Northmarq To Buy Investment Sales Firm Stan Johnson Co.
Northmarq, a national capital markets advisory firm, is acquiring an investment sales brokerage in a bid to beef up its capabilities.
The Minneapolis-based firm has agreed to purchase the Stan Johnson Co., a nationwide brokerage and advisory firm based in Tulsa, Oklahoma, the firms announced Wednesday. The terms of the deal are undisclosed, but it includes Four Pillars Capital Markets, a debt-services subsidiary of Stan Johnson Co.
Stan Johnson founded his eponymous investment sales brokerage in 1985 with a focus on single-tenant, net leased assets. It has completed over $45B in transactions in its history and employs more than 100 brokers in 16 offices in 10 states, according to the release.
“Our vision has been to build a very special, diversified real estate company with a singular focus on providing the highest level of service to our valued clients. Our professionals will be able to offer our clients greater investment opportunities, advice and product offerings by leveraging the size, scale and established expertise of the Northmarq brand,” said Johnson, the founder, president and CEO of Stan Johnson Co. “In addition, we know that under this leadership team, our firm’s culture of service and collaboration will continue.”
Johnson is expected to stay with the firm temporarily to help with the transition, Commercial Observer reports. A spokesperson didn't immediately respond to questions seeking additional details.
The acquisition will bring Northmarq expertise in new specialties, particularly in net lease investment, multitenant retail, office, industrial, self-storage and healthcare sales. The company, which has been owned by the Pohlad family since 1999 and has 22 offices in 13 states, will see its headcount rise to nearly 1,000.
“The addition of the Stan Johnson Company team will provide Northmarq the opportunity to offer our clients enhanced services related to retail, industrial, office and corporate solutions,” Northmarq President of Investment Sales Trevor Koskovich said in a statement. “We look forward to seeing the positive results of this strategic combination.”
Northmarq's purchase of Stan Johnson follows a pattern of acquisitions the company has made since it came under Pohlad family ownership — most recently it acquired Texas Realty Capital and Houston-based Kinghorn, Driver, Hough & Co. in 2019, according to its website.
The deal also continues the recent trend of brokerage consolidation, which has seen smaller deals in recent years and firms look to add new business lines.
Earlier this month, Avison Young agreed to buy Madison Marquette’s office and industrial property management arms, its agency leasing division and project management service lines, adding 235 CRE professionals to its ranks.
These deals differ from the pre-pandemic industry consolidation, which tilted toward megamergers like JLL buying HFF and DTZ merging with Cushman & Wakefield.
Newmark CEO Barry Gosin denied rumors of a potential merger between Newmark and Cushman & Wakefield earlier this year, and experts told Bisnow that huge mergers aren't worth the trouble for the big firms at this point.
“I think the enormity of friction and the conflicts and the coverage and the crowded nature makes it very difficult for large companies to merge," Gosin said on his company's earnings call last month.
