Storm is a 75-year-old privately owned firm that is one of theoldest continuously operated companies in Southern California. Itrecently sold $54 million worth of its real estate holdings,primarily in the Torrance area, to TA Associates Realty of Boston.The properties included a 500,000-square-foot portfolio ofindustrial buildings that sold for $52 million and a20,000-square-foot industrial building in the 1,117-acre ValenciaIndustrial Center in Valencia.

Tom Grzywacz, CEO of parent company Storm Industries, says thatSimard's mission in his new post will be to diversify, strengthenand expand the company's real estate holdings. Storm is completingthe second phase of Storm Business Park, a 40-acre project inTorrance that will feature 10 new industrial buildings.

Before joining Storm four years ago, Simard served as projectdirector of Midwest operations for Velocitel Inc. and as a senioracquisition and zoning attorney for the Everest Group LLC. Storm,which was established in 1932, has evolved from a basicmanufacturing enterprise into a family of business units thatinclude Storm Properties Inc., Storm Western Development Inc.,Storm Manufacturing Group and Industrial Parts Depot.