Our History
Measuring Our Impact in Decades
As the commercial real estate industry has matured, our organization has undergone changes to respond to the changing needs of our clients.
The company traces its roots back to 1916 when United Properties was founded as the real estate entity of the Hamm Brewing Company. Over the next seven decades, United Properties became the parent company for a diverse mix of real estate interests. During the 1980s and early 1990s, the company added third-party real estate services for clients, including leasing, property management and construction.
In 1998, the Pohlad family purchased United Properties, continuing a legacy of well-capitalized private ownership. As the organization sought growth opportunities, the business was reorganized into independent operating companies to allow greater focus on specific areas of the commercial real estate industry. Marquette Real Estate Group is the parent company for four businesses: NorthMarq Real Estate Services (commercial real estate services), United Properties (real estate development and investment), NorthMarq Capital (commercial real estate financing), and RJM Construction (commercial real estate construction).
To better serve our clients' expanding needs, NorthMarq Real Estate Services formed a joint venture with Cushman & Wakefield of Minnesota in 2011.
The history of Cushman & Wakefield in Minnesota
The Cushman & Wakefield operation in Minnesota has evolved from a start-up Alliance Member operation to a corporate-owned branch office and most recently moved to operate as a joint venture with NorthMarq Real Estate Services in 2011. Launched in 2002 as an Alliance Member firm in the Cushman & Wakefield system, Northstar Partners was co-founded by Clint Miller and Terry Kingston and grew into a strong brokerage and investment sales practice with local and national clients.
In 2007, Northstar Partners was acquired by Cushman & Wakefield and transitioned from an Alliance office into a corporate branch office. Cushman & Wakefield of Minnesota employed 100 professionals engaged in leasing, brokerage, investment sales, research, corporate real estate services and property and facility management leveraging the global platform for services to institutional and corporate real estate clients.