Bridge Investment Group LLC’s (Bridge) subsidiary Bridge Office Fund Manager (Bridge Office) and Bridge Commercial Real Estate (BCRE) announced today the hiring of Scott Rees and Trey Weghorst, who have joined the firm’s Atlanta-based office leasing division effective immediately. The move reflects Bridge’s growing presence in Atlanta as it continues to expand its national portfolio of premier properties in secondary suburban areas that are poised to lead the post-pandemic recovery of the U.S. office market.

Rees will assume the role of Director of Leasing while Weghorst has been named Senior Leasing Associate. The two senior brokers will lease Bridge’s 2.7 million-square-foot Atlanta office portfolio, including properties such as 1277 Lenox Park in Buckhead, Embassy Row in Central Perimeter, and Royal Centre III & IV in North Fulton. Both Rees and Weghorst have extensive experience in leasing institutional-quality office buildings in Atlanta.

“Scott and Trey have the industry leading talent and experience to take on Bridge’s exceptional growth planned over the next several years,” said Bridge Commercial Real Estate CEO Jeff Shaw. “Scott is an industry veteran whose strong reputation and deep network of contacts in the market will allow him to hit the ground running. Trey has quickly established himself as one of the rising stars in Atlanta’s brokerage community and his business development acumen will be a great asset to our team. Despite the obvious challenges brought by the pandemic, these additions reflect Bridge’s belief that high-growth suburban areas in Atlanta and other secondary markets are poised to lead the office recovery as companies embrace a more flexible hub-spoke model centered around where much of the workforce lives.” 

Prior to joining Bridge Commercial Real Estate, both Rees and Weghorst worked at Madison Marquette/PM Realty Group. Rees served as Senior Vice President of Leasing for some of Atlanta’s most prominent, Class-A office buildings, managing just over 3.7 million square feet of Class-A and Class-B office space. Prior to Madison Marquette, Rees was principal of Rees Real Estate Advisors, an office tenant brokerage practice he founded in 2009 that represented the TJX Corporation, Marsh & McLennan, KanAm, East West Manufacturing and other professional services firms. He also served as Vice President of Leasing at Cousins Properties, where he managed assignments for leading office properties such as 191 Peachtree, Terminus 100 and 200, Galleria 75 and North Point Center East. 

Rees cited the quality of Bridge’s properties and the people as the main catalysts attracting him to the opportunity. “Leadership here has assembled a team of some of the most talented and experienced people in our industry and they have reinvested smartly in their properties to elevate them to be at the top tier within their competitive sets. Bridge Office is an impressive company in every way,” Rees said.  

Weghorst is a graduate of the University of Mississippi and previously served as Vice President of Leasing at Madison Marquette, where he oversaw the leasing and marketing of just over 2 million square feet of office space. An active member of NAIOP and Young Commercial Realtors, Weghorst earned NAIOP’s Million Dollar Club member designation in 2019. 

A new report from Colliers International predicts that 2021 “will be the year that non-CBD flexible workspace increases dramatically,” citing domestic migration patterns and a growing emphasis on a versatile workplace model. Another recent survey from Cushman & Wakefield found that most companies plan to return to the office later this year, with the majority planning to incorporate a hybrid model of remote and in-person working for the foreseeable future.

Over the past few months, Bridge has experienced healthy activity in property tours and leasing inquiries across their national portfolio, especially as companies look to innovate and grow during the expected strong economic recovery post pandemic. Currently, Bridge owns and operates 2.7 million square feet of Class-A office space across Atlanta, with some currently undergoing extensive renovations to meet the needs of the evolving post-pandemic office.