"I probably couldn't leave the company at a better time or inbetter hands," Thompson tells GlobeSt.com. He says it's too earlyto say specifically what he will be doing in the real estate world,other than to comment, "I'm a real estate guy, and I will continueto be doing real estate investments. I have a lot of differentoptions that I'm weighing right now."

Thompson became chairman of Grubb & Ellis on Dec. 7 lastyear when the Grubb & Ellis merger with NNN Realty Advisors wascompleted. Grubb & Ellis has named independent director GlennL. Carpenter as nonexecutive chairman of the board, meaning a boardchairman who is not a part of the company's executive managementteam.

Carpenter, who has served on Grubb & Ellis' board since themerger with NNN, served on the board of NNN Realty Advisors sinceits formation in November 2006. Since August 2001 he has served asCEO of Newport Beach-based senior housing specialist FountainGlenProperties, and before that he served from 1994 to 2001 as the CEOand founder of Pacific Gulf Properties, a public industrial andapartment REIT. From 1970 to 1994, Carpenter served as CEO and inother posts at Santa Anita Realty Enterprises, a public REIT thatowned and managed a variety of property types.