Suzanne Martinez joins Avison Young as Senior VP, Capital Markets Group in Chicago

CHICAGO, Jan. 31 /PRNewswire/ - Earl Webb, President, U.S. Operations, Avison Young, announced today that Suzanne Martinez, a 14-year Capital Markets veteran of Jones Lang LaSalle, has joined Avison Young as a Principal and Senior Vice-President in the Capital Markets Group. She will be based in Chicago.

Effective immediately, Martinez will focus on expanding Avison Young's regional investment sales and financial advisory capabilities. Having completed more than $3 billion of real estate transactions during her career, Martinez has assisted corporate clients, institutional clients and private clients in maximizing their real estate values.

"We are pleased to have Suzanne join our team. As an investment sale specialist, Suzanne will work with corporate and institutional clients to align their real estate occupancy strategies with their financial objectives," comments Webb. "With her career achievements, professional skill set and deep background in the industry, she will fit in well with Avison Young's commitment to focus on client needs. By strengthening our Capital Markets capabilities, we are continuing to build on our robust full-service, client-driven platform."

Avison Young is Canada's largest independently-owned commercial real estate services company. Over the past two years, the company has grown from 11 to 23 offices and from 300 to more than 700 real estate professionals across Canada and in the U.S.

"Creative solutions, including tapping into non-traditional capital sources, are critical to success in today's real estate market. I'm energized by helping my clients meet this challenge through Avison Young, and look forward to collaborating with our Canadian counterparts to bring new capital sources into the U.S.," says Martinez, who will focus on generating further cross-border transactions. "Avison Young is the right place to be at this point in my career because the company is committed to growing locally, nationally and globally."

Martinez has directed transactions for major corporations, institutional investors, developers and financial institutions, including Adidas, Albertsons, Bank of America, Couche-Tard, EDS, GE Capital, General Motors, HSBC, Hewitt Associates, Mitsui Sumitomo Insurance, Motorola, Rite Aid, Target, Tenet Healthcare, Unisys, United Healthcare and Wal-Mart.

Achievements include: member of Deloitte's 100 Wise Women Network - protege to Jones Lang LaSalle's Chairwoman Shelia Penrose; Illinois Real Estate Journal's Women in Commercial Real Estate Awards - Community Service Award nominee 2008 and 2009; and 2005 National Association of Industrial and Office Properties (NAIOP) nominee for largest suburban transaction (Hewitt office portfolio, $299 million).

Martinez holds an MBA from the Kellogg School of Management at Northwestern University and a Bachelor of Arts degree from the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign. She is an associate member of the International Council of Shopping Centers and a member of the Urban Land Institute.

"We are delighted to have Suzanne on board to assist in the expansion of our Capital Markets team, both in Chicago and nationwide. Her industry relationships, execution track record and experience speak for themselves," adds James Solomon, Managing Director, U.S. Capital Markets. "She will bring a broad perspective and hands-on approach for our institutional and private real estate clients."

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 Suzanne Martinez
http://www.avisonyoung.com/library/pdf/Media_Releases/Temp/SuzanneMartinezweb.jpg

SOURCE Avison Young (Canada) Inc.