Leading real estate broker Phil Barry joins Avison Young's Atlanta brokerage operations

ATLANTA, Dec. 23 /PRNewswire/ - Steve Dils, Avison Young Principal and Managing Director of the company's Atlanta office, announced today that Phil Barry - one of Atlanta's top commercial real estate brokers - has joined Avison Young's brokerage operations in Atlanta.

Effective immediately, Barry joins Avison Young as a Principal and member of the office properties group. He will provide a wide range of real estate services, ranging from investment sales and acquisitions to build-to-suit development and landlord and tenant leasing. Barry was most recently Senior Vice-President, Private Capital Markets at Grubb & Ellis in Atlanta.

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 over the past year.

"I am very pleased that Phil has decided to join Avison Young. Phil is the most consistently professional broker I have had the pleasure to work with, and he will bring a tremendous depth of real estate knowledge to our firm," comments Dils.

Barry has been involved in investment sales, acquisitions, tenant representation, development and project leasing of commercial real estate in the Southeast U.S. since 1971. During his career, he has provided real estate solutions to owners and tenants of all product types, including office, industrial, retail and land. His background in the development of significant mixed-use landmark developments has allowed him to better understand property value creation.

Barry joined Grubb & Ellis in 1994 as an investment specialist and member of the national Private Capital Markets Practice Group. Over the past 16 years, he has represented clients in real estate transactions totaling more than $500 million. Over the years, Barry has attained a well-established network of associates and an enviable reputation for providing clients with successful creative real estate solutions. Some of his past clients include Kaiser Permanente, Room & Board, The Boston Consulting Group, BCD Travel, NORO Management, Liberty Mutual, Harbert Management and Ocwen Financial.

Prior to joining Grubb & Ellis, Barry was President, PCB Management; Senior Vice-President-Development, Portman-Barry Investments, Inc.; Vice-President Marketing and Leasing / Property Management, WB Johnson Properties; and Director of Leasing, Peachtree Center Management Company.

Professional recognitions at Grubb & Ellis in Atlanta included: Top Producer (2004, 2002, 1999); Top Five Producer (2008, 2005, 2000); Top 10 Producer (2007, 2003, 2001, 1998, 1997, 1996); and Circle of Excellence (2004, 2002, 1999). Barry also served as Chair, Grubb & Ellis/Atlanta Board of Advisors (2000-2010), and is an associate member of the National Association of Industrial and Office Properties (NAIOP) and board member and secretary of Elaine Clarke Center. He holds a Bachelor of Science degree in industrial technology from Iowa State University.

"We are thrilled to have someone of Phil's caliber join the Avison Young organization," says Earl Webb, Avison Young's President, U.S. Operations. "Phil's extensive real estate experience and past successes, coupled with his strong work ethic and goal-oriented personality, will allow us to deliver the full range of capabilities and level of professionalism that clients have come to expect of us."

In the past 24 months, 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.

"I am honored and excited to have the opportunity to join Avison Young, the premier, emerging global real estate service provider. Avison Young's holistic approach to providing best-in-class real estate solutions creates a compelling value proposition for our clients," says Barry. "The combination of Avison Young's vision and leadership, shared standards and values - along with its passion for excellence - will allow us to create added value for our clients. I look forward to working with Steve Dils and the entire Avison Young team to help grow the Atlanta Region."

Effective immediately, Phil Barry's son, Hilton Barry, also joins Avison Young's Atlanta office. He becomes a Senior Associate in the office properties group. A graduate of Kennesaw State University, he was formerly with Grubb & Ellis in Atlanta for 11 years.

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 Phil Barry:
http://www.avisonyoung.com/library/pdf/Media_Releases/Barry-Phil.jpg

SOURCE Avison Young (Canada) Inc.