Cushman & Wakefield Recruits CRE Teams In Stuart

Cushman & Wakefield announced the addition of a brokerage team from NAI Southcoast and valuation team from Johnson Schroth and Associates (JSA) to its Florida operations, expanding the firm’s capabilities in Florida’s Space Coast and Treasure Coast regions.

Together, these new additions bring seven brokers, four appraisers and additional staff to Cushman & Wakefield’s Florida platform.

The Southcoast team was founded in 1982 to serve the Treasure Coast’s office, industrial, land and retail investors and occupiers in Indian River, Martin and St. Lucie counties as well as the Space Coast, which includes Melbourne, Cocoa Beach and other communities surrounding Kennedy Space Center and Cape Canaveral Space Force Station.

The leadership team, each with a strong and successful track record in Florida commercial real estate, includes Douglas R. Legler, who specializes in industrial brokerage; Stuart Duffin, CCIM, SIOR, a recognized leader in office leasing and sale transactions; Nikolaus M. Schroth, who’s successfully led large-scale residential and commercial development; and J. Jeffery Allman Jr., a proven leader specializing in retail sales, leasing and site selection across Florida.

Valuation & Advisory professionals joining Cushman & Wakefield include Thomas J. Johnson, MAI, SRA, Senior Director; Cristen Crosby; Erik Odegard; and Nicholas Nightingale. Additionally, Casey A. Combs, JJ Sanguily, and James C. McKinney join Cushman & Wakefield’s brokerage team, while Nicole Sirois and Jamie Carl join the firm’s marketing and administrative staff.

“These additions further demonstrate our commitment to the Florida market, particularly the dynamic and growing Treasure Coast and Space Coast regions, both of which are benefitting from the continued expansion of the Orlando MSA and South Florida,” said Wanda Riley, Cushman & Wakefield Florida Managing Principal. “This historic firm certainly aligns with Cushman & Wakefield, culturally, and also will serve as a catalyst as we grow client services for investors in the region as well as with defense, aerospace and other industries.”

 

Added Duffin, “We are thrilled to be joining Cushman & Wakefield as part of our ongoing commitment to raise the bar for our clients and ourselves. This move strengthens our ability to deliver best-in-class service by combining our local market expertise with the scale, resources, and global reach of one of the world’s leading commercial real estate firms. We believe this partnership will enhance the level of service we provide, support our long-term growth, and allow us to contribute to a collaborative Florida network. This will create value for our current and future clients alike.”

Strong net migration to the Treasure Coast has caught the attention of developers and investors looking northward for more affordable options than South Florida. Employment growth for the Treasure Coast, where Port St. Lucie is now Florida’s sixth-largest city with 255,000 residents, was over 13.4% to 176,000 and is expected to rise near 200,000 by 2030. The region’s expansion of new neighborhoods, shops, restaurants and medical facilities has resulted in a northward shift of industrial development over the past five years and increase in planned community zones with mixed-use development.

Space Coast, which is an hour north of the Treasure Coast and an hour east of Orlando, has experienced strong net migration from the outward expansion of Florida’s Tourist Meca. Additionally, its boost from private aerospace firms has attracted an influx of workers and a growing technology sector, which will continue to fuel labor-force growth and demand for consumer services, residential and commercial real estate development. Since 2019, the region saw its population grow by 83,400 with another 40,000 projected through 2030, and the workforce has grown more than 10.2% to 258,000 employees year-over-year Q3 2024 to Q3 2025.