Picor Commercial Forges Alliance With C&W

Thomas Johnston, C&W's senior managing director in Phoenix, says Picor and C&W have always had a good relationship, regularly working together and referring deals and leads. When it came time for C&W to grow toward Tucson, he says Picor was the logical company to approach.

"We view them as a top commercial real estate company in the region there," Johnston explains. "Grubb and CB each have a presence in Tucson, but we don't so this worked out well for us."

By teaming with Picor, C&W gets some feet on the ground in the fast-growing Tucson market. Additionally, there are many C&W clients in and around the city.

"We end up with better market coverage, particularly in the Casa Grande area," Johnston explains. Casa Grande, which lies midway between Tucson and Phoenix, has been attractive to industrial and distribution investors and tenants because of its location, he adds. And, he predicts a great deal of leasing, investment and development activities are sure to continue in that area.

Johnston tells GlobeSt.com that the Picor alliance also brings Cushman closer to Mexico. "We have a presence there already, overseen by our San Diego office. But this gives us the ability to manage Mexico, particularly on the other side of Nogales," Johnston points out.

While Picor and C&W get their arms around the new partnership, Johnston acknowledges he's already eyeing the next target--Yuma. Located on the California-Arizona border and also near Mexico, Yuma would be a strategic location for C&W. "If they put a port in the Baja Peninsula as they're talking about, then there could be rail running through Yuma and development following that," Johnston says. "But we're not planning to move there anytime soon. Our plan to grow Arizona first involved Tucson, then Yuma."