TSCG Announces Bob Wordes’ Retirement and Leadership Succession Plan

A longtime leader in retail real estate is preparing to step into retirement while staying connected to the colleagues who have shaped his career.

Bob Wordes, who has served as chief operating officer of Atlanta-based TSCG for 20 years, will retire at the end of 2026. His responsibilities will transition to two executives, with Susan Ahlheit becoming COO and David Huntley becoming chief financial officer.

“I went to work with my friends every day,” Wordes told Atlanta Business Chronicle in an interview. “I’m going to miss them. But I’m going to stay in touch.”

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A University of Florida graduate, Wordes began his real estate career as an accountant at Carter and Associates in the early 1980s. He later moved into finance, working on the firm’s development and acquisition transactions.

In 1994, he joined Cousins Properties to lead its retail asset management group. He transitioned to brokerage in 2001 at a small boutique firm that has since closed. Five years later, he joined his friends David Birnbrey and Sam Latone at what was then known as The Shopping Center Group.

“(The goal was to) grow it to a point where it could be more institutional, so we might be able to work with some of the institutions and REITs and the bigger players in the market,” Wordes said. “They asked me to come in there and help them do that. It sounded really good, and I took them up on it.”

Since Wordes joined, TSCG has brought seven separate companies together under its umbrella. He played a central role in that effort while helping expand the firm’s leasing, property management and investment sales businesses.

“That was a pretty big and rewarding effort,” Wordes said. “It really brought cohesiveness to our team that was scattered about.”

Strategic acquisitions helped extend the firm’s reach. In 2018, TSCG acquired Connecticut-based Hart Realty Advisors to grow its money management business. In 2023, it purchased the third-party management and leasing platforms of Virginia-based Rosenthal Properties, securing a long-sought presence in the Washington, D.C., retail real estate market.

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Today, TSCG employs more than 240 people across its offices, including approximately 115 brokers. About 85 employees are also shareholders, or partners, in the firm.

“I’m really proud that we are able to bring people in and make them shareholders on a regular basis,” Wordes said. “They earn it, and they get it.”

Wordes expressed confidence in Ahlheit and Huntley, who will both report to Co-CEO Sam Latone. Based in Nashville, Tennessee, Ahlheit will oversee daily operations, including human resources, marketing, information technology, office leases, commission agreements, and referrals. Huntley, who resides in Connecticut, will lead the firm’s financial operations.

“I’ve had the chance to grow with TSCG for more than three decades and to learn from Bob for 20 of those years,” Ahlheit said in a statement. “The operating foundation we’ve built is strong, and my focus is making sure everyone at TSCG has what they need to serve our clients.”

The leadership transition will coincide with a new location for TSCG’s Atlanta office. In January 2027, the company will relocate from its 23,000-square-foot space at Piedmont Realty Trust’s Galleria on the Park to approximately 17,000 square feet at Highwoods Properties’ Riverwood 100.

Even in retirement, Wordes plans to remain involved. Continuing to mentor the next generation will give him an opportunity to pass along the support and guidance he received from mentors throughout his own career.

Additional press from Atlanta Business Chronicle