OPEN FOR BUSINESS!

Like Shirley Manson of Garbage, we're only happy when it rains, so this weather has us thrilled. But even more exciting is the news that maybe this economy isn't as bad as we thought. Example: JLL?s Corporate Capital Markets team, led in part by Guy Ponticello,Suzanne Martinez  and Bruce Westwood-Booth, is working on about $1 billion  in transactions this year.

The team specializes in helping firms decide what they should do with their real estate portfolios  to best monetize their assets. ?Our corporate clients all have different needs,? Suzanne says. ?Some of them need to reduce occupancy costs, some need to evaluate space, and some are looking for a long-term strategy.? They?ve worked with clients as diverse as Motorola, Burlington Coat Factory and Tenet Healthcare Corp. One of the biggest challenges of re-organizing a company's real estate portfolio is educating, Bruce says. "Even if you're absolutely convinced you?ve come up with the right solution, you have to be able to convince the client.?

Guy and Suzanne started working together 12 years ago  and Bruce joined them in ?03, when JLL, then LaSalle Partners, saw the need for such a team. Clients deal with the whole team all the way through the process, which can vary in length depending on how well prepared the client. Each team member came from a different background. Guy spent years at JLL before the others got there, even managing a project in Mexico City, bringing back good taste in tequila to the team. Suzanne joined right out of college, and Bruce came through a series of financial firms.

?We have different areas of expertise, so we always manage to find a way to put it together,? Guy says. ?We work together as a team and make sure we plug in the right person.?