Commercial real estate broker and former Wilmington Downtown Inc. leader John Hinnant has joined Eastern Carolinas Commercial Real Estate as vice president.

Hinnant stepped down as president and CEO of WDI in 2013 before joining Maus, Warwick, Matthews & Co. as a broker for nearly five years.

"I had a great experience at Maus, Warwick. Matthews & Co. and leave there with some really good relationships and friendships," Hinnant said.

ECCRE was formed by the Silivanch family in 2014.

"John has been a leader in the private and public sectors of the local Wilmington area for the last 20 years. John started off as a small businessman and then came to lead Wilmington Downtown Inc. . . . which focused/focuses on growth, recruiting and attracting to the downtown area of Wilmington business and economic stimulus," according to a news release from ECCRE. "John then left to enter the private sector where he entered the commercial real estate brokerage community, closing several multi-million dollar deals."

Hinnant also has an appraisal company, the release said.

Hinnant said joining ECCRE was an opportunity to become part of a fast-growing firm with leadership opportunities. He said a lot of his business has been focused in downtown Wilmington but he has also been involved in transactions throughout the Cape Fear region and beyond.

"The market is really strong right now and that's a good thing, but what everybody must keep in mind is it doesn't send a whole lot of warning signals when it starts to turn," he said. "If anybody wants to sell, now is the time."