Bravo, who was formerly a vice president with Starwood Capital Group, will lead the firm's regional acquisition efforts. Starwood Capital Group did not comment on the move. In addition to the Atlanta office, KBS has eight other offices across the country.

Bravo tells GlobeSt.com that the new office is part of the company's strategic plan to open offices closer to the markets they serve. Prior to the opening of the new office, the Southeast was handled through the company's Washington, DC office and South Florida was handled through its New York City office. "KBS has always covered the Southeast but with the new office and more personnel, hopefully we'll be able to do more deals," Bravo says.

Bravo will lead an aggressive plan to acquire institutional-quality commercial assets on behalf of both institutional investors as well as KBS REIT. The Atlanta office will support southeast acquisition efforts in Florida, Georgia, Alabama, South Carolina and Tennessee. In addition, Bravo will oversee the firm's existing $300-million southeast office and industrial portfolio. KBS completed approximately $2 billion nationwide in acquisition activity during 2007. The company's target for acquisitions in the Southeast is $250 million to $300 million for 2008. "There's no allocation among property types but the majority will be office and industrial," Bravo says.