Doug Mueller and Evan Behr

For JLL’s Doug Mueller and Evan Behr, the past 12 months were focused on maintaining a team culture, while providing best-in-class service and ideas to their clients.

“During the past year, we doubled down on our investment in our business at a time when many did not,” Mueller said over email. “We hustled, expanded, and differentiated our team by adding an architect and designer. We also beefed up our brokerage by adding a junior broker to provide a higher level of service to our clients.”

That strategy helped the portfolio grow to a total of 65 assets, which span 17 million square feet valued at $7 billion.

Its biggest deal of the pandemic came in January 2021, when Microsoft leased 185,000 square feet at Commonwealth Tower at 1300 Wilson Boulevard in Arlington, Va.

Notable leasing deals in D.C. included Patient-Centered Outcomes Research Institute leasing 96,000 square feet at 1333 New Hampshire Avenue NW; National Endowment for Democracy signing for 85,000 square feet at 1201 Pennsylvania Avenue; and the American Trucking Associations taking 60,000 square feet at 80 M Street SE.

“We also had 3.6 million square feet of major new leasing assignments,” Behr said. “We were awarded two of the largest development sites in the region, Halley Rise and The Yards. Additional important wins include The Herald at 1307 New York Avenue, 999 E Street and 1899 Pennsylvania Avenue.”

Behr said it helped that Washington, D.C., is less cyclical and volatile than many major global markets.

“We witnessed this firsthand during COVID, as our deal flow did not drop precipitously,” he said. “With that stated, for us, the secret to not only surviving, but, more importantly, advancing revolves around the key pillars of our team — deep client relationships; strong relationships with our tenant representative partners and counterparts; a passion for our craft; constant innovation; and reinvestment in the team.”

The duo foresees their business increasing as the D.C. area’s population grows.