Commercial Real Estate Solutions is expanding

SALT LAKE CITY — The real estate market has been in the doldrums for some time, but a Utah-based company that specializes in commercial properties has undergone extensive expansion this year and this week acquired a Las Vegas company.

Commercial Real Estate Solutions just completed the acquisition of the assets and staff of Prudential/IPG Commercial in Las Vegas.

This will augment an existing Commercial Real Estate Solutions office now in Las Vegas, adding 13 more agents and support staff, according to Mike Lawson, the company's president and CEO.

In addition, the company since January has added new offices in Bellevue, Wash., and Seattle, Wash., and last week opened a fifth Utah office in Park City. The company, which keeps its headquarters in Salt Lake City, also has offices in the Provo-Orem area, Clearfield and St. George.

The firm employs 260 people.

Despite the tough economy, Lawson describes himself and his team as "cautiously optimistic" about the future, and he said they all believe this is the time to move toward a company-wide goal of becoming a regional presence.

He, of course, is mindful that the commercial real estate market is still struggling, although things have improved somewhat during in the past six months.

"I don't want to phrase this like, 'Great times are here,'" Lawson said. "Things are not perfect. Nobody is at the numbers where they were before. But our vision for the past few years is to be a regional player and that's what we're attempting to accomplish."

e-mail: lindat@desnews.com