Meet Joe C. Hembree: 2020 CREA President

The year 2020 has long been synonymous with clear vision, new insight, and focus. As the RASM Commercial Real Estate Alliance (formerly known as the Commercial Investment Division) takes on the challenges and opportunities of the new year, it does so with a renewed vision and a new president at the helm, Joe C. Hembree, CCIM, Commercial Realtor® and Broker at Hembree & Associates.

Joe C. Hembree is a licensed Commercial Real Estate Associate, Realtor® and Certified Commercial Investment Member (CCIM). He specializes in sales and leasing of all types of commercial properties in the greater Sarasota – Manatee area. His sales and leasing transactions are in excess of $80 million over the past 5 years. Joe was born and raised in Sarasota.

He attended the United States Naval Academy in Annapolis, Maryland where he received a B.S. in Economics and lettered 3 years in Varsity Soccer. Joe served on active duty in the United States Navy for five years and is currently a Lieutenant Commander in the United States Naval Reserves.

With all the recent and exciting changes CREA is undergoing, RASM wanted to take a moment to get to know the CREA president and delve into the organization’s plans for the new year.

WILL THE FORMATION OF CREA CHANGE THE ROLE OF THE ORGANIZATION?

Joe: I don’t believe the name change will change the role of the organization, but rather the name reflects more accurately what the CID was already doing. We weren’t just about investments; we’ve been focused on all aspects of commercial real estate and we’ve been composed of more than just Realtors®. The affiliates and partners playa very important role in our organization. Moving to the name CREA is a better description of the purpose and functionality of our organization.

WHAT ARE YOUR GOALS AS THE 2020 CREA PRESIDENT?

Joe: The CREA board is focused on positioning CREA as the main Commercial Real Estate professional center in Sarasota and Manatee counties. We want to provide value, add content for our membership, and host events that bring together buyers, sellers, brokers, and businesses. We want to support professionals to create a better market and support a more prosperous community.

WHAT DO YOU SEE AS THE ROLE OF RASM WITH CREA IN THE COMING YEAR?

Joe: I believe CREA and RASM have a healthy symbiotic relationship. The core group within CREA brings strength to the table, and a strong connection into the business community, as well as the political arena. We have our finger on the pulse of the commercial market, which truly effects the prosperity and economic health of the entire community. We help to highlight the areas of need, we bring dollars, and we are on the front line of the business community every day.

In turn, CREA garners great strength in numbers from RASM. We get the benefit of RASM membership versus being an affiliate group as in some other local organizations around the state. This allows us to exert a greater impact in the community around us and create a healthier commercial marketplace. We appreciate the partnership we have with RASM and believe that both groups are truly more successful together.

THOUGHTS ON THE CURRENT SARASOTA- MANATEE COMMERCIAL MARKET?

Joe: It’s a booming market right now. Florida is a boom-bust cycle, so we must be constantly mindful and observant. Right now, there is a lot activity and a lot of transactions. There is a great deal of investment money floating around. We are benefiting significantly from what’s going on in other parts of the country as well. Northern companies are looking for a good place to plant roots. Several states such as New York, Illinois, New Jersey, Connecticut – just to name a few – have implemented unfavorable tax laws that are harming business and prohibiting growth. As a result, these companies are looking to reinvest their capital in the Sarasota and Manatee area, closer to where they eventually plan to relocate and retire.

IN ADDITION TO YOUR COMMERCIAL CAREER, YOU ALSO HAVE A VERY IMPRESSIVE MILITARY CAREER. HOW DO YOU FIND BALANCE?

Joe: My military career is a big part of my personal development. I was deployed in 2016 for 14 months as a Future Operations Planner CJTF in the Horn of Africa. I am an active reservist Lieutenant Commander and I have been selected for Commander. It has a significant role to play in what I do and who I am on a regular basis, and it’s a large commitment. It has always been a major component of my life.

AS A NATIVE OF SARASOTA, WHAT DREW YOU BACK AFTER YOUR INITIAL MILITARY SERVICE?

Joe: My family has deep history in Sarasota, my grandmother was a graduate of Sarasota High School. We have deep roots here and I had a lot of family to come back to in the area.

I did a lot of traveling in the Navy and visited over 30 countries. I was able to experience some very beautiful parts of the world, and some not so beautiful,

but I always felt like nowhere I visited was better than Sarasota. I always wanted to come back home, but the question was: “is there a viable career here for me to come back to and have a good prospect of raising a family?”

WHEN DID YOU KNOW YOU WANTED TO JOIN THE FAMILY BUSINESS? WHAT ATTRACTED YOU TO COMMERCIAL REAL ESTATE?

Joe: Following my active duty time as a Surface Warfare Officer in the Navy, I began exploring my options and did some self-analysis of my own strengths and weaknesses. I looked hard at a number of fields and felt that Commercial Real Estate was a good fit. I also recognized that I had a unique opportunity to have my father as a professional mentor. It was very appealing to have someone with such a deep understanding of Commercial Real Estate that I knew would have my best interests and development in mind whenever giving advice.

WHAT DO YOU ENJOY THE BEST ABOUT WORKING IN YOUR FIELD?

Joe: I enjoy getting to work with incredible people. As a Commercial Realtor®, we get the opportunity to work with highly successful entrepreneurs from a wide variety of fields as well as investors that have normally been very successful in business and life in general. We also have a very cordial and friendly group of associates and co-brokers that are professional and helpful. It makes for a great working environment. I also appreciate the unpredictable nature of our work.

WHAT OTHER LOCAL ORGANIZATIONS ARE YOU INVOLVED WITH?

Joe: I am very active in my church, First Baptist Church in downtown Sarasota. I am a Vice Chair of the Deacons and involved in several committees. I am also on the board of the Sarasota County Economic Development Corporation (EDC), and on the board of the Greater Sarasota Chamber of Commerce.

In years past, I’ve been very active in the Government Issues Council of the Chamber. I’ve taken on various roles with the Bradenton Area EDC, the Gulf Coast Builders Exchange, and the Lakewood Ranch Business Alliance. I try to plug in as much as possible to the organizations that support the local businesses that we support in Commercial Real Estate. And in Sarasota and Manatee counties we need to be friendly to not just the tourism and housing development industries, but we need to also seek out businesses that create jobs and aren’t depending on tourism or what the rest of the country is doing.

WHAT ARE YOU MOST PASSIONATE ABOUT?

Joe: I am the most passionate about my personal relationship with God, followed by family, followed by our community.

I have a large extended local family and we are very family centric. My wife Melissa and I are high school sweethearts and we have four children: Joe William, age 9; Annabelle Evelyn, 7; James Abraham, 5; and Jacob Benjamin, age 2. In addition to being a great mom and wife, Melissa is very active in the community and is a member of the Junior League of Sarasota.

I also have two brothers and two sisters along with their families who live locally. I work with my father, Joe Hembree Sr., and my brother Kyle Hembree who leads the property management side of the business. My father is a constant resource for us as my brother and I have expanded and taken over the family business. Our Associates are also a part of the family. I work with some of the best commercial real estate professionals in the business, and they compel our company to success.

I am also very passionate about the success of our community, specifically finding ways to create a positive impact and to create a more prosperous and healthy environment. I want to help create a community where my children will have every opportunity for economic prosperity, happiness, and a great quality of life. I want a community where my children will grow up and want to stay here to raise their families one day.

We need to support businesses that provide employment opportunities. Not everyone fits into the same box. We have many young people entering the workforce who want to go into more diversified fields. Can our community provide enough opportunities, and decent wages so that they can afford to stay in the community? That is a question that needs our attention.

Our area spends a great deal of money creating above average K-12 schools and we have fantastic in-state colleges. However, we also need to make sure that we have diverse businesses, industries and opportunities for those who grew up here, to stay here.

WHAT ADVICE WOULD YOU GIVE TO SOMEONE JUST STARTING IN COMMERCIAL REAL ESTATE?

1 | Have resilience. More deals will fall through than close and many times the factors that control the outcome are out of the Commercial Realtors®’ control

2 | Listen to the customer. We earn more money and improve our profession when we begin by focusing on the goals of the business or investor and then use our knowledge to match those goals to real property.

3 | Be a lifelong student of the market! The market is constantly changing. In order to provide quality service to our customers, agents must be constantly studying and analyzing. Not just sales and leases, but all the other market forces which are acting to move prices.

WHAT DOES COMMERCIAL REAL ESTATE LOOK LIKE IN THE FUTURE?

Joe: I believe that it will still be centered around the people and businesses that use the real property. Commercial Real Estate professionals will likely be using different tools and technologies that we have not yet conceived of. However, the need for a fiduciary – a skilled professional dedicated to understanding the market – that helps businesses and investors with the important task of matching their needs with real property, should always remain strong. •