Leading commercial real estate broker Caleb Lawson joins Avison Young's Houston brokerage operations

HOUSTON, Jan. 11 /PRNewswire/ - Rand Stephens, Avison Young Principal and Managing Director of the company's Houston office, announced today that Caleb Lawson - one of Houston's top commercial real estate brokers - has joined Avison Young's brokerage operations in Houston.

Effective immediately, Lawson joins Avison Young as a Principal and member of the Corporate Services Group. He will focus on local tenant representation and portfolio management services for clients with national and international locations.

Avison Young is Canada's largest independently-owned commercial real estate services company. It opened its first U.S. office in Chicago, IL in 2009, followed by U.S. offices in Washington, DC; Atlanta, GA; Houston, TX; Tysons Corner, VA; and Boston, MA.

"Caleb brings a wealth of tenant representation experience to our Avison Young team in Houston," comments Stephens. "His drive and tenacity have been noted throughout the Houston commercial real estate industry and he is considered to be one of the best in his field. A proven producer with a tremendous passion for his profession, Caleb is very client-centric and brings to Avison Young a creative and innovative flair for engineering solutions that work for the client."

Lawson has 14 years of experience in the commercial real estate industry. CCIM- and SIOR-certified, he was the founder and President of Lawson Group, Inc., a Houston firm specializing in tenant representation. Focusing on all areas of user representation, including lease negotiation, property acquisition/disposition, build-to-suit and design-build, Lawson works with clients in the industrial, office, land and retail markets throughout Houston.

Lawson's awards and achievements include: Houston Business Journal - Heavy Hitter (1999 to 2009) and Heavy Hitter Peer MVP (2009); ProLogis - Trail Blazer (2001 and 2002) and Broker of the Year (2008 and 2009); National Association of Office and Industrial Properties (NAIOP) - Industrial Rising Star (2001) and Finalist for Industrial Broker of the Year (2009).

"It is very exciting to be part of the Avison Young organization. The company is dynamic and growing rapidly, and I feel very fortunate to be on the 'ground floor' as a Principal," says Lawson. "The culture of the company fits very well with my personality, and I've known Avison Young Principals Rand Stephens, Josh LaRocca and Darrell Betts for many years and am thrilled to be working with them. In addition, Avison Young's service platform will provide a real boost for my client companies that have a national and international footprint."

Over the past two years, Avison Young has grown from 11 to 23 offices and from 300 to more than 700 real estate professionals across Canada and in the U.S.

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 700 real estate professionals in 23 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.

•Editors/Reporters: please click on link to view and download photo of Caleb Lawson:
http://www.avisonyoung.com/library/pdf/Media_Releases/Caleb_Lawson_Houston.jpg

SOURCE Avison Young (Canada) Inc.