Torrance, CA – February 13, 2012 – (RealEstateRama) — Lee & Associates, one of the largest full-service commercial real estate firms in the country, continues where it left off at the end of 2011 by unveiling a new office in Charleston, SC. Following new office openings in New York and Naples/Ft. Myers, FL., in November and December, Lee & Associates Charleston marks the firm’s 46th office nationwide. Located at 126 Seven Farms, Suite 110, Lee Charleston will not only give the organization another flag in its Southeast operations, but will provide an important outlet for its national outreach.
Formerly Anchor Commercial Real Estate Services, Lee Charleston is headed by principals Robert H. Nuttall, Jr., R. Milton Thomas, III and Reid P. Davis. The three combined make up more than 50 years of commercial real estate and property management experience, which helped build Anchor Commercial’s reputation as one of the leading full-service brokerage companies in South Carolina.
“Our continued focus on prime brokerage offices in key regions in the Southeast makes the addition of Lee Charleston a premier location for our national broker and client platform,” said Edward Indvik, CEO of Lee & Associates. “It was obvious that this team of Bob, Milton and Reid, who had already established themselves in Anchor Commercial, was a perfect fit for us and them. And since experience, knowledge of the market and client service is a foundational principal of Lee and is engrained in their business model, their inclusion in the Lee family was natural.”
Lee’s other office in South Carolina is located in Greenville at 101 W. Court St., Suite A, in the central business district.
“The Lee model will give us the tools and platform necessary to recruit top talent in our market,” said Nuttall, Jr. “We also believe the track record we established with Anchor Commercial will help firmly establish Lee in South Carolina and the mid-Atlantic or Southeast coast with future office openings planned for Columbia, SC and Savannah, GA.”
In addition, with the location of this office and its proximity to the Port of Charleston, Lee & Associates will have a crucial presence near one of the largest ports in the U.S. According to the South Carolina State Ports Authority, the port operations facilitate 260,800 jobs across South Carolina and nearly $45 billion in economic activity each year. Charleston also has a strong presence in the medical services industry, military and defense industries and manufacturing.
Lee Charleston currently has an agent roster of 14, including the recent hire of Thomas G. Buist, Jr., a seasoned industrial broker from Charleston who will help take this already full-service powerhouse to the next level. Formerly with NAI where he was a senior broker and industrial specialist, Buist Jr., also spent 17 years with Grubb & Ellis as a senior vice president of industrial services. Also coming on board with Buist is J. Ryan Welch, who specializes in land and the industrial market and brings 6 years of experience with NAI. Chris Koepenik, Will Sherrod, Gordon Geer, Alex DeSeta, Bob Nuttall, Sr., Pete Harper, Jack Owens, Anne Lively and June Fleming round up the rest of the Lee Charleston industrial, office, retail and investment markets and property management team.
“The excitement this union of Anchor Commercial with Lee & Associates brings to our brokers and clients is significant, and to punctuate it with the addition of Thomas and Ryan is testimony that this is the right thing to do at the right time,” said Nuttall Jr. “When Milton and I founded Anchor Commercial 13 years ago, we had a vision to build a successful, full-service real estate company that would be well known for the highest values and service. We believe we accomplished that with Anchor and now we plan to expand this vision with Lee & Associates.”
In addition to New York and Naples/Ft. Myers, this new office follows recent significant office openings in Atlanta, Indianapolis and Kansas City, Kan. Lee & Associates Greenville was the firm’s first South Carolina office, which opened in May of last year.
About Lee & Associates
Celebrating more than 32 years of leadership excellence in commercial real estate, Lee & Associates is the largest broker-owned firm in the nation, with 46 locations across the nation including Arizona, California, Florida, Georgia, Idaho, Indiana, Illinois, Kansas, Michigan, Missouri, Nevada, New Jersey, New York, South Carolina, Texas and Wisconsin. With a roster of nearly 700 expert brokers, Lee & Associates provides a wide range of specialized commercial real estate services. Additional information is available at www.lee-associates.com
