Stevens Group principal Mark Stevens confirms for GlobeSt.com that the companies are merging and emphasizes that the partnership is beneficial for both parties. "We were looking to expand our market and to provide our clients with additional services," he tells GlobeSt.com. "They were looking to expand to the suburbs."

The Stevens Group covers the Greater Boston suburban market from Route 128 out to Route 495 while Thompson Doyle covers Downtown Boston and Cambridge. "We wanted to add capacity but it made more sense to merge," notes Stevens, who founded his firm in 1980. Thompson Doyle was founded in 1990 and recently affiliated itself with GVA Worldwide after it lost its Boston presence when Whittier merged with CB Commercial.