Feature Story
Alessandro & Woodyard Raises the Bar for Commercial Transactions
By Elizabeth W. Pearce

Their names seem to be everywhere - on television, in print and on their distinctive blue and white signs posted on commercial properties for sale or lease throughout the area. However, to business partners Frank D’Alessandro and Tom Woodyard, the success of D’Alessandro & Woodyard, Inc., Commercial Realtors¨ has more to do with its professional team than their names.

“It’s not just about Frank and me,” said Woodyard, who co-founded the company with D’Alessandro. “Our goal is to get results for the client and those results are what fuel our company’s success. We couldn’t do that without our staff.”

With 24 transaction specialists and 24 support specialists, D’Alessandro & Woodyard is one of the best-oiled commercial real estate machines in Southwest Florida. It is also among the most visible. “Because of our marketing and involvement in the community and industry, our name is well-branded in this industry and in the market,” said Sarah Copeland, marketing director. “Our key objective is to get results for our clients by getting maximum exposure for their listed properties.

While many competing commercial brokerages claim to offer full service, D’Alessandro & Woodyard redefines it. Nearly everyone in the organization has a real estate license (even members of the support staff), and all have extensive experience in the business. Although they work together as a team, each is uniquely qualified to address a specific area of the transaction.

In addition to a dedicated contract coordinator, a leasing administrator, a signage coordinator and a new listings processor, other staff members focus exclusively on advertising, marketing and research. A special team focuses on the day-to-day direction of the company and monitors efficiency. Collectively, they facilitate every imaginable type of real estate transaction involving commercial and investment properties including office, retail and industrial/warehouse, as well as undeveloped land.

In many cases, the firm takes clients’ projects from concept to completion, working with everyone from other real estate brokers to attorneys, architects and engineers. The start-to-finish service begins with finding suitable land for development, and progresses to design, construction and ultimately, lease-up.

 “It’s very important that the developer build something that meets the needs of the marketplace,” said Woodyard. “We’ll help them design the project, discussing what’s in demand for this market and what type of architectural style will lead to faster absorption. We know what the tenants are looking for because we talk to them every day. So there’s a lot of strategy involved in setting up the right product, pricing and location.”

Local and National Clients
Once a project is built, D’Alessandro & Woodyard will lease it to 100% occupancy, manage it and then sell it, if that is the owner’s objective. The same goes for clients who invest in existing properties, such as the Lee Executive Center on Cleveland Avenue, just south of downtown Fort Myers.

When the firm negotiated the sale to a local investor a few years ago, the office center was only 60% occupied and in need of repair. Further, it was located in a transitional area where few investors saw value. However, after D’Alessandro & Woodyard improved the property cosmetically, and added new lighting and a security system, they quickly brought the property to 100% occupancy. D’Alessandro & Woodyard sold the value-added center last fall, earning the owner an impressive return on his investment.

Optimizing investment dollars is equally important to those who lend them. For that reason, Colonial Bank CEO Harlan C. Parrish frequently consults with D’Alessandro & Woodyard about investments on behalf of his bank and its customers. “Nobody knows commercial real estate like Frank - he’s the guru,” said Parrish. “When we’re looking to finance particular properties for borrowers, they’ll tell us whether or not it’s a good investment and why.”

D’Alessandro & Woodyard has done the same for the bank itself, which is seeking new locations on Florida’s west coast as part of an aggressive expansion plan. “They’ve been scouting out sites for us for new bank branches, which entails land banking,” said Parrish. “Even though we may not build on the properties for another three to five years, we’ve been able to take advantage of the opportunities and prices today. D’Alessandro & Woodyard’s insight and market knowledge helps us formulate and fine-tune our business strategies.”

Not surprisingly, clients include investors from across the country, such as Michigan-based C&L General Contractors, Inc. Having worked with D’Alessandro & Woodyard on land acquisitions in the area, C&L turned to the firm when it decided to build the 80,000sf Chiquita Plaza on Pine Island Road in Cape Coral, its first Florida retail project. D’Alessandro & Woodyard worked on the center’s concept, and is now marketing and leasing the space for fall occupancy.

“Some Realtors out there will just list properties and then you never hear from them again,” said Lora Naccarato, a principal of C&L. “But D’Alessandro & Woodyard has always served us well (on land transactions), which is why we decided to list the plaza with them for lease. They’re well known in the market and they keep us informed.”

Cape Coral developer Joel Kronfeld has also been impressed by the firm, which is marketing and leasing the Central Cape Business Park, also on Pine Island Road. Kronfeld is partners with broker/developer Mel Wroten in the park, which contains 92,640sf of multi-use flex space and was 83% occupied when it opened recently. Currently, just nine of the project’s 58 spaces remain available for lease.

“I can’t imagine there’s anyone more reputable and hands-on than D’Alessandro & Woodyard,” he said. “The firm has professionalism and integrity, and they’ve been very responsive to any request I’ve made. They run a very intelligent operation.”

Kronfeld noted that D’Alessandro & Woodyard have worked especially well with the park’s various end users, ranging from a health and fitness club to the State of Florida. “(The transaction specialists) are unbelievable when it comes to leases,” Kronfeld added. “I don’t think there’s anything about them that they don’t know.” Because of that, Kronfeld said, “we never had one hiccup” in lease negotiations with any of the park’s tenants.

Commercial owner-occupants have had similar, positive results from their association with D’Alessandro & Woodyard. The firm has helped Fort Myers-based Robb & Stucky, a regional fine furniture retailer, locate several store sites throughout Southwest Florida over the years. Most recently, it found the site for the company’s new Bonita Springs showroom, on the east side of U.S. 41 across from Bonita Bay.

“I’ve always been impressed by their depth of market knowledge,” said Clive Lubner, Robb & Stucky CEO. “To someone in our business, demographics, access and visibility are everything. Because of their research we have been able to build on some of the premier sites in this area.”

An Integrated Approach
According to D’Alessandro, superior results stem from his firm’s integrated approach to conducting business. “We have a very strong corporate culture and we approach things as a team,” said D’Alessandro.

Usually on new projects, he and Woodyard will brainstorm to determine who’s best suited to meet the specific needs of each client. “Depending on the project, we like to assemble teams that capitalize on individual strengths. I think it’s very important to the client to know that there’s a team of experts analyzing their projects. Once we understand the clients’ needs, we make (the project) work in the marketplace.”

Much of that understanding is based on research, as well as experience. It is up to Rob Mintz, director of research, to compile the latest information on all aspects of the commercial market. The data is distributed at weekly meetings with transaction specialists, who discuss and analyze market trends, areas of focus and opportunities within particular geographic regions and corridors. In general, the research indicates what buyers are looking for in the market and what the marketplace will support.

Even outside marketing professionals turn to D’Alessandro & Woodyard when they’re serious about selling or leasing commercial property. “I think they have a good pulse on what’s going on (because) they’re really entrenched in the marketplace,” said Andy D’Jamoos, vice president of sales and marketing for The D’Jamoos Group, based in Bonita Springs. “I know the firm’s history and reputation. If they bring me a buyer or tenant, they’re confident that it’s a qualified lead and the transaction will close.”

Currently, D’Alessandro & Woodyard represents D’Jamoos on three Lee County projects: Galleria at the Forum (east of I-75 on Colonial Boulevard); the Franklin Arms building in downtown Fort Myers; and Corkscrew Palms on Corkscrew Road in Estero. “I’m looking for qualified prospects and that’s where I want to spend my time - negotiating a deal, not talking to tire kickers,” said D’Jamoos. “It takes a knack to determine who is serious and it takes time, which is why I outsource to them. They bring some good tenants to me.”

In fact, at Corkscrew Palms, 37,000sf of the 54,000sf built thus far have been sold or leased. Two buildings were just completed and construction is poised to start on an additional 20,000sf. At buildout, the development will contain a total of 130,000sf in 10 two- and three-story condos.

Multi-Faceted Marketing
Over the years, D’Alessandro & Woodyard has managed to market to the masses without mass marketing. Besides advertising listed properties through direct mail, the Internet (www.DW-CR.com), press releases and trade publications, the company targets specific markets in several innovative ways, including.

Seminars & Speaking Engagements.
At least once a month, teams of two give presentations on investing in Southwest Florida real estate to audiences in major cities nationwide. The seminars, usually sponsored by accounting firms, estate planners, stock brokerages and other finance-related groups, are designed to provide clients with investment opportunities. Representatives from D’Alessandro & Woodyard are also frequently invited to speak locally at investment seminars at area residential communities.

Investment Programs.
More than two years ago, the company began working with developers in preconstruction sales, offering investors the opportunity to purchase one or more homes that D’Alessandro & Woodyard would lease for them. The lease to own program was so successful that it expanded into preconstruction sales of commercial buildings and office condos, and continues to evolve as investment opportunities are identified.

The News-Press Market Watch.
Since the inception of this popular annual event, D’Alessandro has been the featured speaker on the commercial real estate market, in terms of where it has been and where it is going in the year ahead. To accommodate the crowd, the event has grown to include luncheon and dinner presentations. This year’s event will be held at Harborside Event Center on February 21 and 22.

Information Sharing.
“Market Watch” is also the name of D’Alessandro’s widely read Sunday column in the News-Press, as well as the weekly TV show he moderates on Comcast. The TV show is the only one of its kind in Southwest Florida dedicated to real estate and development trends.By interviewing movers and shakers in the industry, D’Alessandro stays in tune with the market place and emerging trends.

New Opportunities
As the market has grown, D’Alessandro & Woodyard has become increasingly proactive in its approach to investment opportunities. According to Woodyard, the firm analyzes land values and demographics to anticipate market shifts. “We’re always studying the demographics so that we can match the developer with the area that will support the project they want to build,” he said. “Our full time research department has served our investors and clients well.”

The red-hot market has also prompted the firm to identify new ways for commercial investors to make a profit. Infill Properties and Redevelopment Opportunities have come into their own in Lee and Collier counties as large tracts of land are all but impossible to find. Further, infill projects offer the benefit of having infrastructure and utilities in place. “We’re seeing a greater demand for smaller parcels that were skipped over, and outdated properties in need of redevelopment. Even some of the major homebuilders have created divisions to come in and build smaller condominium projects on parcels of fewer than 10 acres.”

It’s been an extremely lucrative segment of the firm’s land investment business, yielding investors generous returns exceeding 25%. The firm is now working with national homebuilders - publicly traded companies that are unable to carry non-entitled raw land assets on their balance sheet. “Our commitment to each client is to add value to every transaction we are involved in, or we do not accept the assignment,” said D’Alessandro.

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