(Mark Your Calendars: RealShare REAL ESTATE 2012, March 22nd in Los Angeles).
LOS ANGELES-When GlobeSt.com broke the news on Twitter, and then as a story on GlobeSt.com that Chris Cooper, former CEO of Charles Dunn Co., had moved to Avison Young, we didn’t yet know what his role except that he would be “in a Southern California leadership role.” We promised to reveal more this week, and can now confirm that he has joined as principal and managing director of the Southern California region.
Effective immediately, Cooper will oversee the growth and development of the Toronto-based company's presence throughout Southern California, including Greater Los Angeles, Ventura County, Orange County and San Diego. He will be based in the company's Los Angeles West office.
“We view the Southern California region as a critical growth area for Avison Young, and Chris is especially qualified to lead this initiative, along with the other senior principals already in the region,” explains Mark Rose, chair and CEO of Avison Young. “We have already established offices in Los Angeles West and Los Angeles North. With Chris on board, we can further expand those offices and seek out opportunities to grow in other key Los Angeles submarkets.”
“I have known Chris for many years, dating back to our days together at Jones Lang LaSalle,” notes Earl Webb, Avison Young's president of US Operations, in a prepared statement. “Chris has demonstrated a unique ability to negotiate complicated transactions, gain the respect of the largest and most sophisticated clients in the US and, most importantly, build and run a very successful brokerage business in Southern California. We are all excited about Chris joining us and look forward to sharing the successes in the Southern California region with him.”
Prior to joining Avison Young, Cooper, a 27-year commercial real estate industry veteran, served as CEO of Los Angeles-based Charles Dunn Co., senior managing director for Cushman & Wakefield in Los Angeles, and EVP at Jones Lang LaSalle in Los Angeles. Charles Dunn Co. did not have a comment for GlobeSt.com regarding Cooper’s departure by deadline.
Cooper possesses a wide range of experience in corporate services, leasing, construction, acquisition, sales, development and finance, and has an impressive track record of closed real estate transactions valued in excess of $3.5 billion, according to a prepared statement.
He began his professional career as a real estate lawyer, representing both public and private-sector clients for 11 years. He has acted as lead real estate counsel on numerous large transactions, including the development, leasing, acquisition, and financing of office, industrial, hospital and other health care properties.
Neil Resnick, principal and managing director of Avison Young's Los Angeles West office, says Cooper will further the firm's efforts to be a dominant force in major markets throughout Southern California. “His long history of leadership and the respect he has earned in the Los Angeles business community will be of tremendous value to our firm and to our clients,” Resnick says. “Avison Young's presence in Los Angeles has grown from three professionals last August to 29 today. With Chris' leadership, we expect to significantly increase our staffing level throughout Southern California.”
Avison Young opened its Los Angeles West office in August 2011, followed by a second Los Angeles office in December through the acquisition of Ramsey-Shilling Commercial Real Estate Services Inc. “The ability to partner with the best and the brightest professionals in the industry, coupled with the entrepreneurial spirit at Avison Young, provided an exceptional opportunity to be part of something very special,” notes Cooper in a statement. “Furthermore, the company's principal ownership model fosters a culture that always puts the client's interest first, which is of tantamount importance. Joining Avison Young will also allow me to rejoin forces with Mark Rose and Earl Webb. Having worked with Mark and Earl previously, I am excited about the opportunity to expand the company's proven approach to client-centric service.”
Over the past three years, Avison Young has grown from 11 to 28 offices and from 300 to more than 900 real estate professionals across Canada and the US.
© Touchpoint Markets, All Rights Reserved. Request academic re-use from www.copyright.com. All other uses, submit a request to [email protected]. For more inforrmation visit Asset & Logo Licensing.
Natalie Dolce
Natalie Dolce, editor-in-chief of GlobeSt.com, is responsible for working with editorial staff, freelancers and senior management to help plan the overarching vision that encompasses GlobeSt.com, including short-term and long-term goals for the website, how content integrates through the company’s other product lines and the overall quality of content. Previously she served as national executive editor and editor of the West Coast region for GlobeSt.com and Real Estate Forum, and was responsible for coverage of news and information pertaining to that vital real estate region. Prior to moving out to the Southern California office, she was Northeast bureau chief, covering New York City for GlobeSt.com. Her background includes a stint at InStyle Magazine, and as managing editor with New York Press, an alternative weekly New York City paper. In her career, she has also covered a variety of beats for M magazine, Arthur Frommer's Budget Travel, FashionLedge.com, and Co-Ed magazine. Dolce has also freelanced for a number of publications, including MSNBC.com and Museums New York magazine.
