INDIANAPOLIS—Avison Young has just opened its first office in Indianapolis, its 45th in the US overall. The move represents yet another step in the Toronto-based firm's transformation into a global company. Over the past six years, it has grown from 11 to, now, 65 offices in 57 markets and from 300 to more than 1,700 real estate professionals in Canada, the US and Europe. Indianapolis' key role in the nation's distribution network, and the consequent desire of many clients to establish a presence there, made it important for Avison to add this city to its roster.
“That was a big part of it,” Bill Ehret, Avison principal and managing director of the new office, tells GlobeSt.com. Largely due to its massive logistics and e-commerce operations, Indianapolis is the 12th largest industrial market in the US. “That makes it a very strong market for national and international clients.”
The firm now has a strong position in the Midwest. Last week, it opened a new office in Minneapolis. Avison Young opened its first Midwest office in Chicago in January 2009. Since then, the firm has expanded in the region by starting operations in Detroit, Columbus and Cleveland.
Ehret most recently served as a co-founder and partner of Cushman & Wakefield/Summit in Indianapolis. The 33-year veteran will oversee Avison Young's growth in the region, service new and existing clients and manage the day-to-day operations. Ehret will work closely with Avison Young principals Jim Becker in Michigan and Ohio, Danny Nikitas in Illinois and Mark Evenson in Minneapolis to build a strong Midwestern platform.
In addition, Nancy Gibbs joins the new office as a senior associate. She was most recently a client coordinator at Cushman & Wakefield/Summit.
“The office starts small,” says Ehret, but he plans to ramp up operations in the next 18 months and hire seven to ten professionals. Ehret and Gibbs are office specialists, “but going forward we will be adding teammates that specialize in each of the commercial real estate sectors.”
Ehret call his move to Avison “a mutual recruitment. I was looking at their platform and was really impressed by their principal-led philosophy.”
“By expanding into Indiana, we will widen our Midwest footprint and facilitate more links with major markets within the region,” says Mark E. Rose, chair and chief executive officer of Avison Young. “We'll also open more doors to international business and expansion opportunities for our firm and our clients.”
© 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.
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.
