About
Professional Summary
As the Senior Director of the Gainesville office for Colliers, Dan leads the firm's presence in Alachua County and the surrounding sub-markets by providing commercial real estate solutions for his clients. His team specializes in commercial and land transactions (sales & leasing) including office, retail, industrial, and multi-family. With well over 100 years of combined local knowledge and service, they strive to continuously raise the bar for their clientele.
Prior to joining Colliers International, Dan served as Vice President of the Commercial and Land Division at an independent firm in Gainesville where he was a partner in The Drotos Ryals Group. His team has successfully transacted over $1 billion in local (Alachua County) commercial real estate. Dan holds both a Master of Science in Real Estate (MSRE) and Master of Building Construction (MBC) from the University of Florida along with multiple professional designations, including Certified Commercial Investment Member (CCIM) and Society of Industrial and Office Realtors (SIOR). He also also serves in several industry, civic, and non-profit organizations such as: The Urban Land Institute, Ronald McDonald House of North Central Florida, First Federal Bank of Florida, United Way, and Leadership Gainesville.
Accomplishments
Society of Industrial and Office Realtors - Office Specialist (SIOR)
SIOR Transaction Award Winner - Largest Dollar Volume for Redevelopment (2018)
Certified Commercial Investment Member (CCIM)
SIOR Transaction Award Winner - Largest Land Transaction (2020)
Education
The University of Florida Bachelor of Science in Business Administration- Finance (BSBA-FIN) 2009
The University of Florida Minor - Urban & Regional Planning (URP) 2009
The University of Florida Minor - Real Estate 2009
The University of Florida - Master of Building Construction (MBC) 2011
The University of Florida - Master of Science in Real Estate (MSRE) 2012
Florida Real Estate Broker
CCIM Designation Courses
Memberships & Involvements
The Ronald McDonald House of North Central Florida - Board of Directors
Urban Land Institute - Young Leaders Group - Past Chair
The United Way of North Central Florida - Small Business Partner
Leadership Gainesville (40th Class)
SIOR Florida Chapter
The University of Florida Bergstrom Center for Real Estate Studies
National Association of Realtors (NAR) - Affiliate Member
Testimonials
“Dan and Mike were instrumental in assembling this opportunity for our team. Without their deep relationships in the community, tenacity, and patience none of this would have been possible. Simply put, this was a very complicated transaction with numerous variables over a long period of time. Dan and Mike managed the process efficiently and effectively. It is an honor for us at The 908 Group to be able to put our mark on the most recognizable corner in Gainesville and we are excited for our new residents to join us in the Fall of 2022.” – Andrew Harris, Director 908 Group.
“Dan did a great job finding this off-market opportunity for our growing team in the middle of the pandemic. It allows us more space and cash flow from two established Tenants in a great location, which is what we were looking for. Consisting of two separate transactions, we were very pleased at how the process was managed efficiently and effectively to meet everyone’s goals and timelines. We would highly recommend Dan and his team for your next commercial transaction.”
– Fritz Reichardt, Branch Manager Landmark Mortgage Planners.
“We had worked with Dan and his team over the past few years with various leasing assignments and they have always done a great job. Although we were not actively looking to sell, Dan brought a strong offer in the middle of the pandemic, which we were pleased with. The transaction went smoothly, and we appreciated the opportunity given the uncertainty in our world today. Please consider Dan and his team for your next commercial transaction.”
-Patrick H. Perry, Partner Perry & Vloedman, Attorneys at Law
“Dan did a great job finding this off-market opportunity for us in a very targeted location. We were very pleased at how the process was managed efficiently and effectively to meet everyone’s goals and timelines. We would highly recommend Dan and his team for your next commercial transaction.”
– Matt Britten Regional Partner, Brightwork Real Estate.
“After almost four decades in our current location, we are excited for the new opportunity to provide the same excellent customer service plus quality of food our patrons have come to know and love. Working with Dan and his team from Colliers was a pleasure. Purchasing a restaurant during the pandemic came with it’s challenges and through Dan’s persistence and organization, we were able to secure this building which will serve us for generations to come.”
– Paul Cakmis Owner 43rd Street Deli and Breakfast House.
“Dan and his team were instrumental in facilitating this transaction for us Through their persistence and patience we were able to overcome additional development challenges posed by the COVID-19 pandemic. They managed the process efficiently and effectively and we are very excited to bring Novo Markets West to Gainesville”
– Mike Griffin, Director Shelton McNally.
“It was a pleasure working with Dan and his team to a successful closing on the 21+ acre multifamily parcel. We are looking forward to the synergy Novo Markets West will bring to the overall project and community.
- Gary Weseman, Manager Tanglewood Properties
"Over the past fifteen years my partners and I have engaged the Gainesville Colliers Brokerage team to lease and sell our commercial real estate. Most recently the Colliers team, led by Dan Drotos, CCIM, SIOR completed the sale of our Tower24 property. Tower24 is a mixed use development requiring the real estate broker to hold considerable knowledge and skills in performing economic analysis, listing presentation, marketing, and contract negotiations. Dan and his team performed all task required in this transaction wonderfully and it is my pleasure to endorse this team for any commercial real estate services you may require."
Bob Rowe, Partner Tower24, LLC
Services
Skills
Property Type
Specializations
My Team
My Team
Rory graduated from the University of Florida with a degree in civil engineering and has spent the past 35 years in Gainesville as a professional consultant in the land-development industry. Shortly following his graduation, Rory founded CHW Professional Consultants. Serving the company for the last 30 years, Rory’s roles shifted from Vice to President, to CEO and later to Founder. Under Rory’s leadership, the company grew from 13 employees to 85 employees and increased its gross revenue to well over $10 million.
As a professional engineer, Rory has worked on thousands of projects within Alachua County and the southern United States. Having worked with numerous owners and developers on single-family, multi- family, commercial, retail, industrial and institutional uses, Rory has discovered a uniqueness to each property and project after having worked in such a diverse market of land development. Rory’s engagement and leadership doesn’t stop there, he is well known in the Gainesville community for his roles in many different organizations, some of which include Rotary club of Gainesville Sunrise (President), Climb for Cancer Foundation (Board Member), Builders Association of North Central Florida (BANCF) (past Associate Vice-President), American Heart Association (2018 Heart Walk Chair) and Gainesville Chamber of Commerce (Board Member since 2013, Chair of The Board 2017, currently Immediate Past-Chair).
Mike Ryals has been the dominant name in commercial real estate in the Gainesville marketplace for over 25 years. Mike has handled in an excess of over a billion dollars in commercial real estate transactions with clients ranging from individual local business owners to large corporate clients such as Walmart, Taco Bell, Dukin Donuts, UF Health/Shands and many others.
As a fourth generation Floridian who has always lived in Gainesville, Mike knows the market well. He first entered real estate in 1978 and quickly grew to love the business, becoming the company’s top producing agent in 1979. He has consistently retained this level of success throughout his career.
Mike became a broker in 1980, opened and built his own real estate company in the mid 80’s, sold his company to Bosshardt Realty in 1986, and has served as Senior Vice President of the Bosshardt Commercial division until his recent transition to Colliers where he will serve the team behind the scenes in an advisory capacity.
Lauren, being born and raised in Gainesville, is extremely familiar with Gainesville and its surrounding areas. She graduated with an Associate Degree in Psychology from Santa Fe College. However, Lauren soon realized her true passion in real estate and has not looked back since.
Lauren continuously demonstrates her value as a commercial real estate professional in Gainesville and brings top customer service to her clients. Aside from her in-depth knowledge of the Gainesville area and insight into the commercial real estate market, Lauren has a firm understanding of landlord and tenant requirements and has built a sound network of both landlord and tenant client relationships. These attributes help her meet the needs of her clients in a timely and efficient manner. Lauren’s attention to detail, communication skills and creative solutions have served her well to become a well-respected member of the GNV Commercial Advisory Team. She continues to gain a broad range of experience in commercial real estate, including landlord representation, tenant representation, lease negotiations, investment properties, and corporate real estate projects.
Debbie Wilkinson, Client Services Specialist, joined Colliers International in August as part of the GNV Commercial Advisory Team. She returned to Gainesville from Nashville, TN in 2014 to be closer to family and has worked for an independent real estate firm as Relocation Director and as Team Lead of Customer Service and Quality for the past five years.
Prior to moving to Gainesville, Wilkinson worked for Mars Petcare, a division of Mars, Inc., as Corporate Affairs Senior Project Specialist. In this role, she built corporate reputation through management of corporate and brand sponsorships and events in the areas of sports and entertainment, community, Mars family properties, Pedigree Foundation®, and pet-related events. She was instrumental in the promotion of associate engagement leading over 900 volunteers who participated in these activities each year.
Wilkinson has also worked in the telecommunications industry for AT&T, Lucent Technologies, and Avaya, Inc. where she managed provisioning teams for a seven-state territory, union/management negotiations, national strike preparations, customer loyalty programs and global customer satisfaction programs.
Wilkinson graduated with an M.B.A. from Florida State University and a B.S. from the University of Florida.