Robert Wilson, Principal Broker of The CREST Group, has been immersed in the commercial real estate arena for over 25 years. Transitioning to a real estate career from years of middle and upper management with the McDonald's and Wendy's corporations, Robert's commercial real estate experiences have included involvement in commercial property transactions from virtually every perspective. There is an axiom, "First understand.... that you may be understood ". Well, in the context of understanding commercial real estate, The CREST Group offers its clients unparalleled experience from every perspective of the real estate transaction. Unlike many brokers who have only assisted others in their transactions, I've personally occupied the role of the tenant, the developer, the landlord, the builder, the buyer, the seller, the investor and of course the BROKER. Possessing the ability to see and understand a transaction from literally everyone's viewpoint presents the ultimate package of knowledge and skills necessary to meet and exceed a client's expectations.
BIOGRAPHY of BUSINESS EXPERIENCE
As a transition from his position as a Restaurant Operations V.P., Robert became the VP of Real Estate and Development for one of the largest franchised operators of Wendy's Restaurants in the U.S. -- a position that he held for nearly ten years. Working in the Wendy's environment and covering parts of Ohio, Pennsylvania, New York, and Florida, extensive experience was gained in the areas of site selection, property acquisition, planning, zoning, & permit entitlements, coordination of legal matters, and the oversight of architects, engineers and construction personnel.After departing Wendy's, Robert became a commercial real estate sales agent associated with the brokerage firm of Edward J. Lewis, Inc. of Youngstown, OH. Under the close mentoring of the Lewis staff, a wealth of knowledge was imparted from that firm's 50+ years experience in the commercial real estate business. The Lewis organization had bona fide experts in retail, industrial and office real estate as well as investment properties, and Wilson was well-exposed to this broad base of knowledge and experience. During his time with Lewis, Robert worked extensively as a site selector to expand the Monro Muffler and Rally's Restaurant chains throughout eastern Ohio as well as working on the development and leasing of his first retail strip center - a project he assisted and guided from the ground up to fully leased. .
Next came a two year stint working as a retail leasing agent. Robert worked for two of the largest retail property developers Akron and Canton respectively for whom he leased large and small shopping center properties spanning geographically from the New Jersey coast to as far west as North Dakota.
In 1992, Robert completed the additional educational and other requirements to elevate his credentials and became a fully Licensed Broker and thus commenced his independent practice. Armed with a solid and diverse background of working as a corporate real estate representative, a licensed sales agent, and a developer's retail leasing agent, Robert was well prepared to make a major impact in the profession. First engaged by the Blockbuster Video Corporation in 1993 to secure what was deemed an "impossible" site location, Wilson delivered the goods and exceeded the client's expectations by also procuring an investor and builder for the project. That accomplishment earned him the exclusive right to represent Blockbuster Video in several NE Ohio counties -- a position that continued for over a decade and included numerous deals. Building on his Blockbuster Video success, Wilson was next tapped by Levey & Company of Akron to secure new store development sites for Walgreens Drug Stores. Walgreens is known as one of the most discriminating tenants of prime real estate sites in the country and working together with the Levey development team, Robert helped produce over 20 new ground-up drug store sites in Ohio and North Carolina. During the Levey affiliation. Robert also identified and coordinated the acquisition of several new retail sites that totaled well over 1/2 million developed square feet. Other transactions included generating numerous smaller developments of retail, industrial, and office properties. While assisting the growth of the Levey Company portfolio by nearly a million total square feet over all property types, Robert also continued to assist the growth plans of clients Blockbuster Video (20+ deals), Donato's Pizzeria (10 deals), KFC, Tire Kingdom / NTB (5 deals), Rite Aid (multiple deals), CVS, Home Depot, and numerous other national companies.
In addition to his real estate skills, Robert is an instrument rated private pilot and aircraft owner and operates an aerial photography company as a subsidiary to the Crest Group (Best Sites Aerial Photos). He is also a managing partner in an Akron area pizza restaurant. On the public service side, in his first candidacy for public office in November 2005, Wilson was elected and served four years as a Trustee of Coventry Township government where he also had previously chaired the Zoning Commission for six years. He also belongs to and works with charitable organizations within his local community. Robert has participated as a 20+ year member of the International Council of Shopping Centers (ICSC) an International consortium of all entities tied to the development, management, leasing, occupancy and operation of shopping centers world wide.
THE CREST GROUP -- THERE IS NO SUBSTITUTE FOR EXPERIENCE
The Crest Group, Ltd.
458 Saunders Ave. # 100
Akron, OH 44319
PH (330) 644-3200
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