By Michelle Dupler

A principal of NAI Tri-Cities has joined a Spokane-based real estate firm that’s expanded into the Tri-Cities.

Former NAI Tri-Cities principal Lance Bacon has joined the Kennewick office of Kiemle & Hagood Co., which opened satellite offices in Eastern Washington and Missoula, Montana, about six months ago.

Gordon Hester, Kiemle & Hagood vice president and co-owner, said the firm has always done business in the Tri-Cities, but in the past year inked a deal with Providence Health Care that included handling real estate matters for Kadlec Regional Medical Center and its clinics.

“It became important to have a local presence (in the Tri-Cities),” Hester said.

With the addition of Bacon, the Kennewick office of Kiemle & Hagood will employ 11 people.

Kiemle & Hagood was started in 1973 and offers a full range of commercial real estate services, including property management, brokerage, leasing, sales and building maintenance. The Spokane-based company expanded with a Coeur d’Alene office about eight years ago, Hester said.

Hester noted that Spokane and the Tri-Cities have many similarities, including similar economies.

“We are excited about the strong, diverse business climate in the Tri-Cities,” he said. “It is very attractive to us.”

Kiemle & Hagood manages a portfolio of about 7 million square feet of commercial real estate, including 600,000 square feet in the Tri-Cities. Hester said the firm offers a level of sophistication in its management and customer service that local customers should appreciate.

“We have a strong focus on relationships,” he said. “One important thing we’ve learned is we always must hire locally and utilize that local talent and marketing. With Lance joining us, it is a tremendous opportunity to use local talent and help us do our job better.”

Hester said he’s known Bacon for several years as a competitor and respected his work ethic and customer focus.

“It will be a pleasure to help him grow his business down in the Tri-Cities,” Hester said.

Bacon was one of five principals who founded NAI Tri-Cities in 2009, according to the company’s website. The company is affiliated with NAI Global, a worldwide commercial real estate firm with member offices in 55 countries.

According to his online bio, Bacon is a Tri-City native who has worked in the construction and real estate industries since 1996. Before co-founding NAI Tri-Cities, he worked for Windermere Commercial Tri-Cities, Benton Franklin Title & Escrow, and the Tri-Cities Construction Council.

Bacon and NAI Tri-Cities principal Todd Sternfeld did not respond to multiple emails and voice mails seeking comment.