Lay, formerly a landlord and tenant representative for three years with Lee and Associates in Irvine and also formerly with Cushman & Wakefield, has joined Argent to open a new office in Mission Viejo to expand the company's presence in Orange County. Sinclitico, who formerly worked in the entertainment industry, joins Argent as director of marketing and business development to support Bortnick and his staff.

[IMGCAP(2)]Bortnick says that Argent's new Ontario office will provide service for its rapid expansion in the Inland Empire, where it leases neighborhood and community centers totaling close to three million square feet out of a total Argent portfolio of approximately six million square feet in Los Angeles, Orange County and the Inland Empire. Argent specializes in retail landlord representation, retail tenant representation and consulting services.

Bortnick says that Lay brings "an impressive track record as a deal-maker," and shares his company's commitment to a hands-on approach. As Bortnick told GlobeSt.com when he launched his firm, "It takes more work to lease space in this market because the decision-making process is slower, especially for the mom-and-pop tenants that rent much of the shop space." In addition, Bortnick said, "There has never been a bigger need for landlords to have someone who knows how to lease in a bad market as opposed to those who know how to lease only in a good market."