Office attracts five industry veterans, including three from CB Richard
Ellis
SANTA ANA, Calif., Sept. 29 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- Reflecting its
overriding goal of strengthening service delivery to clients, Grubb & Ellis
Company (NYSE: GBE), a leading real estate services and investment firm,
today announced that it has opened a full service office in Tucson, Ariz.
The office initially will be staffed with five local commercial real estate
market veterans, including three professionals who represented the top
producing team for CB Richard Ellis in Tucson.
"Grubb & Ellis is committed to continually evolving to best meet our
clients' needs. In this instance, we are expanding our service coverage
throughout all of Southeast Arizona with the opening of a full service
office in Tucson and staffing it with some of the market's most talented
professionals," said Jack Van Berkel, Executive Vice President and Chief
Operating Officer of Grubb & Ellis Company.
Joining Grubb & Ellis are Robert L. Davis, William L. DiVito, Howard
Kong, CCIM, Scott Soelter and Michael Townsdin. Davis, DiVito and Kong join
Grubb & Ellis from CB Richard Ellis. Soelter was most recently with Bourn
Partners LLC, one of Tucson's leading local brokerage, development and
property management firms. Townsdin joins from Bourn Partners.
Davis said, "We share Grubb & Ellis' philosophy of providing the best
real estate solutions to our clients rather than simply being the biggest
firm in the market. Although growth is important, we are just as focused on
attracting professionals who are not only market leaders in the real estate
industry, but also in our community."
He added, "As clients increasingly look to their real estate services
providers for solutions to complex business issues, Grubb & Ellis'
integrated platform of service and investment offerings was a big draw. We
believe this platform will provide us with a clear competitive advantage
and are proud to represent Grubb & Ellis in the Tucson market."
Over the past five years, the team of Davis, DiVito and Kong has closed
more than 200 industrial, office and investment transactions valued in
excess of $350 million. Some of the team's most notable transactions
include 100,000-square-foot-plus industrial leases for Symantec and SOLON
America and industrial sales on behalf of Britannia Business Center, Tucson
Airport Commerce Center and Tucson Airport Center. The team's major office
transactions include the dispositions of 4801 E. Broadway Blvd., a
102,000-square-foot, six-story building, 101 N. Wilmot, a
98,000-square-foot, six-story asset, 33 N. Stone Ave, a
202,000-square-foot, 23-story building, and the 83,500-square-foot El
Dorado Professional Plaza.
Davis joins Grubb & Ellis as Senior Vice President, Industrial. A
23-year industry veteran, he joined CB Richard Ellis in 1985 and most
recently held the title of First Vice President. As a native Tucsonan,
Davis has taken his passion for the local community and focused his career
on building relationships that spur economic growth and preserve the
uniqueness of Tucson and the Sonoran region. He specializes in serving
clients in the biotech, optics, aerospace and information technology
industries and has consistently ranked as one of CB Richard Ellis' top
producers for nearly 20 years. Davis holds a bachelor's degree from the
University of Arizona and is a member of several university-related boards,
including the UA Foundation and the BIO5 Institute.
Also a 23-year industry veteran, DiVito joins Grubb & Ellis as Senior
Vice President, Industrial. A First Vice President at CB Richard Ellis,
DiVito has been involved in the disposition and leasing of large
manufacturing facilities in Tucson and Sonora, Mexico. His clients benefit
from his diverse marketing skills and in-depth knowledge of the region's
economies, which often allow them to achieve the highest market sales in
the shortest period of time. His expertise in regional economic development
was instrumental in the property valuation and marketing of the Holualoa
and the Speiker multiple market portfolio dispositions that sold in excess
of $110 million. DiVito is a graduate of Bradley University. He is a member
of the Flying Samaritans, Arizona Chapter and a board member for the Steven
M. Gooter Foundation.
Kong was an Associate at CB Richard Ellis and joins Grubb & Ellis as
Vice President, Industrial. Over the past six years, he has focused on
high-level investment analysis and brokerage services.
In 2008, Kong was named to Tucson Business Edge's annual 40 Under 40
list, which recognizes successful local professionals under the age of 40.
He also received the 2008 Up and Comers award from Inside Tucson Business.
Kong is a board member for Junior Achievement of Southern Arizona and
Odaiko Sonora, a non-profit performing arts group. He holds a bachelor's
degree from Vanderbilt University and an MBA from the Eller School of
Management at the University of Arizona.
Soelter joins Grubb & Ellis as Senior Vice President, Retail. Most
recently, he spent 10 years at Bourn Partners, where he began as a retail
broker and transitioned to a Project Principal/Asset Manager. During his
tenure at Bourn, Soelter transacted sale and lease transactions valued in
excess of $165 million and oversaw the operations of a 350,000-square-foot
retail/office portfolio. Prior to joining Bourn in 1998, Soelter was a
Principal at PRISM Real Estate Services, LLC. He is a graduate of the
University of Arizona and a board member for StrengthBuilding Partners, a
non-profit training and coaching organization that works with children,
families, school and businesses.
Townsdin joins Grubb & Ellis as a Vice President, Office. He joined
Bourn Partners in 2001 and quickly become one of the firm's top Office
professionals, representing the needs of a wide range of tenants and
landlords as a member of the firm's Office and Medical Services Division.
During his tenure, he has worked on numerous projects totaling more than
730,000 square feet, including Tucson Office Plaza, 5151 E. Broadway Blvd.,
Mesquite Corporate Centre, Cresta Loma Offices, Rio Nuevo Professional
Plaza and downtown Tucson's La Placita Village. Townsdin earned a
bachelor's degree from the University of Arizona.
About Grubb & Ellis
Grubb & Ellis Company (NYSE: GBE) is one of the largest and most
respected commercial real estate services and investment companies. With
more than 130 owned and affiliate offices worldwide, Grubb & Ellis offers
property owners, corporate occupants and investors comprehensive integrated
real estate solutions, including transaction, management, consulting and
investment advisory services supported by proprietary market research and
extensive local market expertise.
Grubb & Ellis and its subsidiaries are leading sponsors of real estate
investment programs that provide individuals and institutions the
opportunity to invest in a broad range of real estate investment vehicles,
including tax-deferred 1031 tenant-in-common (TIC) exchanges; public
non-traded real estate investment trusts (REITs) and real estate investment
funds. As of June 30, 2008, more than $3.6 billion in investor equity has
been raised for these investment programs. The company and its subsidiaries
currently manage a growing portfolio of more than 218 million square feet
of real estate. In 2007, Grubb & Ellis was selected from among 15,000
vendors as Microsoft Corporation's Vendor of the Year. For more information
regarding Grubb & Ellis Company, please visit http://www.grubb-ellis.com.
SOURCE Grubb & Ellis Company
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CONTACT:
Janice McDill of Grubb & Ellis Company,
+1-312-698-6707, janice.mcdill@grubb-ellis.com
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