Corporate Realty, Inc. today announced that Joe Gorman, CCIM, will join the company’s commercial real estate brokerage team as an associate broker in early 2025. He will serve as the Director of Leasing for Place St. Charles, the premier Class A one million square foot office and retail building in downtown New Orleans, a role that Bennett K. Davis has served in for nearly three decades. Davis will remain on the office building’s managerial team in a new role as Senior Leasing Manager, overseeing the leasing efforts on behalf of the owner.
“We are excited to have Joe join our agency,” said Michael J. Siegel, SIOR, president of Corporate Realty. “We have worked closely together with him for years and he is a well-known colleague and friend to many of us. He is a great addition to the Corporate Realty team, and we look forward to providing added services for Joe’s existing clients.”
Gorman is a 20-year New Orleans commercial real estate veteran who has earned a reputation as a well-respected, knowledgeable, and reliable broker in the state of Louisiana and across the Gulf South. Since 2020 he has served as the President of Audubon Commercial Real Estate (ACRE), a commercial real estate brokerage firm that he founded. He began his commercial real estate career with Max J. Derbes, Inc. where he was an office leasing specialist who was known for going above and beyond with clients in leasing, selling, and purchasing commercial properties. As a certified commercial real estate investment advisor with a CCIM designation, Gorman has become a go to advisor for clients considering significant investments in office, warehouse, multifamily, and industrial properties, and development projects.
Gorman, since 2013, has been the exclusive leasing agent for The Exchange Centre, a 355,000 rentable square foot office tower in downtown New Orleans. Gorman will continue to serve as the listing agent for The Exchange Centre.
“I am honored to have this opportunity to assume the Director of Leasing role at Place St. Charles and continue the outstanding client service that Bennett has delivered for almost three decades. I am equally excited to work alongside my colleagues and friends at Corporate Realty to expand the service offerings for our clients and be a part of this smart and talented team,” said Gorman.
Davis, who led Place St. Charles leasing efforts for the last 29 years, will be elevated to the Senior Leasing Manager position for this top-of-the-market Class A office tower. In his new role, he will work as the liaison between building ownership and Corporate Realty as well as concentrate on Place St. Charles leasing-related projects. Davis will also assume additional responsibilities at Corporate Realty as he pursues general brokerage efforts.
“Bennett joined Corporate Realty only one year after me. He is a trusted colleague and friend with an enormously successful track record. I am excited to continue working with him as he represents the building ownership and have him work with the Corporate Realty team on new collaborative projects and endeavors,” said Siegel.
“After 29 years as Director of Leasing at Place St. Charles, I am looking forward to the change that a role as Senior Leasing Manager will provide,” Davis said, “It’s time to try new things. Joe will be an excellent representative of Place St. Charles and will have numerous successes: of that I have no doubt. Together we will continue to provide our tenants with the highest quality of service.”
“We welcome Joe Gorman as a member of the Place St. Charles team and are happy that Bennett Davis is staying involved in the project with the institutional knowledge he possesses. Joe and Bennett will be a formidable duo in the ongoing success at Place St. Charles,” said Charlene Hitzman, Asset Manager of Place St. Charles.
Gorman and Davis will complete their transition into their new roles on January 1, 2025.
Corporate Realty presently employs approximately 90 people, which includes 21 full-time commercial agents, 10 commercial property managers, 7 accounts/lease administrators, and other support, maintenance, and engineering staff. The Corporate Realty team delivers creative solutions to complex real estate projects. This effort is powered by unparalleled market knowledge, experience, and work ethic. Unsurpassed knowledge, coupled with attention to detail, helps understand and respond to the underlying economics and real estate cycles that our clients need to make informed decisions.
Corporate Realty’s market knowledge, combined with hard work, has led to its involvement in some of the most important real estate transactions, client relationships, and management assignments in this region. The company also remains committed to helping create economic opportunities throughout the state. These opportunities include the company’s representations of Tulane University in its 336,000 square foot lease in Charity Hospital, the New Orleans Ernest N. Morial Convention Center in the planned redevelopment of its 47+ acre site, and as the managing and leasing agent for the University of New Orleans Real Estate Foundation’s 600,000 square foot office park, The Beach at UNO. Corporate Realty manages leasing efforts for office buildings throughout the New Orleans area, including downtown Class A office towers like One Canal Place, Hancock Whitney Building, Benson Tower, and Energy Centre; The Feil Company’s office portfolio in Metairie; and One American Place in Baton Rouge. The company’s current retail representation includes Starbucks, Costco, TJ Maxx, Dick’s Sporting Goods, and PetSmart, along with the grocery store chain ALDI in its rollout in Louisiana.
For more information, contact Elisabeth Rietvelt at erietvelt@corp-realty.com and 504.581.5005.