TIJUANA, MEXICO-Because of the growth of the local industrial market, Jones Lang LaSalle is opening a new office here. The company already operates out of Monterrey, Mexico, and has its regional headquarters for the city in Mexico City.

Pedro Azcue, chairman of the company’s Latin America division, said the firm last year completed a significant amount of industrial transactions in Latin America. In 2010, the company completed more than $60 million in industrial transactions in the country. “We seek to broaden our market share with this expansion into Tijuana, which is one of the most prominent cities for industrial activity in the region,” Azcue said in a statement.

Vince Roche, formerly with CB Richard Ellis, has been hired to lead the new office. “Tijuana is a key market to Mexico and Southern California,” he said in the statement.

Mexico was affected by the US recession, with industrial vacancy rising to more than 8.1%, according to a JLL study. However, the company is the fourth largest manufacturer of automobiles in the world, and has a large segment of youth – about 60% of the population is younger than 30 years old.

Javier Llaca, EVP in the Mexico City office, said he expects the new office to have an intensive cross-border interaction with the firm’s existing practice in San Diego and Southern California. The new office will serve the Northwest markets of Mexico.