MIAMI—It's a testament to Avison Young's growth in Florida. Marketing specialist Amy Allen is joining the firm as its first-ever vice president of marketing for the state.

Allen is charged with driving the strategic direction and growth of Avison's marketing initiatives in Florida. That includes creating, communicating and implementing a strategic vision for in-state marketing initiatives and coordinating internal and external communications. She will also work on assigning

resources and creating customized strategies and marketing initiatives.

“Amy is joining our firm at a critical juncture when the market is evolving and client profiles are changing,” Pike Rowley, a principal at Avison, tells GlobeSt.com. “In virtually all industry sectors, clients have crossed the Rubicon of simple space and place requirements as they place real estate at the forefront of their overall business direction.

Before coming into Avison's fold, Allen was a manger of key accounts at the South Florida Business Journal. There she created multi-platform strategic marketing plans for businesses in the healthcare, technology, education, professional services, entrepreneurial, and commercial real estate sectors.

During her tenure at the paper, she co-founded MedUTech with Keith O'Donnell, a Florida-based principal with Avison. MedUTech is a community-led initiative to showcase success, innovation and growth in healthcare, education, and technology primarily in Boca Raton, and brands the area as a center of excellence in these industries.

Earlier in her career, Allen launched a global management and consulting company, working primarily in the music industry with a diverse list of clients, including Madonna, Sting, k.d. lang, Bjork and Warner Brothers Records. She has produced concerts and recordings around the world, including London's West End, off-Broadway in New York, the Sydney Opera House, National Stadium in New Delhi and Hollywood. She holds a Master's degree from City University in London and a Bachelor of Arts degree with Honors from the Queen's University in Belfast.

“Amy brings a wealth of rich business experience to this position,” Rowley says. “She is an established, innovative industry leader in the betterment of communities through strategic thinking and planning—and has clearly demonstrated her ability to work as part of a team.”

Avison opened its first South Florida offices in October 2012 in Fort Lauderdale, Boca Raton, and Miami. In June 2013, Avison acquired WG Compass Realty Companies to set up a West Palm Beach office. The firm opened its Tampa office in September 2013 when it acquired Lane Witherspoon & Carswell Commercial Real Estate Advisors and its sister company L&W Commercial Property Management. Over the past five years, Avison has grown from 11 to 58 offices and from 300 to more than 1,500 real estate professionals across Canada, the U.S., and in Europe.