Real-Estate Icon Art Wahl Rejoins Cb Richard Ellis

Art Wahl, a longtime Seattle commercial real-estate broker, will rejoin the company where he began his career in 1971.

Wahl will become managing director of CB Richard Ellis, which was known as Henry Broderick before being purchased by Coldwell Banker and later merged with Richard Ellis, an international realty company.

Wahl, who helped found the Seattle office of Colliers Macaulay Nicolls in 1981, has operated his own brokerage, Wahl & Associates, since 1985, working with major companies such as Eagle Hardware & Garden, Costco and Starbucks.

Current Wahl clients include the Gap, Old Navy, Banana Republic, Sur la Table, Ikea and St. Vincent de Paul. Five Wahl employees, including Peter Papadopulos and Yves Mizrahi, will join him in the move.

Papadopulos specializes in brokerage, development and property management. Mizrahi returned to Wahl's staff recently after a seven-year stint as vice president of real-estate and store development for Starbucks. He is involved in strategic business and market rollout plans for start-up businesses.

Wahl said the move will give clients more extensive market research and national and local service that Ellis offers and himself more opportunity to keep doing what a "deal junkie" does best.

Ann Chamberlin, senior managing director at CB Richard Ellis, described Wahl as an icon for commercial real estate in this area. "His reputation and experience bring a great deal of prestige, as well as capability."

She said it seems ironic that Wahl was her mentor when she joined Coldwell Banker in 1979.

Polly Lane's phone message number is 206-464-2149. Her e-mail address is: plane@seattletimes.com