Peatross and his local team, led by John Moe and Todd Hedrick, oversee the Bay Area portfolios of CarrAmerica, Equity Office and Trizec, which at approximately 20 million sf is the largest portfolio in the region. All three of them declined comment for this article, as did the brokers directly involved, but other local industry sources tell GlobeSt.com the market-leading portfolio gives them a clear view of the local landscape and, as a result, an advantage over many existing and potential competitors.

"They've definitely taken advantage of the portfolio they have," one local source tells GlobeSt.com. "It gives them good foresight on what's happening in the market."

The biggest of its recent deals was Cisco Systems' 12-year lease for the entire 472,000-sf former Veritas campus at the south end of the MacCarthy Ranch development in Milpitas, west of Highway 880. The commitment includes an option for new space to be built on the 34.5 acres of excess land that came with CarrAmerica's acquisition of the vacant two- and three-story, three-building campus in August 2006. Scott Mathisen and Erich Sengelmann with JLL's Silicon Valley office represented Cisco.