Meridian Capital opens Ariz. office, appoints Harris

According to Meridian Capital Group, LLC, a leading national real estate finance advisor, Geoffrey Harris has joined the firm as a managing director. Harris specializes in financing commercial assets with a focus on triple-net lease and sale-leaseback transactions and will be responsible for overseeing Meridian's recently formed local office. Harris has 14 years of mortgage banking experience and has closed more than 1,900 transactions totaling over $2.9 billion. In his new role with Meridian, Harris will be originating debt and equity transactions nationally, focusing on triple-net leased property owners and investors. He joins Meridian from Marcus & Millichap where he was ranked as a "Top Five Broker" nationally from 2007 through 2011 and a "Top Loan Originator" for three consecutive years from 2008 to 2010. Harris' team will benefit from current market trends where low interest rates have helped drive capitalization rates down and property values up. This dynamic has created a strong opportunity for companies to sell and lease back their real estate. Triple-net lease and sale-leaseback products provide companies with the ability to access the equity in their fixed assets to generate liquidity while preserving control of their facilities. "Many companies seek methods to monetize their long-term investments without losing control of their real estate. Sale-leasebacks are a solution that allows the company to continue to run their business without interruption," said Harris. "I am proud to join the dynamic team at Meridian and I look forward to leveraging my extensive triple-net lease and sale-leaseback expertise to enhance Meridian's longstanding tradition of excellence and drive market share," he said. Founded in 1991, Meridian Capital Group, LLC is one of the nation's largest commercial real estate finance and advisory firms. Meridian is headquartered in New York with offices in New Jersey, Maryland, Illinois, Florida Arizona and California. Working with a broad array of capital providers, Meridian arranges financing for transactions ranging from $1 million to more than $500 million for multifamily, co-op, office, retail, hotel, mixed-use, industrial, healthcare, student housing, self-storage and construction properties.