Michael Colacino
By Joshua Burd
JLL has welcomed veteran commercial real estate executive Michael Colacino as its president for tristate brokerage.
Colacino, the former longtime president of what was Savills Studley, will be based in Manhattan but will lead JLL’s corporate brokerage and consulting services in the greater metropolitan area. He will report to Peter Riguardi, chairman and president for the firm’s New York region, and work in partnership with Stephen Schlegel, chief operating officer for New York tristate.
“Michael is a highly regarded market expert who will play an essential role as we continue to focus JLL brokerage services to provide clients with sophisticated real estate solutions in an evolving market,” Riguardi said. “His deep experience and relationship-driven leadership will enhance our ability to work quickly and efficiently to achieve our clients’ goals.”
Colacino joined JLL from SquareFoot, a tech-driven real estate company where he served as CEO, according to a news release. He has more than 30 years of industry experience, starting at Studley in 1991 and going on to lead a management buyout of the firm from founder Julien Studley before it was acquired by London-based Savills in 2014.
As president of Savills Studley, Colacino managed one of the largest tenant representation practices in the U.S., the news release said. He also founded proptech investment company Haiku Partners in 2019 before joining SquareFoot as president.
“Michael’s deep understanding of owner and occupier priorities, complemented by his expertise in technology, further positions JLL as the leading provider of commercial real estate consulting services in the city,” Schlegel said. “He will be a tremendous resource to both our internal team and our clients.”
As a broker, Colacino was responsible for securing multiple landmark deals, including Time Warner’s move to the Time Warner Center and later to Hudson Yards, while directing the strategic growth of the Savills U.S. operations, the news release said. He served as an adviser to leading corporations such as NBC, Microsoft and Credit Agricole, as well as major law firms.
Colacino graduated cum laude from Harvard College and holds a master’s in real estate from New York University. He also studied operations research and statistics at NYU’s Stern School of Business.
“JLL has always been highly regarded for its real estate consulting services,” Colacino said. “It is a privilege to join JLL. Our goal is to enhance JLL’s position as a trusted advisor focused on helping clients make the best decisions about their strategic real estate goals.”
