He wasn't looking for a new job, but when the opportunity to lead the Jacksonville office of CBRE real estate servicesj presented itself, William "Tripp" Gulliford III couldn't pass it up.
Gulliford, 44, during his second day as the new managing director of the local CBRE office, reviewed the drawings of what the renovated CBRE office at One Enterprise Center Downtown would look like at the end of August.
"It's going to be a collaborative, open workspace," Gulliford said Tuesday.
The offices under renovation are on the first floor of One Enterprise Center. CBRE, which moved into the building in 1999, is working in temporary offices on the second floor of the property, which is represented by CBRE.
"We'll have about 37 workstations, so we've got space for our staff with plenty of room to grow," said Gulliford.
Gulliford previously worked for EverBank as portfolio director of EverBank Commercial Advisors, overseeing the management and legal affairs for the bank's non-performing and sub-performing commercial loan portfolio.
"Bob (Gillander), who was a former boss of mine at Regency Centers, had asked me what I was going to do next after EverBank," said Gulliford.
"I was running a special assets group, and special assets groups don't stay around forever as they work through their non-performing loans," said Gulliford.
Gillander set up a meeting between Gulliford and recently retired CBRE Managing Director Jim Citrano.
"Jim called me and two days later we had lunch. That's when Jim started to sell me on the opportunity," said Gulliford.
He plans to spend the next couple of months learning more about the staff, which includes about 19 real estate brokers, and figuring out how he can help them to be successful.
"I will spend time with them finding out how their business fits into the market and doing a lot of listening for the next 30 days," said Gulliford. He started the job Monday.
He earned a J.D from Stetson University College of Law and a B.A. from Sewanee, The University of the South. He relies on his legal training to help him as a business leader.
"Starting with law school and through practicing law, it is a tremendous education and training for problem-solving," said Gulliford, who practiced general business and commercial real estate law in Jacksonville with the Rogers Towers firm.
He doesn't see many problems with the current state of the real estate market.
"Everything is starting to improve and I think we are on the cusp of seeing improvement across all sectors. We've seen housing improve, housing values have improved, housing starts have improved. I think the commercial market will follow," said Gulliford.
He also predicts more activity from lenders.
"I think the availability of financing for commercial projects continues to improve. We are seeing some aggressive lending coming back," said Gulliford.
He also intends to meet with former CBRE executive Ted Carter, who serves as the executive director of the City Office of Economic Development.
Gulliford hasn't been the only person in the family to experience career advancement. His father, Bill Gulliford, recently was elected by his peers as president of the Jacksonville City Council for 2013-14. He also previously served as Atlantic Beach mayor.
"I'm very proud of him and thankful that he is willing to serve the community. It takes a lot of time and commitment," said Tripp Gulliford.
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