Waters tells GlobeSt.com that he will be taking a hands-on approach and beating the bushes for more clients alongside his 20-member staff. Waters is tasked with Texas, Phoenix and New Orleans markets as well as being an ad hoc representative, as needed, in other markets for corporate advisory services. There is no realignment in store for the division under the new leader. But, he says, "we will be stepping up our aggressiveness to add new business." Waters confides that a new corporate client, whose name is well known and being kept under wraps, will be signed up within 30 days.

Waters says he is looking to beef up business by 20% in the coming year. "The corporate advisory services segment of the industry is growing," he says, "and I think we need to aim high." In line with the bid for more corporate clients will be a staff increase in Houston and Dallas and down the road in Austin. Two will be come aboard immediately and two more in the fall.

Waters, a 12-year veteran of the commercial real estate world, says the initiative for the specialized division results from similar operations with Transwestern's competitors. And like the competitors, he wants to develop a "one-stop shop" for all areas of real estate needs. It's an ongoing evolution that is steering the full-service broker away from being strictly transactions driven to linear thinking about long-term client goals, he explains.