Brookwood's History

Brookwood Group was founded in 1989 by George T. Heery, S. Shepherd Heery, and Laura M. Heery. George Heery had completed his three year commitment to continue as CEO of Heery International after the sale of that company to British interests by Mr. Heery and his fellow shareholders. Shepherd Heery had resigned from Gerald D. Hines Interests, and Laura Heery had left the architectural firm of Johnson Burgee. When Brookwood was originally formed it had offices in Atlanta and San Francisco and New York. Today, Brookwood has principal offices in Atlanta and San Francisco, with additional client service locations in five locations throughout the United States.

Early in the company’s history it concentrated on specialized project management, corporate real estate project management outsourcing, and architectural design services as the owner’s design consultant for projects carried out by the Bridging project delivery method. Today, following its original mission and commitment of “Advancing and protecting the interests of the Owner” (including facility owners, users and lenders) the firm’s major general areas of service are construction program management (“program management”), design consulting (including acting as the owner’s design consultant for projects carried out by Bridging) and planning services including strategic facilities and real estate planning, master planning and programming.

Since its formation the firm has served corporate clients such as The Coca-Cola Company, AFLAC, Turner Broadcasting and a number of major banks on both coasts of the U.S. that were going through mergers and acquisitions, a large number of colleges and universities, K-12 school systems, and governmental agencies. The firm has worked in various parts of the United States as well as in Europe and Asia.

The practice was originally named Satulah Group (named for a mountain where the Heery family has a summer cottage) with its design practice within the group named Brookwood Design Group. As of January 1998, upon the sale of its corporate real estate project management outsourcing business unit, it changed its name to Brookwood Group, with the same professional practice continuing uninterrupted. At the same time, as a condition of the sale of that business unit, Shepherd Heery joined the buyer, LaSalle Partners, for a two year period. After that period ended, Shepherd returned to the real estate development business, remaining all the while in the San Francisco Bay Area. Through this period, Shep remained on Brookwood’s Board and also served as an advisor to the firm.

On January 1, 2004, The Hardin Group of Companies acquired a significant interest in Brookwood and the practice continued as Brookwood Program Management, LLC with George Heery as one member and Hardin as the other member in a two member Limited Liability Company.

At the time of the sale of the interest in Brookwood to Hardin, architect and planner, Laura Heery, resigned from the firm, though continuing as a consultant from time to time, and now lives with her husband, Andrew Prozes, in Greenwich, Connecticut and New York City.

On the 27th of September 2007, Blount Program Management, LLC a limited liability company organized in the state of Florida and headed by Thomas A. Blount, purchased the Hardin interest in Brookwood with Mr. Heery continuing as Chairman/CEO. Thomas A. Blount is an architect and is the fourth generation of his family involved in construction. He was born in Montgomery, Alabama, attended Vanderbilt University and received his architectural degree from North Carolina State University. Mr. Blount was the architect for the Alabama Shakespeare Theatre in Montgomery. He is one of several sons of the internationally known late Winton M. Blount, founder of Blount International, Inc. Mr. Blount’s office which manages his various interests is located in Birmingham, Alabama. He maintains residences in Miami and Los Angeles.

In February 2009, the other two members of the Brookwood board recruited Shepherd Heery to become the firm’s President, continuing to reside in and work from the San Francisco Bay Area.

Effective January 1, 2010, Shep became the firm’s CEO,with his father George continuing as Chairman from the company's Atlanta office. In February 2010, Shep re-acquired an ownership position in the company. He chairs the firm's Management Committee.

In late 2009, Brookwood also recruited W. Ennis Parker, Jr to work with the firm. After working as a consultant to the firm for several months, Ennis became an employee of the firm an assumed the new Atlanta based position of Vice Chairman effective as of January 15, 2010. Ennis chairs the firm’s Operations Committee, which also includes: S. Shepherd Heery, President/CEO (based in San Francisco). Brinton E. Smith, Jr., Executive Vice President (based in Atlanta), Alan M. Katz, Senior Vice President (based in San Francisco) and Linda C. Simon, Senior Vice President/Controller (based in Atlanta).