The 16-Person Team, Led by Vice Chairman Mike Mele, is Based in Tampa, FL
TAMPA, FL, February 25, 2019 – Cushman & Wakefield is pleased to announce that The Mele Group, an industry-leading self-storage investment sales team, has joined the firm. The 16-member, multi-market team is led by Vice Chairman Mike Mele, a veteran of the commercial real estate industry with 20 years’ experience specializing in the sale of self-storage assets.
Mele and his team will be based in Cushman & Wakefield’s Tampa office, with several brokers sitting in other offices around the country. In addition to Mele, the team includes Executive Managing Director Luke Elliott (Tampa), Senior Director Robert Bloch (Bethesda, Maryland), Senior Director Trey Hammond (Tulsa, Oklahoma), Director Devin Beasley (Tempe, Arizona), Senior Associate Brian Fulton (Tampa), and Senior Associate Noah Obuchowski (Washington, DC). Nine non-broker team members will also be based in the Tampa office.
The team will work closely with Cushman & Wakefield’s existing brokers who specialize in self-storage — Executive Director Paul Boyle (Phoenix), Senior Director Greg Wells (San Diego) and Senior Director Jim Lewis (Portland), as well as Managing Director Kate Spencer (Dallas), who specializes in self-storage with the firm’s Valuation & Advisory Services team.
The Mele Group represents clients ranging from private investors to large-scale REITs in the development, expansion, consolidation, acquisition and disposition of self-storage assets.
Since its inception in 1999, at Marcus & Millichap, the team has closed nearly 350 self-storage transactions totaling more than $3.5 billion. In 2018 alone, the team closed 48 deals for 63 total properties in 16 states. At the group’s previous firm, it consistently ranked as the top self-storage sales team in the country and received numerous production-based accolades.
“Self-storage is a high-demand market that has grown exponentially since our team started out two decades ago,” said Mele. “Cushman & Wakefield’s scale, industry-leading resources and truly integrated platform will afford our team the ability to provide our clients an enhanced level of service in this ever-evolving and quickly growing industry.”
Mele is a graduate of West Chester University. He is a member of the National Self-Storage Association and the National Association of Realtors, as well as Self Storage Associations in several states. He is also a two-time past-president of the Florida Self Storage Association.
“Mr. Mele and his team have built a very successful national business,” said Carlo Barel di Sant’Albano, Chief Executive of Global Capital Markets & Investor Services for Cushman & Wakefield. “The knowledge and relationships they bring within this niche market will certainly help position our firm at the forefront of the self-storage industry.”
About Cushman & Wakefield:
Cushman & Wakefield (NYSE: CWK) is a leading global real estate services firm that delivers exceptional value for real estate occupiers and owners. Cushman & Wakefield is among the largest real estate services firms with 48,000 employees in approximately 400 offices and 70 countries. In 2017, the firm had revenue of $6.9 billion across core services of property, facilities and project management, leasing, capital markets, valuation and other services. To learn more, visit www.cushmanwakefield.com or follow @CushWake on Twitter.
Media contact:
Tyler Killette
Communications Specialist, Florida
+1 813-204-5341
tyler.killette@cushwake.com