"It's a positive for everyone," Marcus tells GlobeSt.com. "Thereare new and promising things happening every day, and we lookforward to pursuing the opportunities we think are going to be outthere." The effort is underpinned by a staff featuring acquisitionsace William McAvoy; design/construction specialist David Fiore, whowill lead the firm's Connecticut office; and Mark Stroud, a 25-yearindustry professional who is running the Florida operations. Allwere at Davis Marcus Partners, as was SVP of Development JanMachnik, and SVP of Construction and Development Peter Scoba.Finance Director Lori Shea joins the firm from Lyme Properties.

About three-quarters of the 40 Davis Marcus Partners employeesare staying on at the Davis Cos. Its leader reports his firm ishiring several senior real estate professionals to fill in the gapsof those departing for Marcus Partners, which will be headquarteredat 75 Park Plaza in Boston's Back Bay. Davis is already hitting theground running with his resurrected firm, unveiling the purchase ofa $75-million loan pool backed mainly by properties in thesoutheast. "Things are great," says Davis. "We are excited andenergized by what we see."

The loan pool, financed by a major life insurance company,demonstrates that the Davis Cos. will consider multiplegeographies, but Davis explains that the firm's bailiwick will befrom southern New Hampshire to metropolitan New York, the sameterritory he has concentrated on for more than three decades.