The Columbus, Ohio, office of Lee & Associates has expanded with the announcement of the addition of four key agents.
Rick Smith, Matt Byrne, Bob Lockett and Chip Sergakis, all formerly with Smith Realty Partners, have joined Lee & Associates – Columbus as Executive Vice President, Vice Presidents and Senior Associate, respectively.
Smith, a 32-year commercial real estate veteran who specializes in the leasing and sale of office, retail and industrial properties, was the former President of Smith Realty Partners.
A graduate of The Ohio State University, Smith served as captain of the OSU men’s basketball team in 1979, and was awarded the John Havlicek Most Inspirational Player Award that same year. He served as graduate assistant coach for the 1980 season and remains involved as past president of the OSU Athletic Alumni Association and a past board member. Smith is also a college basketball color analyst and commentator in Columbus.
Byrne, previously Vice President of Smith Realty Partners, has more than 35 years in diverse and complex commercial brokerage and development experience. His resume includes negotiating real estate transactions involving major office and retail developments, peripheral out-lot projects, light industrial parks, land assemblage, and multi-family properties.
Most notably, Byrne spent five years as Vice President of Midwest Golf Group, a development company of signature golf courses (with familiar names such as Nicklaus, Zoeller, Rodriguez) and master planned communities.
Lockett, a 30-year veteran of commercial real estate and also a former Vice President of Smith Realty Partners, has been intimately involved in office developments, major retail projects, light industrial parks, multi-family properties, and numerous investment opportunities. As an entrepreneur and business owner, Lockett was the principal and owner of Cable Solutions, Inc., a company he founded in 1991 that experienced sales of more than $5 million a year.
Sergakis, who is fluent in German, is experienced in financial and market analysis, and is a 2014 graduate of Ohio University where he earned a bachelor’s degree in administration and economics. He started his commercial real estate career as an associate under the tutelage of Byrne and Lockett at Smith Realty Partners. In his first three years in the profession, Sergakis has participated in almost 50 real estate transactions, covering a diverse spectrum of product types and clients in Central Ohio.
