Avison Young Expands Investment Platform in the US

Avison Young is expanding its investment platform in the US, and the firm has tapped Troy Jenkins as principal and director of investment management to lead the expansion of the platform. Jenkins will be based in Los Angeles, bringing more than 30 years of experience in investment banking and commercial real estate with experience at firms including CBRE Global Investors, Profit Investments and American Realty Advisors.

“Avison Young is one of the fastest growing real estate services investment companies in North America,” Jenkins tells GlobeSt.com. “When they asked me to help them grow the business, I was comforted in knowing that they had the ability to execute on an expansion plan. I know that I will be granted the resources that I need to be successful in growing this business. Avison Young is also the right size to manage market dislocation and unprecedented challenges that we see professionally and personally throughout the pandemic. You have to be both large enough to have resources and nimble enough to make changes. That is evidenced by how flat the management curve is. If you have an idea, a challenge or an opportunity, your voice will be heard from top leadership.”

Jenkins is planning an expansion in all major markets in the US, but will focus on markets where Avison Young has an established presence. “We are focused on all major markets in the US with a focus on markets where Avison Young has a brokerage practice,” he says. “That local presence gives you speed to investment opportunities and off-market opportunities as well as the local information that you need to make more informed investment decisions.”

In addition, the expansion will focus on opportunities in all major asset classes and more opportunistic investments. “The traditional four property types that are part of any diversified portfolio—office, industrial, retail and multifamily—will be a part of our investment plan,” says Jenkins. “In addition to that, we can capitalize on local market information and episodic opportunities to invest in non-traditional property types, like medical office and cold storage. An opportunity to operate on the fringe is where we see ourselves making outsized returns that we have for our clients.”

Integral to the expansion, Jenkins will also build a solid team to execute the strategy and achieve the expansion goals. “In addition to building the business, Avison Young is also committed to building the people,” he adds. “My priority is to bring fiduciary investment practices to US-based institutional investors and to recruit and retain the most culturally diverse talent in the business. We will be building a team in the US, and I know that senior management will support me in building that team.”

Despite the recent economic dislocation, Jenkins says that demand for real estate will continue to be strong. “As investors, we sometimes forget the role that real estate plays in a diversified portfolio,” he says. “Real estate is an inflation hedge, it is a diversifier, and real estate is an opportunity to combine income with appreciation. It is one of the sturdiest investments possible.”