Once a director of operations in the high-tech sector, a chance encounter with NAI Glickman Kovago & Jacobs Founder Jim Glickman set Michael Jacobs in a different direction. Since 2003, he has risen up the ranks to become one of the most important figures in the Central Massachusetts real estate industry. Now, as the managing partner of the firm, he plays a pivotal role in facilitating the real estate transactions at the beating heart of the local economy.
Jacob’s fingerprints are all over Central Massachusetts, but he has played a particularly important role in the redevelopment of Worcester’s Canal District in the wake of the construction of the $160-million Polar Park baseball stadium. He was an integral part of the $3-million property deal for the City of Worcester to sell the former Cove Music Hall site to Boston-based developer Churchill James, allowing for the construction of The Cove, a seven-story luxury mixed-use development overlooking the ballpark, as well as the $4.5-million sale of the former Table Talk Pie factory site, which moved the long-time Worcester manufacturer to a different area of the city to make way for the planned construction of the Table Talk Lofts affordable and market-rate apartment development. As the Canal District continues its transformation, Jacobs will be a key figure in deciding what types of businesses move into a neighborhood defined by its eclectic mix of entrepreneurs.
Jacobs’ local success hasn’t gone unnoticed, as he’s been the preferred broker in Central Massachusetts for Rhode Island-based CVS Health and Framingham-based Cumberland Farms. In March, he was named as the chair of the 2024 NAI Global Leadership Board, a group of top professionals who provide proactive leadership for the firm’s 300+ offices around the world.Â
