RealCentric Forms Tenant-Focused Services Group

SAN FRANCISCO-RealCentric, an online option for seekers of office space, is forming a team of real estate people to improve the tenant experience. The new Knowledge Group will build and maintain living documents, including market research and industry analysis coupled with an extensive glossary of commercial real estate terms. It also will detail the space-finding process, from initial space-planning activities to the search itself, including leasing, moving and outfitting.

This information is found under “Expert Advice” on the website. The expert behind the new offering is RealCentric’s chief knowledge officer Rick Pederson, formerly a principal with Liberty-Greenfield Real Estate Advisors, which counsels corporations and investors in real estate-related decision-making. With Liberty-Greenfield, Pederson worked with Fortune 1000 companies in the creation and implementation of corporate property strategy.

RealCentric currently provides listings of space for lease in Austin, Chicago, Denver, Los Angeles, Las Vegas, and Orange County, and has plans to be in 40 markets by 2001. Upcoming markets include San Diego, San Jose/Santa Clara, Dallas, Boston, Northern Virginia, Atlanta, and Tampa.

Businessmen Jim Stuart and Tripp Jones of Henderson, Nevada founded the company in late 1999. Along with much of their sales and marketing staff, the two still work out of their Nevada headquarters, but maintain Los Gatos as their headquarters for image and employment purposes.

The company is very hush-hush when it comes to its investors. Company officials declined to name its investors, or say how much they’ve invested to date or how much of the company they own. One company source would only describe investors as “a group of high net-worth individuals, some of whom are in the commercial real-estate industry.” The firm also isn’t giving any details about its third round of funding, which is currently in the works.