A Few Good Brokers
  When Craig Irving and Jason Hughes decided to grow their tenant representation firm beyond its traditional Downtown-UTC boundaries, they took the existing business model and went after key brokers elsewhere to fill the slots. "I am a firm believer in not being a jack of all trades and a master of none," Irving says. "You could do retail in Alpine and industrial in Otay Mesa, and all points in between, but no one person can really become a master of all of those various areas."

    Here's a rundown on the wheels driving The Irving Hughes Group's expanding role in the San Diego leasing market.

 Shaun Burnett, senior vice president

    A veteran of municipal projects, Burnett has a way of making himself at home with clients. "He is one of these people who digs in," says Hughes. "People love him. He gets so entrenched working for his clients that he is one of them. He will often be in a client's office more than he is in ours."
    Irving notes Burnett's more than 20 years in the business, with expertise in the Kearny Mesa, Sorrento, Torrey Pines and UTC markets. "We obviously look to him and value his opinion on a lot of issues."

Michael Labelle, senior vice president

    The first hire outside the Downtown market, Labelle was brought in because of his mastery of the Mission Valley and Kearny Mesa markets. "He was a top producer at Grubb & Ellis when we acquired him. He wasn’t on waivers either," says Irving.

    "He took the first leap of faith," says Hughes. "He really helped balance us out in the large Mission Valley market."

David B. Marino, senior vice president

    Hughes says Marino brought the firm strength with the high-techs in the Sorrento, Torrey Pines and UTC areas, though he's just as well connected in Carlsbad.

    "Dave joined us at the same time as Shaun," says Irving. "They came from CB Madison, which was the tenant representation division of CB Commercial. They are extremely well connected in the biotech, life science, high technology areas of the county. Dave is extremely well respected by his clients and is in very high demand."

R. Andrew LaDow, senior vice president

    The premier leasing agent in the UTC area, formerly with CB Commercial, LaDow bolstered the firm's Golden Triangle presence. "He was also very strong in Mission Valley," says Hughes. "His coming over locked us up in Mission Valley, and gave us somebody very, very strong in UTC."

    Irving liked another of LaDow's qualities. "He is a hell of a sailor," jokes Irving. LaDow, whose father Jerry helped Dennis Conner manage his business affairs, competes in Etchells, among the fastest small yachts on water. "Andy brings to us an unbelievable depth of knowledge in landlord representation on large portfolios," says Irving.

Kurt Gilliland,
    vice president/project management

    "He is the brightest construction manager we have ever dealt with," Hughes says. "He is extremely multi-talented, and he takes very good care of our clients."

    Says Irving, "When Kurt gets involved with our clients, it is to provide a level of service that most tenants don’t receive in the marketplace, which is to get involved in the initial stages of the process, to ensure that the tenant space is built out on time and on budget."