Equis Corp. President Michael Silver says the move is a response to a growing number of industrial manufacturing, service and high tech firms relocating their call centers to India and their production facilities to Southern China. "India, in particular, offers several advantages to these corporations," says Silver, "including the availability of qualified, skilled and reliable manpower, reasonably priced space, low operating costs and a good telecommunications infrastructure."

Equis says it is the only tenant rep in India that hires local real estate professionals to manage its Asian offices. They are trained at the company's headquarters in Chicago. "The benefit to hiring local people is that they know the area, local government regulations and the language," says Silver.

Silver says the strategy has helped Equis' new India office secure several major transaction and construction management assignments, including a 250,000-sf campus for Texas Instruments, a 275,000-sf campus for Motorola, a 400,000-sf campus for I Flex India (formerly Citi Corp) and new call centers for Dell and GECapital.