Highly-regarded industry veteran Rick Nash joins Avison Young in Atlanta

Office and industrial tenant representation specialist becomes Principal

ATLANTA, GA, Dec. 11, 2013 /CNW/ - Steve Dils, Avison Young Principal and Managing Director of the company's Atlanta office, announced today that highly-regarded commercial real estate industry professional Rick Nash has joined Avison Young in Atlanta.

Effective immediately, Nash joins Avison Young as a Principal and will focus on his specialties of office and industrial tenant representation while serving as a member of the firm's enterprise solutions team. He was most recently a Senior Vice-President with DTZ in Atlanta.

"I am very pleased that Rick has chosen to join Avison Young," comments Dils. "He is a perfect fit for our Principal-led culture and is highly respected in the Atlanta real estate community. With his strong track record of providing outstanding guidance and service to Fortune 1000 firms, Rick will add significant horsepower to our enterprise solutions team."

Nash brings 28 years of commercial real estate experience to Avison Young. Prior to joining DTZ in 2008, Nash spent 22 years at CB Richard Ellis (now CBRE), where he oversaw and negotiated more than 3,000 commercial real estate transactions. In 1988, he spearheaded the drive to establish and develop the first bona fide corporate services account programs in Atlanta. Fortune 1000 companies for which he has designed and established service-delivery models include AT&T and Frito-Lay. Licensed as a broker in five states, Nash has managed multi-market transactions for both firms.

In recent notable transactions, Nash negotiated class A office and industrial lease agreements for Zurich Farmers Insurance (112,000-sf office, Atlanta); Alcatel Lucent (120,000-sf office/electronics lab, Columbus, OH); Electrolux Home Products (600,000-sf distribution center, Atlanta); and Medline (593,000-sf distribution center, Atlanta).

During his career, Nash has earned numerous awards including: CoStar Power Broker (2011); Atlanta Board of Realtors Top 10 Producer (2003, 2005-2008); CB Richard Ellis Circle of Excellence (1998-2004, 2007); and the CB Richard Ellis Team Production/Colbert Coldwell Circle (2002). Nash is a Certified Commercial Investment Member (CCIM) and also holds memberships in the Society of Industrial and Office Realtors (SIOR) and Georgia and national realtor associations.

Before entering the commercial real estate industry in 1986, Nash was a space craft engineer with TRW's defense and space systems group in Redondo Beach, CA. He holds a Bachelor of Science in agricultural engineering from the University of Georgia as well as a Master of Science in mechanical engineering from the Georgia Institute of Technology and a Master of Science in finance from Georgia State.

"The ongoing, aggressive growth of Avison Young throughout North America has been exciting to witness, and I am excited to become a Principal within Avison Young's unique ownership model," says Nash. "Having worked with clients in multiple markets, I look forward to assisting Avison Young in enhancing the company's expansion efforts through my knowledge and contacts developed over the years. When acting on behalf of businesses that operate in different states and countries, I look forward to drawing from the collaborative network provided by other Avison Young offices and colleagues. This support network will be vital to the development of our enterprise solutions team and ensure that we provide best-in-class services to clients."

Avison Young is the world's fastest-growing commercial real estate services firm. Headquartered in Toronto, Canada, Avison Young is a collaborative, global firm owned and operated by its principals. Founded in 1978, the company comprises 1,500 real estate professionals in 53 offices, providing value-added, client-centric investment sales, leasing, advisory, management, financing and mortgage placement services to owners and occupiers of office, retail, industrial and multi-family properties.

www.avisonyoung.com

Avison Young was a winner of Canada's Best Managed Companies program in 2011 and requalified in 2012 to maintain its status as a Best Managed company.

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http://www.avisonyoung.com/sites/default/files/content-files/Media_Room/Temp/RickNash.JPG

SOURCE: Avison Young Commercial Real Estate (BC)

For further information:

Sherry Quan, National Director of Communications & Media Relations, Avison Young: 604.647-5098; cell: 604.726.0959 

Steve Dils, Principal and Managing Director, Atlanta, Avison Young: 770.630.5939 

Rick Nash, Principal, Avison Young: 404.865.3686