Daniel Herrold, the company's executive managing director of business development, says the firm's CEO Stan Johnson had been searching out ways to successfully grow the company. After discussing the scenario with many peers nationwide, Johnson determined that the fast, and best, way to grow was to expand outside of Tulsa.

"Houston, to some degree, was the guinea pig for an overall expansion plan," Herrold acknowledges. He tells GlobeSt.com that the executive managers at Stan Johnson Co. wanted to be sure that the corporate culture was preserved, even in a branch that wasn't close to Tulsa.

"Frankly, they were thrilled because the (Houston) brokers were able to preserve the culture and personality of the Tulsa firm, and bring it to a new location," Herrold comments. "Once we saw the Houston brokers could successfully collaborate with the Tulsa brokers, we knew it would work, and we could take this to the next level."

The various locations for growth were chosen for several reasons, one of which was that the company's client mix is evenly distributed throughout these regions. Furthermore, each of the locations is an easy airplane ride from Tulsa. Even better, Herrold says, is these cities and areas make ideal hubs, as regional travel is fairly simple from these locations.

Herrold explains there is no set timeline to get the offices up and running, though "in a perfect world, I'd like to open at least two new locations this year. We'd be ecstatic if we could do more." A lot of the timeline, he notes, depends on the brokers interviewed and hired in these regions, though he acknowledges the company could announce a new opening within the next 30 days.

Though Stan Johnson Co. prefers to expand through personnel hiring, Herrold says he's amenable to acquisition of smaller firms, as long as the cultures are a good fit. "There are several small net-lease firms on the West Coast and in the southeast that would be perfect complements to our company," he remarks. "We'll probably approach those groups. But first and foremost, the strategy is to hire net lease professionals that are focused on exclusively, or doing the majority of their business, in net-lease space."