Avison Young Acquires Aguer Havelock

SACRAMENTO, CA—Avison Young, Toronto, has acquired Sacramento-based commercial real estate brokerage company Aguer Havelock Associates, Inc., a former member of the NAI network.

Mark Rose, chair and CEO of Avison Young, said Aguer Havelock's business will add brokerage services to Avison Young's current property management and lease administration offerings in Sacramento, and further expands the company's business-line coverage in Northern California.

The change in ownership adds five new employees to Avison Young's operations in Sacramento.

Thomas Aguer becomes a principal and managing director of Avison Young's Sacramento office. He will focus his efforts on overseeing the growth and development of Avison Young's presence in the Sacramento region, as well as servicing new and existing clients, coordinating the local recruiting program, and managing the day-to-day operations of the office.

In addition, Matt Havelock becomes a principal and will assist Aguer in expanding Avison Young's Sacramento brokerage and management operations while continuing to service clients. During their commercial real estate careers, Aguer and Havelock have completed class A office investment sales and leasing transactions spanning more than 10 million square feet.

“Sacramento, due to its proximity to San Francisco and other areas of Northern California, ranks as one of the most dynamic markets in North America,” said Rose. “Although Avison Young already has a presence in the region, we are now able to offer brokerage services, a core element of our full-service model. With the acquisition of Aguer Havelock, we have once again strategically expanded in a key market, California's state capital, that has a strong demand for our principal-led, client-centric business model.

“We couldn't be more pleased to have Tom, Matt and the Aguer Havelock team come on board. Our companies are very similar in terms of our dedication to personalized service that emphasizes the importance of strong relationships between brokers and clients. This is evident by the fact that, in several cases, Tom has retained the same clients for 30 years.”

Founded in 1992, Aguer Havelock Associates is an independently owned commercial real estate brokerage firm offering a full slate of commercial real estate services to businesses operating in diverse sectors. The firm serves five counties: Greater Sacramento, El Dorado, Pacer, San Joaquin and Yolo. Aguer Havelock Associates brokers have been involved in every aspect of office, retail, industrial and multi-residential brokerage, including sales and leasing, investment transactions, corporate services and consulting services.

Also joining Avison Young in Sacramento from Aguer Havelock Associates are: Elisa Carlini-Soria, senior property accountant; Dana Shaw, property manager; and Dana Jones administrative coordinator.

According to Earl Webb, Avison Young's president, US operations: “Tom Aguer and Matt Havelock are two of the most respected brokers and commercial real estate business leaders in Sacramento, having worked with leading global brokerage firms. Their strong reputation among the local landlord, tenant, investment and government communities is exactly what Avison Young strives to achieve in every marketplace. Furthermore, Tom and Matt will both generate significant interest in Avison Young from within the Sacramento brokerage community as we continue to recruit outstanding professionals like them.”

Avison Young opened its first Northern California office in April 2012 in San Francisco, with Nick Slonek joining as a principal and managing director of the Northern California region. The company opened its Sacramento office in June 2013 and its San Mateo office in July 2013. Avison Young has nine offices in California.

“Complementing our existing property management and lease administration services teams, the acquisition of Aguer Havelock Associates will enable Avison Young to provide value-added brokerage services for existing and new clients in Sacramento and the surrounding region,” notes Slonek. “The acquisition also aligns the Sacramento offerings with services available from other Avison Young markets in Canada, the U.S. and the U.K.

“The timing of this acquisition could not be better due to increasing demand for brokerage services from clients of our Sacramento property management group, led by Roger Bilstad. Now, Bilstad and Tom McEfee, our lease administration business leader in Sacramento, can utilize Tom Aguer and Matt Havelock's client book to serve more clients and create even more business opportunities.”

Over the past five years, Avison Young has grown from 11 to 58 offices and from 300 to more than 1,500 real estate professionals across Canada, the US, and in Europe.

“Matt and I and the rest of our team are delighted to be able to grow Avison Young's business-line coverage in the Sacramento region,” says Aguer. “Although Aguer Havelock is well established in Sacramento, we recognized that we would need to align ourselves with a larger firm and brand to better serve clients on a local, national and international basis. By becoming part of Avison Young, we can continue to serve clients in the way that we know best in Sacramento and tap into the expertise available from our new colleagues in the rest of the US, Canada and overseas.”

Aguer says the metropolitan Sacramento region is vastly improving. “With the pending move of the NBA's Sacramento Kings to a new arena, the downtown area will grow at a rate which, since the Great Recession, has been unprecedented. The quality of life, affordable homes and proximity to Lake Tahoe and other Northern California amenities will be a lure to expanding Bay Area companies. With this acquisition, Avison Young will be ready to serve clients when they arrive in Sacramento. ”

Havelock says he is thrilled to be able to continue the strong business partnership that he has developed with Aguer while making a seamless transition to Avison Young.

“This acquisition will enable me to grow my business and my career at the same time,” says Havelock. “The opportunity to be part of Avison Young's principal-led ownership model and collaborative culture is truly unique. I'm sure it will prove to be a strong incentive to other broker candidates as we launch an active recruitment program in Sacramento.”

This announcement comes on the heels of Avison Young's acquiring Montreal-based project management firm Roy et Tremblay Inc. on July 3.