GlobeSt.com EXCLUSIVE: NAI Eyes Global Expansion

LAS VEGAS-NAI Global has major plans for more international expansion. Jeffrey M. Finn, president and COO of the Princeton, NJ-based group, revealed at NAI’s 2006 annual convention here that the company completed $30.5 billion in worldwide transactions in 2005, and he hopes to achieve a 75% increase in broker-to-broker transactions in 2006. The firm employs approximately 3,500 people in 300 offices. More than 1,000 industry professionals from those widespread offices gathered at the weeklong event entitled Success: Powered By You, outlined the company’s platform for the year ahead.Other goals for the company include global expansion as well as a focus on particular markets. “We are already in all of the major markets, and now are looking at deeper penetration into those markets,” Finn tells Globest.com.In 2005, NAI Global expanded into such global markets as Ukraine, Russia, Vietnam, Qatar, Costa Rica and Chile. Other countries to be added to NAI’s roster this year include Dubai and several countries in central and Eastern Europe. The firm currently has offices in 40 countries, Finn says.The company recently established its NAI Global Hotel group, Finn adds, and will concentrate on the investment and acquisition of hotel properties. NAI’s Capital Markets Group was also recently launched, a division which tracks global capital flow. Finn remarks that they are seeing a large amount of investment dollars coming from the Middle East and China.”To many investors, we are a safe harbor,” says Mike Zugsmith, chairman with NAI Capital Commercial. “There is tremendous security when investing in the United States, especially Southern California,” the Encino, CA-based Zugsmith tells Globest.com.The convention featured panel discussions included topics on Women in Real Estate, The Changing Face of Recruiting, and International Markets. Historically attendance at the convention has averaged approximately 500-600 people. Last year, attendance reached 875, while this year saw the conference top 1,000 attendees.