The Columbus, Ohio, commercial real estate market remains a resilient one, according to the speakers at Midwest Real Estate News’ 11th annual Columbus Commercial Real Estate Summit.
During the summit, held by Midwest Real Estate News July 31 at The Plaza hotel Columbus at Capitol Square, a crowd of local CRE professionals gathered to network and listen to the market analysis provided by the biggest names in the local commercial market.
These professionals pointed to the strength of the multifamily and industrial sectors — even though both, of course, face their own challenges — as highlights of the Columbus CRE market. They also said that retail has proven more resilient than many expected.
The office sector here continues to face challenges, as it does across the country. But speakers said that there are signs of hope in this sector, too, especially in Class-A office properties that boast top-end amenities.
The summit also focused on some of the bigger commercial developments taking place in or being planned for the Columbus region.
The summit kicked off with the Apartment Market Update & Forecast: Opportunities & Challenges panel, which looked at the enduring strength of the Columbus multifamily sector. Speaking on this panel were Paul Kiebler, CEO and Founder, Pepper Pike Capital Partners; Don Brunner, President and CEO, BRG Apartments (Moderator); Tessa Greb, Regional Vice President, Towne Properties; Rowland S. (Tre’) Giller III, CEO, DRK & Company; Jason Krug, Senior Managing Director, Berkadia; and Patrick Kempton, Regional Production Manager, KeyBank Real Estate Capital.
Speaking on the Columbus Market Sector Update: Industrial, Office, Retail, Finance, Investment panel were Christopher Potts, Brokerage Senior Vice President and Principal, Colliers – Columbus; Brian Marsh, Executive Managing Director, Columbus, JLL; Shawn Dorsey, SVP, CRE Relationship Manager, Northwest Bank; Craig Miller, President and Managing Partner, DUFFY+DUFFY COST SEGREGATION; Brent Myers, VP, Development, CASTO; and Matthew E. Drane, Chief Revenue Officer and Senior Managing Director, Verti Commercial Real Estate (Moderator).
The summit ended with the Transforming Downtown and Suburban Development—Game Changers panel featuring Jeremiah Gracia, CEcD, Director of Economic Development, City of Dublin; Quinten L. Harris, Deputy Director of Jobs and Economic Development, City of Columbus (Moderator); Franz Geiger, Managing Director, N.P. Limited Partnership, POLARIS Centers of Commerce; and Skip Weiler, President, The Robert Weiler Company.
