Nearly a decade ago, Greg Giacopuzzi took a leap of faith in NewMark Merrill. Living a sun-filled life on the beach in San Diego, he accepted the company’s offer to relocate to the sprawling metropolis of Los Angeles, leaving behind a good job, great friends and the city he had called home since college. Although growing pains were part of the transition, his decision to push beyond his comfort zone proved to be a good one. He’s learned tremendously from conquering his fears and now takes every opportunity to challenge himself and others in his daily work.
As part of the team, he quickly progressed with NewMark Merrill, starting as Leasing Associate and advancing to where he is today—Vice President, Leasing & Development. Orchestrating the leasing strategy and implementation for more than 30 Shopping Centers in Southern California, he heads the lease process from the initial letter of intent negotiations all the way through to the tenant grand opening. He also oversees marketing of the NewMark Merrill Southern California portfolio and interfaces with brokers and tenant real estate executives to lease space to regional and national companies. Greg has successfully closed over 700 career lease transactions, including lease negotiations with more than 100 national companies such as Sprouts, ALDI, Grocery Outlet, ULTA, Starbucks, Five Below, and many more. He’s emerged as an industry leader and is an active member of ICSC and ACRE, frequently organizing social gatherings for colleagues and industry counterparts.
Prior to joining the NewMark Merrill team, Greg was a client services director for Superior Mobile Medics in San Diego, and managed the front desk at The Village at Mammoth hotel in Mammoth Lakes. He spends his weekends traveling, watching old movies with his wife, Rory, and going on excursions with his playful dog, Whisky. Greg is very active and loves to partake in almost any outdoor activity, including snowboarding, surfing and golfing. He’s also been known to occasionally strum some of his favorite Blink 182 and Metallica songs on his guitar.
When asked what drives him every day — he admitted, “Hands down it’s the amazing team I work with. When you surround yourself with such incredibly smart, committed and hard working people, you can’t help but to be motivated to contribute and do your part. The sky is literally the limit.”