Ross Carrier is a commercial real estate agent with the Trammell Crow Company.
WHERE DID HE START IN COMMERCIAL REAL ESTATE?
At Boyett Properties in Miami. He stayed there for two years before moving to The Hogan Group, where he stayed for 10 years.
WHAT DID YOU DO FOR THE HOGAN GROUP?
“The Hogan Group was the developer of a large suburban office project in Miami. It is owned by Teachers Insurance and Annuity Association, which is the largest private pension fund. We were developing a 250-acre office park for them. We had 11 buildings within the project and we were leasing two of them to a lot of the multi-national corporations that were moving to Miami.”
MOVED TO JACKSONVILLE?
A year ago. “We wanted to live in Jacksonville because we have a lot of family here. I grew up in Coral Gables and we were looking for a quality of life change, so I went to a large real estate project in Greenville, S.C. and spent two years there. Unfortunately, that didn’t work out, so we ended up choosing to move to Jacksonville.”
WHAT DO YOU DO?
“I handle the office division here and am responsible for product leasing and sales and tenant representation.”
SPECIALTY?
Office leasing.
WHAT MADE YOU DECIDE TO GET INTO COMMERCIAL REAL ESTATE?
“My father was a real estate attorney and my uncle was a shopping center developer. I had been traveling quite a bit in my job, which was selling computer software, and we had just had our first child and I decided I wanted to put down some roots. Real estate is a profession which allows you to do that.”
WHAT BUILDINGS DO YOU LEASE?
One Enterprise Center, 550 Water St. and the Bowden Commerce Center.
PARTNER?
Brad Chrischilles, another commercial real estate agent at Trammell Crow. Carrier handles the office leasing, while Chrischilles handles most of the tenant representation. “It’s a great business partnership.”
KEY TO SUCCESS?
“I try to build a relationship with both my clients and the prospective tenants. I treat them fair and give them good service.”
CHALLENGES OF COMMERCIAL REAL ESTATE?
“The market has been slow. I arrived at a time when the market was starting to slow down. Since I am new to the area, the challenge is really understanding the history of the market, who the owners are, who tenants are and really getting a grasp on the market.”
HOW DO YOU LIKE IT?
“I really enjoy it. One of the things that has been great about coming to Jacksonville is working with Brad. We have a really good partnership. It’s made for an enjoyable work relationship.”
HOW DOES MIAMI COMPARE TO JACKSONVILLE?
“Miami has a very dynamic downtown. It is being driven by the Latin clientele so the spaces and offices are very showy. I think the exciting thing that is going on in Jacksonville’s downtown is that there are so many public venues being created. We have the new baseball stadium, renovations to the football stadium and the new coliseum. Miami has a new coliseum that they just completed, but the baseball and football stadiums are in remote locations. I can see in future years where after work people in Jacksonville are going to take a trolley to go to a concert, a baseball game or a football game.”
ADVICE YOU WOULD GIVE TO NEW AGENTS?
“Find a good mentor to teach you the business.”
FAVORITE THING ABOUT COMMERCIAL REAL ESTATE?
“Earning the trust of your client and the satisfaction of completing a transaction.”
BIRTHPLACE?
Coral Gables.
RESIDES
Ponte Vedra Beach.
HOBBIES
Fishing, bike riding and golf.
FAMILY
He has been married to Deedy for 20 years. They have four children, JuliAnne, 13, Greg, 11, Christine, 9, and Allison, 5. He said having four children will prove to be a challenge as they grow older. “It’s not the education I am worried about, it is all the weddings.”
CHURCH
Church at Chets Creek.
FAVORITES
His favorite book is the Bible and his favorite movie is “The Sting.” When relaxing at home, he enjoys tuning into “Walker’s Cay Chronicles,” a fishing show. When dining out, it’s Barbara Jeans in Palm Valley. His getaway spot is Islamorada, Fla.
— by Michele Newbern Gillis