Industry veteran Martin McDermott joins Avison Young in Los Angeles

Office and retail specialist to further firm's Southern California expansion; joins Avison Young as Principal

LOS ANGELES, Jan. 24, 2012 /PRNewswire/ - Neil Resnick, Avison Young Principal and Managing Director of the company's West Los Angeles office, announced today that commercial real estate broker Martin McDermott has joined Avison Young's brokerage operations in Los Angeles.

Effective immediately, McDermott joins Avison Young as a Principal. Based in the company's West Los Angeles office, he will continue to focus on office and retail property transactions while also helping to further Avison Young's expansion in Los Angeles and Southern California.

"The addition of Martin McDermott to the West Los Angeles office of Avison Young adds a great new dimension and depth to our broker ranks. His background in identifying creative opportunities for his users is uncanny and has allowed him to gain a reputation of being an innovative problem-solver," comments Resnick. "Martin has focused his career on collaboratively solving the real estate challenges, and achieving the investment goals, of his clients. I'm confident that our clients will be even better served now that Martin is on board."

McDermott brings diverse professional experience to his new role. Prior to joining Avison Young, he served as Vice-President of Transaction Services at Grubb & Ellis Company for nine years. In 2009 and 2011, he was ranked number one in sales in Grubb & Ellis' West Los Angeles office, and also gained a top-10 standing in 2007 and 2008.

McDermott has assisted clients in the industries of entertainment, fashion, technology, architecture, design, digital media, fine arts, visual and performing arts, and education, as well as assisted the owners of the real estate that services these fields. He has sold or negotiated the purchase of properties for entertainment and related design-forward clients in Los Angeles as well as investors from the surrounding regions.

Solving the space needs for the entertainment and affiliated industries has required a varied skill set: tenant and landlord representation, asset and portfolio analysis, and consulting services. Developers and landlords have sought McDermott's services to creatively adapt current buildings to new uses and construct brand new innovative spaces. McDermott has also served as an advisor to such institutions as the United States Postal Service along with regional banks.

Before entering the commercial real estate industry, McDermott co-founded two Internet startup companies, Focus-Impact.com and CravingHome.com, over a two-year period. Prior to overseeing those successful launches, he served as Director of International Business Operations with the University of Michigan from 1995 to 2000. Before then, he spent two years working in the office of the CEO of Ameritech Corporation (now AT&T).

McDermott holds a bachelor degree in diplomacy and world affairs with an emphasis on economics from Occidental College in Los Angeles. He has also completed sales, marketing, strategy and leadership courses at the University of Michigan's Stephen M. Ross School of Business. He is a Certified Commercial Investment Member (CCIM) and holds affiliate memberships with the International Council of Shopping Centers (ICSC) and the Urban Land Institute (ULI).

"In an industry where it is hard for a brokerage firm to differentiate itself to its clients or even its own agents, Avison Young stood out to me as a fresh approach," says McDermott. "As a Principal in the firm, I stand with my fellow brokers and management excited and energized by the opportunity to build upon the company's already impressive track record."

Avison Young opened its West Los Angeles office in August 2011, followed by a second Los Angeles office in December through the acquisition of Ramsey-Shilling Commercial Real Estate Services, Inc. Avison Young expects to open a number of offices throughout Southern California in order to effectively cover the entire market, and views the West Coast as critical to the ongoing growth of its U.S. footprint.

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.

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SOURCE Avison Young (Canada) Inc.