NAI Columbia
NAI Columbia is a broker-owned commercial real estate firm in Columbia, SC, providing brokerage, property management, development, and advisory services across office, retail, industrial, and land assets in the South Carolina Midlands, affiliated with the NAI Global network.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded2019
- HeadquartersColumbia, United States
- Headcount11–50
- GTM typeB2B
- OfferingServices
What NAI Columbia does
NAI Columbia is a broker-owned, full-service commercial real estate firm headquartered at 1221 Main Street, Suite 1607, in Columbia, South Carolina. Founded in 2019 as a partnership between NAI Earle Furman and eight former senior brokers of NAI Avant, the firm serves the South Carolina Midlands with brokerage, property management, project management, development, and corporate advisory services spanning office, retail, industrial, healthcare, and land asset classes. Its specialized Carolina Shopping Center Strategists team manages 34 retail centers totaling over 2.3 million square feet—the largest retail property market share in South Carolina.
The firm operates without proprietary technology products; its competitive capabilities rest on broker expertise, market research, and deep local relationships rather than software platforms. NAI Columbia generates revenue through two primary streams: commission-based brokerage fees on commercial sales, leases, tenant representation, and land transactions, plus ongoing property management fees across affiliated portfolios (over 12.5 million square feet across the merged NAI Earle Furman/NAI Columbia Carolina alliance). Pricing is quote-based and transaction-specific, with individual disclosed deal values ranging from $2.68 million to $30.4 million in recent quarters.
The firm's go-to-market is sales-led, relying on broker relationships, direct client engagement, and the global reach of the NAI Global network (375+ offices, 6,000+ professionals, 1.15 billion square feet managed worldwide). NAI Global is itself a wholly owned subsidiary of C-III Capital Partners, LLC. In January 2023, NAI Columbia merged with NAI Earle Furman, consolidating South Carolina and North Carolina operations into a unified entity alongside NAI Piedmont Triad, which now operates seven combined offices across the Carolinas. Customer segments span corporate/institutional clients, retail investors, industrial users, healthcare providers, and developers, with no disclosed concentration in any single vertical.
NAI Columbia firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- NAI Columbia
- Legal name
- NAI Columbia
- Website
- https://naicolumbia.com
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 2019
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 11–50 employees
- Short description
- NAI Columbia is a broker-owned commercial real estate firm in Columbia, SC, providing brokerage, property management, development, and advisory services across office, retail, industrial, and land assets in the South Carolina Midlands, affiliated with the NAI Global network.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
NAI Columbia industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Commercial Real Estate Services
- NAICS
- Offices of Real Estate Agents and Brokers (531210), Real Estate Property Managers (53131)
- SIC
- Real Estate Agents & Managers (For Others) (6531), Real Estate (6500)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Commercial Real Estate Brokerage (Leasing & Sales) (FSAEAJAB)
- akta.pro secondary industries
- Land & Development Site Brokerage (BPAJABAG), Special Purpose & Alternative Asset Brokerage (BPAJABAH), Real Estate Capital Markets Advisory (Debt/Equity Placement, Refinancing) (BPAJANAE)
Keywords
Where NAI Columbia is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Columbia
- HQ country
- United States
- HQ region
- North America
Offices1 record
Markets served
NAI Columbia business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2B
- Offering type
- Services
- Cost components
- Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Infrastructure
Revenue model
- Brokerage Commissions: Commission-based fees on commercial real estate sales and lease transactions, including investment sales, office/retail/industrial leasing, tenant representation, and land sales.
- Property Management Fees: Ongoing property management fees for commercial properties under management, including operational reports, tenant relations, maintenance services, and budget management.
Pricing tiers
| Model | Billing | Price |
|---|---|---|
| Transaction based/ take rate | Pay-as-you-go | Custom brokerage and management services with quote-based pricing |
Go-to-market motion1 record
Distribution channels3 records
Marketing channels5 records
NAI Columbia product offering
Product offeringCore offering
NAI Columbia is a broker-owned full-service commercial real estate firm providing investment sales, office/retail/industrial leasing, tenant and landlord representation, land sales, and special asset services through its brokerage team. The firm also delivers ongoing property management, project management, development and build-to-suit, and corporate/advisory services to property owners, investors, and tenants in the South Carolina Midlands and broader Carolinas region.
Product overview
NAI Columbia is a full-service commercial real estate firm offering a unified portfolio of integrated services rather than discrete software products. The core service suite comprises Brokerage Services (investment sales, office/retail/industrial leasing, tenant/landlord representation), Property Management, Project Management, Development Services, and Corporate/Advisory Services. Additionally, the firm operates Carolina Shopping Center Strategists as a specialized retail-focused team within Brokerage Services. Market Research & Reports provides quarterly market intelligence. All services are delivered through the NAI Global network of over 375 offices worldwide.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Brands
- Carolina Shopping Center Strategists: A specialized retail investment team within NAI Columbia comprising Patrick Palmer CCIM, Bobby Balboni CCIM, and Sam Edens, focusing on shopping center transactions and retail investment strategy.
Quantifiable outcome
- Market leader in South Carolina brokerage services production for nearly three consecutive decades
- +3 more outcomes
Companies that use NAI Columbia
Customer profileNamed customers7 records
Segments6 records
Ideal customer profiles3 records
NAI Columbia technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed No
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
NAI Columbia partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
Four partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.
- NAI Earle FurmancorePartnership established in 2019 between NAI Earle Furman (Greenville, SC) and NAI Columbia to expand market footprint in the South Carolina Midlands. NAI Earle Furman is based in Greenville and serves the Upstate of South Carolina. The partnership merged officially in January 2023, combining expertise across the Carolinas.
- NAI Piedmont TriadcoreNAI Earle Furman and NAI Piedmont Triad joined forces in 2017 to form a creative commercial real estate collaboration across state lines (South Carolina and North Carolina). The partnership expanded with NAI Columbia in 2019, and in 2024 NAI Piedmont Triad opened its third location in Winston-Salem, NC, bringing the total number of combined offices to seven.
- NAI GlobalcoreNAI Columbia is affiliated with NAI Global, the world's only managed network of owner-operated commercial real estate brokerage firms. NAI Global provides access to over 375 offices strategically located throughout North America, Latin America, Europe, and Asia Pacific, with more than 6,000 local market professionals managing over 1.15 billion square feet of property.
- EDENSminorNAI Avant (predecessor to NAI Columbia) was derived from EDENS and Avant, which was founded in Columbia, S.C. in 1966. NAI Avant continued serving the Midlands before its sunsetting and reformation as NAI Columbia under new leadership. EDENS is a national real estate developer with $6 billion in real estate assets, and NAI Columbia's development team has expertise refined at EDENS.
Scale indicators6 records
Recent moves9 records
Expansion highlights5 records
NAI Columbia competitors and assessment
Company assessmentDirect peers
- Lee & Associates: Privately held commercial real estate brokerage network with a comparable principal-owned structure and full-service capabilities, including industrial, office, retail, and investment sales.
- Avison Young: Privately held global commercial real estate services firm with a similar mid-size, principal-led model. Competes head-to-head on office, industrial, retail, and investment sales across the Carolinas.
- NAI Piedmont Triad: Sister firm in the NAI Global network operating in North Carolina, part of the same Carolinas alliance. Provides the same full-service brokerage, property management, and advisory model across state lines.
- NAI Earle Furman: Sister firm in the NAI Global network serving the Upstate of South Carolina. Merged with NAI Columbia in January 2023, making it the most directly comparable peer in service mix, scale, and ownership structure.
Broad incumbents
- CBRE Group: World's largest commercial real estate services firm, with deep brokerage, valuation, and property management operations. Dominates institutional capital and large corporate accounts that NAI Columbia must access via the NAI Global network.
- Cushman & Wakefield: Global commercial real estate services firm with a similar service portfolio across brokerage, property management, and advisory. Competes in the Carolinas office, industrial, and retail submarkets.
- Colliers International: Global commercial real estate services firm with full-service brokerage, property management, and advisory capabilities. Larger and broader than NAI Columbia but offers overlapping services in the Carolinas.
- Newmark Group: Global commercial real estate advisor with capital markets, leasing, and property management capabilities. Increasingly active in Southeast secondary markets and competes for institutional capital flow.
- Marcus & Millichap: Specialized commercial real estate investment sales firm with a focus on smaller-to-mid-market transactions. Comparable in transaction size and target client base for investment sales across the Carolinas.
- JLL (Jones Lang LaSalle): Global commercial real estate and investment management firm with full-service brokerage, property management, and capital markets. Competes for the largest enterprise and institutional mandates in the region.
Market position
Strengths5 records
Weaknesses5 records
Competitive moat5 records
Key risks6 records
Key highlights7 records
Customer concentration
NAI Columbia social profiles
Digital presenceNAI Columbia financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
NAI Columbia leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles10 records
NAI Columbia funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
NAI Columbia M&A and investment
M&A and investmentM&A
Investments
M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Frequently asked questions about NAI Columbia
What does NAI Columbia do?
NAI Columbia is a broker-owned full-service commercial real estate firm providing investment sales, office/retail/industrial leasing, tenant and landlord representation, land sales, and special asset services through its brokerage team. The firm also delivers ongoing property management, project management, development and build-to-suit, and corporate/advisory services to property owners, investors, and tenants in the South Carolina Midlands and broader Carolinas region.
Is NAI Columbia a public or private company?
NAI Columbia is a private company. It is classified as management employee owned and is currently operating.
When was NAI Columbia founded?
NAI Columbia was founded in 2019. It employs 11 to 50 people.
Where is NAI Columbia based?
NAI Columbia is headquartered in Columbia, United States, in the North America region.
How does NAI Columbia make money?
Two revenue lines are on record. Brokerage Commissions are the primary driver. The others are property Management Fees.
Who are NAI Columbia's main competitors?
Direct peers on record are Lee & Associates, Avison Young, NAI Piedmont Triad and NAI Earle Furman. Broad incumbents are CBRE Group, Cushman & Wakefield, Colliers International, Newmark Group, Marcus & Millichap and JLL (Jones Lang LaSalle).
Does NAI Columbia have an API?
No public API is recorded for NAI Columbia.
What industry is NAI Columbia in?
NAI Columbia's product category is Commercial Real Estate Services. Its primary akta.pro industry code is FSAEAJAB, Commercial Real Estate Brokerage (Leasing & Sales), with a secondary code of BPAJABAG, Land & Development Site Brokerage. Its NAICS code is 531210 and its SIC code is 6531.