Marcus & Millichap announced that Alan L. Pontius, an SVP, has been named national director of the firm’s specialty divisions. Pontius, an industry veteran, joined Marcus & Millichap in 1985 and brings three decades of experience to his new role. Most recently, he was national director of the firm’s National Office and Industrial Properties Group. NOIPG registered annual average growth of approximately 35 percent over the past three years. In Pontius’ new role, he will be responsible for overseeing, supporting and growing the company’s specialty brokerage divisions in partnership with specialty executives and managers company wide.
Previously, Marcus & Millichap’s specialty brokerage divisions were under the direction of the company’s newly appointed president and CEO, Hessam Nadji. Under Nadji’s leadership, the divisions closed over $21 billion in 2015. Overall, the firm had a record year in 2015 with more than 8,700 transactions and $37.8 billion in volume.
“Al’s exemplary leadership skills and outstanding agent and client support will be leveraged on a broad scale across all specialty segments, in line with our long-term growth plan,” Nadji said. “We are aggressively expanding our specialized practices, including seniors housing, self-storage, hospitality, and our Institutional Property Advisors division. Al has a holistic understanding of clients’ needs and brings an impressive track record of tailoring our services for various types of clients.”
Pontius joined Marcus & Millichap as an agent in Palo Alto, where he rose to become a leading producer companywide. In 1993, he joined the management team as a regional manager and led the firm’s Palo Alto office to become a top producing office nationwide. In 2002, Pontius was promoted to national director of Marcus & Millichap’s NOIPG and successfully elevated the firm’s brand and market position in the office and industrial segment. He is an active executive participant in the sector’s leading trade association, National Association of Industrial Office Properties.
“Growing Marcus & Millichap’s office and industrial presence is a major initiative for the firm, and a search has been initiated for a dedicated industry expert to fill Pontius’s former role,” Nadji said.
"Hessam and I have a long-standing working relationship at Marcus & Millichap, and I look forward to our ongoing work together in this expanded capacity,” Pontius said. “Despite being the market leader in several sectors, we continue to view the firm’s specialty segments as having substantial room for expansion.”