2023 Distinguished Alumni Award

When the commercial real estate community thinks about the most-trusted and proven leasing advisors across the Southeast, Sam Holmes and his partner of 35 years, John Shlesinger, are the names that immediately come to mind. Together they have completed over 2,300 lease transactions and structured and negotiated virtually every conceivable real estate requirement from 1,000 to 800,000 square feet, working new angles to solve the challenges of office space users with leases, purchases, build-to-suits and government incentive packages.

Mr. Holmes and Mr. Shlesinger have successfully negotiated over 90 million square feet of leases and sales and 8,600 acres valued at more than $19 billion. Providing strategic solutions and portfolio optimization initiatives to a diverse range of clients from Fortune 500 corporations to technology startups, the duo has made a name for themselves by structuring the most creative deals in the industry. No matter the size of the deal, they approach all assignments with the same intensity and attention to detail. With a track record of going the extra mile to understand a client's business model, clients have referred to them as “value-add team members” and "accessible and responsive above and beyond the call of duty." Their consultative approach and depth of services maximizes value for their clients and sets them apart as world-class.

Prior to the CBRE acquisition, Mr. Holmes was a vice chairman at Insignia, where he opened the Atlanta office, was the company’s top revenue producer in aggregate production over his four-year tenure, and led its integration into CBRE in 2003. He began his career at Cushman & Wakefield in 1987, where he was the firm’s youngest senior executive.

Mr. Holmes is a native of Monticello, Georgia, and attended boarding high school at Baylor School. He is a graduate of the University of Georgia with a BBA in finance and serves as Chairman Emeritus of the UGA Foundation and the UGA Real Estate Foundation. He is on the Board of Regents of the University System of Georgia, which oversees the 26 higher education institutions in the state. He is a commissioner of the Georgians First Commission, a task force created by Gov. Kemp to make Georgia the most attractive state for small business. He is a trustee on the Georgia Research Alliance, a nonprofit public-private partnership focused on launching new companies in Georgia and expanding university research capacity. He is active with Sigma Alpha Epsilon Fraternity and Leadership Georgia, coaches youth basketball and teaches Sunday school, and enjoys golf at Peachtree Golf Club. He is married and has three children.