CHICAGO – U.S. Equities Asset Management LLC has hired veteran broker Drew Nieman as an executive vice president at the Chicago-based commercial real estate firm. His primary focus will be on downtown office building leasing opportunities.

“We are very enthusiastic about merging Drew's skills and expertise with our company's extensive experience leasing, managing and developing commercial real estate,” Robert A. Wislow, Chairman of U.S. Equities, says in a release. Nieman's career in real estate began in Chicago in 1983 at The John Buck Co., where he led the firm's leasing group as principal. In 2009, he relocated to Abu Dhabi, UAE, for a two-year assignment with John Buck International, serving as executive director of leasing for office space in Abu Dhabi's new financial center. On his return to the U.S., he headed Colliers International's downtown Chicago leasing practice. “What is most exciting about joining U.S. Equities is the unique combination of its impressive and diverse portfolio in downtown Chicago, and the high-end boutique type, hands-on relationships it maintains with both its clients and tenants,” Nieman says in the release. U.S. Equities offers marketing, leasing and management services, repositioning properties for future growth, and implementing sustainable practices. In 2012, it was responsible for United Airlines relocating its global headquarters to Willis Tower and Huron Consulting's expansion and renewal at Union Tower. “I'm especially attracted to the firm's focus on all aspects of commercial real estate and deep roots in Chicago's civic community," Nieman says, "As well as its successful signing of more than 4 million square feet of office leasing in the last five years in this very challenging economic environment.” Nieman is a three-time winner of the Downtown Chicago Office Broker of the Year award. He holds a dual Bachelor of Science degree in Environmental Design and Urban and Regional Planning from Miami University in Oxford, OH.