Companies Announce Key Hire, Promotion

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Gene P. Spiegelman
Gene Spiegelman. (Lea Rubin)

Cushman & Wakefield (CWK) and Equity Office announced that they’ve tapped experienced brokers for top positions as the International Council of Shopping Centers‘ New York City National Deal Making Convention moved into its second and last day.

C&W promoted Gene Spiegelman, a vice chairman of retail services, to head its North America Retail Services Group, while Equity Office picked Zachary Freeman, a CBRE broker who has represented the landlord since 2007, to be its vice president of leasing for New York City.

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Zachary Freeman

Zachary Freeman. (Equity Office)
Zachary Freeman. (Equity Office)

The broker with 16 years of experience acted on behalf of Equity Office, an entity owned by the Blackstone (BX) Group, in its repositioning and leasing activities at 1095 Avenue of the Americas. Company officials credit him with helping to close deals at the building, also known as 3 Bryant Park, like MetLife‘s 415,000-square-foot headquarters and Dechert LLP‘s 235,000 square feet. At 717 Fifth Avenue, he helped Equity Office book Bank of America for 125,000 square feet and Harry Winston for 25,000 square feet.

“We’re excited to have Zach oversee our New York City portfolio,” said Mark Smith, regional market manager for Equity Office’s East Coast division, in a prepared statement. “Zach’s market experience and existing knowledge of our assets, including 717 Fifth Avenue and 3 Bryant Park, make him a natural fit for the position. His excellent client service and attention to detail has led to strong leasing in all the Equity buildings he’s represented.”

Gene Spiegelman

The 15-year C&W veteran twice took home the Real Estate Board of New York‘s retail deal of the year award and has represented landlords like Millennium Partners and Zeckendorf Properties and retailers like CH Carolina Herrera and Century 21 Department Stores. Mr. Spiegelman signed Irish clothier Primark to a four-floor, 112,000-square-foot lease for the retailer’s first U.S. location at the former Filene’s Basement building owned by Millenium in the Downtown Crossing area of Boston earlier this year.

“I would say, in my career, I’ve probably done 800 or 900 deals or something to that effect, big and small,” Mr. Spiegelman told Commercial Observer during an interview this summer. “It’s all bread and butter. You’ve got to keep volume going. The key to staying viable in this business is you always have to have the baseline of the volume. If you just sit there and wait to go whale hunting every year, some years you catch them and some years you don’t. And you want to avoid a drought.”