
Nathan Fong
Senior Vice President | Retail Services Group Leader | Hawaii Investment & Retail Services Divisions | Shopping Center Division
License # RB-18123
About
Professional Summary
Nathan Fong is a local boy, born and raised in Hawai’i, the eldest grandson of the late and great Senator Hiram L. Fong – the son of illiterate Cantonese immigrants, who overcame poverty, earned a law degree from Harvard, and became the first Asian-American United States Senator in history. This rooted Hawai’i family history is combined with 22 years of commercial real estate experience in the islands along with a devoted loyalty to Colliers International (previously known as Monroe & Friedlander). He currently leads and serves the Colliers Retail Group & Shopping Center Divisions and oversees a team of 16 brokers. He is also a fundamental part of the Colliers Hotel & Investment Divisions. He has the largest Shopping Center Portfolio in the state and spends his time working with institutional owners, institutional developers, trusts, family offiices, and institutional tenants looking to do multi-store roll-outs. Creating opportunities for his clients is what he does.
Nathan’s intention has, and always will be, to make Hawai’i a better place through a sustainable and responsible brokerage. Putting his client’s needs first and designing creative solutions to their challenges is what he and his teams do best. He stands for maximum output and full potential; if you’re going to do something, then master it. Complacency and entitlement have no place in his world. The outcome and benefit for his clients are thoughtful, out of the box solutions, combined with steadfast execution.
Nathan's Team has an extensive knowledge and understanding of Hawai’i’s culture, with connections and relationships that go back a lifetime. His team has a proven track record of helping clients successfully do business in Hawai’i. They are relentless in their execution and leverage all resources to get the job done. They understand how to navigate the internal processes with Institutional Clients. Their objective is to take time out of the process, while accelerating clients mandates. They facilitate win/win results for their clients Hawai’i Commercial Real Estate needs and provide them a competitive advantage. Not only do they uncover opportunities, they create them...
Accomplishments
- Colliers Hawaii’s Top Producer Company Wide 2020, 2017, 2015 & 2009
- Colliers Hawaii’s Top Producer 2004 through 2021
- Hawaii Business Magazine’s 2014 Class, 20 Leaders for the Next 20
- 22 Year Colliers International Veteran
List of comlpeted Institutional Retail, Hotel, & Investment, Land, & Portfolio Sale Trasnactions can be found at:
www.InstitutionalPropertiesHawaii.com
Education
State of Hawaii Licensed Real Estate Broker
Memberships & Involvements
International Counsil of Shopping Centers
ULI
*Nathan Fong Properties, LLC dba Institutional Properties Hawai'i, exclusively contracted to Colliers International HI, LLC
Clients
Retail Portfolio & Institutional Relationships (Past & Present):
MetLife (NYSE Symbol: MET); Teachers Insurance and Annuity Association (TIAA-CREF) (NASDAQ Symbol: CREF); Invesco (NYSE Symbol: IVZ); Morgan Stanley (NYSE Symbol: MS); AEW Captital Management, L. P., LaSalle Investment Management, Campbell Estate/James Campbell Company, LLC; A&B Properties, Inc. (Alexander & Baldwin: NYSE Symbol: ALEX); Hunt Companies, MIG Real Estate; ValueRock Realty Partners; L&B Realty, Sullivan Family of Companies, Kamehameha Schools, and Lili’uokalani Trust.
Hotel & Hospitality Relationships:
Marriott International (NASDAQ Symbol: MAR), Hilton Worldwide (NYSE Symbol: HLT), Western States Lodging, Garn Development.
Tenant Relationships:
Foodland Farms, Coffee Bean & Tea Leaf, Dry Bar, Raising Cane's, Panda Express, Jersey Mike's, Taco Bell, Pizza Hut, Burger King, KFC, Denny's, Orange Theory Fitness.
Senior Living Relationships:
Kisco Senior Living
Testimonials
Marriott International, Inc.
Robert A. Sanger
Area Vice President, Lodging Development
“Nathan has been a key resource for identifying hotel development opportunities in Hawai’i. He has a strong work ethic and is very responsive to my information needs. I am able to leverage his strong relationships with landowners, providing me with firsthand looks at off-market opportunities.”
MetLife
Joel Redmon
Regional Director
"Because of Hawaii's location being so remote, it was important that our broker had a vast understanding of both the local culture and the real estate market. It was also fundamental that they met our institutional standards, were transparent, and accountable. Nathan gave us these assurances and provided valuable insights reflecting a profound understanding from an owners perspective."
Invesco Real Estate
Art Fong
Senior Director
“As an institutional owner, we require transparency, commitment, and flawless execution. Nathan and his team checked all those boxes and made our decision making process effortless.
When we need assurance for our multi-million dollar Hawai’i investment, we trust Nathan."
Foodland Farms & Sullivan Family of Companies
Roger J. Wall
Vice Chairman
“As our family of companies has continued to grow and evolve since our founding 72 years ago, we increasingly look to our partners in commercial real estate to provide insight and sound recommendations that ensure we capitalize on the best opportunities. Understanding the unique needs of our diverse businesses is critical to our success. Nathan has proven to be an invaluable partner who is smart, strategic and extremely responsive to our team. He has developed a deep understanding of our businesses that he combines with his knowledge of Hawaii commercial real estate to make him an incredible resource for us.”
Panda Restaurant Group, Inc.
Andrew Cherng
Chief Executive Officer
“Nathan has been a trusted and valuable resource for our expansion in Hawai’i, specifically for our Panda Express and Raising Cane's brands. He provides specific insight into trade areas with strong barriers to entry and has a niche for securing off market opportunities for us.”
Kisco Senior Living
Mitch J. “MJ” Ritschel
Chief Investment Officer
“Nathan was instrumental in identifying a void in the market and creating a business strategy for our 40-acre mixed-use development in Kapolei. He was unwavering in his execution and accomplished selling out of our land holdings."
Par Hawaii, Inc.
Keith Yoshida
Vice President, Planning & Business Development
“The land acquisition for our Kapolei facility was complex due to a number of factors, Nathan went above and beyond to ensure a successful closing and created a win/win outcome for both parties."
Kimi Hotels, Inc.
Alan Kimi
Chairman of the Board
"Nathan is a dynamic, can do, 24/7, resourceful, tenacious, and successful dealmaker who has his client’s interests his #1 priority. He is candid and brings all options to our discussions, so our informed decisions are prudent. Being task-oriented, Nathan is emphatic about not leaving ‘any money on the table’ on our deals; and successfully completed very complicated multiple commercial transactions for us. "
Springboard Hospitality
Ben Rafter
President & CEO
"Nathan & Andy have the experience to navigate Hawaii’s unique and complicated business environment. Their institutional approach and execution on a highly complex deal exceeded our expectations. "
Services
Skills
Service Lines
Property Type
My Team
My Team
Ian provides creative design for brokerage professionals in support of business development. He works with brokers and staff to understand their design needs, flesh out their ideas, and offer creative marketing solutions. Taking their initial ideas, he then turns their messages into well-designed physical or digital formats that effectively help brokers grow their businesses and stand out in the marketplace.
Design projects include: developing property brochures, proposals, offering memorandums, presentations, signage, logos, broker promotional materials, company collateral, and custom email/social media marketing.
Sara Kanno plays an important role in helping Colliers win business through the development and leadership of the marketing team. Ms. Kanno is responsible for identifying and curating best practices in the area of marketing initiatives and strategies for the Hawaii office. As marketing manager, her tasks include creating and managing the production of proposals, fact sheets, brochures, postcards, advertisements, website coordination and addressing any and all aspects of real estate transactions that are directly associated with marketing. In addition, Ms. Kanno manages Colliers’ outside marketing vendors, and in-house staff to ensure compliance with company branding and consistency of marketing materials.
Ms. Kanno began her career with Colliers International in 2004 as an administrative assistant in the Property Management Division before moving into Investment Sales in 2005. In 2011, Sara moved to New York City and began her transition into graphic design. Ms. Kanno moved back to Hawaii in 2015 and rejoined the Colliers International team as a marketing manager.
Mark Arakawa brings over 13 years of experience in commercial real estate research and marketing. As a project manager in the retail services division, he specializes and is responsible in producing marketing and project specific collaterals for the firm's retail senior vice presidents. Some of his works include tenant tour books, demographic and geographic mapping analyses, rent and sales comparable reports, and assisting Jon-Eric Greene, Nathan A. Fong, and Cathy G. Kong.
His ability to display data in a comprehensible manner and knowledge in using various software are an essential part of his daily projects. Mark’s attention to detail, focus, and drive allow him to create a wide range of collaterals for clients in a time-efficient manner. Mark is also responsible for all electronic marketing including weekly featured email blasts and commercial real estate newsletters for clients.
Mark began his career with Colliers International in November of 2004 as a research assistant in the firm’s consulting and research department. Through the years, he has progressed to a marketing coordinator and currently a project manager in the retail services division.
Nanette brings more than 20 years experience in consulting and brokerage to the commercial and residential real estate industries. Her consulting experience includes numerous financial and market analyses, as well as feasibility studies and valuations of various institutional grade properties and developments in Hawaii and on the mainland. On the brokerage front, she has managed and performed the marketing, valuation, and due diligence processes of real estate assets in the $5 million to $50 million plus range and has been involved in the sale of over $500 million of various commercial real estate assets in Hawaii.
CONSULTING EXPERIENCE
• Property Underwriting and Due Diligence
• Broker Opinion of Value
• Real Estate Portfolio Analysis
• Strategic Planning Assistance
• Development Feasibility Analysis
• Highest and Best Use Studies
• Market Supply and Demand Studies
• Market Rent and Vacancy Forecasts
Michael brings to Colliers over 25 years of marketing and marketing research experience. Michael has directed research efforts at commercial brokerages with a focus on providing information to assist in strategic decision making for real estate investors and brokerage clientele. This effort reported on nearly 600 million square feet of commercial/industrial properties in the San Francisco Bay Area.
Having been quoted in the Wall Street Journal, USA Today, Real Estate Forum and Commercial Property News as well as other regional publications, Michael has been recognized for his detailed analysis of the commercial real estate marketplace and has become the recognized source for commercial real estate trend analysis and forecasts for Hawaii’s marketplace.
In addition to managing the primary and secondary research efforts in the collection of commercial office, retail and industrial market information and statistics, Michael established the company’s real estate consulting division. Utilizing market factors such as: vacancy rates, absorption, net effective rents, and sales comparables, this consulting unit is able to advise developers, investors, property owners, and tenants on current and projected market trends.
PROFESSIONAL EXPERIENCE
Whitney Cressman Limited — Commercial Real Estate Marketing Research Director
Directed brokerage, internal research efforts, and generated real estate consulting assignments at a busy boutique firm in San Francisco Bay area. Served as the principal liaison to press and media. Analyzed office, retail, and development site criteria for market demand and feasibility.
Cushman & Wakefield — Commercial Real Estate Research Services Manager
Oversaw the compilation of market analytics for 600 million square foot commercial and industrial markets throughout the San Francisco Bay area. Recognized nationally and regionally for innovative data management and analysis. Selected to serve on a national career development board for research services. Directed research staff of 12 in five Bay area markets.
Identified by brokers as a manager achieving service excellence.
CONSULTING ASSIGNMENTS
• Development Feasibility Analysis
• Market Demand and Absorption Report
• Broker Opinion of Market Pricing
• Highest and Best Use Studies
• Real Estate Portfolio Analysis
• Strategic Positioning Study
• Market Rent and Vacancy Forecasts
Maria Su is a member of the Retail Services Division of Colliers International’s Hawaii office, specializing in assisting retail businesses to assess and strategize their location and growth strategies.
For over the last decade, Maria served as a business and financial consultant, with services including valuation, financial analysis, fraud investigation and forensic accounting. She has practiced with CPA and Consulting firms all over the world, including New York, San Francisco, Hawaii and Shanghai, China. Having earned a Master Degree in Accountancy from University of Notre Dame, Maria’s strong educational background combined with her professional experiences allows her to utilize a wide array of knowledge to help clients attain their real estate goals.
Maria was born and raised in Shanghai, China, and speaks fluently in both Mandarin Chinese and Shanghainese. Her unique upbringing allows her to understand both eastern and western cultures. Having lived and worked in major cities across the world, she has experienced the tremendous evolvement of retail shopping centers and retail markets internationally. These experiences help her see a bigger picture and serve her clients’ best interests with a worldly perspective.
I am the “boots on the ground” for Colliers International on the Big Island of Hawaii. Working for the Master Developer of Waikoloa Beach Resort for 21 years has given me the understanding and commitment to make sure both Landlord’s and Tenant’s have a partnership for success relationship. My current role as Vice President-Leasing Services for the Island of Hawaii, has me in Hilo, Waimea, Kona and the Kohala Coast and Waikoloa Village. Whether I am working to make sure tenant mix of a center is the best it could be or making sure a tenant is choosing the best location for their business, we make retail magic happen. The optimum goal is for both landlords and tenants to maximize profits and success for both. Marrying the two needs is an art that we strive to perfect deal after deal. All of our partnerships are created with Aloha and attention to each party’s special interests.
My career has allowed me the absolute pleasure to participate in many exciting projects. Prior to joining Colliers, I was a member of the development and management team for Queens’ MarketPlace (a 135,000 square foot first class destination shopping center on Hawaii’s Big Island which includes an adjoining 4,000 person outdoor amphi- theatre); Kings’ Shops (a 70,000 square foot retail shopping center); The Shops at Mauna Lani (a 75,000 square foot retail shopping center); and served in a leadership role for the Big Island Portfolio of Colliers Monroe Friedlander, overseeing and executing both management and leasing activity. My passion in commercial real estate was created in Waikoloa Beach Resort commercial real estate property management and continues today in leasing and investment sales. The depth of my resort retail expertise is a unique and valuable tool when working with landlords and tenants within resort areas on the Big Island.
The team we are a part of here on The Big Island is a true asset for property owners who want to lease their spaces and have a true professional property management team. Also, those who are looking to sell their property or buy new properties on the Big Island can count on the Colliers Big Island Team to make deals happen. Our attention to detail can yield potential buyers/sellers for the greatest possible returns.
Erin Mitsuyoshi is a member of the Retail Leasing Services Division of Colliers International, Hawaii’s largest commercial & real estate brokerage organization. Mrs. Mitsuyoshi is part of a team of highly accomplished retail real estate professionals with invaluable experience and knowledge in the Hawaii market.
As a retail specialist, Erin’s secret to success is her tenacity for pavement pounding combined with her knowledge of the business and positive can-do approach. She’s aggressive in pursuing the right tenant mix while having a synergistic relationship with the landlord and property management.
Extreme proficiency and sharpened knowledge come from years of Landlord representation for some of Hawaii’s oldest and largest institutions such as, Kamehameha Schools, Alexander & Baldwin, Howard Hughes and Washington Prime who own over a combined 15,176 acres of commercial real estate in Hawaii. Erin performs in-fill and project leasing and has worked with on projects, or with clients, such as Pearlridge Shopping Center, Ward Village Development (60-acre master-planned redevelopment), Stanford Hotels, Pearl Highlands Center, Mililani Shopping Center, Waikiki Business Plaza, Waikiki Shopping Plaza, Taco Bell, Pizza Hut and F45 to name a few.
Erin has been surrounded by real estate her entire life due to her multi-generation family-owned and operated business that invests, develops, and manages commercial real estate properties throughout Hawaii. Whether it is through financial analytics, operational diagnostics, or creating synergy and stability with a proper tenant mix, Erin is able to utilize her skill set to best service her clients’ real estate needs. Clients describe her as proactive, dedicated, creative, loyal and proficient. Colleagues describe her as a silent ninja. She will get the job done quickly and quietly behind the scenes so clients can relax and shine to the rest of the world knowing they have accomplished their goals.
Erin’s background of business, hospitality, and family real estate coupled with property management experience allows her to continuously anticipate needs and exceed client expectations, with both institutional and local ownership. Her integrity, dedication, and professionalism allow her to bring added value for tenant and landlord clients alike.
I have worked in Hawaii’s Commercial Real Estate industry for over 11 years, representing clients locally, across Asia, and the mainland. My background was formed early on through my involvement with my family's restaurant, learning how to prepare budgets, pro-formas, and health ratios along with providing great customer service. It was here, that I learned with hard work and positive thinking anything can be achieved.
I was able to bring in my knowledge and experience from the family business to understand the details of a retail business from the customer’s perspective and the importance of customer service. When I work with a client I take pride in getting the best result for them by taking the time to understand their specific needs. When I work with a client I provide my market knowledge so my clients are able to make an informed decision. This combined with my experience in Hawaii’s commercial real estate market, gives me a strong foundation to negotiate transactions for a “win win” solution for both parties.
I consider myself a person who is not afraid of new challenges, be it finding the perfect space for a tenant, executing growth strategies, or advising clients on investment opportunities. I take pride in my solid ethical background, which is the foundation of my professional commitment to secure the best outcomes for my clients. I value each of the relationships I have with my clients, and truly enjoy getting to know the people I meet through this business. I have a passion for real estate and continue to learn from each and every transaction I have been a part of.
Mr. Greene is a Senior Vice President in the Retail Services Group with Colliers and has been with the Honolulu office for more than 25 years.
Mr. Greene specializes in retail leasing and investment sales with an emphasis in retail tenant representation and buyer representation. Some of Mr. Greene’s current and previous clients include: 24 Hour Fitness, Bed Bath & Beyond, California Pizza Kitchen, CVS/Longs Drug Stores, The Gap, Louis Vuitton, Ross Stores, Sam’s Club, and Wal-Mart.
PASSIONATE is one word that describes how I am with projects and clients. When you truly love what you do, it is hard to call it work! I concentrate my energy on high street retail in Waikiki, Urban Retail in Kaka'ako, specialized affluent neighborhoods, and all other Resort Retail markets throughout the islands. I specialize in Landlord representation and working with experienced local and national resort, urban, and luxury retail tenants. I am able to strategically work with tenants on their expansion plan and provide detailed analysis on the roll out of their brand within the Hawaii Market.
I spend much of my time curating, repositioning, and helping grow projects and developments in Waikiki, Resort markets on all islands, Kaka’ako/Ward, and other affluent neighborhoods in Hawaii.
I have had great success over the years working on the following projects: Haleiwa Store Lots, The Shops at Kukui’ula, SALT in Our Kaka’ako, Pualeilani Atrium Shops at the Hyatt Regency , Waikiki Beach Walk, The Shops at the Ilikai, Kuono Marketplace, Ko'Olina Station and Center, Kailua Town, Princeville Center, Queens Marketplace, and Outrigger Waikiki to name a few.
Charles Buckingham is a Vice President for our Maui Brokerage Services Division and serves as one of the primary contacts for our company's leasing and sales transactions team. With an average of over 50 transactions per year, his clients both Landlord and Tenant benefit from his focused work ethic coupled with the high levels of service and integrity. Though Mr. Buckingham is a seasoned veteran on Maui, he never stops seeking out new opportunities for his existing clients, his goal is to ensure clients business needs are satisfied with the proper real estate solutions.
Mr. Buckingham moved to Maui in 1998 to join A&B Properties as the Director of Leasing where he was responsible for all related leasing activities of Maui's largest office, retail, industrial, and ground lease portfolio. Notable transactions and clients include Whole Foods Market, TJ Maxx (Build to Suit), Krispy Kreme (Build to Suit), U.S. Government, Longs Drugs (CVS), Central Pacific Bank, Taco Bell, Burger King, County of Maui and the State of Hawaii.
Mr. Buckingham is originally from Los Angeles, California where he worked for Colliers Seeley in their Los Angeles office specializing in Industrial Leasing and Sales transactions. In addition to his work life, Mr. Buckingham takes an active role in the community as a volunteer and participant in multiple non-profit organizations and events. Along with his three children Mr. Buckingham enjoys most water related sports most notably competitive sailboat racing.
I am a member of the Investment & Industrial Services Division at Colliers International, Hawaii’s largest commercial real estate organization. Over the past 10-years I have established myself as one of Oahu’s leading commercial advisors by developing key relationships with both local and national clientele. Early in my career I developed my industry knowledge through tenant rep assignments and quickly grew into Landlord Representations and being a driving force behind several multi-tenant projects such as Campbell Industrial Village, Malakole Industrial Park, Kauhi Commercial Center, Newtown Business Park, and Kakaako Commerce Center. Years of interaction with emerging tenants and high deal volume has allowed me to keep a close pulse on the current market trends. I have been recognized as a CoStar Power Broker in 2015 & 2016 and have been a member of the Investment Services Group for the past 3-years.
After graduating from Gonzaga University, I partnered with a friend to open Island Wellness, LLC, a successful local-based day spa. This business experience gave me a wealth of local business experience and a unique perspective on fulfilling my clients’ real estate needs.
I have had the privilege of working for Colliers International since 2010 as a member of our Office Services and Investments team. I decided to pursue a career as a commercial real estate advisor at Colliers as I knew there were much greater challenges and in turn, greater opportunities, for me to tackle.
Since joining, I have had the honor of becoming Vice President of Office and Investment Services in Hawaii and have watched us grow from a group of less experienced, but hungry individuals, to a cohesive team of well-established and well-connected leaders in the Hawaii market. Hawaii is a unique place to participate in commercial real estate advisory as it sits as a gateway between the Asia-Pacific region and the continental U.S.
During my time at Colliers, I have averaged participating in over 100 combined investment sale and lease transactions per year and have surpassed $1 billion in aggregate deal value in my career. My role as both a tenant and landlord representative has evolved over the years. I find myself actively advising for many institutional occupiers, such as Hawaii Pacific Health and Hawaiian Electric Company. I am also fortunate to represent a multitude of landlords, both smaller organizations and larger institutions, as well as buyers and sellers of commercial properties here on the islands. Seeing and learning from both the tenant and landlord sides has given me a unique perspective that I have found beneficial in solution-making for clients. The rewards associated with a satisfied client are hard to match and are the driver for continuing to do what I do.
As much as I love my career and colleagues, I am most appreciative for the blessings I have at home in my wife and daughter. They are the reason I do what I do and am thankful every morning to wake up with them in my life. My family enjoys spending as much time around the water as we can. When I am not at the beach or at work, I can likely be found watching Michigan State University sports. Go Green!
I have been an office leasing associate with Colliers since 2015. Prior to making the transition to commercial real estate brokerage I worked in the Institutional Trust Department at Bank of Hawaii which laid a solid foundation for servicing business clients. I am born and raised on the island of Oahu and graduated from Punahou School in 2007. From there I went on to earn a B.A. in Finance from the University of Hawaii.
I genuinely enjoy everyday of work I have at Colliers. Whether it’s working on the landlord side representing my clients such as Alexander & Baldwin and Kamehameha Schools or representing tenants to help solve their commercial real estate needs. The thing I find most rewarding is working with a client with a tough requirement. Being able to get creative and think outside the box of “you need “x” amount of square feet in this area” is refreshing. It helps to keep everyday exciting and allows me to bring new ideas to all my clients even if their requirements seem straightforward.
I pride myself as always making sure my client feels like they are number one. I am always responsive and make sure that their needs are always first priority. Others would certainly describe a part of my personality as empathetic and I believe I’m able to use that empathy to stand in my clients shoes and truly see their issues from their perspective. Ultimately I judge my success on the feedback I receive after a deal has closed. If I was able to solve a problem, take over the workload of the deal, and my client is satisfied that would mean I’ve done a good job.
When not working to relax I love to do anything related to the ocean. It could be surfing, bodysurfing, stand up paddling, or just really anything outdoors. I am also proud to be a volunteer as well as board member of Surfrider Spirit Sessions. A program which allows me to share my love of the ocean with at risk youth and give them a pathway to make positive life changes.
AREA OF EXPERTISE
In Anjee’s current role, as National Retail Director for the USA, she has developed strong relationships and strategic leadership to over 500 + retail professional nationally across 140 markets within Colliers for Investment Sales, Agency, Retailer Rep, and Retail Asset & Property Management.
Anjee Solanki brings 30 years of focused retail real estate experience to Colliers International. She provides strategic retail advisory services to enhance value for her clients with her expertise in lifestyle, community, power center, neighborhood, mixed-use retail/residential, and resort retail.
She has developed and manages strong working relationships with institutional and private clients such as State of Florida, State of Michigan, Heitman, Invesco, Grosvenor Americas, American Realty Advisors, TH Realty, PNC, and Zurich to name a few.
Her strategy identifies current market and property inefficiencies to capture untapped value through asset repositioning, releasing, redevelopment, rehabilitation, proactive management, and enhanced marketing.
Creative problem-solving is her specialty, and she becomes a key stakeholder with national and international retailers, such as JPMC, Opry City Stage/Ole Red and Tim Hortons, and many others. Her highly focused approach reduces the risk profile and provides clients with a thoughtful approach executing strategic multi-year planning initiatives.
BUSINESS BACKGROUND
Previously, Anjee served as Executive Vice President, Retail Services for Madison Marquette. She successfully assisted with repositioning community centers to lifestyle projects and identified opportunities to create value, resulting in higher returns for her clients. She also provided strategic analysis on complex redevelopment projects to address both the asset’s financial stabilization and/or the client’s exit strategy
BLOG
Anjee continues to be an insatiable collector of all things retail. She’s a student of culture living next door to future shoppers, whose fleeting trends constantly change the retail landscape … driving retailers, landlords and developers crazy! Read her Blog at: https://knowledge-leader.colliers.com/author/anjee-solanki
COMMUNITY INVOLVEMENT
Anjee is originally from Southern California and currently resides in San Francisco. She is active in the Rincon Hill neighborhood residential improvement group, which participates in the public review of the highly anticipated Salesforce Transit Center in San Francisco.
As President of Brokerage in the Southwest United States for Colliers International, I am responsible for some of the firm’s most productive offices in the nation, from Colorado, Utah, Nevada and Arizona to Southern California and the islands of Hawaii. Based in Los Angeles, my focus is on advancing Colliers’ growth objectives in the larger region, while ensuring the firm continues to provide best-in-class solutions to our clients.
Mr. Thornton has 20+ years experience in the sourcing and structuring of debt and equity capital for commercial real estate transactions nationally and internationally with over $16.5 billion in successfully completed assignments in his career. His expertise encompasses a wide spectrum of transaction types including financing for new construction, acquisition, and recapitalization of all major commercial property types including office, retail, industrial, multifamily and hospitality.
Having served as a principal on the lending, ownership and brokerage sides of the commercial real estate industry during the course of his career, Mr. Thornton brings a wealth of knowledge and offers a unique 360 degree perspective to real estate capital markets transactions. He previously held positions with Deutsche Bank, Berkshire Mortgage Finance, Strategic Realty Capital and Palmer Capital Inc.
Mr. Thornton has extensive long-standing relationships with a diverse base of domestic and foreign capital sources including insurance companies, pension funds, commercial and investment banks, foreign banks, conduits, commercial mortgage REITs, opportunity funds, and credit companies. He is focused on providing comprehensive and creative debt and equity solutions for private and institutional clients nationwide.
Nicole is a member of the Structured Finance Advisory Group, providing capital solutions to real estate investors, developers and corporate users for all commercial property types. Having spent most of her 17+ year career as a direct lender, Nicole leverages her vast technical skills and wide-ranging industry relationships to source and craft optimal debt and equity capital for her private and institutional clients. The team works with the full spectrum of transaction types including financing for new construction, acquisition, recapitalization and consultation of all property types. Creativity and the ability to overcome obstacles through the course of a transaction has been a key driver to her client’s success.
Yang Chen is the Managing Director of Colliers' Asia Pacific Division overseeing North America. Yang’s team provides services in all sectors of commercial real estate, including industrial, office, R&D, retail and residential. Yang possesses language and cultural fluency in both English and Chinese, which she uses to improve communication and foster relationships with a diverse range of clients.
Yang supports Asian investors, landlords and tenants in establishing or expanding their footprints in the North American market. The language, cultural, regulatory, and logistical barriers to entering North America can sometimes seem insurmountable, but experience combined with a network of experts to call on enables Yang to help her clients smoothly navigate these challenges. She and her team hold a unique position in the commercial real estate industry with broad knowledge of the most updated trends in all sectors of the market, from a variety of sources, both locally and internationally. She prides herself on leveraging this knowledge to develop and execute customized strategies so each client can obtain a fair market transaction and operate in the North American economy from a position of strength.
Yang also supports North American landlords and sellers in enhancing their relationships with Asian business partners. While the rapidly growing Asian market is an exciting source of high quality tenants and buyers, some North American clients may not know where to turn in order to network with these companies from across the globe. Other domestic clients may already have Asian international interest in their project but are experiencing challenging and prolonged negotiations. Yang's background and relationships in various channels in Asia can provide unparalleled international marketing exposure to vastly broaden the pool of quality tenants or buyers. Her experience and communication skill allows her to reduce frustration and wasted time for both parties by proactively educating interested international tenants and buyers in the process, expectations, and requirements of the local domestic market so a mutually beneficial transaction can cross the finishing line.
陈洋女士是高力国际的执行董事,负责北美地区的亚太投资。她的团队专注为中国的企业,开发商和投资者提供最优质的行业资源和全方位服务,覆盖的板块包括:工业地产、写字楼、研发物业、零售物业、多住户住宅物业等。陈洋女士及团队掌握最新最全面的市场信息,拥有丰富的人脉网络,致力于竭力满足每一位客户的投资及落地诉求,为其提供个性化的专业服务。同时,通过帮助客户克服语言、文化、当地法律法规等多重障碍,陈洋女士向她的客户承诺最优质和富有成果的本地化服务。
A seasoned commercial real estate advisor in Southern California, I focus on properties in densely populated multicultural and Hispanic markets. In particular, I specialize in retail development, redevelopment, strategic planning and consulting services for owners, retailers and municipalities.
Before joining Colliers, I was with CBRE in Southern California for 14 years. I have been unrivaled throughout my career in the sale, leasing and development of commercial properties in multicultural and Hispanic trade areas throughout California. I have assisted numerous regional, national and international occupiers and, to date, I have been involved in more than 65 shopping center developments that together total more than 6 million square feet.
Over the years, I have developed an impeccable reputation and track record for closing transactions on behalf of both private and institutional landlords and tenants, as well as handling the sale of investment properties. I have also been involved in the sourcing, planning, development and marketing of multiple high-profile projects in Southern California.
Before getting into the brokerage side of commercial real estate, I served as director of acquisitions and leasing for Comstock, Crosser and Associates Development Co., a development company based in Manhattan Beach, CA. There, I was responsible for identifying and acquiring commercial properties for redevelopment, assembling development sites and expansion of Top Valu and Valu + Food Warehouse grocery chains.
David Amsterdam is President, U.S. Capital Markets and Northeast Region. He is responsible for managing and executing investment sales, debt & equity and structured finance transactions across the U.S. and in critical global markets. In addition, he leads the firm in top-tier cities, including New York, Boston, and Washington D.C.
His responsibilities include advising investors, corporate users, and landlords across the full spectrum of commercial real estate transactions and he is focused on continuing to drive revenue for the fastest-growing publicly traded real estate services and investment management firm in the world.
Karen M. Birkett is Vice President of the Office & Investment Services at Colliers. Karen services both landlords and tenants, which enables her to be very effective in all levels of lease negotiations, small and large. Karen has represented various landlords such as Bristol Group, Central Pacific Bank, Aloha United Way, Office of Hawaiian Affairs, Versa, and is responsible for securing new tenants as well as renewing existing tenants for over 100,000,000 square feet of office space in the downtown, Kapiolani, Iwilei and Kakaako areas. In addition, Karen is the leasing agent for Na Lama Kukui, a unique building which attracts both retail and office users.
Along with the responsibility of representing various landlords, Karen has extensive experience in servicing tenants, both small and large. Past and present clients include Hawaii State Federal Credit Union, DTRIC, Charles Schwab, HMAA, Hawaiian Electric Company, MC&A, Halekulani Corporation, Waikiki Health Center, Edward Jones, HonBlue, Atlantis Submarine, Hawaii Pacific University, Allstate Insurance, Atlas Insurance, Kiewit Construction, Yogi Kwong Engineering, and Rider Levett Bucknall just to name a few. In addition, Karen has represented various law firms, financial services groups, non profits, contractors/engineers and numerous alternative energy companies.
In addition to assisting landlord and tenants Karen has been involved in multiple acquisition/disposition projects in Honolulu including The Arcade Building, Airport Center, Ocean View Center, Haseko Center, 1833 Kalakaua, Alakea Corporate Plaza Condominiums, Melim Building, 500 N. Nimitz, 501 Sumner and 810 Richards Building, just to name a few.
Prior to Karen’s success in commercial real estate, she spent 5 years in the residential and commercial mortgage lending business. Before her years in the mortgage business, Ms. Karen spent many years in retail sales management, while at the same time owning and operating a variety of her own businesses, giving her the knowledge and understanding of what it takes to be a business owner. Karen’s experiences of owning various businesses, coupled with her many years of experience working for large corporations, has enabled her to understand the needs of all clients whether they are small business owners or large corporate clients.
Karen is originally from Whidbey Island, Washington, but has lived in Hawaii for over 30 years.
In her role as Senior Director of Business Development & Marketing | West Region for Colliers, Vanessa Williams oversees a talented team of marketing and research professionals across the Western United Stats. Serving as business partner and advisor to the regional president, division leadership and local markets across the Southwestern Region, Vanessa is tasked with developing a highly effective salesforce to achieve organic growth and continuously increase market share for Colliers.
Collaborating with regional and local leadership teams and brokers, Vanessa is focused on developing and implementing marketing and research strategies to position the region as a leader in the commercial real estate industry through innovative and measurable tactics. Her goal is to elevate marketing and research teams to operate as strategic partners to Colliers’ brokers.
Working closely with key support functions, Vanessa assists in managing the business development process, the identification and qualification of opportunities, and the assignment of new opportunities to local or regional pursuit resources and/or the national Business Development Center. She is accountable for developing the structure and resources required to execute business development plans for the region.
Regional team:
The Colliers Regional Strategic Projects Team comprises the most talented and experienced professionals across the region. The team serves as strategic advisors to Colliers’ brokers and clients and partners with national marketing and research leaders to cascade regional initiatives and objectives to local markets.
Under the direction of the Director of Business Development and Strategic Resources, the regional team leads a network of marketing experts to develop actionable marketing initiatives, champion the adoption of new technology, and identify and implement best-in-class marketing processes and practices. The team is responsible for developing avenues to strategically partner with business line leaders to target and win new business.
The team’s approach blends the insight and imagination of incredible people who see endless possibilities. We foster a culture of innovation and collaboration that informs, connects and advances the interests of our clients and professionals through business development, property marketing, digital engagement, research and public relations. Our fully internal regional team takes advantage of a comprehensive set of tools and resources, with expertise in all areas of commercial real estate marketing. We create high-quality content that tells a story and is useful, relevant and thought-provoking.
Background:
Previously Vanessa served as marketing director for Colliers in Arizona and regional marketing ambassador for Colliers’ Southwest Region, where she fostered a culture of innovation and collaboration that informs, connects and advances the interests of clients and professionals through business development, property marketing, public relations and digital engagement.
As marketing director for Arizona, Vanessa led an innovative marketing team strongly focused on business development. Her young and innovative approach resulted in new strategies for commercial real estate marketing, focused on the growing influence of social media and the changing landscape of the new economy. As a vital client-facing professional, Vanessa has been actively involved with brokerage professionals in pitching new business. Throughout the creative process, she worked hand-in-hand with brokers and staff to develop highly effective marketing concepts and strategies.
As regional marketing ambassador for the Southwest Region, Vanessa partnered with regional and national marketing leaders to cascade regional initiatives and objectives to local marketing directors, managers and Colliers Centers of Excellence leaders. She guided a network of marketing experts to develop actionable marketing initiatives, champion the adoption of new technology, and identify and implement best-in-class marketing processes and practices. Working with local marketing managers and directors, Vanessa found avenues to strategically partner with business line leaders to target and win new business.
Her work with Colliers has allowed Vanessa to combine her passion for growing the company’s business through marketing with her commitment to values and ethics. She joined Colliers in 2015, with enthusiasm for the company’s unique value-based culture and is dedicated to moving that mission forward.
Vanessa demonstrates exceptional skill and expertise in several core components of marketing, including business development, branding, asset positioning, property-marketing campaigns, public relations and advertising. She brings more than 14 years of extensive experience and knowledge in all aspects of marketing, business development and graphic design.
Her tenure in the commercial real estate industry began in 2007, when she served as a graphic designer at Grubb & Ellis. Vanessa left the commercial real estate industry for a few years to hone her skills at Campbell Fisher Design (now known as Fisher). She returned to commercial real estate in 2013, joining Cushman & Wakefield as manager of its marketing department for Arizona.
John Ogburn is responsible for client relations, business development, and overall management of key Colliers’ Investor Services accounts. As Senior Vice President, he ensures a consistent, seamless delivery of services of all service lines on a national level for some of Colliers’ largest institutional clients.
As an integral part of the Investor Services platform, John focuses on strategically connecting Colliers’ retail, industrial, office, multifamily, brokerage, investment sales and property management service lines with key institutional clients with the goal of creating mutual value and relationship growth.