Tony Thompson Forms New Company

Anthony Thompson, architect of the megamerger of NNN Realty Advisors Inc. and Grubb & Ellis Co. last year, has started a new company. His new venture, the Irvine, Calif.-based Thompson National Properties L.L.C., will focus on value-added real estate investments.Thompson has had a long history in placing investor funds during a variety of economic climates including, as he pointed out, during “four recessions.” He posited in a recent interview with CPN that even the current downturn offers opportunities to invest in real estate companies or portfolios offering competitive returns.In 1998, Thompson formed Triple Net Properties L.L.C. He oversaw the company’s growth over the next decade, culminating in the 2006 reorganization of Triple Net and NNN Capital Corp. to form NNN Realty Advisors. During their existence, NNN Realty Advisors and its predecessors placed nearly $3 billion in investor funds in real estate.Thompson was at the helm of Grubb & Ellis only briefly after its merger into NNN Realty Advisors. He remains, however, a major stockholder in Grubb & Ellis.