Why Avison Young Is Pushing Deeper Into NC

CHARLOTTE, NC—Toronto-based Avison Young has opened a new office in Charlotte. That marks the commercial real estate firm's 31st office outside Canada and third in North Carolina.

Over the past four years, Avison Young has grown from 11 to 46 offices in 37 markets and from 300 to more than 1,200 real estate professionals across Canada and the U.S. Christopher Skibinski joins Avison as a principal to lead the charge. He was most recently president of The Skibinski Company and, prior to that, a managing director at Jones Lang LaSalle in Charlotte.

“Charlotte is a major commercial hub in the Southeast U.S. and we have a number of key clients who are either there already or have a desire to expand into that market,” says Mark Rose, chair and CEO of Avison. “Since establishing our presence in Raleigh-Durham in October 2012, we have been working on expanding into Charlotte. This expansion will help us further grow our business throughout the important markets in North Carolina where many strategic occupiers and global investors are headquartered.”

Skibinski brings to Avison 23 years of experience with industrial transactions. During his career, he has successfully negotiated more than $800 million worth of transactions on manufacturing, research and development, and distribution facilities throughout the U.S. He has worked in all facets of the industrial sector including large-scale pharmaceutical facilities, fully-automated distribution centers, complex land dispositions, and build-to-suits.

“Chris has worked with some of the best firms in our business and has a very impressive list of long-term clients,” says Earl Webb, Avison Young's president, U.S. Operations. “His experience will be invaluable in helping us build a meaningful business in Charlotte and throughout the Southeast U.S. We look forward to continuing to expand the Avison Young brand and our client-specific, holistic-based solutions approach in North Carolina.”

Most recently, Skibinski assisted New Belgium Brewery in the location of its 150,000-square-foot East Coast brewery in Asheville, NC, as well as TBC Corporation's 1.2-million-square-foot distribution center in Charleston, SC. He also assisted Pfizer in the sale of its 2.2-million-square-foot research and development campus in Ann Arbor, MI, and Dick's Sporting Goods in the site selection and lease of its 650,000-sf distribution center in Atlanta.

“The company presented an outstanding opportunity to grow and be part of an exciting enterprise,” says Skibinski. “Moreover, the firm's aggressive expansion plans matched the goals for my business. Opening a new office in Charlotte will complement the company's existing activities in Raleigh-Durham, and I look forward to providing our clients with the full suite of services offered from the Avison Young platform.”

With a population of 750,000, Charlotte is the largest city in North Carolina and the 19th largest city in the U.S. Of the major metropolitan centers in the Southeast U.S., Charlotte has 7.3 million people living within a 100-mile radius compared with Atlanta, which has 8.3 million, and Miami with 6 million. Charlotte is home to the world headquarters of nine Fortune 500 companies. With more than $2.3 trillion in assets, the city is the second largest financial center in the U.S., behind only New York.