NEW YORK CITY—After spending close to two decades representing tenants and landlords in a wide assortment of leasing transactions, Greg Kraut has departed Avison Young to join developer and investor K Property Group as a managing partner.

Founded in 2014 by the other managing partner, Rod Kritsberg, KPG's mission is “to acquire and reinvest in value-add and core-plus office, mixed-use and retail properties in high-growth areas and transform them into institutional-quality assets,” according to its website.

The move comes following Kraut's five-year tenure at Avison—where he was was the founding principal of the New York City office, building a practice from scratch—and where he represented the likes of Google, Time Warner Cable, Madison Realty Capital and many other household names.

Earlier, he served for seven years at CBRE as a first VP and, previously, another seven years at Hunter Realty (which later became Coldwell Banker Commercial Hunter Realty).

Kraut's switch over the ownership side will allow him to draw on his experience while providing new focus areas, he tells GlobeSt.com. “I took a leap to Avison Young five years ago and it was an amazing experience. This is another opportunity to help build a world-class organization.

Kraut continues, “I've been through several cycles and now is an ideal time for me to use my background to grow the business. Rod is at a point where he is looking to expand exponentially and we've had a great working relationship.”

Plus, he adds, “brokers make the best owners because they know what tenants want and how to market a building.” Both men are full partners, Kraut explains, and having created Avison's New York office, he brings more than brokerage experience to the table.

“I'm known for company building and origination,” Kraut reveals. “We're setting up an origination platform where we go directly to owners and get off-market deals. I know where tenants are migrating, we know cycles and how to add value so that our clients are happy and we have good buildings to sell. I've recruited and have done leasing deals with a lot of the owners here so my Rolodex is very strong. That's my competitive advantage.”

Kraut sees great potential for KPG, he tells GlobeSt.com. “The market is ripe for this type of value-add, core-plus office and retail product and we have a long term vision for New York City.”

NEW YORK CITY—After spending close to two decades representing tenants and landlords in a wide assortment of leasing transactions, Greg Kraut has departed Avison Young to join developer and investor K Property Group as a managing partner.

Founded in 2014 by the other managing partner, Rod Kritsberg, KPG's mission is “to acquire and reinvest in value-add and core-plus office, mixed-use and retail properties in high-growth areas and transform them into institutional-quality assets,” according to its website.

The move comes following Kraut's five-year tenure at Avison—where he was was the founding principal of the New York City office, building a practice from scratch—and where he represented the likes of Google, Time Warner Cable, Madison Realty Capital and many other household names.

Earlier, he served for seven years at CBRE as a first VP and, previously, another seven years at Hunter Realty (which later became Coldwell Banker Commercial Hunter Realty).

Kraut's switch over the ownership side will allow him to draw on his experience while providing new focus areas, he tells GlobeSt.com. “I took a leap to Avison Young five years ago and it was an amazing experience. This is another opportunity to help build a world-class organization.

Kraut continues, “I've been through several cycles and now is an ideal time for me to use my background to grow the business. Rod is at a point where he is looking to expand exponentially and we've had a great working relationship.”

Plus, he adds, “brokers make the best owners because they know what tenants want and how to market a building.” Both men are full partners, Kraut explains, and having created Avison's New York office, he brings more than brokerage experience to the table.

“I'm known for company building and origination,” Kraut reveals. “We're setting up an origination platform where we go directly to owners and get off-market deals. I know where tenants are migrating, we know cycles and how to add value so that our clients are happy and we have good buildings to sell. I've recruited and have done leasing deals with a lot of the owners here so my Rolodex is very strong. That's my competitive advantage.”

Kraut sees great potential for KPG, he tells GlobeSt.com. “The market is ripe for this type of value-add, core-plus office and retail product and we have a long term vision for New York City.”