2025 Ones To Watch – Rising Stars: Faron Brazis, Hobbs Brook Real Estate

Publication: NEREJ

“Faron has redefined tenant engagement at the firm, strengthening our programming through a powerful blend of innovation, personalization, and community- building. Her forward- thinking approach, which combines data- driven strategies with meaningful human connection, has deepened our tenant partner relationships and created a more vibrant, connected workplace experience across the portfolio that continues to set new standards across the industry.” – Peter Gottlieb, President and CEO, Hobbs Brook Real Estate.”

What recent professional milestone or project are you most proud of, and why? I’m incredibly proud of leading HBRE’s tenant engagement evolution by creating a dynamic, community- driven workplace experience that’s personalized and data-informed. By leveraging insights into tenant behavior, we introduced initiatives like our custom tenant app, on-demand wellness services, and unique experiential events. These efforts have deepened tenant relationships, increased amenity engagement by 50%, and wellness participation by 15%, transforming our spaces into vibrant communities where tenants feel connected, valued and invested-making the office a place people look forward to.

What’s one challenge you’ve overcome in your career so far, and what did it teach you? One of the most rewarding challenges I faced was adapting our tenant engagement strategy post-pandemic as expectations evolved. We treated the surrounding area as an extension of the property, partnering locally to build community, and brought WFH- style conveniences to campus to ease the return-to-office. We also streamlined internal processes through tech, saving our legal and accounting teams hours and freeing them to focus on higher- value work. This taught me that embracing change and using data drives stronger, more connected communities.

For the full article visit: NEREJ 

Ronstan’s two-storey, four-layered tensile curtain wall enhances visual appeal of building lobby

Published by: Architecture & Design

Ronstan was contracted to design and engineer a two-storey tensile curtain wall to separate the main foyer counter and stairs at Hobbs Brook Real Estate’s flagship property, 225 Wyman Street, in Waltham, Massachusetts. Collaborating closely with Fabrizio Architectural Millwork and Gensler, Ronstan meticulously developed an intricate curtain wall featuring a four-layered design. This design includes a tensile structural rod skeleton, overlaid perforated mesh panels, ‘monkey arms’, and decorative brass rods, all contributing to the sophisticated aesthetic and functional integrity of the space…

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Hobbs Brook Repositions Flagship Building at Waltham Campus

Published by: ConnectCRE

Hobbs Brook Real Estate (HBRE) on Wednesday unveiled a repositioning strategy for 404 Wyman, a 384,841 square-foot office building on HBRE’s flagship Waltham Campus in Waltham, MA. Improvements to the property, which serves as HBRE’s headquarters, are currently underway. Completion is slated for the first quarter of 2026.

For the full article visit: ConenctCRE

Hobbs Brook Real Estate Announces Significant Upgrades to 404 Wyman in Waltham

Published by: Boston Real Estate Times

WALTHAM, MA – Hobbs Brook Real Estate has revealed plans for major renovations at its 404 Wyman property in Waltham, aiming to enhance the building’s appeal and functionality for current and future tenants. The extensive upgrades will modernize the facility while maintaining its reputation as a key office location within the region.

“These upgrades are a critical part of our larger strategy to elevate the workplace experience and create exceptional, tenant-first environments across our campuses,” said Peter Gottlieb, President & CEO of HBRE. “At HBRE, our ethos is space as a service, and our ongoing investments reflect our commitment to providing outstanding workplaces for our current tenant partners while attracting leading firms to join our growing roster.”

For full article visit: BRET

Commonwealth Financial Network Will Make Itself at Home in LEED Gold Building

Published by COSTAR

Commonwealth Financial Network’s decision to move its regional headquarters to the other side of Waltham, Massachusetts, is a win for the city, the struggling greater Boston commercial office market and the environment.

The 151,765-square-foot lease at 275 Waltham St. represents one of the largest new suburban office deals in the Boston market for 2024. The addition of Commonwealth Financial accounts for more than 50% of the building’s available space. Other notable tenants include ZoomInfo and Vistaprint, according to CoStar data.

A panel of local industry professionals selected Commonwealth Financial Group deal as the winner of the 2025 CoStar Impact Awards for lease of the year for the Boston market.

Commonwealth Financial has had an established presence in Waltham for more three decades. It has been headquartered at 29 Sawyer Road since the late 1990s. The company will take up occupancy at the Wyman Street location in the first quarter of 2026. The firm’s decision to move to 275 Wyman, and to Hobbs Brook Real Estate’s Waltham campus overall, was driven by the desire to continue investing in talent, with this new space serving as a catalyst in fostering innovation, collaboration and a dynamic environment that best serves the independent financial advisors it partners with daily.

For full article visit: COSTAR

Investment advisory firm signs lease for bigger headquarters near Boston

Published by: CoStar

A financial services firm is making a big investment of its own with plans to relocate its longtime headquarters in the Boston area to a newer and bigger space.

Commonwealth financial network, a national investment advisory firms, signed a deal for roughly 151,775 square feet at 275 Wyman St. to house its new corporate hub in Waltham, the company confirms.

For full article visit: CoStar

Hobbs Brook Real Estate signs 151,765 s/f lease to Commonwealth Financial Network

Published by: NEREJ

Waltham, MA Hobbs Brook Real Estate (HBRE), a developer, owner, and operator of premier office and life science space, has signed Commonwealth Financial Network, to a 151,765 s/f lease at 275 Wyman St., a five-story, 300,000 s/f, class A, LEED Gold-Certified office building. Commonwealth will utilize its new space within the property for the firm’s office operations in Q1 2026.

“We are thrilled to welcome Commonwealth to our continuously evolving Waltham Campus, a hub for industry-leading companies,” said Peter Gottlieb, president & CEO of HBRE. “Our sustained leasing velocity at 275 Wyman is a true testament to the building’s expansive amenity offerings, unmatched connectivity, sustainable integrations, and location, all of which are vital elements as businesses look to secure their next office location.”

For full article visit: NEREJ 

 

Boston Class A Office Buildings Start to Feel Pinch

Article Published by: Banker & Tradesman

Suburban properties have landed some of the region’s largest office leases in recent months. Eastern Bank leased 51,751 square feet at 601Edgewater Drive in Wakefield, but is reducing its office footprint north of Boston by 73 percent. Commonwealth Financial Network leased 151,765 square feet at 275 Wyman St. in Waltham. Both properties are owned by Waltham-based Hobbs Brook Real Estate.

To read the full article visit: B&T

A Downtown Blueprint for the Route 128 Belt

Published by Banker & Tradesman

As suburban office vacancies crept up during most of 2024, Hobbs Brook Real Estate
bucked the trend by executing 683,000 square feet of office leases in the past 12 months,
representing 15 percent of its portfolio. The Waltham-based company owns 4.5 million
square feet of commercial real estate, including 2.6 million square feet in Lexington and
Waltham, and is in the process of recruiting additional tenants with building upgrades and
tenant engagement activities such as bicycle repair days, holiday pop-up stores and cooking
classes. Hobbs Brook also manages the real estate portfolio of its parent company, Rhode
Island-based insurer FM Global. Before joining Hobbs Brook Real Estate, Peter Gottlieb
was a senior vice president and regional director at Rubenstein Partners, overseeing its
investments in New England and the Chicago market.

To read the full article visit: B&T

Hobbs Brook Real Estate Signs 151,000-SF Lease with Commonwealth Financial Network at 275 Wyman Street in Waltham, MA

Article published by: Boston Real Estate Times

Waltham, MA  – Hobbs Brook Real Estate announced that Commonwealth Financial Network, a national RIA dedicated to providing financial advisors with holistic, integrated business solutions has signed a 151,765-square-foot, lease at 275 Wyman Street, a five-story, 300,000-square-foot, Class A, LEED Gold-Certified office building in Waltham, MA.

For full article visit: BRET