diversity programs.

ACBR’s diversity’s initiatives include a mentorship program that helps mentees enhance their skills and expertise; a partnership program that combines the resources of ACBR with organizations such as CoreNet and NAIOP; and an annual event that presents a guest speaker from a diverse background who shares his or her experiences in the industry.

NAIOP, a commercial real estate network with more than 19,000 members, promotes diversity through initiatives such as the Inclusion in CRE Scholarship, which enters up to 10 women and minorities into a curriculum aimed at advancing their commercial real estate careers. The organization also provides examples of best practices companies have adopted to increase diversity.

How can we help?

Ackerman & Co. wants to know what you need with regard to managing your properties. The answer helps us build our plan of attack—choosing from our arsenal of experts and services to find the best solution for your real estate investment. Property management can make or break a real estate venture. Good management can increase value and reduce property costs. Bad management can mean money lost and headaches acquired.

Ackerman & Co. is a property partner you can trust to help you—and your investment—find success.

The Property Management division is a key part of Ackerman & Co.’s full-service platform. The team’s seasoned professionals manage a portfolio of properties totaling nearly 8 million square feet, providing tenant relations, asset management, accounting and engineering services.

Property Manager Amanda Wyatt is a 15-year veteran in Ackerman’s Property Management division. We recently caught up with Amanda to get a close-in look at her role in the department. In addition to providing perspective on her approach to her work, she discussed what she enjoys doing in her free time – and even her top “bucket list” item!

Q: Can you tell us a little about what you do in the Property Management group?

A: I manage multiple properties in the metro Atlanta area. My team and I support the owners, assist the tenants at each of the properties, provide financial reporting and oversee daily operations.

Q: For people who aren’t familiar with property management, can you provide a rundown of the core services the Ackerman & Co. property management group provides?

Q: What advice do you have for someone trying to break into your field?

A: The advice I would give is to be patient, breathe and don’t be afraid to ask questions.

Q: What are some of the most gratifying aspects of your work?

A: The camaraderie of my team! It makes it easy to come to work every day knowing that I have a great team of professionals around me.

Q: How would you describe yourself?

A: I am seriously funny, always have a smile on my face. I love to laugh and love a good joke. Life is too short, so my outlook is to make the best of it and have a good time.

Q: What are some of your favorite things to do in your free time?

A: I enjoy shooting at the range and roller derby.

Q: What’s one of the top items on your “bucket list”?

A: Scuba diving in the Great Barrier Reef with great white sharks.

Q: If you could have dinner with anyone famous, past or present, who would it be and why?

A: Amelia Earhart is very inspiring. A favorite quote from her is: “The most difficult thing is the decision to act, the rest is merely tenacity.”

Or I would also like to have dinner with 50 Cent so we could freestyle with each other.

Q: Who has been the most important person in your life?

A: My mother. She is a source of inspiration, a breast cancer survivor and my best friend.

Our Retail division is excited to introduce Kelly Wilson to the team.

Kelly, one of the top retail brokers in metro Atlanta, recently joined Ackerman Retail as a senior vice president. She will focus on third-party leasing as part of a Landlord Representation team that includes Executive Vice President Courtney Brumbelow.

“Kelly brings a unique mix of expertise, including landlord and tenant representation in combination with her experience in restaurant ownership and franchise development,” said Leo Wiener, president of Ackerman Retail. “We’re thrilled to add Kelly to our team.”

She started her commercial real estate career in the restaurant sector, owning and operating several businesses before becoming a franchise director for Blimpie Subs and Sandwiches and later Raving Brands (Moe’s Southwest Grill, Doc Green’s, Shane’s Rib Shack, Flying Biscuit Café and more).

This experience expanded Kelly’s involvement in commercial real estate and site selection, ultimately leading to her current focus – retail leasing.

Most recently, she launched the third-party landlord representation platform at The Windsor Realty Group.

Among her current exclusive leasing assignments is Marietta Square Market Food Hall – which she has 100% pre-leased. The highly anticipated food hall is scheduled to open in early 2019.

Kelly’s talents extend beyond commercial real estate.

Her extensive musical theatre resume includes performances in touring Broadway plays such as South Pacific (with Robert Goulet), Theater of the Stars at The Fox Theatre and 1940’s Radio Hour at Theatre in the Square in Marietta, Ga.

Kelly has also been the lead singer in a variety of country and rock ‘n roll cover bands, singing songs by the likes of Journey and Melissa Etheridge.

“Supply and demand has never been in better balance,” Kris Miller told the more than 100 guests at Ackerman & Co. 11th Investor Conference, recently held in Atlanta.

He added that the ongoing strong demand for product – and lack of overbuilding in sectors such as office during this cycle – puts Atlanta in position to be a leading market for investors in 2018 and beyond.

The company’s annual Investor Conference is an opportunity for Ackerman & Co. to provide perspective on trends in commercial real estate and for guests to network with leading owners, operators, investors and capital sources.

Conference themes are sometimes broad in scope but this year the focus was squarely on the Atlanta market as Kris Miller addressed the question:  Atlanta – the Next Gateway Market?

Atlanta lacks the land constraints, barriers to entry or “24/7” attributes of established gateway cities such as New York, Chicago, San Francisco and Boston. Yet, Miller added, Atlanta’s diversified economy, success at attracting corporate relocations and growth as an entertainment hub are bringing it closer to the status of a gateway market.

Together with his partner F. Keene Miller (President, Brokerage) and Leo Wiener (President, Retail), Brett Buckner (SVP, Industrial), John Willig (Principal) and Evan Ziegler (SVP, Investment), the speakers offered insights into the investment climate in the office, industrial, retail and medical office sectors.

Some highlights from this year’s conference:

• Economic drivers including the 2017 tax plan and the easing of numerous regulations are likely to free up money for capital investment and boost demand for CRE space.
• The continued strong performance of the Atlanta industrial sector – which posted 19.9 million square feet of absorption in 2017 and is experiencing historically low vacancy levels – puts Atlanta’s growth potential ahead of the top 4 industrial markets (New York/New Jersey, Los Angeles, Chicago, Dallas).
• Fundamentals weakened slightly in the office sector in 2017, but there are still excellent investment opportunities for the right property in the right location across Atlanta’s office submarkets.
• Although the retail sector is out of favor amid store closings, “brick and mortar is not dead” and good retail product is available but at high cap rates.
• Strong demographics continue to fuel investment in medical office space, as does the heightened demand for “convenience” medical space located near retail.

Kris and the team enjoyed hosting the conference and look forward to seeing everyone again next year!

Charles S. Ackerman, our founder and friend, passed away on Friday, September 22, at the age of 84. Charlie – as he was called by so many of his friends and colleagues – was a visionary who changed the skyline of Buckhead Atlanta and established the commercial real estate company that bears his name as one of the largest in the Southeast.

Beyond his business accomplishments, he was a philanthropist, and a friend and mentor to many.

On his passing, we share the thoughts of just a few of Charlie’s friends and colleagues.

“Charlie was a real estate legend. He was a great mentor, my partner, and my friend. He crammed 20 times more ‘life’ into his life than most of us will.” Kris Miller, President, Ackerman & Co.

“Charlie was a bold and future-focused real estate innovator. He was a wise and courageous entrepreneur, broker, investor and owner. His vision and leadership guided Ackerman & Co. to its highly respected position over many years.” Bob Mathews, President and CEO, Colliers International Atlanta

“A wonderful friend and inspirational mentor. I feel truly blessed to have worked with Charlie for the last 21 years.” Vivian Barnes, CFO and EVP, Ackerman & Co.

“Charlie was a broker’s broker: aggressive, creative and very smart,” Andy Ghertner, Co-Founder of Cushman & Wakefield Atlanta.

“Charlie was a truly inspiring leader. He not only grew Ackerman & Co. into a highly successful commercial real estate firm but later went on to found Ackerman Security Systems, which set the standard in home security. What an extraordinary life he led, and what a great experience it was to be his friend and learn from him over the years.” Keene Miller, President, Ackerman & Co. Brokerage Division

“He was the most competitive person I ever encountered. Whatever it took, he had to be No. 1. He had to win. He had to be out front. And he achieved it in every category.” Sam Massell, Buckhead Coalition President and former Atlanta Mayor

“While I recognized Charlie Ackerman was a fiercely competitive individual, I also thought of him as a gentle, passionate person – exuding a passion for the cultures and arts and history of mankind in all corners of the world. Charlie Ackerman was demanding, competitive, a perfectionist. But he also always was a true gentleman.” John Schaffner, founder of Buckhead View

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