In a major development for California’s Central Coast commercial real estate market, global real estate firm Colliers has established a Santa Barbara brokerage office, launching its operations with five of the region’s leading brokers—Austin Herlihy, Chris Parker, Miles Waters, Mike Lopus, and Mike Chung.
The team, formerly with the boutique firm Radius Group, brings decades of combined experience in investment sales, leasing, and advisory services across multiple asset classes. Their move to establish Colliers’ presence in the region signals a significant shift in the market’s brokerage landscape, introducing a globally connected platform into a historically locally serviced environment. The new office is located at 314 E Carrillo Street, Santa Barbara, positioning Colliers at the heart of the city’s downtown business district and within immediate proximity to many of the region’s top commercial properties and institutions.
“This is about scaling our ability to deliver high-level solutions to clients with increasingly complex needs,” said Austin Herlihy, Executive Vice President at Colliers. “We’re bringing institutional-grade service and global resources to Santa Barbara, while continuing to offer the local expertise our clients rely on.”
Colliers Brings Institutional Capabilities to the Central Coast
Operating through three industry-leading platforms—Real Estate Services, Engineering, and Investment Management—Colliers has a proven business model, an enterprising culture, and a unique partnership philosophy that drives growth and value creation. Bringing deep industry expertise to the table, Colliers offers a comprehensive suite of real estate services, ranging from Capital Markets, Occupier Services, Landlord Representation, Project Management, Real Estate Management Services, and Valuation & Advisory.
Key benefits for clients include:
• Global Reach: Access to national and international investors, tenants, and capital sources.
• Advanced Market Intelligence: Proprietary research tools, data analytics, and forecasting systems to support strategic decision-making.
• Capital Markets Integration: Deep lender, equity, and JV partner relationships for acquisitions, refinancings, and dispositions.
• Project & Construction Management: Oversight capabilities that ensure timelines, budgets, and risk controls are met.
• Technology & Marketing Resources: State-of-the-art tools including drone-enabled asset tours, GIS mapping, and AI-driven leasing platforms.
“Joining Colliers allows us to raise the ceiling on what we can deliver for our clients,” said Chris Parker, Vice President. “We’re now operating on a platform that offers data, tools, and connectivity that simply weren’t available before. Our clients benefit significantly from a brokerage team that brings global reach and institutional standards to the local market—and that’s exactly what we intend to deliver.”
Technology & AI: Redefining the Future of Brokerage
As part of its global strategy, Colliers has made significant investments in artificial intelligence and advanced data analytics, transforming how brokerage professionals operate and how clients experience commercial real estate. Colliers’ AI-powered platforms deliver real-time insights into market trends, tenant behavior, portfolio performance, and investment timing. These tools allow brokers to identify off-market opportunities faster, price assets with greater accuracy, and anticipate shifts in demand before they materialize in the market. Clients benefit from enhanced predictive modeling, automated underwriting scenarios, and AI-matched tenant targeting—delivering a faster, smarter, and more strategic brokerage process.
“AI is not replacing brokers, it’s empowering us,” said Mike Chung, Associate. “We now have the tools to work with more precision, deeper market foresight, and increased transactional efficiency. Colliers’ tech-forward approach is a game-changer for how we advise clients and execute in this market.”
Multifamily Division to Anchor Regional Investment Activity
As part of the brokerage’s strategic focus, Colliers Santa Barbara is launching a dedicated multifamily advisory division, led by Vice President Mike Lopus. The division will specialize in advising clients on apartment acquisitions, dispositions, development sites, and 1031 exchange strategies throughout the Central Coast and Southern California. With growing investor appetite for multifamily assets—driven by long-term housing demand and market fundamentals—the division will provide both private and institutional clients with comprehensive transaction and advisory support.
“Multifamily is one of the most resilient and in-demand asset classes in today’s market,” said Mike Lopus, Vice President and head of the multifamily division. “At Colliers, we now have the ability to bring clients the full scope of investment advisory—from underwriting and valuation, to sourcing off-market opportunities and structuring capital. This platform allows us to advise more strategically, transact more efficiently, and deliver results that outperform market benchmarks.”
Expanding Regional and National Coordination
In addition to servicing Santa Barbara County, the firm’s new office is positioned as a strategic hub for broader regional and national advisory. Clients will benefit from Colliers’ integrated service lines and its ability to manage complex, multi-market assignments. The team is actively advising on transactions involving Texas industrial portfolios, Florida multifamily assets, and Arizona hospitality repositioning—leveraging Colliers’ coast-to-coast presence to facilitate 1031 exchanges, site selection, and capital redeployment strategies.
“We’re seeing capital move fluidly between markets, and our clients need a brokerage partner that can move with them,” said Miles Waters, Vice President. “Our new platform allows us to guide them with precision and consistency wherever their investment strategy takes them.”
Colliers – Santa Barbara
314 E. Carrillo Street
Santa Barbara, CA 93101
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