Former pro soccer star scores plum real estate post

TAMPA — Commercial real estate services firm Cushman & Wakefield named Scott Garlick to lead its Tampa office as managing principal.

Garlick replaces Larry Richey, who has led the firm's Tampa operations for the past quarter century. Since September 2015, Richey has led the company's nine Florida offices, from Jacksonville to Miami, as Florida market leader.

Garlick, in a statement, says he hopes to “continue to nurture the collaborative spirit that helps make our professionals the best in the business.”

“We have an amazing group of people here who are dedicated to our clients, the community and the company,” Garlick says.

Garlick joined Cushman & Wakefield in 2007 as an office and industrial broker, partnering with Senior Director John Fish. The pair went on to win “Deal of the Year” in 2010 and 2011 from the Florida Gulf Coast Association of Realtors and the National Association of Office and Industrial Parks, respectively, and the two were named “Client Service Top Performer” within their firm.

In all, Garlick has been involved in transactions totaling more than five million square feet.

Prior to joining Cushman & Wakefield, Garlick spent 12 years as a professional soccer player in the U.S. and elsewhere. Over a decade, he appeared in more than 240 Major League Soccer games and was twice named a league All-Star. He retired in 2007 as one of only six goalkeepers in MLS history with 1,000 goal saves and 100 wins.

Cushman & Wakefield is one of the largest commercial real estate firms in the world, with more than $5 billion in annual revenue from brokerage, property and asset management, capital and facility services, tenant representation and investment and advisory activities.