Avison Young, one of Canada’s largest independently-owned commercial real estate services firms, opened its first office in New York and appointed Arthur J. Mirante, II as principal and tri-state president. Mirante will be based in Avison Young’s new Manhattan office and will work with principal Greg Kraut to grow the company’s presence in the area. He has also joined Avison Young’s executive operating committee and will be responsible for business development, growing revenue and building strategic industry relationships in the region.
Previously, Mirante served as president of global development with Cushman & Wakefield. He also spent 20 years as Cushman & Wakefield’s CEO, significantly expanding the firm’s service-line offerings and participating in landmark transactions including the sales of World Trade Center and 666 Fifth Avenue. During his term as CEO, the firm’s revenues increased from $100 million to $1 billion.
“I am excited by the opportunity to work with the exceptional leadership at Avison Young to build the firm’s tri-state market presence the right way,” Mirante said in a statement. “Avison Young has achieved remarkable growth by adopting a highly-strategic approach to assembling a world-class team of professionals who are experts in their respective disciplines. I see the firm’s client-centric culture as being highly compatible to my own business approach and I look forward to forging the company’s growth in the greater New York market though high-level recruiting, client development and best-in-class service.”
Over the past three years, Avison Young has grown from 11 to 30 offices and has expanded outside its home market of Canada. The New York office marks its 13th location outside Canada.
“As we continue our aggressive expansion in key markets throughout the U.S., the establishment of a New York City office is a critical component to further executing on Avison Young’s vision to be the leading global real estate solutions company,” said Avison Young Chair and CEO Mark E. Rose in a statement. “The New York metropolitan area is among the world’s foremost global business hubs, home to dozens of Fortune 500 companies and the largest office market in the entire U.S. Our strategic entrance into this market is a cornerstone of our corporate growth strategy and presents us with a tremendous opportunity to introduce Avison Young’s differentiated client-centric service model, which focuses on aligning the interests and needs of our clients with the best-in-class skill sets and intellectual capital of our professionals.”