On the very first day of 2015, Atlanta lost one of its commercial real estate icons, one of many sad losses for the industry across the country last year.
Bob Kern: Introduced Flex Office to Atlanta
Bob Kern, who passed away on New Year’s Day at 81, introduced the idea of flex office space to the Atlanta commercial real estate market, meaning single-story buildings could house either an industrial or office tenant, or both. It was a concept that was taking off in California but before the '70s, no one in Atlanta had ever seen it, says Bob's son, Grove Street Partners' Kevin Kern. In the mid-'70s, Bob developed the 350k SF single-story Interstate Northwest Business Park in Cobb County— the first flex park in Atlanta. Bob had his hands on a number of notable developments sprawled across the metro landscape, from Galleria 75 to the Capital City Plaza redevelopment in Buckhead. Most recently, his company is spearheading an effort to develop a mid-rise ultra luxe MOB called Cornerstone Medical Office Center. A former Air Force fighter pilot, Bob began his commercial real estate career in 1970 with Cousins Properties, and then jumped on his own with Kern & Co.
