Edward C. Rammrath, owner of Rammrath Realty Ventures Inc., makes a break from 18 years as an independent and heads to the corporate world. Rammrath's firm owns seven shopping centers, which will remain under his ownership, and is responsible for closing $142 million in transactions in the last 18 years.

Rammrath tells GlobeSt.com that being an independent adds value to his new employer's hierarchy because he is well positioned to analyze purchases from the buyer's perspective. In the newly created job, Rammrath primarily will be acquiring properties for the Dallas-based Weitzman affiliate, Cencor Acquisition Co., and working with clients for acquisitions and dispositions.

Earlier this year, Cencor and GE Capital formed a strategic alliance that has set aside $100 million to purchase grocery-anchored and significant, class A retail assets. The first deal came down in Austin, with a $128-million purchase of eight shopping centers. Rammrath says the acquisition didn't rob the entire war chest since it was leveraged in today's favorable financing climate.

As for Houston, Rammrath hopes to beef up Weitzman's holdings in the market. He is aggressively looking at properties with price tags between $8 million and $10 million. His other priorities include the disposition of five older properties owned by GE in the Houston area.