Avison Young Buys Houston-Based Mason Partners

By Keith Loria, Contributing Editor

Mason Co-founder Todd Mason

Avison Young, Canada’s largest independently owned commercial real estate services company, continues to expand its offerings with the acquisition of Mason Partners, a Houston, Texas-based commercial real estate brokerage company for an undisclosed amount.

In the last four years, Avison Young has grown from 11 to 43 offices and from 300 to more than 1,100 real estate professionals throughout the U.S. and Canada.

“We are welcoming in the individuals in this industry who want to be part of a strategy of offering a new holistic approach to the client,” Mark E. Rose, Avison Young’s chair and CEO, told Commercial Property Executive. “What we have been looking for is to bring in more top real estate professionals who want to work with another couple of hundred partner firm to take a long-term approach to client solutions and bring resources there where we the partners have not only operational accountability, but financial and reputational accountability, which our partners believe have been the disconnect in the market over the last 15 years.”

Mason Partners offers a complete range of services, including tenant representation, landlord representation and investment sales, to real estate users, owners and investors on a local, regional and national basis. The firm provides services related to all property sector types, while specializing in land and corporate transactions.

As part of the deal, Mason co-founders Todd Mason and Jeff Lindenberger have joined Avison Young as principals. Tommy LeBlanc also joins as a broker and Andrea Gardner as a client services coordinator.

“These are successful real estate professional who have delivered for their clients,” Rose said. “There are a ton of changes out there. The way the Internet is impacting the manufacturing business and retail business, the need for professions who understand the corporate client and understand their land needs has made all the sense in the world.”

Avison Young opened its Houston office in June 2010 followed by a Dallas office in July 2011. The acquisition will further expand the company’s market and business-line coverage in Texas.

“The only acquisitions we will make is to get to the people who serve great clients. The people who own the firms we compete against have no connection to clients,” Rose said. “This was adding to people who believe the same way and it was the matter of filling a geography. What we have been doing and will be doing is collecting family members who believe in this approach and they clearly agree with our approach.”

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