Selig Hires Tishman Speyer's Ahrenkiel For Next Wave Of Development
Tishman Speyer's managing director — who helped lease the spec trophy tower that eventually sold for record per square foot pricing in Atlanta — has joined one of the city's oldest real estate families.
Chris Ahrenkiel has been tapped as executive vice president of commercial leasing and development with Selig Development Co., tasked with leading office development, acquisitions and leasing, company officials said. Ahrenkiel also will be involved in the investment committees for both Selig Enterprises and Selig Development.
The hiring comes on the heels of the loss of one of Selig's leaders, Scott Selig, who died last year after battling stage 4 lung cancer. Selig launched the development division in 2016 under his father, Steve Selig.
The division already boasts some big names in the commercial real estate industry, including Senior Vice President of Development Malloy Peterson, previously with Carter, and Chief Investment Officer Matt Rendle and Executive Vice President and Chief Development Officer Steve Baile, who came over from Daniel Corp.
Ahrenkiel, who has spent the last 11 years as Tishman Speyer's managing director, left soon after the firm leased up and sold Three Alliance Center, which traded for a record $534/SF. He also recently was named to the board of Invest Atlanta, the economic development arm of the city, and is a board member of the Metro Atlanta Chamber.
“We had both known Chris for years,” Baile said. "I asked Scott [Selig] what he thought, and his response was, 'This is exactly who we want. Let's go get him.'"
Ahrenkiel joins the firm as it ramps up its development pipeline. Among its projects in the works:
- The Works at Chattahoochee, an 80-acre adaptive reuse development in Atlanta's Upper Westside, which will include multifamily, office and retail along Chattahoochee Industrial Boulevard.
- 1105 West Peachtree, a mixed-use tower in Midtown that will include 650K SF of office, a 180-room hotel and 75 residential units.
- 1125 Peachtree St., a mixed-use high-rise.
Future projects include a residential development at 550 North Highland Ave. and two joint venture mixed-use projects that are slated to be announced later this year.
CORRECTION, JAN. 11, 10:15 A.M. ET: Chris Ahrenkiel is Selig Development Co.'s executive vice president of commercial leasing and office development. He also is a member of the investment committees for Selig Enterprises as well as the development division. The headline also has been changed for accuracy. The story has been updated.
