Los Angeles, Calif. (February 7, 2017) – As part of its aggressive West Coast growth strategy, Kidder Mathews, a commercial real estate firm, announced it has completed discussions to merge with Heger Industrial, one of the most dominant industrial real estate firms in Los Angeles. The newly merged company, which retains the Kidder Mathews name and operating structure, will combine its powerful full-service platform and respected leadership with Heger’s breadth and depth of industrial market knowledge, relationships, and sophisticated vision for future market expansion.
As part of the merger, Heger’s CEO Robert Thornburgh, SIOR – one of the most respected real estate professionals in the Los Angeles market – joins the Kidder Mathews executive leadership committee. In conjunction with Kidder Mathews’ chairman and CEO Jeff Lyon, Thornburgh will help drive the newly enhanced firm’s overall vision, growth, and strategy, and continue to grow the firm’s portfolio, which now exceeds more than 45 million square feet of various real estate assets throughout the West Coast region.
Headquartered in Los Angeles, Heger Industrial manages one of the largest independent portfolios of industrial properties in the Los Angeles area, employs 35 commercial real estate professionals and staff, and maintains offices in Long Beach, California, Commerce, California, and Phoenix, Arizona.
“We have been looking for the right opportunity to expand into Los Angeles and add to our regional offices in the San Diego, Orange County, and Inland Empire markets,” Lyon said. “Heger is an elite firm who was similarly looking for a like-minded partner to strategically expand their platform, and it soon became evident that this merger was highly accretive for both sides. Our cultures, vision, and approach dovetail perfectly.”
Heger is led by partners Robert Thornburgh, and executive vice president Tom Holland. Both will serve as executive vice president and partners at Kidder Mathews. Thornburgh and Holland each hold the esteemed designations of the Society of Industrial and Office Realtors (SIOR), Certified Commercial Investment Member (CCIM), and Certified Property Manager (CPM). Thornburgh is the current global vice president of SIOR, and will become its global president in 2018.
“Merging with Kidder Mathews is the ideal next step in ensuring that our clients always come first,” Thornburgh said. “Both firms share a dynamic, entrepreneurial spirit. Merging Heger’s local presence, reputation, success, and insights, with Kidder Mathews’ enhanced services platform and market reach only increases our total capabilities.”
“Heger Industrial has an exceptional reputation, and our professionals know each other through common clients and in the natural course of doing business,” added Lyon. “We have also collaborated through SIOR, where our firms have many active members. Kidder Mathews has 109 industrial agents, 28 of whom are SIORs. Heger brings an additional eight SIORs to our roster, creating a significant industrial brokerage force throughout the West Coast.”
Lyon further noted that the merger with Heger Industrial provides a nucleus in Los Angeles from which the Kidder Mathews will expand its full-service platform, with all commercial property types and services offered.
“To really stand out in today’s competitive landscape, our vision has been to expand our platform with the right partner that complements our core principles and culture, and one that enhances our service offering and geographic reach,” Thornburgh said. “Kidder Mathews quickly emerged as the perfect partner to meet our objectives, both operationally and culturally. They have tremendous growth momentum and are redefining the characteristics of a successful real estate company. It is very exciting to see what they have done and what we will continue to do, together, in the region.”
“The Kidder Mathews professionals and leadership represent the same integrity and high standards that we have developed at Heger, giving both sides a strong desire to work together and grow,” Holland said. “Everyone in our firm is excited and extremely proud to join Kidder Mathews, and to begin building toward the collective bright future of the merged entity.”
Over the past two years, Kidder Mathews has grown to 20 offices on the West Coast with over 650 professionals and staff. In addition to Kidder Mathews’ Washington, Oregon, Nevada, and Arizona offices, the firm’s California offices include four in the Bay Area/Northern California, San Diego, Carlsbad, Orange County, Inland Empire, and now the L.A. basin. While other commercial brokerages have recently been swept up in a wave of nationwide consolidation, Kidder Mathews continues to capitalize on this trend by offering its unique platform to attract high caliber professionals including higher commissions, streamlined management structure, sophisticated marketing support, and the opportunity for every employee to become a shareholder.
About Kidder Mathews
Kidder Mathews is the largest independently owned commercial real estate firm on the West Coast, with over 650 real estate professionals and staff in 20 offices in Washington, Oregon, California, Nevada, and Arizona. Kidder Mathews offers a complete range of brokerage, appraisal, property management, consulting, sustainability, and project and construction management services for all property types. The firm performs $5.6 billion in transactions, manages 45 million square feet of space, and conducts 1,300 appraisals annually. For more information, visit kiddermathews.com
About Heger Industrial
Heger Industrial is a full-service industrial real estate company that provides brokerage, property management, investment and consulting services. Formed in 1957, Heger Industrial operates exclusively in the industrial real estate sector throughout the West Coast. The firm’s offerings include leading edge research and comprehensive market data, unmatched personal service, and a singular focus to create significant value for landlords, tenants and investors while maintaining the highest standards of integrity in the industry. hegerindustrial.com.