Mar 01, 2007

First Industrial Realty Trust

First Industrial Realty Trust named Gary Danklefsen regional director of its new Seattle/Tacoma office. Danklefsen has more than 26 years of commercial real estate experience in corporate relationship management, acquisitions, developments, dispositions and brokerage. He has worked on transactions totaling more than $2 billion and 10 million square-feet of space. He was director of transaction management for CB Richard Ellis, managing the firm's Washington Mutual portfolio and relationship, and also worked for Trammell Crow Co. in Seattle. First Industrial provides industrial real estate services. It owns, operates and has under development more than 100 million square feet of industrial real estate in the United States.

Grubb & Ellis

Grubb & Ellis has added Rob Nielsen as an associate specializing in tenant representation. He graduated Seattle University and spent three years working for a local retail developer performing lease analysis and managing vendor relationships. Rob will focus on Seattle's downtown core.

CREW looks at CB purchase of Trammell

The March 8 luncheon meeting of Commercial Real Estate Women will be held in the Washington Athletic Club starting at 11:30 a.m. with registration and networking. The topic is “Merging Rivals and the Details: CB Richard Ellis' Acquisition of Trammell Crow.” Jim Bowles, senior managing director of CB Richard Ellis, will discuss the largest merger in the history of real estate services. The $2 billion deal made CB Richard Ellis the biggest commercial real estate services firm in the world. Cost is $35 for members and $50 for non-members and walk-ins. Reservations and cancellations must be received by March 5 at noon. Register online at: http://www.crewseattle.org, by mail at CREW Seattle, Box 2016, Edmonds 98020-9516, or by phone at (206) 417-5580.

Feb 22, 2007

Gibraltar

Seattle-based commercial real estate firm Gibraltar promoted John Slonecker to president and CFO. Prior to joining Gibraltar, Slonecker was a senior accountant for Western Wireless Corp. Pamela Keske was hired as senior property manager. She was with Pinnacle Property Management in Seattle. The commercial brokerage team has added Chris Garvin, Chris Stark, James Ellison and Erik Strom. Garvin was with US Bank. Stark was a mortgage broker and entrepreneur. Ellison worked for the past year in commercial real estate. Strom did market research for Westlake Associates. Gibraltar has an office in Kennewick, and owns and operates investment properties in the state valued at $300 million.

Surprise Lake Square

Ace Hardware franchisee Hometown Hardware signed a lease for 21,000 square feet at Surprise Lake Square in Milton. The store will open in the spring. Surprise Lake Square is currently undergoing a $2 million renovation. The 131,000-square-foot center is anchored by Safeway and Rite Aid. Ace Hardware was represented by Rolland Jones of GVA Kidder Mathews. Kevin Wallace of Wallace Properties represented the landlord, WRP Surprise Lake LLC. WRP Surprise Lake is a joint venture of Wallace Properties of Bellevue and a fund administered by Washington Capital Management of Seattle.

CB Richard Ellis

CB Richard Ellis negotiated the sale-leaseback of a 271,000-square-foot office complex in Simi Valley, Calif., on behalf of the Farmers Insurance Group. Jeffrey Thomas of the Seattle office and John Glassmoyer of the Phoenix office represented the seller in the $42 million sale to a New York-based REIT.

NAIOP Young Professionals Group

Celebrate St. Patrick's Day with the NAIOP Young Professionals Group on Wednesday, March 14, at Kell's Irish Restaurant & Pub on Post Alley. Admission includes food and two drink tickets. The event will go from 4:30 p.m. to 7:30 p.m. For information contact Jillanne Bates at NAIOP at (206) 382-9121.