Meet H. Edward Hales III

We’re so thrilled to have you sharing your story with us today. Maybe we can kick things off by having you introduce yourself to our readers? We’d love to have you go into your story and how you got to where you are today.
I am an Atlanta native who grew up in Buckhead and was an Alpha Omega at the Westminster Schools, where I was a member of the state champion wrestling team; I graduated in 1995. I attended Hampden-Sydney College in the fall of that year and graduated with a B.A. in both Political Science and Economics in 1999. Upon graduation, I moved to Richmond, Virginia, to pursue a music career.

In 2000, I joined the Tabaco Litigation Team at Hunton & Williams’ Richmond office as a paralegal and decided to apply for law school. I was accepted at The College of Law at Georgia State University, and I moved back to Atlanta to attend. After two years, I found that I loved real estate and property law, but that I did not want to be a lawyer. I left and earned my real estate license in 2006, which would allow me to utilize my skills while being able to meet with and help people.

I got into commercial real estate in 2008 when I was given an opportunity and hired by a small family firm, Workman and Company, where I learned the business and had success with projects like the Sandy Springs Shooting Range and Gun Club. I joined Transwestern in 2013, where I first met my business partner, Allen Brown, and then joined Lee & Associates in 2014 where Mr. Brown and other brokers that I knew had gone to work. I partnered with Mr. Brown and we focused on retail sales and leasing, retail development, as well as office leasing. We were enjoying success and working with many new clients at the end of 2019 when everything came to sudden stop in February, 2020.

2020 hit many real estate markets hard, especially the retail market. Mandates were enacted due to the pandemic that forced businesses to close and then operate at a diminished capacity when they were able to reopen. We worked diligently during the shut down to figure out what our clients’ concerns were, how to address them without offending landlords, and how to address the shortcomings as a consequence of the pandemic. In May, we left Lee and Associates and formed The Leasing Team, Inc. with Dianne Brown and Charm Jones.

Our decisions, persistence, hard work, and perseverance paid off. We were able to help current and new clients achieve their goals and signed several new restaurant leases in the last two quarters of 2020 with clients like BLU Seafood House, Hattie Marie’s BBQ, La Hacienda, and Mambo’s Cafe. I not only made the Atlanta Commercial Board of Realtors’ Million Dollar Club, but I was in the Top Ten Retail Producers for the Atlanta Commercial Board.

Please tell us more about your brand, The Leasing Team, Inc.
The Leasing Team, Inc. is a full-service real estate firm that assists its clients with their real estate needs. Although we are full service, my primary focuses are retail and office tenant representation and retail development. Our market knowledge, expertise, and personal touch set us apart from other firms; you hire the team that works with you every step of the way. As a brand, I am proud that we are able to compete with the larger firms while being able to develop personal relationships that keep our clients coming back and generating referrals.

So, as we mentioned to our audience earlier, you were introduced to us by Amelia Blaska and we really admire her and what she has built. For folks who might not be as familiar, can you tell them a bit about your experience with Amelia Blaska as an Educator, Private Tutor & Standardized Test Preparation Consultant.
I have known Amelia Blaska since 6th grade at Westminster. We were friends from middle school through high school, and, although we lost touch, we reconnected just before our 25th high school reunion in February 2020, which was canceled. However, we have remained close friends.

When we reconnected, Amelia told me about her endeavors and that she had started her own tutoring business. I was thrilled because she has always been passionate about teaching and has a way of connecting with her students; she gets them to come out of their shell and really achieve their academic potential. Amelia had and continued to develop her relationship with my son, Edward (E4), so I hired her in February, 2021 to help E4 with his academic needs.

Hiring Amelia was one of the best decisions that I have made. I am a single dad who has full custody of my son, E4. 2020 and 2021 were hard enough with work, but the difficulty was compounded by the issues presented by virtual school and asynchronous school work days; I could not work, monitor virtual school, and teach E4 without everything suffering. Amelia not only tutored E4, but she got him to blossom academically. She has a way of connecting with and reaching her students that is truly amazing.

Under Amelia’s tutelage, E4 went from being a student that loathed learning and made mediocre grades to one who was excited to learn, was engaged in class, was making straight A’s, and that developed a love for reading. She also communicated with me so that I could be engaged and provide the books and apps they needed. E4 looked forward to his time with Amelia as much as she looked forward to working with him. Amelia’s passion for teaching and love for her students as well as their love and respect for her is obvious. Amelia has a gift and is a true gift for anyone who hires her.