The Wealth Group is a financial advisory firm requiring professional office space in Franklin, Tennessee. The assignment was not simply a matter of finding available square footage — the office environment had to align with the firm's client-facing brand and the expectations of an affluent clientele. Location, building quality, and submarket positioning were as important as lease economics.
Cool Springs — Franklin's premier commercial office corridor — was the right submarket. The Giles Group represented The Wealth Group in securing 1,895 SF at 725 Cool Springs Boulevard, a Class A office building owned by Highwoods Realty, one of the largest publicly traded office REITs in the Southeast.
Office requirements for professional services firms create a layered set of considerations that pure cost analysis misses:
Brand alignment matters. A financial advisory firm cannot present itself in a second-tier location or a building that sends the wrong signal to existing and prospective clients. The submarket and building class are part of the brand.
Institutional landlords negotiate from a position of market authority. Highwoods is a publicly traded REIT with a large Cool Springs portfolio and experienced leasing teams. Without comparable market data and a structured negotiation approach, tenants in this position accept what they're offered.
Smaller requirements in institutional buildings receive less attention than larger tenants. At 1,895 SF, The Wealth Group was not Highwoods' largest tenant — which required ensuring the lease structure received the same diligence that a larger deal would.
Buildout coordination had to be aligned with the firm's operational timeline. The space needed to be client-ready by a defined date, requiring coordination between lease commencement, TI construction, and occupancy.
The Giles Group applied its Define → Underwrite → Create Leverage → Execute framework to a client-facing professional services office assignment.
Documented the firm's space requirements — square footage, office configuration, conference capability, client reception area, and building quality standards. Established the minimum acceptable submarket and building class based on the firm's client profile and brand positioning. Cool Springs was the right answer before a single property was surveyed.
Surveyed the Cool Springs and Brentwood office market for Class A availability in the target size range. Modeled total occupancy cost across viable options — base rent, operating expenses, buildout cost, and the full-service lease structure — to establish a factual comparison before engaging any landlord.
Identified competing alternatives in the Cool Springs corridor to establish negotiating pressure against Highwoods. A single-property negotiation with an institutional REIT produces institutional results. Competing alternatives changed the dynamic — and gave the client's position credibility regardless of deal size.
Negotiated lease terms at 725 Cool Springs Boulevard through LOI and lease documentation. Coordinated buildout timing to ensure the space was client-ready at commencement. Commission invoiced upon lease execution in August 2022; occupancy commenced September 1, 2022.
Size: 1,895 SF
Location: Cool Springs, Franklin, TN — Class A submarket
Building: 725 Cool Springs Blvd. — Highwoods Realty portfolio
Landlord: Highwoods Realty Limited Partnership (NYSE: HIW)
Lease Type: Full-service gross lease
Lease Term: 5 years
Commencement: September 1, 2022
Submarket: Cool Springs — premier Franklin office corridor
Outcome: Client-ready space in brand-aligned location, on schedule
The Wealth Group assignment illustrates a principle that applies to every professional services firm evaluating office space: the location is part of the brand. A financial advisory firm's office environment is one of the first things a client observes. It communicates stability, professionalism, and credibility before a word is spoken.
Cool Springs is Middle Tennessee's most established professional office corridor — home to financial services firms, law practices, and corporate users whose clients share similar expectations. Placing The Wealth Group in that environment was not incidental. It was the first strategic recommendation made in the engagement.
Negotiating with Highwoods — a publicly traded REIT with a sophisticated leasing operation — required the same preparation that any institutional negotiation demands: market data, competing alternatives, and a lease structure that protected the client's interests through documentation, not just through the LOI. The buildout coordination ensured that the space was operationally ready on day one, with no gap between lease commencement and client-facing readiness.
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