TOP BROKERS SLIP FROM STREAM INTO GLACIER
Shrum, Beckman plan to go it alone
By Christine Perez
Staff Writer

STEMMONS CORRIDOR - A little more than a year after arriving at Stream Realty Partners, two top local real estate brokers are leaving the firm to launch their own company.

Steve Shrum and Andrew Beckman will serve as co-managing partners of Glacier Commercial Realty L.P. Joining them as president is long-time Metroplex land broker Morris Orr.

All three formerly worked together at Kennedy-Wilson International. That company saw its local operations unravel after a mass exodus of brokers in the spring of 2002. Shrum and Beckman were pursued by several Dallas-Fort Worth real estate firms before opting to go with Stream.

"We had been doing only tenant representation, with some project leasing," Beckman said. "At Stream we had the opportunity to buy some buildings and invest in properties. That is what really attracted us."

The duo discussed going out on their own back then, but the timing didn't feel right, Beckman said.

"I felt like I still needed to test drive another car, date another girl, whatever you want to call it, before making a long-term commitment," he said.

Glacier Commercial will officially open July 28. The company has leased 3,000 square feet in Twin Towers at 8585 N. Stemmons Frwy.

Shrum said the decision to launch Glacier has nothing to do with their previous employer.

"Stream is a great company, led by good guys," he said. "This is something Andrew and I have been talking about for three or four years. We take a trip during the first week of May every year to Glacier National Park to go fly-fishing. This year we got on the airplane and looked at each other and said, 'What's holding us back?' "

Shrum and Beckman took inspiration from the trip's destination for their new company name. The brokers will focus on tenant representation, office leasing and investment sales and land transactions. Eventually, industrial will be added to the mix.
They say they want to grow their company but not to the point where they won't be able to personally service their accounts. It's a strategy they learned from their former employer, Jerry Fults, founder of Fults & Associates, which was sold to Kennedy-Wilson in October 1999.

A well-known figure in real estate circles, Fults said now is a good time for Shrum and Beckman to strike out on their own.

"You can borrow money at good rates, which helps the cost of operations, and it's a good time in the real estate cycle to go after new business," he said. "Landlords who are in a little bit of trouble will be open to someone who comes in with a fresh approach and can help solve their problems.

" Steve Shrum, Morris Orr and Andrew Beckman are all experienced brokers," Fults added. "Running their own business will be different than they anticipate - starting a company is like getting married, you have a lot of expectations - but I don't doubt they'll be successful."