People

HOUSTON - Jon Lee of CB Richard Ellis has been awarded the title of Vice President within the firm’s Brokerage Services group. This designation is based on consistent, high-levels of revenue and performance for the company. In addition, Jon was named the National Association of Industrial Properties (NAIOP) 2009 “Rising Star” in office properties for Houston.

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Messer Joins SCM

ARLINGTON, Texas – Bret Messer has been hired as portfolio manager for Stewardship Commercial Management. The 24-year veteran most recently worked for Centra Asset Partners.

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Transwestern Adds Guess

DALLAS – Karra P. Guess has joined Transwestern Dallas as managing director, assuming duties as head of the Central region's tenant advisory services practice.

Guess most recently was COO of the Staubach Co., where she started in 1992.

"Karra's reputation as an industry leader in the D/FW tenant advisory services business is acknowledged throughout our market," said Jack Eimer, president of Transwestern's Central region. "We are delighted to have her join our leadership team and continue the growth and success of this key component of our business."

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Bradford Promotes One, Hires One

DALLAS – Bradford Commercial Real Estate Services has promoted Anne Turney to president of Bradford Management Co. Inc. and hired Brenda Kindt as vice president to oversee property management for the Greater Fort Worth market.

Kindt was general manager and Fort Worth business development manager for Dallas-based Stream Realty Partners LP. The 20-year veteran begins Monday.

"Anne's experience in the office sector gives us a leadership component that allows us added focus in the office sector as Bradford continues to grow its overall property management activities," said Kevin J. Santaularia, president and CEO of locally based Bradford Commercial Real Estate Services. "As for Brenda, she is a great addition to Bradford, which leases and manages more than seven million square feet in Tarrant County. We definitely needed additional boots on the ground to service our clients and grow our property management practice on the western side of the metroplex."

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SCM Adds Analyst, Asset Manager

ARLINGTON, Texas – SCM Real Estate has hired Josh Womack as acquisitions analyst and asset manager. His background includes stints in public accounting with national and regional firms and commercial real estate brokerage with a national firm.

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office division for Colliers International. Her new duties include business development in Nevada and the West.

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New Office for Houston Realtor

HOUSTON - Rich Guderyon has been tapped as manager of the new Prudential Gary Greene Realtors office in the Cy-Fair area in the Highway 290 Corridor.

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New Portland Leader for Grubb & Ellis

PORTLAND, Ore. – Grubb & Ellis Co. has expanded the duties of Bob Dean, executive vice president and regional managing director in the Pacific Northwest.

Dean will assume regional management of the Portland office. He will continue to oversee the day-to-day operations for Sacramento, Roseville and Stockton, Calif., offices and regional oversight for Seattle.

In a press release, Grubb & Ellis' Jack Van Berkel, COO and president, said Dean's new duties are key to the company's plan for expansion in the region. Dean was instrumental in recruiting Bill Condon to lead the Seattle office.

"Grubb & Ellis has historically been a great contender and we plan to be very aggressive as we look to expand our presence," Dean said.

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Six Camden Employees Earn Promotions

HOUSTON – Camden Property Trust has promoted four professionals in its Houston office and one each in Dallas and Las Vegas.

In Houston, Alex Jessett and Kristy Simonette were named senior vice presidents. Jessett had been vice president of finance and Simonette had been vice president of information technology.

Also in Houston, Jimmy Whorton was made vice president of information technology and Margaret Plummer became vice president of employee development. Whorton previously was director of technical operations and Plummer was director of employee relations.

In Dallas, Dawn Mathwig rose to Central Division vice president from regional vice president. Elaine Withrow was promoted to Western Division vice president after serving as regional vice president of the Houston-based firm's Las Vegas regional office.

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Miller Named Trademark's President

FORT WORTH – Marking his 10th year with the company, Tommy Miller has been promoted to president of Trademark Property Co.

Miller rose to chief investment officer during his tenure. He also has served as CFO, development partner and an acquisitions executive.

"Tommy Miller is one of the brightest guys I know in the industry," said Terry Montesi, founding partner of the Fort Worth-based company. "He has worked tirelessly to build Trademark into one of the top retail and mixed-use firms in the U.S."

Miller led the development of the Woodlands' Market Street, a 560,000-sf mixed-use development north of Houston, and the Royal Oaks Shopping Center, a grocery-anchored project in West Houston.

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New President Leading Wedge Hotels

HOUSTON – Wedge Real Estate Holdings Inc. has named Brian Stage as president and CEO of Wedge Hotels Corp.

Gregory Armstrong, president of the Houston-based investment group, said Stage's experience is an integral component for Wedge's plan to increase the portfolio through new investments and acquisitions. "His depth of industry expertise and proven leadership talent create a solid foundation for our plans to significantly grow our hotel investments and overall portfolio in the next three years," he added.

Wedge's existing portfolio consists of the Radisson Hotel and Suites in Chelmsford, Mass., Sheraton Suites in Houston and the Wyndham Boston Chelsea Hotel and Marriott Courtyard, both in Shelton, Conn. If all goes as planned, the portfolio will double in size within two years and triple by 2013, according to Wedge's press release.

Stage formerly was president of Radisson Hotels & Resorts Inc. In starting his new reign, he said he initially will target investments in the Northeast US and Texas, where Wedge has an established presence.

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Grubb & Ellis' Hunt Gets New Role

SANTA ANA, Calif. – Grubb & Ellis Co. has promoted Chuck Hunt, executive managing director of Los Angeles, to oversee its newly created Southern California region.

Hunt, a 31-year veteran, has been leading the L.A. office since 2008. In addition to the day-to-day responsibility in L.A., he will oversee the Ontario, Anaheim and Newport Beach offices.

"Chuck has had tremendous success growing and improving our Los Angeles operations and I am thrilled he is taking on this additional responsibility," said Jack Van Berkel, COO and president of Grubb & Ellis' real estate services. "He's an effective leader and will play a key role in our growth in these markets."

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Camden's Sloan Earns Promotion

WASHINGTON, D.C. – Houston-based Camden Property Trust has promoted Tom Sloan to vice president of its Eastern Division. He previously was regional vice president of the Washington, D.C. office.

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Marcus & Millichap Capital

Forms Debt Advisory Group

NEWPORT BEACH, Calif. – Marcus & Millichap Capital Corp. has added a debt advisory services' division to its ranks.

The division will be led by newly hired directors Eric Gunderson and Deborah Schiavo, formerly of Highland Advisory Partners, and Brian Sullivan, who was a vice president of Deutsche Bank. The trio will assist borrowers with loan modifications and restructurings, loan maturity extensions, loan assumptions, discounted pay-offs and note purchases.

"As a borrower's representative, we act as a single point of contact between a buyer and seller in working with the loan servicer and other approval parties," said Gunderson, who most recently was Highland's principal and Schiavo was Highland's co-founder.

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CapStar Hotel Adds VP

ARLINGTON, Va. – Capstar Hotel Co. LLC has promoted Gary Klett to vice president of development as part of its plan to ratchet up acquisitions.

Klett will source, negotiate and close transactions for the Arlington, Va.-based company, which owns three hotels. "We are focusing on upscale, branded and independent hotels with the potential to operate as a 3.5- to four-star asset, with a particular focus on life-style properties, ranging in size from 150 to 500 rooms," said Klett, who was promoted from senior director of finance. "We are looking primarily in the major urban markets in the U.S. and Canada, where barriers to new competition are high."

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Bolton Taking Phoenix

Reins for Grubb & Ellis

PHOENIX – Grubb & Ellis Co. has scored a coup in the local market, swaying veteran Pete Bolton to return to the fold after a nine-year hiatus.

The hiring dovetails with Grubb & Ellis' announcement earlier this month that it will plant a company-owned office in the Phoenix metro. Bolton was named executive vice president, managing director.

"Grubb & Ellis has been an integral part of the Phoenix commercial real estate market for four decades. We have significant client relationships, which we believe will be better served through a company-owned office," said Jack Van Berkel, COO of the Encino, Calif.-based Grubb & Ellis and president of its real estate services. He added that Bolton "was the first person to come to mind" when the search for an office leader began.

Bolton had marked his ninth year at CB Richard Ellis, rising to senior managing director. He started with Grubb & Ellis in 1980 as an industrial broker and was one of its senior vice presidents in the market from 1996 until 1999.

"I'm thrilled to lead the charge, especially at the company where I began my real estate career," Bolton said. "Grubb & Ellis and I have always been committed to the Phoenix market, and we have every intention of attracting the best talent in the market place and building a full service office that puts the client first and delivers the integrated real estate solutions they expect." In the press release, Grubb & Ellis said recruiting begins immediately to fill the brokerage slots.

Bolton's return also puts him back at the side of a longtime partner, Greg Coxon, who now is president of brokerage services and head of Grubb & Ellis' Mountain region, which includes Phoenix. The two teamed at CBRE.

"It's back to the future," Coxon said. "Pete and I had a successful nine years as partners and accomplished a great deal together. I am very excited to be working with Pete and have responsibility for our Phoenix operations."

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Top Brokerage Team Shifts to JLL

SAN DIEGO – In a market coup, Jones Lang LaSalle has landed a five-member brokerage team with deep ties in the marketplace.

Joining JLL are Jay Alexander, SIOR, Chad Urie, Tim Olson, Ryan Grove, SIOR and Grant Schoneman. Formerly with Colliers International, the team has a portfolio of nearly five million sf in more than 30 office, research and development, industrial and life science properties.

"This team's breadth and depth of experience will be a great benefit to our clients," said Jan Pope, JLL's Southern California market director. "They represent some of the top talent in the San Diego brokerage community, and we are thrilled to have them as part of our team."

Alexander was named managing director; Urie, executive vice president; Grove, senior vice president; Olson, vice president; and Schoneman, associate.

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Grubb & Ellis Makes New York Changes

NEW YORK – Joseph Swingle rises to executive managing director of the New York office for Grubb & Ellis Co. to replace David Arena, who was marking his fourth year as the region's leader.

Arena, a 25-year veteran, has been promoted to chairman of the Tri-State Region. Swingle joined the firm in 1988. The 22-year veteran was executive managing director of global client services since 2004, overseeing more than 1,400 professionals and a dozen corporate clients that occupy in excess of 100 million sf.

"With Joe leading our day-to-day operations in New York and David focused full-time on nurturing and expanding client relationships, we are enhancing Grubb & Ellis' ability to expand its presence and better serve clients in one of the world's most important and complex markets," said Jack Van Berkel, COO and president of Grubb & Ellis' Real Estate Services.

Van Berkel credited Arena with raising the firm's profile in New York, resulting in its assets under management tripling under his reign. "Now is the right time for Joe to take the helm as we look to recruit high quality professionals and grow market share through service excellence," Van Berkel added.

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Hunt Midwest Names New President

KANSAS CITY, Mo. – Ora H. Reynolds has been promoted to president of Hunt Midwest Real Estate Development Inc. She previously was vice president and general manager of the firm, which she joined in 1991.

"Since day one, Ora Reynolds has made huge contributions to Hunt Midwest and I am pleased to see her step into this new role," said Jim Holland, Hunt Midwest chairman. "We are confident she will do a great job of leading the Hunt Midwest team as the company continues to grow in the coming years."

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Corrigan Chairing Dallas Regional Chamber

DALLAS – David Corrigan, CEO of Corrigan Investments Inc., has taken over as chairman of the Dallas Regional Chamber.

The chamber has nearly 3,000 member businesses, which represent more than 600,000 employees in North Texas. As part of Corrigan's move into the chairman's role, W. Mike Baggett, chairman emeritus of Winstead PC, was named the 2011 chairman elect. The chamber's 92-member board got 14 new members this year.

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Ernst & Young Names Practice Leader

SAN FRANCISCO – Sean O' Reilly has been named manager of Ernst & Young LLP's transaction real estate practice. The native Californian will lead the practice from San Francisco, where he has been operating an independent real estate appraisal firm that he founded.

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IDI Hires Petta

FORT WORTH – Innovative Developers Inc. has brought Chris Petta on board as senior vice president of real estate services. He most recently worked as development manager/director of business development of health care for Cogdell Spencer Erdman Co. in Dallas.

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TREC Adds to Staff

DALLAS – Twenty-year veteran Beth Lambert-Saul and Tessa Doiel have joined The Real Estate Council as vice president of community affairs and membership manager, respectively.

"Beth brings a depth of commercial real estate, financial affairs and community involvement to this position. Tessa has a phenomenal sales background to recruit new members and to keep them engaged once they join TREC," said Michelle Corson, TREC's president.

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Younan Lands Hennessey

LOS ANGELES – Younan Properties Inc. has added a new post to the company, vice president of leasing, naming a former executive to head up the leasing initiatives for the company's 12 million-sf portfolio of class A office properties in the U.S.

Brian Hennessey, a 25-year veteran, spent the past three years as president of Westridge Realty Partners in Southern California. He was a senior vice president for Younan from 2003-06.

"With aggressive growth objectives in place for the next 12-24 months, it was imperative that we add a seasoned leasing executive to lead this effort nationally. Brian brings a background and expertise in commercial real estate and leasing, combined with a knowledge of Younan Properties that is unparalleled. He will work with our U.S. asset managers and outside brokers to ensure growth objectives are met," said Zaya S. Younan, chairman and CEO of the Los Angeles-based company.

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Highland Beefs Up Team

DALLAS – Clay Shumway has joined Highland Capital Management LP as a director in the business development group. The 10-year veteran most recently was vice president of business development and investor relations for Newcastle Capital Management.

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Encore Names VP

DALLAS –Julian Wells has started with Encore Equities LLC as a vice president. He most recently was a partner in Dallas-based Valquest Equity Partners.

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LoPinto Joins Kern/Ferry International

NEW YORK – Anthony LoPinto, founder and CEO of Equinox Partners, will lead the North America Real Estate Practice of Korn/Ferry International. He will be based in the New York City office.

LoPinto, who will be based in New York City, is a governor of the Urban Land Institute and a member of NAREIT, Pension Real Estate Association, Real Estate Roundtable and the National Multi Housing Council.

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Integra Adds Analyst

FORT WORTH – After interning with Integra Realty Resources, Allison Whitehead has joined is on board full time as an analyst. She recently earned a Master of Real Estate at the Mays Business School of Texas A&M University.

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Behringer Harvard Eyes Mid-East

DALLAS – Behringer Harvard has added a managing director of Middle East investments, targeting sovereign wealth funds, institutional capital and high net-worth investors in the Arab Gulf states.

Heading the push is David Alani, formerly managing director for Real Estate Capital Associates LLC of Bloomington, Ind. He is the son of Dr. Salman H. Alani, a world-renowned scholar and professor of Arabic linguistics and phonetics at Indiana University.

"Combining the resources of our organization with Mr. Alani's cultural and professional background will enable us to meet the needs of Middle Eastern real estate investors," said Robert M. Behringer, chairman of the Dallas-based investment group.

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Rogers Joins Dougherty Mortgage

PLANO, Texas – Jeffrey L. Rogers has been named senior vice president for Minneapolis-based Dougherty Mortgage LLC's Plano office. He most recently was with KeyBank in Dallas.

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Fisher House Board Taps Siegel

NEW YORK – Stephen B. Siegel, chairman of CB Richard Ellis' global brokerage, has taken a seat on the board of the Fisher House Foundation, a public-private partnership that supports America's military families.

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TCC Houston's Saphier Heads to DFW

DALLAS – Adam Saphier, marking his fourth year with Trammell Crow Co., will take the reins to the Dallas-Fort Worth Business Unit from its eight-year leader.

Saphier previously served as principal in TCC's Houston business unit. He replaces Denton Walker, who will remain with the group as a senior managing director, focusing on office and retail projects.

"I am excited that Adam is joining us to lead the DFW business unit and am pleased that I will now be in a position to spend all my time doing what I love to do best: sourcing and executing real estate deals," Walker said.

Saphier's specialty is class A office development as principal investments and fee basis. His recent volume has resulted in sourcing, financing, developing and leasing 1.5 million sf of office projects in Houston. His background includes sustainable building designs and co-chair of the Urban Land Institute's Houston executive committee.

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Kessler Tapped as McMahan's

Replacement as TAR's CEO

AUSTIN – Travis Kessler, CEO of the San Antonio Board of Realtors, has been picked from a field of more than 100 applicants to lead the Texas Association of Realtors. Kessler will replace retiring CEO Benny McMahan.

Kessler, with 32 years' experience, began his career in Fort Worth and spent the past 12 years with the San Antonio board. In November, he was accorded the William R. Magel Award, the highest honor for a Realtor association executive from the National Association of Realtors.

"Like any good CEO, he understands that it's not about what you did yesterday but what you'll do tomorrow. I have complete confidence placing the organization under his leadership," said McMahan, who has nearly 50 years in the industry.

McMahan founded a brokerage firm in Dallas in the 1960s and sold it in 1982 to become the executive officer of the Dallas Board of Realtors. He has been TAR's CEO since 1990, earning the William R. Magel award in 2007. He will step down as CEO after TAR's 2010 winter meeting, which concludes Feb. 23.

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New Board Members Named in Fort Worth

FORT WORTH – Nina Petty, vice president of strategic real estate services for Innovative Developers Inc. and Matt Carter of Fine Line Diversified Development have been appointed to Fort Worth's Downtown Design Review Board.

The new members, both employees of Fort Worth companies, will serve until October 2011 on the eight-member design board. Petty also was named chairwoman of the city's 20-member Modern Streetcar Task Force committee.

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CBRE Adds Director

LOS ANGELES – Dr. Laura D'Andrea Tyson, one of the nation's leading economists, has joined the board of directors for CB Richard Ellis Group Inc.

Tyson is the S.K. and Angela Chan professor of global management for the Walter A. Haas School of Business at University of California at Berkeley. From 1995-96, she was the national economic adviser to the nation's president and began a two-year term as the first female chair of the White House Council of Economic Advisers, beginning in 1993.

"It is an honor to have Dr. Tyson join our board," said Brett White, CBRE's president and CEO. "We will benefit tremendously from her insight and experience on economic affairs, international trade and business management."

Tyson became the 10th director for CBRE's board. Her background includes stints as dean of the Haas School of Business and the London Business School, author and board member of AT&T, Morgan Stanley, the Peter G. Peterson Institute of International Economics, Eastman Kodak Co., Silver Spring Network and the New America Foundation.

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Cushman Chairing Rock Creek Capital

JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – John C. Cushman III, chairman of Cushman & Wakefield Inc., has been named board chairman for Rock Creek Capital, an investor in resource-rich land.

"The coming scarcity of water and arable land affects the entire world. Although I have mainly worked in the commercial real estate industry, my experiences as a director of the National Park Foundation and as a former Trustee of the Urban Land Institute have given me the background to see that the next logical step for real estate investment is to utilize and preserve land in an environmentally responsible manner," Cushman said in a press release.

The 17-year-old Rock Creek Capital is an alternative asset investment manager designed to deliver sustainable returns through opportunistic acquisitions of resource-rich land and increasing value through management, repositioning and resource enhancement.

"We are thrilled to be working with John and believe his expertise will be instrumental in our continued success," said James H. Dahl, founding partner of the Jacksonville, Fla.-based Rock Creek Capital.

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The People Blog

RealtyNewsReport.com Wins

Major Journalism Award

       RealtyNewsReport.com has been named a winner in the Best Web Site category in the 56th Annual Journalism Awards competition of the National Association of Real Estate Editors (NAREE).
          RealtyNewsReport.Com was founded by veteran journalist Ralph Bivins, who worked at Texas newspapers for a number of years before launching the popular web site in 2004.
         The NAREE award winners were selected by a panel of expert judges from the E. W. Scripps School of Journalism at Ohio University. Commenting on RealtyNewsReport.Com, the judges said: "This is a truly entrepreneurial site, which provides a newsy, chatty report with a friendly interface. Bivins has extensive print journalism experience in the real estate field, and it shows.”
         RealtyNewsReport.com was a second place winner in the Best Web Site category with RealEstateJournal.com, a Dow Jones product, winning first place.
          "It is an honor to receive this prestigious award," Bivins said. "The NAREE contest attracts entries from many outstanding journalists around the country."
          NAREE, founded in 1929, is the nation's largest organization of journalists who cover residential and commercial real estate, real estate finance, investments, construction and design.
       Houston-based RealtyNewsReport.Com focuses on national and regional real estate news and economics coverage. This blend of information has proved to be a winning combination that attracts thousands of readers and information seekers.
        "I also want to thank our outstanding webmaster, Analee Micheletti, who deserves a great deal of credit. Her talent has made the site attractive and keeps people tuned-in to RealtyNewsReport.com," Bivins said.

Journalism Award Received

Ralph Bivins accepts website award from Al Heavens.

Ralph Bivins accepts Web Site award

on behalf of RealtyNewsReport.com

from Al Heavens, president of the

National Association of Real Estate

Editors (NAREE). The journalism

awards ceremony was held at

the NAREE conference in

Charlotte, NC. Bivins is editor of

RealtyNewsReport.com. Heavens,

who covers real estate for the

Philadelphia Inquirer, is the author

of "What No One Ever Tells You

Abour Remodeling Your

Home.""

***

Realty News Report

is hosted by award

winning journalist Ralph

Bivins. Please contact

Ralph at

realtynewsreport@aol.com

Last Updated: August 30, 2010