IRVINE, CA-Faris Lee Investments has expanded its investment banking platform with the addition of 25-year real estate industry veteran Terry Thompson as managing director of business development, a post in which he will lead a national focus on institutional client growth. Thompson, who formerly was with WCB Properties as partner in charge of acquisitions, tells GlobeSt.com that Faris Lee sees a greater need than ever before for the full range of investment banking and advisory services that the company provides for its clients, including a growing number of institutional clients.

Faris Lee, an advisory and brokerage firm specializing in retail real estate, “has done a great job of penetrating the CMBS world and the special servicers, and sees an opportunity to capitalize on its expertise both on a regional and national basis for even more clients, both on a single-property basis and on a portfolio basis,” Thompson says.

Thompson comes to Faris Lee following a six-year tenure with WCB, where he was responsible for all acquisition activities including placement of a $300 million Southern California value-add fund with UBS. With a number of institutional relationships honed throughout his career, he brings significant experience in business development and advising institutional clients and financial partners. His career includes extensive experience with repositioning assets and creating and increasing asset and portfolio value.

Thompson will work directly with Faris Lee executives Rich Walter, president, and Donald MacLellan, senior managing director, to build the platform on a national scale and bring Faris Lee’s retail investment approach to a wider client base. “Terry brings a deeper, long-standing insight of the institutional market to our platform and will work to add greater value to portfolio clients and their retail property holdings,” said Walter.

For Faris Lee, this year marked an increased emphasis on positioning the firm’s investment sales expertise and capital markets intelligence on a national level as part of an integrated investment services platform that encompasses Faris Lee Investment Banking, Faris Lee Capital, and Faris Lee Advisors. Thompson’s hiring “is an important element in the firm’s overall services platform delivery to Faris Lee’s growing institutional client base across the US,” the company said in an announcement regarding his appointment.

Thompson says that Faris Lee’s platform has capabilities in every facet of investment and advisory services required in today’s market. “There are still a lot of problems in the marketplace, such as retail properties with debt issues, capital issues and other concerns, and one of Faris Lee’s roles with clients is to solve those problems,” he says. “They see a need and an opportunity to penetrate the institutional portion of the market on a wider basis with this new national business development position.”

Thompson notes that, earlier this year, Faris Lee promoted Richard Berlinghof, a 26-year financial industry executive, to the role of managing partner of Faris Lee Capital in New York City, as reported on GlobeSt.com. Also this year, Faris Lee hired industry veteran Rick Chicester as its chief operating officer.

Chichester commented on Thompson’s hiring: “Faris Lee Investment Banking Group is strategically designed for the institutional and professional investor segment, and Terry is a dynamic addition to the team and culture. This move strengthens our overall platform by leveraging the firm’s investment advisory and sales expertise, financial insight and intelligence, and collaborative culture.”

Before WCB Properties, Thompson was a senior vice president for PM Realty Group, where he led its business development efforts and directed delivery of commercial real estate services to PM Realty Group’s institutional clients throughout Southern California. He also served as regional vice president with Legacy Partners, directing portfolio decisions and services consisting of approximately 13 million square feet of commercial properties while overseeing a staff of over 40 employees throughout Southern California.