Service king

Michael Silver started out his real estate career as a runner for a commercial real estate broker, knocking on doors looking for people in need of space.

Wanting to offer a broader service offering that catered to real estate consumers rather than suppliers, Silver founded Equis Corp.

Silver has made Equis the niche market leader by offering a complete line of services. The company goes beyond simply finding commercial property space for the consumer. Its services help its clients make the best-educated decisions, including designing floor plans, HR and IT structuring, and strategic footprint development.

The company’s offerings involve client-owned property strategy as well as third-party leasing arrangements, so that Equis can offer all service uniformly. The primary goal is to help companies minimize their cost per employee.

By focusing on the space consumer, Silver believes he’s in a position of strength for future growth. He says the real estate market is likely to go through the same public and regulatory scrutiny regarding conflicts of interest that have recently affected the accounting, investment and insurance industries.

As the company grew at a significant pace, Silver obtained a personal line of credit to expand the business. Equis is currently in more than 30 markets, including nine foreign offices.

Silver has also focused on building a strong management team that he relies on for delegation of key tasks and on hiring the right people.