BentleyForbes, recognized for more than a decade as a specialist
in the sale-leaseback and net-lease arena, doesn't plan to
abandon its roots anytime soon. But the Los Angeles-based
company is expanding its commercial real estate holdings by
aggressively targeting Class-A office properties, including
select multi-tenant and single-tenant transactions.  In October,
the company acquired a portfolio of eight suburban office
buildings totaling 700,000 sq. ft. in Sacramento, Calif., from
the Evergreen Co. in a transaction valued at $134 million, or
$191 per sq. ft.  The acquisition is part of an aggressive
expansion plan by BentleyForbes, which seeks to grow its real
estate portfolio from $1 billion to $3 billion over the next two
years. The company's current 11 million sq. ft. portfolio
includes office (50%), retail (40%) and industrial (10%). NREI
spoke with Frederick Wehba, chairman of BentleyForbes, about the
underlying reasons for this aggressive growth strategy.  NREI:
Why have you decided to pursue Class-A