AMB Names Regional Manager for Europe

AMSTERDAM-The asset manager for Aberdeen Property Investors’ $390-million European logistics fund Celogix recently left the post to head up leasing, asset and property management in Europe for AMB Property Corp., the San Francisco-based industrial REIT. A 15-year veteran of the industry, Arthur Tielens is officially the vice president and regional manager for AMB in Europe, working out of the company’s Amsterdam office.Tielens, who was responsible for acquisitions, operations and financial performance of the Celogix fund, says Europe’s logistics community wants to become more efficient, which is driving the need for large, modern distribution facilities in strategic locations throughout the continent. Moreover, he says AMB has a competitive advantage in this arena because it will acquire and develop facilities in close partnership with customers, while many European funds that own logistics properties are constrained to acquiring and managing pre-existing facilities.”Many logistics firms are looking for real estate partners who can provide them with a pan-European exposure – on or near major international airports, and at the top seaports and key logistics centers at major expressways,” says Tielens, who personally sourced and supervised more than €388 million ($468 million) in property transactions for the Celogix fund. Tielens will report to Bruce Freedman, AMB’s executive vice president of real estate operations. In the company’s Amsterdam office, Tielens joins fellow officers Mo Barzegar, AMB’s chief investment officer, Europe; Frank E. Wade, senior vice president, international business development; Henk Folmer, vice president, international customer alliances; and Ellen Hall, vice president, international transactions.AMB operates more than 9.7 million sm (104.5 million sf) operated in North America, Europe and Asia. According to its annual report for 2003, the company operates four buildings in its key markets in Europe: three in Paris, France that total about 521,000 sf and are 88.5% occupied, and one in Frankfurt, Germany, that totals about 167,000 sf and fully leased. Additionally, the company is developing a 455,000-sf facility in Madrid, Spain, at a cost of $26 million, according to the report. In mid-July, AMB is expected to release more information regarding its expansion plans in Europe.