LOS ANGELES—Avison Young's office expansion was a major theme of its business strategy in 2016, and this year, the firm is doubling down on its aggressive goals by expanding its service lines and its brokerage team. Earlier this week, the firm announced that it added two veteran brokers, Chris Baer and Brian Hennessey, to its Tri-Cities office, and has plans to grow other Southern California offices throughout the year.

“We are continuing to grow,” Chris Cooper, managing director at Avison Young, tells GlobeSt.com. “We announced our office in San Diego; we are going to continue to grow in Irvine, West L.A. and Downtown, and we are going to be looking to grow in the Inland Empire and South L.A. in the future as well. We are up to 115 people and six offices, and we have more than 13 million feet in agency leasing and 5 million feet under management. In five years time we have really accomplished a lot, but we still have a long way to go.”

The Tri-Cities office opened in December 2011 as part of the firm's acquisition of Ramsey-Shilling Commercial Real Estate Services, all part of the firm's growth efforts throughout Southern California. “We are further penetrating the Tri-Cities market, which is very important to capture the growth in entertainment industries and creative space,” says Cooper. “We are bringing in a strong level of experience and talent and track record with Chris and Brian, especially with regard to landlord agency leasing and investment sales.”

This will likely be a theme for the firm throughout 2017, adding new brokers and expanding its service lines in each office. “It also helps us sell out our strategy and the service lines and different types of clients, like owners, occupiers, leasing, capital markets and consulting,” says Cooper. “This was a big win as part of our expansion but also help us to fill out our strategy of service line.”

Instant Insights /

Avison Young Drives SoCal Expansion Forward

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