T
he Houston-based commercial real estate firm Partners has recently hired two prominent real estate professionals, Brooke Gothard and Shea Meddin, as equity partners. Gothard was previously a managing director at Jones Lang LaSalle, where she played a pivotal role in Atlanta's largest office deal in 2023, a 260,000-square-foot lease for Southern Company Gas. Meddin, on the other hand, held a position as executive director for Cushman & Wakefield and was responsible for more than $800 million in transactions across more than 5 million square feet. His client roster includes firms like Smith, Gambrell & Russell LLP, Ameris Bank, and Seyfarth Shaw LLP.

    Gothard and Meddin's hiring is part of Partner's strategic growth in Atlanta, where they opened their office in June under the leadership of John O'Neill, who serves as president and managing partner of the Southeast region. The company is still working on building out its senior leadership team to compete with Atlanta's largest commercial real estate services firms. They aim to grow their Atlanta team to about 100 employees primarily focused on brokerage services.

    This hiring is not the first for Partners in Atlanta. Earlier this year, they brought on an office leasing team that includes Cushman & Wakefield's Chad Koenig and Katelyn Fabian. The timing of these recruitments is crucial as Atlanta remains one of the most active commercial real estate markets in the Sunbelt. The property sector has seen significant changes, with the top five brokerages in the city executing more than $60 billion in sales and leasing transactions in 2023, a notable 45-percent decline from the previous year.

    Partner's ambitions extend beyond the Atlanta metro area. Their Midtown Atlanta office currently serves as the base for their Southeastern operations, which include markets in Tennessee, Florida, North Carolina, and South Carolina.