Beachwood’s Anchor Cleveland is opening an office in Columbus with the addition of former Marcus & Millichap’s Arthur Kaplan, and plans to add at least four more agents in the future.
Tori Nook, principal at Anchor Cleveland, said the company is looking to strengthen investment practices for retail and investment brokers by adding Kaplan as senior vice president and adding a leasing agency in Columbus.
“We have an office in Short North that can hold 10 agents,” Nook said in a phone interview. “There are a lot of good (netlease) opportunities.”
Kaplan said he quit Marcus & Milichup, a global investment specialist firm he called “a great company,” and took the opportunity to build an office in Columbus with Nook, whom he’s known for years. .
“It’s a small company, but it’s got a phenomenal culture,” Kaplan said in a phone interview, adding that Anchor has strong connections with out-of-town marketing. The plan should add a mix of retail leasing investments and professionals.
About 70% of his business is in retail investments, including net leasing transactions, according to Kaplan. In these transactions, the retailer sells a standalone store, leases it for ongoing operations, and continues to maintain the property. The rest of his activity is industrial and multi-family housing.
He grew up in Columbus and worked a lot in New York, so instead of paying for hotels, he rented a small apartment. He gave up his apartment during the pandemic.
Kaplan previously worked for a real estate developer and venture capital firm in Columbus. He graduated from Ohio State University and was interested in molecular genetics, but he began analyzing venture capital deals during his college days.
“I’m a pretty geeky number guy,” Kaplan said of his evolution to becoming a real estate broker. “‘Does this deal make sense?’ Plus, I made friends with a lot of people in Columbus real estate.”
Adding an office in Columbus means Anchor Cleveland will have to change its name, Nook said. Pending state approval, she plans to rename her brokerage firm Anchor Retail. She launched her Anchor Cleveland in 2017 with her broker developer Charles Townsend, who previously owned Anchor Associates in Cincinnati.
With its Columbus office, Anchor Cleveland joins other retail and industrial brokerage teams that have established full-bore offices with agents serving the dynamic real estate market in the heart of Ohio.