FORT LAUDERDALE, FL—Greg Matus is switching commercial real estate allegiances. The Marcus & Millichap heavy hitter has signed on with Franklin Street as a regional managing partner.

Specializing in retail investment sales, Matus will focus on the Broward and Palm Beach Counties. Prior to joining Franklin, he ran Marcus & Millichap’s Fort Lauderdale office as the vice president and regional manager of the company’s real estate Investment Services division. He was with the firm for more than a decade.

“Joining Franklin Street is an opportunity I could not pass up,” Matus tells GlobeSt.com. “They are making a lot of things happen in the local market now and have ambitious plans to grow throughout the Southeast US and beyond. I am excited to be playing a role in that process and joining a talented team of professionals with a clear vision of how to succeed.”

Over the next six months, Matus will focus on opening a new office in Fort Lauderdale and building a team of agents specializing in retail tenant and landlord representation. He will also work to grow Franklin Street’s retail investment sales team. As Matus sees it, Broward and Palm Counties are ripe for retail.

“I recently returned from the International Council of Shopping Centers convention in Las Vegas and met a lot of companies that have their sights set on South Florida for the first time, or have plans on expanding the presence they already have,” Matus says. “We want to build a team to capitalize on those business opportunities, similar to the way Franklin Street is operating in other markets right now.”

Over his career, Matus has been involved in thousands of transactions valued at over $3 billion. Beyond retail, his expertise spans the multifamily, hospitality, office, and industrial sectors. Matus was named a Top Agent 10 Agent in M&M’s Fort Lauderdale in 2005 and received multiple National Achievement Awards from the firm. He says he’s thankful for the opportunities M&M offered him.

Matus’ hire is part of a larger move for the company to continue growing its South Florida footprint and service lines in the market. Andrew Wright, Franklin CEO and managing partner, tells GlobeSt.com South Florida is a very important market for the firm.

“We know from past experience, Greg is one of those guys who can get it done,” says Wright. “In our business, it is all about the people and relationships. Greg has built relationships with key contacts in the area and he’s an extremely driven individual who is the embodiment of the type of person we want to build an office and team around.”