About Us
F. Denver McGarey - President & Chief Executive Officer
Chris Jennings McGarey - Chief Operating Officer
Whitney L. Painter - Director - Leasing & Marketing
Oliver G. McGarey - Assistant Vice President
The McGarey Group is a nationally-recognized leader in the comprehensive planning, development and leasing of preeminent urban retail projects throughout the United States and the world. The firm brings together the talents and unmatched experience of an influential network of professionals, responsible for a variety of landmark developments that have served as catalysts for economic and social revitalization across numerous and diverse communities.
Among the hallmarks of The McGarey Group are its integrity and work ethic, which drives its reputation for success - a success measured by the ability to consistently deliver concept, execution and results. The company's principals and senior associates have an exemplary track record of forming and maintaining powerful strategic alliances related to all aspects of retail development.
F. Denver McGarey has been involved in the development, planning, merchandising and leasing of major retail projects throughout the United States and Japan for over twenty-five years. Prior to forming The McGarey Group in 2000, Denver had been directly responsible for the development of over twenty retail projects in Metropolitan Phoenix, Arizona, as an associate with Dunlap & Magee, and later as a partner with its affiliate companies, Arizona Building and Development and Charles Dunlap & Company. The company was vertically integrated, featuring in-house leasing, construction, finance, project accounting, legal, marketing and public relations. His primary responsibility was the identification and implementation of retail development opportunities, selection and management of planners and architects, and establishment of the leasing program, handling all significant retailer relationships of the company.
After ten years in Arizona, Denver relocated to Charlotte, North Carolina, and became Managing Director of National Leasing for Hill Partners, where he was bottom-line responsible for a large portfolio of institutionally-owned specialty, power center, regional mall and entertainment-based retail properties throughout the Northeastern, Southeastern and Midwestern United States. These projects were in excess of six million square feet, covering seven states. As Managing Director, Denver managed every aspect of a project's operation, including leasing, staffing, asset/property management, marketing, financial modeling and budgeting, capital improvement programs, and disposition strategies and execution. Sample projects include Jackson Brewery in New Orleans, Louisiana, Biltmore Fashion Park in Phoenix, Arizona (strategic planning), and Worthington Mall in Columbus, Ohio.
In 1996, Denver was recruited by Herbert S. Miller of Western Development Corporation and W. Lehr Jackson of Williams Jackson Ewing to join their joint venture with the Soros Global Fund, known as American Malls International, in the development of major urban-oriented retail projects in Japan. In addition to frequent international travel to assist in multiple disciplines of client relations, planning, leasing and marketing of existing redevelopment projects and ground-up development. Denver was responsible for contact with major U.S. brands, retail, restaurant and entertainment companies, and manufacturing brands on behalf of the venture.
In 1998, Denver shifted his focus to the planning and development of Gallery Place, a $240M 650,000sf mixed-use development in Downtown Washington, D.C. a joint venture between Western Development and The John Akridge Companies. Working closely with Herb Miller and the Akridge development team, Denver was involved in all aspects of the planning, architectural development and economic modeling, and secured and negotiated all major leases to anchor the retail component of the project.
After forming The McGarey Group with his wife and partner, Chris Jennings McGarey, in 2000, Denver headed the company's work as the Exclusive Retail Consultant for The Town Center at Atlantic Station, a 1.7 million square foot, open-air, urban development as part of Atlantic Station in Midtown Atlanta, Georgia. Atlantic Station is a 138-acre mixed-use development featuring multiple hotel properties, Class-A office, 6,000 residential units and retail that, in concert, will eclipse 14 million square feet at build-out.
Recent projects of the company under Denver's direction include:
Throughout his career, Denver has established himself as a leader in the planning and execution of highly-complex retail projects and mixed-use campuses.
Click Here for Denver’s Extended Bio.
 November 2005 |
The Heart, Soul and Future of our Company |
 July 2007 |
Chris Jennings McGarey, Chief Operating Officer
Chris Jennings McGarey serves as the Chief Operating Officer of The McGarey Group, running all aspects of the company's business including contract negotiations, setting policies and procedures, information technology, human resources, economic and demographic modeling, research and corporate and project marketing. Having worked with Denver since 1994, Chris is highly-trained in each aspect of the planning, leasing, and marketing disciplines of the development process. With an extensive background in project programming and reporting, Chris reviews and acts on editorial privilege over all merchandising and lease plans as they are developed for each project, and takes a particular interest and drive when it comes to the branding of developments and the overall marketing position related to demographic and competitive influences at play.
Prior to co-founding the company with Denver in 2000, Chris attended Auburn University on a full athletic scholarship, having been a multiple year and event state track champion in Alabama, where she graduated with a Bachelor of Science in Business Administration - Finance. Immediately following graduation, Chris worked for the prestigious Montag & Caldwell investment counseling firm in Atlanta, Georgia, in their Management Information Systems Division.
Chris relocated to Charlotte, North Carolina in 1994 and joined Denver in the management, leasing and planning of new and existing retail projects throughout the Southeastern United States, where she was responsible for all reporting to institutional clients, tenant coordination and transaction documentation, including management of the related legal process. As one of the very few husband and wife teams in the shopping center industry, Chris joined Denver at Western Development Corporation, and played an active role in the planning, merchandising and leasing of projects in Japan. While in Japan, Chris traveled extensively throughout Metropolitan Tokyo, tracking prospective Japanese retail, restaurant, and entertainment players for Projects under development, in addition to coordinating and conducting meetings with major US brands including, Disney, Costco, REI, Gap and NIKE.
Chris played a central role in the firm landing the epic Atlantic Station development in 2001, and was a hands-on participant in all aspects of the company's work including planning, merchandising, marketing and leasing. Chris is also involved in the underwriting and research related to new projects and clients of the firm, and continues in that capacity today. Her leadership and style of management is an inspired and highly-respected aspect of the company's operation, both from an internal and external perspective.
Whitney L. Painter, Director - Leasing & Marketing
Whitney Painter joined The McGarey Group in January of 2008, bringing with her ten years of commercial real estate experience, including direct involvement with development coordination, tenant representation, anchor tenant leasing, and a refined ability in project branding and marketing strategy.
Prior to joining The McGarey Group, Whitney had worked with us for four years on a private development opportunity, allowing her to become uniquely familiar with the company's principals, associates, and operating procedures.
Whitney is a graduate of Virginia Tech with a degree in Liberal Arts, and is an active member in both regional and national ICSC functions. Whitney anchors the company's Atlanta office, where she boldly lives the life of a new urbanist.
Oliver G. McGarey, Assistant Vice President
Oliver McGarey joined the family business formally in June of 2009, after growing up in an environment that has at its center the art and labor of retail development, planning, marketing and leasing. Oliver will be assisting the CEO and COO in leasing coordination, marketing support, and initiation work for projects of the company.
Oliver is a natural team leader and he is being groomed for an executive position with the company to lead the next generation. Oliver is a an avid tennis player and fitness fanatic that brings a high-energy and integrity that will be reinforced and grown in a manner that rewards our clients and makes his family proud of his coming contributions.
