Bryan Johnson, Executive Managing Director – North Carolina Colliers

In an interview with Invest:, Bryan Johnson, executive managing director of Colliers in North Carolina, talked about recent achievements including the expansion of capital markets and growth in industrial and office teams in Charlotte. He emphasized leveraging technology for data analytics and attracting top talent through a supportive culture. 

What have been some recent significant milestones or achievements for Colliers? 

From a broker perspective, we have added capital markets from the retail, office, and industrial sectors and have grown our industrial and office teams and portfolio for Charlotte. 

What is the strategic importance of this growth? 

It’s about bringing that expertise to those clients that are directing their focus to the Charlotte region. It’s having those experts in such a fast-growing area to help facilitate all institutions and private capital coming in, and trying to grow the physical layout of Charlotte while having those professionals be the enabling bodies driving that differentiation and expertise to our clients.  

How would you describe the state of the commercial real estate market in the area? 

Charlotte is no different from a lot of other cities where offices have been impacted, so we are seeing the same trends of office vacancies, but we are also seeing growth among corporate users and occupiers like banks. Industrial has really peaked. We have seen a lot of growth through the 85 and 77 corridors, which are essentially the main arteries of the Southeast. The transportation and logistics manufacturing and labor growth within that sector have also really expanded. There are many old mills in the area currently being repurposed for new manufacturing locations. What comes with that is retail – where we are experiencing a large amount of growth in the region as well, with vacancy rates being at the lowest that we’ve seen in a decade. What has driven that trend is a lack of inventory due to e-commerce, but we are seeing new touchpoints.  

How is economic uncertainty impacting the real estate market? 

Interest rates are a driving factor in terms of how commercial real estate is owned, developed and run. The uncertainty within our economy has truly slowed the capital markets arena when it comes to the trading of real estate between owners, but we are seeing a resurgence of that with sidelined capital coming back in. When we look at the overall economy, we see a huge drive overall, but real estate is a bit slower to recover. However, we expect a stronger end to 2024, and a stronger takeoff in 2025, with more momentum of capital coming back into the market. 

How are you leveraging technology? 

On the client side, technology has been a robust business for us. We represent companies like Microsoft and the various data centers that are entering the market throughout North Carolina. We are seeing that surge in data centers, especially with the prominent usage of AI, which works well for North Carolina because it derives the power needed to support that business.  

Within our business, there has been such a resurgence and evolution of how we use technology to understand labor analytics and client, corporate, and market dynamics to drive favorable business outcomes for our clients. 

How is Colliers working to continue attracting and retaining top talent? 

Talent, for us, is another area that is always evolving. With commercial real estate, I believe it has a true entrepreneurial platform within a large organization like Colliers – and with that freedom it allows top, talented people to drive their own business, alongside a top organization to develop and grow that business. What we have focused on is building a culture and support system that differentiates us in the market, and the talent that it is seeking, so they can perform at their best and serve clients in the best way. 

How is the company engaging with the local community? 

We take a multifold, grassroots approach to community outreach, where each individual broker, including myself, belongs to many organizations that impact the community and drive difference. On a larger scale, we work with several organizations within government to help guide them, acting as true advisers on how to drive different outcomes for the region, and what our clients are seeking from an employment and labor force perspective.

What is your outlook on the future of the region? 

All I see is growth. The Southeast, in particular, will continue to grow. Charlotte has all three drivers of long-term growth within a city: a major airport, a growing and diverse labor force experiencing a lower cost of living than other cities, and a city government that is business-aligned and focused on business growth and the infrastructure to help all prosper. 

My top priorities include continuing to grow with Charlotte by putting talent with the right clients to get the right outcomes. The next priority would be having a corporate culture that is tied to our community to make sure we are delivering what the community needs and to help them in their growth and economic outcomes.