Perpich says his attention was first drawn to Grubb when former Cushman & Wakefield employees Paul Lundstedt and John Gavin moved to the firm in February as SVPs in the Institutional Capital Markets Group. When this position opened up, he says he saw the opportunity as a refreshing chance to move from the ownership side on which he's worked for the past two decades.

"It's an exciting opportunity to grow the business and the management portfolio, and work with the existing portfolio by tapping into my relationships in the industry," Perpich tells GlobeSt.com. "It's a different role for me, as I've spent past years on the ownership side and now I'll be on the other side of the table. But I'll be able to take the knowledge and experience I have and apply it to the management side."

Most recently, Perpich worked at Morgan Stanley until September, when the company shrunk its Chicago operation. In his five years with Morgan Stanley, he had worked as executive director, managing a $1 billion, 5.5-million-square-foot office, industrial and retail portfolio in the Midwest.

After getting his BS and BA from the University of Denver and MBA from DePaul University, he began his career in 1988 at Economics Research Associates. He went on to eight years with Equitable Real Estate Investment Management and six years at Lend Lease Real Estate Investments, where he worked as a principal in Asset Management. Perpich says today's market presents an almost unprecedented opportunity for growth, especially in Midwest markets including Chicago as well as Minneapolis/St. Paul, Indianapolis, St. Louis and Milwaukee.

"This is a really great time to gain market share in management with so many assets transitioning in the next 12 to 18 months, and that's how I looked at this position," Perpich says. "It's a considerable opportunity for companies such as Grubb, who are really well-positioned to increase market share, especially with the staffing and talent they've acquired. I'll be working with my contacts in the marketplace to stay in front of properties selling or transitioning, and position Grubb & Ellis to be able to manage those properties and also pick up leasing and investment sales assignments."