John Busey Wood

John Busey Wood  is a member of the New York real estate group of Akerman Senterfitt LLP and focuses his practice on cross-border entrants into the U. S. market and coordinates and leads teams in U.S. based business formation and market planning with an emphasis on locating their first business and network. Mr. Wood has represented cross-border retailers in the “roll-out” of over 160 stores in the U.S. market in the last several yeas and in the negotiation of commercial leases and construction “fit-out” contracts covering in excess of 50 million square feet of retail, office, and mixed-use space projects for more than thirty five years.
Mr. Wood is a licensed Class “A” commercial real estate broker in N.Y. and Florida, a Certified Public Accountant and holds B.B.A. (Accounting and Economics), M.B.A. (Accounting and Finance) and J.D. degrees. Mr. Wood’s combination of this unique blend of professional disciplines and experience resulted in his being referred to by The Wall Street Journal and other publications as “the father of the modern killer lease.” Mr. Wood participated in the development, leasing and financing of over 4 million square feet of regional shopping malls and retail centers nationwide. In 1998 he negotiated the largest ground/space lease transaction in the history of New York City, containing more than 1.8 million square feet and including 2 million square feet of “fast-track” rehabilitation, construction lending and permanent financing in amounts exceeding $500 million where he was appointed on-site arbitrator for the reconstruction and fit-out of the project for two years. In addition, Mr. Wood has advised, directed teams and designed correlated construction contracts for “fast-track” design-build projects, conversions and renovations in New York City, exceeding 8 million square feet, with values greater than $4 billion.