Testimonials
I've had the distinct pleasure of working with Deb Metzger for over 35 years. Debbie and I commenced our working relationship at the Richard E. Jacobs Group where I immediately recognized her deep knowledge of the lease document and her innate ability to identify the critical and important issues that drive an effective negotiation process. One of the critical components of understanding "the lease" is to assess the comments and their implications within multiple sections of the lease to ensure proper protection for the party she represents. No one is better than Debbie at this highly critical function.
Following my tenure at Richard E. Jacobs Group I became the head of retail leasing at Forest City Enterprises. While there, the head of legal counsel asked me if I could recommend an attorney to negotiate leases. He had never previously hired a non-attorney for the role but following my lead he took a chance with Debbie. One year later he asked me if I could find another Debbie, he couldn't believe how effective and efficient she was. It also didn't hurt that Debbie is a highly motivated "team player" that establishes wonderful rapport with the attorneys sitting on the other side of the negotiation table. While at Forest City and Jacobs, Debbie enjoyed the opportunity to work with some of most sought after national brands in the country, in addition to a myriad of local and regional retailers spanning a multitude of categories including fashion, food and beverage, home furnishings, bookstores, accessories, electronics, and various services. Her experience spans large box formats and all forms of specialty retail.
Following the sale of Forest City I embarked upon several start-ups including as an investor in a franchise, Restore Hyper Wellness and Cryotherapy. My partners and I have opened 4 stores and I knew at the onset of this endeavor I hoped to secure Debbie's commitment to handle our lease negotiations. Fortunately, Debbie agreed and she successfully and effectively handled all 4 of our leases in a timely and cost-efficient manner.
In addition to Debbie's keen knowledge with the lease, I was blessed to work with her partner, Bill Rowe, who I also worked with for over 35 years. Bill has as much or more knowledge and expertise than anyone in the country with the highly critical and specific role as tenant coordinator and project management. Bill's attention to detail and understanding of architectural drawings, review processes, lease exhibits, and GC negotiation and cost estimation is highly valuable for any party seeking those services. Over the years, Bill and I successfully opened many new developments as well as new tenants in the existing portfolio. Debbie and Bill have worked together negotiating leases for 35 years in addition to collaborating on the Restore Hyper Wellness locations. Bill worked with the landlord and Restore corporate representatives, selected architects, secured and evaluated bids, and managed the construction for on time openings.
Together Debbie and Bill bring important value and creative skills that compliment any individual, company, or organization requiring their expertise.
— Joe B.
I want to start by thanking Debbie for helping me get into my current space! The process to go from my last space to this one did not come without challenges but the best thing that came out of it was that I was introduced to Debbie.
My lease was coming to an end and I needed to look for new spaces for my beauty business. I was asking my broker if they knew anyone that could help me with the lease documents as my lawyer was not affordable and past leases had cost me $10,000 from beginning to end. I was referred to Debbie who was highly recommended for her thorough approach and affordability. She was amazing! Lease negotiations are usually pretty straight forward but one of the spaces I was trying to sign with had an LOI that was not what we had agreed on and Debbie caught that really quickly. Once we got the LOI squared away Debbie advised me of some issues within the lease. She pointed out the financial risks and had a wealth of knowledge on what is standard in the industry from both the landlord and tenant perspectives. She really cares about her clients. She explained things in the lease documents to me with simplicity and made it easy to digest. She was available any time I needed to discuss something and she didn’t charge me for every minute we were on the phone. I could tell she cared more about the information she was sharing versus the amount of time she could be charging me. Debbie saved me from possibly making the biggest mistake by not signing that lease.
I also used Debbie later on to help me recover my security deposit from my previous landlord. She assisted me in writing a letter to send to the CEO of the company requesting my deposit after 4 months had gone by and they had not refunded me. I was so happy when I got that deposit check! Debbie was the first person I called to tell. I would absolutely use Debbie again for any of my lease negotiations or renegotiations. She is very knowledgeable, friendly, funny, and attentive. I highly recommend Debbie for her expertise in the field and her trustworthiness. She is definitely someone you want on your side in lease negotiations.
— Karina V.
