Hill, who started with PGP straight out of college and now hastwo years of partnership status under his belt, will leave thecompany this month after 14 years to broker investment sales forGrubb & Ellis. Hill told GlobeSt.com that the chance of doingthe same thing for 30 years and remaining enthusiastic about it isslim, while the urge to forge new territory is strong.

"I got to the point where I was managing the office, and lookingahead 15, 20 years, I thought I should try at least one other thingbefore I'm done," Hill told GlobeSt.com. "If I was five years awayfrom retirement, I probably wouldn't be making the move."

So instead of a profit-sharing partnership with PGP, he's divinginto the risky world of commission-based brokerage. Nonetheless,Hill's appraisal experience has him confident he can perform."Investment sales are a more complicated, sophisticatedtransaction, and my background gives me an advantage," he said."Who better to tell you how much you can sell your property for; Ithink I've got a pretty good pitch for that."