BT Commercial plans two offices in the North Bay

NORTH BAY -- At a time when commercial real estate brokers are busy trying to find tenants for millions of square feet of available space in Sonoma, Napa, and Marin counties, San Francisco-based BT Commercial Real Estate/NAI plans to open offices in San Rafael and Petaluma.

BT Commercial is in negotiations to lease two offices for the five brokers it already has working in the North Bay. In the past few months, the brokerage has attracted Greg Moss as managing partner to head up the North Bay push. Mr. Moss has recruited partners Mark Koenig and John Schaefer from CB Richard Ellis, Karen Fairty from The Staubach Company, and Dennis Brisken from San Rafael-based Orion Partners, Ltd.

The 20-year-old brokerage has been looking to fill the North Bay hole in its coverage of northern California for some time, according to CEO Mike Kamm. Increasing institutional involvement in the North Bay has made the market more attractive, he says, pointing to the activities of Wilson/Equity Office, Spieker/Equity Office, Prudential, Monahan-Pacific, and Basin Street Properties.

?We have relationships with these firms through our other offices, and we plan to serve them through our North Bay offices as well as create new relationships,? says Mr. Kamm.

BT Commercial has offices in Oakland, Burlingame, Palo Alto, San Jose, Santa Cruz, Monterey, and two in San Francisco. Future growth areas include the East Bay and Sacramento. With more than 225 total staff, BT Commercial has 150 agents and 16 researchers companywide.

Though market activity in the North Bay has slowed compared to the past year or so, this is a prime time to expand, as BT Commercial did into Burlingame and Oakland during the last recession, Mr. Kamm points out. He also wants the brokerage to be well-positioned when stalled North Bay projects take off again as the economy recovers.

BT Commercial acquired San Francisco-based retail brokerage firm Terranomics Retail Services in 1998 and tenant representation firm Epsteen & Associates two years later, folding its agents into Terranomics. The North Bay offices will fly both the BT Commercial and Terranomics flags.

The close connection to Terranomics persuaded Mr. Koenig to leave CB Richard Ellis after 18 years with the firm and nine years in Marin. Notable deals he's done include the 1994 sale and subsequent full leasing of the 590,000sf Vintage Oaks shopping center in Novato.

?Clients often want the retail component on the front end of the project,? adds Mr. Brisken. ?Terranomics is another arrow in my quiver.?

For more information, call 415-781-8100 or visit www.btcommercial.com.