Avison Young announces milestone opening of new office in New York City
Industry leader Arthur J. Mirante, II joins as Tri-State President; new office part of strategic plan to expand firm's commercial real estate services footprint across U.S.
NEW YORK, April 25, 2012 /PRNewswire/ - Mark E. Rose, Chair and CEO of Avison Young, Canada's largest independently-owned commercial real estate services company, announced today the opening of its first office in New York City to expand the firm's market and business-line coverage in the Tri-State area.
Arthur J. Mirante, II has been named a Principal and Tri-State President, based in Avison Young's new Manhattan office. He will join Avison Young Principal Greg Kraut to grow the company's presence in one of the world's leading economic centers.
The newest American office marks Avison Young's 13th location outside of Canada. Over the past three years, Avison Young has grown from 11 to, now, 30 offices in 27 markets and from 300 to more than 900 real estate professionals across Canada and the U.S. Today's announcement comes on the heels of Avison Young opening a new office in San Francisco earlier this month.
One of the most accomplished and respected professionals in the commercial real estate industry, Mirante forged a distinguished 20-year career as CEO of Cushman & Wakefield, during which the firm's revenues increased from $100 million to $1 billion. Most recently, Mirante served as President of Global Development for Cushman & Wakefield, where he focused on working with the firm's clients to expand existing relationships as well as develop new business opportunities.
"As we continue our aggressive expansion in key markets throughout the U.S., the establishment of a New York City office is a critical component to further executing on Avison Young's vision to be the leading global real estate solutions company," comments Rose. "The New York metropolitan area is among the world's foremost global business hubs, home to dozens of Fortune 500 companies, and the largest office market in the entire U.S. Our strategic entrance into this market is a cornerstone of our corporate growth strategy and presents us with a tremendous opportunity to introduce Avison Young's differentiated client-centric service model, which focuses on aligning the interests and needs of our clients with the best-in-class skill sets and intellectual capital of our professionals."
Mirante also joins Avison Young's Executive Operating Committee and will be responsible for business development, growing revenue, and building strategic industry relationships to establish Avison Young's position in the regional marketplace.
Rose continues: "We are extremely pleased to bring someone of Arthur's esteemed caliber on board to drive the growth of our Tri-State market presence. Arthur's unparalleled industry relationships and expertise in the areas of corporate and business development on a global level will position us strongly to advance our growth objectives in recruiting the area's top talent, identifying and executing on strategic acquisitions and partnerships, and further developing our corporate and institutional client relationships."
Avison Young is establishing its local corporate infrastructure through assemblage of a hand-selected team of the area's leading industry professionals. Recruiting efforts are focused on the company's core business lines, including capital markets/investment sales, asset management, transaction management, leasing, project/construction management, property management, and consulting and advisory services.
Earl Webb, Avison Young's President, U.S. Operations, notes that the expansion into New York City is part of a strategic campaign to provide specialized real estate advisory and transactional services in key markets.
"As a debt-averse organization with a strong balance sheet, Avison Young is well-positioned to build on the momentum we have achieved with the steady growth of our market-leading international commercial real estate services platform," he says. "Specifically, we anticipate strong demand in the highly competitive and dynamic New York marketplace for our brand of principal-led client service, which transforms the traditional model of service-line silos to a client-specific, holistic-based solutions approach to meet the needs and objectives of our clients."
Adds Webb: "We are thrilled to welcome Arthur to our firm and are confident that his exceptional reputation as one of the industry's foremost business leaders, as well as his extensive relationships and deep knowledge of local market fundamentals and dynamics, will serve as tremendous assets as we expand our footprint in the Tri-State region."
"I am excited by the opportunity to work with the exceptional leadership at Avison Young to build the firm's Tri-State market presence the right way," states Mirante. "Avison Young has achieved remarkable growth by adopting a highly-strategic approach to assembling a world-class team of professionals who are experts in their respective disciplines. I see the firm's client-centric culture as being highly compatible to my own business approach, and I look forward to forging the company's growth in the greater New York market through high-level recruiting, client development and best-in-class service."
During Mirante's tenure as CEO, Cushman & Wakefield expanded its reach from 60 U.S.-based offices to a total of 173, including 100 outside of the country. Mirante also significantly expanded the firm's service-line offerings and participated in numerous landmark transactions, including the sales of the World Trade Center, 200 Park Avenue and 666 Fifth Avenue.
Mirante earned a B.S. in Sociology from the College of the Holy Cross and a J.D. from St. John's University Law School. He also holds an honorary degree, Doctor of Humane Letters, from St. John's University.
Mirante serves on the boards of numerous not-for-profit organizations and cultural institutions, including St. John's University, John Jay College of Criminal Justice, the Alvin Ailey Dance Foundation, the National Jewish Center for Immunology and Respiratory Medicine, HELP USA, and The Futures in Education Endowment Fund. The Arts & Business Council named him Business Volunteer of the Year (2003) and he was honored by Barcelona Meeting Point (BMP) - the leading European real estate exhibition and symposium - as the "Best International Real Estate Professional". He is also a founder, shareholder and member of the board of a community bank in Livingston, New Jersey known as Regal Bank.
In February, Avison Young was named a winner of Canada's 50 Best Managed Companies program for 2011, sponsored by Deloitte, CIBC, National Post and Queen's School of Business.
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 900 real estate professionals in 30 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 Arthur Mirante and Greg Kraut
http://www.avisonyoung.com/sites/default/files/content-files/Media_Room/Temp/ArthurMirante_AY.jpg
http://www.avisonyoung.com/sites/default/files/content-files/Media_Room/Temp/GregKraut_AY.jpg
For further information/comment/photos:
New York Media Relations:
• Christa Segalini, Vice-President, Beckerman PR: (201) 465-8021
• Elliot Baum, Principal and Vice-President of Marketing, New York, Avison Young: (212) 729-7465
Avison Young Media Relations:
• Sherry Quan, National Director of Communications & Media Relations, Avison Young: (604) 647-5098; cell: (604) 726-0959
• Mark Rose, Chair and CEO, Avison Young: (416) 673-4028
• Earl Webb, President, U.S. Operations, Avison Young: (312) 957-7610
Avison Young is a winner of Canada's 50 Best Managed Companies program for 2011, sponsored by Deloitte, CIBC, National Post and Queen's School of Business
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SOURCE Avison Young (Canada) Inc.
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