CLEVELAND—The Toronto-based real estate firm Avison Young has been aggressively expanding its American presence and just planted its flag in Cleveland. In the last five years, the firm has grown from 11 offices to 60 in 49 markets, and from 300 to more than 1,600 professionals across Canada, US and in Europe. This is its second office in Ohio, having opened one in Columbus last January.
The company has also just hired Christopher Livingston as principal of Avison Young and managing director of the Cleveland office. He has more than 20 years of real estate experience, and most recently served with Infinity Construction Co. as manager of business development and marketing.
As reported in GlobeSt.com, other recent expansions by Avison Young include its September acquisition of Morristown, NJ-based asset management firm Kwartler Associates and the opening of a new office in Oakland, CA in August. In April, it opened its first European office by acquiring Haywards LLP, a London-based commercial real estate services firm.
Although Livingston will help build the Avison Young brand in Cleveland and Northeast Ohio in all facets of the service sector, he will initially prioritize building the brokerage services platform. He will also service Avison Young's new and existing clients and manage the day-to-day operations of the office.
“The new Cleveland office gives Avison Young another strategic presence in the US Midwest region and more links to other major markets,” says Mark E. Rose, the chair and chief executive officer of Avison Young. “Cleveland's proximity to our Columbus, Detroit, Pittsburgh, Toronto, Chicago, Boston, New York and Washington, DC-area offices will provide great opportunities to serve clients on a local, national and international scale. In addition to opportunities in the office and industrial sector, Cleveland will also enable us to help our clients grow their retail and multi-residential real estate assets.”
Scott Pickett was hired as a principal and managing director of the Columbus office. In his new role, Livingston will work closely with Pickett and Jim Becker, managing director of Avison Young's Detroit office, to build and grow the firm's business in major Ohio markets.
“I'm honored to be launching Avison Young's presence in Cleveland and to share in the company's unique principal-led, collaborative culture and ownership structure,” says Livingston. "This is a great town. And this is a great opportunity to build a team of professionals to serve our strong corporate base. I am highly energized with this move."
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Brian J. Rogal
Brian J. Rogal is a Chicago-based freelance writer with years of experience as an investigative reporter and editor, most notably at The Chicago Reporter, where he concentrated on housing issues. He also has written extensively on alternative energy and the payments card industry for national trade publications.
