Welcome to Hughes Marino! I have had the great pleasure to work with the dynamic team that was Irving Hughes. That firm built a truly remarkable and powerful brand that came to define tenant representation in San Diego. “Life is a Lease, Negotiate Well” represents more than just our expertise in real estate negotiations. This catchy little slogan, stuck in our heads like the song we can’t shake, will always remind us to appreciate what we have, to make the most of every day, and that every human interaction is on some level a negotiation, so we might as well get good at it.

After twenty successful years, the Principals of the firm decided it was time to shake things up. Jason Hughes and Dave Marino will now lead the team forward, and there is a new sense of heightened expectation and energy. It is great to see Dave Marino recognized with his name on the door for his remarkable contributions to our company and our community. Jason and Dave are two extremely dynamic and prolific commercial real estate professionals, among the best in the nation, and their loyal clients in San Diego include many of the most successful businesses in our region.

Commercial real estate brokerage is an unusual business. Most firms hire real estate salespeople, provide them some basic level of training, then turn them loose in the markets to hunt. In the classic “eat what you kill” framework, the salespeople aren’t paid salaries, and instead earn a percentage of the commissions that they generate for the firm. This model is great, in that it forces healthy habits and personal responsibility for productivity – a form of constant paranoia that drives salespeople to always be looking for their next opportunity. On the downside, this model tends to overpopulate the profession, as larger firms look to fill idle desks with novice salespeople in a calculated gamble that some of them may succeed. One example of this downside – it is not uncommon for some of our clients to receive multiple broker inquiries, cold calls, each and every day.

Hughes Marino is different. Hughes Marino is a rare collection of high-performing professionals committed to excellence, integrity and teamwork. We play well together. We do what’s right for the client. Our mission is to serve the businesses of San Diego as tenant representation specialists, leveling the playing field in commercial real estate negotiations and enabling great businesses to grow and thrive. You might think it corny, but we believe that as we help our clients to grow, efficiently and effectively, we are helping our region to excel. In the midst of this difficult recession, we believe we have a role in fostering and accelerating San Diego’s recovery. We’re not being arrogant, we simply believe that what we do is important, and it drives our enthusiasm.

We’re not as big a company as most people think. We have no salespeople, only licensed brokers. Our construction management division is one of the very best. Our new lease audit services division is headed by Ed Muna, a twenty year veteran of building operations. Our new tax consulting services division is headed by Brendan Foote, who is finding dramatic savings for our clients in a whole new domain. J.P. Roach, as leader of our new medical practice group, is expanding our reach and making our services available to the San Diego medical community, helping docs to make great real estate decisions.

Welcome to Hughes Marino! We look forward to helping your organization to make your next great real estate decision, “Because where you do business matters!”™ We are fired up and ready to raise the bar even higher. It has been a great ride, and we could not be more energized as we look forward to the next twenty years!