Name: Bret O'Brien
Title: Senior Vice President
Company: O'Brien Commercial Properties, Inc.
Location: 5 Mount Royal Ave., Marlborough, Mass.
Birthplace: Boston
Birth Date: 1978
Family: Wife, Ashley; daughter, Brynn (3); son, Barry (2); and daughter, Maddie (1)
College: Cornell University
First job unrelated to your current field: Farm hand, Berlin Orchards
First job in current field: O'Brien Commercial Properties
What your firm does now and its plans for the future: Industrial and office sales and leasing of property in the Rte. 495 market.
Hobbies: Skiing, hunting, hiking, diving
Favorite Book: "The Sirens of Titan"
Favorite Movies: "The Matrix"
Person(s) you most admire (outside of family): Tom Hopkins
Keys to success: Hard work, cold calls, time management and exceeding client's expectations.
If you had to choose a different profession; what would it be? Manager of the Boston Red Sox
NEREJ’s 2026 Mid Year Review Spotlight is underway. This special section will feature perspectives from across commercial real estate as firms reflect on the first half of the year and discuss the trends, challenges, and opportunities shaping the months ahead.
As we enter the spring of 2026, the Rhode Island industrial real estate market stands on stable footing, following several years of resilience fueled by constrained supply, steady demand, and dynamic economic conditions.
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