Lee & Associates Expands With New Office In South Carolina
Torrance, CA – May 11, 2011 – (RealEstateRama) — Lee & Associates, one of the largest commercial real estate brokerage firms in the country, has opened its newest office in Greenville, S.C. The firm now has 43 offices nationwide as it remains committed to its expansion campaign scheduled to continue through 2011.
The addition of Greenville-based Bentley Commercial LLC to Lee’s list of regional offices comes on the heels of recent Lee & Associates office openings including Indianapolis last fall and Kansas City, Kan., last month.
Edward J. Indvik, chairman of the Lee Advisory Board and vice chairman of Lee & Associates Investment Services Group, indicates that Lee’s new office marks another important stride in the company’s national strategy and its commitment in strengthening its Southeast presence.
“While Lee & Associates has been increasing its Midwest presence, the addition of our South Carolina office marks another strategic venture in the Southeast,” Indvik said. “Greenville has a population of 1.3 million and growing, has been established as a hub for many important industries, and is a valuable access artery to and from the Port of Charleston. These factors make the Greenville office an invaluable complement to our Atlanta office and will allow us to continue our expansion in the Carolinas, Florida, Georgia and the rest of the Southeast.”
Lee & Associates Greenville is located at 101 W. Court St., Suite A, in Greenville’s central business district, resting in a region dubbed “the boom belt” due to its stance as one of the fastest growing areas in the U.S. Greenville is the largest city in the region and is approximately 140 miles northeast of Atlanta and 200 miles southeast of the Port of Charleston, S.C. The office is managed by four principals and headed by P. Randall Bentley, who formed Bentley Commercial in 2005 and brings more than 37 years of real estate experience to Lee & Associates.
“Bentley Commercial is a highly regarded and well-established company with deep roots in this growing region,” Indvik said. “Randall Bentley’s team and Lee & Associates share the same mission in business philosophy, which is to bring a focus to forming unique relationships with each client. The Bentley team is backed by experience and a strong sales and marketing strategy that is measured by its decades of success.”
Principals Martha Flora, Kevin Bentley and Laurens Nicholson join Randall Bentley in leading Lee Greenville. Randall Bentley’s real estate experience started as the owner and manager of his own Century 21 affiliate office for 10 years. He then joined a local commercial real estate firm specializing in industrial properties. Prior to forming Bentley Commercial he joined NAI Earle Furman, where he played an integral part in growing the firm from four brokers to 25 brokers while eventually becoming the company’s chief operating officer.
Bentley expects his new Lee office, which supports the Greenville/Spartanburg area of South Carolina and its 10 counties, to immediately boost Lee & Associates in that region.
“A strong presence in South Carolina provides a strategic hub that will help support Lee & Associates’ expansion plans,” Randall Bentley said. “With our team of senior brokers bringing more than 65 years of experience in the Upstate South Carolina market, we know that we are in a position to help the Lee model thrive in the Southeast.”
Bentley has completed nearly 300 transactions since starting Bentley Commercial, with more than $91 million in volume. Additionally, he has developed numerous projects with values ranging from $1 million to $9.5 million. He also was named a Co-Star Power Broker in industrial lease transactions from 2007 to 2009.
Greenville is in the center of Greenville County, as well as the Upstate South Carolina region. Located approximately 200 miles from the Port of Charleston, Lee Greenville is nearby to more than 250 national and international firms. The Port serves more than 150 countries and is in the midst of a 10-year, $1.3 billion capital improvement plan.
About Lee & Associates
Celebrating more than 32 years of leadership excellence in commercial real estate, Lee & Associates is the largest broker-owned firm in the nation, with 43 locations across the nation including Arizona, California, Georgia, Idaho, Indiana, Illinois, Kansas, Michigan, Missouri, Nevada, New Jersey, South Carolina, Texas and Wisconsin. With a roster of nearly 700 expert brokers, Lee & Associates provides a wide range of specialized commercial real estate services. Additional information is available at www.lee-associates.com.
