Steve Klein, head of the local Insignia office, tells GlobeSt.com that Insignia has been strong in the marketing of properties mainly because office comprises the bulk of its managed portfolio. "George gives us greater depth as we grow our platform," says Klein. "He will be instrumental in growing our presence in the industrial market."

Slevin, who has several clients on the tenant rep side, tells GlobeSt.com that although Macadam Forbes has one of the city's top industrial teams, Insignia is an opportunity for him to work for a full-service company, which could mean more options for his clients and more opportunity for him to do more volume and possibly co-invest in Insignia development projects. "It's an opportunity to go to the next level," says Slevin.

Insignia has been luring brokers away from other firms up and down the West Coast over the past several months, making a concerted effort to expand during this economic contraction in hope of adding market share when economy recovers.