NEW YORK CITY-Looking to expand upon its agency representation practice, Colliers International has hired Philip Weiss as an executive director, GlobeSt.com has learned EXCLUSIVELY. A 34-year veteran of the industry, Weiss most recently helmed his own brokerage firm after senior level stints at Cushman & Wakefield and CB Richard Ellis.
That experience will serve Weiss well in the new position, where the focus will be on building Collier's agency representation practice and on new business development for corporate clients throughout the New York/tri-state region.
“I come from a background of institutional representation, with extensive experience in large scale sub-lease dispositions for tenants,” he tells GlobeSt.com. “Colliers is looking to enhance the brand quality of class A representation of institutional properties. The company grew out of an organization that owned Class B and C properties and we'd like to evolve that and apply it to first class properties in Manhattan.”
That effort is being overseen by EVP Drew O'Malley, who was hired last October. Weiss notes. This latest move was a logical jump for Weiss, who worked for Colliers' Joseph Harbert, president, eastern region, at both C&W and CB. Weiss also came over because he wasn't looking to work as an independent broker long-term, he says. “It's challenging to be a sole proprietor; the creation of a brand takes a long period of time,” Weiss admits. “It's hard to continue to service business without the platform of that global brand.”
He has completed more than 20 million square feet of commercial real estate transactions, with a focus on corporate clients, predominantly in the New York/Tri-State region. Weiss began his career as a project architect with Skidmore Owings & Merrill, and then proceeded to work for numerous New York-based commercial real estate companies including Peter R. Friedman Ltd., Merrill Lynch Commercial Real Estate and the Lansco Corp.
“Philip combines deft research and analysis, with sophisticated deal-making instincts and extensive project management and construction advisory experience,” Harbert says. “This unique combination of skills and experiences helps him serve his clients at the highest level of professional excellence, and dovetails perfectly with Colliers' team-based approach.”
Weiss is a two-time recipient of the REBNY Hart Rice Award for Most Ingenious Deal of the Year, for arranging the purchase and relocation of the US headquarters of the Bertelsmann companies to 1540 Broadway, a 1 million-square-foot building, and coordinating the sale of the 450,000-square-foot Hudson Hotel to Ian Schrager Hotels with a corresponding 200,000-square-foot lease for Thirteen/WNET broadcast/office facilities at 450 W. 33rd Street.
Among other notable transactions throughout his career, Weiss secured a 415,000-square-foot lease for the relocation of the Depository Trust & Clearing Corp. offices to Newport Office Center VI, Jersey City; and arranged a 145,000-square-foot lease for the relocation of the Leviton Manufacturing Co. world headquarters to Melville, NY.
Among many other transactions, Weiss also secured a 113,000-square-foot lease for the Metropolitan Transportation Authority at 333 West 34th Street, and arranged Sidley Austin Brown & Wood's lease for its 360,000-square-foot New York headquarters at 767 Seventh Avenue.
Want to continue reading?
Become a Free ALM Digital Reader.
Once you are an ALM Digital Member, you’ll receive:
- Breaking commercial real estate news and analysis, on-site and via our newsletters and custom alerts
- Educational webcasts, white papers, and ebooks from industry thought leaders
- Critical coverage of the property casualty insurance and financial advisory markets on our other ALM sites, PropertyCasualty360 and ThinkAdvisor
Already have an account? Sign In Now
*May exclude premium content© 2024 ALM Global, LLC, All Rights Reserved. Request academic re-use from www.copyright.com. All other uses, submit a request to [email protected]. For more information visit Asset & Logo Licensing.
Rayna Katz
Rayna Katz is a seasoned business journalist whose extensive experience includes coverage of the lodging sector, travel and the culinary space. She was most recently content director for a business-to-business publisher, overseeing four publications. While at Meeting News, a travel trade publication, she received a Best Reporting award for a story on meeting cancellations in New Orleans during Hurricane Katrina.
