Forest of integrity.

According to its official description, Byrnam Wood is a real estate firm that negotiates leases on behalf of the tenants. So how did this small, little-known-beyond-the-real-estate-community company, get the name of the forest that, according to legend, destroyed one of the most ambitious people ever born? Joseph Thanhauser, chairman of Byrnam Wood, has a ready explanation for this interesting choice of name: "It conveys integrity," he claims "In Macbeth, Byrnam Wood actually travels to Dunsinane to achieve what it has to achieve, and we handle assignments for our clients all over the world."

According to Thanhauser, the firm just finished one assignment in Tokyo - a not uncommon occurrence, since Byrnam Wood is active in London, Madrid, Chicago, Washington, Atlanta, and a score of other major cities, in addition to New York. But how does a company that numbers only four professional tenant representatives, accomplish so much over such a great distance?

"It is actually easier for us than for a larger firm because we can pick an all-star team in any location, without any conflicts," Thanhauser said. "They have to follow our benchmarking."

As Gordon Ogden, the firm's managing director, explains it, large firms that want to do business in a new area always have to pair up with another large firm. "When you are working for Insignia or CB Richard Ellis, you always have to team up with that region's division of Insignia or CB," said Ogden, who spent some time working at both companies. "If you don't, you are risking your job. And although it might turn out to be a fortunate coincidence that that firm happens to be the strongest in that market and the transaction works out okay, often you have to compromise your client's interests."

"We are really like the anti-thesis of these large companies," Thanhauser added. "After all, every deal, whether it is big or small, comes down to a few people, who either know what they are doing, or don't. And we represent our clients fiercely, which is why they prefer us."

Thanhauser admits that there are clients that his firm will never get -- their deals require a large number of people and greater outreach. "But," he points out, "a lot of the money and resources of a large company go into sustaining that entity. And we have nothing to sustain. All of our energy is given to our clients."

Although Thanhauser and Ogden are obviously proud of their success (they have won seven REBNY awards in the past fifteen years), they are reluctant to boast about it. Let the recognition of our pears speak for itself," says Thanhauser, pointing to an impressive array of award certificates on his walls. Among them is a "Most Ingenious Deal of the Year" award for the lease transactions at 1301 Avenue of the Americas, which involved working out a solution for a tenant that wanted to move into a building that could not meet any of its requirements, and a "Best Deal of the Year" award for the restructuring of a lease for Wasserstein Perela law firm at the same building. The company's other notable deals include a lease transaction at World Wide Plaza, the sale of 380 Madison Ave., the sale of 609 Fifth Ave., and regeneration of a lease at World Wide Plaza.

But how does a tenant representation firm fare in these times of sky-rocketing rent prices and low vacancy rates? "There is always a demand for good tenants, and that's who we represent," Ogden explains. "A lot of times, the landlord will lower the price if he wants a particular tenant in the building. Besides, the market is changing now."

"Regardless of how tight the market is, it is possible to get a good deal," Thanhauser points out. "What distinguishes our deals is that we try to get features in the contract that will benefit the tenant, regardless of the market conditions. A lot of times, I go into another country and they tell me 'Things are done differently here.' But I know what I am doing. We negotiated a deal in New York City this year, where the landlord called me up a month later to ask if it wouldn't be possible to reconfigure the lease."

Ironically, even though both Thanhauser and Ogden seem to be the experts at their game, neither ever dreamed that he will end up working this particular field of real estate. Thanhauser graduated from Cornell with a degree in electric engineering -- "I can fix a door knob. That's about all I can do in engineering," he smiles ruefully, referring to his first career choice. And Ogden spent some time studying politics, although he really wanted to do real estate development.

The two met at Pattison Partners, where Thanhauser was a principle in the 1980's, and Ogden took his first after-college job -- "Someone told me that being a real estate broker, rather than a developer, would help me understand the demands of the market better," he explained. A few years later the firm was bought by Insignia/ESG, and Ogden took a job first at Insignia, and then at CB Richard Ellis. After some years apart, when Thanhauser founded Byrnam Wood in 1992, the two finally met again.

"In my eyes, it is very simple," Thanhauser says, referring to his firm's success. "At Byrnam Wood, we all just have great chemistry with each other."