Partner Broker Highlight: Matthew Bustamante

Founder & Tenant Rep at Trilogy CRE (Phoenix, AZ)

In this Partner Broker Highlight, TenantBase sat down with Matthew Bustamante, Founder of Trilogy CRE, to talk about his path from commercial insurance to exclusive tenant representation across retail, office, and industrial. Matthew shares how a volume-first mindset, diversification, and relentless consistency help his team win in one of the country’s fastest-growing markets.

How did you get your start in commercial real estate?

“I started my own Farmers Insurance agency in 1997. About seven years in, I was doing a lot of commercial insurance for large shopping centers,” Matthew says. “Property managers kept asking me to write COIs for new tenants and I realized many weren’t represented. They were just calling off the sign.”

That insight pushed him to get licensed in 2005 and begin serving commercial clients. After five years of balancing both careers, he sold his agency in 2010 and went full-time into brokerage.

Why launch Trilogy — and why cover three asset types?

“I’ve always been my own boss. When I started my brokerage, the name Trilogy made sense because I do office, retail, and industrial,” he explains. Covering all three was strategy rather than branding.

“It’s a feast-or-famine world. Each segment has dips. Educating myself to do all three meant any referral that comes in, I’m not giving it away.”

Retail remains his bread-and-butter, but recent industrial wins — including “a quarter-million square feet this year” — show how diversification strengthens the pipeline.

On learning without a net and why mentorship matters

When he first started in commercial real estate, “I didn’t have a mentor or firm support. I built my own systems and leaned on friends for basics — ‘What’s an LOI?’”

Today, he pays that forward. “My associate came in green two years ago and he’s light-years ahead of where I was in year three because I can guide him through every hiccup.”

Generating deal flow: sphere, systems, and grind

A fourth-generation Phoenix native, Matthew leveraged existing relationships and targeted outreach early on. “There’s no cool secret. It’s grinding, making good contacts, letting people know what you do.”

Having a strategy around recurring business opportunities and long-term relationships has been key. His network of multi-unit users (for example, chiropractic and beauty concepts) “aren’t big fees, but they keep momentum.”

Phoenix market outlook

“Phoenix is an anomaly. Massive growth from data centers and chip manufacturers brings a flood of small-bay industrial demand. Retail is as strong as it’s ever been — roughly 97 percent occupied and tough to find quality space. Office is rebounding too. Pricing per square foot on sales is ticking up and some tenants are moving back from WFH into larger footprints.”

Setting expectations and earning trust

Relationships with local landlords and listing brokers give him a notable advantage. “They pick up my calls.”

For first-timers and startups, he begins with honesty. “I’m brutally honest, but respectful. We talk liquid assets, build-out needs, and business plans. If you’re not ready, I give you homework.”

One story stands out. A 20-year-old amateur boxer came to him with a dream but no resources. “He came back with savings and a plan.” Matthew placed him in 1,100 SF, then 4,000 SF two years later. “That’s how you build long-term wins.”

What’s it like working with TenantBase?

“I came from another site sending leads. As that declined, TenantBase was night-and-day better — 10x in volume and usability. The interface is easy, your team follows up, and the consistent pipeline lets me keep my agent busy. If I didn’t have TenantBase, my associate would be gone.”

While he now favors personal emails over AI-drafted first touches, he credits TenantBase’s lead volume and consistency: “It’s a numbers game. Daily engagement wins.”

Advice for new tenant-rep brokers

“Year three is the moment.” Until then, he recommends:

“Don’t start from scratch if you can help it. Join a team at a big house to eat off smaller deals while you learn. If you go boutique, understand the trade-off. You might get a better split, but no feeder system. Be strong-willed and keep grinding.”

For seasoned brokers who want larger transactions, he suggests building leverage. “Hire a junior to handle 500 to 2,500 SF. Take a piece, grow their career, and you’ll grow volume.”