Northmarq’s Charlotte, N.C., office has announced the addition of Jim Ceresnak, vice president, and team to its Commercial Investment Sales platform. Ceresnak specializes in the disposition and acquisition of net lease investment properties and in the structuring and execution of sale-leaseback transactions for corporations.
Ceresnak has particular expertise in transactions involving net lease car wash properties and has advised dozens of tenants, developers and private equity firms on real estate strategies and sales over the past several years. Over that time, Ceresnak has become a nationally recognized expert in the net lease car wash space.
Ceresnak will continue to focus his practice on the net lease car wash market, as well as on other automotive-related verticals. He brings extensive investment sales experience in both public and private markets and has closed over $200 million in net lease transaction volume since joining the net lease industry in 2020.
Ceresnak is joined by Max Eaton, who will serve as an associate broker. Eaton specializes in the disposition and acquisition of net lease car washes, gas stations and other automotive retail properties nationwide, with an emphasis on structuring and executing sale-leasebacks.
“Max and I are thrilled to be joining Northmarq with the goal of developing the premier car wash real estate advisory practice in the country,” said Ceresnak. “Our combined expertise, coupled with Northmarq’s vast institutional resources, positions us well to provide outstanding service to our clients. We look forward to reintroducing ourselves and educating the market about what we have to offer.”
Ceresnak will report to Executive Managing Director Jeff Cox, who works out of Northmarq’s Austin, Texas, office. Additionally, Ceresnak will collaborate in the Charlotte office with Managing Director Amar Goli, who joined the company in late 2023, and Vice President Greg Laughton, who joined earlier this year.
“Northmarq is excited to welcome Jim and Max to Northmarq. Collectively, they have established an enviable track record of serving clients in the overlooked asset class of car wash properties and portfolios,” said Cox. “Their deep understanding of the business model, tax advantages and cash flow benefits of this asset class has yielded specialized advice and superior outcomes for their clients. Jim and Max can now utilize Northmarq’s broad service offering and expand our firm’s ability to advise clients transacting car wash properties across the continuum of capital markets services.”
Ceresnak joins Northmarq from B+E, an investment brokerage firm specializing in net lease real estate and 1031 exchanges, where he was a founder of their Charlotte office. As a director at B+E, Ceresnak was named “Rookie Broker of the Year” in 2021 and “Broker of the Year” in 2022 and 2023. Prior to B+E, he spent nearly 10 years in fixed-income sales and trading at leading investment banks Morgan Stanley, Merrill Lynch and Scotiabank in New York City.
He holds real estate licenses in North Carolina and New York and a B.A. in political science from North Carolina State University.