Possibly the closest ally of the United States is Britain. Our roots have been intricately tied for hundreds of years. While we speak the same language, we often don’t understand each other – enter Nick! Our good friend, Nick McCalmont-Woods, owner of McCalmont-Woods Real Estate in London. In today’s podcast we take a deep dive with Nick learning about how CRE is conducted ‘across the pond’ and how Covid has affected his industry.
Nick is a member of the Alliance of Tenant Representatives and that is how we met him several years ago. With the addition of Nick, ATR has now become international. Learning all about how CRE works in Europe was fascinating to us and especially in Nick’s inimitable way of telling a story. Lease structures in the UK are based on the feudal system with length of leases, breaks (versus renewals), how tenant reps are compensated, etc. all being different from how CRE is conducted in the US. Nick’s deep background in CRE spans many years including stints at Avison Young; JLW/Jones Lang LaSalle; Jones Lang Wootton, and Mason Owen & Partners before opening up his own brokerage. With over 35 years experience representing corporate occupiers, Nick understands the challenges facing business space users. Nick is also a proud member of RICS (The Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors); SIOR (Society of Industrial and Office Realtors); ATR (Alliance of Tenant Representatives); FIDES Network; IoD (Institute of Directors) and TRADS (Tenant Representation Advisors Society).
Nick is a member of the FIDES Network which provides financial services businesses, private equity investors and their portfolio companies an ability to tap into experienced professionals across a variety of disciplines, singly or in combination, as and when they need them. FIDES provides a full range of managed services support, from technology to tax structures, from professional services to property and from branding to financial team outsourcing, branding and marketing and more. This has proven invaluable with the advent of Covid and it’s devastating effects on commercial real estate.
Bob Gibbons is a Real Estate Advisor & Tenant Advocate (also known as a tenant rep) with REATA Commercial Realty, Inc. which is a tenant advisory firm based in Plano, Texas. Bob serves companies in Plano, Frisco, McKinney, Allen, Richardson, Addison, Dallas and the surrounding areas and specializes in companies which lease or buy office and warehouse properties.