Jason Kleiman and Bob Budington join Avison Young's Chicago brokerage operation

CHICAGO, July 8 /PRNewswire/ - Michael McKiernan, Avison Young Principal and Managing Director of the company's Chicago office, announced today that two leading commercial real estate brokers have joined Avison Young's brokerage operation.

Effective immediately, Jason Kleiman becomes a Principal of Avison Young and a member of the office tenant representation group in Chicago. Kleiman was formerly Managing Principal at Lakefront Advisory Services, a corporate real estate advisory practice that focuses on the representation of users of office space.

Bob Budington joins Avison Young as senior director of Chicago's office tenant representation group. He was most recently a Vice-President with Colliers Bennett & Kahnweiler Inc. and formerly with Golub and Company and Jones Lang LaSalle.

Avison Young is Canada's largest independently-owned commercial real estate services company. The firm opened its first U.S. office in Chicago, IL in 2009, followed by U.S. offices in Washington, DC, Atlanta, GA and Houston, TX over the past half year.

"We are pleased to be able to unite two energetic, experienced brokers who will help Avison Young realize its vision for further growth and success in the Chicago marketplace. Their backgrounds, coupled with their strong work ethic, will provide clients with the highest quality of service," says McKiernan.

He continues: "Jason's experience is extensive and his focus on tenant representation is augmented by his background in corporate services. Avison Young now has a presence in the central business district and will continue to grow."

"Bob brings a diverse background to Avison Young. His analytical experience at Jones Lang LaSalle, his landlord representation role at Golub and Company, and his tenant representation activities at Colliers provide Bob and his clients with a unique perspective on the market. Everyone here at Avison Young and our clients look forward to taking advantage of Bob's skill sets," says McKiernan.

Over the past 18 months, Avison Young has grown from 11 to 18 offices and from 300 to 600-plus real estate professionals in Canada and the U.S.

"In order to remain at the forefront of our highly competitive industry, Avison Young recognizes the need to continually add new resources to the company. Jason and Bob are both experienced tenant representatives with excellent reputations in the market and among their clients," says Earl Webb, Avison Young's President, U.S. Operations.

"They both have strong relationships with a number of Chicago-area clients with whom they have been working over the years. As we begin to build our Chicago business downtown as well as in the suburbs, we are pleased that Jason and Bob have come on board to begin what will be a rapidly-growing downtown tenant representation practice," adds Webb.

"I am excited to be joining an organization with such an enviable track record of success, and one that is committed to expanding in all facets of the commercial real estate industry," notes Kleiman. "I look forward to being an integral part of Avison Young's growth and success in the U.S. marketplace."

"I am pleased to be continuing my career at Avison Young and providing innovative real estate solutions to a wide range of clients," says Budington. "Avison Young's vision to build its brand across North America and beyond is something I look forward to being a part of."

Jason Kleiman

Kleiman has more than a decade of direct transactional experience in the Downtown Chicago commercial real estate market. Prior to joining Avison Young, he was Managing Principal and founder of Lakefront Advisory Services, a corporate real estate advisory practice that focuses primarily on the representation of users of office space. Before that, he held senior brokerage roles at both the Trammell Crow Company and CB Richard Ellis.

Through his real estate career, Kleiman has developed an expertise in tenant representation with a focus on office properties. Along with a deep knowledge of the Downtown Chicago office market, Kleiman specializes in the representation of tenants with a multi-market and multi-national presence. He has been successful in the use of best practices to assist corporate clients in the creation of consistent real estate processes across a wide variety of property portfolios. On behalf of his clients, he has successfully negotiated leasing transactions in nearly every major market throughout North America.

Kleiman's clients have included: IKON Office Solutions, Oce North America, Professional Service Industries, Dykema Gossett, IA Interior Architects, Backstop Solutions Group, PSA-Dewberry, and the French Consulate. Kleiman holds a Bachelor of Science in Business/Marketing from Indiana University and is a member of the Chicago Office Leasing Brokers Association (COLBA).

Bob Budington

Budington has more than 18 years of experience in commercial real estate with a diverse background in financial analysis, management and construction, marketing and leasing, investment and development, and acquisitions and dispositions. He has negotiated leases totaling over $200 million in value, assisted in acquisitions and dispositions of $300 million in assets, and implemented marketing and leasing programs for 3 million square feet (msf) of assets.

Specializing in strategic real estate planning and corporate advisory services, Budington joins Avison Young from Colliers Bennett & Kahnweiler Inc., where he focused on tenant representation in Downtown Chicago between 2005-2010. Prior to that, Budington was with Golub & Company where he oversaw the leasing of a 3-msf real estate portfolio. Budington began his career at LaSalle Partners (now Jones Lang LaSalle) as a financial analyst before moving to the leasing and management group in Chicago and New York.

Budington's clients have included: Boston Options Exchange, Capital First Realty, Carlyle Group, Chicago Children's Choir Academy, Chicago Municipal Employees Credit Union, Chicago Park District, City of Chicago, Clear Channel, Cypress Communications, International Education of Students, Krasnow Saunders Cornblath, Liston & Lafakis, Macquarie Rail, Mitsui Rail Capital, Northwestern Hospital, Northwestern University, Potbelly Sandwich Works, Premiere Radio, The PrivateBank and Trust Company, Government of Quebec, Romanucci & Blandin, Slalom Consulting, the Spencer Foundation, Two by Four Communication, and Visanow.com.

Budington is a member of the Commercial Office Leasing Brokers Association (COLBA) and Chicago Real Estate Organization (CREO). He is also a member of Metropolitan Family Services and City of Hope, and the founding member and President of the North Shore Lacrosse Club, a not-for-profit youth sports organization in suburban Chicago. He holds a Bachelor of Science degree in Business Management from Cornell University.

Founded in 1978, Avison Young is Canada's largest independently-owned commercial real estate services company and the only national, Canadian-owned, principal-managed real estate brokerage firm in the country. Headquartered in Toronto, Ontario and ranked among Canada's leading national commercial real estate organizations, Avison Young is a full-service commercial real estate company comprising more than 600 real estate professionals in 18 offices across Canada and in the U.S. The 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.