Why KeyBank is Bullish on the Southeast

Downtown Atlanta

ATLANTA— Charlie Williams, senior vice president and southeast regional manager of multifamily production at KeyBank Real Estate Capital , sees the risks and the downsides. But he also sees the opportunities. GlobeSt.com caught up with Williams to talk about those opportunities and how his firm is leveraging them in part two of this exclusive interview. You can still read part one: When Your Business Essentially Shuts Down . GlobeSt.com: What are your goals moving forward? Williams: The Southeast region—Florida, Georgia, the Carolinas—is a huge growth area for Key. These are markets in which we don’t have a built-in client base. However, they are areas in which the population is growing as job opportunities increase. The Southeast continues to be a significant driver for our business as we aim to maintain aggressive growth goals and look to increase our commercial mortgage production by 20% annually. GlobeSt.com: What opportunities do you see in your market? Williams: From Washington, DC to Florida and all the way over to Louisiana, the Southeast region is an area where we have only begun to scratch the surface. Almost five years ago, our balance sheet counterparts moved into the region and did a great job of reestablishing Key’s presence by engaging strategic clients. Now, my goal is to really grow the capital markets business and expand on that early success. GlobeSt.com: How are you leveraging those opportunities? Williams: Over the past 12 months, we’ve made several strategic hires that will be dedicated specifically to the Southeast region. We know the market, we understand the growth and we will continue to position ourselves as the lender of choice for the region. GlobeSt.com: What trends do you see in your sector this year? Williams: We remain cautiously concerned of overbuilding. There could be a potential supply and demand issue in specific pockets of the region. However, as the Southeast remains a hub for retiring Baby Boomers from the Northeast and Midwest, there is currently a strong tenant demand driving the multifamily sector. There is also an influx of international interest coming into the region. We are seeing more people from South America and Europe moving into the Southeast, causing a need for continuous development in these areas.