Colliers International Bolsters Maryland Presence With Four New Hires
By Keith Loria December 29, 2020 9:30 am
reprints![Brian Siegel](https://commercialobserver.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/3/2020/12/Siegel-Brian_121120_0019-blue.jpg?quality=80&w=340)
![Tom Gentner.](https://commercialobserver.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/3/2020/12/Gentner-Tommy_121120_0051-blue.jpg?quality=80&w=340)
![Sullivan](https://commercialobserver.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/3/2020/12/Sullivan-Jason_121120_0011-blue.jpg?quality=80&w=340)
![Brian Watts.](https://commercialobserver.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/3/2020/12/Watts-Brian_121120_0083-blue.jpg?quality=80&w=341)
Colliers (CIGI) International has hired veteran brokers Tom Gentner, Brian Watts, Brian Siegel and Jason Sullivan — all from Transwestern — for its Baltimore office.
The four new hires will report to Executive Managing Director Matt Gannon and focus on industrial leasing with an additional emphasis on the office sector throughout Maryland.
“By joining Colliers, we gained a national/international network and full range of services, which can be a huge benefit to clients,” Gentner told Commercial Observer. “Our clients each have unique requirements and having so many additional service offerings helps us cater to their specific needs. Secondly, we see an opportunity to be a part of the growth and culture evolution Colliers is doing within the region.”
Gentner, Watts and Siegel will all start as senior vice presidents, while Sullivan will become a vice president. Combined, the foursome has been involved in billions of dollars in transactions, representing such clients as Cabot Properties, Rialto Capital, Dalfen Industrial, CWCapital and LNR Partners.
“This addition of these professionals exemplifies the strategic growth of our practice, and will deepen our service capabilities and platform strength along the eastern seaboard,” Gannon said. “In light of the region’s rapidly expanding industrial sector, welcoming this highly experienced group allows us to expand our footprint throughout Maryland.”
The market the new Colliers quartet will be working in is particularly active. Companies, including e-commerce giant Amazon (AMZN), leased nearly 4.3 million square feet of industrial and warehouse space in greater Baltimore during the third quarter of 2020, according to a report from Lee & Associates.
According to Gentner, the goals for the team in 2021 are to build upon both the agency and tenant representation, as well as the ground-up development base.
“The office sector is clearly in distress. However, I believe that the individual footprint of occupied space is going to increase, requiring more office space, while, at the same time, certain employees will continue working from home, which will require less space,” Gentner said. “These two trends should cancel each other out, stabilizing the office market in the near future. Conversely, Maryland’s industrial sector is growing at an impressive rate and will mostly likely continue to do so in 2021.”