C. Frederick Wehba helps put BentleyForbes on path for record growth
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Real Estate firm turning heads in the market
C. Frederick Wehba and BentleyForbes Growth
The unprecedented growth of commercial real estate investment firm BentleyForbes has grabbed the attention of market specialists, prompting some to question how the firm has pulled off their latest string of impressive investment successes. Under the leadership and values of Chairman C. Frederick Wehba, BentleyForbes has taken several strong steps to aid this powerful surge in growth.
BentleyForbes has committed itself to finishing larger acquisitions then it previously attempted to enter, while nurturing company relationships with worldwide major financial institutions. BentleyForbes has also started to increase it employee levels, aggressively hiring experienced officers that boast extensive commercial real estate investment knowledge. Another factor in the BentleyForbes growth phenomenon is its immaculate portfolio, now valued at over $1 Billion. These factors put C. Frederick Wehba and BentleyForbes at a prominent location in commercial real estate markets, positioning them for future growth.
Examples of impressive BentleyForbes growth include acquisitions involving a $42 million purchase of a new corporate headquarter building in Baltimore County, MD, and an unprecedented $134 million acquisition of eight Sacramento Class A office buildings, covering around 700,000 square feet of new space. The Sacramento transaction is the area’s largest single buy of office retail property in history.
C. Frederick Wehba’s company has maintained its position in the competitive commercial real estate investment world through a dedication to ethics and fearlessness when attacking large transactions.
C. Frederick Wehba’s personal values and company devotion may also be attributed to BentleyForbes success. The principles and ethics of Wehba and his sons, who helped start the company with their father and still hold important BentleyForbes positions today, guide the overall operating procedures of the firm. Wehba’s focus on personal ethics and proper business practices is maintained by this family tradition and company dedication.
This Los Angeles Business Journal story provides an accurate and insightful look into the workings of BentleyForbes and how the leadership of Chairman C. Frederick Wehba and his sons has helped lead the company to continued success and growth.
BentleyForbes: positioned for record growth
BentleyForbes is making all the right moves as it gears up for a major round of expansion in 2004. From completing larger and more complex acquisitions and expanding its relationships with several of the world's largest financial institutions, to adding experienced professionals with all manner of real estate and finance experience, the firm is raising its profile as a leading national investor in commercial real estate properties. After more than a decade of diligently assembling a portfolio valued in excess of $1 billion, BentleyForbes is now aggressively pursuing new acquisitions of trophy office and retail properties along with multiple-building portfolios of office, retail and industrial properties in markets across the nation.
The growth plan is simple: Double the size of the company's current portfolio in 2004 by targeting more than $1 billion in completed acquisitions before yearend. BentleyForbes is well on its way, having already acquired approximately $230 million in new properties over the past six months. These acquisitions include the recent $42 million purchase of a newly constructed corporate headquarters office building in Baltimore County, MD, leased exclusively to PHH Arval, and the $134 million purchase of eight Sacramento-area Class A office properties encompassing approximately 700,000 square feet, a transaction heralded as the Sacramento area's largest single purchase of office real estate to date.
The Company BentleyForbes is a Century City-based national investment firm focused on the acquisition and management of commercial real estate assets across the United States. Today, the firm's holdings encompass more than eight million square feet of office, industrial, warehouse and retail properties valued in excess of $1 billion.
Established in 1993 as a privately held and operated company, BentleyForbes is guided by founding members of the Wehba family who are still active with the company today. At every level of the organization, BentleyForbes holds true to the core principles established by the Wehbas in all of their endeavors: hard work, disciplined investment, respect for others, family values and charitable giving.
BentleyForbes focuses on ownership of three property types today: net lease, sale-leaseback and select multi-tenanted trophy buildings. The company built its reputation on navigating the intricacies of corporate sale-lease back and net lease transactions, complex real estate investments focused on single-tenant properties. BentleyForbes continues to practice this specialty while having broadened its focus to also include the acquisition of multi-tenanted "trophy" Class A office and retail facilities, and multiple-property portfolios that include all of the above product types.
The Vision
Focused on identifying long-term value in quality commercial real estate assets, BentleyForbes has earned an industry leading reputation for its keen sense of opportunity, access to significant capital resources, ability to navigate complex financial transactions, and expertise in adapting to market cycles. By leveraging its capital strength and depth of executive talent, BentleyForbes has managed to assemble a portfolio of income producing properties across the United States, maximizing operating cash flows through astute management and residual values through strategic market analysis and timely disposition.
The Story
In 1993, C. Frederick Wehba, Sr. and his two oldest sons, C. Frederick Wehba II and Chad Wehba, formed what was then known as the Bentley Forbes Group, a company specifically focused on the acquisition and management of investment grade commercial real estate. The firm leveraged the nearly 30 years of experience garnered by Chairman C. Frederick Wehba, Sr. in corporate practices and real estate investment with the financial markets and real estate investment knowledge of his sons, C. Frederick Wehba II, whose prior experience included associations with two powerhouse Wall Street financial companies, Shearson Lehman and Smith Barney, and Chad Wehba, who brought operational and financial expertise and training to the firm.
As the firm continued to perform on sale-leaseback transactions, its reputation was cemented as one of the leaders in corporate real estate investment. BentleyForbes leveraged this reputation throughout the 1990s to complete numerous transactions, develop substantial internal capital, cultivate its institutional relationships with the nation's leading financial sources, and serve a host of corporations looking for an experienced partner able to help navigate the nuances of a sale-leaseback transaction.
To augment the growth of the firm during this period, the Wehba family began to surround themselves with a growing team of seasoned real estate experts who have assisted the firm in growing its transactional capabilities and property portfolio. The BentleyForbes executive team expanded to include senior leaders and personnel from outside the family with specialized knowledge in operations, finance, law, acquisitions, dispositions and related due diligence.
In 2000, the firm not only shortened its name to BentleyForbes, but it also began to focus on a new asset class, specifically the multi-tenant Class A office building. This changed marked the evolution of BentleyForbes to a fully diversified real estate investment concern with an expanded acquisition target profile. In 2001, the firm completed its largest and most complicated transaction up to that point, the acquisition of 21st Century Plaza, twin 11-story multi-tenant Class A office towers located in the Warner Center in Woodland Hills, California, with a present day value of $136 million.
Today, BentleyForbes is still focused on its core business, the acquisition of commercial investment real estate. The firm continues to target sale-leasebacks, as well as build to suit and net lease properties in the office, industrial, warehouse and retail sectors with the additional focus on acquiring select Class A "Trophy" multi-tenant properties in markets throughout the United States.
Most importantly, BentleyForbes still relies on the closely held values of its founders, the Wehba family, to guide its operations. In a tradition started by the father and two oldest sons, the family's presence in the company has grown to include contributions from two more siblings, company Partners and younger brothers Christian and Cyle Wehba. As the Wehba family and its staff of real estate and finance experts continue to grow, the group of professionals is dedicated to propelling BentleyForbes to the forefront of the national commercial real estate investment markets.
-Los Angeles Business Journal