Jeffrey Berkes Joins Paragon Commercial as CIO

Paragon Commercial Group, a leading retail investment and development firm, has appointed Jeffrey S. Berkes as CIO. Berkes brings more than 30 years of retail industry experience, including 24 years of transformative leadership at Federal Realty Investment Trust, where he served as President & COO and was instrumental in the company’s emergence as one of the nation’s largest and top-performing retail REITs.

“Jeff’s arrival at Paragon represents a pivotal moment for our firm,” said Mark Harrigian, co-founder and principal of Paragon Commercial Group. “His unparalleled expertise in transforming retail portfolios, his proven ability to identify and execute high-value investment opportunities, and his track record of building high-performing teams make him the ideal leader to guide our investment strategy as we enter our next phase of growth.”

During his tenure at Federal Realty, Berkes drove exponential financial and portfolio growth. As president & COO from 2021 to 2024, he provided executive oversight across all facets of the business while transforming the company’s investment strategy, leading the growth of its portfolio from 13 million square feet of shopping centers to 102 high-quality open-air and mixed-use properties totaling 27 million square feet, including roughly 3,100 residential units.

Before becoming president & COO, Berkes served as Federal’s Western Region President (2011-2021) and before that as CIO (2003-2011).

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About Paul Bubny

Paul Bubny serves as Senior Content Director for Connect Commercial Real Estate, a role to which he brings 16-plus years’ experience covering the commercial real estate industry and 30-plus years in business-to-business journalism. In this capacity, he oversees daily operations while also reporting on both local/regional markets and national trends, covering individual transactions across all property types, as well as delving into broader subject matter. He produces 7-10 daily news stories per day and works with the Connect team and clients to develop longer-form content, ranging from Q&As to thought-leadership pieces. Prior to joining Connect, Paul was Managing Editor for both Real Estate Forum and GlobeSt.com at American Lawyer Media, where he oversaw operations at both publications while also producing daily news and feature-length articles. His tenure in B2B publishing stretches back into the print era, and he has served as Editor in Chief on four national trade publications. Since 1999, Paul has volunteered as the newsletter editor of passenger rail advocacy groups (one national, one local).

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