Pittsburgh-based commercial real estate firm NAI Burns Scalo has officially acquired Fort Myers-based Commercial Property Southwest Florida. This merger marks a significant expansion for the firm, further establishing its footprint along Florida’s Gulf Coast. The move aims to diversify the company’s portfolio while leveraging local expertise in one of the nation’s fastest-growing regions.### Key takeaways
- The acquisition of Gary Tasman’s Commercial Property Southwest Florida integrates a veteran local presence into the existing NAI Burns Scalo platform.
- The company is expanding its regional capabilities to include construction, property management, and investment services.
- This move aligns with a broader strategic shift designed to reduce over-concentration in western Pennsylvania office assets in favor of diversified national investments.
- NAI Burns Scalo aims to deploy approximately $250 million annually across its operating markets, with Florida serving as a primary focus for long-term growth.### A strategic shift in market focus
For decades, NAI Burns Scalo operated predominantly within western Pennsylvania, with roughly 90% of its portfolio tied to office assets. Following an extensive multi-year review of growth markets across North America, leadership concluded that a strategic move into Florida was essential for future-proofing the business. The firm is now actively pivoting its focus toward industrial, multifamily, and mixed-use projects, aiming to reduce its total office asset concentration to 40%.### Local expertise meets global platform
The acquisition of Commercial Property Southwest Florida provides NAI Burns Scalo with critical regional ties. By partnering with industry veteran Gary Tasman, the company ensures that its expansion is driven by local knowledge and deep-rooted relationships with government and civic leaders. President Brian Walker emphasized that the company’s goal is to function as a truly local firm, rejecting the model of a distant entity attempting to force its way into a new territory. This follows the firm’s successful entry into Tampa in mid-2025, which saw the office grow to roughly 12 employees as part of a larger, rapid corporate scaling.### Future growth outlook
With its new hub in Fort Myers, NAI Burns Scalo is positioning itself to capture momentum along the I-75 corridor, a region the firm views through the same lens as the high-growth I-4 development path. As the company continues to evaluate multifamily, industrial, and mixed-use opportunities, leadership maintains a disciplined approach to capital deployment. Despite a national slowdown in the office sector, the firm remains bullish on Florida, where they report some of the lowest vacancy rates and historically strong rent growth.
Sources
- Pittsburgh developer makes big bet on Tampa-Fort Myers corridor, Tampa Bay Business & Wealth.