On Tuesday, Atlanta-based Carter – a national leader in project development, commercial real estate services and investments – announced Cassidy Turley had acquired its brokerage and property management businesses. This is a momentous event in the storied 53 year history of Carter who was founded as Atlanta’s first pure commercial brokerage company in 1958 and entered the property management in 1970. At Hartman Simons we have always been big fans of Carter and hope to expand our business relationship with them. We thought you would enjoy our Four on Friday interview with Carter’s Chairman and CEO Bob Peterson as he shares more insight into the ins and outs of the acquisition that has the commercial real estate community buzzing. (Pictured below: Bob Peterson makes announcement with Cassidy Turley's Chairman Wally Pinkard on left.)
HS: Why was this acquisition important for Carter?
BP: At Carter we are continually looking for opportunities to better serve our clients and associates. Carter has been very successful as a regional company, but this acquisition will help us pursue excellence for our clients and people on a national platform. We are now able to offer our clients in the southeast full-service capabilities throughout the country with professional offices in all major markets.
HS: What was the most important aspect to consider for a successful acquisition?
BP: Culture. This came quite naturally for Carter and Cassidy Turley because both companies are built on a culture of trust and client service. It is for this reason I am 100 percent certain this will be an incredibly successful alliance between both organizations.
HS: What does this mean for Carter moving forward?
BP: We are excited about a future where we seek to build better sustainable buildings and communities through our already established specialties in areas such as K-12, higher education, interiors, student housing, mixed-use and corporate. We will grow our asset management and strategic consulting services while continuing to build our reputation as an innovative thought leader and a great place to work.
HS: What did Carter do to announce/celebrate the acquisition?
BP: We hosted a free food truck lunch and celebration at Atlantic Station. We offered a free lunch to anyone who “Liked” Carter on Facebook or followed @CarterUSA on Twitter. We made the acquisition announcement as people queued for lunch. We had a great time and it was a fun way for us to celebrate the new partnership between Carter and Cassidy Turley.