NEWPORT BEACH, CA—The Woodmont Co., a Fort Worth-based national retail real estate company specializing in brokerage, development and management, has expanded its operations into Southern California with the launch of a new office here. Joseph Williams, SVP for the firm, will oversee the new office, which is located at 620 Newport Center Dr. He tells us the move was an opportunity to expand the company's expertise in multi-market tenant representation while providing a local delivery platform to serve its growing California portfolio. Here's more from our exclusive chat with Williams.

GlobeSt.com: What was behind Woodmont's expansion into Southern California?
Williams: The new office in Newport Beach will focus on retail-tenant representation with an emphasis on providing value-add services for entertainment, health and fitness, and fast-casual restaurant concepts. The office will also oversee leasing at the Woodmont Co.'s Bakersfield Gateway project. The move to Southern California came about as an opportunity to expand our expertise in multi-market tenant representation while also providing a local delivery platform to serve our expanding California portfolio. We remain focused on best-in-class, growth-oriented concepts delivering experience and entertainment as well as health and fitness—key areas in the ever-changing retail industry. With many retail concepts being founded on the West Coast, and then expanding into Texas following the growth and migration in that market, Woodmont is uniquely qualified to assist in rollout strategies leveraging our coverage in both markets coupled with our national development platform.

GlobeSt.com: Why Orange County—and why Newport Beach, in particular—for this office?
Williams: With Southern California being one of the incubator markets for new fitness and health-conscious-restaurant concepts, we wanted to position ourselves in the market to be at the forefront of expanding concepts. Our chairman is an alumnus of San Diego State University and remains active on the board of its business school, and since I am a lifelong native of Orange County and have been working with tenants in the market for more than 10 years, I wanted to position our initial growth in California in the market I know best. We chose to office in Newport Beach adjacent to Fashion Island, one of the top shopping centers in the country and one that regularly brings in best-in-class tenants, so that we remain entrenched in one of the most dynamic retail markets in SoCal.

GlobeSt.com: What are your firm's future growth plans?
Williams: We are focused on growth in the region and are actively recruiting additional brokers and adding new clients. The Woodmont Co. is currently recruiting both senior- and junior-level brokers to expand our tenant-representation platform, as well as to work with our project-leasing team on our expanding West Coast assets. Our Newport Beach office is currently representing Altitude Trampoline Park, a 30,000-square-foot junior anchor tenant, on a national basis; Phoenix Theatres in seeking second-generation cinema space on a national basis; and Gracie Barra Brazilian jiu-jitsu with its national franchising, as well as doing local tenant representation with Kiddie Academy Educational Child Care and Go Sports, a licensed apparel company expanding in the mall and outlet space.