Our Story

Verity was founded on the simple premise that commercial real estate can be more than just a commodity. It works best as a service, and changing the way people think and act about commercial real estate became the cofounders’ vision. In practical terms, this means offering clients more options and guidance so they can make better business decisions.

A multidisciplinary firm, Verity focuses on three primary areas of commercial real estate expertise: development and construction services, brokerage and real estate investments, offering fully integrated solutions. The firm’s team of subject-matter experts range from entitlement, design, development and construction managers to real estate and investment advisors. This expertise uniquely separates Verity from other development and construction management or brokerage firms.

Since its inception, Verity has cultivated a culture deeply rooted on the basis of trust, teamwork and motivation with a decidedly progressive and forward-looking mindset. The firm’s cofounders are entrepreneurs with a business foundation based on value in culturally driven companies, which instilled in them an above-the-norm service ethic.

Herm Diebler spent his formative career years in the successful contractor DPR Construction, where he focused on life science, microelectronics and data center construction. In 1999, on the wave of the dot-com explosion, Herm moved to Northern Virginia to establish the phenomenally successful contractor, DPR’s East Coast regional office.

Ken Traenkle started his career with two entrepreneurial companies, Snapple and Nantucket Nectars, where he was responsible for setting up national distribution systems. In 2003, Ken entered the commercial real estate industry with long-time Washington, DC real estate firm Randall Hagnar. He became director of Commercial Real Estate, responsible for a team of 25 professionals, before the company was sold in 2009.

Herm and Ken met on the opposite sides of a negotiation table, and recognized early on their shared values and belief of how commercial real estate can be improved by a stronger emphasis on service. In 2010, Verity Commercial was launched with that vision as a cornerstone.

Learn more about Verity and the team.