HFF expands Phoenix investment sales team with hiring of director Ben Geelan

Ben Geelan

PHOENIX, AZ –– Holliday Fenoglio Fowler, L.P. (HFF) announced it has hired Ben Geelan as a director in its Phoenix office.  Mr. Geelan will focus on office and industrial sales in the Greater Phoenix and Southwest region.

Mr. Geelan joins HFF from Cushman and Wakefield where he was a member of a four-person investment sales team specializing in office and industrial dispositions throughout Arizona.  Prior to that, he was an analyst in the research department of Cassidy Turley BRE.

 Mr. Geelan is an active member of Urban Land Institute and the National Association of Industrial and Office Properties.  He holds a Juris Doctor degree from Valparaiso University School of Law and a Bachelor of Arts from University of Iowa. 

“As we continue to build out our Phoenix operation, we look for individuals who embody the culture of HFF and can provide a value add to the brand and our clients.  Ben does just that – he will provide our clients with dedicated office and industrial disposition expertise and is culturally, a perfect fit for the team,” said Jeremy Womack, senior managing director and co-head of HFF Phoenix.

Holliday Fenoglio Fowler, L.P. ("HFF") is a licensed Arizona real estate broker.

For more information on this press release, please contact:

Kristen M. Murphy

Director, Public Relations

HFF | One Post Office Square, Suite 3500 | Boston, MA 02109

Main: 617-338-0990 | Direct: 617-848-1572 | Cell: 617-543-4873 | www.hfflp.com

krmurphy@hfflp.com

HFF hires Rebecca Van Reken as a managing director in its Orlando, FL office

Rebecca Van Reken

ORLANDO, FL – Holliday Fenoglio Fowler, L.P. (HFF) announced it has hired Rebecca Van Reken as a managing director in its Orlando office.  Ms. Van Reken will focus on originating debt and equity placement transactions in the southeastern United States.

Ms. Van Reken has more than 15 years of commercial real estate finance and capital markets experience and joins HFF from A10 Capital, where she was an executive vice president. 

Michael Weinberg

Prior to that, she spent nearly 10 years at CapitalSource, the commercial lending division of Pacific Western Bank, where she rose through the ranks from an associate in the real estate lending group to an investment officer. 

Ms. Van Reken began her career at CNL Financial Group as a research analyst.  She has a Master of Business Administration degree from Rollins College and a Bachelor of Arts from Calvin College in Michigan. 

“We are excited about the addition of Rebecca to the HFF Orlando structured finance team,” said Michael Weinberg, senior managing director and co-head of HFF’s Orlando office.  “She brings a lot of experience, along with an extensive nationwide network of institutional, regional and local real estate debt and equity contacts.”

For more information on this press release, please contact:

Kristen M. Murphy

Director, Public Relations

HFF | One Post Office Square, Suite 3500 | Boston, MA 02109

Main: 617-338-0990 | Direct: 617-848-1572 | Cell: 617-543-4873 | www.hfflp.com

krmurphy@hfflp.com

Nationally Distinguished Mortgage Originator Harinder “Indy” Johar Joins Draper and Kramer Mortgage Corp.

Harinder 'Indy' Johar

FRANKLIN, MA – Draper and Kramer Mortgage Corp. (DKMC), one of the Top 75 Mortgage Companies in America, announces that one of the nation’s top-producing mortgage originators, Harinder “Indy” Johar, has joined the company as director of residential lending, based in DKMC’s Franklin, Mass., branch.

A mortgage professional since 1998, Johar is highly distinguished in the industry. Scotsman Guide, a leading trade journal, has ranked him among the top 25 mortgage originators in the country by loan volume since 2010, and he was No. 1 in the publication’s national ranking for most loans closed in 2012. 

Johar, who originated more than $250 million in loans in 2016, is a member of Mortgage Professional America’s 100 Million Dollar Club and was named to its 2014 "Hot 100" list.

“This is a big move for me, and I’m excited to be making it,” said Johar. “I work with hundreds of clients a year and am on the job seven days a week, so making a transition like this is not a casual decision. I’ve done my homework and am confident Draper and Kramer Mortgage Corp. is where I can find the best support for my business and the best financing options for my clients.”

Paul Lueken

Johar is accompanied at his new position by several other top-producing greater Boston area loan officers.

“We’re truly honored to have Indy as part of our team,” said Paul Lueken, CEO of Downers Grove, Ill.-based Draper and Kramer Mortgage Corp. “His incredible record and reputation speak for themselves. He could have chosen any mortgage company to work with, so it’s a huge endorsement of who we are and what our firm offers that he joined us.”

The addition of Johar is a notable development in DKMC’s ongoing recruitment and expansion efforts nationwide. With over 40 branches across the country currently, the lender is on pace to add over a dozen locations in 2017. In addition to entering the Boston market in late 2016, the company has recently established a presence in Washington, D.C.; Tennessee; Kentucky; Missouri; Texas; California; and Oregon.

For more information on this press release, please contact:

Sarah Lyons, slyons@taylorjohnson.com (312) 267-4520

Abe Tekippe, atekippe@taylorjohnson.com (312) 267-4528

George Smith Partneers Continues Its Expansion With the Addition of Commercial Real Estate Veteran Alina Mardesich

  

Alina Mardesich

LOS ANGELES, CA – Commercial real estate investment banking firm George Smith Partners is growing rapidly. On the heels of announcing two new Co-Managing Directors, as well as two new VP appointments, the firm has announced the addition of industry veteran Alina Mardesich as Senior Vice President.

Shahin Yazdi

“We have assembled a team of talent that is enviable in the market,” says Shahin Yazdi, a Principal and Co-Managing Director of the firm alongside Principal Jonathan Lee.  

“Alina has more than 25 years of expertise in commercial real estate finance and a strong background in loan originations, deepening our firm’s capabilities in a sector where we already have a stronghold.”

According to Yazdi, “George Smith Partners is building from a place of strength, which translates to tremendous benefits to our clients and colleagues.  

"As we increase both our team size and our geographic reach, we are able to draw upon our track record of diverse structuring experience and vast lender relationships in order to both uphold and exceed expectations as we look to the future of the market.”

Mardesich, who will join George Smith Partners as a Senior Vice President this month, is key to this future growth, according to Lee.

“The capital markets sector requires deep knowledge and proficiency from each and every professional, which makes each individual who joins our firm crucially important,” Lee explains.

Jonathan Lee

With a tenured career spanning several key positions with firms such as Archon Group, Fremont Investment & Loan, and U.S. Bank, among others, Mardesich possesses a disciplined and proficient ability to understand and navigate complex opportunities in order to secure competitive financing for assets of all product types.

“With my experience in the industry, including an excellent relationship with GSP for more than 20 years, being an intermediary between capital sources and owners, operators and developers seeking financing strategies is a natural next step for me,” Mardesich says.  

“Having the ability to do that at George Smith Partners delivers a full range of solutions to my clients, while providing me with an entrepreneurial environment that is both supportive and motivating.”

Prior to joining George Smith Partners, Mardesich served as a Senior Advisor to Oaktree Capital Management, where she arranged financing for value-add and transitional assets throughout the West Coast.  During her career, she has arranged more than $2.5 billion in financing. 

Mardesich holds a Bachelor of Science degree in Real Estate and Finance from the University of Southern California.

For more information on this press release, please contact:

Katie Clendening / Miki Akil

Brower, Miller & Cole

(949) 955-7940

kclendening@browermillercole.com

Marcus & Millichap Arranges $1 Million Sale of Pizza Hut Site in Naples, FL

                                                   

James Medefind

NAPLES, FL– Marcus & Millichap (NYSE: MMI), a leading commercial real estate investment services firm with offices throughout the United States and Canada,  announced the sale of Pizza Hut, a 2,520-square foot net-leased property located in Naples, FL according to Ari Ravi, regional manager of the firm’s Tampa office. The asset sold for $1,009,000.

James Medefind and Jim Shiebler, investment specialists in Marcus & Millichap’s Tampa office, had the exclusive listing to market the property on behalf of the seller, a private investor.  Pizza Hut is located at 3010 Tamiami Trail East in Naples, FL.  James and Jim generated multiple offers for the property within just two weeks of being on the market. The property sold for 98 percent of list price.

Demonstrating Marcus & Millichap’s international reach, the buyer was sourced from the Netherlands. The investor has targeted the Naples submarket for commercial investment properties and is expanding their Southwest Florida portfolio. The investor selected the property for the irreplaceable Naples real estate with frontage on U.S. Route 41.  The buyer is also pleased with the large annual rent increases and the fact that it is operated by the nation’s largest franchisee.

For more information on this press release, please contact:

Ari Ravi

Regional Manager, Tampa

(813) 387-4700

NAI Realvest Negotiates 2 New Leases for Industrial Space totaling more than 15,125 square feet in Sanford, FL

Michael Heidrich

ORLANDO, FL – NAI Realvest recently completed two new lease agreements for industrial space totaling more than 15,125 rentable square feet at Sanford industrial centers.    

Michael Heidrich, a principal at NAI Realvest negotiated the transactions representing the landlords. 

Distributor Operations, Inc. leased 13,125 square feet at 4140 Flex Court in Monroe CommerCenter South.  The tenant, who was represented by Monica Wonus of CBRE, serves the U.S. providing batteries for cameras, laptops, phones and other devices.    

Real estate development firm Cardinal Enterprises LLC leased 2,000 square feet at 2340 W. Airport Blvd.   The landlord is Maitland based Commerce Way, Ltd.    The tenant was represented by Clark Brandt of The Bywater Company.

For more information on this press release, please contact:

Beth Payan or Larry Vershel, Larry Vershel Communications 407-644-4142 Lvershelco@aol.com

NAI Realvest Negotiates Sale of Two Parcels Combining 198.89 Acres of Agricultural Land in East Orange County, FL for $2.2 Million

George Viele

Christmas, FL – NAI Realvest recently completed sales of two land parcels in Christmas, Fla. centrally located between Orlando and Titusville.  The sales included agricultural land totaling 198.89 acres at the total price of $2,199,996.00. 

NAI Realvest Associate George Viele negotiated the two transactions representing Seller Barber Farms, Inc. of Belle Isle, Fla. 

The buyer, Fort Christmas Acres, LLC of Orlando, purchased 135.47 acres at 23018 Fort Christmas Rd. for $1,498,456 and a contiguous 63.42 acres at 1664 N. Fort Christmas Rd. for $701,540.     The property has 4,700 feet of frontage on Fort Christmas Rd. 

For more information on this press release, please contact:

Beth Payan or Larry Vershel, Larry Vershel Communications 407-644-4142 Lvershelco@aol.com