Mark Hoekstra, grandson of the late Ernest W. Hahn, has established Heritage Real Estate Advisors Inc.

Mark Hoekstra’s father, Mike Hummel, is a real estate developer in Los Angeles. An uncle, Ron Hahn, and a cousin, Ernie Hahn II, also are in the real estate business. And his grandfather, the late Ernest W. Hahn, developed Horton Plaza and is credited with helping spark Downtown’s renaissance.

So when it came time for Hoekstra to name his new Downtown real estate business, it was only natural for him to choose Heritage — as in Heritage Real Estate Advisors Inc. He and his staff moved into offices at 1241 State St. at the beginning of 2005.

“I looked at my last 18 years in the real estate business and decided that Heritage not only represents the past and the present, but is something that I hope my kids will someday take an interest in,” says Hoekstra. “This whole concept had a lot to do with what my grandfather did.”

Hoekstra, 41, a San Diego native, says the business goals of Heritage will mirror what he learned through the years with his family mentors. The company focuses on property management, leasing, construction management and advisory services to corporate and individual clients. “Predominantly we represent real estate owners,” he says.

One of Heritage’s clients is HootWink LLC, one of the largest franchisees of Hooters of America. The company just opened a Hooters restaurant in Oceanside, its fourth in the county, and Hoekstra is scouting several other areas — Escondido, San Marcos, Chula Vista and Bonita are a few — for additional restaurants. The company goal is to add three or four restaurants in each of four states — California, Iowa, Washington and Nebraska — in the next 12 months. Heritage also manages a Downtown office building, a research and development building in San Jose, a commercial center in Pacific Beach and other retail properties in Los Angeles.

Hoekstra’s entire career has been in real estate. He graduated from the University of San Diego in 1986 and immediately went to work for Coldwell Banker (now CB Richard Ellis) in Los Angeles. He started Investment Development Service, now IDS Real Estate Group, in 1987 in downtown Los Angeles. Later, he opened IDS offices in Orange County and San Diego.

“I don’t live Downtown but there’s no other place I would like to work,” says Hoekstra, who lives in Escondido with his wife, Glynna, an executive with Douglas E. Barnhart Inc., and daughters Amanda, 15, and Noelle, 13. “I absolutely love it. My grandfather had a significant impact on the changes here. He told me once in the early ’80s that 65 percent of Downtown had been rezoned to residential development. I thought he was crazy.” Hahn died in 1990.

Hoekstra looks at all the Downtown development projects and says the landscape changes every month. “It’s an extremely vibrant, exciting place,” he says. “Some of my clients ride the train into town. I walk over and pick them up.”

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Rebecca Kim, president and CEO of Urban Property Services Inc.

Rebecca M. Kim, a veteran of 22 years in multifamily real estate, has formed Urban Property Services Inc., a property management company for high-rise residential communities in Downtown. “Developers are building world-class condominiums that require highly specialized services,” says Kim, president and CEO of the new company. “Urban’s founding management team brings almost 100 years of combined experience managing, maintaining and building this unique product type.”

Urban Property Services was retained by Intergulf Development last October to manage services for La Vita, a new 304-unit condominium development in the block at Beech, Cedar, State and Union streets in Little Italy. At press time, Urban Property Services was occupying a temporary office in La Vita (Suite A290) and seeking to lease permanent offices Downtown.

Prior to founding Urban Property Services, Kim was managing partner for Ventana Property Services, launching a start-up division of the company in Southern California. For the previous 14 years, she was employed with BRE Real Estate Investment Trust, formerly the Trammell Crow Co., where she held the position of v.p. of marketing and business development. In this role, she had oversight responsibility for 20,000 multifamily units across the West.

Patrick Willette is CFO and co-founder of Urban Property Services. He was operations manager for ISEC Inc., where he oversaw numerous high-rise and specialty construction projects, including the San Diego Hyatt Regency Hotel, Four Seasons Aviara, Trump 29 Casino and the San Diego Grand Hyatt Hotel.

Kim earned a real estate license in 1983. She is a member of the Institute of Real Estate Management and California Association of Community Managers.

For more information about the company, call (619) 239-9100.

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Veteran trial attorneys Edward Chapin and Joseph “Jay” Wheeler have formed Chapin Wheeler LLP. The new firm focuses on the representation of plaintiffs in complex business and individual disputes. Chapin Wheeler is at One America Plaza, 600 Broadway, Suite 700 (619) 241-4810.

Chapin was most recently a partner at Gordon & Rees in San Diego. Wheeler was previously with Latham & Watkins where he chaired the San Diego Litigation Department from 1996 to 2000. Senior litigation associate Jill Houlahan and paralegal Amy Smith also are with the firm.

Chapin says his practice emphasizes complex, multiparty civil litigation in the areas of business litigation, toxic torts and product liability, insurance coverage and bad faith, unfair business practices, and professional negligence of attorneys and health care providers. He has tried more than 75 jury trials and was lead counsel for the chemical manufacturer featured in the movie “Erin Brockovich.” Chapin has been voted by his peers as one of “The Best Lawyers in America” every year since 1989 and is a member of several law-related associations.

Wheeler has tried cases in state and federal courts in such areas as insurance bad faith, intellectual property, business torts, real estate and construction disputes, partnership disputes, securities claims, employment claims, breach of contract, franchise disputes and environmental claims.

For information, visit chapinwheeler.com

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Hilo Hattie, largest retailer of Hawaiian fashions and souvenirs in Hawaii, will open a 5,000-square-foot retail store at Fifth Avenue and K Street in the Gaslamp Quarter on May 25. “Southern California residents have such an affinity to Hawaii that I feel we genuinely identify with this market,” says Paul deVille, president and CEO of the company.

Maui Divers Jewelry, the largest jewelry retailer and manufacturer in Hawaii, also will make its Downtown debut inside Hilo Hattie. The company’s collection of island-style jewelry, including corals, pearls, gemstones, Hawaiian heirloom and gold Hawaiian charms will be offered for sale.

“This is our 49th store, marking a period of significant growth for Maui Divers Jewelry,” says Bob Taylor, president and CEO. “Counting San Diego, we’ve opened five new stores within a two-month window.” The San Diego store is a result of a partnership with Hilo Hattie, which began in February 2002. Today, Maui Divers Jewelry has store-within-a-store concessions in 11 Hilo Hattie stores throughout Hawaii and on the mainland.

The Downtown Relocations column features news on firms that are abandoning, moving into or expanding in the 92101 ZIP code. Send submissions to Manny Cruz, manny@sandiegometro.com.