SAN JOSE—Avison Young recently opened a new office located at 2880 Stevens Creek Blvd., suite 200. This office represents Avison Young's 11th office in California, 55th US office and an additional step in the firm's ongoing aggressive growth and expansion strategy. Avison Young opened its first Northern California office in April 2012 in San Francisco, a Sacramento office in June 2013, the San Mateo office in July 2013 and the Oakland office in August 2014.
In this new endeavor, Gregg von Thaden becomes a principal of Avison Young and managing director of the San Jose/Silicon Valley office. He will coordinate the company's strategic direction throughout the Silicon Valley. Von Thaden brings 29 years of commercial real estate experience to Avison Young, most recently as an executive vice president at Colliers International in San Jose. In this exclusive, he recently discussed the company's strategy for growth, the opportunities in the Valley and the goals for the office.
GlobeSt.com: Why was now the right time to open a Silicon Valley office?
von Thaden: We've been looking for a while but our goal was to assemble the right people. Avison Young is a privately held global company so we took our time to make the right move. In this age of consolidation within the industry, we are making contrarian moves and continuing to expand.
GlobeSt.com: What is the company's strategic direction for the next few years?
von Thaden: Avison Young has grown at a rapid pace in recent years, and we look forward to continuing that growth and success here in Silicon Valley. This region was our number one choice for a new office and we will continue to buy companies. We are a privately held company, but one that is nimble and strategic in its decision-making.
GlobeSt.com: What are some of the real estate opportunities that Silicon Valley offers for a new office location?
von Thaden: We are just getting started with marketing, research and graphics teams in place. And, we are getting the word out for broker recruiting. With our team's vast experience and market knowledge, combined with the client-focused platform that Avison Young provides, we are well-positioned to offer immediate solutions to clients and welcome the opportunity to help them make strategic business decisions. We will be focused on meeting the full-service needs of investors and tenants throughout Silicon Valley and Asia.
GlobeSt.com: What are your goals for the office?
von Thaden: We want to bring the fun factor back so we are looking for the right people who not only fit our reputation and culture but ones who can serve the client in a professional and warm manner. We are being selective on specialties in favor of cultural fits.
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Lisa Brown
Lisa Brown is an editor for the south and west regions of GlobeSt.com. She has 25-plus years of real estate experience, with a regional PR role at Grubb & Ellis and a national communications position at MMI. Brown also spent 10 years as executive director at NAIOP San Francisco Bay Area chapter, where she led the organization to achieving its first national award honors and recognition on Capitol Hill. She has written extensively on commercial real estate topics and edited numerous pieces on the subject.
