Opportunity Spurs Growth at NAI Ohio Equities

Less than a year after Matt Gregory stepped into the role of Managing Director for NAI Ohio Equities, he is delivering on his commitment to focus on the brokerage’s growth and operational strategies.

Gregory says the firm is being intentional with its plans to grow the brokerage and has recently hired five new agents and is launching its pilot of the NAI Ohio Equities Fast Track training program.

Chad Boggs, Bastian Gehrer, Andrew Green, Peter Griffith, and Chris Wellington will be the inaugural class in the firm’s formalized training program.

Gregory said that developing the next generation of brokers is important to meet the needs related to the region’s anticipated growth. It also allows the firm to leverage the collective experience of its tenured group of existing agents to cultivate new talent.

“The ‘Fast Track’ is intended to streamline the process for new agents, providing them with the necessary knowledge and exposure that might normally take years, over the course of six months,” explained Gregory.

Program participants will meet for three 90-minute sessions each week with one session focusing on sales, negotiation, and prospecting techniques; one which will focus on industry insights, market trends and deal analysis; and one session per week will be spent in the field meeting with industry experts.

Gregory said members of the inaugural class were selected due to their “complimentary mix of backgrounds with an informal connection to commercial real estate.”

Gehrer recently graduated with a degree in Entrepreneurial Studies, with coursework in strategic planning, market analysis, and innovative thinking.

Boggs previously held a 15-year information technology career in the logistics and retail sectors. He joins NAI Ohio Equities with personal experience as both a landlord and commercial tenant.

Green, who has taken the most traditional path toward a career as an agent, comes from a background in real estate appraisal. He says he chose to join the program, in part, because of NAI Ohio Equities’ reputation for quality.

“In my experience, no other brokerage in Columbus has consistently garnered a positive response more than NAI Ohio Equities,” said Green. “I am excited to now be able to learn from some of the best,” he continued.

Gregory noted that the barrier to entry for commercial real estate can be a challenge, explaining that agents often start their careers by knowing someone in the field and are generally mentored one-on-one.

“Unless you grew up in a real estate family, becoming a commercial real estate agent is usually a second career. It is an industry that lets you harness a certain set of personality traits together with market knowledge to provide clients with hands-on representation to achieve their real estate needs,” said Gregory.

He believes that developing a formal training program addresses this challenge because it opens the field to a broad swath of potential candidates with related skills. It also provides other benefits, such as exposure to different market segments so that agents can determine which might be the best fit, as well as improving their rate of success.

Chad Boggs

Chad Boggs joins NAI Ohio Equities after spending more than 15 years in information technology in the logistics and retail sectors. As a small business owner, Chad has experience as both a landlord and commercial tenant, which led to the discovery of his passion for commercial real estate. He hopes to use this passion to help others achieve their financial goals through real estate. Chad is a graduate of Ohio University and Hondros College and earned his real estate license in 2023. He is a member of both Columbus REALTORS® and the National Association of REALTORS®.

Bastian Gehrer

After graduating from Marietta College in 2023, Bastian Gehrer joined NAI Ohio Equities’ Fast Track training program, where he is one of just five selected to be a part of the 2023 inaugural class. Bastian graduated with a Bachelor of Arts degree in Entrepreneurship where his coursework in strategic planning, market analysis, and innovative thinking prepared him for a commercial real estate career. Bastian’s entrepreneurial mindset along with his desire to develop relationships drew him to the industry. Bastian obtained his real estate license in 2023 and is a member of Columbus REALTORS®.

Andrew Green

Andrew Green joins NAI Ohio Equities with more than 10 years of experience as a commercial appraiser. Andrew has a deep understanding of the commercial valuation process which will aid him in advising clients regarding the ways their investment might be impacted by market conditions, as well as with risk mitigation strategies.

Andrew graduated from The Ohio State University Fisher College of Business with a Bachelor of Arts degree in Business Administration, majoring in both marketing and real estate. He earned his real estate license in 2023 and continues to hold licenses in both Ohio and Indiana as a general commercial appraiser. As an appraiser, Andrew specialized in cannabis-related retail, industrial properties, and automotive dealerships.

Peter Griffith

Peter Griffith is a Columbus native and has been with NAI Ohio Equities since 2022. While studying Economics at Ohio State University, Peter completed two full-term internships while working alongside the Sheeran Semon Team during an award-winning year. During that time, Peter was exposed to well over 100 transactions, gaining practical experience and market knowledge that he will now carry into his career as a broker. Peter was awarded a full scholarship through Columbus REALTORS® Young Professionals Network to obtain his real estate license which he completed in 2023.

Chris Wellington

Chris Wellington began his career as an Account Executive for the Pittsburgh Pirates before partnering with a commercial service company where he launched a division focused on commercial project work. In 2020, he moved into the role of CEO before selling the business in 2022. His experience and success in new business development, key account management, and project management paired with his exposure and understanding of commercial real estate through his business made the transition to a commercial agent a natural choice. Chris graduated from Miami University with a Bachelor of Arts degree in Marketing and recently earned his real estate license.