Oates played Super Bowl football twice with the New York Giants and once with the San Francisco 49ers. Oates' previous positions also include having served as a real estate broker for Gale and Wentworth and Cohen Real Estate. He earned his law degree from Seton Hall Law School and is chairman of the Hall of Fame of New Jersey, chapter president of the NFL Alumni Association, and a board member of the Super Bowl Host Committee, the Colleen Giblin Foundation and the Boy Scouts of America.

“As an evolving firm with a very clear vision for its expansion in this key market, Avison Young is poised for even greater growth as it adds to and strengthens its presence, and I'm excited to be a part of the New Jersey office's future,” Oates says about joining the team. “I'm looking forward to leveraging my network to continue the ongoing momentum Avison Young has created throughout the state.”

In addition to Oates, Semler has joined Avison Young to focus on the representation of clients in the acquisition and disposition of corporate facilities, as well as agency representation and lease negotiations.

Semler most recently served as a principal at Cresa, and before that he was a senior director of Cushman & Wakefield. During his career, he has handled leases and sales totaling in excess of four million square feet. Semler is a member of the Morris County Economic Development Corporation, Homeless Solutions Inc, and is Board Member and Treasurer of the Morris County Park Alliance.

“The entrepreneurial spirit of Avison Young is very appealing to me,” says Semler. “No other firm has experienced the level of growth that Avison Young has forged, which is a testament to the power of its unwavering focus on putting the needs of the client first and building tailored strategies around those needs.”

Turse's focus at the firm will include lease negotiations for tenants and landlords, client development and industrial talent recruitment. He was previously with Cassidy Turley, where he negotiated more than 6.5 million square feet of sales and leases exceeding $277 million.

Cass, who was most recently with Jones Lang LaSalle, will handle leasing for office and industrial real estate.

Canada-based Avison Young opened its first New Jersey office last October, shortly after opening its first office in New York City, with Arthur J. Mirante, II as principal and Tri-State president. Avison Young then acquired The Walsh Company, the prominent project management firm.