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Newmark Grubb Knight Frank (NGKF) opens a Minneapolis office led by two new hires with a combined 50+ years of experience in the industry - Executive Managing Director Jim Damiani, CCIM, SIOR and Senior Managing Director John McCarthy. The new office is a key addition for the firm, as NGKF adds one of America’s crucial corporate headquarters markets to its service coverage.
The Minneapolis-St. Paul (MSP) metropolitan area is ranked in first position in the United States for number of Fortune 500 companies per capita, with over 320 Fortune 500 companies located in Greater MSP according to the Minneapolis Saint Paul Regional Economic Development Partnership. The area’s workforce has grown by almost 4.6 percent over the last year, which is faster than the national average, and was ranked the Top State for Business by CNBC in 2015. With solid office and industrial landscapes, along with a strong, diverse business climate, Minnesota is poised to continue its enjoyment of healthy market conditions.
Damiani and McCarthy’s leadership is solidified by a 25-plus-year relationship that began competitively and evolved into a friendship; a bond that will now be the lynchpin of NGKF Minneapolis’ office culture. Associate Director Jack Reipke is another advisor already committed to the new office. Research Director Maura Carland, CCIM and Administrative Manager Sherry Weaver, as well as a handful of other pledges, have also already joined. While growth will be at the forefront of the Minneapolis-based NGKF office, their goal is not simply to be the biggest firm in the market. Instead, their intention will be to grow smartly and leverage their existing relationships to hire professionals that share the same creative, entrepreneurial, and fun-spirited values as the rest of the team. As a part of the full-service NGKF, the Minnesota location will offer their clients a robust roster of services, including office, industrial, retail, property management, project management, research, and many other specialized services.
“What is appealing and incredibly exciting about joining Newmark is the entrepreneurial spirit we have witnessed from the top of this organization down, and the fact that we already have CEO Barry Gosin’s cell phone on speed-dial,” said Damiani and McCarthy in a joint statement. “The wide range of professionals employed by the company, the deep roots of its affiliated organizations and knowing that all brokers are equity partners allow us to share best practices with some of the best, global minds in the financial and commercial real estate industries. When we sat down to discuss our future and the best ways to service our clients, our ability to have a global platform of Newmark’s stature behind us truly excited us. We have been encouraged to cultivate something creative and unique with a phenomenal group of local experts that will have immediate access to one of the industry’s best global platforms. Our team is looking to create a fun, energetic atmosphere from which our clients will benefit and to which real estate professionals will be attracted.”
Jim Damiani joins NGKF from Colliers International and has earned a bevy of honors throughout his career, including 16-time Office Salesperson of the Year, MNCAR Broker of the Year, MNCAR Volunteer of the Year, 2006-2016 CoStar Power Broker, Minneapolis Business Journal 40 Under 40 Winner, and many more. He was also selected by the Twin Cities Business editorial staff as one of their “100 People to Know in 2016.”
John McCarthy joins NGKF from Cushman & Wakefield and has over 25 years of commercial real estate experience. He is also a former president of the Minnesota Commercial Association of Realtors (MNCAR), serves on the board of directors for the Minnesota Commercial Property Exchange, and is an active member of the National Association of Industrial and Office Properties (NAIOP). He was also named MNCAR’s 2011 Broker of the Year.
“We are thrilled to have Jim and John launching our presence in Minneapolis and St. Paul,” said NGKF CEO Barry Gosin. “Their depth of local experience is unparalleled, and offers vital Twin Cities expertise to our clients in the area. Strategically, this could not be a better time for us to commit to this market, as the opportunity for significant growth is complemented by the variety of Fortune 500 companies located in this Midwest hub.”
About Newmark Grubb Knight Frank
Newmark Grubb Knight Frank (NGKF) is one of the world’s leading commercial real estate advisory firms. Together with London-based partner Knight Frank and independently-owned offices, NGKF’s 14,100 professionals operate from more than 400 offices in established and emerging property markets on six continents.
With roots dating back to 1929, NGKF’s strong foundation makes it one of the most trusted names in commercial real estate. NGKF’s full-service platform comprises BGC’s real estate services segment, offering commercial real estate tenants, landlords, investors and developers a wide range of services including leasing; capital markets services, including investment sales, debt placement, appraisal, and valuation services; commercial mortgage brokerage services; as well as corporate advisory services, consulting, project and development management, and property and corporate facilities management services. For further information, visit www.ngkf.com.
NGKF is a part of BGC Partners, Inc., a leading global brokerage company servicing the financial and real estate markets. BGC’s common stock trades on the NASDAQ Global Select Market under the ticker symbol (NASDAQ: BGCP). BGC also has an outstanding bond issuance of Senior Notes due June 15, 2042, which trade on the New York Stock Exchange under the symbol (NYSE: BGCA). BGC Partners is led by Chairman and Chief Executive Officer Howard W. Lutnick. For more information, please visit http://www.bgcpartners.com/.