The Muller Company Adds Two Commercial Real Estate Industry Veterans to Expand its Corporate Ranks
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Lori Ann Haigh Named Director of Business Development and Susan G. Rosenblatt Named Director of Asset Management

LAGUNA HILLS, CALIF. – The Muller Company, specializing in managing, investing and developing commercial real estate in the western United States, announces today that the firm has added two commercial real estate industry veterans to its corporate ranks. Lori Ann Haigh, former Vice President of National Sales at First American Title, will serve as The Muller Company's Director of Business Development; and Susan G. Rosenblatt, former Senior Vice President at Wells Fargo Bank, has been named Director of Asset Management. These additions will assist The Muller Company in expanding its business platform and growing its current portfolio of nearly 11 million square feet under management in California and the Phoenix markets.

As the new Director of Business Development, Haigh will be responsible for maintaining communications and relations with key industry contacts in order to provide The Muller Company with new partnership opportunities and fee management contracts. Haigh comes to The Muller Company with 15 years experience in the commercial title insurance industry where she advanced to the position of Vice President of National Sales at both Land America Commercial Services as well as First American Title Insurance. Haigh received a Bachelor Degree in Public Relations from the University of Southern California. A resident of Tustin, Haigh is a third-generation native Californian with a family history in serving the real estate community.

"My decision to work for The Muller Company was actually quite easy," said Haigh. "It's one thing to know the track record of a company; however, having worked with The Muller Company as a longstanding customer of mine while I was in the title business, I know the owners of The Muller Company; I know their character, their integrity, and their entrepreneurial spirit and passion for excellence. I consider it a privilege to have been chosen to expand their third-party management division."

Rosenblatt, as the Director of Asset Management, will be responsible for all aspects of debt capital management, including managing The Muller Company’s existing project financings and strategic lender and partner relationships as well as sourcing new debt and equity for future expansion. Rosenblatt has nearly 20 years of hands-on experience in commercial real estate finance from Wells Fargo Bank. She led all syndication activities for 20 real estate production groups and marketed to top national and middle market developers to win syndicated transactions as the Agent Bank. She received a Bachelor of Business Administration in Finance and Management from The College of William and Mary and a Masters of Business Administration from San Diego State University. She is a Licensed Real Estate Broker and currently lives in Newport Beach.

"I am delighted to take the role of Director of Asset Management for The Muller Company based on the company's outstanding reputation and track record in the real estate industry. The company has an extremely cohesive and dynamic management team with a strong base of talented employees with impressive tenure. The company's linear and nimble organizational structure, combined with the vision of the two key principals, will position it for significant growth in the future," says Rosenblatt.

Both women are highly involved in their industry and are members of National Association of Industrial and Office Properties (NAIOP), Commercial Real Estate Women (CREW) and International Association of Shopping Centers (ICSC). Rosenblatt is additionally involved in Real Estate Lenders Association (RELA) and Haigh spends time participating with Women in Leadership, Society of Industrial and Office Realtors (SIOR) and the National Charity League.

According to Stephen J. Muller, Principal, The Muller Company sees Haigh and Rosenblatt as tremendous assets and believes they will help spearhead the firm’s 2010 goals of refinancing, finding new institutional partners and growing the fee management side of the business. Haigh and Rosenblatt will report to Muller and also company Principal, Jon M. Muller.

In addition to the two new hires, The Muller Company attracts and retains many other highly talented individuals such as Christina DuCote', CPM, RPA, who was recently nominated by readers and editors of the San Diego Daily Transcript as their "Top Influential," based upon her actions and opinions strongly influencing San Diego's real estate and business community. She is the Senior Property Manager at Torrey Pines Court in La Jolla, Calif., a 200,000-square-foot office park, which was purchased by The Muller Company in a joint venture with Rockwood Capital in July 2005. When purchased, the project was 56 percent leased and had severe functional challenges. With a construction cost of approximately $26 million, The Muller Company renovated three of the existing buildings down to the raw structure, redeveloping it to a first class research and development facility. After completion, Torrey Pines Court was awarded Energy Star status and became a recipient of BOMA 2008 Building of the Year award and recently reached 100 percent occupancy with major tenants such as NOAA, Orexigen and Wireless Health.

About The Muller Company
The Muller Company has over 30 years of experience in developing, acquiring and managing a diverse portfolio of over 20 million square feet of office, industrial and retail real estate throughout the western United States, with nearly 11 million square feet under management in the California and Phoenix markets. Over the years, The Muller Company has partnered with institutional owners such as GE Capital, Capmark Financial, Rockwood Capital, BlackRock, ING Realty and MetLife. Empowered by an entrepreneurial spirit and guided by an owner’s perspective, The Muller Company excels at mining the long-term value from every asset that it manages by adding value, either through leasing, capital improvements, refinancing, operational audits and repositioning. For more information, contact the Director of Business Development, Lori Ann Haigh at 949.460.5380 or visit http://www.blogger.com/www.themullercompany.com.

Hanley Investment Group Sells Multi-Tenant Retail Strip Center in Orange County, Calif. for $3,000,000
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Tustin Retail Center Sells for $312 PSF

IRVINE, CALIF. – Hanley Investment Group Real Estate Advisors, one of the most dominant retail investment groups in the western United States and a market leader in the sale of retail properties, announced today Edward B. Hanley and Eric P. Wohl of Hanley Investment Group represented the seller in the sale of a multi-tenant retail strip center in Orange County, Calif. The purchase price was $2,990,007, representing $312 per square foot.

The 9,597-square-foot retail center, known as Walnut Newport Center, is located at 13842 Newport Avenue in Tustin. The four-tenant strip center is anchored by Blockbuster Video and is situated on a 0.74 acre parcel of land. Built in 1986, Walnut Newport Center was 100 percent occupied at the time of sale.

“It was a rare sale of a multi-tenant strip center in Orange County,” said Edward B. Hanley, president at Hanley Investment Group. “Due to the property’s excellent location and surrounding demographics, we experienced a great deal of interest.”

“It was a challenging transaction due to the uncertainty of Blockbuster Video as a tenant in today’s market and the fact that they occupied approximately 65 percent of the property’s square footage,” said Eric P. Wohl, a vice president at Hanley Investment Group. “The strength of the location overcame initial objections and the future potential to re-tenant the space if Blockbuster Video were to vacate the premises.”

Hanley notes the sale was an all cash transaction.

The buyer, Lee Family Trust of Orange County, Calif. was represented by Chuck Hathoot of Prudential California Realty based in Laguna Niguel, Calif. The seller was Westwood Financial of Los Angeles, Calif.

About Hanley Investment Group Real Estate Advisors
Built on a solid foundation of performance, integrity and dedication, Hanley Investment Group Real Estate Advisors is a boutique retail investment advisory firm with a two billion dollar transaction track record that is comprised of innovative specialists delivering unparalleled service and superior results that consistently exceed client expectations. Hanley Investment Group’s expertise, commitment and unwavering focus of putting the client’s needs first have continued to set the company apart in the industry. Hanley Investment Group works closely with individual investors, developers, and institutional property owners in every facet of the transaction to insure that the highest value is achieved. Clients rely on Hanley Investment Group to be the most knowledgeable and trusted source for valuation services, market information and retail property acquisitions and dispositions. For more information, visit the Company’s website at hanleyinvestment.com or call (949) 585-7610.

Hanley Investment Groups Sells Single-Tenant NNN Red Robin Restaurant in Riverside County for $2,040,000
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All Cash, 1031 Exchange Buyer Closes Escrow in 28 Days

IRVINE, CALIF. – Hanley Investment Group Real Estate Advisors, one of the most dominant retail investment groups in the western United States and a market leader in the sale of retail properties, announced today that Edward B. Hanley and William B. Asher represented the seller in the sale of the fee-simple ownership in the land leased to a single-tenant NNN Red Robin Restaurant in Menifee, Calif. The purchase price was $2,040,000.

Located in Riverside County at 30142 Haun Road in Menifee, the single-tenant Red Robin Restaurant is a pad building situated within the Countryside Marketplace, the dominant power center in the region anchored by Super Target, Lowe’s, Kohl’s, Best Buy, Staples and Michaels. Other notable tenants include Tilly’s, Old Navy, Petco, BevMo, In-N-Out, Wells Fargo, Chipotle and Starbucks. Built in 2008, Red Robin occupies a 6,050-square-foot free-standing building situated on a 1.37-acre parcel of land.

“Single-tenant NNN retail properties continue to be one of the most sought after investments in today’s commercial real estate market,” said Edward B. Hanley, president of Hanley Investment Group Real Estate Advisors. “Quality single-tenant NNN investments like the Red Robin are in high demand, selling quickly and to cash buyers.”

“The Red Robin benefits from an outstanding location within a power center that features a high quality mix of credit tenants that generate customer traffic from not only the local area but regionally as well,” said William B. Asher, managing director at Hanley Investment Group. “Single-tenant NNN retail properties will continue to experience the highest sales velocity in 2010.”

Asher notes the buyer paid cash and fulfilled a 1031 exchange with the purchase which closed escrow in 28 days.

The buyer, Lew 1st – Crenshaw Properties, LLC of Glendale, Calif., was represented by James Kwon of Coldwell Banker Best Realty in Fullerton, Calif. The seller was Donahue Schriber Realty Group of Costa Mesa, Calif.

About Hanley Investment Group Real Estate Advisors
Built on a solid foundation of performance, integrity and dedication, Hanley Investment Group Real Estate Advisors is a boutique retail investment advisory firm with a two billion dollar transaction track record that is comprised of innovative specialists delivering unparalleled service and superior results that consistently exceed client expectations. Hanley Investment Group’s expertise, commitment and unwavering focus of putting the client’s needs first have continued to set the company apart in the industry. Hanley Investment Group works closely with individual investors, developers, and institutional property owners in every facet of the transaction to insure that the highest value is achieved. Clients rely on Hanley Investment Group to be the most knowledgeable and trusted source for valuation services, market information and retail property acquisitions and dispositions. For more information, visit the Company’s website at www.hanleyinvestment.com or call (949) 585-7610.

Investec Announces Acquisition of $21 Million Shopping Center The Plaza at Sunbow in San Diego
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Investec Continues to Seek Grocery Anchored Centers in California

SANTA BARBARA, CALIF. – Investec, specializing in the acquisition, development, management and leasing of retail properties in California, is pleased to announce its newest acquisition, The Plaza at Sunbow in San Diego, California. The 100,000-square-foot shopping center, which was purchased for approximately $21 million, is anchored by Ralphs and CVS, along with a host of national retailers including Starbucks, McDonald’s, KFC and T-Mobile. The transaction was sourced by Investec as an off-market acquisition opportunity from a private investor.

The Plaza at Sunbow was developed in 2002 by Kitchell Development in the suburbs of San Diego and has been the dominant neighborhood shopping center in its trade area. The center, which is 100 percent occupied, is situated on 11 acres at the northeast corner of Medical Center Drive and Palomar Street.

"We are always pleased when we can acquire quality assets like Sunbow, which provide us a quality center with a high performing grocer and pharmacy in strong in-fill markets," said Grant Harris, Investec's Director of Acquisitions. "Sunbow has performed very well since it was built, and we are confident it will continue to thrive with the quality and mix of tenants currently in place."

Harris said the addition of Sunbow brings Investec's retail portfolio to nearly 2,000,000 square feet of retail space in California, valued at over $620 million. Investec represented itself in the transaction, while the seller was advised by Mark Lucescu of Lucescu Realty.

According to Kenneth Slaught, President of Investec, "Contrary to the general gloom about retail real estate, not all retail real estate is the same. Much of the adverse retail press has been focused on discretionary retail or the woes affecting large niche chains. In contrast, all of our existing grocery anchor tenants have shown sales increases averaging 2.9 percent over the past 12 months. With the grocery and drug stores typically accounting for approximately 60 percent of the leasable area of our centers, we are confident that our gross sales increases will continue at all of our shopping centers."

Traffic and sales are increasing at Investec's necessity-based shopping centers as consumers return to basics by eating at home more often and by searching Investec’s discount retailers for bargains. "Knowing this type of real estate in California, particularly Coastal California, is performing well during this severe downturn has us excited about the future," Slaught stated. "We plan to continue buying the same type of properties in Coastal California, but during the next few years, we are going to have a once-in-a-generation opportunity to buy this exclusive asset class at below replacement cost."

In October 2009, Investec completed the development of Gene Autry Plaza, a new $17.5 million 60,000-square-foot shopping center in Palm Springs, Calif. and celebrated the grand opening of the first ground-up Smart & Final Extra! store in California. The center also includes Staples and 11,500 square feet of shop space.

For more information about Investec's acquisition criteria, please contact Grant Harris at 805-962-8989 x343 or grant@investecre.com.

ABOUT INVESTEC
Since its inception in 1983, Investec has handled more than one billion dollars in real estate transactions. Having thrived in one of the nation's most competitive real estate markets for more than 25 years, Investec remains ideally positioned for continued growth in this dynamic and challenging industry during turbulent economic times. Investec's current portfolio includes more than 2.5 million square feet of commercial properties under management in California including shopping centers, office buildings and self-storage facilities. Investec's acquisition and development strategy is primarily focused on necessity-based, recession-resistant market/drug anchored neighborhood shopping centers. For more information, call 805.962.8989 or visit www.investecre.com.