What Ford Gibson is Doing Now

Gibson has been growing successful commercial real estate companies—and developing high profile projects in the Greater Miami area—for decades.

MIAMI—Ford Gibson, a 33-year commercial real estate industry veteran, just joined Foundry Commercial ‘s South Florida team. He will head development and investment activity in South Florida in his new role. Gibson has been growing successful commercial real estate companies—and developing high profile projects in the Greater Miami area—for decades. He is highly regarded across the Southeast. “Ford and I have been friends and sometimes competitors for a long time,” says Pryse Elam , president of development and investments and CIO at Foundry. “We are both really excited about seeing what we can do together at Foundry.” As the former owner of Gibson Realty , Gibson grew his property management company to include a portfolio of more than 6.5 million square feet of office , industrial , and flex space in South Florida. Before opening his firm in 2004, Gibson replaced Jeb Bush as president of Codina when he became governor of Florida. Gibson has worked closely with the likes of JP Morgan, Prudential, UBS and Codina, and has managed prominent South Florida properties, including 1111 Brickell Avenue, 550 Biltmore and Westside Plaza I-III. His first assignment at Foundry is leading the Carrie Meek International Business Park development, a a 1.7 million square foot, $150 million speculative industrial development adjacent to the Opa Locka airport in Miami Dade County. “Miami is at the crossroads of trade between the US and Latin America,” Gibson tells GlobeSt.com. “Over 75% of the cargo that moves between those two locations at one time passes through Miami, via both sea and land. In fact, Miami has more flights to and from South America than any other airport in the country, and each of these planes carries cargo in addition to people.” Connect this with the fact that we have a major airline hub here with domestic flights, he says, and that explains that dynamic of trade. Gibson  also points tot he port that can handle the new Supermax ships that come through the Panama Canal, which has seen a dramatic rise in cargo just in the last couple of years. “The Panamax widening has had a very positive effect on Miami so far and is projected to have more impact than I personality expected,” Gibson says. “I think it will continue to be a wonderful addition to the city.”