Woody Trotman grew up in Montgomery, AL, and graduated from Auburn University with a B.S. in Finance in 1985.  He started his career with Aronov Realty of Montgomery, as a leasing professional from 1986-1990.  While at Aronov, Trotman leased many development projects in Oklahoma and Texas.  After leaving Aronov, he went to Atlanta, GA and joined Compass Retail, the real estate development arm of Equitable Life Insurance Company.  There, he was in charge of leasing their flagship retail development in Atlanta, Phipps Plaza.  Trotman personally leased over 330,000 square feet in the totally renovated Phipps Plaza, which won over seventeen national awards and was chosen best new mall of the year in 1994.

Also while at Compass Retail, Trotman transformed the old Kenwood Mall in Cincinnati, OH into the nation’s first hybrid center (mall/strip center) in 1997.  This project won the ICSC’s best de-malled, hybrid project in the country.  Trotman also leased Tallahassee Mall in Tallahassee, FL, which was a failing property when acquired by Equitable.  It had an occupancy when Trotman began leasing it of 33%.  After his leasing efforts, the property’s occupancy rose to 82%, with the addition of AMC Theatres, Barnes & Noble, Old Navy, The Gap, etc…

Woody worked on Southgate Plaza, a small project in Sarasota, FL that Equitable decided to expand and renovate.  He added a Saks’ Fifth Avenue and many upscale national tenants such as Williams Sonoma, Ann Taylor, Victoria Secret, The Limited, etc…  His leasing transformed this property into a very successful mall with very high sales figures.

In 1999, Equitable Life Insurance Company sold Compass Retail and its real estate holdings to what is now Jones Lang LaSalle, and Woody accepted a position with Greg Greenfield & Associates, as Senior VP of Leasing.  He worked on AMC Theatres’ redevelopment effort in downtown Kansas City, MO.  This redevelopment included a 12-block area of office, retail, hotel, restaurants, theatre and entertainment venues.  It was known as the “Power and Light District”.

Beginning in 2000, Woody joined his brother Charlie at The Trotman Company, Inc. in Montgomery, AL as the VP of Leasing to work on regional retail projects.  He leased projects consisting of Wal-Mart Supercenters as well as regional lifestyle and power centers until 2009, when the recession decimated retail development.  His projects include the Eastern Shore Centre and Eastern Shore Plaza, a 850,000 square foot project in Spanish Fort, AL.  Trotman brought in high-end retail to this development, which had not previously come to Alabama.

Trotman leased the Renaissance project in Jackson, MS for Andrew Mattiace and partners from 2005-2007.  Trotman secured a who’s who list of upscale retailers for this lifestyle center, making it a highly successful development.  

From 2009-2010 Woody worked for The MG Herring Group in Dallas, Texas, leasing the Village at Fairview, a urban retail and residential project.  In 2014, Trotman began working for UP Development, in Orlando, FL as head of Development and Leasing.  UP Development was Florida’s most active retail developer at the time, and Woody completed several projects that included Winter Park Square, a Nordstrom, Whole Foods center.  

Woody is recognized as one of the nation’s leading leasing professionals and is currently back working with his brother, Charlie, at The Trotman Company, as the VP of Leasing.