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The People of J.H. Berry: Michael Reilly

Next in our employee spotlight series we’re highlighting Michael Reilly, leasing and brokerage associate at J.H. Berry.

Michael works closely with the firm’s brokerage team to procure new business opportunities throughout the Southeast. Michael’s hard work and in-depth knowledge of the region’s latest developments make him an invaluable member of the J.H. Berry team.

Prior to joining the firm, Michael worked in investment banking in Nashville and gained experience in sale lease backs, funding initiatives and company restructuring.

Michael obtained his Bachelor of Science in business administration from Birmingham-Southern College. He is a member of Trinity Presbyterian Church, and in his free time enjoys hunting, saltwater fishing and golfing.

After college, you moved to Nashville to work in investment banking. What opportunities did you identify that led you to return to Alabama to pursue a career in commercial real estate?

I loved living and working in Nashville. Over time, I realized that Birmingham shared a lot of the characteristics that people seemed to love about Nashville. I felt that Birmingham has an opportunity to go through its own boom. I wanted to be a part of that in any way that I could. Real estate was always the business I knew I wanted to be in, and the timing was right to come back to my home state and make things happen.

Staying up-to-date on new developments and opportunities throughout the Southeast must be challenging. How do you keep up with this growing market?

The market is going through a change right now. People want different things than they wanted 10 years ago. We are working closely with our clients to deliver on their needs. On a local level, we are starting to see some organic growth and might be able to fill some of the large vacancies. There are still a couple of challenges that our market faces that other larger markets in the Southeast do not have to deal with. We are actively working to help adjust the market in any way that we can.

As one of J.H. Berry’s up-and-coming associates, how does the firm support your personal and professional growth?

The team at J.H. Berry has been great. We have a great group with a lot of knowledge that is hungry to make an impact on a statewide level. We are working hard to be a power in the Class A office market, and the team here is all-in on achieving that goal.

There is a lot of excitement around Birmingham’s potential as a growing Southeastern CRE market. Are there specific opportunities you’d like to see J.H. Berry pursue to support the city’s growth?

Birmingham is doing extremely well. We just need to continue moving in the right direction from a policy perspective. As long as the city leaders are focused on moving the city forward, there will continue to be positive growth in the real estate market.

You sound like quite the outdoorsman. Is there a particular memory of hunting, fishing or golfing that stands out above the rest?

Watching our president, Philip Currie, try to ride a horse has been the hunting highlight since I have been at J.H. Berry. He is no equestrian.