Colliers Expands in SoCal, Moves Inland Office

[IMGCAP(2)]The new corporate services executive is Nick Foussianes, who joins Colliers in the newly created position of executive managing director, Southern California, for the Client Solution Design division of Corporate Solutions. The new hires in Los Angeles are senior vice president Kitty Wallace, a multifamily specialist formerly with Sperry Van Ness; and senior vice president Scott Heaton, an investment sales specialist and former longtime Colliers broker who brings a team with him from the Private Client Group at CB Richard Ellis.

[IMGCAP(3)]Foussianes will work with corporate clients to develop an in-depth understanding of key business strategies, create customized real estate solutions that meet their objectives and then oversee execution on an on-going basis, according to Dylan Taylor, president of FirstService Real Estate Advisors, who will become president and CEO of Colliers International USA this spring. Foussianes will coordinate with Scott Nelson, president of the Client Solution Design division of Corporate Solutions in the US.

Wallace was a senior vice president for Sperry Van Ness in West Los Angeles. For six years, she ranked as the company's number one multifamily adviser in the country, and for eight years running she ranked as the number two Sperry Van Ness agent in the country for all product types.

Joining Colliers International with Wallace are Corri Nicol, who will serve as business development specialist, and Mike Mortimer, who will serve as analyst. Wallace and her team will be temporarily based in Colliers International's Downtown Los Angeles office until the opening of Colliers International's West Los Angeles office.

Heaton, a 30-year industry veteran, will be based in the Downtown L.A. office of Colliers, where he will specialize in investment sales, redevelopment opportunities and consultative brokerage assignments throughout the Greater Los Angeles basin. Before joining Colliers, Heaton led the Los Angeles-Central Private Client Group for CBRE, which included business partners Patrick Barnes and Joseph Williams, who have also joined Colliers International's Downtown L.A. office, as senior associate and associate, respectively.

Heaton began his real estate career at Colliers and stayed with the company for 22 years. Before joining CBRE in 2003, Heaton was a principal at Colliers-Seeley International, now Colliers International, where he ranked among the top 10 producers every year from 1987 to 2002.

The move of the Colliers Diamond Bar office to Ontario expands the Ontario office by 16 brokers and staff members, according to Martin Pupil, senior managing director of Colliers International's Greater Los Angeles area operations. Pupil says that the move centralizes the Colliers Inland Empire operations within the hub of that market.

"We initially entered the Inland Empire market in Diamond Bar. However, Ontario has become the focal point of the region and to keep up with the changing marketplace, it makes sense to move our Diamond Bar operations to this location," Pupil explains. He adds that Colliers is focused on expanding its business in the Inland Empire and will continue to recruit new talent there.

Recent additions to the company's Inland Empire operations include Greg Horton, Barbara Armendariz, Jeff Kim and Kosha Arabi, who have joined Colliers International as associates in its Ontario office. Additionally, Mark Zehner has joined Colliers International as senior vice president. In this role, he will develop the company's asset and property management platform within the Inland Empire and throughout the Greater Los Angeles region.

Steven Bellitti and Tom Taylor, both senior vice presidents from Colliers' Diamond Bar office, will maintain leadership roles at Colliers' Ontario office. In addition, Tony Phu, also senior vice president from Colliers' Diamond Bar office, will continue to lead Colliers' China Client Group from the Ontario office as well as maintain client service throughout the San Gabriel Valley.