Gershman Commercial Real Estate

What Gershman Commercial Real Estate does

Gershman Commercial Real Estate (legal name Solon Gershman, Inc.) is a privately held, full-service commercial real estate firm founded in 1948 in Clayton, Missouri, now headquartered at 150 N Meramec Ave, Suite 500 in St. Louis. The company provides brokerage (leasing and sales for office, retail, and industrial properties), property management, project management, property accounting, in-house maintenance engineering (with 13+ technicians), and asset management services to property owners, investors, and occupiers across the St. Louis metropolitan area. Gershman manages more than 6 million square feet of commercial space and operates exclusively within the St. Louis regional market.

The firm's revenue is generated through a mix of transaction commissions on brokerage deals, recurring management fees on its 6M+ SF portfolio, project-based professional services fees, and — as of September 2025 — a recurring subscription revenue stream from PANORAMIC, its proprietary lease administration software platform. Pricing for asset management, project management, property management, accounting, and maintenance services is negotiated on a per-engagement basis and is not publicly disclosed; representative office lease rates observed across managed properties range from $16-$36 PSF. The go-to-market motion is direct enterprise field sales, with all services delivered through in-house teams and no distributor or reseller channel.

Gershman's competitive positioning rests on its 75+ year St. Louis market history, its status as the longest-standing independently owned CRE firm in the metro, and its vertically integrated full-service platform. Notable transactions include the 2019 partnership with BurkHill Real Estate to acquire the Sachs Properties 860,000 SF portfolio for over $100M, the 2025 Caleres HQ lease at 8182 Maryland/8235 Forsyth in Clayton, and the 2025 APA North site acquisition. In October 2022, CEO Christopher Fox acquired the firm from the Gershman family, transitioning it from family ownership to independent ownership, with COO Molly Studer added as principal in October 2023. The firm employs 51-100 people and maintains active industry affiliations with CCIM, SIOR, and CREW St. Louis.

Name

Gershman Commercial Real Estate

Legal name

Solon Gershman, Inc.

Website

https://gershmancre.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1948

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

51–100 employees

Short description

Gershman Commercial Real Estate is a privately held, full-service St. Louis commercial real estate firm providing brokerage, property management, project management, accounting, maintenance, and asset management services across more than 6 million square feet to owners, investors, and occupiers of office, retail, and industrial property.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Commercial Real Estate Services

NAICS

Real Estate Property Managers (53131), Offices of Real Estate Agents and Brokers (531210)

SIC

Real Estate Agents & Managers (For Others) (6531)

akta.pro primary industry

Mixed-Use Property Management (BPAJAGAE)

Keywords

• Commercial real estate brokerage
• Commercial property management
• Commercial leasing services
• Real estate asset management
• Commercial real estate services

Headquarters

HQ city

Chesterfield

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D, Infrastructure

Revenue model

1. Brokerage (Leasing & Sales): Commission-based brokerage services for office, retail, and industrial property leasing and sales transactions. Handles both landlord (owner) representation and tenant representation. Notable transactions include the $100M+ Sachs Properties portfolio acquisition (2019), Caleres HQ lease (2025), and APA North site acquisition (2025).
2. Property Management: Ongoing property management fees for a portfolio exceeding 6 million square feet. Services include tenant relations, vendor management, maintenance, financial reporting, and capital planning across office, retail, and industrial assets.
3. Project Management: Tenant finish and capital improvement project management services across the managed portfolio and for third-party occupier clients. Tim Elli leads the division with over 20 years of project management experience.
4. Accounting Services: Property accounting services including financial statements, budget preparation, operating expense reconciliations, cash management, and client relationship management for managed properties.
5. Maintenance & Facilities Services: Maintenance division led by VP Dennis McIver overseeing 13+ technicians providing daily operation of properties including preventive maintenance, work order management, personnel training, inventory/fleet management, and vendor coordination.
6. Asset Management: Strategic portfolio oversight of office and retail properties owned by Gershman family entities, including acquisition and disposition analysis, financial modeling, capital planning, and owner distribution analysis and reporting.
7. PANORAMIC Lease Administration Platform: Proprietary lease administration software platform offered as a modern, cost-effective solution for real estate portfolio management.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels9 records

Core offering

Gershman Commercial Real Estate is a full-service commercial real estate firm providing brokerage, property management, project management, accounting, maintenance, and asset management services to owners, investors, and occupiers of office, retail, and industrial property. The firm manages over 6 million square feet of commercial space in the St. Louis metro and also offers PANORAMIC, a proprietary lease administration platform launched in September 2025.

Product overview

Gershman Commercial Real Estate operates as a full-service commercial real estate company offering a comprehensive suite of brokerage and management services. The firm's core offerings include brokerage (sales, leasing, tenant representation), property management, project management, accounting, maintenance services, and asset management. The company also offers PANORAMIC, a proprietary lease administration platform launched in September 2025, which serves as a modern software solution for real estate portfolio management. The portfolio management approach integrates with traditional service offerings including market research and analysis capabilities.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• PANORAMIC: Proprietary lease administration platform designed for cost effectiveness and ease of use for real estate portfolio management.

Products and services

• Brokerage Services Commercial real estate brokerage services including sales, leasing, and tenant representation for office, retail, and industrial properties in the St. Louis metro. Handles both landlord/owner representation and tenant representation for clients including Fortune 500 companies and institutional owners.
• Property Management Full-service property management for over 6 million square feet of commercial office, retail, and industrial properties across the St. Louis metro. Includes tenant relations, vendor management, financial reporting, capital planning, and maintenance coordination.
• Project Management

Quantifiable outcome

• Gershman helped increase occupancy from ~40% to 96% at Westport Flex Center within 12 months of acquisition (June 2021–June 2022), executing 25 new leases and 15 renewals.
• +3 more outcomes

Named customers16 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature1 record

Partnerships

16 partnerships are on record, tiered minor and core.

• Scout Realty GroupminorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ Distributor · 1 November 2025Scout Realty Group is the leasing broker for Christ Memorial Lutheran Church's 145,000 SF retail center in South St. Louis County, where Gershman provides full-service property management.
• Chad Burkemper (Colliers)minorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ Distributor · 1 September 2025Chad Burkemper of Colliers continues as leasing team member for the Finance Centre property (Winghaven, MO) and for the Clovelly Fund / North Warson Business Center industrial portfolio managed by Gershman.
• Dennis DeSantis (Colliers)minorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ Distributor · 1 September 2025Dennis DeSantis of Colliers continues as leasing team member for the Finance Centre property in Winghaven, MO, managed by Gershman.
• Dan Bamberger (Colliers)minorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ Distributor · 1 September 2025Dan Bamberger of Colliers continues as leasing team member for the Clovelly Fund / North Warson Business Center industrial portfolio (approximately 350,000 SF) managed by Gershman.
• ArcturisminorImplementation/ SI/ Consulting Partner · 1 August 2022Arcturis is the architecture firm for Affinia Healthcare's new 15,000 SF health center ground-up construction project, with Tim Elli (Gershman) serving as owner's representative.
• Kadean Construction CompanyminorImplementation/ SI/ Consulting Partner · 1 August 2022Kadean Construction Company is the general contractor for Affinia Healthcare's new 15,000 SF health center project, with Tim Elli (Gershman) serving as owner's representative.
• TRi ArchitectsminorImplementation/ SI/ Consulting Partner · 1 February 2022TRi Architects performed design services for the ELCO Cadillac ground-up construction project (20,000 SF prototype building in Ballwin, MO) managed by Tim Elli at Gershman.
• BSI ConstructionminorImplementation/ SI/ Consulting Partner · 1 February 2022BSI Construction performed general contractor services for the ELCO Cadillac ground-up construction project managed by Tim Elli at Gershman.
• SARA Investment Real EstateminorOthers · 1 October 2021SARA Investment Real Estate engaged Gershman's office brokerage team (Jim Loft, Dan Freeland, Fallon Chambers) to provide leasing services for 3301 Rider Trail S in Earth City (27,560 SF immediately available).
• Jon Serkes (Local Real Estate Investor)minorOthers · 1 June 2021Jon Serkes purchased the Westport Flex Center portfolio (three multi-tenant flex warehouse buildings in Maryland Heights) from the estate of Robert Bernstein and engaged Gershman for leasing and property management services. Properties were acquired with below 50% occupancy and repositioned to 96% within 12 months.
• Central BankminorOthers · 1 February 2021Central Bank provided financing for the extensive renovation of Colonnade Center in Des Peres, which included all new storefronts, roof, building façade, monument signage, and parking lot improvements, plus outparcel development for Chase Bank.
• Idea Architects LLCminorImplementation/ SI/ Consulting Partner · 1 February 2021Idea Architects LLC served as architects for the Colonnade Center renovation project in Des Peres.
• George Stock & AssociatesminorImplementation/ SI/ Consulting Partner · 1 February 2021George Stock & Associates provided engineering services for the Colonnade Center renovation project.
• ICON ContractingminorImplementation/ SI/ Consulting Partner · 1 February 2021ICON Contracting served as the general contractor for the Colonnade Center renovation project in Des Peres.
• BurkHill Real Estate LLCcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 September 2019In September 2019, Gershman and BurkHill partnered to acquire Sachs Properties' prominent 860,000 SF, 18-property portfolio in Chesterfield for a total investment exceeding $100 million. This was one of the largest real estate transactions in St. Louis in recent history. BurkHill is a private real estate investment fund founded by Mark Burkhart, former CEO of Cassidy Turry. Gershman provides ongoing leasing and property management for the portfolio (now branded as Offices at Chesterfield Village).
• Safety NationalcoreOthers · 1 January 1994Safety National, a specialty insurance and reinsurance provider with 650+ employees, has been a client of Gershman since 1994. Gershman handles leasing and management of Safety National's properties including development management for the original 2008 headquarters and the $32M expansion completed in May 2021. Gershman now provides both property management and facility management for the 270,000 SF headquarters and nine regional offices nationwide.

Scale indicators11 records

Recent moves7 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Regional players

• Sansone Group: St. Louis-based commercial real estate firm offering brokerage, property management, and development services. Kelly Shinstock (now Gershman SVP Property Management) previously worked at Sansone Group, evidencing direct regional competition for property management and brokerage talent and clients in the same metro.
• Intelica CRE: St. Louis-based commercial real estate services firm providing brokerage, property management, and advisory. Molly Studer (Gershman COO) was previously VP of Operations at Intelica CRE and Dennis McIver was a Senior Building Engineer there, indicating direct competition in the local market for both talent and CRE mandates.
• SARA Investment Real Estate: St. Louis-based commercial real estate investment and management firm that has engaged Gershman for leasing services (3301 Rider Trail S). Todd Spitzer (Gershman SVP Asset Management) previously led asset management at SARA, evidencing direct competitive overlap in office/industrial asset management in the same metro.

Broad incumbents

• CBRE Group: Largest global commercial real estate services firm with a St. Louis office offering brokerage, property management, valuation, and project management. Dennis McIver (Gershman VP Maintenance) previously held a supervisory technician role at CBRE, evidencing direct overlap in maintenance engineering and broader CRE services.
• Cushman & Wakefield: Global CRE services firm with deep St. Louis presence that competes head-to-head for office leasing and property management assignments. Multiple Gershman team members previously worked at Cushman & Wakefield (Andy Bagy 13 years, Dan Freeland, Fallon Chambers, Todd Spitzer), underscoring direct talent and client overlap.
• Newmark Group: Global commercial real estate services firm with St. Louis office that competes with Gershman for office, industrial, and retail brokerage and management assignments in the same metro market.
• JLL (Jones Lang LaSalle): Global real estate services firm with a St. Louis office providing brokerage, property management, project management, and capital markets advisory. Competes with Gershman for office, retail, and industrial mandates across the same metro and on enterprise occupier accounts.
• Colliers International: Global commercial real estate services firm with a major St. Louis office that directly competes with Gershman across office leasing, property management, and project management. Colliers brokers are referenced in Gershman-managed properties (Finance Centre, North Warson Business Center), confirming overlap in client portfolios and competing on tenant/landlord representation mandates in the same submarkets.

Direct peers

• NAI Tatman: Independently owned St. Louis commercial real estate firm offering brokerage, property management, and related services to investors and occupiers. Most comparable in size, ownership model, and full-service local positioning to Gershman within the St. Louis metro.
• CRESA St Louis: Tenant-representation-focused commercial real estate firm with a St. Louis office. Tim Elli (Gershman Principal leading Project Management) previously led a project management team at CRESA St Louis, evidencing direct overlap in occupier services and project management mandates.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/gershmancre
• Facebookfacebook.com/GershmanCRE
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/344543
• Instagraminstagram.com/gershmancre

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles15 records

Subsidiaries1 record

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Gershman Commercial Real Estate