Dallas Office Leasing Veteran Andy Leatherman Heads to CBRE

Dallas-based CBRE Group is bolstering its tenant representation team with the addition of industry veteran Andy Leatherman.

A former managing director at JLL, Leatherman brings two decades of commercial real estate expertise to CBRE’s advisory and transaction services team, where he will serve as vice chairman, the Dallas Business Journal reported.

Leatherman’s career includes nearly $750 million in closed transactions over the past year alone, representing clients across industries such as finance, energy, legal and advertising. Notable achievements include Bank of America’s 10-year lease renewal at Hallmark Center I in Addison and Haynes Boone’s expansion at Harwood No. 14.

“I’ve always said that there is no better city to work in than Dallas, and I could not be more excited to expand the service that I am able to offer important clients,” Leatherman said.

The move comes at a pivotal time for CBRE as the commercial real estate giant looks to fortify its operations in Dallas, a market recognized as a leader in real estate investment and development. However, the Dallas-Fort Worth metro is not without its challenges.

Broader macroeconomic pressures and shifting demand for traditional work environments have left commercial property owners struggling to fill empty space. With about 25 percent of Dallas’ office inventory vacant, the city’s landlords are losing out on about $1.62 billion in potential rental income annually.

Leatherman’s hire follows the October departure of prominent CBRE brokers Jeff Ellerman and John Ellerman to Stream Realty.

After two decades navigating the Dallas market, Leatherman has shown himself to be a “dominant force,” said CBRE’s Brooke Armstrong, president of advisory services in the Dallas-Fort Worth region.

—Andrew Terrell