Avison Young acquires Los Angeles-based Ramsey-Shilling Commercial Real Estate Services, Inc.

Purchase expands Avison Young's Southern California-area presence; 23 new members added, including four principals

TORONTO, Dec. 7, 2011 /PRNewswire/ - Mark E. Rose, Chair and CEO of Avison Young, Canada's largest independently-owned commercial real estate services company, announced today that it has acquired Ramsey-Shilling Commercial Real Estate Services, Inc., a full-service real estate brokerage firm based in Los Angeles.

The acquisition further expands Avison Young's market coverage in Southern California. The change in ownership will add 23 employees, including 18 brokers, to Avison Young's Los Angeles-area operations. Terms of the acquisition were not disclosed.

Effective immediately Christopher V. Bonbright, Mark Evanoff, John Tronson and Michael Dettling join Avison Young as Principals.

"We are delighted to add Chris, Mark, John, Michael and the Ramsey-Shilling team to our rapidly-growing Southern California and U.S. platforms," comments Rose. "Chris Bonbright and his team have a solid market share in Hollywood, West Hollywood, the Westside and other key Los Angeles markets, and are market leaders serving healthcare providers and the entertainment industry."

He continues: "Once again, we are adding individuals who are respected for their leadership and who will be tremendous additions to our Principal-led organization. As we continue to build throughout the Southern California real estate market - a key market for us - we will add further top talent to service corporate and institutional client opportunities."

Also joining Avison Young are the following brokers: Andrew Berk, Brandon Mason, Chris Baer, Dan Wakumoto, David Landau, Glenn Melnick, Helga Weinbach, Howard Strom, Sam Caloroso, Steve Robertson, Steve Tronson, Thor Lee, Tom Barich and Tony Kim.

Founded in 1953, Ramsey-Shilling Commercial Real Estate Services, Inc. provides real estate marketing and consulting services to owners, investors, developers and tenants of retail, office, healthcare, industrial and investment properties.

"Avison Young is very excited to have these professionals join us to help build our business. We plan to grow rapidly in this key market through strategic hiring and acquisitions," says Earl Webb, Avison Young's President, U.S. Operations. "Chris and his team have consistently demonstrated a superior level of client service, a collaborative culture, and a dedication to their craft that is consistent with our approach here at Avison Young. We couldn't be more pleased to have them on board as we continue with our plan to be a very active player in key West Coast markets."

The newest American office marks Avison Young's 11th office outside of Canada, the company's second L.A. office, and the next step in the firm's aggressive growth and expansion strategy.

Avison Young opened its first L.A. office in August 2011, with industry veteran Neil Resnick joining as a Principal to help launch the company's brokerage business in Southern California.

"For more than 20 years, I worked alongside members of Ramsey-Shilling. They are extremely well regarded by their clients and the marketplace and it is great to now have them as partners as we continue to build our Los Angeles presence," notes Resnick, who is Managing Director of the West Los Angeles office. "The addition of this team further demonstrates Avison Young's commitment to building the company's Los Angeles presence. I am thrilled to have such a powerful and complementary addition in Los Angeles; our depth in the market has just dramatically increased with the addition of Chris and his team."

Today's announcement also comes on the heels of Avison Young opening an office in Las Vegas three weeks ago.

Over the past three years, Avison Young has grown from 11 to 26 offices and from 300 to more than 800 real estate professionals across Canada and the U.S.

Effective immediately, Ramsey-Shilling Commercial Real Estate Services, Inc.'s current office at 6711 Forest Lawn Drive in Los Angeles will be re-branded Avison Young. The office is situated in the heart of the entertainment industry in Toluca Lake adjacent to Warner Bros. Studios.

"Once we made the strategic decision to align with a firm with a national and international platform, Avison Young was by far the standout choice," says Bonbright. "With its Principal-led, client-centric model, highly-talented and visionary leadership, high standards of professionalism and, most importantly, commitment to maintaining a culture of integrity and mutual support, Avison Young was exactly the type of firm we were looking for. We believe Avison Young will set a new standard for client service in Los Angeles."

Ramsey-Shilling company founder Paul Ramsey adds: "I could not be happier passing the baton to Avison Young. Their professionals stand for everything we believe in and I know they will maintain the same level of client service and integrity that has been our hallmark these many years."

Rose says in addition to Los Angeles, Avison Young expects to open a number of offices throughout Southern California in order to effectively cover the entire market.

Biographies

Christopher Bonbright
Christopher Bonbright was most recently CEO of Ramsey-Shilling Commercial Real Estate Services, Inc. and a Principal of the firm. His activities included a national and international commercial real estate brokerage and consulting practice, as well as overall management of the firm's activities. Bonbright is widely regarded as a leading real estate professional, with well over $1 billion in successful sales and leasing transactions since 1985 across a variety of product types, including highrise office buildings, retail, healthcare, hotels, restaurants and nightclubs, and other special-use properties. Recent notable transactions include the sale and 20-year leaseback of the iconic Capitol Records building in Hollywood, the sale of the Beverly Hills landmark Rox-San office tower, and the sale of the Omni Saigon Hotel in Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam.

An honors graduate of Stanford University, Bonbright holds leadership positions with numerous civic organizations including Board Chairman of the West Hollywood Library Fund, Board Vice-Chairman of the West Hollywood Marketing and Visitors Bureau, Board member and former President of the Hollywood Property Owners Association and Business Improvement District, and former Chair of the Beverly Hills Architectural Commission.

Mark Evanoff
Mark Evanoff, a native of Southern California, was most recently President of Ramsey-Shilling Commercial Real Estate Services, Inc. and a Principal in the firm. As President, he was responsible for overseeing the operations of the company along with strategic planning and overall growth. Since joining Ramsey-Shilling in 1985, after a successful career in the Professional Golfers Association of America (PGA), Evanoff has successfully developed his commercial real estate practice. He currently works on major landlord and tenant transactions in the Greater Los Angeles Area while specializing in the Pasadena, Glendale, Burbank and North Los Angeles areas.

John Tronson
John Tronson was formerly a Principal with Ramsey-Shilling Commercial Real Estate Services, Inc., focusing on its entertainment division and specializing in serving feature film, television and commercial production companies. Widely considered Hollywood's leading commercial real estate professional, Tronson has transacted on many of Hollywood's most recognizable icons such as the former ABC Studios facility on Vine, El Capitan office building, Broadway Hollywood, historic Hillview apartment building, the Palladium, Fredericks of Hollywood building, First National Bank building, and the Capital Records building. Tronson's extensive civic contributions include past Chairman of the Hollywood Chamber of Commerce and President of the Hollywood Entertainment District (Business Improvement District), where he is still active on the Board of Directors. He joined Ramsey-Shilling in 1993 after graduating from California State University, Northridge (CSUN) where he played men's soccer and received First-Team All-American honors. He is currently a member of the CSUN Intercollegiate Athletic Advisory Committee and Athletic Directors Advisory Circle.

Michael Dettling
Michael Dettling was most recently Director of the Ramsey-Shilling Healthcare Real Estate Group and a Principal of the firm. Formerly a hospital consultant for 20 years, he has worked with hospitals and medical groups throughout California and nationally in the areas of strategic planning, business development and facility sales and leasing, and is intimately familiar with healthcare properties and provider requirements. Dettling joined the Ramsey-Shilling Company in 1992 to head the company's Healthcare Real Estate Group, specializing in healthcare property investments and leasing. He has personally leased or sold approximately 4 million square feet of medical-related space during the past several years. He holds both Bachelor of Science and MBA degrees, is immediate Past President of the University of San Francisco Southern California Alumni Association, and is active with several professional organizations.

Founded in 1978, Avison Young is Canada's largest independently-owned commercial real estate services company. Headquartered in Toronto, Ontario, Avison Young is also the largest Canadian-owned, principal-managed commercial real estate brokerage firm in North America. Comprising more than 800 real estate professionals in 26 offices across Canada and the U.S., the full-service commercial real estate company provides value-added, client-centric investment sales, leasing, advisory, management, financing and mortgage placement services to owners and occupiers of office, retail, industrial and multi-residential properties.

Editors/Reporters
• Please click on links to view and download photos of Chris Bonbright, Mark Evanoff, John Tronson and Michael Dettling:                   
http://www.avisonyoung.com/library/pdf/Media_Releases/Temp/Chris_Bonbright.jpg
http://www.avisonyoung.com/library/pdf/Media_Releases/Temp/Mark_Evanoff.jpg
http://www.avisonyoung.com/library/pdf/Media_Releases/Temp/John_Tronson.jpg
http://www.avisonyoung.com/library/pdf/Media_Releases/Temp/Mike_Dettling.jpg

SOURCE Avison Young (Canada) Inc.