Howard's appointment was one of three announced recently by firms in the commercial real estate industry and related businesses in Orange County. The others were Robert Conley at Sperry Van Ness in Ontario and Charles Aufhammer at the Koll Co. in Newport Beach.

Conley was named regional manager for Sperry Van Ness in Ontario, with responsibility for the company's Ontario and Palm Springs offices. He succeeds Scott Lunine, who has switched to the advisor side of the business and remains an SVP with Sperry Van Ness in Ontario. Conley formerly was president of Pasadena-based Conley Commercial Real Estate Services Inc. He was worked with high profile companies including Washington Mutual, Citicorp and Bank of the West in establishing branches and disposing of excess land in a 20-year career in which he has executed more than $750 million in apartment, retail, office, and industrial property transactions.

Aufhammer has joined the Koll Co. as director of leasing for Koll's 1.7 million-sf of multi-tenant, light industrial properties in Orange, Los Angeles, San Diego and Riverside Counties. Aufhammer has more than 25 years of experience in commercial real estate industry. He joins Koll from Irvine-based Wohl Investment Co., where he was director of leasing for the past four years. Before that, he was vice president of marketing and acquisitions for Olen Commercial Realty Corp. in Newport Beach and a broker and vice president for what is now CB Richard Ellis in Newport Beach.