With more than $80 million in annual transactions, Christiansen & Portela has become one of the leading commercial and industrial real-estate firms in Puerto Rico.

In 1997, two long-time veterans of the real-estate industry, Gerald J. Christiansen and Rafael Portela, joined forces and their expertise to create a firm committed to providing unsurpassed quality of service and added value to a niche market that requires highly specialized attention. The dynamic pair, who had been competitors and friends for many years, merged their unique strengths and talents to establish the well-rounded firm capable of catering to buyers and sellers, as well as landlords and tenants.

Christiansen contributes his strong marketing ingenuity, while Portela adds his intricate knowledge of the contractual components involved in real-estate transactions. Both have a keen understanding of the local market and are well-versed in the multitude of issues impacting the commercial and industrial industries today.

Christiansen, a San Juan native, graduated from Georgetown University School of Business Administration in 1976. He has been a licensed real-estate broker in Puerto Rico since 1988, with Graduate Realtors Institute designation for the National Real Estate Institute. His background experience also includes being actively involved in the commercial real-estate brokerage business in Washington, D.C.

Portela, also born in San Juan, was educated at the Wharton School of Finance & Commerce of the University of Pennsylvania, from which he graduated in 1970. He has been involved in the real-estate business in Puerto Rico for more than 25 years as a lender, broker, investor, and consultant. He also is founder & president of Allied Management Group, a local commercial real-estate investment and service company.

The partners are adept at understanding their clients’ businesses and know what works and what doesn’t when negotiating on behalf of their clients. “We take our relationships with our clients very seriously,” said Christiansen, the firm’s managing partner. “We defend a client’s position without hurting the transaction. Whether we represent the buyer or the seller, the landlord or the tenant, we look out for their interests rather than just working to make the transaction happen. They can be assured their interests are being served with the highest level of professionalism.”

Another factor that makes Christiansen & Portela stand out in its field is the firm works with every client on an exclusive basis. Rather than holding property listings, as many real-estate companies do, the firm works only with exclusive listings or clients, which usually only occurs in extremely high-end markets with special privacy issues and needs, where Christiansen & Portela often tends to work. “Sometimes the transactions are so confidential we don’t even know who the buyers are until the very end,” said Christiansen. Of the firm’s total business, the managing partner said approximately 70% is in the realm of tenant representation, with the remainder being sellers or landlords.

Christiansen & Portela offers a full range of commercial and industrial real-estate services in the Puerto Rico market. Corporate and institutional clients turn to the firm for expert service and solutions, including property dispositions, tenant representations, leasing, site selection, relocations, project evaluations, and sales and leasing presentations.

The firm also assists in property acquisitions, buyer representations, site searches, location consulting, advisory services, and marketing plan design. It serves both local and international clients as a single source to meet and satisfy all their real-estate demands.

Christiansen said he has high hopes and aspirations for the firm’s future. “We will continue to grow with the industry, and someday we hope our sons will bring this company to the next level and make it a landmark.”