Duke Suwyn, president and chief executive officer of the merged firm, says the newly formed company will fill a key niche in the changing corporate marketplace as companies eliminate in-house real estate staff.

"To a great extent, a number of our corporate clients are employing us as a value-added way to cut overhead costs," he says. "With the Grubb & Ellis national affiliation, we can help them find and manage opportunities locally, but we can also help them manage their properties anywhere in the world."

Ray Kisor, a founder of Commerce Realty and Management and executive vice president of the new entity, says that with nearly 3.3 million sf of space under management, the merged company is one of the largest third-party property manager in West Michigan. He adds that the firm has specialists in retail, office, industrial, investment properties and property management, as well as brownfield redevelopment opportunities, tax incentive packages and assemblages of commercial real estate opportunities.