Top-producing Downtown Los Angeles team joins Avison Young

Transformational hiring of seven-member team furthers Avison Young's rapidly growing Southern California market prominence;
Ted Simpson, Jacob Bobek, Scott Steuber join as Principals

LOS ANGELES, CA, Feb. 25, 2013 /CNW/ - Chris Cooper, Avison Young Principal and Managing Director of the Southern California region, announced today the hiring of a nationally renowned team of industry-leading professionals to join the company's recently established office in Downtown Los Angeles.

Effective immediately, Ted Simpson, Jacob Bobek and Scott Steuber join Avison Young as Principals. Simpson also becomes Managing Director of the company's Downtown L.A. office and will focus on overseeing the operations of Avison Young's presence in the Downtown L.A. area, as well as servicing clients and growing the firm's Los Angeles business.

Also joining the Downtown L.A. office are Michael Ma as a Vice-President, Scott Donaghe and Jeff Vertun as Associates, and Edward Resetar as Marketing Coordinator.

Simpson and team were most recently with Cushman & Wakefield's Downtown L.A. office. The hiring of the seven-member team further expands Avison Young's rapidly growing Southern California corporate-occupier services business.

"Ted Simpson and his team of veteran real estate professionals, including Jake Bobek, Scott Steuber and Michael Ma, form one of Southern California's top corporate-occupier teams, and we couldn't be more pleased to have this seven-member team on board," comments Cooper.

"We have built strong momentum in the Southern California region this past year and a half with a number of strategic acquisitions and hires, and the addition of this preeminent team to Avison Young's Downtown L.A. office further exemplifies our growing market leadership."

Simpson and team formed one of Cushman & Wakefield's top producing teams, completing in 2011 one of California's largest office leases on record. Furthermore, during his nearly 20 years at Cushman Realty Corporation and then, via acquisition, Cushman and Wakefield, Simpson represented tenants in transactions that resulted in changes to building-top signage on four Downtown L.A. office towers - most recently China Trust at 801 South Figueroa, as well as Ernst and Young, California Bank and Trust, and Citicorp at other Downtown locations.

"Ted's team is a real game changer and brand elevator," adds Earl Webb, Avison Young's President, U.S. Operations. "This team is one of the top corporate-occupier teams in Southern California, and will help create a critical platform and market dominance for Avison Young in Downtown L.A. and Southern California. Ted's practice, and his team of seasoned veterans, will further our ability to provide holistic, best-in-class real estate solutions to our corporate-occupier clients."

Over the past four years, Avison Young has grown from 11 to 43 offices in 35 markets and from 300 to more than 1,100 real estate professionals across Canada and the U.S.

"Avison Young's Principal-led, client-centric model is extremely appealing and we look forward to playing a major role in the company's continued growth in Los Angeles," says Simpson on behalf of his team. "We are excited to be part of an organization that has achieved such remarkable growth in recent years, and look forward to leveraging our years of corporate-occupier experience to further develop Avison Young's local, national and international client relationships."

Simpson adds: "I believe Avison Young is well positioned to achieve tremendous growth in this market. I am thrilled to be joining a firm that places such a strong emphasis on being both client-centric and culture-driven, and I am confident that our team's industry relationships and experience will support the company's growth objectives in the Southern California region."

Avison Young opened its first L.A. office in August 2011 followed by a second L.A. office in December 2011 through the acquisition of Ramsey-Shilling Commercial Real Estate Services, Inc. In March 2012, industry leader Chris Cooper joined as a Principal and Managing Director of the Southern California region. In September 2012, Avison Young acquired Starrpoint Commercial Partners, Inc. and opened a third L.A. office in Santa Monica. In November 2012, Avison Young opened its fourth L.A. office in Downtown L.A., followed that same month by a new office in Irvine, CA.

Effective March 1, 2013, Avison Young's Downtown L.A. office will be relocating to 555 South Flower Street, Suite 3200, Los Angeles, CA, 90071.

Biographies

Ted Simpson
Ted Simpson has 25 years of experience in the commercial real estate industry, having commenced his career with Coldwell Banker (now CBRE) in 1988. Prior to joining Avison Young, Simpson spent 18 years with the company now known as Cushman & Wakefield, where he was a perennial member of the Chairman's Circle, a group reserved for the firm's highest producers. Simpson has enjoyed considerable success while acting for banks, law firms, technology companies and healthcare organizations, and has completed transactions on properties in more than 20 U.S. states. In 2011, Simpson represented Illumina in the largest lease on record in San Diego, and was named "Power Broker" by Real Estate Forum Magazine in 2005.

Simpson is a sustaining Board member with UCLA's Ziman Center for Real Estate and is active in the community with Little Company of Mary Hospital (Board of Trustees), YMCA/Ketchum (Board member) and Opportunity International. He holds a Bachelor of Arts in political science from Vanderbilt University and CoreNet Global's Master of Corporate Real Estate designation.

Jacob Bobek
With 12 years of commercial real estate industry experience, Jacob Bobek joins Avison Young after spending eight years at Cushman & Wakefield in Los Angeles as Senior Director and, prior to that, four years at Equis Corporation (now DTZ) as Associate Vice-President. Bobek has represented tenants in many industries, including entertainment, gaming, technology and professional services. During his tenure at Cushman & Wakefield, Bobek was named a member of the President's Circle (2010, 2011) and Chairman's Circle (2012), which honors the company's top producers.

Bobek is active in the community with the Children's Bureau (Vice-Chair committee), Chrysalis (development committee), the Mitchell Thorp Foundation (Board member), and the Ernst & Young Entrepreneur of the Year Program (sponsor).  He holds a Bachelor of Science degree in finance, with a concentration in real estate, from Louisiana State University.

Scott Steuber
Scott Steuber brings nine years of commercial real estate industry experience to Avison Young. He was most recently a director at Cushman & Wakefield, where he completed more than 4 million square feet of leasing transactions. A corporate-occupier specialist and LEED Accredited Professional, Steuber assists clients with their local, national and international lease, sales, financing and construction projects.

Steuber holds a Bachelor of Science in Commerce degree from the University of Virginia and CoreNet Global's Master of Corporate Real Estate designation. He has also served on CoreNet's Southern California Board of Directors. In his community, Steuber has held Board and membership positions with the Hillsides Board in Pasadena, Polytechnic School Alumni, University of Virginia Alumni, and Milken Institute Young Leaders Circle.

Founded in 1978, Avison Young is Canada's largest independently-owned commercial real estate services company. Headquartered in Toronto, Ontario, Avison Young is also the largest Canadian-owned, principal-managed commercial real estate brokerage firm in North America. Comprising more than 1,100 real estate professionals in 43 offices across Canada and the U.S., the full-service commercial real estate 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.

For further information/comment/photos:

• Sherry Quan, National Director of Communications & Media Relations, Avison Young: [phone]; cell: [phone]

• Christopher Cooper, Principal & Managing Director, Southern California Region, Avison Young: [phone]

• Ted Simpson, Principal and Managing Director, Downtown Los Angeles, Avison Young: [phone]

• Mark Rose, Chair and CEO, Avison Young: [phone]

• Earl Webb, President, U.S. Operations, Avison Young: [phone]

www.avisonyoung.com

Avison Young is a winner of Canada's 50 Best Managed Companies program for 2011, sponsored by Deloitte, CIBC, National Post and Queen's School of Business

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•Editors/Reporters: please click on links to view and download photos of Ted Simpson, Jacob Bobek and Scott Steuber
http://www.avisonyoung.com/sites/default/files/content-files/Media_Room/Temp/TedSimpson.jpg
http://www.avisonyoung.com/sites/default/files/content-files/Media_Room/Temp/JakeBobek.jpg
http://www.avisonyoung.com/sites/default/files/content-files/Media_Room/Temp/ScottSteuber.jpg

SOURCE: Avison Young Commercial Real Estate (BC)

Media Relations:              
Sherry Quan                  
[phone] or [phone] cell
email: [email protected]