M. Myers Mermel, Chief Executive Officer

Mr. Mermel is the Chief Executive Officer and Co-Founder of TenantWise, The Corsair Group and Mermel & McLain Management LLC. Mr. Mermel is widely recognized as a real estate finance and leasing specialist known for integrity, hard work and creativity.

In 1994, Mr. Mermel was chosen to be included in Crain’s “40 under 40.” He declined this honor out of respect for his employer, Morgan Stanley, and his team. Also in 1994, Mr. Mermel was nominated for the Real Estate Board of New York’s Most Ingenious Deal Award for his work in advising Morgan Stanley in the distressed purchase of its new headquarters at 1585 Broadway. This transaction legitimized Times Square as an office district and has been called the “Deal of the Decade.” For confidentiality reasons relating to non-disclosure of transaction information, Mr. Mermel declined to allow the nomination to go forward. In 1996, Mr. Mermel was named one of the “Top 20 Real Estate Movers and Shakers” in New York by the New York Post. This was a dubious honor he could not decline.

Since 2001, Mr. Mermel’s opinion of the real estate market of Manhattan has been carried by over 200 times in major publications such as The Wall Street Journal, The New York Times, The Associated Press, Fortune, Daily News and Newsday. Additionally, he has been featured by several television news programs for such stations as ABC, Fox, CNN, Fuji Television and other foreign stations.

Prior to starting TenantWise, Mr. Mermel founded The Corsair Group (“Corsair”), a real estate investment bank formed in a joint venture with Morgan Stanley, in 1994. Over a five-year period, Mr. Mermel led Corsair Group in real estate advisory assignments totaling over five million square feet. Some representative clients include Uniroyal Chemical Company, Vornado Realty Trust, Skidmore, Owings & Merrill, Dresdner Kleinwort Benson, Banque Nationale de Paris, Marvel Enterprises, Stern Stewart and Thoughtbubble Productions.

Prior to founding Corsair, Mr. Mermel founded Morgan Stanley's Corporate Real Estate Group in 1990. Over a four-year period, Mr. Mermel, with a staff of three people, led Morgan Stanley Realty to the number one market share position in corporate advisory transactions in New York City in 1993 and 1994. While at Morgan Stanley, he and his team completed some of the largest headquarters advisory transactions in Manhattan including Primerica/Smith Barney, Societe Generale and Kidder Peabody. Mr. Mermel also advised the Inside Board of Morgan Stanley on its headquarters acquisitions of 1585 Broadway and 750 Seventh Avenue in 1993 and 1994, respectively. Upon the formation of The Corsair Group in 1994, Mr. Mermel received a transfer of all of Morgan Stanley Realty's corporate real estate advisory assignments into The Corsair Group.

Prior to joining Morgan Stanley, Mr. Mermel was employed for five years as a Vice President of Wm. A. White/Grubb & Ellis, where he was the youngest professional ever to be awarded the SMC designation. Before joining Wm. A. White/Grubb & Ellis, Mr. Mermel was employed as an Assistant Treasurer at The Bank of New York in its real estate subsidiary, and he completed the Bank's management training program.

In addition, Mr. Mermel has originated, structured and acquired interests in 48 Wall Street, 660 Madison Avenue and 104 West 40th Street in Manhattan.

Mr. Mermel was appointed to a three-year term (1997-1999) as Chairman of the Board of Directors of the Commercial Brokerage Division of the Real Estate Board of New York ("REBNY"), the youngest person ever to hold this position. At the conclusion of his service, he was appointed as a Governor of the Board of Governors of REBNY; again he was the youngest Governor ever appointed.

Mr. Mermel received a B.A. from the University of Vermont, where he was President of the Senior Men's Honorary Society. He also received an M.A. from Columbia University in American History. He expects an MAR from Yale Divinity School in 2011, and serves as a Trustee of Christ Church United Methodist (New York City), a Trustee of The New York Annual Conference (Methodist NY State / Connecticut  Governing Body), a past Trustee of the New York City Mission Society (New York City), and as President of The Delta Psi Corporation, a not-for-profit institution founded in 1850 (Burlington, Vermont).  

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Caroline McLain, Chief Financial Officer and Founder

Ms. McLain founded TenantWise in October 1999. Prior to founding TenantWise, Ms. McLain served as a Principal of The Corsair Group where she directed all financial structuring and analysis for advisory and principal activities.

Prior to joining Corsair in 1994, Ms. McLain had been a Vice President/Portfolio Manager for First Nationwide Bank where she completed over $150MM in troubled office and multifamily loan workouts. Prior to her employment at First Nationwide and while an MBA student at Columbia, Ms. McLain worked in Columbia University's Investment Office where she was responsible for redesigning and implementing the Residential Loan Program and completed an internship with the Union Bank of Switzerland's Real Estate Department. Prior to her experience at Columbia, she worked as asset manager and developer for a portfolio of office and commercial properties for her family's real estate development company, McLain Development, in Alabama. Before joining McLain, she was an Assistant Treasurer and Controller for Trion Properties, a commercial office developer in Atlanta, Georgia. Prior to her employment at Trion, she was a Senior Audit Supervisor, Real Estate and Finance Group, at Arthur Andersen and Company for three years.

Ms. McLain graduated with a BBA in Accounting with honors from Emory University and received an MBA in Finance from the Columbia Business School. Ms. McLain also is a Certified Public Accountant in New York.

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