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Mike Trainor
S&A Communications
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Lee & Associates Expands into North Carolina

RALEIGH, North Carolina, November 20, 2018 —Lee & Associates, the largest broker-owned commercial real estate firm in North America, has announced the opening of its first office in the state of North Carolina. Lee & Associates Raleigh Durham will be headed by Moss Withers, SIOR, MBA and Karah Jennings, veterans of the Southeast and North Carolina commercial real estate markets.

“As we remain focused on our expansion efforts in the Southeast, we are extremely excited to add this office to our outreach in this region and North America,” said Lee & Associates CEO Jeffrey Rinkov, noting that this office opening is part of the company’s greater expansion plans for the Southeast, East Coast and Midwest. “Moss and Karah have set the standard in this area and are well respected within the brokerage community. I am looking forward to assisting in the growth of this office and its interaction with our offices throughout North America.”

Mr. Withers, who began his brokerage career at NAI Carolantic in 2009, quickly established himself as a leader in the Triangle’s commercial real estate market. In just nine years, he completed over 650 transactions ranging from large, land assemblages, to office sales and leasing, to investment properties. During his commercial real estate career, Mr. Withers earned numerous commercial brokerage awards including the prestigious Triangle Commercial Association of Realtors 2016 Realtor of the Year; the TCREW 2017 Powerhouse award; two NAI Global Top Producer recognitions in 2016 and 2017 for performance internationally; TCREW’s Best Professional Commercial Real Estate Service Award in 2016, and the Triangle Business Journal’s Top 40 under 40 award in 2014.

A graduate of Appalachian State University, where he received a Bachelor’s degree, triple majoring in Economics, Finance, and Risk and Insurance, he went on to earn his Masters of Business Administration from the Jenkins Business School at North Carolina State University.

A SIOR member, Mr. Withers has dedicated his time to many local community organizations including board involvement and chairmanship in the YMCA of the Triangle, Miracle League of the Triangle, VIII Oaks, as well as several of the region’s Chambers of Commerce. He currently resides in Cary, NC with his wife and four children.

Ms. Jennings joined NAI Carolantic Realty in 2013 after working with JP Morgan on the Institutional Equity Sales team covering the Southeast and Texas regions. Her corporate and research experience are the foundation for her business development that conveys to effective management of transactions. She primarily focuses on land and office properties.

A graduate of Miami University in Ohio, Ms. Jennings received a Bachelor of Business Management with a focus on Organizational Leadership and Communications. She is a member of numerous professional organizations, including the Triangle Commercial Association of Realtors (TCAR); the Triangle Area Office Building Association (TRAOBA); the Community Involvement Greater Raleigh Chamber of Commerce: Young Professional Network, Programs Task Force Committee and a Rex Hospital Open Patriots Committee Member.

According to Wake County Economic Development, which contrasts the Raleigh metro area with 32 other comparable metros around the United States, found that a diverse economy, highly educated and skilled workforce, strong business climate, world class colleges and universities, and sustained growth have made Wake County and the Raleigh metro a global center for innovation. The study revealed that, although the Raleigh metro is smaller than its competitors, it consistently “punches above its weight,” outpacing other larger communities in many of the metrics utilized in the study. A series of five indexes were created to aggregate the indicators and highlight key business growth and site selection decision factors. Through the comparison, the Raleigh metro came out as the most competitive metro in the U.S.

“I’m thrilled to be part of establishing a North Carolina presence for Lee & Associates,” said Mr. Withers. “I have such respect for the way they have built their business throughout the nation, and I look forward to replicating that here in North Carolina.  It’s absolutely clear to me that they are committed to hiring the best-of-the best, and this is evidenced by the high percentage of Lee professionals who have attained the prestigious SIOR designation.”

Lee & Associates, which will be celebrating its 40^th anniversary next year, has been in high gear regarding national office expansion. Recent expansion includes office openings in Miami, FL, Seattle, WA; Pasadena, CA; Walnut Creek, CA; Minneapolis, MN; Vancouver, B.C.; Eastern Pennsylvania; Cleveland and Columbus, OH and Houston, Texas.

Said Mr. Rinkov: “Our East Coast expansion efforts led by Brian Lynch are extremely productive and are yielding partners at the highest levels in our industry.  Our Raleigh partners are certainly an example of this.”

The Raleigh Durham office of Lee & Associates is located at 5430 Wade Park Blvd, Suite 300, Raleigh, NC.

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