By Shay Hughes

Since the beginning of Hughes Marino, CEO Jason Hughes and I have always embraced an entrepreneurial spirit, coupled with a passion to help champion the rights of commercial tenants across the country. Building and expanding our company and brand is a never-ending challenge that we are always eager to take on, but company expansion doesn’t happen effortlessly overnight. We protect our brand and company culture, only bringing on teammates and opening new offices when we find the perfect additions that align with our core values, work ethic and passion for tenant representation—ensuring any new addition will make our team, and clients, proud. While we are constantly receiving inquiries about opening new office locations, the conditions and culture have to be just right, which is extremely rare, and very celebrated when it does happen.

In late 2020, the entrepreneurial adventure of Hughes Marino expansion hit yet again with commercial real estate veterans Billy Byrne and Lindsay Brown joining us to open a Denver office.

Hughes Marino Executive Vice President Billy Byrne is a seasoned broker with 26 years of experience, offering his clients a depth of expertise and local knowledge that is unmatched in the region. From Fortune 500 companies to small businesses, Billy has assisted office and industrial clients of all sizes and is best known for his creative transaction structures and expertise in build-to-suit projects. Billy has negotiated more than $1 billion in transaction volume spanning multiple millions of square feet. His responsibilities include strategy development, advisory and implementation, with special emphasis on financial analysis and leading lease reviews and negotiations.

Hughes Marino Executive Vice President Lindsay Brown has 22 years of experience in the field of representing commercial tenants, completing well over $500 million in transaction volume spanning several million square feet. He has a unique approach to business and extensive experience in corporate facilities planning and relocation, specifically with oil and gas, law firm and technology-related organizations. He also has an immense amount of experience within the markets surrounding the region and has proven to be an invaluable resource to businesses across Denver.

Another reason why Billy and Lindsay stood out to us as the perfect pair to lead our newest office? They both began their careers at the Staubach Company, which was acquired by commercial real estate firm JLL. The Staubach Company specialized in tenant representation, and by joining Hughes Marino, they could get back to their roots in supporting tenants. “Both Lindsay and I felt that the industry has become largely commoditized,” says Billy, “and that a company that took a different approach would serve Denver well.” 

With Billy and Lindsay came six other experienced and talented brokers from other firms, in addition to our own veteran SVP Jeff Shepard, who made the move from our Orange County office to our Denver team. We couldn’t be prouder to have such a strong presence dedicated to helping businesses in the Denver area and beyond.

With our amazing team on board and in action, we knew we had to deliver an inspiring, beautiful office that they could call home, and we are proud to report that we did just that! Located in the trendy and historic LoDo neighborhood in Downtown Denver, our latest office is centered around a bustling hotspot of restaurants, businesses, parks and hotels, and mere blocks away from Larimer Square, Coors Field and Ball Arena. Situated in a turn-of-the-century brick building, our third-story office features exposed brick, concrete, wood beams, hardwood floors and exposed air ducts, giving our Denver home a stylish and industrial, yet warm and welcoming flair.

The building was first constructed as a sales showroom and warehouse for The Studebaker Buggy and Carriage Company, then later became Studebaker Automotive. Fun fact: the Studebaker Carriage and Buggy sign on the outside wall of our building was painted in 1883 and is said to be the oldest surviving wall painting in Denver!

Entering our office, guests are submersed in our warm brick space, lit by natural light from an abundance of windows with views of the neighborhood. Complete with multiple conference rooms, a collection of private offices and open workstations, our signature Hughes Marino family gallery wall and a kitchen make our Denver office as welcoming as possible with all of the comforts of home.

Our vibrant art collection—composed of pieces by artists including Anja Van Herle, Michael Anthony Nisperos, Monica Hoover, Douglas Kirkland, Ryan Jones and Mark Sandoval—perfectly complements the natural elements of our space. Playful elements can be found at every turn, including whimsical chairs and lighting that provide even more personality to our historic LoDo home. Our office is also dog friendly! In fact, it’s rare not to be greeted by one of our friendly four-legged family members, photos of whom are featured in a second gallery wall in our space.

All in all, we are honored and so excited to welcome this incredible team to our Hughes Marino family, and couldn’t be happier. We will continue to look for opportunities to grow in response to client demand, especially when we find amazing leaders like Billy and Lindsay! Onward!