What’s in a Name?

There has been a significant realignment of Baltimore commercial real estate firms over the past two weeks, with all the action centered in Columbia. The sixty seven year old former powerhouse of the Baltimore market, Manekin, merged the lions share of its operations with the Baltimore office of Colliers International.  Lest there be any doubt about who was acquiring whom, Tim Hearn, CEO and Principal of Colliers will be moving his office to the Manekin building in Columbia Gateway, while the remaining Manekin businesses will occupy his old space at 7172 Columbia Gateway Drive. At least everybody involved gets to stay in the same neighborhood. Presumably, 8601 Robert Fulton Drive will soon be sporting a new name on the bricks. To the victor go the spoils.

That wasn't the only shift that occurred. After sixteen years my own firm, Ryan Commercial, morphed into Lee & Associates Chesapeake Region, along with a few brokers from the Columbia office of KLNB. The new firm is headed up by Allan Riorda (KLNB) and began operations with Matt Ryan (Ryan), Kate Jordan (KLNB), Tom Whelan (Ryan), Bill Harrison (Ryan), Marley Welsh (Cushman Wakefield) and yours truly. Like one big happy local commercial real estate family, the new Lee office is also in Columbia Gateway at 6990 Columbia Gateway Drive.

Unfortunately this means I have to move. Our current offices are on Dobbin Road in the Columbia Business Center. We've been there for about five years. I like where we are. I can be in Wegmans in ten minutes. Sigh. Columbia Gateway is a retail desert compared to Dobbin Road.

Actually, we are in the process of moving. The physical move happens Friday. Right now all of us are going through old files and loading up the recycling bins. As much as I dislike this process it can be very cathartic.

It's kind of like spring cleaning.