Three Lions Real Estate Group, a commercial real estate investment and brokerage company named after the fountain in San Marco Square, moved its offices in December to new headquarters along Emerson Street.
Luke Feldman and Bryan J. Mickler, previously a sales team at the NAI Hallmark brokerage, initially formed Three Lions in April 2020 to buy value-add commercial real estate.
The two left NAI Hallmark June 1, 2021, and expanded Three Lions to include brokerage services.
A partnership including the two bought a two-story building Nov. 22 at 4401 Emerson St. for the company’s headquarters. Three Lions had been leasing space in San Marco.
The almost 15,000-square-foot Emerson Street building was developed in 1974. Mickler said its main tenant is Physicians Group LLC, an affilated company of the 1-800-ASK-GARY lawyer and medical referral service.
Three Lions Real Estate occupies 1,700 square feet of space on the second floor.
Through Emerson Street LLC, the partnership paid $1 million for the property. SouthState Bank of Jacksonville issued a $750,000 mortgage.
They bought the property from Emerson Jax II LLC, led by 1-800-ASK-GARY founder Gary Kompothecras, based in Sarasota.
The deal was a sale-leaseback.
Feldman and Mickler said in a news release that Three Lions focuses on buying value-add properties in “neighborhoods of economic strength and diversity.”
It works with clients’ commercial real estate sales and leasing needs.
They said their optimism for the Jacksonville metropolitan statistical area was their main motivation for starting the company.
“Over the past year, we’ve seen considerable growth in Jacksonville. Not only are local investors and developers executing their long-term visions, but new investors are attempting to enter the market from other cities due to increasing prices and compressed cap rates,” Feldman said in the release.
The capitalization rate indicates the rate of return anticipated on an investment property.
“As local experts and investors, our hope at Three Lions is to guide investors through the Jacksonville landscape to maximize returns and make a positive impact locally,” the release said.
Three Lions Real Estate Group is a commercial real estate investment and brokerage firm specializing in value-add investments, as well as third-party sales and leasing.
It works with buyers, sellers, tenants and landlords with commercial real estate needs, including retail, office and industrial properties.
The release said Three Lions raises money on a deal-by-deal basis, “incorporating a diverse group of real estate professionals for counsel and equity ownership in properties.”
At NAI Hallmark, Feldman and Mickler’s sales included underutilized properties such as the KinderCare portfolio and former St. John the Divine Greek Orthodox Church along Beach Boulevard.
They said the Emerson Street building originally was developed by a partnership including Wesley of Florida, W.W. Gay, Paxson Electric and other contractors that built recognized commercial buildings in Jacksonville.
Feldman and Mickler said those contractors’ collaboration in the design and construction of the building was an important factor in the purchase.
“We felt like the spirit of Three Lions was already represented in this building,” Mickler said.
Its website is threelionsre.com.
