Retail Broker

Winner

William Bauman

The Seeley Co.

Runners-Up

Ron Wood

Epsteen & Associates

Robert Walsh

Cypress Retail Group

William Bauman has nearly filled the biggest retail project to break ground in L.A. County last year Vestar Development Co.’s 1 million-square-foot Long Beach Towne Center.

Bauman, who is managing director of the retail properties group at the Seeley Co., leased space to a plethora of big-box retailers, including Sam’s Club, a 26-screen Edwards Cinema, Barnes & Noble, PetSmart, Linens ‘N Things, Michaels and Staples.

In all, Bauman transacted $70.3 million worth of retail lease and sales deals in 1998, making him the top broker in that category in L.A. County.

Most of those deals were at the massive Towne Center the site of a former naval hospital off the San Gabriel River (605) Freeway in Long Beach. That open-air power center is at least 96 percent leased, well before the first phase opens in May.

Bauman has been involved with the Towne Center from the outset. Several years ago, he brought the project to the attention of Vestar, which awarded him the leasing assignment. His initial deal there was ground leasing 20 acres to AutoNation for its first used-car dealership in the county.

Bauman said the challenges he faced at Towne Center were the enormity of the project 70 stores and the fact that many of the likely candidates already had stores in the area.

“That was the real challenge, but it was a terrific piece of property. It was not a total grind assignment,” he said.

Jeff Axtell, project director for Vestar, said one of Bauman’s biggest assets is his ability to close a transaction.

“He’s really good at bringing everyone to the table to get it done,” Axtell said.

Bauman, 34, has specialized in retail since 1989, when he joined Grubb & Ellis in the South Bay. He first made contact with Vestar a couple years later and has done a huge amount of work for the developer since, including leasing the Cerritos Towne Center, and Paramount Plaza and Harbor Gateway.

“I was completely intrigued with the idea of retail, particularly the development aspects. Also, redeveloping a tired old retail center and watching it re-emerge with new, state-of-the-art tenants and a new feel is exciting,” Bauman said.

He moved to Seeley in 1994 and has sold and leased more than 3.5 million square feet of retail property since then, building a reputation as a top big-box broker with the “tenacity of a bulldog,” said developer Allan Mackenzie, president of Mar Ventures Inc.

“Bill brings a lot of energy to the situation and has got a lot of credibility in the marketplace,” added Brett Foy, vice president at Zelman Development Co.

Bauman will be busy in 1999 with leasing for another Vestar project in Pico Rivera, as well as two power centers in Ontario and Burbank for Zelman.

Elizabeth Hayes