Ernest Brown, executive vice president and managing director forSan Antonio, is overseeing the Austin initiative. He says thecompany has leased 3,500 sf at 8303 N. Mopac Expressway for thelaunch pad, shifting the steadily growing team from an executivesuite into a full-size office.

The expansion decision was mortared in the traction that theGrubb & Ellis advance team has gained in recent months. Thoughthere's still work to do, the leasing portfolio is up to 350,000sf, mostly retail space, and another 200,000-sf assignment isawaiting a final signature, Brown tells GlobeSt.com.

Brown has hired one of Austin's senior brokers in the office andindustrial markets, but is keeping his name under wraps for just abit longer. The immediate need, he says, is to add muscle foroffice and industrial brokerage. "We've built a very good,experienced retail team and we have a good multi-housing team," hesays about the ground-level push to become a dominant player onceagain in the city. For the past decade, Grubb & Ellis brokershave commuted 80 miles from San Antonio to service their Austinclients.