Firsel will lead a team that now includes Art Burrows, senior vice president; John Bulle, associate; Kyle Glascott, associate and John Skaggs, director of marketing. Firsel tells GlobeSt.com that the new department will round out the offerings by NAI in Chicagoland, with $55 million in assets already listed.

"There's really a lot of potential at the company," Firsel says. "They're doing a significant book of business in office, industrial and retail. Now we can bring in investment sales to round out the offering. This will close a hole in service here."

This is the second division the Chicago branch of NAI Global has formed this year; in April, Chicago broker Daniel Beider became the head of NAI Global Hotels, which will focus on providing services to private and institutional owners, investors, developers and operators of properties in the lodging and hospitality sector for the Princeton, NJ-based company. Other members of the hotel division are located in areas such as Texas, California, New York, Canada and Mexico.

As former executive vice president of Baum's investment sales division, Firsel closed transactions valued in excess of $400 million in three years. Firsel recently represented both the buyer and seller--two locally based private investors--in the sale of Pebblewood Plaza, a 65,000-sf retail center located at 1550 N. State St., on Route 59 in Naperville.

"We are pleased to welcome such and experienced and respected real estate professional to lead the charge of our newly created division," says Dennis Hiffman, NAI chairman/CEO.