HFF Snags Hentschel & Co. in NYC

By Keith Loria, Contributing Editor

Mark Gibson, HFF’s CEO & executive managing director

New York—HFF Inc. has acquired Hentschel & Co. LLC, a New York-based boutique investment banking advisory firm, led by founder Steve Hentschel.

The deal establishes the second U.S. location for HFFS.

“The acquisition of Hentschel & Company will allow HFF to expand its M&A and corporate advisory services which have been increasingly requested by our clients,” Mark Gibson, HFF’s CEO & executive managing director, said in a prepared release. “The Hentschel & Co. team comprises best in class professionals with significant experience in all facets of the investment banking business which will allow HFF to continue to provide exceptional service and advice to our clients across both the public and private domains of the commercial real estate industry.”

Hentschel will now assume the role as leader of HFF’s M&A and corporate advisory services provided by HFF’s registered broker-dealer subsidiary, HFF Securities LP.

“We have been approached over the years by many firms about a strategic combination but we were only interested in becoming partners with a team that shared our values and brought compelling strategic value to our clients,” Hentschel said. “We are truly excited to be joining HFF and see significant growth opportunities for our business.”

A 27-year industry vet, Hentschel has completed more than $78 billion of transactions throughout his career. Prior to starting Hentschel & Co. in 2013, he founded the real estate investment banking group at Gleacher & Co. and built it into a practice that was the No. 1 ranked REIT M&A advisor by transaction value in Bloomberg’s U.S. league tables for 2012.

He was also managing director at Lehman Brothers and was subsequently the head of the New York Real Estate Investment Banking office of Wachovia Securities.

Hentschel & Co.’s senior banking team also includes Ted Flagg, Christopher Shea, Chris Allen and Sher Hafeez.

“The combined platform elevates our strategic advisory capabilities by adding real time property level perspective and dramatically enhancing our ability to raise capital,” Flagg said.