Item 1. Business
Item 1. Business
History
Our company, Franklin Street Properties Corp., which we refer to as FSP Corp., the Company, we or our, is a Maryland corporation that operates in a manner intended to qualify as a real estate investment trust, or REIT, for federal income tax purposes. Our common stock is traded on the NYSE American under the symbol “FSP”. FSP Corp. is the successor to Franklin Street Partners Limited Partnership, or the FSP Partnership, which was originally formed as a Massachusetts general partnership in January 1997 as the successor to a Massachusetts general partnership that was formed in 1981. On January 1, 2002, the FSP Partnership converted into FSP Corp., which we refer to as the conversion. As a result of this conversion, the FSP Partnership ceased to exist and we succeeded to the business of the FSP Partnership. In the conversion, each unit of both general and limited partnership interests in the FSP Partnership was converted into one share of our common stock. As a result of the conversion, we hold, directly and indirectly, 100% of the interest in three former subsidiaries of the FSP Partnership: FSP Investments LLC, FSP Property Management LLC, and FSP Holdings LLC. We operate some of our business through these subsidiaries.
Our Business
We are a REIT focused on commercial real estate investments primarily in office markets and currently operate in only one segment: real estate operations. The principal revenue sources for our real estate operations include rental income from real estate leasing, interest income from secured loans made on office properties, property dispositions and fee income from asset/property management and development.
We invest in infill and central business district office properties in the United States sunbelt and mountain west regions as well as select opportunistic markets. We believe that the United States sunbelt and mountain west regions have macro-economic drivers that have the potential to increase occupancies and rents. We seek value-oriented investments with an eye towards long-term growth and appreciation, as well as current income.
Previously we also operated in an investment banking segment, which was discontinued in December 2011. Our investment banking segment generated brokerage commissions, loan origination fees, development services and other fees related to the organization of single-purpose entities that own real estate and the private placement of equity in those entities. We refer to these entities, which are organized as corporations and operated in a manner intended to qualify as REITs, as Sponsored REITs. On December 15, 2011, we announced that our broker/dealer subsidiary, FSP Investments LLC, would no longer sponsor the syndication of shares of preferred stock in newly-formed Sponsored REITs. On July 15, 2014, FSP Investments LLC withdrew its registration as a broker/dealer with FINRA.
From time-to-time we may acquire real estate or invest in real estate by making secured loans on real estate. We may also pursue on a selective basis the sale of our properties to take advantage of the value creation and demand for our properties, or for geographic or property specific reasons.
Real Estate
We own and operate a portfolio of real estate consisting of 24 office properties as of December 31, 2021. We derive rental revenue from income paid to us by tenants of these properties. See Item 2 of this Annual Report on Form 10-K for more information about our properties . From time-to-time we dispose of properties generating gains or losses in an ongoing effort to improve and upgrade our portfolio.
We provide asset management, property management, property accounting, investor and/or development services to our portfolio and certain of our Sponsored REITs through our subsidiaries FSP Investments LLC and FSP Property Management LLC. FSP Corp. recognizes revenue from its receipt of fee income from Sponsored REITs that have not been consolidated or acquired by us. Neither FSP Investments LLC nor FSP Property Management LLC receives any rental income.
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From time-to-time we may make secured loans to Sponsored REITs in the form of mortgage loans or revolving lines of credit to fund construction costs, capital expenditures, leasing costs and for other purposes. We anticipate that these loans will be repaid at their maturity or earlier from long-term financings of the underlying properties, cash flows from the underlying properties or some other capital event. We refer to these loans as Sponsored REIT Loans. We had one Sponsored REIT Loan secured by real estate outstanding as of December 31, 2021, from which we derive interest income.
Sustainability
As an owner of commercial real estate, a sector with significant environmental, social and governance, or ESG, impact, we strive to maximize shareholder value through the prudent application of sound ESG strategies. Our efforts have been awarded recognition from various third party review entities, such as GRESB, ENERGY STAR and LEED.
Impact of COVID-19
The COVID-19 pandemic has caused severe disruptions in the U.S. and global economies and has had and is expected to continue to have an adverse impact on our financial condition and results of operations. This impact could be materially adverse to the extent that the current COVID-19 pandemic, or future pandemics, cause tenants to be unable to pay their rent or reduce the demand for commercial real estate. See “Item 1A. Risk Factors” and “Item 7. Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations” for additional information.
Investment Objectives
Our investment objectives are to create shareholder value by increasing revenue from rental, dividend, interest and fee income and net gains from sales of properties and increase the cash available for distribution in the form of dividends to our stockholders. We expect that we will continue to derive real estate revenue from owned properties and Sponsored REIT Loans and fees from asset management, property management and investor services. We may also acquire additional real properties.
Although our property portfolio is focused on properties in the central business districts of Atlanta, Dallas, Denver, Houston and Minneapolis, we may acquire, and have acquired, real properties in any geographic area of the United States and of any property type. We own 24 office properties that are located in eight different states as of December 31, 2021. See Item 2 of this Annual Report on Form 10-K for more information about our properties.
In 2021, we determined that further debt reduction would provide greater financial flexibility and potentially increase shareholder value. We continue to believe that the current price of our common stock does not accurately reflect the value of our underlying real estate assets and intend to continue the strategy we initially adopted in 2021 of seeking to increase shareholder value through the sale of select properties where we believe that short to intermediate term valuation potential has been reached. Pursuant to this strategy, we anticipate that dispositions in 2022 will result in estimated aggregate gross proceeds in the range of approximately $250 million to $350 million.
As a result, from time to time, as market conditions warrant, we expect to sell properties owned by us in 2022. In 2021, we sold 10 office properties located in four different states for aggregate gross sale proceeds of $602.7 million, at a net gain of $113.1 million. In 2020, we sold an office property located in Durham, North Carolina for gross proceeds of approximately $89.7 million, at a net gain of approximately $41.9 million. We did not sell any properties during 2019.
As we continue to execute on our property disposition strategy, our revenue, Funds From Operations, and capital expenditures are likely to decrease in the short term. Proceeds from dispositions are intended to be used for the repayment of debt, repurchases of our common stock, any special dividends required to meet REIT requirements, and other general corporate purposes.
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We rely on the following principles in selecting real properties for acquisition by FSP Corp. and managing them after acquisition:
● we seek to buy or develop investment properties at a price which produces value for investors and avoid overpaying for real estate merely to outbid competitors;
● we seek to buy or develop properties in excellent locations with substantial infrastructure in place around them and avoid investing in locations where the future construction of such infrastructure is speculative;
● we seek to buy or develop properties that are well-constructed and designed to appeal to a broad base of users and avoid properties where quality has been sacrificed for cost savings in construction or which appeal only to a narrow group of users;
● we aggressively manage, maintain and upgrade our properties and refuse to neglect or undercapitalize management, maintenance and capital improvement programs; and
● we believe that we have the ability to hold properties through down cycles because we generally do not have mortgage debt on the Company, which could place the properties at risk of foreclosure. As of February 4, 2022, none of our owned properties were subject to mortgage debt.
Competition
With respect to our real estate investments, we face competition in each of the markets where our properties are located. In order to establish, maintain or increase the rental revenues for a property, it must be competitive on location, cost and amenities with other buildings of similar use. Some of our competitors may have significantly more resources than we do and may be able to offer more attractive rental rates or services. On the other hand, some of our competitors may be smaller or have less fixed overhead costs, less cash or other resources that make them willing or able to accept lower rents in order to maintain a certain occupancy level. In markets where there is not currently significant existing property competition, our competitors may decide to enter the market and build new buildings to compete with our existing projects or those in a development stage. Our competition is not only with other developers, but also with property users who choose to own their building or a portion of the building in the form of an office condominium. Competitive conditions are affected by larger market forces beyond our control, such as general economic conditions, which may increase competition among landlords for quality tenants, and individual decisions by tenants that are beyond our control.
Governmental Regulations
Under various federal, state and local laws, ordinances and regulations, we, as an owner or operator of real property may become liable for the costs of removal or remediation of certain hazardous substances released on or in our property. Such laws may impose liability without regard to whether the owner or operator knew of, or caused, the release of such hazardous substances. The presence of hazardous substances on a property may adversely affect the owner’s ability to sell such property or to borrow using such property as collateral, and it may cause the owner of the property to incur substantial remediation costs. In addition to claims for cleanup costs, the presence of hazardous substances on a property could result in the owner incurring substantial liabilities as a result of a claim by a private party for personal injury or a claim by an adjacent property owner for property damage.
All of our properties are required to comply with the Americans With Disabilities Act, or ADA, and the regulations, rules and orders that may be issued thereunder. The ADA has separate compliance requirements for “public accommodations” and “commercial facilities,” but generally requires that buildings be made accessible to persons with disabilities. Compliance with ADA requirements might require, among other things, removal of access barriers. Noncompliance with such requirements could result in the imposition of fines by the U.S. government or an award of damages to private litigants.
In addition, we are required to operate our properties in compliance with fire and safety regulations, building codes and other land use regulations, as they may be adopted by governmental agencies and bodies and become applicable to our properties. Compliance with such requirements may require us to make substantial capital expenditures, which expenditures would reduce cash otherwise available for distribution to our stockholders.
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The provisions of the tax code governing the taxation of REITs are very technical and complex, and although we expect that we will be organized and will operate in a manner that will enable us to meet such requirements, no assurance can be given that we will always succeed in doing so. If in any taxable year we do not qualify as a REIT, we would be taxed as a corporation and distributions to our stockholders would not be deductible by us in computing our taxable income. In addition, if we were to fail to qualify as a REIT, we could be disqualified from treatment as a REIT in the year in which such failure occurred and for the next four taxable years and, consequently, we would be taxed as a regular corporation during such years. Failure to qualify for even one taxable year could result in a significant reduction of our cash available for distribution to our stockholders or could require us to incur indebtedness or liquidate investments in order to generate sufficient funds to pay the resulting federal income tax liabilities.
See “Item 1A. Risk Factors” and “Item 7. Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations” for additional information.
Human Capital
We had 32 and 34 employees as February 4, 2022 and December 31, 2021, respectively. Women represent 46.9% of our employees, of which 40.0% hold management level/leadership roles. We endeavor to maintain a workplace that is free from discrimination or harassment on the basis of color, race, sex, national origin, ethnicity, religion, age, disability, sexual orientation, gender identification or expression or any other status protected by applicable law. We regularly conduct training to prevent harassment and discrimination. The Company’s basis for recruitment, hiring, development, training, compensation and advancement of employees is qualifications, performance, skills and experience. Many of our employees have a long tenure with the Company. Our employees are compensated without regard to gender, race and ethnicity, and our compensation program is designed to attract and retain talent. During the COVID-19 pandemic, employees have been offered work-from-home flexibility to meet personal and family needs.
Available Information
We make available, free of charge through our website http://www.fspreit.com our annual report on Form 10-K, quarterly reports on Form 10-Q, current reports on Form 8-K, and amendments to those reports filed or furnished pursuant to Section 13(a) or 15(d) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended as soon as reasonably practicable after we electronically file such material with the Securities and Exchange Commission, or SEC.
We will voluntarily provide paper copies of our filings and code of ethics upon written request received at the address on the cover of this Annual Report on Form 10-K, free of charge.
Information about our Directors
The following table sets forth the names, ages and positions of all our directors as of February 4, 2022.
Name
Age
Position
George J. Carter
73
Chief Executive Officer and Chairman of the Board
John N. Burke (1) (2) (3) (4)
60
Director
Brian N. Hansen (1) (2) (3) (5)
50
Director
Kenneth Hoxsie (1) (3) (6)
71
Director
Dennis J. McGillicuddy (1)
80
Director
Georgia Murray (1) (2) (7)
71
Director
Kathryn P. O'Neil (1) (2) (3)
58
Director
(1) Member of the Audit Committee
(2) Member of the Compensation Committee
(3) Member of the Nominating and Corporate Governance Committee
(4) Chair of the Audit Committee
(5) Chair of the Compensation Committee
(6) Chair of the Nominating and Corporate Governance Committee
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(7) Lead Independent Director
George J. Carter, age 73, is Chief Executive Officer and has been Chairman of the Board of Directors of FSP Corp. since 2002. Mr. Carter also was the President of FSP Corp. from 2002 to May 2016. Mr. Carter is responsible for all aspects of the business of FSP Corp. and its affiliates, with special emphasis on the evaluation, acquisition and structuring of real estate investments. Prior to the conversion, he was President of the general partner of the FSP Partnership and was responsible for all aspects of the business of the FSP Partnership and its affiliates. From 1992 through 1996 he was President of Boston Financial Securities, Inc. (“Boston Financial”). Prior to joining Boston Financial, Mr. Carter was owner and developer of Gloucester Dry Dock, a commercial shipyard in Gloucester, Massachusetts. From 1979 to 1988, Mr. Carter served as Managing Director in charge of marketing at First Winthrop Corporation, a national real estate and investment banking firm headquartered in Boston, Massachusetts. Prior to that, he held a number of positions in the brokerage industry including those with Merrill Lynch & Co. and Loeb Rhodes & Co. Mr. Carter is a graduate of the University of Miami (B.S.).
John N. Burke, age 60, has been a Director of FSP Corp. since 2004 and Chair of the Audit Committee since June 2004. Mr. Burke is a certified public accountant with over 30 years of experience in the practice of public accounting working with both private and publicly traded companies with extensive experience serving clients in the real estate and REIT industry. His experience includes analysis and evaluation of financial reporting, accounting systems, internal controls and audit matters. Mr. Burke has been involved as an advisor on several public offerings, private equity and debt financings and merger and acquisition transactions. Mr. Burke’s consulting experience includes a wide range of accounting, tax and business planning matters. Prior to starting his own firm in 2003, Mr. Burke was an Audit Partner in the Boston office of BDO USA, LLP. Mr. Burke is a member of the American Institute of Certified Public Accountants and the Massachusetts Society of CPAs. Mr. Burke earned an M.S. in Taxation and studied undergraduate accounting at Bentley University.
Brian N. Hansen, age 50, has been a Director of FSP Corp. since 2012 and became Chair of the Compensation Committee in February 2021. Since 2007, Mr. Hansen has served as President and Chief Operating Officer of Confluence Investment Management LLC, a St. Louis based Registered Investment Advisor. Prior to founding Confluence in 2007, Mr. Hansen served as a Managing Director in A.G. Edwards’ Financial Institutions & Real Estate Investment Banking practice. While at A.G. Edwards, Mr. Hansen advised a wide variety of Real Estate Investment Trusts on numerous capital markets transactions, including public and private offerings of debt and equity securities as well as the analysis of various merger & acquisition opportunities. Prior to joining A.G. Edwards, Mr. Hansen served as a Manager in Arthur Andersen LLP’s Audit & Business Advisory practice. Mr. Hansen has served on the boards of a number of non-profit entities and currently serves on the Finance Council and as the Investment Committee Chair of the Archdiocese of St. Louis and as a member of the St. Louis County Retirement Board. Mr. Hansen earned his M.B.A. from the Kellogg School of Management at Northwestern University and his Bachelor of Science in Commerce from DePaul University. Mr. Hansen is a Certified Public Accountant.
Kenneth A. Hoxsie, age 71, has been a Director of FSP Corp. since January 2016 and became Chair of the Nominating and Corporate Governance Committee in February 2021. Mr. Hoxsie was a Partner at the international law firm of Wilmer Cutler Pickering Hale and Dorr LLP (“WilmerHale”) until his retirement in December 2015. He joined Hale and Dorr (the predecessor of WilmerHale) in 1981, subsequently worked at Copley Real Estate Advisors, an institutional real estate investment advisory firm, and rejoined Hale and Dorr in 1994. Mr. Hoxsie has over 30 years’ experience in real estate capital markets transactions, fund formation, public company counseling and mergers and acquisitions and has advised the Company since its formation in 1997. Mr. Hoxsie earned his J.D. (Cum Laude) from Harvard Law School, his M.A. from Harvard University and his B.A. (Summa Cum Laude) from Amherst College, where he was elected to Phi Beta Kappa.
Dennis J. McGillicuddy, age 80, has been a Director of FSP Corp. since May 2002. Mr. McGillicuddy graduated from the University of Florida with a B.A. degree and from the University of Florida Law School with a J.D. degree. In 1968, Mr. McGillicuddy joined Barry Silverstein in founding Coaxial Communications, a cable television company. In 1998 and 1999, Coaxial sold its cable systems. Mr. McGillicuddy has served on the boards of various charitable organizations. He is currently President of the Board of Trustees of Florida Studio Theater, a professional non-
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profit theater organization, and is President, Vice-Chairman and Director of All-Star Children’s Foundation, an organization engaged in creating a new paradigm for foster care.
Georgia Murray, age 71, has been a Director of FSP Corp. since April 2005 and Lead Independent Director since February 2014. Ms. Murray is retired from Lend Lease Real Estate Investments, Inc., where she served as a Principal from November 1999 until May 2000. From 1973 through October 1999, Ms. Murray worked at The Boston Financial Group, Inc., serving as Senior Vice President and a Director at times during her tenure. Boston Financial was an affiliate of the Boston Financial Group, Inc. She is a past Trustee of the Urban Land Institute and a past President of the Multifamily Housing Institute. Ms. Murray previously served on the Board of Directors of Capital Crossing Bank. She also serves on the boards of numerous non-profit entities. Ms. Murray is a graduate of Newton College.
Kathryn P. O’Neil, age 58, has been a Director of FSP Corp. since January 2016. Ms. O’Neil was a Director at Bain Capital in the Investor Relations area where she focused on Private Equity and had oversight of the Investment Advisory sector from 2011 until her retirement in 2014. From 1999 to 2007, Ms. O’Neil was a Partner at FLAG Capital Management LLC, a manager of fund-of-funds investment vehicles in private equity, venture capital, real estate and natural resources. Previously, Ms. O’Neil was an Investment Consultant at Cambridge Associates where she specialized in Alternative Assets. Ms. O’Neil currently serves on a variety of non-profit boards, including the Peabody Essex Museum where she is a Director and a member of the Finance and Investment Committees, Horizon’s for Homeless Children where she is a Director and serves on the Executive and Finance Committees, and the Trustees of Reservations where she serves on the President’s Council and was a member of the Investment Committee from 2006 to 2020. Ms. O’Neil is a Trustee Emeritus of Colby College and a former member of the Board of Overseers of the Boston Museum of Science. Ms. O’Neil holds a B.A. (Summa Cum Laude) and M.A. (Honorary) from Colby College where she was elected to Phi Beta Kappa. Ms. O’Neil received her M.B.A. from The Harvard Graduate School of Business Administration.
Information about our Executive Officers
The following table sets forth the names, ages and positions of all our executive officers as of February 4, 2022.
Name
Age
Position
George J. Carter (1)
73
Chief Executive Officer and Chairman of the Board
Jeffrey B. Carter
50
President and Chief Investment Officer
Scott H. Carter
50
Executive Vice President, General Counsel and Secretary
John G. Demeritt
61
Executive Vice President, Chief Financial Officer and Treasurer
John F. Donahue
55
Executive Vice President
Eriel Anchondo
44
Executive Vice President and Chief Operating Officer
(1) Information about George J. Carter is set forth above. See “Directors of FSP Corp.”
Jeffrey B. Carter, age 50, is President and Chief Investment Officer of FSP Corp. Mr. Carter served as Executive Vice President and Chief Investment Officer from February 2012 until May 2016, when he was appointed as President in addition to his position as Chief Investment Officer. Previously, Mr. Carter served as Senior Vice President and Director of Acquisitions of FSP Corp. from 2005 to 2012 and as Vice President - Acquisitions from 2003 to 2005. Mr. Carter oversees the day-to-day execution of the Company’s strategic objectives and business plan. In addition, Mr. Carter is primarily responsible for developing and implementing the Company’s investment strategy, including coordination of acquisitions and dispositions. Prior to joining FSP Corp., Mr. Carter worked in Trust Administration for Northern Trust Bank in Miami, Florida. Mr. Carter is a graduate of Arizona State University (B.A.), The George Washington University (M.A.) and Cornell University (M.B.A.). Mr. Carter’s father, George J. Carter, serves as Chief Executive Officer and Chairman of the Board of Directors of FSP Corp. and Mr. Carter’s brother, Scott H. Carter, serves as Executive Vice President, General Counsel and Secretary of FSP Corp.
Scott H. Carter, age 50, is Executive Vice President, General Counsel and Secretary of FSP Corp. Mr. Carter has served as General Counsel since February 2008. Mr. Carter joined FSP Corp. in October 2005 as Senior Vice President and In-house Counsel. Mr. Carter is primarily responsible for the management of all of the legal affairs of FSP Corp. and its affiliates. Prior to joining FSP Corp. in October 2005, Mr. Carter was associated with the law firm of
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Nixon Peabody LLP, which he originally joined in 1999. At Nixon Peabody LLP, Mr. Carter concentrated his practice on the areas of real estate syndication, acquisitions and finance. Mr. Carter received a Bachelor of Business Administration (B.B.A.) degree in Finance and Marketing and a Juris Doctor (J.D.) degree from the University of Miami. Mr. Carter is admitted to practice law in the Commonwealth of Massachusetts. Mr. Carter’s father, George J. Carter, serves as Chief Executive Officer and Chairman of the Board of Directors of FSP Corp. and Mr. Carter’s brother, Jeffrey B. Carter, serves as President and Chief Investment Officer of FSP Corp.
John G. Demeritt, age 61, is Executive Vice President, Chief Financial Officer and Treasurer of FSP Corp. and has been Chief Financial Officer since March 2005. Mr. Demeritt previously served as Senior Vice President, Finance and Principal Accounting Officer from September 2004 to March 2005. Prior to September 2004, Mr. Demeritt was a Manager with Caturano & Company, an independent accounting firm (which later merged with McGladrey) where he focused on Sarbanes Oxley compliance. Previously, from March 2002 to March 2004 he provided consulting services to public and private companies where he focused on SEC filings, evaluation of business processes and acquisition integration. During 2001 and 2002 he was Vice President of Financial Planning & Analysis at Cabot Industrial Trust, a publicly traded real estate investment trust, which was acquired by CalWest in December 2001. From October 1995 to December 2000 he was Controller and Officer of The Meditrust Companies, a publicly traded real estate investment trust (formerly known as The La Quinta Companies, which was then acquired by the Blackstone Group), where he was involved with a number of merger and financing transactions. Prior to that, from 1986 to 1995 he had financial and accounting responsibilities at three other public companies, and was previously associated with Laventhol & Horwath, an independent accounting firm from 1983 to 1986. Mr. Demeritt is a Certified Public Accountant and holds a Bachelor of Science degree from Babson College.
John F. Donahue, age 55, is Executive Vice President of FSP Corp. and President of FSP Property Management LLC and has held those positions since May 2016. Mr. Donahue is primarily responsible for the oversight of the management of all of the real estate assets of FSP Corp. and its affiliates. Mr. Donahue joined FSP Corp. in August 2001 as Vice President of FSP Property Management LLC. From 2001 to May 2016, Mr. Donahue was responsible for the management of real estate assets of FSP Corp. and its affiliates. From 1992 to 2001, Mr. Donahue worked in the pension fund advisory business for GE Capital and AEW Capital Management with oversight of office, research and development, industrial and land investments. From 1989 to 1992, Mr. Donahue worked for Krupp Realty in various accounting and finance roles. Mr. Donahue holds a Bachelor of Science in Business Administration degree from Bryant College.
Eriel Anchondo, age 44, is Executive Vice President and Chief Operating Officer of FSP Corp. and has held those positions since May 2016. Mr. Anchondo joined FSP Corp. in 2015 as Senior Vice President of Operations. Mr. Anchondo is responsible for ensuring that the Company has the proper operational controls, administrative and reporting procedures, and people systems and infrastructure in place to effectively grow the organization and maintain financial strength and operating efficiency. Prior to joining FSP Corp., from July 2014 to December 2014, Mr. Anchondo provided consulting services to the retail banking division of ISBAN, which is part of the Technology and Operations division of the Santander Group of financial institutions. From May 2007 to July 2013, Mr. Anchondo was employed by Mercer, a global consulting leader in talent, health, retirement, and investments, as an Employee Education Manager across all lines of Mercer’s business. From May 2005 to May 2007, Mr. Anchondo was a Communications Consultant at New York Life Investment Management. From December 2002 to May 2005, Mr. Anchondo worked in the Preferred Client Services Group at Putnam Investments. Mr. Anchondo is a graduate of Boston University (B.A.) and Cornell University (M.B.A.).
Each of the above executive officers has been a full-time employee of FSP Corp. for the past five fiscal years.
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