In a long-term view, investing in Southeast real estate—a high-growth market for the country—is a great place to be. Does that mean it's going to be worth more in three or four years? Probably not. But will it be worth more in 10, 15 or 20 years? I'm 100% certain it will be.

GlobeSt.com: What are some of your proud leader moments?

Wright: There have been so many proud moments and they're all about individuals. I've been fortunate to have a lot of people spend years working with me.

Even some of the people that have left Franklin Street went on to do great things as well, and that makes me proud. For someone to have come to Franklin Street, be proud of their time here, and have developed professionally, is important to me.

As much as I would like people to come here and work for us for the rest of their lives, I know it's not realistic. There are people here who are individually motivated and they may want to start their own company or do their own thing, and I encourage that. Watching people grow and progress makes me very proud.

GlobeSt.com: Where do you see Franklin Street 10 years from now?

Wright: As far as we can take it without sacrificing what's important to us. It's not about climbing this mountain and saying it's over. It's always about climbing the next mountain. What's the next one to tackle?

The reason I don't like setting a goal for 10 years is that I don't want it to be the benchmark for what we can accomplish. I don't want us to say, “We reached our goal in year five, so we can just hang it up for the next five.”

No, it's about finding the next mountain to climb and the next way to push. I'm pushing for it to be bigger and better, but without sacrificing the things that we believe in as an organization. I would rather be a smaller business in 10 years than we are today, than lose those cultural elements that make us who we are.

ATLANTA—Andrew Wright started his commercial real estate company in the worst of times—and he carved out a niche in the industry. Although there have been growing pains and challenges along the way, Wright, CEO and managing principal of the firm, is optimistic that the future is bright for the industry and his firm.

GlobeSt.com: What are the current market trends you're seeing in the Southeast?

Wright: We live in the greatest economy in the world. We have the most structured, safest economy in the world. So, if I'm sitting anywhere in the world, I want to have my investments in the U.S.

Besides real estate, where else would you rather invest in the US? You could invest in equities, debts or commodities, with real estate being one of those. The value provided by hard assets is the reason why I got into this business. They're not making any more real estate. They're making less. It's getting harder and harder to build due to more density and more population.

In a long-term view, investing in Southeast real estate—a high-growth market for the country—is a great place to be. Does that mean it's going to be worth more in three or four years? Probably not. But will it be worth more in 10, 15 or 20 years? I'm 100% certain it will be.

GlobeSt.com: What are some of your proud leader moments?

Wright: There have been so many proud moments and they're all about individuals. I've been fortunate to have a lot of people spend years working with me.

Even some of the people that have left Franklin Street went on to do great things as well, and that makes me proud. For someone to have come to Franklin Street, be proud of their time here, and have developed professionally, is important to me.

As much as I would like people to come here and work for us for the rest of their lives, I know it's not realistic. There are people here who are individually motivated and they may want to start their own company or do their own thing, and I encourage that. Watching people grow and progress makes me very proud.

GlobeSt.com: Where do you see Franklin Street 10 years from now?

Wright: As far as we can take it without sacrificing what's important to us. It's not about climbing this mountain and saying it's over. It's always about climbing the next mountain. What's the next one to tackle?

The reason I don't like setting a goal for 10 years is that I don't want it to be the benchmark for what we can accomplish. I don't want us to say, “We reached our goal in year five, so we can just hang it up for the next five.”

No, it's about finding the next mountain to climb and the next way to push. I'm pushing for it to be bigger and better, but without sacrificing the things that we believe in as an organization. I would rather be a smaller business in 10 years than we are today, than lose those cultural elements that make us who we are.