The commercial real estate industry typically separates property management done on behalf of a third-party landlord from facilities management done on behalf of a corporate user. The Business Journal combines both types of space on The List due to overlap in the types of skills and staffs involved. The Twin Cities 24-county metro area includes Anoka, Benton, Blue Earth, Carver, Chisago, Dakota, Freeborn, Goodhue, Hennepin, Isanti, Le Sueur, Mower, Nicollet, Olmsted, Ramsey, Rice, Scott, Sherburne, Stearns, Steele, Washington and Wright in Minnesota, and Pierce and St. Croix in Wisconsin. Only firms that manage commercial properties were included. Commercial properties included office, retail and industrial uses. Multifamily properties were excluded from consideration for The List. Last year's No. 12 Wellington Management Inc., No. 14 First Industrial Realty Trust Inc., No. 16 CSM Corp., No. 20 Meritex Inc., and No. 22 Summerhill Commercial Real Estate didn't respond to repeated requests for updated information for this year's list.
