ST. LOUIS—Avison Young has just opened its first office in the St. Louis metro area, its 53^rd in the US overall.The move represents yet another step in the Toronto-based firm's transformation into a global company. Over the past seven years, it has grown from 11 to, now, 79 offices in 72 markets and from 300 to more than 2,400 real estate professionals in Canada, the US and Europe.

“The company had corporate clients who had requirements in the St. Louis marketplace, and they felt it was time for to have a presence here,” Tim Convy tells GlobeSt.com. Along with George Convy, Steve Stradal, Kevin Farrell and Gerard Mudd, he is now a principal of Avison Young's St. Louis operations. A long-time veteran of the local real estate market, along with George Convy and Stradal he will oversee the company's growth and development in the region. Mudd and Farrell will manage the day-to-day operations of the office.

“They got experienced brokers right out of the box,” he adds. And the move also made a lot of sense for these veteran brokers. “Some of our clients wanted us to have a national flag.” Now, if they have requirements in Nashville, or one of the dozens of cities where Avison Young has established itself, Convy will have “boots on the ground” ready to provide a consistent level of service.