by Karen Brune Mathis
Managing Editor
Michael Loftin grew up in Jacksonville, in the commercial real estate business under his father, commercial real estate veteran Curtis Loftin, and almost in view of the building he leases that was built before he was born.
Loftin is managing director of leasing at Parkway Realty Services, which represents the owner of what will soon become Wells Fargo Center.
It was Loftin’s job to sign Wells Fargo, which will move into 6 1/2 floors of the Downtown tower, boosting the 37-story building to a 93 percent occupancy rate.
Wells Fargo moves in after former anchor tenant MPS Group Inc. left for the suburbs after its acquisition by Adecco Group North America. “It worked out perfectly,” said Loftin.
Loftin, who just turned 35, succinctly details the building’s history. It was completed 36 years ago in 1975 by Independent Life and Accident Insurance Co. and carried the Independent Life name until 1998.
Then it was AccuStaff for about a year, followed by Modis from 1999 until early this year. Modis is an MPS subsidiary.
Previously known as the Modis Building at Independent Square, Loftin said the building is now known solely as Wells Fargo Center. The structure consists of 990,000 square feet of space, of which 647,000 square feet is rentable.
The building, with 35 floors of tenant space, includes ground-level retail stores; a 350-seat, 8,000-square-foot auditorium; The River Club on the top floors; and some underground parking.
Nearby parking garages, owned by the building owners, also are available for tenant employees, in addition to the basement parking.
A Northbank beacon, the structure overlooks the St. Johns River and offers a 360-degree view from its upper floors, from the St. Johns River Power Park to the north to Naval Air Station Jacksonville to the south, and beyond.
Loftin grew up in Avondale and attended Sewanee, The University of The South, majoring in economics. He moved twice, including to Atlanta for almost four years, before returning home and working with his father.
Loftin met and married his wife, Elizabeth, at college. A Boston native, she insisted on the move to Jacksonville.
The family, including 5-year-old Harriet and 3-year-old Emily, likes to hike in the preserves and nature parks in Northeast Florida during the winter.
Loftin plays golf, Elizabeth plays tennis and the girls do what children enjoy, including swimming and just generally playing. Proctor, the yellow lab, rounds out the household.
Loftin also is the leasing director for about a dozen buildings in the suburbs.
The Wells Fargo Center is his largest property, and the most visible. It takes center stage in stock photos worldwide of the Jacksonville skyline and is featured on shots of Downtown during TV broadcasts, including Jacksonville Jaguars games.
Loftin notes “the free advertising we get with the screen shots.”
“It’s fun. It’s such a visible icon, a Downtown landmark,” he said.
“Everybody knows it.”
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