Lee & Associates Expands to New Orleans

October 6, 2025 |By Kelly Hite

NEW ORLEANS – Lee & Associates, the largest broker-owned commercial real estate firm in North America with 80+ offices and over 1,650 professionals, has announced the opening of a new office in New Orleans located at 601 Poydras Street, Suite 1870. The office will focus on commercial real estate transactions and projects across Office, Industrial,

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Lee & Associates CEO Jeffrey Rinkov said the firm’s expansion into New Orleans builds on its strong momentum across the Gulf South. “We continue to be bullish on the southeast market and the talent we have been able to attract in strategic metros,” he said.

As the firm deepens its Louisiana footprint, Evan Scroggs, SIOR, CCIM, president and managing principal of the Baton Rouge office, will serve in the same role for the New Orleans office and provide leadership to the new team.

“What Evan and the partnership group have been able to accomplish in such a short time period in both the Baton Rouge and Lafayette markets is a testament to their relationships, hard work, and their ability to leverage the Lee & Associates brand,” said Rinkov.

He added that local leadership has been key to the company’s success. “Our leadership from Baton Rouge and Lafayette in Evan and his partners has been outstanding,” Rinkov said. “We look forward to achieving the same type of success and market penetration in New Orleans that has been realized in Baton Rouge and Lafayette.”

Downtown Market Gains Strength

The company’s entry comes amid renewed confidence in the city’s commercial core. According to the Downtown Development District’s Q2 2025 Market Report, nearly $3 billion in planned projects are underway across the Central Business District and surrounding neighborhoods, positioning Downtown as both the state’s largest employment center and a growing hub for private investment. The district now represents nearly $1 billion in assessed property value and 16.7 million square feet of office space.

Lee & Associates Expands to New Orleans - Getty image.

Among the high-profile downtown transactions is Gayle Benson’s recent acquisition of 1515 Poydras Street, a 27-story Class A tower adjacent to both the Sports and Entertainment District and the BioDistrict. Corporate Realty, which will manage the 529,000-square-foot property, called the purchase “an important step in connecting the business community to the Medical District and the Sports and Entertainment District of New Orleans.”

In addition, Delta Utilities expanded its headquarters at Place St. Charles marking the largest Class A office lease in five years and signaling long-term corporate confidence downtown.

Expanding the Gulf South Footprint

Rinkov said the expansion of Lee & Associates to New Orleans is part of a deliberate strategy to strengthen the firm’s presence across Louisiana. “Building a market leading, robust, multi-disciplined presence in New Orleans allows us to better serve clients across the I-10 Corridor through Louisiana,” he said. “This expansion represents our ability to identify entrepreneurial brokers and leaders in strategic markets and equip them with the resources to elevate their practice.”

Scroggs said plans for a New Orleans office have been in the works for more than a year. “We have been working through plans to establish a satellite office in New Orleans for the last 12 months,” he said. “The addition of Lance Ginn, CCIM to the partnership group earlier this year provided us with a presence in the New Orleans market. Lance has done an incredible job of building the brand in the market and spending time recruiting talented brokers to the team.”

The New Orleans office represents a natural extension of Lee & Associates’ Gulf South expansion strategy. The firm first entered the region with the opening of its Baton Rouge office in Jan. 2023, followed by the addition of Lafayette in May 2023 as part of the Louisiana venture.

In New Orleans, brokers Lance Ginn, CCIM, and Matt Pittman, CCIM, are leading the firm’s local brokerage operations, supported by a network of principals across the region. The team’s collaborative structure mirrors Lee & Associates’ broader model, which blends local ownership with access to national resources. The New Orleans office will operate under that same approach—drawing on the firm’s national platform while tailoring its services to the specific needs of the local market.

“Adding Matt Pittman, CCIM as a principal in the company is a significant win for us as we take the next step in building out our brokerage team in New Orleans,” he said. “Matt has a wealth of experience, transactional knowledge, and relational capital in the region but most importantly, he fits our culture. He’s entrepreneurial, he thinks like an owner, has integrity, is always looking to serve, and pushes himself to grow personally and professionally every day. He is a welcomed addition to our team and will play a critical role as we continue to grow throughout the Gulf South.”

Together, the three offices—Baton Rouge, Lafayette and New Orleans—include 14 brokers supported by a team of five full-time professionals.

About Lee & Associates

Lee & Associates offers an array of real estate services tailored to meet the needs of the company’s clients, including commercial real estate brokerage, integrated services, and construction services.

Established in 1979, Lee & Associates is now an international firm with more than 80 offices throughout North America. Its 1,750 professionals regularly collaborate to ensure clients receive the most advanced, up-to-date market technology and information. For the latest news from Lee & Associates, visit https://lee-associates.com.