Kyle B. Warwick is the new regional director of Spaulding & Slye Colliers in Boston.
While a captain of Colgate University’s football team, Kyle B. Warwick led from the defensive side of the ball, but as new regional director of Spaulding & Slye Colliers, the former linebacker has shifted to offense, offering an ambitious game plan as his commercial real estate company takes on a cadre of national competitors targeting Massachusetts.
Warwick, whose firm is among a dwindling stripe of independent real estate concerns, has faced formidable foes in the past. A non-scholarship, Division 1-AA school, Colgate took on several powerhouses during the Connecticut native’s collegiate career, including a 1987 contest at Syracuse University’s imposing Carrier Dome.
That particular clash did not roll the Red Raiders’ way, although the squad’s 7-4 record featured a stunning victory at Army. Similarly, Warwick insists his real estate team is well-positioned vs. competitors sporting limitless resources, firms such as CB Richard Ellis, Cushman & Wakefield, Grubb & Ellis and Trammell Crow Co.
Spaulding & Slye is aggressively pursuing opportunities from property management, leasing and investment sales to construction, development and even structured finance. “All of our divisions are flat out,” said Warwick, so much so that Spaulding & Slye already has hired 40 people in 2004. “We’re seeing a pickup in the industry, and we are chasing it,” vowed Warwick, whose own path to the Hub led straight from Manhattan – Manhattan Beach, Calif.
‘In the Trenches’
Warwick spent several years on the West Coast following a post-college job with Tishman Realty in the grittier East Coast Manhattan. Jumping at a chance to work on the landmark J. Paul Getty Museum in Los Angeles, Warwick migrated leftward with his wife, Sara, living in eclectic Manhattan Beach while he participated in one of the more daunting developments of the early 1990s. Tricky aspects included the movement of 1 million cubic yards of fill, constructing a seven-level, below-grade garage and installation of an electric tramway.
“It was a great experience,” said Warwick, steeling him for a five-year stint toiling on the still-unrealized Fan Pier mixed-use development in Boston’s Seaport District. Arriving at Spaulding & Slye in 1994, Warwick assisted on construction of the 125 High St. office complex in Boston and other tasks before being tabbed with colleague Daniel O’Connell in 1998 to help client Hyatt Corp. undertake the massive Fan Pier initiative.
Calling for nearly 2 million square feet of development, the $1.2 billion plan generated constant oversight from city, state and federal officials, not to mention a gauntlet of environmental, neighborhood and harbor advocacy groups. The developers also had to navigate Boston’s shark-infested political waters and a stream of local, national and even global media attention “It was intense,” acknowledged Warwick. “We were in the trenches for many years and every week was a big deal.”
Hyatt abandoned Fan Pier after Boston’s economy collapsed, but Warwick noted that the approvals helped his client put the 21-acre parcel on the block for an asking price said to easily exceed $100 million. “I do feel we’ve created something of value,” said Warwick. “You can’t time a project that big and complex, but the plan is complete and viable and an able development team is going to execute it eventually.”
Besides his own learning experience, Warwick said Fan Pier gave Spaulding & Slye incalculable benefits. Currently, the company is creating a 45-acre swath of housing, retail and commercial space in Cambridge, and is also overseeing a 4 million-square-foot, mixed-use development in Puerto Rico. Warwick said he believes both assignments emanated from the successes at Fan Pier.
As Spaulding & Slye’s regional director, Warwick said he hopes to create greater synergy, making sure each division shares information and resources. “We’re looking to tell the story a little better and trying to be more collaborative internally,” he explained. “That focus will drive new growth and new business.” Among other areas, Spaulding & Slye is pursuing life sciences, educational and residential projects, such as a 96-unit condominium building that just broke ground on Boston’s Broad Street.
Warwick expressed confidence that Spaulding & Slye will thrive going forward, not only due to its complete menu of services and seasoned staff, but also the ability to make decisions in an evolving climate. “We think it is an advantage,” he said of the independent status. “We are the home office – we don’t have to check with New York or Houston to get something OK’d.”
