CHARLOTTE, NC—Toronto-based Avison Young has opened a new office in Charlotte. That marks the commercial real estate firm's 31st office outside Canada and third in North Carolina.

Over the past four years, Avison Young has grown from 11 to 46 offices in 37 markets and from 300 to more than 1,200 real estate professionals across Canada and the U.S. Christopher Skibinski joins Avison as a principal to lead the charge. He was most recently president of The Skibinski Company and, prior to that, a managing director at Jones Lang LaSalle in Charlotte.

“Charlotte is a major commercial hub in the Southeast U.S. and we have a number of key clients who are either there already or have a desire to expand into that market,” says Mark Rose, chair and CEO of Avison. “Since establishing our presence in Raleigh-Durham in October 2012, we have been working on expanding into Charlotte. This expansion will help us further grow our business throughout the important markets in North Carolina where many strategic occupiers and global investors are headquartered.”