"Because of the fast-paced business environment in which we operate, it was necessary for us to find the right office space in order to remain competitive and to continue to provide a superior platform for our team to serve our clients," explains SVP Robert Cleary.

The appointment of Adams came partly out of UGL Equis' ongoing desire to strengthen its Boston group, says Cleary, but was also fomented by the availability of an industry professional with a 25-year track record in the Boston market. "It's a rare occasion when you have the opportunity to get someone with Jim's experience," says Cleary, describing Adams as "a very bright guy" well-versed in assisting companies with their leasing needs, both individually and portfolio-wide. Adams has a lengthy history helping the legal community, having assisted such well-known Boston firms as Palmer & Dodge and Ropes & Gray.

Adams and Cleary have worked with each other at two previous companies, spending nearly a decade together at Colliers Meredith & Grew and later at the Codman Co., which was just taken over by Newmark Knight & Frank. "Jim has developed a deep understanding of the dynamics behind a broad range of real estate transactions," says Cleary. "The wide variety of financial and strategic approaches he brings will be an asset to UGL Equis." Adams has leased more than 10 million sf, assisting both landlords and as a tenant representative, winning the "Boston Tenant Transaction of the Year Award" three times from the Greater Boston Real Estate Board.

The Boston Equis team now has 10 industry professionals, and Cleary says the group is looking to expand as the right disciplines become available. In the meantime, the company he joined 18 months ago is seeking to capitalize on the relationship formed last summer when parent company United Group Limited acquired facilities management giant Unnico of Newton for $408 million. That and UGL's acquisition of Equis a year earlier from founder Michael Silver for $130 million has quickly established a global real estate operation of 30,000 employees, notes Cleary. UGL is a publicly traded Australian firm.

Under the unified network, Cleary says Equis can offer clients a "one-stop" operation that can cover not only portfolio leasing analysis and implementation, but also facilities and project management services. "It's an amazingly powerful organization," says Cleary. "There are a lot of really positive things going on now."

Cleary counts the relocation to 101 Federal St. among the pluses, with the firm on the fifth floor of the 31-story tower. "It's very nice, bright space," says Cleary, adding that landlord Transwestern Investment Co. proposed a direct deal after Equis had pursued a sublease arrangement with the existing tenant. "It worked out well for everyone," says Cleary, who represented his firm in-house. Cushman & Wakefield brokered the lease for the landlord, while Colliers Meredith & Grew acted on behalf of the sublessor. Terms of the agreement were not revealed.