CBRE acquires Brenner Real Estate Group

CBRE acquired Brenner Real Estate Group, a Fort Lauderdale-based commercial real estate firm.

The acquisition includes president and CEO Scott Brenner and a team of 22 employees in Fort Lauderdale, Boca Raton and Melbourne, according to a press release. Brenner founded the full-service company, which has offered leasing, investment sales and property management services, in 1987.

Brenner is now an executive vice president at CBRE. Monday was his first day, a spokesperson said.

In South Florida, CBRE is led by senior managing director Arden Karson. Karson was brought on in January to oversee the firm’s three South Florida offices in Miami, Fort Lauderdale and Boca and its 200 employees. The acquisition gives CBRE more exposure in Broward and Palm Beach counties, Karson said in a release.

In December, the firm brought on David Wigoda as senior vice president of CBRE Capital Markets from JLL. CBRE also hired Paul Ahmed, senior vice president of its Capital Markets’ Debt & Structured Finance team, from Walker & Dunlop; Chris Smiles, senior vice president of its multifamily investment team; and others, a spokesperson said.

Cushman & Wakefield has been hiring brokers and executives away from CBRE for months, notably bringing in Vice Chairman Robert Given and his investment sales team in July. The team, which had closed more than $20 billion in deals over the past 13 years, included  Zachary Sackley, Calum Weaver, Neal Victor, Perry Synanidis, James Quinn, Aaron Mandel, Brant Long and Elizabeth Rogerio. In recent weeks, Cushman also hired away CBRE’s Anthony Librizzi as managing director of its West Palm Beach office. – Katherine Kallergis