Coming off the heels of 2008, Wright says a lot of firms were planning to consolidate then but they missed their window of opportunity. As soon as you become a public company or are viewing things based off the dollars, he continues, then many of the cultural ideals that I mentioned before are not as relevant.

“We're here to make money, don't get me wrong, but our top criteria are for our people and our culture,” Wright says. “That being said, the consolidation of the business has been a great thing for us. I understand it. It makes a lot of financial sense. But you're starting to see it now where there are fewer opportunities for professionals.”

According to Wright, there are fewer options for clients and fewer opportunities for individuals because there are less seats to be had. He sees commercial real estate consolidation as one of the biggest opportunities for us.

“We're one of the few real estate employment opportunities in the Southeast,” Wright says. “And we'll be in other markets looking for qualified people to be part of a growing business opportunity that's not just worried about what our quarterly results are going to be.”

ATLANTA—Consolidation is nothing new in the commercial real estate industry, but it's a consistent theme. In bull and bear markets alike, we've seen significant mergers and acquisitions at just about every level of the business.

GlobeSt.com caught up with Andrew Wright, CEO and managing principal of Franklin Street, to get his thoughts on the ongoing consolidation in the commercial real estate industry. He previously spoke to us about carving out a big niche in a down market and the growing pains his firm has experienced over the past 10 years.

If you trace most major moves in the industry back to the root, there's one common theme. As Wright sees it, it's about the money.

“The consolidation is purely financially motivated,” Wright tells GlobeSt.com. “That's the only reason companies consolidate or merge. It's not because it feels good. Consolidation is strategically important to them.”

Coming off the heels of 2008, Wright says a lot of firms were planning to consolidate then but they missed their window of opportunity. As soon as you become a public company or are viewing things based off the dollars, he continues, then many of the cultural ideals that I mentioned before are not as relevant.

“We're here to make money, don't get me wrong, but our top criteria are for our people and our culture,” Wright says. “That being said, the consolidation of the business has been a great thing for us. I understand it. It makes a lot of financial sense. But you're starting to see it now where there are fewer opportunities for professionals.”

According to Wright, there are fewer options for clients and fewer opportunities for individuals because there are less seats to be had. He sees commercial real estate consolidation as one of the biggest opportunities for us.

“We're one of the few real estate employment opportunities in the Southeast,” Wright says. “And we'll be in other markets looking for qualified people to be part of a growing business opportunity that's not just worried about what our quarterly results are going to be.”