Brian Cheek wrapped up a seven-year stint as one of a handful of vice presidents for Grubb & Ellis Co.'s Dallas office and headed across town to Predium, where he's now courting three solid prospects as he sets about building his new team. Principal Seth Weinstein tells GlobeSt.com that one will be a name that everyone in the Dallas-Fort Worth brokerage circles will know. Before the year ends, there hopefully will be five more on board, he says.

Cheek has taken his black book of office market clients and contacts with him, closing out a tenure of deal making that catapulted him to the top ranks of his specialty in the market and within the Grubb & Ellis hierarchy. He says the smaller office, local emphasis and opportunity to be EVP were the decision makers. "I finally realized that most customers are buying customer service not buying brand," he says about exiting a national for a startup. Then again, he's joined a team built from the executive ranks of the national players, each a seasoned top producer with seven years or more experience.

Weinstein says the corporate name for the letterhead was selected because it means "value" and "worth" in Latin. "That's what we are trying to do," he says, "create value and worth." Headquartered at 4835 LBJ Freeway in Dallas, Predium in recent months opened an office at 2055 Gateway Place in San Jose, tapping Roger Oser, formerly with Lincoln Property Co. and Cawley International, to lead the initiative.