ORLANDO, Fla. – Dec. 8, 2020 – Birmingham, Ala.-based commercial real estate firm Harbert Realty Services (Harbert), one of the largest privately held, full-service commercial real estate firms in the Southeast, announced today that it has named Damien F. Madsen Senior Vice President and Managing Director of its Orlando, Fla. office.
Madsen is a prominent local commercial real estate broker and has extensive experience and knowledge in office leasing, investment, sales and general real estate services. He is returning to Harbert after nearly two decades away and brings a wide-ranging network of owners, tenants, and market participants with him to help drive Harbert’s growth and brand awareness in Central Florida. Harbert re-entered the Orlando market in 2017 and has had a Central Florida presence dating back to the 1960s, when the company’s construction business built sections of Interstate 4 connecting Orlando and Tampa. During Madsen’s first tenure with Harbert, which spanned 1990-1999, he was responsible for breaking ground on the first buildings at SouthPark Center. SouthPark Center is located off of I-4 between State Roads 482 and 528 and Madsen will now be responsible for leasing the property.
“I am very pleased to bring my career full circle in returning to Harbert,” Madsen said. “I am honored to again work with a company, culture and family that values the expertise that I bring and the local network that I have. Some of the best experiences in my career came during my first stint with the company and I am looking forward to returning with a fresh perspective and new ideas on how to advance and accelerate Harbert’s position within the Central Florida business community.”
“Damien is a long-time friend of the firm and former employee who started his real estate career in Orlando with Harbert nearly 30 years ago and was the first recipient of the John M. Harbert award, which recognizes key Harbert employees for their exemplary work ethic and respect for our organization’s core values,” said Harbert President and CEO David R. Williams. “I am eager to see the impact and contributions that Damien will make on our business and the new opportunities that he will introduce to our firm.”
Madsen also is launching a weekly commercial real estate-focused podcast, provocatively named Office Space is Dead and Relationships Don’t Matter, which will be available on multiple digital channels.
“Leveraging next-generation technology and marketing tools enable me to stay on top of industry trends and allows me to share my unique perspective with key decision makers, shaped by my nearly 30 years in the commercial real estate sector,” he said.
Prior to joining Harbert, Madsen served as Senior Vice President, Office Brokerage for Lincoln Property Company. Madsen started his career in 1990 with Harbert as Director of Leasing and moved through a series of progressively responsible commercial real estate roles during the 1990s.
Madsen holds a bachelor’s degree in finance from the University of Central Florida and is a licensed Florida Real Estate Broker. He is a member of the Commercial Real Estate Development Association, NAIOP, Board of Governors, a role he has held since 2006. NAIOP’s Central Florida chapter has named him “Office Broker of the Year” four times, in 1998, 1999, 2001 and 2010. He is a member of the Central Florida Planning Group and recently established the Master’s Council for top commercial real estate brokers in Central Florida, an exclusive organization of the top brokers in Orlando. He lives in Winter Park, Fla.
