Case Study: AT&T Tenant Representation
Former AT&T Location at 290 Sergeant Prentiss Dr, Natchez, MS 39120
AT&T Tenant Representation: 19 Years, 75+ Louisiana Markets, One Broker
Most tenant rep relationships last one deal cycle. This one has lasted since 2007, and it actually goes back further than that. I was doing site work for these stores when the sign on the building still said Cingular. The brand changed. The broker didn't.
I have served as AT&T's Louisiana tenant representation broker since 2007, working as the local subagent under AT&T Mobility's national brokerage program. When I founded Momentum Commercial Real Estate in 2019, the relationship came with me, and the work has run under the Momentum flag ever since. Every corporate retail store decision in Louisiana, from Shreveport to the Westbank, has crossed my desk: new stores, relocations, expansions, renewals, and the occasional disposition when a trade area moved on without the real estate.
The Assignment
A national wireless carrier needs three things from a local tenant rep broker: real market knowledge, speed, and a process that holds up to corporate scrutiny. AT&T's program runs through a national brokerage, which selects one local broker per territory. Louisiana has been mine since 2007.
The scope covers the full lifecycle of a retail portfolio:
What Statewide Actually Means
Everybody says statewide. Here is what it looks like in practice: corporate stores and authorized retailer locations in Baton Rouge, New Orleans, Metairie, Kenner, Lafayette, Lake Charles, Shreveport, Bossier City, Monroe, Alexandria, Houma, Thibodaux, Slidell, Covington, Mandeville, Hammond, Denham Springs, Gonzales, Zachary, and dozens of smaller markets from Ville Platte to Winnfield. If a town in Louisiana has a red light and a Walmart, we have probably run a trade area analysis on it.
That depth matters. When AT&T asks whether Broussard can support a store, the answer isn't in a database. It's in knowing which corner gets the going-home traffic, what the car wash next door paid for its dirt, and whether the Walmart shadow center has the parking to survive a Saturday.
The Deals That Prove the Point
The Blockbuster play:When Blockbuster, Movie Gallery, and Hollywood Video started going dark in 2010 and 2011, I tracked every closure list against AT&T's target trade areas. Video stores made great wireless stores: right size, right corners, right parking. While other brokers were mourning the death of the video rental business, I was converting its real estate. I did the same exercise with the Borders closures.
The Manhattan Boulevard expansion:On the Westbank, AT&T's store at Manhattan Place was performing but undersized. I negotiated an expansion from 2,500 to 4,500 square feet in a center anchored by Target and Ross, keeping AT&T on the premier end-cap in one of the strongest retail corridors in Jefferson Parish.
The renewal machine:A portfolio this size always has leases rolling. I run renewal scorecards, market comps, and negotiations on 30+ locations across the state, from Ambassador Caffery in Lafayette to Gause Boulevard in Slidell. The goal on every renewal is simple: pay market, not momentum. Landlords price 19-year tenants on autopilot. I don't renew on autopilot.
Why It Has Lasted
Corporate retail real estate programs churn brokers constantly. This relationship has survived multiple national brokerage changes, multiple AT&T real estate regimes, and every market cycle since the iPhone launched. Three reasons:
I show the work –Every site recommendation comes with trade area data, traffic counts, competitive mapping, and a scorecard AT&T's committee can defend internally. No gut calls without the numbers behind them.
I know Louisiana at street level – National tenants don't need another broker reading a demographics report to them. They need someone who knows why one side of Veterans Boulevard works and the other side doesn't.
I handle the whole portfolio, not just the fun deals – New stores are exciting. Renewals, dealer locations in rural parishes, and dispositions are not. I treat a renewal scorecard in Opelousas with the same rigor as a flagship deal in Baton Rouge. That is what keeps a client for 19 years.
What This Means for Your Business
If my tenant representation process is thorough enough for a Fortune 50 company's real estate committee, it will hold up for your next lease. At our company, Momentum Commercial Real Estate, we represent tenants across Louisiana in retail and office transactions: site selection, LOI and lease negotiation, renewals, and expansions.
Looking for tenant representation in Baton Rouge or anywhere in Louisiana? Call Momentum Commercial Real Estate at (225) 408-6595 or visit us at 9420 Old Hammond Hwy, Baton Rouge, LA 70809.
FAQ
What is tenant representation?
Tenant representation means a commercial real estate broker works exclusively for the tenant, not the landlord. The tenant rep broker handles site selection, market analysis, LOI and lease negotiation, and renewals, with a fiduciary duty to the tenant's interests. In most transactions the landlord pays the commission, so the tenant gets professional representation at no direct cost.
How long has Charlie Colvin represented AT&T?
Charlie Colvin has handled AT&T's Louisiana tenant representation since 2007, with roots in the relationship going back to the Cingular era. Since founding Momentum Commercial Real Estate in 2019, he has continued the assignment under Momentum. The work spans 75+ Louisiana markets and includes new stores, renewals, expansions, and dispositions.
Does our company only represent large national tenants?
No. We represent tenants of every size across Louisiana, from single-location businesses negotiating their first lease to multi-market operators. The same process applies: market data, negotiation leverage, and no autopilot renewals.