Ackerman & Co is pushing into retail development by tapping a 25-year development vet. The firm has hired Leo Wiener, who jumped from North Carolina's Glenwood Development Co, as president of a new retail division, tasked not only to push leasing at Ackerman's 1M SF retail portfolio, but also to add 3M SF more in leasing and management over the next 18 months, as well as start a handful of new retail projects.

Ackerman is not an unknown in the retail world: Aside from having developed Tower Place, which includes retail (and arguably established the modern Buckhead submarket), it developed Perimeter Town Center mixed-use this past decade, and most recently broke ground on Stadium Walk, a retail-centric mixed-use project that'll also include 300-plus apartment units right near SunTrust Park. While other new retail developments were not disclosed, it's worth noting that Leo is the chair of the Gwinnett Place Community Improvement District, which is eyeing ways to redevelop the Gwinnett Place Mall area.