Avison Young opens new office in Minneapolis

Fast-growing commercial real estate services firm opens 44th U.S. office; Mark Evenson becomes Managing Director

TORONTO, March 2, 2015 /PRNewswire/ - Mark E. Rose, Chair and CEO of Avison Young, the world's fastest-growing commercial real estate services firm, announced today the opening of a newly formed office in Minneapolis.

The newest American office represents Avison Young's first office in Minnesota, 44th office in the U.S., and an additional step in the firm's ongoing aggressive growth and expansion strategy.

Over the past six years, Avison Young has grown from 11 to, now, 64 offices in 56 markets and from 300 to more than 1,700 real estate professionals in Canada, the U.S. and Europe. 

Effective immediately, Mark Evenson becomes a Principal of Avison Young and Managing Director of the Minneapolis office. With more than 30 years of commercial real estate experience, he most recently served as Managing Director of DTZ in Minneapolis.

Evenson will focus on overseeing the growth and development of Avison Young's presence in the Minneapolis region, servicing new and existing clients, and managing the day-to-day operations of the office.

In addition, Tom Hoffman joins Avison Young as a Senior Vice-President and Kate Gillette will serve as a Vice-President. Hoffman moves to Avison Young from Victory Tenant Partners, while Gillette worked previously with Evenson at DTZ. Hoffman and Gillette will concentrate on building the tenant representation practice with a focus on office and industrial clients throughout the Twin Cities area.

"The new Minneapolis office strategically expands and strengthens Avison Young's presence in the U.S. Midwest while facilitating more links with major markets across the country," comments Rose. "With a new office in Minneapolis alone, we have quickly established a presence in the Twin Cities, creating opportunities for more expansion in the region and throughout the state in the near future."

Rose continues: "Furthermore, Minneapolis is a seamless fit with our other offices in the Midwest, including Chicago, Detroit, Cleveland and Columbus. With its proximity to the provinces of Manitoba and Ontario, the Minneapolis office will also facilitate more cross-border transactions for our Canadian clients. We're thrilled to be able to draw from the knowledge and expertise of such outstanding professionals as Mark, Tom and Kate as we continue with our aggressive U.S. expansion program."

Avison Young opened its first Midwest office in Chicago in January 2009. Since then, the firm has expanded in the region by opening offices in Detroit (October 2012), Columbus (January 2014) and Cleveland (September 2014.)

"Mark Evenson is a highly respected industry veteran who has built his practice into a market leader over the last 30 years in Minneapolis," states Earl Webb, President, U.S. Operations for Avison Young. "Mark's broad-based experience and connections in the market will allow him to quickly build a full-service platform that reflects the culture and values of Avison Young. Our unique, privately held, Principal-owned platform will provide Mark with the necessary differentiation to attract the best and the brightest in the Minneapolis market."

He adds: "Tom, who found success with his own boutique brokerage, will flourish within the Avison Young platform as he redirects his energy on client service to a broader spectrum of clients and opportunities. Kate will focus on further developing her successful tenant representation practice in the Twin Cities through her business relationships and community involvement."

In his new role, Evenson will work closely with Avison Young Principals Jim Becker in Michigan and Ohio and Danny Nikitas in Illinois to build a strong Midwestern platform.

"Minneapolis is an important marketplace for our clients," notes Becker. "Minneapolis-St. Paul is the 15th-largest metropolitan statistical area (MSA) in the U.S. and is home to 27 Fortune 1000 companies, so establishing a significant market presence in the Twin Cities is a critical element of Avison Young's long-term strategy. The Minneapolis-St. Paul business environment is robust and represents a great opportunity for Avison Young to recruit top talent and capture significant market share."

Effective immediately, Avison Young's new Minneapolis office is located at 333 South Seventh Street, Suite 1370.

"I am excited to be joining Avison Young and assisting the company in establishing a presence here in Minnesota," says Evenson. "The further this relationship developed from the initial stages, the easier it was for me to see why Avison Young is such a fast-growing company. I am honoured to be part of this global organization led by Principals who are accountable to one another and to the client. This is an organization that mirrors what I have strived to offer clients: honesty, integrity, perseverance, passion and creativity."

"Avison Young Principals and staff employ a customer-first approach to their work," he adds. "This multi-disciplined platform will allow us to continue to deliver the real estate services and results that we have worked hard to provide our clients over the years. Our plan is to leverage and build from the high standards set by Avison Young corporately. We will use our skill sets and resources to make Avison Young a leader and innovator in the commercial real estate industry in the Twin Cities – and beyond."

The second largest economic center in the Midwest, Minneapolis lies on both the Mississippi and Minnesota rivers. The Minneapolis metro area has a population of 2.8 million and a labour force of 1.6 million. The broader seven-county MSA ranks as the 15th largest MSA in the U.S. In addition to the University of Minnesota, the Twin Cities area has 13 colleges and universities. Nineteen Fortune 500 companies and many up-and-coming companies on the Russell 2000 Index are located in the metro area. More than 70 companies are launched in the Twin Cities weekly.

Today's announcement comes on the heels of Avison Young acquiring Calgary, AB-based property management firm Peregrin Inc. on February 12, 2015.

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Biographies

Mark Evenson
Mark Evenson brings more than 30 years of industry experience in the Twin Cities to Avison Young. Prior to joining the company, he served as a Senior Vice-President and Managing Director for DTZ in Minneapolis. Evenson specializes in site selection, portfolio and transaction management, and strategic planning. He has provided strategic and innovative solutions for companies ranging from small start-ups to multinational corporations. Before moving to DTZ, Evenson was Executive Vice-President with The Staubach Company, where he started the company's Twin Cities branch in 2001 and earned the firm's Top Achiever award in 2004, 2006 and 2007. Prior to Staubach, Mark was the Managing Director at Cushman & Wakefield, where he built the branch from a start-up to a $6-million revenue producer in five years.

Evenson has also held leadership positions at Welsh Companies, United Properties and The Griffin Real Estate Company. Clients have included West Academic Publishing, Zurich Farmers U.S., Time Insurance Co. and Restaurant Technologies. Evenson holds the designation of Certified Commercial Investment Member (CCIM). He is a founding board member of the Jobs Foundation, and is a member of the Minnesota Commercial Association of Realtors and the Minneapolis Downtown Council. He is also a guest lecturer for Campus Crusade's entrepreneurial and executive forums; and serves as a community task force member for Wayzata Public Schools. Evenson attended both the University of Minnesota and Bethel University and holds a Bachelor of Arts degree in business.

Tom Hoffman
Tom Hoffman brings more than 15 years of industry experience to Avison Young, most recently with Victory Tenant Partners, which he founded in 2010. He has represented clients ranging from emerging high-tech companies and advertising agencies to pet food manufacturers and international manufacturing conglomerates. Hoffman began his real estate career with Coldwell Banker, specializing in multi-family and residential investment property re-development and sales. He and his team designed and sold branded multi-family buildings in the urban core of Minneapolis/St. Paul. His focus evolved to mixed-use developments where he was responsible for retail development and leasing while working with local and national retail and office users. Hoffman sits on the board of directors at Temple Israel in Minneapolis, as well as on the board of two local family foundations. He is also a past board member of the Minneapolis Area Association of Realtors, and is active on the Minnesota Commercial Association of Realtors.

Kate Gillette
Kate Gillette brings six years of industry experience to Avison Young. Prior to joining the firm, she served as a senior associate in DTZ's Minneapolis office, where she specialized in transaction management, financial analysis and market research. Her clients have included Sport Ngin, Minnetonka Public Schools, Rotation Medical, West Academic Publishing and Triple Tree. Gillette serves as the founder and Chair of the Minneapolis Club Women's Committee. She is also the 2014-15 Chair for the Minnesota Orchestra's Crash the Ball, and serves as a graduation coach with Achieve Minneapolis. Gillette holds a Bachelor of Science in architecture and technical communication from the University of Minnesota.

Avison Young is the world's fastest-growing commercial real estate services firm. Headquartered in Toronto, Canada, Avison Young is a collaborative, global firm owned and operated by its principals. Founded in 1978, the company comprises 1,700 real estate professionals in 64 offices, providing value-added, client-centric investment sales, leasing, advisory, management, financing and mortgage placement services to owners and occupiers of office, retail, industrial and multi-family properties.

• Editors/Reporters:
Please click on links to view and download photos of Mark Evenson, Tom Hoffman, Kate Gillette
http://www.avisonyoung.com/sites/default/files/content-files/Media_Room/Temp/Mark_Evenson.jpg
http://www.avisonyoung.com/sites/default/files/content-files/Media_Room/Temp/Tom_Hoffman.jpeg
http://www.avisonyoung.com/sites/default/files/content-files/Media_Room/Temp/Kate_Gillette.jpg

For further information/comment/photos:

• Sherry Quan, Principal, 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

• Jim Becker, Principal and Managing Director, Detroit, Avison Young: 313.510.2825

• Mark Evenson, Principal and Managing Director, Minneapolis, Avison Young: 612.889.5885

Avison Young's new Minneapolis office is located at 333 South Seventh Street, Suite 1370, Minneapolis, Minnesota 55402

www.avisonyoung.com

Avison Young was a winner of Canada's Best Managed Companies program in 2011 and 2012 and requalified in 2013 to maintain its status as a Best Managed company.

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