JLL hires Berman as managing director

Jones Lang LaSalle hired Michael Berman as a managing director. He will provide strategic real estate services to building owners and national corporate tenants, including a focus on the growth and development of the firm's Lower Manhattan office. Berman has more than 25 years of experience in commercial real estate, including asset management, agency leasing, tenant representation and brokerage advisory services. He is a skilled real estate professional with a diverse background, having held senior positions with large, national, publicly traded commercial real estate firms. Berman has been responsible for managing national portfolios and premier New York assets, and has completed millions of s/f in leasing transactions. "Michael Berman has held senior positions with some of New York's most noteworthy publicly traded real estate companies, overseeing large portfolios of commercial real estate in Manhattan and around the nation," said Peter Riguardi, president of JLL's New York tri-state region. "He has the breadth of experience and proven ability to accelerate the continued growth of our business." "Michael Berman has tremendous experience in devising successful, multifaceted leasing strategies for large portfolios of commercial real estate," said John Wheeler, managing director and head of JLL's Lower Manhattan office. "He has developed a thorough understanding of Lower Manhattan's office market from the perspective of an owner and a space user. Michael will serve a crucial role in further expanding JLL's presence Downtown and throughout the New York metro region." Prior to joining JLL, Berman served as a senior vice president and head of asset management for Silverstein Properties, where he oversaw a portfolio of 10 buildings totaling 9 million square feet of space. Earlier, he was a senior vice president and head of asset management for Gramercy Capital Corp., where he was responsible for a 25.3 million-square-foot portfolio of commercial real estate. Berman also previously served as head of leasing for Equity Office Properties, developing regional leasing strategies for a portfolio of nine buildings totaling 7.5 million square feet of real estate and held the position of senior vice president at Brookfield Properties, where his responsibilities included leasing and marketing services for 12.4 million square feet of commercial real estate and asset management services for properties in the United States. In addition, Berman has served as director of leasing for Reckson Associates, overseeing leasing and marketing efforts for 3 million square feet in assets; as regional leasing director for LaSalle Partners, where he co-managed the firm's Downtown office, which handled 7 million square feet in agency leasing assignments; and as a managing director with Studley Inc., completing more than 2 million square feet in deals for tenants. He is a member of the Real Estate Board of New York. Berman is a licensed real estate broker in the state of New York. Berman received a bachelor's degree in English literature from the University of San Diego. He has also earned an honorable mention studying at St. Clare's Hall, Oxford in the United Kingdom. Berman is a member of the Municipal Art Society of New York and the Young Men's/Women's Real Estate Association of New York, where he has served on a number of committees and held various positions with the organization.