NewMark Merrill Companies, Inc. is now eyeing the West Coast markets after announcing a new venture that will focus on overlooked retail centers.

The venture, dubbed NewMark Merrill Hadler Community Partners, will tackle not only acquisitions but also the management, operation, and development of those assets. According to the California-based company, it plans on targeting "under-invested and under-supplied communities."

The venture is co-founded by NewMark CEO Sandy Sigal and Jermaine McMihelk, who formerly served as the firm's portfolio manager. McMihelk, who is assuming the role of managing director and taking over day-to-day operations for the new company, told GlobeSt. that the vision is Southern California – more exclusively to Los Angeles, including the regions of South Central, Compton, and Watts.