By Al Barbarino
Canadian brokerage Avison Young has tapped CBRE’s Jeff Heller to lead it’s charge into the New Jersey market.
“The opening of our first office in New Jersey is an important part of our strategy to establish a strong presence in key markets throughout the U.S.,” said the company’s chairman and CEO Mark Rose.
“One of the largest office and industrial markets in the country, New Jersey presents significant opportunities to effectively introduce Avison Young’s differentiated approach to principal-led client service.”
The announcement came nearly a week after Avison closed on its acquisition of New Jersey-based project management and development firm, The Walsh Company, as part of its aggressive expansion.
The Walsh Co., led by Edward S. Walsh, has offices in New Jersey, Boston, White Plains, NY and the Washington, DC area. The firm is currently at work on several high profile Jersey real estate projects and has a client list that includes Panasonic, Wyndham Worldwide and BASF. The firm’s past New York projects include a Quality Hotel renovation and a new 482,000 s/f building constructed at 86th Street and Lexington Ave.
Heller, a 26-year veteran of the brokerage business joins Avison Young as a principal and managing director. He will be in charge of overseeing the company’s growth in New Jersey, as well as servicing new and existing clients and managing the day-to-day operations.
Most recently an executive vice president at CBRE in New Jersey, Heller left his mark on $750 million worth of business during his career with the firm. Before that, he was an executive director with Cushman & Wakefield for 15 years.
Rose said: “Jeff Heller has an established track record and high-quality reputation in the local market and, with his leadership, we are strongly positioned to gain market share in New Jersey as we look to aggressively deepen our bench and further expand our industry relationships here.”
Avison Young’s aggressive expansion led to the opening of its first New York office in April and the hiring of former Cushman & Wakefield CEO Arthur J. Mirante III to lead its operations as principal.
This month CEO Mark E. Rose announced that it had acquired Starrpoint Commercial Partners, Inc., a full-service commercial real estate brokerage firm that specializes in the Santa Monica submarket of Los Angeles.
Earl Webb, Avison Young’s president, U.S. Operations, said the opening of the Jersey office reflects “the definitive strategy we have for the creation of a strong Tri-State market presence.ˮ
Mirante said having a Garden State expert like Heller on board in Jersey will give Avison a competitive advantage in continuing to build on its growth momentum.
With the opening of new Avison Young offices in New York, San Francisco, Pittsburgh, and Charleston, South Carolina in the last few months, the company has stated that it is establishing a local corporate infrastructure through the assemblage of a hand-selected team of the industry’s leading professionals.
As for Heller, he said, “I have been impressed by the talent Avison Young is assembling .. and by the quality of the firm’s leadership. I am excited to join Avison Young in a management role.”
Last month BGC Partners, the global brokerage company that acquired Grubb & Ellis in April, accused Avison Young of stealing their brokers and business opportunities, but the firm has denied the allegations.
Neither Avison Young nor Walsh Co. returned requests for comment.
