Alumni Focus: Thomas P. Bond Jr.

August 31, 2012

After working in banking and sales, Thomas P. Bond Jr. decided he wanted to try something a little different- real estate. It was when he began selling commercial real estate that he knew he had finally found his passion. Working as a broker for Southeast Property Advisors Commercial Real Estate LLC, Bond along with his partner, Chauncey Battey, have been shaping the commercial real estate market in Metropolitan Atlanta for years. The two brokers have a combined experience spanning over 50 years in the commercial real estate business, and work in almost all facets of commercial real estate.

Originally from Savannah, Ga., Bond attended Georgia Southern College on a basketball scholarship. An all-around athlete, he was signed and recruited by legendary coach J.B. Scearce out of Savannah High School, and played all four years of his college career. Bond graduated from Georgia Southern with a Bachelor’s Degree in Business Management in 1971, but he just wasn’t quite ready to leave Statesboro. “I loved Statesboro so much, I decided to stay here and get my master’s in business administration,” said Bond. One of the school’s early MBA students, Bond received his degree in 1973.

After he received his MBA, he did not know what direction he wanted to take his career. “I really didn’t know what I wanted to do,” said Bond. “I started interviewing and decided to go into the banking business.” Bond worked in banking for what was then known as the Citizens in Southern National Bank, now Bank of America. He stayed with them for two years until he was hired by Lanier Business Products. Bond worked for Lanier in Atlanta for two years selling dictation equipment and then was promoted to sales manager in Raleigh, N.C. “After about a year in Raleigh, I decided I wanted to make my home in Atlanta and move on to another profession,” said Bond. “I had some friends who were doing very well in the commercial real estate business and I decided I wanted to try it.”

It was in 1981, that Bond began his real estate career with Cushman and Wakefield , one of the country’s largest commercial real estate firms. They had just opened an office in Atlanta, Ga., and Bond began working as a broker, selling commercial properties. Finally, Bond had found his true passion- real estate.

Later Bond left Cushman and Wakefield and went on to become an owner of Cartel Realty, Inc.,a commercial real estate firm with George W. Rohrig. Cartel Realty was the predecessor to Bond’s current company, Southeast Properties Advisors, that he formed with Rohrig and Chauncey Battey. “It really works in two ways,” said Bond. “We manage our own properties as well as do third party brokerage.”

In addition to his activities with Southeast Properties, Bond also invests in commercial real estate through various partnerships. Some of his past purchases include the “Roxy Theatre” block in Buckhead, 3005 Peachtree Street in Atlanta, and the Crabapple Square Shopping Center in Roswell, Ga.

Besides his busy work schedule, Bond has also remained active with his Alma Mater. He is currently the chairman of the Georgia Southern Foundation Board, the main governing board and money raising foundation of the university. In addition, Bond has also served as board member of the Georgia Southern Alumni Association and the Athletic Foundation Board. “I am a very proud Georgia Southern graduate,” said Bond. “I certainly have stayed active over the years, and I’m just tickled to death with the growth of the school. We have had very strong leadership and I am convinced that Georgia Southern will continue on our path to become one of the leading universities in the country.”

When Bond attended Georgia Southern College, there were only 2,500 students. Forty years later, and now the university has reached over 20,000! For Bond, he has maintained many friendships he made while he attended Georgia Southern. “Some of my best friends in life now, graduated from here,” said Bond. “I have stayed very close to them, and several of them have become business associates.

Bond attributes a lot of his business success to the business relationships he made while he was at Georgia Southern. “It is so important to get involved with something that you are passionate about,” said Bond. “I had desk type jobs, I worked for the bank, I sold office equipment, but I always had a true passion for real estate. I have always loved it.”

Bond has been married for over twenty-six years to his wife Kayc. They have two children, McKinsey (24), who works for Deloitte Touche in Washington, D.C. and Billy (22), who works for AutoData in Atlanta. Bond hopes to retire in the next few years, but he plans to continue to manage the commercial properties he owns.