Madison Marquette's western region managing director Eric Hohmann says LeMone's property management and operations experience "rounds out our senior management team."

LeMone has 10 years of experience managing retail properties throughout the country. Most recently, he was the San Jose, ca-based director of West Coast real estate property operations for Federal Realty Investment Trust. Prior to that, LeMone oversaw several Simon Property Group properties including Northeast Mall, The Shops at North East Mall and Golden Triangle Mall, all in Dallas.

While not a larger portfolio than he oversaw for Federal Realty, LeMone tells GlobeSt.com it's an upward move for him because he will have more responsibility at Madison Marquette. "I'll be ultimately responsible for asset management while working on the business development side," he says. "I'll be looking to grow Madison Marquette's services."

With regard to market conditions, LeMone says the Bay Area has been somewhat shielded from the downturn. While some big retailers are slowing down he's seeing more foreign and local tenants picking up some of the slack.

"The market depends on the location," he says. "Specific West Coast markets are not necessarily representative of what's happening nationally."