Mike Griffin, 37

Mike Griffin has combined good timing with outright hustle, an affable personality and keen insight to build a successful commercial real estate career.

Starting with timing, in 2003, he was the first employee of a Tampa startup, Vertical Integration, which focused on tenant representation, mostly for corporate and government entities. “It was a tremendous opportunity to get in with a company from the ground floor,” says Griffin.

In 2015, Savills Studley Occupier Services acquired Vertical Integration, and Griffin was named managing director of Savills Studley’s Tampa office. He has since worked with a host of new clients, in addition to overseeing a team of brokers. The focus remains on tenant representation, now particularly for multimarket accounts.

Griffin says a key to his success at Savills Studley, and with Vertical Integration, is to look for ways to differentiate himself in a crowded field. “We have to constantly raise the bar of what our value is for clients,” Griffin says. “It’s not about going through the motions. It’s not just a cliché. We want to go the extra mile for our clients.”

Griffin, three years shy of 40, has also already held some lofty positions in the community, in addition to his commercial real estate work. He was chairman of the Greater Tampa Chamber of Commerce in 2017, and served one year as a commissioner of Port Tampa Bay. He’s also been a vocal and visible supporter of organizations that support the Tampa Rays. That goes for both the team’s quest for a new stadium in Ybor City and its search for more business community partners.     

“I feel like I’m part of a generation that’s kicking down doors, and I’m happy to be part of that,” he says. “I don’t want to run every board in town. I want to make an impact.”