Joe Vargas Moves to Colliers

LOS ANGELES—Industry veteran and Olympian Joe Vargas has joined Colliers International as a senior managing director for the Los Angeles region. Vargas, who was formerly with Lee & Associates, will lead the firm's aggressive growth goals in the Los Angeles market, which will include the Inland Empire, South Bay, City of Commerce and City of Industry offices.

“After three successful decades in commercial real estate, he brings to Colliers both the tangible management skills necessary to oversee the diverse range of brokers and market sectors we serve, as well as the intangible skills to motivate, coach and bring out the best in our expanding number of brokers,” Hans Mumper, executive managing director at Colliers International, tells GlobeSt.com. “I've worked with him both as a colleague, and against him as a competitor, and I know, first hand, that he is a proven quantity, a consummate professional used to competing and winning. We are fortunate to have him join our firm.”

For Vargas, Colliers International was a great cultural fit and an exciting opportunity to be at the helm of an expanding platform. “I always want to be a value-add to a company, and my entire roots and my entire life has been in Southern California, including my career as a broker and a big portion of my leadership roles,” Vargas tells GlobeSt.com. “This was an excellent opportunity that Colliers provided to me to help a fabulous firm that is entrenched in a great history of more than 100 years to achieve their Southern California objectives.”

The growth goals are significant. Colliers is looking to double in size by the year 2020, and Vargas says the adding new business and recruiting will be integral to accomplishing the aggressive goal. “The goal for the stated goal for the company is to double in size by 2020, and that is going to necessitate very aggressive and inquisitive actions of recruiting and maintaining our best and brightest,” he says. “We will also be developing significantly more business across the platform. Southern California is a uniquely dynamic landscape and it is important that we grow in all asset classes with professionals that provide services in those asset classes. The goal is to be the best at what we do and provide the best service for our clients.”

To grow the firm, Vargas says that he will hire new and veteran brokers. “We will recruit all strata of brokers, but most importantly, we will recruit brokers that are accretive to our culture and that put the client's needs first all of the time,” he explains.

Vargas was leading the similarly aggressive expansion goals at Lee & Associates. We reached out to Lee & Associates for comment about the move, and Jeffrey Rinkov, CEO of Lee & Associates, tells GlobeSt.com, “Joe did an outstanding job for Lee & Associates and it was a pleasure working with him. We wish him all the best in his new position. Going forward, the focus of our expansion efforts is East Coast oriented and our strategy is to have an expansion leader in that region daily. Brian Lynch of our New Jersey office fulfills that need.”

LOS ANGELES—Industry veteran and Olympian Joe Vargas has joined Colliers International as a senior managing director for the Los Angeles region. Vargas, who was formerly with Lee & Associates, will lead the firm's aggressive growth goals in the Los Angeles market, which will include the Inland Empire, South Bay, City of Commerce and City of Industry offices.

“After three successful decades in commercial real estate, he brings to Colliers both the tangible management skills necessary to oversee the diverse range of brokers and market sectors we serve, as well as the intangible skills to motivate, coach and bring out the best in our expanding number of brokers,” Hans Mumper, executive managing director at Colliers International, tells GlobeSt.com. “I've worked with him both as a colleague, and against him as a competitor, and I know, first hand, that he is a proven quantity, a consummate professional used to competing and winning. We are fortunate to have him join our firm.”

For Vargas, Colliers International was a great cultural fit and an exciting opportunity to be at the helm of an expanding platform. “I always want to be a value-add to a company, and my entire roots and my entire life has been in Southern California, including my career as a broker and a big portion of my leadership roles,” Vargas tells GlobeSt.com. “This was an excellent opportunity that Colliers provided to me to help a fabulous firm that is entrenched in a great history of more than 100 years to achieve their Southern California objectives.”

The growth goals are significant. Colliers is looking to double in size by the year 2020, and Vargas says the adding new business and recruiting will be integral to accomplishing the aggressive goal. “The goal for the stated goal for the company is to double in size by 2020, and that is going to necessitate very aggressive and inquisitive actions of recruiting and maintaining our best and brightest,” he says. “We will also be developing significantly more business across the platform. Southern California is a uniquely dynamic landscape and it is important that we grow in all asset classes with professionals that provide services in those asset classes. The goal is to be the best at what we do and provide the best service for our clients.”

To grow the firm, Vargas says that he will hire new and veteran brokers. “We will recruit all strata of brokers, but most importantly, we will recruit brokers that are accretive to our culture and that put the client's needs first all of the time,” he explains.

Vargas was leading the similarly aggressive expansion goals at Lee & Associates. We reached out to Lee & Associates for comment about the move, and Jeffrey Rinkov, CEO of Lee & Associates, tells GlobeSt.com, “Joe did an outstanding job for Lee & Associates and it was a pleasure working with him. We wish him all the best in his new position. Going forward, the focus of our expansion efforts is East Coast oriented and our strategy is to have an expansion leader in that region daily. Brian Lynch of our New Jersey office fulfills that need.”