Hartford Business Journal

27 HARTFORDBUSINESS.COM | JULY 26, 2021 "The livable size of the market, the quality of life, the cost competitiveness when compared to Boston and New York, and the overall diversity of the local economy all make a good case for existing and startup businesses to locate in the area," he said. York has been in commercial real estate for a quarter-century, formerly serving as a broker for CBRE before hanging his own shingle. He oversees Goman+York's brokerage division, and his biggest deal over the past year was representing WellSpark in its new 28,000-square-foot lease at 195 Scott Swamp Road in Farmington. His biggest career deal involved being on a team that handled MassMutual's purchase of a 475,000-square-foot headquarters offi ce building in Enfi eld for $27.5 million. York — who holds a Society of Industrial and Offi ce Realtors designation and is active in the Real Estate Finance Association, Greater Hartford Association of Realtors and a current member of the CT Commercial RE Alliance — has been on the frontlines of advising businesses throughout the pandemic. He says COVID-19 has been the biggest event to impact commercial real estate during his career. "For many businesses in the offi ce sector, space adjustment is the major issue — they are questioning their needs and space strategies, how to accommodate the hybrid offi ce, who's coming back and at what rate, how to balance work-at- home strategies with the need to support a collaborative corporate culture, recruit and train new employees, and how to develop a pandemic response plan for the future," he recently told Hartford Business Journal. "Our sense is that hybrid models will become a permanent characteristic of many offi ce occupiers and we'll likely see an overall reduction in offi ce demand the next few years of about 15%, which is over 5 million square feet in the Greater Hartford market." Tired of your bank fl flip fl flopping on you? Wouldn't it be nice to relax this summer knowing your bank will be waiting for you when you get home? Unfortunately, several local banks will once again soon be merging, changing names or leaving town altogether — if one of these is your bank, isn't it time you made the decision to walk away? At Dime Bank, we are welcoming customers who have had enough — and we've been doing it for over 150 summers. It's your bank. Your choice. Your Dime. Colchester | East Lyme | Glastonbury | Ledyard | Manchester | Montville | New London Norwich: Broadway, Corporate, Norwichtown | Stonington Borough | Taftville | Westerly, RI dime-bank.com | Mike Goman Tom York Power 25 Real Estate FOCUS Mike Goman & Tom York M ike Goman and Tom York are two stalwarts in Greater Hartford's commercial real estate industry, having teamed up in 2011 to start their own fi rm, Goman+York Property Advisors LLC. Goman oversees the fi rm's governmental and institutional advisory practice and does work in Connecticut and around the country. Locally, one of the biggest deals he's been involved in over the past year was working with Goodwin University to develop a new commercial mixed-use building on South Main Street in East Hartford, a deal that represents the future of new development in the area. He's also been involved with many industry associations, including playing a leading role in helping organize the annual UConn/Greater Hartford Association of Realtors CT Commercial Real Estate conference. Goman says his "long-term view is that the Hartford regional market is very competitive and offers some attractive opportunities," despite challenges facing the offi ce market in the wake of the pandemic. Clayton Fowler D eveloper Clayton Fowler has a broad portfolio that spans southwestern Connecticut, Westchester County, St. Louis and Portland, Oregon. More recently, Fowler, founding partner and CEO of Norwalk-based Spinnaker Real Estate Partners, has taken an interest in Hartford, and is now seen as a crucial player in the city's economic development prospects. Spinnaker, which says it has developed or redeveloped more than 3.5 million square feet of commercial space over the past 20 years, with a total project value exceeding $1.5 billion, has two major mixed- use developments underway in the Capital City. The fi rst, a $26 million project at 97 Main St. near Hartford Hospital's fl agship campus, broke ground on its second phase recently. When complete, "Park & Main" will feature more than 100 apartments and 20,000 square feet of commercial space. Closer to downtown, Spinnaker last year acquired for $6.8 million 55 Elm St., a former state offi ce building where the company plans a $63

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